So I’m calling it – Clare, at 9.5 months, is now saying her first word. It’s not Mama, or Dada, it’s “Hi.” Often done with a wave, sort of like a shriek, but it’s happening with enough regularity that I’m comfortable saying it’s her first word. I’m pretty sure she’s also saying “Da” for Daddy and maybe even “book” but we’ll see if it continues.
These pictures below are part of the “Clare and Prowler” series. Prowler is really good with Clare. He comes up to her looking for petting, and she pets him at first and then often will grab him and even throw him on the ground. He is great about just moving out of the way, and even coming back again. She LOVES him and will usually giggle whenever she sees him.
As you can see from this picture above, he’s pretty good at moving quickly to avoid her reach.
Clare continues to be a book lover. Her new favorite toys are books and she will push other toys out of the way to turn the pages of a book. We have several little cardboard books of various sizes that she can turn the pages of and throw without damaging them. I’ve even noticed her ‘talking’ quietly as she turns the pages – imitating what it sounds like when we read to her.
The picture above is of one of my favorite times of the day – the bath and bedtime ritual. We usually give Clare a bath (which she loves) and then wrap her up in the towel and smile in the mirror on our way to her room. We sing “Sweet Baby James” (except we change James to Clare) while we rub lotion on her and put on her night diaper and PJs. Then she gets her soft yellow blanky (which she usually greets with a little hoot and then she snuggles with it) and she settles in to nurse in the rocking chair. We finish with a short book while she cuddles in my lap and then it’s into the crib. She’s getting so that she really enjoys this time of the day. She knows what to expect and seems to look forward to each step in the bedtime ritual. I love any excuse to cuddle with my little girl.
What you can’t tell from these happy pictures is that we had a rough weekend around here. Clare’s top two teeth are causing her fits on their way in (and those little suckers still haven’t broken through yet!). We’ve had a lot of scenes like the one below where she’s chewing on everything in sight and is generally cranky. She has NO patience when she’s not feeling well and every little frustration sends her into a screaming fit. Fortunately the storms seems to have passed and our sweet girl has returned.
As you can see from this picture above, he’s pretty good at moving quickly to avoid her reach.
Clare continues to be a book lover. Her new favorite toys are books and she will push other toys out of the way to turn the pages of a book. We have several little cardboard books of various sizes that she can turn the pages of and throw without damaging them. I’ve even noticed her ‘talking’ quietly as she turns the pages – imitating what it sounds like when we read to her.
The picture above is of one of my favorite times of the day – the bath and bedtime ritual. We usually give Clare a bath (which she loves) and then wrap her up in the towel and smile in the mirror on our way to her room. We sing “Sweet Baby James” (except we change James to Clare) while we rub lotion on her and put on her night diaper and PJs. Then she gets her soft yellow blanky (which she usually greets with a little hoot and then she snuggles with it) and she settles in to nurse in the rocking chair. We finish with a short book while she cuddles in my lap and then it’s into the crib. She’s getting so that she really enjoys this time of the day. She knows what to expect and seems to look forward to each step in the bedtime ritual. I love any excuse to cuddle with my little girl.
What you can’t tell from these happy pictures is that we had a rough weekend around here. Clare’s top two teeth are causing her fits on their way in (and those little suckers still haven’t broken through yet!). We’ve had a lot of scenes like the one below where she’s chewing on everything in sight and is generally cranky. She has NO patience when she’s not feeling well and every little frustration sends her into a screaming fit. Fortunately the storms seems to have passed and our sweet girl has returned.