Field Trip

On Thursday, February 24 Clara Grace’s Grandma took her on an outing to the pet store. Clara Grace watched hamsters and mice running, fish swimming, birds fluttering, and snakes slithering. Only the rabbits were a bit of a disappointment providing little more than nose twitching for Grandma to comment on. Her grandmother reported that she watched all of this with rapt attention. Clara Grace returned home to her well-rested mommy, proudly baring a crinkly bag of doggie biscuits for her own puppy.

Hard Habit to Break

Somewhere in her fourth month, Clara Grace became fascinated with her mommy and daddy’s faces. At times, while sitting with her mommy on the couch, she reaches upward and tenderly strokes her mommy’s cheek or softly pats her mommy’s nose. Then, she finds a few wisps of her mommy’s stray hair and combs them with utmost delicacy until, on a whim, she yanks them right out of her mommy’s head. Other times, she goes straight for the eyes without warning. One of her favorite tricks is to lull her parents into complacency by patting their cheeks lovingly. Just when they smile approvingly she digs in her fingernails and twists the loose skin until their faces are grossly contorted half from her yanking and half from pain. Clara Grace’s daddy remarked, “I didn’t have jowls until Clara Grace got a hold of my cheeks.” On another occasion, Clara Grace’s daddy awoke from a deep, morning nap to the sensation of his ear and nose being tugged simultaneously. His eyes popped open, which sent Clara Grace into a fit of giggles.

It' Don't Mean a Thing

A lonely red and blue baby swing had dangled from the gingko tree in Clara Grace’s backyard for months. Her mommy and daddy had paid two dollars for the swing at a yard sale the previous summer. Their shrewd bargaining was a good thing since it had taken twenty dollars for the rope and chain needed to string it up. The gingko’s leaves had turned yellow and fallen to the ground by the time Clara Grace finally arrived. During the long pregnancy and exciting first days of Clara Grace’s life, her mommy often pictured her daughter in that swing for the very first time.

It is when she voices excitement about things like this that mothers of older children often chide her for wishing away the baby’s early moments. Though Clara Grace’s mommy nods politely, she secretly believes there must be a way to enjoy each of her daughter’s moments while at the same time looking forward to each of the coming changes and experiences. That long anticipated first swing ride finally became the present moment On February 12. Clara Grace’s mommy and daddy took turns pushing their baby back and forth. She laughed when daddy twisted the ropes, causing the swing to spin gently as it arched away from him. Clara Grace’s mommy listened and made a mental note to pick up a tire if they should happen to chance upon one at this summer’s yard sales. She smiled, picturing a tire suspended from the same sturdy branch and the little girl with curly brown hair and the same light blue eyes giggling as she whirled and spun beneath the gingko.

English Rose

Clara Grace celebrated her fourth month with a tea party at the English Rose. Those in attendance were herself, mommy, daddy, grandma, and Aunt Amy. In honor of the grand occasion, Clara Grace enjoyed her first teething cookie. Clara Grace’s waitress called the cookie a Rusk and told her family that it had come all the way across the ocean from England. The eager baby gummed the entire circumference making a general mess of both herself and the Rusk.

Deep Water

Clara Grace is becoming quite a swimmer. She attends swimming lessons twice a week and seems to enjoy them thoroughly. Her mommy is becoming spoiled by the heated pool though and may never swim anywhere else again.

X's and O-o-o-o's

Clara Grace gave her Mommy a kiss. To be fair, Daddy had a lot to do with it. He brought the baby close and Clara Grace puckered up to plant a big slobbery mouth on mommy’s cheek. “You gave mommy a kiss!” her mommy said excitedly then felt warm, wet drool running down her face. “We couldn’t find a rag,” Daddy admitted with a grin.

She Grasped the Gravity of the Situation

Clara Grace has developed quite a strong grasp. Her Mommy first noticed this on January 22nd when Clara Grace made a game of taking pens from Daddy’s pocket and tossing them down to the floor. Since then, she has been quite dedicated and vigorous about grasping Mommy’s hair, however forkfuls of food that can be dumped onto Daddy’s lap are also intriguing.

Taking Our Lumps

Clara Grace was never the “lump” that most people told her Mommy and Daddy to expect for a newborn. From the very first moments of her life she did so much more than eat and sleep. Even shortly after delivery, her personality poked through in beautiful smiles. Week by week, she has been giving her Mommy and Daddy even more glimpses of what they can expect in future years. Clara Grace laughs all the time now, but even more interesting are the things that make her laugh. Most of the time, she laughs whenever she hears someone else laughing. Her Mommy first noticed this when she was listening to a recording of her daughter’s laughter. Every time Clara Grace heard herself laugh, she giggled. Now she makes loud and funny noises and when Mommy or Daddy laughs, she joins in. It is also fascinating that she seems kind enough to reward her Mommy and Daddy with “pity laughs” whenever they are trying very hard to be funny for her. These chuckles are nowhere near as long and happy as laughter, which erupts spontaneously, but it’s the thought that counts.

Wokka Wokka Wokka

Almost two weeks had elapsed since the afternoon when Clara Grace’s Mommy excitedly met Clara Grace’s Daddy at the door and informed him of his daughter’s first laugh. Of course, the two spent countless hours during the next days and nearly wore their tongues out with wagging to produce the same reaction but apparently this joke was only funny the first time. Or worse, maybe Leanna was the only person their daughter found amusing.

But finally, early on Saturday of her fourteenth week, Clara Grace laughed for the second time. It happened as her Mommy held her on her lap facing out. Clara Grace wanted to stand up, so her Mommy supported her under her arms and the baby smiled proudly at her Daddy from her new higher vantage point. Unexpectedly, Clara Grace’s Daddy took the baby’s feet and swung gently back and forth like a hammock. Aware of Clara Grace’s easily startled nature, Clara Grace’s Mommy was about to recommend that he stop at once when the little girl erupted in giggles. This time, she laughed so hard that she gave herself the hiccoughs but she indicated by kicking and lifting her bottom that she would like another go.

And so the game went for at least twenty minutes until the baby’s eyes began to droop and she was ready for her morning nap. Clara Grace’s Mommy marveled again at how no laugh had ever sounded quite so beautiful and is looking forward to the time when her daughter’s laughter comes at regular intervals.