Fun Times

We are having a lot of fun. Lately, I haven't been worried about sleep schedules or nap times or new foods; I've simply been enjoying watching Claire learn something new just about everyday.

Last Saturday, she took her first steps and also realized she could put her whole finger in her nose (not at the same time). She says a few words, "uh-oh," "Dada," "hi," and "doggy." Every once in awhile she says, Mama, like this morning at 5 a.m. when she said, in the sweetest voice you could imagine, "Mama, Dada." She loves saying Dada and sometimes I say to her, "Mama," and she looks at me, smiles and says, "Dada."

We started saying "uh-oh" when she would drop things. After a few days, she started saying it before dropping things. It was the first time she's demonstrated intent. More specifically, she would say "uh-oh" and then drop her sippy cup. Pretty cool. When we say "no," she shakes her head really dramatically and gives us this shit-eating grin. It's irresistible, but we try not to laugh.

A couple of weeks ago we went for a walk and Bruce was coincidentally on his way back from the office. She stopped looking at her favorite toy, pointed at him and said Dada. Seriously. He was about 1/2 block away and I swear that she recognized him.

A few weeks ago, she tried some Pistachio Gelatto. About 10 minutes after her first taste, she took her pacifier out of her mouth, set it on the table, and pointed to the Gelatto. Then, during Music Together, she crawled over to our neighbor Dave (who she had never met before and who was there with his wife and twins) and sat on his lap during the entire class. She says "hi" to every single person in the grocery store, and gets a lot of attention. While she's falling asleep, she rubs our arms. Sometimes it's a little painful, depending on the last time we trimmed her nails. But, overall, it's lovely.

The past almost-year has been a huge change for Bruce and me in many ways, and some days have been sleepless, stressful, and frustrating. But, lately, we've all seem to figured it out a little and, for now at least, things are really, really comfortable.

Hope you are all doing well. Lots of love. B, J & C.