Supermodel

Claire visited a photography studio today for a professional portrait "shoot" (feel free to either make your own cool rapid fire photo sound or click here).   Convincing a baby to cooperate during a photo session is no easy feat but Claire was a champ.

Claire at the Fair

We patiently waited eight months to take Claire to one of our favorite events of the year: the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair.  The fair has an amazing variety of activities and animals although Claire was more focused on observing all the people.  Not a bad plan because many of the people at the fair were more interesting to look at than the animals.

Here's Claire visiting the best place at the fair: the Rabbit Barn

Rabbitpalooza

OMG, a rabbit is hanging out with Claire

Finally, here's Claire visiting with one of her favorite 
bedtime book characters: Pookie

Cool at the Pool

Today Claire made her first visit to a swimming pool.  After some initial reluctance to get her feet wet (literally), she eventually became somewhat comfortable with the water although we have a long way to go before she's swimming.

Halifax, Nova Scotia

Our last stop was Nova Scotia which we thought was most charming.  It had a decidedly British feel as you can see.  Here's a photo of Claire respectfully saluting the guard.  I realize she's using the wrong but give her a break, she's just a baby.

St. John, New Brunswick

Here's Claire and her father in front of the Carleton Martello Tower which was used for something at some point a long time ago in St. John, New Brunswick.  You see, we hooked on with a bus tour that took us to all the top sights in town and this was one of the last stops so we just hopped off the bus and didn't quite make it up to the tower because we had a diaper change emergency that derailed us.

Bar Harbor, Maine

Next stop, Bahh Hahhbahr, Maine where we bundled up a bit because it was much cooler than Portland.  Phew, vacation disaster averted! 

Portland, Maine

Here's Claire and Francesca at our first port in Portland, Maine.  The temperature turned out to be about 90 degrees which pretty much put the town in a state of emergency.  It was over 100 degrees back home so we somehow survived.

 

Crusin' Claire

Claire worked really hard to grow so much and become such a super baby in her first seven months so we took her on a well-deserved vacation.  To be more specific, we took her on a cruise to points in Maine and Canada where it would be much cooler than the D.C. area.

First Father's Day

Claire and I enjoyed spending time together on my first Father's Day.  We even had a father "trifecta" at the end of the day with my father, my brother (father of two) and myself getting together with the mothers at my parents' house for dinner.

Happy Half First Birthday

A picture says a thousand words so in honor of Claire's six-month birthday, here are two pictures that tell the whole story:

Claire at Six Days

Claire at Six Months

First Day of "School"

Today was a BIG day.  It was Claire's first day of school a.k.a. day care (apparently, nobody calls it day care).  We enrolled her in fantastic school/center not too far from our house.  Everyone who works at the center is great and we already feel like we're part of the family.  Claire is a member of the "Minnows" and they had her name and birthday on a pink balloon on the wall (see below).

Each day, the care givers provide you with a report on your child's day.  Here are some excerpts from today's CLAIREREPORT:

• Claire did great.
• She is so sweet and an easy going baby.
• Claire had bottles and slept well.
• Most of the time she had a fun time and smiles lots for us.
• Claire's day was wonderful.

Claire's mother had a bit of a tougher day on her first day ... first day back at work in six months.  The two of them were reunited at the end of the day and they caught up on their respective big days.

Bring Your Claire to Work Day

The annual "Bring Your Child to Work Day" is held in April but Claire was unfairly discriminated against and was not allowed to participate this year.  Something about not being old enough as I vaguely recall.  I decided that Claire shouldn't have to share the limelight with other children anyway so in May, I held my own "Bring Your Claire to Work Day" exclusively featuring Miss Claire Frances Ryan.  

Claire helped me get some work done at my desk and then we posed for a picture in our reception area. 

The Times They Are a Changin'

As you may have noticed, Claire has grown a great deal and she needed a little more room to stretch out and play with her friends like Elmo (pictured) so we upgraded her initial portable crib to a more substantial model (shout out to Aunt Katie and Cousin Ellie who made this possible).  The new crib met with Claire's approval and there have been no jailbreak attempts ... yet.

In other news, Claire is approaching the six-month mark when babies begin eating solid food.  Of course, we want her to have a head start on other babies so we're getting her started now.

What are you looking at?

Bottoms up!

Claire is learning new things all the time.  She just taught herself how to hold a bottle and feed herself which is tremendously helpful because it allows her parents to feed themselves.

Cars

In a bid to regain its competitiveness, General Motors is running a marketing program in which it offers cars to "influencers" for week-long test drives in various cities to determine whether the new crop of GM cars has changed people's minds about the quality of their products and then these influencers would presumably positively influence other people's opinions. Don't ask me to explain why or how but for whatever reason, I was given the opportunity to be a test drive a Buick Lacrosse (a.k.a. the Lexus Killer) in the influencer program for a week (Note: I'm not likely to purchase a Lacrosse but I was very impressed with the car overall).  We didn't install an infant car seat in the Lacrosse but I had to give Claire a chance to get in the car (see photo).

Speaking of cars, here's a list of some of the car technology that didn't exist when I turned 16 years old but which has become standard or at least optional on most cars: hybrid power, anti-lock brakes, electronic stability control, CD players, iPod docks, Bluetooth, GPS navigation, halogen and xenon headlights, run flat tires.

It will be at least 16 years before Claire has a chance to get her driver's license which makes me wonder what cars will be like at that time.  I'm sure the 2025 models will make today's models look prehistoric.  Will there be any U.S. auto companies by then?  My guess is that in 2025, gas-only powered cars will be rare and that cars will be airborne just like on The Jetsons.  I could be wrong on that second guess.

Now for a random funny photo

Tale of the Tape #2

Claire recently had her four-month check up appointment with her pediatrician and she's doing great.  Here's a comparison of her key statistics over her first 121 days:

Happy Easter

Claire had two, count 'em two, events on her social calendar for Easter Sunday.  Brunch with Chris' family in the morning (Pic 1) and dinner with Francesca's family in the afternoon/evening (Pic 2).  I know what you're thinking: "how can a four month old handle such a long day?"  Well Claire is not your average four month old.  She was a super trooper all day although her schedule did get a little out of whack and she was a challenge to get to sleep for the night.  She is just a baby after all.

Four Generations

Claire is one lucky little girl because last weekend, she got to meet her great grandfather.  Nobody's counting but let's just say they are separated by approximately 94 years.

So here's something you don't see every day, a photo that spans four (4) generations of a family:

• Great Grandfather Jim (Francesca's mother's father)
• Francesca
• Claire
• Great Uncle Brennan (Francesca's mother's brother)

Claire's great relatives were very sweet to her and she seemed to thoroughly enjoy her visit.  She even made her first trip to the beach.

The long weekend went by way too fast and before she knew it, the great granddaughter was back in a claireport terminal waiting for her flight to depart.

Claire in the Air

Thanks to wi-fi connectivity on our ClaireTran/AirTran flight to
Florida, I am making this first-ever STRB.com from about 30,000 feet.
As you can see, Claire is strapped into her "air harness" and sleeping
happily. She needs her rest before meeting her Great Grandfather and
Great Uncle.

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March Madness

The 2010 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament (a.k.a. March Madness) began today and like most of us, Claire filled out her own bracket predicting how she thinks the tournament will unfold.  At only three months of age, she doesn't know much about basketball so she based her picks on which mascot she liked the best in each matchup.  As you can see, she strongly favored teams with ANIMAL mascots.  (Click on the graphic to see a larger version of Claire's bracket)

Talk Through the Hand

Claire is always coming up with new material. Lately, she's taken to trying to eat her hand as well as doing some pre-talking - sometimes simultaneously.

Hachoo!

It took us a while but we finally captured some video footage of Claire sneezing.  Not a big deal but we think it's funny.

Three Months!

After a brief hiatus, the SeeTheRyanBaby blog has returned thanks to Claire's three-month birthday (I did the math: 12/7/09 - 3/7/10).  I'm going to sound like a broken record but it's hard to believe that three months have passed since she was born and that she has grown so much.  Claire changes on a weekly basis and sometimes it seems like she changes on a daily basis.  She now pretty much sleeps through the night reliably*, she intently watches everything going on around her and she's smiling and cooing which is very entertaining. 

* Of course, just hours after I submitted this posting, Claire woke up at 4:30 am just to prove her father wrong.

File this under "Cute Photo"

Happy Valentine's Day

For her first Valentine's Day, Miss Claire received her own baby-sized bouquet of flowers and a Valentine's Day-themed PEZ dispenser...

Snowmageddon a.k.a. Snowpocalypse

Claire turned two months old today and she will soon have to use her second hand to count all the snowstorms she has "seen."  The D.C. area has been hit with an unusually high number of snowstorms this season.  It snowed two days before Claire was born, then it snowed almost 20 inches two weeks after she was born.  I may be missing a storm but it definitely snowed a little last Wednesday and then yesterday, it snowed over two feet which totally paralyzed the city (as of this writing, another storm is predicted mid-week).  Anyway, this officially makes Claire a snow baby so we had to take a picture of her next to the snow which stood taller than her.

Claire's Super Bowl Pick

Hi, it's Claire again.  It's Super Bowl week and many of you have inquired about my pick for Super Bowl XLIV.  Well, I have to say that I am very conflicted but I will now share my thoughts about both teams (in alphabetical order).

The Indianapolis Colts are an appealing choice, not only because of their future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning and the exciting offense that he directs, but also because what does every little girl want more than anything in the world?  That's right, a pony.  So I have to love the Colts because I want my daddy to buy me a Colt.

 The New Orleans Saints are also a tempting pick.  They led the NFL in total offense and points scored (source: NFL.com) and wouldn't it be great for New Orleans to win a Super Bowl after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city in 2005?  Plus, as an added bonus, I am named after two saints (Saint Clare of Assisi and the better known Saint Francis of Assisi - pictured above) so New Orleans would be my sentimental choice.

Well, I've done all my research, ran various computer models, considered all the intangibles and come up with my Five Star Lead Pipe Lock Pick of the Year which I'm giving away free (future picks available with a paid subscription to my pick 'em service).  My pick for Super Bowl XLIV is:

You knew I was going to pick the horses all along, didn't you?

UPDATE FOLLOWING THE SUPER BOWL: I apologize to those of you  (including the person who commented on this post) who followed my pick and bet your house on the Colts winning the Super Bowl.  Needless to say, I am as upset as you are because this probably pushes my timetable for getting a pony back by six months to a year (and you are now homeless which is equally bad).  Stay tuned for more guaranteed sports picks that may or may not be correct.

Mythbusters: Babies

Myth #1: Babies sleep 14-18 hours per day

Do a Google search to find out how many hours the "experts" say that babies sleep each day and you'll find estimates that range anywhere from 14 to 18 hours.  Claire seems to be a normal baby by all accounts and she sleeps nowhere near that long.  In fact, I would say that she is awake about 14 hours a day.

Myth #2: Babies' poop does not stink

While newborn babies rely on formula and/or breastmilk for nutrition, their poop is not completely odorless; however, it does not have even near the pungent smell that poop has when they begin eating regular food.  It's kind of surprising actually.

Myth #3: Parents of babies talk about poop a lot

When a baby is crying, her parents do their best to figure out what is bothering her.  Is she hungry, sleepy, gassy or just a bit backed up?  That leads to some regular discussion of poop.  Also, there's always the opportunity to "read the tea leaves" or in this case, "read the poop" for clues on baby's condition.

Background Note: Mythbusters is a program on the Discovery Channel that uses scientific research to test the validity of various rumors and myths in popular culture.

Chillaxing

This photo reminds me how it's good, very good, to be a baby.  You get fed every few hours and during breaks, you get to just hang out and watch the world go by if you aren't inclined to take a nap.  Here's Claire in an ubercute bunny rabbit outfit while she's relaxing on her duck-patterned Boppy(R).  We should all be so lucky...

Smurf!

I'm trying not to buy too many toys for Claire, I really am, but sometimes it's just impossible to resist the impulse.  Like when I saw this little Smurf toy that I just HAD to get for her.  Can you blame me?

More Cousins

Some more of Claire's cousins stopped by to visit over the weekend.  Here are Colin, Charlie and Ellie (Francesca's sister Katie's kids).  We're thrilled that their family moved to this area a couple of years ago and it's great that Claire has these cousins to show her the way.  We figure Ellie will be a great role model for Claire and if we can keep Colin and Charlie from accidentally injuring her, then we're doing something right.

Tale of the Tape

Claire recently had her first checkup at the pediatrician in about a month.  Here's an update.

Practical Joke Gone Bad

Our friends the "Gillies" stopped by to visit Claire recently.  They live in Baltimore and we see them a few times a year ... usually.  Their sons Will and P.J. are pictured here with Claire.  I used to call them the Baby Dawgs and now they're visiting my baby.  Weird. 

Anyway, the former Baby Dawgs' mother Kelly is quite the jokester so I thought it would be funny to inform them that was pregnant by making plans with them once Francesca was "showing" and then nonchalantly arriving at their house to let the screaming begin.  Well, we made plans with the Gillies and they had to cancel.  Fine.  We rescheduled and something came up.  Okay, but it's getting close.  I can't recall how many times we made plans with them but we had plans to see them two days before Francesca was induced and I'll bet you can guess what happened. 

Once I commit to something, I stick with it so we never told them about Francesca's pregnancy and simply included them on the email announcement of Claire's arrival.  The announcement didn't mention which hospital we were checked into but the Gillies tracked us down anyway.  I felt kinda bad for not having told them about the good news ahead of time, but hey, it's not like I didn't try.