Gives Carousel a Whirl

Clara Grace experienced her first carousel ride on Friday, March twenty-fifth on probably the first truly perfect spring day in Coolidge Park. Over the noises of children laughing, the riverboat’s melodeon, and fountain spraying, the happy music of the merry-go-round called. Clara Grace and her Mommy raced through the turn style and made a dash to claim Ziggy Zebra for their mount. It was Clara Grace’s fascination with contrasting stripes that commended Ziggy to Clara Grace’s mommy above all the other animals. To their left Clara Grace’s Nana and cousin Lucy rode atop a goat like Creature known as Sir William. Aunt Keri-Lynn and Cousin Peter took up the rear on ____.. Clara Grace gripped Ziggy’s metal pole valiantly and held on wile he arched up and down in dizzying circles. Her daddy described her expression as conveying “I don’t know about this, but Mommy seems to think it’s all right, so I’ll give it a whirl.”

The Dawn of Percussion

On Wednesday, March the twenty-third, Clara Grace discovered the satisfaction of open handed patting. During breakfast, she surprised her mommy by striking the table with several resounding slaps. Since then, she has enjoyed the hollow thumps she can make on her own tummy, the muted slaps gotten from the carpet, and the particularly rewarding splashes she is now capable of during bath time and swim class. After a few days, Clara Grace even worked her way up to one-handed bongo playing. She sits on her mommy’s lap with the bongos in front and strikes each drumhead alternately after watching mommy’s hands beat out a rhythm.

Unprofessional Development

Clara Grace went to work with her daddy on March the eighteenth. Her daddy arrived late and there was certainly no sneaking into the room with an adorable little baby on his shoulder. Awkwardly, he attempted to hush the “oos” and “aws” from his fellow teachers and glanced apologetically at the in-service presenter as he scurried for a seat. Due to the monotone presenter, most teachers and even the principal were glad for the distraction Clara Grace provided. A half an hour before time to go, just as her daddy had rehearsed with her, Clara Grace began to wine inconsolably. “Oh, she’s hungry,” dozens of matronly teachers informed the new father. Neither bottle nor pacifier would do the trick though. In the end, his principal allowed Clara Grace’s daddy to take her home early. All in all, Clara Grace seemed to enjoy her first day at school very well. Although, the thirty-five to one teacher to student ratio will be hard to beat in future years.

Calisthenics

Clara Grace seems to do everything with a determination that would make any parents proud to watch. When learning to babble with new sounds, she furrows her brow and scrutinizes her Mommy and Daddy’s lips and tongue for long intervals before taking a turn. This determination also seems to have carried over into her motor achievements. Somewhere around the middle of her third month, Clara Grace began performing tummy crunches twenty at a time. It was as though she knew the next stage in her development was to strengthen her stomach muscles and wanted to accomplish this as quickly as possible. While seated on her Mommy or Daddy’s knees she threw herself forward until her head rested on her toes. Next she sprung upright again with her arms raised in triumph. She repeated this in rapid succession multiple times. Now, in the middle of Clara Grace’s fifth month, she is rolling all around the room. At the beginning of the fifth month, she was rolling, but only with that determination mentioned earlier. Each roll was accompanied by all manner of grunts and wriggling. Two weeks of that, and she was flopping from front to back like a fish. Her Papa from Michigan commented, “Wow, I’ve never seen a baby roll on command like she does.” It’s true, Clara Grace, rolls to her parents when they call from several feet away, and grins proudly on hearing their applause.

Raspberries

At Clara Grace’s fourth month appointment, her doctor asked her mommy and daddy a series of questions. “Can she sit up well? Can she roll over?” “Yes, yes,” her eager parents replied. The doctor concluded his interrogation “Can she blow raspberries?” Clara Grace’s mommy and daddy stood in silent disbelief. Here was a developmental milestone their daughter had somehow missed. “Not to worry,” the doctor assured them, “just start practicing.” Poor Clara Grace endured the showering flecks of spit that night as well as anyone could be expected. As usual, she watched intently and then did her best to imitate. Clara Grace stuck out her tongue and even got as far as blowing, only the vibration was lacking. And here is where she gave up. Her parents still blow raspberries, but mainly for her entertainment. Oddly enough, when mommy makes the sound Clara Grace pays attention politely, but for some reason, the very same sound produced in the very same way by Clara Grace’s daddy has an entirely different effect. When her daddy blows a raspberry, Clara Grace practically doubles over with laughter. Surprisingly, this reaction has not diminished with time or exposure. While it has proven very handy for invoking smiles during picture taking, it leaves Clara Grace’s parents a bit concerned about their daughter’s budding sense of humor.

The Evolution of Cry

Gone is the goat cry that amused Clara Grace’s parents so much during her early weeks. It was first replaced with what her mommy referred to affectionately as the “foghorn” cry. Sometimes, in the dead of night, Clara Grace’s mommy and daddy were awakened to loud and repeated calls of “Wa-ah! Wa-ah!” The two syllables in these exclamations descended in perfect fifths, just like foghorns heard on large seafaring vessels. Clara Grace’s mommy mused sleeplessly one night how not only was her daughter’s cry similar to a foghorn in sound but in function as well. Clara Grace bellowed her loud “Wa-ahs!” from the crib not in panic, but in what sounded almost like a question. “Wa-ah! I’m floating alone in this dark crib in the center of my ocean of a nursery. Wa-ah! Is anyone hearing me? Wa-ah! and if so, respond please.” For better or worse, the foghorn went the way of the goat after only a few short weeks.

It's Snot Funny

On Saturday, March the fifth, Clara Grace woke up with the sniffles. Possibly, she hasn’t seen enough sick people yet to know the expected behavior during times of infirmity, because she bore up amazingly well, smiling and giggling throughout her entire first cold. It could here be noted that both her mommy and daddy were sick earlier and neither managed to come through without a grumble. Even when the sniffles descended into her lungs and caused her to breath with a rattling wheeze she kept up her cheerfulness. During particularly congested morning times, Clara Grace’s daddy affectionately referred to her as his “little monster” because of her gravelly sounding rasps. Despite the baby’s good attitude, it was evident that breathing was becoming steadily more uncomfortable. Her mommy took her into steamy showers and slept with her propped on her arm so she could breath through the night. Clara Grace’s doctor told her that she would have to take breathing treatments in order to get well again. He gave Clara Grace’s mommy a mask connected to a loudly rumbling machine that pumped vaporized medicine through a tube and into the mask. Coincidentally, anything noisy and anything designed to cover her face are on Clara Grace’s list entitled, “New discoveries in the world that I do not like one bit.” In the end, Clara Grace’s cheerfulness barely faltered and she even smiled through her mask once or twice. Much to her mommy and daddy’s relief, her lungs cleared and the sniffles finally went away a little more than a week later.

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.

Babies These Days

Clara Grace’s Daddy took her on an outing to the post office early one Saturday morning. “That baby is so alert,” the attendant marveled, “How old is she?” “She’s thirteen weeks,” her Daddy informed. The post office attendant shrugged, “None of my kids were ever that alert at thirteen weeks, I guess they’re just making babies more alert these days.”

Magic Daddy and the Eternal Christmas Tree

It was an odd revelation for Clara Grace’s Mommy when the thought struck her that the baby had lived in a house with Christmas decorations for the greater part of her life. Could she even recall a world without red and green and a giant tree in the middle of the living room? So much of her development had taken place in the shadow of the artificial pine’s heavily laden bows.

Only weeks before, Clara Grace had dozed semi-comatose while her Mommy and Daddy decorated the entire house with bright and shiny Christmas regalia. She had taken only cursory notice of jingling ornaments or even the blinking Christmas tree in mid November.

However, when everything came down in early January she gazed with rapt attention as her Daddy unwound sparkling garland from the tree. Of particular curiosity to her was the mystery of how her Daddy went behind the tree on one side and then somehow reappeared again on completely the other side. This phenomenon happened over and over again as the garland wound lower on the tree and each time Clara Grace snapped her head to the place from where he’d popped out unexpectedly. What an incredibly vast amount of things there are for her new little mind to grasp. And how quickly Clara Grace is taking in her new world.

New Threads Already

It was thirteen weeks after Clara Grace’s arrival when her Mommy packed away all of her zero to three month outfits. As she refitted the seemingly monstrous three to six month apparel onto the vacated hangers, she felt the familiar stinging in her eyes and tightening in her throat that warned the job would be more emotional than expected. By the time the project should have been nearing completion, she found herself sitting dazed on the wood floor in the middle of heaps and heaps of disorganized clothing. However disheartening, the project’s necessity had become apparent when Clara Grace’s neighbor, Lillian Smith, had come to coo over the baby days earlier.

“Oh, my gracious, her looks sooo cold.” Lillian commented in her syrupy Georgian drawl. Clara Grace’s Mommy paused in order to think of a way to respond politely without admitting she’d wantonly put her baby at risk of double pneumonia.

“I guess it’s hard to know how to dress them on one of these 70 degree days in January.” She tugged in vain at the cuffs of her daughter’s pants wondering why on earth they refused to cover the bottom half of the baby’s bare legs. This was certainly an unexpected development since the very outfit had practically engulfed Clara Grace just a short time ago.

Mrs. Smith smiled sweetly, albeit disapprovingly, and shuffled back across the street hunched against the spring-like breeze in her, two undershirts, flannel, and down coat.

And so it was that the very next weekend found Clara Grace’s Mommy knee deep in outgrown bows and ruffles. A few hours and several tears later, Clara Grace’s closet was functional once more. It was harder than anticipated for Clara Grace’s Mommy to let go of the seven pound fourteen ounce newborn who remained curled up against her chest just like a little turtle several minutes even after she’d been taken out of her bassinette. However, she did have to admit there were distinct advantages to the twelve-pound growing infant who had recently learned to smile and stretch out her arms when she wanted to be picked up from the bassinette.

The Best Medicine

January seventh brought the most delightful milestone in Clara Grace’s development to date. It all started with Her Mommy holding her facing out while Leanna conversed with her in all manner of “Goos” and tongue wagging. It must have been that something struck Clara as particularly more hilarious than anything she’d heard in the last twelve weeks and five days because she all at once burst out into genuine laughter. These were not just polite giggles; Clara Grace was smiling so big that her eyes squeezed shut and guffawing so vigorously that she almost choked. As Liana put it, “Well, good grief, she’s cracking up.”