I was reminiscing today with J about what we were doing a year ago at this time. It was a few days before my due date, I was trying to come up with things (anything) to keep my mind off of how big and uncomfortable I was, it was really hot and we were getting fed up with waiting for the baby. And we still had two weeks before Clare actually came into the world. I’m so glad to be on this side of it!
At that time I had no idea what things would be like now. I remember telling someone that I could only handle things in ‘infant clothing size’ bites. I was washing and putting away the newborn clothes and I could handle thinking about a newborn. I had bought a few 3 month size onesies because I could handle thinking about having a 3 month old. But I didn’t wash or even think about anything beyond that size because it was to much to deal with. Now I’ve put away all of those clothes and am wrapping my head around shopping in the ‘toddler department’ for Clare and buying kid toys instead of baby toys.
This little toddler is quickly overtaking baby Clare. Toddler Clare pulls up on everything and is getting pretty darn good at cruising and standing on her own. She’s taken to the walking (or trying to walk) pretty well and is fairly steady considering she’s only been pulling up on things for a couple of weeks.
Clare’s vocabulary is expanding and she’s starting to use words at their appropriate times to convey things. We were at a restaurant last weekend and she reached over to the table next to us (very close to ours), tapped the man sitting there on the shoulder and said “Hi!” She also says “Hi” in the mirror and when she greets someone. Today she pointed to someone walking behind us and said “Bay-Bee.” The man was holding a baby, she was right! She’s also saying “dak-u” in the same singsong voice that we often say “thank you” when she gives us things. She hasn’t quite figured that one out yet – we say thank you when she gives us things, not her, but she’ll get there.
It’s finally, FINALLY, turned into summer in Portland after a long, wet and cold spring. Here is some photographic evidence that it did indeed warm up and the sun actually came out. The first pictures are from a Sunday Parkways in Peninsula Park Rose Garden. the last one is our first grilled meal on our little deck this year. We were so excited that we took a picture!
