6 Months!

Wow. Time has flown by. Is it possible that you're already 6 months old, our sweet little baby? My little Mini Me, due on my birthday -- it turns out that you look exactly like your Dad. You sleep exactly like him as well -- arms above your head and ankles crossed. You are such an amazing little baby. Mellow, adventurous, chatty. You get the hangries every once in awhile, but you certainly come by that naturally. You've started eating your toes, chewing your books, and best of all, eating real food. First we started with avocado and chicken (after the obligatory rice cereal) and then we relaxed a bit and gave you banana, squash, peas, carrots, mangoes, even non-organic (gasp!) applesauce that the waitress brought you the other day at breakfast. At first you seemed to like everything. Now, you seem to like nothing (I think that might be the teething). You are grabbing for everything now, but still not really rolling over much. You make raspberry noises all the time and are getting more used to strangers. Your 6-month statistics are funny . . . you are a long baby with a big head. And, you have chubby cheeks and big, blue eyes. I've posted a picture above that says it all (inspired by one of Maria's pictures of Sadie). Happy 6 months, lovey.

Water Sign

Today was an exciting day of firsts for Ms. Claire P. We went to our local indoor pool for about 15 minutes of "swimming." Claire was more interested in the kids, the noise, and the beach balls than the water, but she did have fun kicking around. She looked adorable in her Juicy Couture bathing suit that she received as a gift from her cousin, Claire Cawein. Afterwards, she took her first "shower" to rinse off the chlorine. From the look on her face, I think that was the best part of her day.

Little Lady

Here are two of my favorite pictures from the photo shoot (see below).

Mea Culpa!

Okay, so I am the worst blogger in history. It's been over a month and this is supposed to be a weekly blog. A lot has happened. Where did I leave off? Shortly after St. Patty's Day, Kevin and Kelsey visited (no picture, unfortunately) for a couple of nights before heading back to Ohio. That was an unexpected visit and it was great catching up with them both. Then, Bruce headed to L.A. for business and Claire and I headed back to Chicago for two weeks for my mom's 70th birthday party. I was a bit nervous for the flight because it was just the two of us and there were a lot of logisitics to think about (e.g., how do I go to the bathroom, prepare a bottle while smashed into a tight seat holding Claire, eat snacks and drink coffee?). Well, it went smoothly and fortunately (thank god) Claire fell asleep almost immediately. The other passengers couldn't have been nicer or more helpful which underscored one of my favorite sayings: It takes a village. Once we got to Chicago, the real work began. We had lots to do to plan for the Big Day. About 50 people crammed into my mom's place for a truly wonderful party. While there, my friends Ashlie and Marcus welcomed little Carson into the world. 10 lbs., 24 inches long. A little Man/Baby. Crazy talk!

My mom and I came across a store called The Picture People during our visit and spontaneously decided to get Claire's picture taken. It was hilarious. Claire is certainly a Little Prior. She's a fiery little Scorp, and looks just like her Dad.

Well that's about it. In rereading these blog entries, they seem so maternal which is perfectly appropriate for a blog entitled The Life and Times of Claire Prior. But, it sort of reminds me that I need to get the saunter back into my step, get my sashay on. The timing is perfect because my friend Amy is coming to town this weekend, so I'm sure we can cook up some mischief. Juleps anyone? Till next time . . .

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Claire experienced her first St. Patty's party this weekend at the Denver Press Club, hosted by our friends Jeanne & Jeff Laws. It reminded me of all the years spent at Ken's Tavern on the South Side of Chicago for the St. Patrick's Day Parades. Claire was a good sport. It was really loud and she slept right through the bagpipes and the Irish dancing. After a quick cat nap, she woke up and started to get a little overwhelmed by all the attention. Lately, when new people approach her, she gets a little upset. She juts out her lower lip in the most heartwrenching little pout before launching into a full-throttle cry. Once we saw "the look" we figured she'd had enough and got out of there. We're feeling lucky that we have such a cool baby. Cheers!

Almost Four Months Old!

We've had a great month. Went to Steamboat and had a great time with Grandma Tish, Leslie & family and then returned for a visit with Uncle George. Afterwards, Grandma Pat spontaneously flew out for a quick visit.

Claire is getting big. She has been laughing sporadically and putting her hands, bib, toys, etc. into her mouth constantly. As you can see from the pictures, she always has her left hand near her face. Could she be left-handed like Grandma Pat?

We're starting to get a better sense of her personality: determined, social, definite, talkative. She is a fun girl. She loves getting out and about and is very portable. She's been rolling over more frequently lately (tummy to back). She hates tummy time so she is always very, very determined to get onto her back. She loves looking at herself in mirrors and always greets herself with a funny, coy, side smile. She's a crack up and she's almost 4 months old.

We're having a lot of fun and hope you are also! Happy soon-to-be spring!

My Kind of Town

Well, it has been awhile. And, a lot of fun stuff has happened. A few weeks ago we all flew to Chicago as part of Claire's World Tour '08 where she met all the Aunts, cousins, friends. She was a rockstar for the flight and earned her wings by sleeping the entire time. We bought a box of ear plugs for the entire plane just in case, but we didn't have to use them.

Then, she met Grandpa and Nana Carol the next week and we had a fun visit with them both. Yesterday, she turned 3 months old! That is an exciting milestone because she is getting bigger and is a ton of fun. She smiles and talks and is grabbing everything.

Last week Bruce returned to Detroit for business so it was a chick fest here and things went pretty smoothly. Tonight, Claire is gearing up to meet Grandma Alves who arrives soon, and Leslie, Andy, Erin and Fletcher will be here as well. Next stop: Steamboat for some winter fun and a visit with the cousins. That's about it for us; hope you are all doing well.