Vacation Time

Claire headed up north with mom & dad last weekend for a mini-vacation with mom's side of the family. Claire seemed to have a really good time watching her older cousins as they bounced around the house and started to pay attention to baby Hazel. By the end of the weekend, when Hazel would cry, Claire would look around for the baby. 

Claire tried some new things like standing in the water of Gooseberry Falls and swimming (with mom). She had lots of grandma and grandpa time too. Claire checking out the water of Gooseberry Falls

And her first time in a 'big person' swimming pool with mom

 Claire, mom, grandma, aunt Karey and cousin Hazel

Lately she has taken to bringing you books and 'backing up' to sit on your lap. 

She also likes to:

- spin until she is dizzy

- feed herself (after the fork/spoon is loaded for her)

- give kisses to babies in books

- jabber away in her own language telling us stories

- get in the way of her older cousins! 

Little pumpkin

Mom & dad have been trying but have failed to get pictures of Claire's top two teeth. Neighbor Mary appropriately dubbed her a pumpkin this earlier this evening. Her mouth looks like that of a jack-o-lantern. We had hoped she might make it to Halloween so we could have some fun with it (not really) but we noticed two new teeth sprouting earlier this morning. 

Claire loves to be outside, lately. The heat the last two days has put a damper on her exposure to the outdoors. She likes to visit her ladybug sandbox and grab fistfuls of sand. She actually stepped into the sandbox with mom's help last week but her time inside was short lived. 

She is showing signs of mastering the stairs going down. Unfortunately, she gets a bit distracted and turns around so her back is to the stairs. It's going to be  another few weeks before we feel comfortable letting her attempt the stairs without us right behind her. 

This is also week two of no bottle. We had weaned her to one a day right before bed but replaced that with a bowl of cereal. Mom thought it might be a bit of a challenge but Claire appears to have totally forgotten that she ever drank from a bottle. Mom & dad are also lucky that she can rotate between 2 different types of cups (one set is without handles and all are BPA-free!!) so she can always have a milk or water on hand. Lately she is really testing those limits on turning it over and setting it on it's side to see if it will leak. 

So big!

If she's in the right mood and you ask Claire how big she is, she'll throw her hands in the air.

If you ask her "how do you say (insert whatever word)", she will look at you and say "Na".

She:

• loves, loves, loves, loves blueberries,
• does not like cucumber (makes the icky face),
• likes to pick up the sand out of her sandbox and drop it outside on the concrete,
• 'helps' weeding by picking the leaves off the strawberry plant, and the grass, and the flower petals, but no actual weeds,
• is finally growing out of her 9 mos jammies,
• is patiently waiting for her new cousin to arrive (OK, maybe that one is more mom...).

13 month developments

Claire attempted to feed herself a Cheerio on her own, WITH A SPOON, this morning. We've been letting her hang onto an extra spoon or fork during meal times so she gets a feel for it and also trying to have her hold on while we feed her (the last of which she really doesn't like). At first she would pick up the Cheerio in her right hand and touch it to the spoon before putting it into her mouth. Next thing we knew, she had placed the Cheerio on her spoon and was guiding it towards her mouth with her left hand (uh-oh Dufresne's, do we have another lefty??). VERY COOL! The Cheerio fell off the spoon (it was dry so didn't stick) so she ended up missing her mouth but what an effort. Dad and mom were so excited to see her putting 2&2 together.

Other cool developments:

• She is perfectly capable of drinking from her sippy cup, but does enjoy it when someone holds it for her. (Jordan and mom refer to her as a gerbil when this happens).
• She likes to go for rides on the Gator with mom pushing her. Her feet don't hit the ground yet so she can't push herself along.
• If she doesn't like what she has on her 'plate', points to whatever she can see on the table she wants.
• Is giving kisses to the cat. She bends over and sometimes actually touches Tabitha but more often kisses the air.
• Pets Tabitha with her wrench (or hammer).

Now... if we can only get her potty trained....

Two new teeth

She is into taking books off the shelf. At least she is getting ahead of the curve by reading something she'll need for high school.

Giving Ernie kisses.
Testing out the new pool.
Showing us her 'Klingon' face.

She really does have teeth this time. Mom's not just saying it. Two new teeth are cutting through on the top. She looks like she might be a vampire for a little while as the they are not her front two teeth. We'll see if the elusive girl will allow us to take pictures of her top teeth.

Peek

Claire and mom headed down to Faribault for the weekend while dad and Jordan went camping up north. Claire showed of her new moves with Grandma & Grandpa P.

Lately she likes to walk around on the hard wood floors (and the deck outside) stomping her feet. She had a great time playing in the ball farm and rode a little bit on the 'motorcycle'. She preferred to push it around like she does her walker at home. Mom tried to keep her on the grass, since she tends to run over herself, but Claire much preferred to play on the cement. Of course. She also found grandma's Tupperware cupboard and enjoyed pulling out the various sized tubs to carry around the house. She ate like a fiend and when grandpa came home on Saturday afternoon it seemed like she was carrying on an actual conversation with him.

Other fun things Claire has been up to:

• Playing peek-a-boo with mom or dad while crouching under the tables.
• Bringing toys to you with a huge grin on her face.
• Giving kisses through the slats in the safety gate and her crib.
• Taking a hand while walking.

What Claire doesn't like:

• Getting her diaper changed.
• Having her lotion put on her legs.
• When you take something away from her.
• Sitting in her car seat by herself for the car ride to G&G P's. Mama had to drive one handed while holding Claire's hand over the top of her car seat. Lucky mom didn't tear a rotator cup.

She has a bit of a temper, this one. She does not like to sit down, unless it is her choice. It makes diaper changing time a real joy!!

More pictures to come!!

12 Month Appointment

Claire handled her 12 mos appointment well, despite the stinger of the MMR shot. Mom learned early on that putting pants back on is pointless so she just wore her socks, shirt and diaper out of the room. Claire was doing just fine even by the time mom got her back on her shoulder and Claire's hat on her head. The trick is to get her to laugh.

The doctor was very impressed with Claire's development. While she isn't speaking full words yet, she is jabbering away. It does seem like Claire says Dada a lot (not surprising as her primary caregiver) and Mamamama but it's not really clear if she is saying it about Dada and Mama. She did, however, clearly say the word 'duck' while in the tub on Friday night. Hasn't said it since she got out of the tub, but she's trying! Mom & dad got her a See & Say for her birthday so she can practice animal sounds and learn to associate names of animals.

Her stats:
Weight: 19 lbs - 17.67%
Length: 27.5 inches - 9.04%
Head: 43 cm - 63%

Yes, our girl has a big head.

Her latest favorite thing has been to put toys in an old yogurt container, walk around shaking it and make noise. She also likes to take things out of her bathroom drawer and, occasionally, put things back in the drawer. But she really likes to open and close doors. She has this air of importance or 'big-shotness' when doing this - it's a hoot. So far she hasn't slammed her fingers but has run over her toes a couple of times.