Claire's New Playmate ~ Vivian

Last week we welcomed Claire's new cousin, Vivian, into the world. She is so adorable and we are so happy that Mommy and baby Vivian are doing well. I can't believe how fast they grow; Claire looks like a giant next to her cousin. :)

A few days ago, I got to spend all afternoon photographing little Vivian for her newborn photos and she was such a good girl. It was a little strange when Liv left for a couple of hours and I was taking care of a newborn baby and Claire. A look into the future I guess. Props to all you Mom's out there with more than one child. It really is a juggling act.

I am so glad Claire has cousins so close in age. They are going to have so much fun together. Claire, Vivian, and their other cousin Emma, are probably going to chase Soren (Claire's oldest and only boy cousin in Utah) around the house trying to paint his fingernails or put his hair in a pony tail. I can't wait!

Remembering Father's Day

We have had so much going on lately and I feel terrible for not posting anything about Erik's first Father's Day. I've waited a long time to celebrate this holiday with Erik and it was definitely worth it.

Erik is such an amazing father to Claire and I want him to know how much I appreciate all he does for her and our family. I guess for the 7 years we were married before Claire was born he was preparing himself to be the best Daddy around. Well, it worked!

It is so cute to watch him interact with his baby girl and I know she loves him so much. We love you Honey!

"A daughter may outgrow your lap, but she will never outgrow your heart." ~ Unknown

Since When?

Since when did an afternoon at the pool turn into such an ordeal? It used to entail putting my swimsuit on, grabbing my beach bag and 10 minutes later I would be lounging peacefully on my towel where I would people watch for the next 2-3 hours. Now that a child is in the picture, before we even get to the pool, I am exhausted. We have to lather a wiggly pretoddler with sunscreen, put on her swim diaper, put on her second swim diaper (annoying new law), squeeze her into her adorable animal print swim suit, pack pool toys to keep her occupied, towels, more sunscreen, and snacks. Then, once we are there we have to lay everything out, get in the pool, get out 15 minutes later for an "hourly pool check", feed her snacks, clean up her food, and put more sunscreen on. The entire time you're on your toes. It's as if Claire is saying "chase me Mommy" and "no sleeping Daddy". 
  

 



After another 45 minutes in the pool it is time to leave. What? After all that?  Now you need to gather everything up, drive home, give Claire a bath, hang up all our wet clothes, and put Claire down for her nap. And that's with only one child! So much for a relaxing day at the pool.

Even though it requires so much planning and packing, it is still SO MUCH FUN and I get excited to go back every week. I think Claire does too.

First Encounter

Claire visited the Living Planet Aquarium over Memorial Day last month for the very first time. I had all sorts of activities planned to do over the holiday weekend but since we had torrential rain storms, they all got cancelled. The only indoor place I (as well as everyone else that lives nearby) could think of was the aquarium. It was really busy, but people were very generous to move out of the way so Claire's little eyes could see the animals.

Her favorite part of the day was touching the sting ray. I was anxious for her to touch them but was not anticipating their bodies coming half way out of the tank each time they would swim by. I've never seen them do that before. Their skin was so slimy, but obviously Claire didn't mind. She loves touching animals and sticking her hands in water is even more fun.

Along with the adorable penguins, my favorite were the jelly fish. Erik and I often talk about how some day we would like a giant tank filled with jelly fish (like in the movie "Seven Pounds"). They are so interesting to watch!

I am so excited for the new Aquarium to open in a few years. I bet it will be amazing!

Claire Bear - 11 Months

Our little bear is already 11 months old. I swear it was just yesterday that I gave birth to her and in just a couple more weeks, she's going to be 1 year old! Wow! She has turned into an adorable pre-toddler and is extremely active. If you lay on the floor, she'll amuse herself by climbing over you for as long as you let her. I am so excited for this new stage of her life. We can finally go places and do activities together instead of lay around all day like most newborns. This summer is sure to be full of fun events. Lately Claire has been:

• waving "hi" and "bye" when prompted; it is one of my favorite things
• enjoying hitting objects against her head; I guess she likes the sound it makes
• hanging out with her cousin, Emma, at Farmor's house
• dreading getting her ears cleaned after bath time
• saying "mmmm" when asked if she wants to eat and also before/after she takes a bite
• hanging out with her favorite buddy, Carson, every time we meet up for dinner

• eating anything and everything she can get her hands on including Khloe's dog food; I really hope she doesn't turn into a picky eater like her Mommy and Daddy
• becoming a little wiggle worm when getting her diaper changed
• climbing up the stairs, clapping when she gets to the top, and trying to dive head first when she wants to go down

• sleeping like a champ; as usual

• cruising around anything she can hold onto

• intrigued by opening up the kitchen cupboards and gets very upset when I hold them closed

 

"What? I didn't do anything."

• going through the "clingy" phase; we continue to give her to other people but she still prefers Mommy and Daddy
• getting very excited and laughing when you chase her
• saying "nigh nigh" when asked if she wants to go "night night"; so adorable!
• throwing her food to show me that she's finished
• learning animal sounds; she obviously doesn't say any herself but she always smiles when I say them to her
• becoming a little reader or should I say listener; she's already checked books out at the library and has began their Summer Reading Program
• getting more teeth; she hasn't let me check recently, but as of a couple of weeks ago she had 8

Below is her 11 month bear picture. To view the others, click here or go to the "Bear Pictures" tab at the top of the page.

Love you so much little Claire Bear! You're almost 1!