Why Bother with a Flu Shot?!?!

I know that the flu shot doesn't prevent you from getting the flu, but after two bouts of the stomach flu in two weeks time I am starting to question what exactly the purpose of the shot is. We had settled in for a nice Christmas celebration with my family yesterday when Claire started to act increasingly whiny and crabby. Being the bright parents we are we assumed that her teeth were bothering her...that was until she puked all over me. That put an abrupt end to our celebration as we headed home to tend to our sick child. I started to feel more and more nauseous as the night progressed and by bedtime I was in the same awful situation as Claire. Yuck. Seriously gross. This strain luckily wasn't half as bad as last time, but I am hoping that this is the last of it this season. Thankfully Art has been lucky enough to stay healthy through both of my bouts, and has been able to take great care of both Claire and I (along with the help of my mom). Since I have been in my pajamas for nearly 24 hours, and therefore, have not had a chance to download any of our Christmas photos here is a shot of Claire and I pre-flu.

Merry Christmas

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

To celebrate the fact that it was a White Christmas, we bundled Claire up in all her winter gear and took her outside to explore the snow. As evidenced below, she wasn't used to the weight of all the gear. Once she was outside, she has a great time...at least for a few minutes.

Lets Celebrate!

The medication for Claire's ears had kicked in by Saturday afternoon, so she was in great spirits for her party. The house was filled with great grandparents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins and Claire was loving all the activity. She wasn't quite sure what to think of all the presents, but participated in tearing the paper on a few. She was also a little hesitant when it came to the cake. Given her personality, we didn't think she would demolish it and she proved us right!! Claire had a fabulous time and was even up a whole 45 minutes later than usual!

My first video using my new Flip video camera. I am loving it!

nti

ONE YEAR OLD!!

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY, CLAIRE! We made it a whole year together! To celebrate Claire's birthday, we had big plans of heading downtown to see the Macy's 8th floor holiday display. Unfortunately, her morning doctor's appointment revealed that she had a double ear infection, which meant she was feeling a little under the weather. We will have to check it out some other time. Hopefully she is feeling better tomorrow for her big party.

Here is the update on what Claire has been up to this past month. Claire,

• has two teeth on bottom, one on top, and several more on the way!
• finally learned how to clap on her own and just started to blow kisses.
• is quite fast on her feet.
• has learned how to shake her head no. This only occurs at bathtime when she refuses to get out.
• began signing "more".
• says "more" and "on" and repeats many other words.
• is officially done with bottles. We transitioned her to whole milk in a sippy cup about a week ago, and she is doing great!
• has her daddy's taste in food...pizza, pasta, and bread. :) She is not a fan of meat and the only vegetables she will even come close to touching are carrots and sweet potatoes.
• has become unpredictable when it comes to naps. This past week she has been refusing to take her morning nap, which means only one nap a day. Not sure if we are ready for this!
• is 28 inches tall (23rd percentile) and weighs 19lbs 12oz (34th percentile).
• keeps us on our toes! We can't wait to see what this next year has in store for us!

Playtime and Pizza

The Steele Family was in town for the Thanksgiving holiday, so they stopped by for a little playtime and pizza on Saturday night. It was great to catch up with them and to see their little guy Colin. What a cutie!

Happy Turkey Day!

Hope everyone had a Happy Thankgiving! Just a glimpse into what our celebration looked like...

So Cool

Claire found her sunglasses about a week ago and has been having so much fun with them. She loves to have us put them on her face, walk around the house, and then take them off. Here she is looking SO COOL!

Fever

Despite cutting several teeth and running a fever for the last few days, Claire has been in a pretty good mood. She is finally fever-free today, so hopefully we will be able to bring her back to daycare tomorrow!

Little Miss Cling

Claire's separation/stranger anxiety has reached an all time high this week. I don't know if it is all the teeth she is working on or if it is just a stage. She has been quite sensitive at daycare all week. If anyone even looks at her a little funny, it is enough to send her into tears. Her separation anxiety has also been coupled with a definite preference for me. While it is nice to feel so loved, it also makes getting anything done nearly impossible. The minute I try to blow-dry my hair or start making dinner, I have a little cling-on standing at my feet begging me to pick her up. And lets be honest, carting around a near 20 lb child in my arms isn't exactly a breeze - it is hard work! Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, Claire woke up from her afternoon nap with a 103 degree fever. No runny nose, no cough, no throwing up (thank god)...just a high fever. Lets hope she kicks this fast. It has been a long week!

Pearly Whites

With one tooth in and three more on the way, we figured it was time to buy Claire her first toothbrush. We have been brushing her teeth (and gums) in the morning and evening and she LOVES it! Here are a few pictures from Claire's introduction to her new toothbrush.

Eleven Months Old

ELEVEN MONTHS OLD!! Only one more month until our baby girl hits the big ONE! It is hard to believe that a year ago I was as big as a house and anxiously waiting to meet our little bundle. At times the last 11 months seems like a blur. While it is hard to remember all the first moments we shared, it is never hard to remember all the feelings of love and joy that Claire has brought to our lives. We love you baby girl!!
Did I really think that she would sit peacefully in her brown chair for a full year? I must have been crazy! While the picture above isn't the best, at least it represents who she is at eleven months - busy, busy, busy!!

And now for the update. At eleven months old, Claire:

• is walking like a champ. She prefers walking over crawling and continues to get more steady on her feet each day.
• is babbling a ton. She makes a lot of sounds and even a few that sound like actual words, but the only one that she truly uses in context is "more". It sounds more like "mo", but she definitely knows what it means...especially when cheerios are involved.
• has her FIRST tooth!
• boycots her afternoon nap no fewer than once a week, which makes for a very tired little girl in the evenings. I can't complain all the much. She is still a champ when it comes to sleeping through the night...in fact I don't think she has woken up in the middle of the night since she was 4.5 months old (knock on wood).
• is little Miss Sensitive. If someone even looks at her a little funny it is enough to send her in tears. We definitely think this has something to do with genetics!
• LOVES water. I swear she would drink a gallon a day if we let her. Must be from all that water I consumed when she was in my belly.
• is a mama's girl.
• is starting to figure out how some of her more complicated toys work. She has a few toys where you put blocks into open slots and she has finally figured this out. It is amazing to watch her little brain in action.
• enjoys her books. She loves to look at the pages and listen to the stories. She doesn't always make it through the entire book, but we are getting there.
• is full of so many smiles and laughs!

TRICK OR TREAT

Here's more of our little pumpkin!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Daddy better watch out...looks like we have a future Reese's fan on our hands! More photos of our little PUMPKIN to come later!

YUMMY!!

Here's Claire having some pasta the other night. As you can tell by her messy face, she LOVED it! She is still a pretty good eater, but will definitely let you know if she isn't interested in eating something. She basically pushes everything she doesn't like off her tray and onto the floor...it's really quite charming. :) She is also certain to let you know if she wants more of anything. She starts reaching forward and says "mo, mo, mo". It's pretty cute and amazing to watch her first signs of real verbal communication.

Pajama Time!

Pete, Emily, and Whitney came over for dinner on Saturday night. Claire was loving Whitney...she kept trying to touch her (we are still working on gentle) and was giving her lots of smiles. It also turns out that the girls have matching PJs - it was the perfect photo op!

Fall Frolic

We took advantage of the beautiful weather this weekend, and spent a large portion of time outdoors. We went on several walks, took a couple trips to the park, and cheered the Johnnies on at the Tommie/Johnnie football game. Claire LOVES being outside!

Here's a few photos from Friday afternoon. As you can see, Claire is sporting yet another adorable hat. Too bad she thinks its funny to keep taking it off...it is going to be a long winter if she doesn't start keeping it on!

In other news, we spotted the tip of Claire's FIRST TOOTH on Saturday afternoon!

A Wild Adventure

Last Friday, Claire and I met my friend Marie and her son Wesley for lunch. Afterward, we ventured over to Wild Rumpus. What a quaint and unique bookstore...it was perfect for our little ones. There were cats and chickens roaming throughout the store, as well as birds, rabbits, and reptiles in cages for the little ones to view. Wesley chased the cats, while Claire chased the chickens...it was hilarious to watch! If you haven't checked it out, it is definitely worth a trip!

Look Who's Walking

Here's a video of Claire walking from this morning. It is amazing how her confidence continues to grow each day. She is still working on her balance, but she is definitely making progress. Enjoy!

Changing Seasons

While I am not ready for the cold weather that is on the way, there is something that is so adorable about babies when they are all bundled up. Everytime I am out shopping, I find myself buying Claire yet another new hat. I just can't help myself when she looks this cute!

Ten Months Old

Another month down! Which mean, another month of exciting new developments from Claire!

At TEN months old, Claire:

• has mastered the act of cruising around furniture. She will cruise along anything she can get her hands on.
• keeps improving on her walking skills. She usually takes a few steps at a time, and definitely crawls more than she walks, but I don't think it will be long before that changes...especially since she took 16 steps (yes, I counted) tonight!
• still doesn't sit still for very long periods of time, as evidenced by the picture above. This was the best photo I could get this month.
• LOVES daycare. I swear that she senses when we arrive in the parking lot each morning because she starts kicking her legs and gets a BIG grin on her face. Fortunately for me, she also LOVES when I pick her up each day!
• definitely has favorite foods. The top of her list includes fruit, cheese and toast. She is not a huge fan of vegetables, that is for sure.
• still has ZERO teeth...I'm not sure we will recognize her when she gets her first pearly white!
• has started to enjoy books more and more. She will actually sit with us and let us read a few books to her every morning and evening. Her favorite books are the ones with peek-a-boo flaps.
• is a fan of music. She enjoys dancing with Mom and Dad and listening to her children's CDs in the car.
• loves spending time outdoors. More often than not, that is where I find her each day when I pick her up from daycare. She also enjoys several stroller rides each week.
• is super careful and very gentle.
• is becoming more and more like a toddler. It is such a delight to watch her change from each month to next...can't wait to see what month eleven has in store!

New York, New York

Art & I made our way to New York this past weekend for the first time. We had a wonderful time taking in the city and checking out a few well-known landmarks.

Took a long walk through Central Park. It is amazing how few leaves have changed compared to the ones here in Minnesota.

Stopped by FAO Schwarz to pick up a few things for Claire. What an incredible toy store!
Went on a boat tour where we checked out both the Brooklyn Bridge, and Statue of Liberty.

We also made our way to several excellent restaurants, a Broadway show and made a brief stop by the today show. It was nice to spend some time together in a new city. While we were there we also celebrated our 4th anniversary! My parents were generous enough to watch Claire while we were gone...we sure missed her, but knew she was in great hands. Thank you!

Rocking and Walking

Claire loves pushing this rocking chair around the house. She is still only taking a couple steps on her own, but it is so fun to watch her progress!

Twins SWEEP the Sox!!

While Art & I cheered on the Twins in front of the television, Claire cheered them on in her dreams!

GO TWINS!