Baby Days

Last night was one of those nights where I felt like my "baby" was slipping out of my hands. I have packed up her things several times with bins in the attic...newborn, 3 months, 6 months but for some reason last night, 9 months (summer time) was harder. Packing away all the cute summer dresses that she did not wear near enough...just praying that I have a picture of her in all my favorites, even some that I love being packed away with the tags still attached...packing away her first pair of jelly shoes, her monogrammed bloomers that she has out grown and the swimming suits from her first summer. It all just seemed to bring a tear to my eye. Don't get me wrong I LOVE the stage Claire is in...she is so much fun! ......But for a mother to let go and pack away her "firsts" "firsts" brings a knot to her throat and a tear in her eye.

Talking more and more each day and is really starting to communicate. Claire says her name a hundred times a day. LOVE it!!! Clar, Clar, Clar.....She will be 15 months old this week and is beginning to out grow her 12 month clothes, wearing a size 4 shoe and I think she is getting pretty tall...I measure this by our kitchen table, at 12 months she could walk under it but now she is a inch or 2 taller than it. Miss Claire is still wearing size 3 diapers but on the verge on moving into size 4...and still does not care to have her diaper changed. She runs everywhere, has as many cabinets that are hers in the kitchen that I do, still LOVES her passy's...she has even started saying passy. Claire is a very busy little girl, never sitting still. One of her favorite things is the go into her room empty out the bin full of bibs, then put all the bibs back in the bin one at time and then start the process over again. If you are trying to pack a bag, she is right there to unpack it for you. She is a big helper. She loves to put clothes in the washing machine...one at a time, which turns into to exercise for me, picking her up and down. Claire is learning new animal sounds...what does a rooster do? cock do cock....what does a lion say? ROAR....and my new favorite, what does a snake do? she sticks her tongue in and out really fast.
I am a strong believe it is never too young to teach manners...ever since Claire was born I have said "Yes, mam", "please", "thank you"...Claire will bring you something and say thank you...or you can give her something and she says thank you...and she is beginning to say please...or peas.
She is starting to try and help hook her car seat...which I really don't want her to figure that one out. She is precious and such a joy but it does not go without a couple "timeouts" every now and then...I know that 3 minutes is super hard on her!

One more thing....no more bottles, Claire's New Year's Resolution!....I haven't decided what mine is going to be....I am trying to put some thought into this year...but I know that I need 2010 to be better than 2009 for several reasons and one way to make that happen is to get up every morning with a positive attitude, say a little prayer, and know that God is in complete control!!!!

A little on Christmas

We have completed the Holiday 2009 tour. Who would have thought rain and flooding would cause a two hour detour? I can say without a doubt the holidays were a little different this year than last and so much fun! Claire got more toys than she will ever be able to play with. I am trying to figure where in the world they are all going to go. We all got some really nice gifts from our family too. Thank you for a wonderful Christmas season!

Miss Claire was super excited about all her toys....I think Toys r us has opened a new location...in our house. However, with about 10 toys that Santa delivered, including a tricycle and furniture, Claire ran over and picked up the $2 Duck first! I have even boxed up several unopened toys for future days when she needs something special and new to play with. I know I have said it before but Claire is such a toddler now!!! I am not even kidding! She is graduating from the nursery this week and moving on to the toddler room. Her nursery teacher, Mrs. Liz, that Claire loves and I love told me that Claire is ready to move up. She is saying so many words that she is ready to start learning her alphabet!! A little bittersweet for this Momma, but I find that with each new stage that the new stage Claire is in is my favorite, she is so funny these days. Some new things about Miss Priss :

• "Claire, What does Santa Claus say?" Ho, Ho, Ho...in the sweetest little voice.
• Claire LOVES tractors!!! She gets so excited when we pass tractors on the road...yelling "tractor, tractor, tractor!
• She points to pictures of herself and says "Claire" which comes out "Clar"
• I can tell Claire to bring me her socks and she will bring me her socks...same with shoes
• She is learning more and more peoples names
• One of her friends name is Max and when she is at home she walks around saying "Where Max, where max?"...like a broken record but she is too cute!
• Her hair is getting so long it is now in her eyes and we have to pull it back in a "ponytail" everyday...not always an easy task...but Playhouse Disney helps
• Claire would walk over to the nativity and point to Baby Jesus..."Baby, Baby, Baby" and then of course she wanted to hold him.
• Claire's New Years Resolution is going to be no more night time bottles......this is probably going to be a little traumatic for her

(Christmas pictures to come)

Friendship

just some of my favorite things about friendship:

• Friends are people who help you up when you're down; and if they can't, they lie down beside you and listen.
• Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Others stay awhile, make footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever the same.
• The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart.
• Silence between friends will bring you closer than a thousand words.
• Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget.
• A good friend is a connection to life- a tie to the past, a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world.
• Friends can hold us together when life becomes difficult.

LOVE and HAPPINESS to ALL MY FRIENDS!!!

Toddlerisms

Bye bye Babyhood, Hello! Toddlerhood!!!

Why do I think Claire is turning into a toddler???

When I say it's bath time; she responds by running to her bathroom saying "bath bath"...which truly sounds like "bat bat"

She is beginning to pick her nose and occasionally picking the nose also means "snack time" GROSS!

When putting on her coat she puts her arms in the sleeves without being told to.

We can say "Claire, will you go get your ball? and she brings us the ball

"Claire, where's your belly?" Lifts her shirt and points to her belly. "Claire, where's your nose?" points to her nose. "Claire, where's your eye?" points to her eye. "Claire, where's your mouth?" and she opens her mouth.

When you take away something she wants she proceeds to throw herself on the floor and cry...I just walk away and let her cry, she comes back around after a couple minutes

She has gotten "in trouble" at school for hitting...yes, hitting; which she thinks is a game. We are trying to break her of this. "In trouble" at school means having to get in her bed and think about what she has done. Her teachers do say Claire is very smart:)

"Claire, do you want to watch your movie?" Moo-v, moo-v and heads off to her chair that she watches movies in.

She is saying new words everyday and you can tell she is really trying to talk to us....milk, moo-v, bath, baby, to name a few.

The ornaments that are on our tree are mostly hallmark/disney ornaments I have collected over the years; the glass ornaments did not make it the tree this year for fear they would never see another Christmas....anyway, since the day we put on the ornaments Claire keeps going up to the same ornament and saying "daddy daddy"...it makes us laugh because the ornament she points out is Gaston from Beauty and the Beast and he is making big muscles, showing off his guns and in the movie he is huge!!!

Funny Girl

The last couple weeks Miss Claire aka "Miss Priss" has been showing her true toddler colors! She makes us laugh so much everyday....its good for the soul and so needed. She never ceases to amaze me with something new. Today is Claire's 14 month birthday and I would swear the terrible two's are taking over my sweet baby. Example: Last night she wanted to play with my cell phone; since the last one was a victim of slobber damage I said "No" she preceded to throw a fit because I would not give her my phone....really, there are 500 toys on the floor why do you want something you can't have!! But as for now that funny things out weight the terrible two episodes.

Funny thing: When she is ready to go outside (which she would live outside if she could) she goes and finds my purse, tries to put it on her shoulder and then goes to the back door and bangs on it...yesterday she got her purse and then started pointing at my purse, walking to the door (see picture above) Too cute!

Funny thing: She was pushing her doll around in the doll stroller, threw the doll on the floor and then tried to get in the stroller which is not at all possible....of course she was mad because she could not get in the stroller.

Funny thing: We went to my dad's last weekend and he had several stuffed animals that sing and dance. He taught Claire how to push the buttons...she was a pro by the time we left. Well, now she looks at all her stuffed animals toes and ears, pushing there ears and toes, some sing and dance, some don't.

Funny thing: Ok, This isn't that funny, just something Claire does...she picks up our shoes (the pair, never just one) and carries them around the house and occasionally is caught licking them, gross!...she also puts all kinds of things in our bath tub...always check before you turn on the water.

Cute thing: We have been teaching Claire "Hot" We have an open wood burning fire place and the outside of our oven gets hot (i hate it), and I am burning a lot of Christmas candles...So Claire now says "Hot"...every time she looks at the oven, fireplace, candles and for some reason every time she says "Hot" she raises her hand! ???

My Favorite Funny thing this weekend: My mom sent Claire the Elf on the Shelf book and elf and for those of you not familiar you need to look into it, it is very cute for kids...anyway, the first thing the child is suppose to do is name the Elf...so, I said, "Claire, what do you want to name your elf?" with no hesitation she responded "Bubba"...we just laughed, so yes, our

Elf is named Bubba!

She laughed and laughed...Skeeter was thinking "SERIOUSLY ya'll are letting her do this to me!"

I think she looks like a little model here!

Taking a break from running

Nick told the dogs to sit and Miss Priss walked over next them and sat...it was too funny!!

Running from the dogs is a favorite

"No, Momma I am not cold"

I am outside and I ran wild!!!

Love this sweet baby....or should I say toddler

Such a big girl :(

Notice no ornaments at the bottom of the tree

"Gabell would you like my passy?"

New Toy= Daddy's duck calls

All smiles! I love you Claire!! Happy 14 Months Old!

My Claire

When the weight of world gets too heavy, I just look at this little girl and the world doesn't seem so heavy after all! My Claire, I love you!

Thankful Day

Christmas time is here and Thanksgiving has passed....I had full intentions of blogging about all the things I am thankful for but time just doesn't seem to be on my side most days. So, here is my "thankful" post........

20 things I am thankful for

1. Claire blowing me kisses on my way to work to this morning, with sound effects:)

2. That I have a wonderful place to work

3. My wonderful husband put up the Christmas tree

4. My daughter is healthy

5. Hearing "Momma" "Momma" in the sweetest little voice

6. Claire going to get books and climbing in my lap to have them read to her

7. A family that supports us no matter where life takes us

8. A relationship with my sisters that only gets stronger with age

9. New ideas and creative outlets...even if they never transpire...a new dream is addictive

10. The walls that make our home

11. The cup of coffee I drink every morning

12. New friendships I cherish, Old friendships that make me smile

13. That my daughter went her entire first year of life without an ear infection

14. Claire grabbing my purse, trying to carry it, while saying and waving "bye bye"

15. The "warmth" in the air at Christmas time and all the Christmas tunes playing

16. Claire has a great school with great teachers

17. Listening to my grandparents tell old stories...what a great generation

18. For safe travels this past weekend

19. Each time I hear a new baby was born with no complications

20. That I have someone to share my life with

Thanksgiving isn't the only day to be THANKFUL.....

HAPPY THANKFUL DAY TO YOU!