• 11lb, 14oz (yes, she’s super tiny– but on the DS growth charts she’s in the 75%-ile!)
• Rolling both directions
• Giggling
• Cooing like crazy
• Loves tummy time
• Reaching for toys
• Loves baths
• Enamored by big brothers
• Eating great

This little girl is such an amazing gift. Adam and I are constantly blown away by how strong she is, how engaged she is, and use the word “awesome” at least 95 times a day. In fact, at her 4-month checkup, our pediatrician walked out saying, “You know, I don’t need to see you until 9 months.” I looked at him funny, and he said, “Wait. 6 months. She has Down syndrome. You wouldn’t know it!” (DS kiddos need their thyroid checked at 6 months)

Her personality is so relaxed– she smiles all the time and loves to watch her big brothers run around. The first time she giggled a few weeks ago I thought my heart would literally explode. She is the sweetest little girl. However… this sweet little angel also went on her first bottle strike two weeks ago. This is totally fine, and I love nursing her–but she gets meds in her bottle and it’s really nice to get a little respite at night before bed. Thankfully it didn’t last too long (like a week) but I still thought it was so funny.

In late July she had a cardiology appointment– and we got the most fantastic news! Claire’s diagnosis is AV Septal Defect (AVSD or AV Canal). In layman’s terms, it’s a huge hole in the center of her heart. The hole is between the heart’s chambers and causes problems with the valves that regulate blood flow in the heart. Open heart surgery is almost always necessary. However, our little miracle baby gave these doctors quite a shock– she still has a hole in her heart, but the septum that divides the heart has grown, making the hole a little smaller. The most important thing is that physiologically her heart and lungs are normal. This basically means that the blood flow between her heart and lungs is not causing any problems (at this time). So…. they don’t think she will need surgery! It’s crazy. Her cardiologist said that in his 25 years of doing this he’s never seen an AV Canal not need surgery. We are so incredibly blessed.