Land of Enchantment II

Gracie was a top-rate first cousin. She played with Claire often, tolerating her younger cousin's rude yet innocent toy takeaways. Claire crawled all over the floor trying to keep up with her.





Gracie also fed Claire.



She even helped grind up Claire's munchies.



The two of them got in a certain open-mouthed rhythm that everyone envied. Especially dad.





So, dad got into the act.



Claire and Gracie sure had a good time together. We hope they see each other again soon.

Land of Enchantment I

Our weeklong vacation to nana and papa's in New Mexico was a stunning success.

Claire met her first cousins for the first time, including 1.5-month-old Hailey.



Claire really tried hard to keep up with her cousin Gracie, who's 4 going on 5. She watched her older cousin's every move and emulated her when she could.



Claire loved crawling on nana's carpeted house. She challenged herself by crawling over and through anything she could. Luckily, nana and papa had bought a nifty tunnel set that Claire loved.





Gracie sure was a lovin' cousin'.



It's getting to be quite a family. We surived the week together well enough that, in the end, we all agreed to stand together for a picture.



More to come....

So Big!

Claire's nine-month checkup revealed one healthy kid. She weighed 18 pounds, 11 ounces (50th percentile) and stood 29 inches tall (85th percentile).

Going for a dip

Sunday we'll take Claire for another dip at a local children's swim club. Here's what our visit looked like last week.



Nothing like putting your life in the hands of a father with an exaggerated farmer's tan.

This was her fourth lesson. Yes that water you see--which appears green in photos under fluorescent light--is drenched with chlorine. You might imagine why. Those swim diapers don't keep everything in, particularly the wet stuff.



She's pretty comfortable in the water floating on her back and on her tummy, even if the next picture seems to undermine that statement.



She protested during a lesson a while back when Sarah and the teacher dipped her head underwater. She broke into tears two out of four dips. Last week, we took it a little easier. We still dipped her, but we only let her face stay under water for a second or so. Still, she tolerated five dips with only one whimper and a little cough. This week, we're practicing our cues as we bathe her. We say, ''Ready, Set, Go" and then blow on her face to get her to suck in some air and hold her breath as we pour water over her head. She takes it better when we regail her with praise.

Illi-noises

Granny did a lot of holding and feeding. She took advantage of every moment she could get with this girl, even when her granddaughter was asleep. Granny successfully taught her how to identify a nose on verbal cue.


Temperatures were hot; the air muggy. Claire reportedly got a heat rash. Early morning was about the only time to expose Claire to the great Midwestern outdoors.


Mom and daughter didn't sleep terribly well in the heat and the unfamiliarity of their surroundings. It was a tiring trip, to some extent, especially after their flight got delayed nearly three hours and they arrived home at 2:30 a.m. But who could blame this face for any of that?


Dad didn't get to go along on this trip. Although I missed her, there was a distinct advantage to not being there, as I learned when she returned the first morning she woke in her crib. I couldn't believe how much she had changed in one week. Her hair had grown. Her face had lengthened slightly. Her sounds had changed; she had much more inflection in her voice. She now carries little conversations with herself, running commentaries on whatever she sees that fascinates her -- flowers, a new toy, dad's gray hair. Our babysitter made similar observations. It was as if she'd turned from a baby into a little person.

Illi-noise

At last, some pictures from the surprise trip to Granny and Granddad's.

Claire had a great affinity for the dog. She often pulled herself up on the outside of the dog's crate so the dog could lick her fingers. She tries to get me to do the same thing, now. Only I'm not in a crate. Not yet, at least.




Claire found her granddad's head and shoulders to be a very stable place to sit.



Everyone got into the act of feeding, including Great Grandma.


Claire climbed her first set of stairs and did some furniture surfing, I'm told.



Nothing like sucking on a home-grown cucumber.



More to come....