Claire Elise

Two-Year-Old Princess

2011-07-06T14:05:00.001-05:00

Today Claire went to the doctor for her two-year-old check-up. The doctor declared her to be “perfect.” I couldn’t agree more!

The skinny on our girl:

She’s now two feet 10 inches tall. She weighs 25 lbs 14.4 oz. These figures put her in the 33rd percentile for weight and the 42nd percentile for height. For her height, her weight is perfect. They did a blood test, and all of Claire’s numbers were perfect. Developmentally, she is ahead of most of her age group. She’s potty trained, can swim on her own, talks in sentences, can count to 10, knows most of the alphabet (She forgets a few of the letters in the middle sometimes.), can read some basic words, knows her colors, knows the names and sounds of most of the animals at the zoo, etc.

Claire is now wearing a size 2T or 24 months in everything, including pants.

Claire is smart and sweet and funny and charming. She loves to entertain. She loves caring for her babies. She loves to help. She loves cooking – both in our kitchen and in her new Minnie Mouse kitchen that she got for her birthday. She loves to sing and dance. She loves to swim and slide and swing and be outdoors. She loves to snuggle and read books. She loves people and is very friendly, polite and outgoing.

She still loves Minnie Mouse and is now loving the princesses too, especially Cinderella, a/k/a “Rella.” Claire will sometimes declare, “The princess is me!”

She loves jewelry and dresses and getting her nails polished and her hair fixed. She is such a girly girl! After she gets dressed up, especially for church on Sundays, she announces, “Look, Daddy! I’m boo-tiful!”

She’s very kind and loving and is going to be a wonderful big sister!

Steve and I are so blessed to have Claire in our lives. She is more wonderful than we ever hoped, dreamed or imagined she would be. We are so thankful that God gave her to us. God is indeed the kindest person we know!

This will be the last post on Claire’s blog until her birthday month next year. Thanks for sharing in another year of celebrating Claire!

Claire, we are so glad you’re ours! Love you much!!

The Grand Finale

2011-05-31T08:45:00.001-05:00

Today is the last day of the birthday month. It has been so much celebrating our girl!

The last two years have been absolutely wonderful! Claire is so sweet and so funny. She is such a joy! I am truly honored to be her mommy. Happy 2nd Birthday, Baby Girl! I love you much!!!

Claire’s 2-year checkup is scheduled for July 6th. I’ll do another post after that appointment to update you on her 2-year stats.

Thank you for celebrating Claire’s birthday with us!

More Celebration!!

2011-05-30T07:52:00.001-05:00

Last night we took Claire to the Memphis Zoo. She loves the zoo; so do we!

Playing on the new playground

Riding the carousel – Claire loves elephants and was so excited to get to ride one.

We had a great time! We saw lots of animals and enjoyed the time as a family. I know that Claire is most likely the only party animal you care to see pictures of, but I just couldn’t resist sharing this picture of Payton, the Polar Bear – so cute!

My loves enjoying the zoo together!

I am so very blessed!! Happy Birthday, Baby Girl!

Flying Ant

2011-05-30T07:27:00.001-05:00

We love our Veggies!

2011-05-29T21:23:00.001-05:00

“I Paint!”

2011-05-28T10:16:00.001-05:00

“Colors!”

“I paint!”

And then somehow, the finger paints turned into body paints. (It should be noted that Mommy was sleeping in, and Daddy was supervising – and encouraging – this painting party.)

Note the paint on the knees and arms. Now she’s painting herself a beard.

Time for a bath

She colors our world beautifully!

Kitty

2011-05-27T07:30:00.001-05:00

Today Claire received a Hello Kitty coloring book.

Claire wanted to start coloring right away. She simply couldn’t wait until after breakfast.

I totally love this girl!

Surprise Party

2011-05-27T07:22:00.001-05:00

Last night at our Bible study, Kelsie made Claire some Minnie Mouse cake pops for her birthday. They were so cute! And delicious!

Claire started by eating the ears.

Thank you, Kelsie! We know a lot of time and effort went into making these yummy treats for our little girl! We love you!!

Big Colors

2011-05-26T21:31:00.001-05:00

Claire has a Fisher Price Doodler Mini that “lives” in my purse. It goes with us everywhere and entertains her when necessary. Anytime she wants it, she asks for her “colors.” When she opened her gift this morning, she screamed, “Big colors! Yay!”

More Gifts

2011-05-26T17:38:00.001-05:00

Claire received another gift in the mail!

Thank you, Grandma and Grandpa O! We love you!!!

Minnie Socks

2011-05-25T07:26:00.001-05:00

Claire was SO excited about her gift this morning! She squealed and yelled, “Minnie socks! Help! Help!” as she brought them to me to help her put them on.

Sock model

I love how excited my daughter gets over the little things in life – like new socks that have Minnie Mouse on them. It’s so easy to make her happy, and she’s so thankful for life’s simple pleasures. I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful daughter!

Olivia

2011-05-24T07:39:00.001-05:00

Claire was very excited about her Olivia book. She said, “Book! Ducks!” She’s so sweet!

She insisted we read the book seven times before breakfast. There are few things I enjoy more than holding my little girl in my lap while reading to her. She is so sweet and cuddly and smart and fun. I am so blessed to be her mommy!

Lucky Duck

2011-05-23T09:00:00.001-05:00

Claire loves WordWorld. Today she received the Lucky Duck DVD.

Birthday Celebration – Day 2

2011-05-22T20:51:00.001-05:00

Claire turned two-years-old today! We had such a fun day!!

This morning when Claire’s daddy asked her what she wanted for breakfast, he expected to hear pancakes or biscuit or maybe cereal. However, this morning she said, “ice cream!” So she started off her day with a bowl of cake and sprinkles ice cream topped with whipped cream and sprinkles. Yummy!

Then we were off to church for casual Sunday and the church picnic.

It was raining today, so the church picnic was moved into the auditorium. They had two bouncy houses that Claire just LOVED. In fact, she didn’t even eat lunch. She just ran into the bouncy houses and stayed until we dragged her away. It was so much fun!

Catching Claire for a picture was extremely difficult. She’s the blur in these pictures.

After the picnic, we headed home. Claire ate lunch and took a two-hour nap. Afterward, we went to the store then came home and made one of Claire’s favorite meals – refried beans with taco meat. (Steve and I had burritos.)

For dessert, we had birthday cake!!

Happy Birthday, Sweet Claire! Mommy and Daddy love you so much! You are everything we hoped for, and we are so amazed that you’re ours! Happy 2nd, Baby! Love you much!!

Bike!

2011-05-22T20:20:00.001-05:00

Today Claire received a tricycle for her birthday. She calls it a “bike.” She’s having a lot of fun riding it around the apartment. Unfortunately, it rained all day today; so she was unable to take it to the park for a spin. Hopefully we’ll get to go another day this week.

Claire also received a birthday card that has Minnie Mouse singing “Happy Birthday” to her.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Claire Elise!

2011-05-22T06:19:00.001-05:00

And the surprises keep coming!!!

2011-05-21T23:02:00.001-05:00

Today Claire received a gift from Gramps, Aunt Kasey and Aunt Dawn!

Thank you, Gramps, Aunt Kasey and Aunt Dawn. We love you!!! Hope to see you soon!

Birthday Celebration – Day 1

2011-05-21T22:47:00.001-05:00

We started our celebration at The Peabody for this morning’s duck march.

Claire and The Duckmaster

For lunch we went to Five Guys. Yummy! (Claire was too busy eating to pose and/or smile. Silly Girl!)

After Five Guys, we headed back home so Claire and Mommy could take naps. Claire slept for over two hours. By the time she woke up, it was too late to go to the zoo. We opted for some birthday shopping instead.

First stop – Toys R Us! They made a really big deal about Claire’s birthday. They gave her a balloon and a crown and announced over the intercom that Claire was in the store celebrating her second birthday. It was so much fun!

After Toys R Us, we headed to the mall to go to The Disney Store!!

Minnie Love!

The mall had a huge slide today. Claire slid.

Then we headed home to open Claire’s new doll that she got at Toys R Us. It’s a You & Me – My Kitty and Me doll. The cat interacts with the doll and the ball of yarn. It’s really quite something. Claire loves it!

Claire also got a new plate at The Disney Store.

It was a great day!! We’re really looking forward to tomorrow – Claire’s second birthday!!

Miss Hollywood

2011-05-21T08:50:00.001-05:00

Minnie Mouse sunglasses!

Puzzle Time

2011-05-20T08:01:00.001-05:00

Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!

2011-05-19T17:13:00.001-05:00

Claire’s third surprise arrived in the mail this afternoon.

What an adorable outfit! It has a t-shirt, skirt and jacket.

Thank you, Grandma and Grandpa Wines!!! Claire loves her birthday present! It’s going to be beautiful on her! We love you!!!

A Purse!

2011-05-19T13:42:00.001-05:00

Claire LOVES celebrating her birthday everyday. Looking into her birthday bag…

“A purse!”

More Surprises!!

2011-05-19T13:34:00.001-05:00

Claire received another special delivery last night. Birthdays are so exciting!

A tutu from Grandpa D’Wayne and Grandma Robin!

Twirling in her tutu

But there’s more!! Uncle John also sent a gift!

A stuffed panda!!

Love it!

Thank you, Grandpa D’Wayne, Grandma Robin and Uncle John!!! Claire loves her gifts! She’s having a wonderful birthday!! We love you!!

Minnie Memory

2011-05-18T07:40:00.001-05:00

“Minnie!!”

“Open it!”

“Minnie hearts!”

“I like it! I like it!”

‘Rella

2011-05-17T07:28:00.001-05:00

When Claire opened her present this morning, she said, “Oh cute! I like it!” (You can tell she’s from Texas today – check out her big hair!)

Straws

2011-05-16T09:41:00.001-05:00

Claire loves drinking out of straws. So what’s better than Minnie Mouse straws?

Mmm!!! Chocolate milk through a twisty Minnie straw! Life is good!

More Minnie

2011-05-15T20:09:00.001-05:00

Today Claire received the book Minnie’s Valentine which includes over 25 stickers. (Yes, I hit the clearance sales after Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Easter. The girl is set for all of these holidays next year as well as her birthday this year. I’m a smart mama! Why pay full price when she’ll enjoy a Minnie sticker book any time of the year?)

A peek inside

Reading her new book (Check out her curls! They were so crazy this morning! Love it!)

Reading all about Minnie

The Girl

2011-05-14T11:13:00.001-05:00

The Gloves

The Shoes

The Ears

The Dress

The Complete Ensemble

The Girl

Daddy helping Claire put on her new Minnie outfit

All dressed up

Checking out her gloves

Checking out her reflection

I love this girl!!

Water Colors!

2011-05-13T19:56:00.001-05:00

Claire loves to color, and she loves to play in the bathtub. At last - two of her favorite things are combined!

Let’s try ‘em out!

Bangles!

2011-05-12T07:23:00.000-05:00

Claire said, “Oh cute!” when she opened her birthday bag.

So much fun to play with and to count

I love this girl!

Surprise Party!

2011-05-11T20:17:00.000-05:00

At 6:45 p.m. this evening, there was a knock on my door. A UPS man stood on the other side holding a box addressed to our birthday girl. She was so excited that we had to open it immediately.

This face says it all!

So Claire and I had ourselves a surprise birthday party! (Daddy is out of town working. He’ll be back tomorrow.) The package was gift from Aunt Lori and Uncle Clay.

Taking the bags out of the box

The contents of bag number one

Melissa & Doug Lacing Beads – so much fun!!

And now for bag number two

A backpack!!

Isn’t this totally fabulous?!

Claire brought Baby over and said, “Look, Baby. Birthday!!”

Then Claire wanted to put on her backpack. She wore it until I insisted she take it off to put on her jammies. She took it off periodically to look at it, and then she would bring it to me and say, “More. More.” And I would help her to put it back on. She also walked around the apartment and every few seconds said, “Mommy, take my picture!” She LOVES the backpack and knows that she looks so cute wearing it.

Claire put the two gift bags on her arms and started twirling. She said, “Picture, Mommy! Picture!” So here’s the picture of her twirling.

My beautiful girl

Thank you, Aunt Lori and Uncle Clay!!! We loved the surprise! You always give the perfect gifts, and this birthday was no exception! Thank you for spoiling our girl! We love you!!

Fun is Poppin’ Up Everywhere!

2011-05-11T08:46:00.001-05:00

Today Claire’s birthday gift was a Pop On Pals.

Excited to see her latest gift, even though she’s not really sure what it is.

Carrying all of the parts in her shirt after Daddy took them out of the packaging

Showing Daddy her new toy

This is fun!

Mmm… Cake!

The girl

The princess

The chef

WordWorld!

2011-05-10T07:12:00.001-05:00

Claire loves WordWorld! Today she received the Welcome to WordWorld DVD.

When opening her present this morning, Claire exclaimed, “Oh my!”

Claire was so excited! As is typical with her, she had to look the DVD case over really well on both sides. She pointed out shark and sheep and dog, etc. She’s so smart!

After looking the case over, Claire walked over, pointed and said, “TV!” Who am I to deny her? Here’s a picture of my sweet girl watching WordWorld while eating Cocoa Puffs and drinking chocolate milk. Does life get any better than this?!

So Pretty

2011-05-09T21:56:00.003-05:00

The perfect combination – Minnie Mouse and a book!

Claire immediately had to sit and read her new book.

She’s loving celebrating her birthday everyday!

Bob!

2011-05-09T21:56:00.001-05:00

Claire loves Veggie Tales! She loved her new plush Bob The Tomato.

Claire kissed Bob!

Birthday Girl!

2011-05-09T21:55:00.001-05:00

We celebrated Claire’s birthday on Saturday. She received a new t-shirt to wear to her party.

Enjoying pizza with the girls (McKenzie, Reagan, Claire and Analise).

Ready to open presents!!

Excited about her new Minnie Mouse Kitchen! (Thank you, MiMi and PopPop!)

Reading one of her birthday cards

Excited about her new dress! (Thank you, Nanny!)

Claire received a lot of really nice gifts, including a Minnie Mouse kitchen, a Minnie Mouse bubble tea set, a Bible, two dresses, a purse, coloring books, jammies, Tangled, books, bubbles, sticker books, etc. Thank you to everyone who came to her party and helped to celebrate her second birthday! We had so much fun!

Ready to blow out her candle

She blew it out on her first try!

Yummy!

Then we headed outside for some playtime. First, we said hello to the new horsey. This is Stormy. He’s about two weeks old.

Josie looking for attention

Claire had so much fun playing the sand.

We had a great party!

Calling Minnie

2011-05-09T21:54:00.001-05:00

Claire is a HUGE Minnie Mouse fan! Today she received a Minnie phone that actually allows her to talk to Minnie!

Claire cutting her eyes while playing with her phone. She’s so silly!

A Walk on the Wild Side

2011-05-09T21:50:00.001-05:00

“A dress!”

Aunt Shannon and I loaded up all three girls (Allie, Claire and Analise) and took them to the zoo.

Zoo pictures will follow in a future post. Here’s a teaser for you.

Pretty!

2011-05-04T21:40:00.001-05:00

Today, Claire’s first word was “Baby.” (We spent the night with some friends who have a 9-month-old little boy whom Claire adores. She looked for him first this morning.) Her second word was “Birthday!”

As she peeked into her bag, she squealed and screamed, “Bracelet! Pretty!”

A close up

Of course Claire wanted to put it on immediately. Mommy helped. She likes it!

Colors!

2011-05-03T20:49:00.001-05:00

Claire loves princesses, and Claire loves coloring. Today her birthday gift combined these two things.

When Claire woke up this morning, her first word was “birthday!?” She’s definitely catching on to this whole “gift-a-day” thing.

When she looked into her bag she said, “Ooo! Princess! Colors!”

Today we flew to Houston, and Claire got to try out her new Crayola Color Wonder markers on the airplane.

Color us happy!!!

Our Princess

2011-05-02T13:22:00.001-05:00

Claire loves princesses, especially Cinderella. Today she received a Cinderella dress.

Checking her birthday bag this morning.She peeked in and squealed then screamed, “Ooo! Ooo! Ooo! Princess!!”

She wanted to put it on immediately.

Showing me “Rella”

My princess playing in her castle

Let the Festivities Begin!

2011-05-01T19:47:00.001-05:00

Today is the first day of the birthday month!! I can hardly believe that Claire is almost two. What a wonderful time we have had the last two years! Claire is such a joy!

Last night, Claire’s daddy and I set things up for the celebration.

Claire’s gift of the day – a princess tent!

Checking out her present

So exciting!

The tent is proving to be endless fun. So far the birthday month is off to a great start!

One Year Update

2010-06-01T20:09:00.010-05:00

What an amazing year it has been! Steve and I are so blessed to share our lives with each other and with Claire. God is SO GOOD to us!

Claire had her one year checkup today. Here's the skinny (literally):

Claire has grown taller and is now 29 1/2" long, putting her in the 75 percentile for her age. Yeah, Claire! However, she has dropped in the weight category. Weighing in at 17 lbs 10 1/2 oz, Claire is now in the fifth percentile. What this means? The girl has to eat! We've been feeding her what seems like tons of food, but apparently the baby food isn't cutting it anymore. Too much of it is low fat or low in calories. She's ready for the real stuff - preferably high in calories. So today I fed her two 6-oz containers of yogurt (her favorite food in the whole world), oodles of Cheerios, peanut butter and crackers, chicken nuggets from Chick-Fil-A along with fruit (She wasn't really fond of the textures of the fruit. I really hope she doesn't turn out to be like me in that regard!) and milk. She's been downing whole milk like crazy today, and she tried what we had for dinner. She refused it, so Steven gave her chocolate pie instead. She ate it until she was just too full and couldn't eat another bite. Hopefully we can fatten this girl up in the next six weeks, when she has to go back to the doctor so that they can check her weight gain.

May was a very busy month for our girl. She took five vacations - Memphis, Niagara Falls, Sea World and two trips to Tulsa. She saw/met a lot of people - Tammy and her son, Parker, Bryce (who Tammy used to babysit), Aunt Susie, Uncle Doug and Aunt Marilyn, Uncle Duie and Aunt Jodi, Cousins Diana and Laura (who I used to babysit), Valerie and her son Henry, Aunt Cheryl, her new baby cousin, Allie, Matt and Shari Bailey and their girls, Brooklyn and Taylor, Micah and Kathy, Matt (our new roomie in Memphis) and everyone else in Tulsa who came to her birthday party. It's been a great month!

Claire is doing so many new things everyday. I know I've forgotten so many of them. She copies me every time I turn around. She will blow kisses, point, stand on her own (She just pops right up now.), lick her fingers, roll her eyes, etc. There are just too many things to count. She is so funny and loves to laugh and make others laugh. She's very friendly and waves at everyone everywhere we go. She's so sweet!

She's talking more now. There's almost non-stop babble. Some of the words that are now recognizable are Claire, love you, thank you, balloon, pretty, baby, doggie (which she sometimes just says "gie" with a hard "g.") and Bob! (from one of her Veggie Tales videos - Larry is jumping on a trampoline and can't figure out how to get off. He starts yelling, "Bob! Bob! Hey, Bob!" Without fail, Claire will yell, "Bob!" every time. It's too funny!)

Claire is trying lots of new foods. She wants to taste everything I eat. So far her favorite is cheeseburgers. She, of course, likes ice cream, cake and pie too. About the only thing she refuses to eat are French fries, mashed potatoes and fresh fruit (other than apples). Hopefully she'll continue to be a good eater, and we'll be able to stack on the L-B's.

We are moving to Memphis this weekend. It's going to be a big change for us, but we believe that we are exactly where God wants us. Once we made the decision to move, Steve quickly and easily sold his business. He found someone to take over two of his other jobs and was able to get him trained quickly. (And the extra income couldn't have come at a better time for the other guy!) Every tiny detail is falling perfectly into place. There's no doubt that God has ordered our steps! We are really excited about this new season in our life!

Now that Claire is a year old, I will no longer post to this blog. We have another blog, a family blog, to which we will post all further updates on Claire and on us. Just click on this link to jump over to our blog: Happily Ever After Claire's blog will always be out here, but it will not have new updates.

Thank you for being a part of our lives and for caring about our baby girl.

Day 31

2010-05-31T15:52:00.007-05:00

On this last and final day of the Birthday Month 2010, Claire received another Veggie Tales video - Lyle, the Kindly Viking.

Video cases make great sliders too. Sliding isn't just for books any more.

Happy Birthday, Sweet Baby Girl! Daddy and Mommy have had so much fun celebrating a month of YOU! You are the sweetest and most beautiful baby! You are our dream come true! We love you!!!

I must admit that I am a little sad that the Birthday Month is coming to a close. Claire has her one-year checkup with the pediatrician tomorrow (I couldn't make her go during her birthday month.), so I will do her monthly update sometime tomorrow.

May has definitely become my favorite month. I get to celebrate Mother's Day and Claire. It just doesn't get any better!

Day 30

2010-05-30T13:07:00.004-05:00

More Little People - but animals this time!

She recognizes the packaging now and couldn't wait to open them.
"Look at this one!"

"Fish on one side, bananas on the other."

What's a girl to do when she has only two hands but three new toys?!

Happy Birthday, Claire! Niagara Falls

2010-05-29T22:49:00.007-05:00

We took Claire to Niagara Falls for her birthday trip. We had a wonderful time! Happy Birthday, Baby!

Both Steven and Claire received their first passport stamps when we entered Canada. (They were courtesy stamps, of course, but stamps nonetheless.)

Here's a short slideshow of our pictures.

Our friends, the Baileys, met us at the Falls. We had a great time with them!
Matt, Brooklyn, Taylor and Shari

Claire loves Brooklyn, who is so beautiful, inside and out.

Great friends!

We had a wonderful time on this trip. It was very relaxing and fun. Claire had a fabulous first birthday!

Tulsa Trip

2010-05-29T15:21:00.008-05:00

Steve had to go to St. Louis, MO this past week for work. Claire and I were originally planning to go with him so that we could take Claire to the zoo. But on Monday, Claire's Aunt Shannon called me with some big news that changed our plans. So Claire and I booked a seat on a plane to Tulsa instead.

Watching Veggie Tales with Analise at MiMi's house (Analise's doll is named Baby Claire.)

The big news that changed our plans and our lives forever - Alexandra Brooke - Isn't she just gorgeous?!

The new and improved McComber family - Adam, Analise, Allie and Shannon

Adam and his girls, Analise and Allie

It was love at first sight! She was a wonderful surprise! We love you, Allie! And Analise is a wonderful big sister. She's so sweet and helpful.

While in Tulsa, I discovered first-hand how MiMi and PopPop spoil their girls! MiMi gave Claire an ice cream cone to eat at 9:30 a.m. And allowed her to eat it in the living room without a high chair or bib. Claire LOVED it!

I love the look she gave me when I walked in. She looks guilty, doesn't she? Too funny!

Claire is telling MiMi just how wonderful she thinks this whole thing is.

These things are so good!

the aftermath

We had a wonderful time in Tulsa and couldn't be more excited about our new niece and cousin. Welcome to the family, Allie! We love you!!!

Day 29

2010-05-29T13:26:00.005-05:00

Today's gift is a book entitled Under the Sea. It has pictures of all of the animals we saw at Sea World yesterday.

Day 28 - Sea World!

2010-05-29T12:54:00.009-05:00

Day 28 was a "two gift" day. Claire received the outfit she's wearing in the pictures below and got to spend the day with Mommy and Daddy at Sea World San Antonio! It was hot but SO much fun!

Entering the park

First stop - Dolphin Cove
Claire was totally fascinated with these little guys.

In love with Sea World already

Next we headed over to the coral reef. You'll notice we arrived at feeding time. There's a diver in the reef feeding the fish.

Daddy and Claire

Loving the fish

After catching a show and walking around, we were hot. We stopped at Shamu's Happy Harbour to cool off.

We had great seats at Shamu's show, Believe. Here's Claire waiting for the show to start.

She was totally captivated and entertained.

Claire was loving these guys until...

she got splashed. We were completely SOAKED! And Claire was shocked and a bit bothered.

She quickly recovered, and we had this family picture taken. Steve and I have been to Sea World many times, and we've been sprinkled and splashed but never soaked. We got hit with a wave of cold, very salty water from the tale of a killer whale four times in a row. It was great! So refreshing!

Our last show of the day was Azul. It's a great show! Here's Claire and Daddy with one of the cast members.

We had a wonderful day at Sea World! So much fun, in fact, that we are now proud owners of season passes!!! Steve, Claire and I can't wait to go again. Anyone want to join us?!

Day 27

2010-05-27T21:26:00.006-05:00

A brand new Minnie Mouse sippy cup!

Checking it out...
The taste test...

She likes it!

I'm so in love with this girl!

Day 26

2010-05-27T21:24:00.005-05:00

The Pet Shop Book!

Day 25

2010-05-27T21:21:00.003-05:00

More Little People! The wedding set!

Day 24

2010-05-24T18:59:00.005-05:00

We believe it's never too young to teach your children about God and how wonderful and kind and good that He is. We found this little gem and couldn't resist. It's an excellent first devotional. Happy Birthday Month, Baby!

We've decided to read this to Claire during her lunch or snack time each day.

God, thank you so much for our precious daughter. We know that every good and perfect gift comes from You, and we are so very grateful. We dedicate Claire's life back to You. Give us wisdom in raising her and in teaching her Your ways. May we teach by example as well as our words. In Jesus' Name.

Day 23

2010-05-24T14:31:00.005-05:00

Claire LOVES Veggie Tales! Today she got a new DVD.

"What's this?"
"Is this a new Veggie Tales DVD?"

"Play it, Daddy!" (Claire started pointing at the TV. She's so smart!)

watching Veggie Tales

Claire also got to try a piece of chocolate cake today.

The verdict: chocolate cake = yum-o!

Happy Birthday, Baby!!!

2010-05-22T20:14:00.012-05:00

Today is Claire's birthday! WOW! What an awesome year it has been!

Claire's gift today - Minnie Mouse!!!

crawling to get her latest gift
It's love at first sight! (I know just how she feels!)

Loving both of her Minnies

Relaxing with Daddy after another exhausting day of travel and presents this week. (We got up at 4:00 a.m. on Thursday to go to Niagara Falls and again at 4:00 a.m. this morning to come home. Our baby is plumb wore out! So are we.)

Claire received Little People Building Blocks from Uncle Matt, Aunt Randi and Baby Kenley (due to make her arrival on June 3rd!).

There's a teddy bear inside the gift box. Claire loves it!

Claire has also received many other gifts and cards from family members and friends. Thanks to all of you who helped us celebrate.

My Mommy Moment: There are not words to truly express how I feel today. I am so honored and so blessed! As I looked at Niagara Falls this week, I was totally overwhelmed by God's greatness. The beauty and the power and the majesty of it all doesn't possibly compare to the awesomeness of our God! And then as I look at my daughter, I am completely overtaken by His goodness! He loves me! He is so good to me! He wanted me to be Claire's mommy more than I wanted it for myself, and I wanted it so badly! After having someone tell me that I'll never have children and then seeing God work in my life to give me my precious miracle is so amazing! She is more than I ever hoped for, dreamed of or even imagined.

Claire has the most heart-warming smile and the most infectious laugh! She is beautiful and sweet. She is mine! And I LOVE being her mommy! I love having the opportunity to celebrate her life. I love being able to rejoice in the precious gift that God has given to me. I love Claire!

Happy Birthday, Sweets!

I love you!

Day 21

2010-05-22T19:30:00.013-05:00

On Day 20 of the Birthday Month, we traveled to Buffalo, New York to see Niagara Falls. This was Claire's birthday trip, and it was the first time any of us had been to the Falls. I will do a separate post on the trip.

Day 21 brought another Pez dispenser and the best one yet - Minnie Mouse!!!

After playing with her new Minnie, Claire went for a swim in her new Minnie Mouse swimsuit (a birthday present from Uncle Adam, Aunt Shannon and Analise).

(And, yes, I did back away to get a picture of my daughter swimming toward me. LOL)

Claire also got a second gift on Day 21 - a cute little duck wearing a Maid of the Mist poncho. We, of course, went on the Maid of the Mist and LOVED it. Claire really needed the duck as a souvenir from her birthday trip. (This became very clear after she snatched it off the shelf as we walked by and refused to give it up. It's her birthday trip. Who am I to say she can't have a cute little momento? And we all know that Daddy won't refuse either of his girls! Lucky duck! Lucky us!)

Day 20

2010-05-22T19:24:00.005-05:00

Another book! Claire LOVES books!

The Birthday Month - Day 19

2010-05-19T14:47:00.006-05:00

Besides the gifts, Claire has a few other things that help her to celebrate her birthday this month. She has Minnie Mouse balloons in her bedroom.

We have a Happy Birthday banner hanging over the window in our dining room.

And she has a Happy Birthday chair cover on her high chair.
Today Claire received a Minnie Mouse sippy cup.

Anything that comes in a Minnie cup MUST be good!

Lovin' her Minnie Mouse cup

My daughter has such a generous spirit. She's even willing to share her fabulous Minnie cup with Daddy.

We leave town tomorrow morning for Claire's birthday trip. She will continue to receive gifts while we're gone. I'll take pictures, but I won't update the blog until we get back.

Day 18

2010-05-18T22:13:00.008-05:00

Today Claire received a new sweater. It's very handy to have a sweater when traveling to different climates in the same day. Claire finally outgrew her 0-3 month sweater, so it was time for a new one.

Doesn't she look beautiful? Showing off her new sweater

Day 17

2010-05-17T20:05:00.004-05:00

Day 17 was a very big day for our girl. Her first gift was a Veggie Tales Sing Along video. She loves Veggie Tales.

Claire always has to read the front and the back of things. Very funny!

Watching her new video

We took Claire to Picture People today. She was not the biggest fan and did not like it when Mommy and Daddy put her on the floor and walked away while a stranger with a camera attempted to take her picture. After half an hour, we ended up with about five decent pictures. Here are a couple of them.

We are loving celebrating every day this month! Our girl is so special, and we couldn't be happier that we are her parents.

Day 16 of the Birthday Month!

2010-05-16T19:59:00.004-05:00

Claire loves books. Today she received this book for her birthday:

The Birthday Month - Day 15

2010-05-15T14:46:00.004-05:00

Today Claire received a kaleidoscope ball.

So much fun!

Birthday Month - Day 14

2010-05-14T14:27:00.004-05:00

Today's surprise is a new outfit!

Dancin'
Claire got this giant teddy bear that's as big as she is for her birthday. She loves it!
The bear hug!

The Birthday Month - Day 13

2010-05-13T14:51:00.003-05:00

Today Claire received a Hello Kitty Pez. Claire loves Pez dispensers. She doesn't know that they open or that they come with candy. She just likes having a toy on a stick that she can chew on or crawl around with in her hand.

Taste test...

introducing her Easter Bunny Pez to her new Hello Kitty Pez

quality time with Hello Kitty

The Birthday Month - Day 12

2010-05-12T22:58:00.006-05:00

Day 12 - more Little People!

(Yes, I'm one of those moms who gets up early the day after a holiday and hits the store for the clearance items so that I can stock up on fabulous gifts for my baby for next year. Claire's Easter basket for next year is complete. These just couldn't wait for Easter because this set includes a dog! Claire loves dogs!)

And, of course, all Little People must pass the taste test!

Birthday Month - Day 11

2010-05-12T22:46:00.006-05:00

A new purse!

(Said like you're announcing the new prize on The Price Is Right.)

What's this?
Lipstick? Show me, Daddy.

Claire's first lipstick (Notice Steven's pursed lips!!! LOL)

"Is my lipstick on in a bow?"

This is how Claire prefers to do her lipstick.

so many fun things

Birthday Month - Day Ten

2010-05-12T22:42:00.004-05:00

The gift on Day Ten is a mattress for Claire's pack-n-play. While not very exciting to look at, it's the perfect gift for Claire's bed in her home-away-from-home in Memphis. It will give her a much more comfortable bed.

Birthday Month - Day Nine

2010-05-12T22:27:00.004-05:00

Gift of the Day - Minnie Mouse Ears!!!

Too cute for words!

Day 8 - Birthday Party Day!!!

2010-05-12T21:25:00.023-05:00

We had Claire's first birthday party on Saturday, May 8th, at her Uncle Adam and Aunt Shannon's house. Twenty-two people came, many who met Claire for the first time during her party. We had SO much fun!

Claire greeting her guests as they arrived

Claire loves being thrown in the air!

loving the out-of-doors

hanging with Daddy

She loved her Minnie Mouse balloon.

My beautiful, happy family!!!

Check out all these presents!

Analise and Henry were excited to help out.

The cake!

Note the icing on her toes after sticking her foot in the cake.

At last! Time to eat cake!

Claire had a wonderful birthday party! For everyone who came, thanks for helping us celebrate!

Seventh Day of the Birthday Month

2010-05-12T21:11:00.004-05:00

On the seventh day of the birthday month, Claire's mommy gave to her... a pink onesie for her to wear while eating her cake!

Pictures of Claire sporting this adorable onesie and devouring her cake are included in Day Eight's post.

Day Six

2010-05-11T15:34:00.004-05:00

For Day Six of the birthday month, Claire received this dress. It's too cute! She's so busy that it's difficult to get a good picture of her wearing it. Here's the best of the bunch:

Birthday Month - Day Five & Cinco de Mayo

2010-05-10T21:19:00.006-05:00

Day Five - a bubble book!

Books make great sliders!

We attempted to celebrate Cinco de Mayo in Memphis. We even went to the Happy Mexican. We waited 45 minutes AFTER ordering and left without receiving any food. They weren't that busy, so I'm guessing their Mexican was a little too happy to do any work. Oh well. We ended up at Sonic. Cinco de Mayo just isn't the same when you're not in Texas.

On an up-note, Claire is practicing her Elvis lip curl in this picture in an effort to fit in around Memphis.

Birthday Month - Day Four

2010-05-10T19:04:00.004-05:00

The birthday month continues! Day four's gift is this adorable little outfit!

On the move...

We have continued to give Claire a gift a day for the month of May, but I have been unable to update her blog posts due to our travels. I should be home this week and will try to get caught up.

Birthday Month - Day Three

2010-05-03T13:06:00.004-05:00

Day Three's Gift - a wonderful book

Daddy and Claire reading her new book

The Birthday Month - Day Two

2010-05-02T20:00:00.004-05:00

Today's gift - Little People!!!

checking the packaging to make sure this is an age-appropriate gift
trying to open this wonderful present

"Help, please!"

"How do I get this ball out of her hand?"

"This tube thing is really neat!"

I just love this face she makes.

The Taste Test

Let the Festivities Begin!!!

2010-05-01T08:28:00.004-05:00

Today is the first day of Claire's birthday month! We will celebrate with a surprise a day for the month of May! Happy Birthday month, Claire!

Day One - a star fountain

Enjoying her first surprise in this morning's bath

Take Your Daughter to Work Day

2010-04-28T21:30:00.006-05:00

Steve has been working a lot of hours lately, so Claire and I decided to visit him at work and take him out to dinner. Here's a picture of Claire sitting in the simulator cockpit with her daddy:

(Disclaimer: Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day was officially Thursday, April 22nd. And technically, Claire is too young to participate. It just made a good title for today's post.)

Swimmin'

2010-04-24T19:38:00.005-05:00

We went swimming today. Claire is very coordinated and is kicking and using her arms. She loves going underwater. Here are some blurry pics, as she's constantly in motion.

Eleven Months

2010-04-22T10:32:00.006-05:00

WOW! She's eleven-months-old today! It's been a busy month of trying new things, meeting new people, traveling. For her eleven-month birthday, Claire received a new high chair and a portable DVD player for the Jeep (which will come in really handy during our move next month).

Showing off in her new high chair

Claire got to spend quite a bit of time with family this month. We went to Washington and Oregon to see her daddy's family.

And last night, Uncle Adam, who is in town working on a project for a client, came over to hang out and eat some pizza. We had a great time! Three cheers for Uncle Adam!!!

We also spent quite a bit of time with our friends this month. Claire enjoyed her first picnic with Micah and Kathy. Parker (14-months-old) and his mommy came over to play one afternoon. Antonio, Melissa and Avianna (8-months-old) came over for dessert one evening.

Claire babbles a lot. She has also started "singing" with music. She really tries to match the notes even though what she's saying makes no sense. She has started saying Mommy and Daddy, although she still says Mama and Dada most of the time. She says MiMi (the name my mom goes by) and PopPop (the name my dad goes by). She also says "nana" a lot. I'm not sure what it means since she says it at odd times; but it's a word, and we're counting it!

Claire has three new teeth on top. Her gums have been more sensitive than when the lower ones came in; but she's not fussy, and she hasn't had any other teething issues.

She can now stand alone, climb onto the furniture (the ottoman is her favorite), and she can walk while pushing her toy or while holding our fingers. She jumped from her crib one afternoon. She landed on her giant Minnie Mouse and had no injuries - not even a bruise. But it did scare her pretty badly. We lowered the crib to the lowest level, so that will not happen again any time soon.

Claire loves to pretend. She loves to "give" you something. Then she'll pretend to take something from your hand and eat it. This game can last for long periods of time and can be quite funny, especially to her. (She's probably imagining that I'm sharing more of my chocolate Easter eggs with her.)

Claire still refuses to eat eggs. (I don't blame her as I've never liked them either.) Mashed potatoes are another thing she despises. We did, however, get her totally hooked on Granny Wines' homemade macaroni and cheese while we were visiting her in Washington. This is no surprise, as it's totally delicious; and we all love it. However, Claire still refuses all other pasta. Claire also tried Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies while we were at Granny's house. She loves those too! And Claire has started drinking whole milk. She's not the hugest fan yet, but she will tolerate it in small amounts. We gotta start somewhere!

Claire is still very small. According to our pediatritian, most babies have a huge growth spurt between 9 and 12 months. Claire still has one more month to hit this growth spurt. We'll see. As of now, she's wearing a lot of the clothes she wore last summer, as most of her 3-6 month dresses still fit. Some of them are a little short, but most of them still work. The pants and shorts are all too small though. Claire's 6-9 month clothes fit, but the 12 month sizes are still big on her.

As previously mentioned, we are moving at the end of May to Memphis, TN. Steve has accepted a promotion and is moving into management with the same airline. This will be a great opportunity for Steve, and we are looking forward to some new adventures. Graceland, here we come!

Claire is the happiest, sweetest baby. She loves music and loves to dance. She loves Minnie Mouse. She loves people. She is simply amazing, and we are so blessed to be her parents. And all of this because God is the kindest person I know!

Happy 11 months, Sweets!

The Great Northwest

2010-04-12T12:33:00.007-05:00

We spent Wednesday through Saturday of this past week in Washington and Oregon visiting Steve's family.

We have discovered that Claire loves dogs. On this trip she met Chocolate (Grandpa LeRoy's miniature schnauzer), Beau (Grandpa O's dog) and Andi (Aunt Nicole's pomeranian). Claire was in Heaven! She squeals with excitement and scares the dogs silly. Fortunately, they were all very patient with her.

Claire squealing at Chocolate

spending time with Grandpa LeRoy

Grandpa and Grandma O

(Beau didn't make the pictures. Sorry, Beau.)

Claire loves playing with her Aunt Kasey and Aunt Dawn. Knocking over the stacking cups was an endless source of fun.

Aunt Dawn and Aunt Kasey got up early on Friday and came over to Grandma's to feed Claire her breakfast before they had to go to school.

Claire meeting Aunt Nicole's dog, Andi

Claire loves Andi

Grandma Robin brought presents, and Claire got to celebrate her first birthday early!

Grandma Robin, Grandpa D'Wayne, Aunt Emily and Uncle John gave Claire an adorable outfit that includes a pink skirt with big white polka dots and a soft book with little stuffed animals. Claire has been carrying around the little stuffed animals everywhere she goes.

We went to Mangia Pizza for dinner. It was de-lish!

Pictured from left to right: Claire's mommy, Aunt Kalei, Aunt Nicole, Aunt Emily, Grandma Robin, Claire's Daddy and Claire

Claire enjoying some time with her Grandma Robin (Aunt Emily in the background)

Then we were off to Aunt Lori and Uncle Clay's for some more birthday fun! Claire loves opening presents, one tiny piece of paper at a time.

This is so exciting!

Aunt Lori and Uncle Clay gave Claire a beautiful quilt, a book with a music player and discs and a picture frame.

Somehow I failed to get pictures of Grandpa and Grandma Wines (especially since we spent the majority of our time at their house), Gramps (who came over twice to spend time with Claire) and Uncle Clay. Sorry, all.

Claire learned to climb stairs at Granny and Grandpa Wines' house. It was a little scary at first, but she was very fast once she got going. We got it on video. She is just too cute!

Thanks for a great time! We'll see everyone again in August!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T19:59:00.010-05:00

Breakfast with Daddy

Getting ready for church
Checking out her Easter basket

Fun times!

The Easter Bunny visited the Nortons! Claire obviously received the Minnies, and the book is from MiMi and PopPop. The planter is my Easter basket, and Steve got an airplane basket.

a better look at Claire's Easter surprises

Claire was so excited to see her Minnies! We captured the moment on video. We might try to get that loaded later in the week.

Claire and Mommy reading "An Easter Carol"

Mommy received some Dove truffle eggs from the Easter Bunny. Claire insisted on tasting them.

She REALLY likes them!

We had a wonderful day celebrating the resurrection of Jesus! Hope you did too! Happy Easter!

Texas Bluebonnets

2010-04-04T15:53:00.004-05:00

Yesterday evening we went on a picnic with some of our friends. We got some great pictures in the bluebonnet field.

Our friends, Kathy, Micah and Baby Micah (in the oven - due July 31st)

our picnic spot

Claire loves picnicing!!!

It was a perfect evening with good friends, good weather and good food.

Photo Contest

2010-03-29T14:37:00.004-05:00

Claire has been entered in a photo contest. Click HERE to vote for her picture. Be sure to vote so that she will win.

Voting ends on Sunday, 4/4/10. You can vote once a day.

Ahh... Spring!!!

2010-03-27T20:28:00.005-05:00

10 Months

2010-03-22T08:33:00.009-05:00

Claire is 10-months-old today! These pictures were taken this morning in our backyard. Claire is definitely a morning person. She wakes up happy everyday.

Month nine was a very big month for our little girl. She got her ears pierced. She traveled to Tulsa and Memphis. PopPop and MiMi came to visit, and she went to Rodeo and the park.

She has some mad skills. She can now curl her tongue, throw a ball, roll a ball, brush her own hair (or at least attempt this); and she can feed herself. She can recognize patterns and is beginning to learn her colors. (She can hand you a red ball or a blue ball or an orange ball on request.)

She is babbling almost non-stop when she is awake. She clicks her tongue a lot. In addition to "DaDa," "Mama" and "bye-bye," she now says "hi" and "bear." "Bye-bye" is a general greeting for her, similar to "aloha." She says "bye-bye" for hello, goodbye and sometimes just because. She usually waves one or both hands when saying "bye-bye." She has recently started waving at everyone she meets everywhere we go. For example, while riding in the cart at the grocery store, she will wave and say "bye-bye" as we go up and down the aisles. It's almost as if she were the queen on parade!

Claire is 27" long. She is wearing 9-month and 12-month clothes (depending on the brand and outfit) and size 2 shoes.

Food is big thing around our house these days. We have reintroduced bananas, turkey, apple sauce and Gerber Puffs. Claire loves them all. She has tried some new foods as well: Baby Mum-Mums, cinnamon raisin granola, apples with pomegranate juice, cinnamon raisins & pears, butternut squash with corn, pasta vegetable medley and hearty vegetable stew - all of which she loves. She also tried spaghetti-o's and maccaroni and cheese. So far she's not a fan of pasta, but she will eat a few bites if we force her to do so. Mashed potatoes, however, make her gag. Her body just will not accept them. We also tried giving her apple pie (a flavor of baby food, not the real thing), and she hated it.

As mentioned, Claire is now feeding herself. Here is a short video of the very first time Claire fed herself. She's eating banana-flavored Gerber Puffs.

Happy 10 months, Baby Girl!

We Went to the Park!

2010-03-20T04:31:00.008-05:00

Last night we took Claire to the park for the first time.

I'm not sure who had more fun - Claire or her daddy!
Lovin' this springtime weather. Hope you're enjoying some in your neck of the woods.

Rodeo!

2010-03-19T14:48:00.008-05:00

It's Rodeo time in Houston! We've lived in Houston for almost four years now, and we finally attended our first Rodeo. However, it won't be our last. It was SO much fun! Here are a few pics we took yesterday.

Claire meeting Miss Moo

Claire LOVED Miss Moo! I think the feeling was mutual!
Claire with a 3000 lb Texas longhorn.

Claire loved the bunnies. She wanted to pet them.

Driving her first John Deere... Look out, Uncle Adam! I think you may have some volunteer help for your ranch in a few years. (Although you know her daddy will insist on "a small fee.")

On the midway

And what would any carnival be without a funnel cake?! It was de-lish!

Everywhere we go, Claire attracts attention. While standing in the funnel cake line, girls of all ages surrounded us asking a million questions and telling me how adorable she is.

We had a blast at Rodeo. It's the best people-watching event I've ever attended. There simply aren't words to describe some of the characters we saw!

We recommend that anyone wanting to visit us or Houston, come during Rodeo next year. It always takes place during the first three weeks of March. It's the only time of year that the weather is perfect (mid-60's to mid-70's), and Rodeo is the perfect "Texan" entertainment!

Claire celebrates 10 months on Monday! She's changed a lot this month. Watch the blog for the update and hopefully a video!

Spring Break

2010-03-18T20:59:00.005-05:00

PopPop and MiMi came to visit during MiMi's spring break. They came in on Saturday and left yesterday. We had a great time with them!

Claire got up every morning and played with PopPop. She loved showing him how her toys work.

MiMi is a lot of fun to play with too!
Claire and PopPop went swimming. They had a tea party.

Claire loves her MiMi!

Claire's PopPop is so much fun!PopPop and MiMi, we had a great time with you! We're so glad that you came to visit Claire! We love you!!!

Dinner With The King

2010-03-08T20:47:00.004-06:00

We're in Memphis, TN for a few days. Tonight we rode to dinner in style - we were chauffered by a pink Cadillac stretch limo!

Claire enjoying her first limo ride - in a PINK limo nonetheless!
We enjoyed some authentic and wonderfully tasty Memphis BBQ at one of Elvis's favorite BBQ joints - Marlowe's. We even met one of Elvis's childhood friends. She works in their gift shop. And you have to LOVE that Southern hospitality!

This is parked out in front of the restaurant. This giant pig even has a curly-cue tail on the other side.

This cut-out was next to our table; so we did, indeed, have dinner with the king.

Hangin' With Minnie

2010-03-03T13:41:00.003-06:00

Just Chillin'

2010-03-02T19:58:00.001-06:00

Claire Visits Claire's

2010-02-27T18:23:00.004-06:00

Today we took Claire to the mall to visit her store. (It's important to note that while she bears the same name as the store, she was NOT named after the store.)

Daddy showing her all of the goodies she will someday get to have.
A bit confused as to why some stranger is rubbing her ears...

Oh no! She's marking me!!!

Both Daddy and Claire are saddened by the piercing gun.

Thank God I have only two ears!

Look at this neat bag I got!

Showing off those lobes...

Exhausted after that whole ordeal. I just want Mummy!

A trip to The Disney Store with Daddy makes everything all better.

Nine Months

2010-02-22T12:04:00.012-06:00

WOW! How time flies! I can hardly believe she's nine-months-old. Every single day of the past nine months has been absolutely wonderful! Life just doesn't get any better than this!
Claire is constantly moving these days, so it's almost impossible to get a good picture of her. We do, however, have lots of videos. Unfortunately, I still haven't figured out how to upload them myself. Hopefully Steve can help me get those loaded this week. In the meantime, you'll have to settle for these lovelies:
We keep the toys that Claire plays with most often in a basket in the living room. We pick them up every evening as part of her bedtime routine. And then every morning, she empties them all.

Talking to her toys...

Claire has never liked pacifiers - until recently. It turns out that they make great teethers. She never holds them in her mouth or sucks on them. She just chews on them.

Now that everything is properly spread out, we can play!

Claire spends a lot of time pulling up, standing and cruising around our furniture. Her favorite thing to pull up on and walk around is the ottoman.

The skinny on our girl:

Claire is 26 3/4" long (25th percentile). She weighs 16 lbs 2 3/4 oz. (10th percentile).

She went to the doctor today for her nine-month checkup. Everything about her is "perfect!" And I'm quoting her pediatrition. They did a blood test for iron levels, white blood cell count, etc. She is smack dab in the middle of the normal scale for everything. It just doesn't get any more perfect!

Claire's favorite game is "Where's Claire?" (our version of peek-a-boo). She will hold a blanket over her head or in front of her face while you ask, "Where's Claire?" After she's deemed that you've asked the question an appropriate number of times, she lowers the blanket and giggles. Then we play again.

Claire loves to dance. If she's sitting when she hears music, she bobs her head from side to side and sometimes waves her arms. If she's standing, then her dance is an all-out booty shaker. It's too cute!

Claire crawls anywhere and everywhere and climbs over anything in her way. She keeps me very busy. (Can you tell it's naptime right now?)

Her front two bottom teeth came in at the same time. She's drooling a lot these days, but I can't see or feel any teeth on top yet.

She says "DaDa" and "Mama" a lot, which, of course, we both love. She also waves and says "bye bye." She makes a lot of vowel and consonant combination sounds, but so far I haven't been able to distinguish any other words and certainly not any that have any meaning that I can tell. She has also started making a clicking noise with her tongue. We credit this little sound to Parker and Bryce (children of friends of ours) who have seemingly created their own language of clicks. Claire is ready to join the club, so look out, boys!

Claire tried some new foods this month: blueberries, blackberries, oatmeal, ham and pineapple, sweet corn casserole and harvest vegetables. She loved everything but the corn. We reintroduced beef, strawberries and green beans. She loved the beef and berries, but the beans made her gag. We've also been giving her squash again, but in small amounts and usually as a combo food. We will soon be starting a few table foods - overcooked veggies, mashed potatoes and overcooked pasta.

Claire is beautiful and happy and perfect! Happy 9th, Baby!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-13T20:53:00.004-06:00

We started our Valentine's celebration a little early. Claire got a "big girl" car seat. She looks a little like Edith Ann, don't you think?!
Claire also gave her first valentine - to her daddy. This is Claire's first attempt at coloring. It's more pounding of the crayons leaving dots behind and dragging them across the page leaving lines, but it's adorable in our book.

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! Hope you're enjoying time with the ones you love!

Ta-Da!

2010-02-09T13:22:00.002-06:00

Claire woke up with TWO teeth pushing through her gums! She hasn't been cranky or whiny or fussy at all. She's been her normal happy self. If I hadn't been watching for them, we wouldn't even know they were here.

showing off those pearly whites!!!

Travelin' Girl

2010-02-08T11:33:00.008-06:00

We just got back from almost two full weeks of traveling. We started off spending 11 days in St. Louis, MO. Then we were home for one day to do laundry and switch out our bags before heading to Tulsa. We got in last night just in time to watch the game. Here are some pics from our St. Louis trip.

ice in the river
We love visiting St. Louis. They have so much to do. In fact, second only to Washington, D.C., they have the most free attractions of any U.S. city. We usually head straight for Forest Park and the St. Louis Zoo, which is absolutely fabulous. But since it was so cold, we decided to try some free indoor attractions this time. First stop:

Yes, folks, we took our baby to a brewery. I wasn't really sure about this little visit, but Steve was excited. I went and was pleasantly surprised. It was quite fascinating. This brewery was used to make yeast and soda pop during prohibition days, and they proudly show that off as well as the beer. And, most importantly, Claire saw her first horse - a Budweiser Clydesdale.

The stable, complete with stained glass windows, is beautiful. (In fact, all of the architecture at the brewery is amazing. You can tell that at least at one point in its history, the owners had way too much money that they didn't know what to do with it. Every building is ornate inside and out, even the bottling plant.)

inside the stable next to a Clydesdale (note the stained glass windows for the horses to enjoy)

After the Brewery, we headed to the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis. It was amazing! I have never seen anything like it. It's decorated completely with mosaic tiles. Do click on the link and look at the pictures on the website. (You don't have to click on anything on the site. It automatically starts a slide show for you that is amazing.) I just wish that we had been able to take better pictures. I would definitely visit again. Just to put into perspective how long it took to complete this beautiful work of art, work was begun the year the Titanic sunk and was completed during the Reagan administration. Amazing!!!

Claire was doing a little exploring of her own. This cathedral has an eight-second echo. Claire loved that and tested it out repeatedly.

Here is the Old Courthouse where the Dred Scott trial took place. Due to Steve's schedule, we were never there early enough to tour the building; but it's beautiful.

St. Louis is a beautiful and wonderful place to visit. We go at least once a year. I can't wait until we can go back and take Claire to the zoo.

We'll be home this week. Then we're off for two more trips this month - Washington, D.C. and back to Tulsa to celebrate Analise's third birthday!

Eight Months

2010-01-22T18:27:00.009-06:00

Claire turned eight-months-old today. It's hard to believe she's that big, and yet we can't imagine our lives without her.

She has perfected crawling and is quite speedy. She can pull herself up and seems to want to stand more than sit these days. She can walk holding onto our fingers. She has also learned to clap her hands, give kisses and give high-fives.

Claire does not yet have any teeth, and we're not seeing any real signs of teething just yet. (I've heard that the longer they stay in the gums, the healthier they are. I'm not sure if it's true, but if it is, then I like it!)

Claire has tried several new foods, including Hawaiian Delight, Mango, Apples and Cherries and Pears with Wild Blueberries. All of which she loves. She has also tried Vegetable Beef, Apples and Chicken, Vegetable Chicken, Peas and Green Beans; all of which she hates. Except for the green beans, the common ingredient is peas. So we're pretty sure that anything with peas is out. She has also tried the Gerber Puffs, but she spits them out. I'm guessing she's just not ready for the texture yet. So to sum up Claire's eating habits, she loves rice, she loves fruits, the only vegetables she's eating right now are carrots, sweet potatoes and corn. She loves squash, but it has certain side affects that no one else likes. We're trying new foods every week, so we'll see what else we can find for her to enjoy.

I haven't weighed her or measured her this month, but she's still wearing 6 month and 6-9 month clothes. I put a 3-6 month outfit on her one day this week, and it still fit. She's just really long and skinny...and beautiful!

Claire's personality is becoming more evident everyday. She's a very happy little girl. She loves to smile and to laugh. She loves to play and loves to cuddle. She loves people. She's an absolute joy!

Daddy's Girl!

"Happy Girl!" - The Movie

2010-01-20T21:25:00.005-06:00

At last! Claire's second movie has finally been released. And once again, Claire's movie has received rave reviews.

- "A true delight!" shouts Claire's Mommy

- "A crowd favorite that we'll watch again and again," proclaims Claire's Daddy

And now, for your viewing pleasure, "Happy Girl!"

Please share your "reviews" in the comments section. Enjoy!

Just Pics

2010-01-17T07:38:00.015-06:00

Our Weekend in Oregon

2010-01-11T12:19:00.006-06:00

We spent the weekend in Oregon with Aunt Lori and Uncle Clay. We had SO much fun! We shopped, watched movies, played cards and had a great time!

Claire enjoying breakfast with Aunt Lori

Playtime
Claire loves Aunt Lori

Ready to eat some Mexican food at Chevy's - yummo!

Chillin' at Chevy's with Aunt Lori and Uncle Clay

Thanks for a wonderful weekend, Aunt Lori and Uncle Clay! We had a fabulous time and are looking forward to another visit soon. We love you!!!