Constant Beginnings

        Claire is becoming quite the helper. Today she discovered the vacuum. I would like nothing more than for her to help clean. I can remember our niece, Olivia, keeping herself occupied for long periods of time, cleaning the house with her wipes. It was adorable! Claire may be on that same path. Chris and I vacuumed, Claire joined in. Chris and I did laundry, Claire lended a hand. I was cooking, Claire cooked too. Well....sort of. If you look close enough, you can see what she was cooking. Mmmmhmmmmm. That's what I'm talking about. It has been a long time since I have posted a nasty picture, so I thought it was time. In fact, it has been quite awhile since we've had a diaper or disaster of this magnitude in our house--thankfully. I suppose we were due. So, back to the story. In the middle of my chopping vegetables, I was smelling something rotten. I checked the veges, but all were well. I sniffed again and then looked down. There was Claire, spatula in hand, ben...

        After waiting until Claire was 6 months old to introduce babyfood, we have been progressing on the food front. Claire is eating finger foods now and trying to master feeding herself. Some things are easier than others. We fed her cheese for the first time last night and this was a tough one. The cheese stuck to the tray and to her fingers, so she began trying a two handed approach. It was rather cute watching her facial expressions and strategies to make that food go in her mouth. So far she has eaten cheese, tatertots, BBQ meat, bananas, Gerber puffs, tatertot hotdish, and rice. We often feed her before we eat dinner, but she ends up seeing our food and wanting that too. It is hard to believe with an appetite like she has, that she is only 17 pounds.

You wanted it, you asked for it, so here it is. A post. Hopefully this post will satisfy all your desires. I am not writing about the apple of my eye, Claire, but of the other apple of my eye--reality tv. I love it! Right now I am getting my fill of Big Brother. I have even lured Chris into my dark place. He mostly watched last season because Dick was such a jerk, but Chris is hooked. He's a dedicated viewer once again this season. Sadly, he was a fan of Matty who was kicked off a few weeks ago. I don't think I have a favorite. I find them all to be so obnoxious, yet I watch. Go figure. I obviously need some more excitement in my life. Girls who wear butt showing shorts, screaming matches, verbal abuse, crazy eyes, back stabbing, boys running around in their colored tighty whiteys (if tighty whiteys are colored, are they still called tighty whiteys?)---all in one episode! It is a gold mine. My second can't miss show is Housewives of Orange County or New York City. I really ...

All day yesterday, Claire was saying "ba." "Ba" was her "word" for everything, especially when it came to Chris. I began teasing him that she thought his name was "ba." It became our little joke. Later in the afternoon, she was standing beside the loveseat next to me when Chris made a funny face and she laughed. She began saying "ba" several times and the joke continued. I said something like "Ba is so funny. Isn't he funny?," then moments later, "say Dad." The next thing we knew, she said "dad." It was crazy!! She said it so clearly, articulating each "d." This was the first time her syllable was a C-V-C format vs. the traditional babbling structure of C-V-C-V. Given all I know about language development and the requirements to be labeled a "true word," this seems to fit. It was a commonly understood word, meaningful and situationally appropriate. However, she has not said it since.

        Claire has been working on developing her skills. She doesn't mess with things like walking, talking or feeding herself. Instead, she strives for those skills not typically seen. The first skill attempted--fitting her entire paci in her mouth. We aren't talking the silicon part, but instead, the entire paci. I am pleased and rather proud to say that she fully acquired this skill when we were in Las Vegas, but failed to get it on film. Today was our day. It went in little by little and actually ended with a smile. She is one funny & talented kiddo. Everyday it's something new. Since she's mastered the paci, we'll be moving to training with the bottle.

        Growing up, my Dad always used the phrase "Shaggy D-A" to refer to our unkept hair. The phrase seems fitting for this post. Our poor dog has been deprived, probably both of attention and hygeine. He hadn't gotten a haircut since September. It seemed kind of cruel shaving off his warm coat in the chill of winter, so we kept putting it off. It finally got to the point of necessity. Harvest was shedding hair all over our rugs, so it was time. Today was his day of pampering. We tried a new grooming place, which ended up to be the greatest deal yet. Typically we pay around $80 for each cut, simply because he gets a special bath, and the upgraded package. Today he got the same treatment for only $35! She usually charges $45, but because this was his first time, she gave us $10 off. It was awesome. We are certainly going back and we won't wait until the point of no return again. Isn't he handsome?

We have some new blog readers (yay!!!) who are thinking I am crazy (stupid??) posting everything and anything, so I feel the need to clarify the purpose of our blog and the numerous entries. My family, whom I am very close to, lives across the country. We talk each and every day (3 sisters + my Mom/Dad = a lot of minutes), but the phone calls still do not fill the void of not seeing them in person. We've been fortunate to see them every 2 months or so, but because we were roomates or saw each other nearly everyday in years past, phone calls just don't compare. To top it off, we have a baby with whom they want to develop a close relationship. Do you get it?? We're tight. Consequently, this blog is a family journal of sorts that they can look at whenever they want to see what we are up to. Yes, I post some dumb stuff, but everything we do is interesting to them. Even Chris and I love to look back to previous entries and review the events in our lives or the changes in Claire....