Clara Jane at 4 months old

Crikey this girl is so much fun.  We cannot believe that she is already 4 months old!  Clarabelle had her 4 month exam today with her pediatrician and now weighs 13 lbs 5 oz  and is 25 inches long (over two feet!  way to go girlie!).  That puts her in the 78th percentile for height and the 47th percentile for weight.  Her head is a little tiny (in the 23rd percentile) but the doctor said everything is normal and she is perfect.

Clara smiles - a LOT - but it can be hard to capture her smile on camera because whenever we get behind the lense she wonders where we went.  She smiles when she wakes up in the morning or from a nap.  She also smiles when we talk to her or tickle her.  She laughs when we bounce her on the bed, play eensy-weensy spider, or wiggle our fingers at her and say "I'm gonna getchoo! Boo!"

Clara is pretty good about letting me do her hair and put bows in it each day.  She doesn't seem to mind it much, but because she still spends a lot of time laying on her back they don't always stay in well. 

Our little Claradactyl loves to use her hands to remove her pacifier, analyze it, then stick it back in her mouth.  Sometimes she can put the binkie back in the correct way, but most of the time it goes askew and she will hold it out in front of her, analyze it again, then try sticking it back in.  This can go on for five minutes or so while she concentrates quietly on her ambition. 

She has a number of favorite toys that she loves to grab at and chew on play with.

Not only can Clara roll now from her back to her tummy, she has figured out how to thrust herself forward by pulling with her hands and pushing off with her feet in order to get objects that are out of her reach.  It isn't crawling or even scooting yet, but if she gets her mind set on something, she can move about a foot in any direction.  Clarabelle spends a lot of time on her tummy and often scrunches her legs up underneath her and lifts her bum in the air.  Sometimes she does "dolphin pose" from yoga where she completely lifts her bottom up in the air with her legs straight and balancing on her toes and elbows. 

Clara talks really LOUD whenever Paul gets home from work.  She will crane her entire body, not just her neck, to see the television if it is on (much to her mommy's dismay). 

Clara loves Owl.  He sleeps with her at night snuggled close up to her right side so that she won't roll herself over in her sleep.  A friend of mine made fun of these shorts and said that they looked like clown shorts, but I totally love them on her.

None of her hair has fallen out, even though we were warned that it wouldn't last. She does have a patch on the back of her head where the hair has rubbed short and rough because of her moving her head back and forth while she sleeps, but it hasn't gone bald.

A lot of people have commented on how intelligent Clara seems - she looks around at things with an obvious inquisitiveness and awareness of the world around her. 

Clara is sitting up in the high chair really well and has been eating rice cereal for a few days now.  Next up, peas?  Carrots?  Sweet potatoes?  Does anybody have any recommendations on what order we should try foods in?

We love our happy baby girl.