One of the best and most kind thing someone has ever done for us was the welcome basket we received when we arrived to Germany. Seriously. That sucker was jam packed full of survival necessities, snacks, a few activities for our kids, local newspapers and things that made our first few days of coping with jetlag and adjusting to life overseas so much easier. Sponsoring incoming airmen and their families is a big thing. Some are great at it and others are well, not so much. Chris and I happen to be pretty darn good (if I do say so myself). Our newest family arrived today, but the groundwork had been laid months before. Chris communicated via email, sharing details about work, some of our experiences and attempted to answer some of their questions. I pretty much took over shortly thereafter, offering my thoughts/suggestions about where to live, what to expect, etc. We put the icing on the welcome cake this weekend when we shopped 'til we dropped to fill their basket. As you can see, it is a bit too much for one basket, but hopefully, warms their hearts as ours were warmed when we arrived. Our Germany family has officially grown by 4 this week and we can't be more excited!
Claire is nine months old. She is such an active kid, always on the go. She no longer lays nicely when we change her diaper. It is quite the challenge. She is getting rather quick at crawling, so we have to move just as quickly to keep her out of where she doesn't belong--the fridge, cupboards, etc. Developmentally, she is right on track or maybe a bit advanced in our biased eyes. She crawls, pulls herself up, is beginning to move from one piece of furniture to another, mostly eats table food, and imitates us (both in the noises we make or actions--knocking on a door). When we hold her hands, she is beginning to take steps without much guidance. On Saturday, she made her first attempt to climb a step. Sadly, it ended with her sliding down. She has three teeth--two on the bottom, one on top with another coming in on top. Ten things we love about her: 1. her smile 2. her curiosity 3. the way she holds our hands or her own hands when she sleeps 4. her easy-goingness 5....

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Love ya, j