Today Claire is 16 weeks old (nearly 4 months), and she graduated to wearing clothes for 3-6 months of age. We guess she weighs 12 pounds by now. The clothes are a little baggy on her, as she’s still long for her age but not roly-poly.

Fortunately, we have plenty of clothes for this age/size range: 12 long-sleeved/long-legged sleep-n-plays; 8 long-sleeved/short-legged onesies; 12 short-sleeved/short-legged onesies. The unfortunate thing is we have a huge wardrobe of outfits for 0-3 months that we never used, mostly because they were for summer season and she was born in the fall, and some because they were impractical. Denim overalls with flowers embroidered on them are cute, but they make changing a baby’s diaper an act of frustration for all involved. Many of these outfits were gifts, so we’ll bestow them on friends who are expecting in the spring. Claire pretty much lives in onesies and sleep-n-play outfits.

When she was ill the past few weeks, her good sleep habits went awry. The last two nights she woke frequently shortly after being fed. And I still need to work on a) putting her in the crib for the last portion of her night sleep (5-8 a.m.) and naps, and/or b) if she sleeps in her swing, getting her accustomed to motionless sleep, which supposedly promotes deeper, more restful snoozing.

Some things Claire enjoys:

• Her face being tickled by my wet hair after I shower.
• Being put on a blanket and rolled from side to side.
• Practicing sit-ups by lying on a blanket and being pulled gently to a sitting position on the floor.
• Kicking an inflatable beach ball while in her bouncer.
• Staring at pinwheels I bought for her and put in flower pots on the back deck (and one pinwheel I use inside).
• Being read to; she snuggles on our laps and looks at the book as we read. She even reaches out to touch the book, especially if it’s a touch-and-feel book.
• “Singing” herself to sleep (her creaky door serenades).
• Being kissed on her feet, tummy, face, and head.
• Splashing Daddy and the bathroom sink and floor during her bath.
• Chewing on toys, fingers (anyone’s), and cold teethers.
• Sitting up on a lap like a big girl at the dining table while we eat (she can hold her head steady for a good length of time).
• Having lively cooing and babbling conversations with us.
• Being sung to; some of her favorites are Home On the Range, A Bicycle Built for Two, Do-Re-Mi, Take Me Out to the Ball Game.
• Plastering her world with drool.
• Smiling and giggling, and being smiled at; she smiles with her whole body — waves her arms, wriggles, kicks her legs.