Higgie #2 just got on the life train.

ETA: Feb 8th

Funny how 21 degrees feels warmer, eh? I guess after -2, it's a pretty big shift.

Claire is getting huge. Her hair is all in her face now and she can't stop moving. Can't stop talking sometimes, too. Sometimes the only way I can get her to slow down is to pop in the Wiggles (I think I've learned every song by now) and let her enjoy the silly tunes of Sam, Anthony, Murray and Jeff.

What's even sadder is that I even know all the colors that they wear.

I'm looking forward to some warmer weather when we can head up to the park in her new wagon that is still unused as yet. I think it would be fun to harness Casey to it and set her after a squirrel. Claire would love the ride.

Then again, maybe the snow we're getting this week will be perfect for the sled she just got from her Papaw as a delayed X-mas gift.

Cheerio(s)!

Happy anniversary, Tiger.
Still nervous about liking me "oh so much"?

...one laugh at a time.


Luego muchachos.
Sea fuerte y valeroso.

(The caption is a song Amanda's mom made up for Claire.)

I've never let the ol' blog go this long before. Whew...

To say that the past four months has been anything short of a whirlwind would be a drastic understatement. I can easily understand why they say parenting is both the most difficult yet most rewarding thing you'll ever do. That being said, here is a month-by-month progression so far:

One Month: Still looks a bit like an eskimo baby, but I'm sure she's ours. And you can take my word for it.

This month's discovery: Well, everything. She was just born, after all.

Two months: A lot more smiles, and a lot more personality. We took our first big roadtrip over Thanksgiving break and got to meet everybody on daddy's side of the family. Also, we were introduced to the dreaded monster known as cholic in this time frame. Just when we thought we had the parent role down, we start learning that we've still got some learnin' to do.

This month's discovery: Swinging makes babies happy! And baby's first X-mas.

Three months: Getting bigger. She got a lot more interested in mommy and daddy this month and learned to play a bit. We finally wised up and started putting her to bed a little earlier, which improved bedtime drastically. Daddy also started watching Claire by himself for the first time when mommy went back to work. I hate that she has to, but at least it gives Claire and I some time to bond. Similarities in her face and ours really start to show themselves. Also, her butterfly mobile in her bedroom never ceases to amaze or amuse her. It's really cute when her face just lights up.

This month's discovery: Sitting up is fun. Veggie tales. I can make poopy on daddy in church and get away with it...

Month 4: She can smile like crazy, but we still haven't been able to get a solid laugh yet. We're working on it. She's learned to roll over onto her tummy, though. We're quite proud of that. She can also toot louder than daddy. I think I'm more proud of that than anyone else. The first little hint of a tooth is starting to show on her lower front gumline. There's also quite a bit of drool to accompany it. As you can see from the pics, she can also hold herself upright for a few minutes while sitting. Her weight at her four month doctor's appointment is a whopping 15 lbs. Our little pudge...

This month's discovery: Toes! I can stick everything I can get my hands on into my mouth!


She's one of the best things that ever happened to me and I love her (even though I still have a mental hiccough whenever I utter the word 'daughter').


And now, five more random questions!
81. If you were a bird, what would you be? Oh, I don't really care which one. I just think it's finny how they can poop in mid-flight.
82. Ever get stitches? I got a stitch in my side while running once. But no, not medical stitches.
83. If you could change your name, what would it be? Duke. It's just a cool name. Try it out, even if you're a girl.
84. Dogs or cats? We've got both, but I'm partial to the dog.
85. Who do you tell your problems to? My wife. She's good like that. I mean... I don't have problems.

Luego muchachos.
sea fuerte y valeroso.