6.27.2012

11 Months

Our dear Claire Bear is days
away from entering her 12th month.
This is actually too much for me to handle.
Very soon we will be having her first birthday party.
This little baby isn't so little anymore!

Claire - our little ball of energy.
Her personality has always been larger than life,
and as she grows her personality grows too. 
She is {almost} always smiling. 

Everyone we pass by gets a big crooked grin.
Her little chin jutting to the right just a little.
Almost every time she stops traffic,
each passerby paying her some compliment.
It makes both our hearts swell. 
Her smile is infectious.
And if someone doesn't stop to say something,
she looks up at me as if to say
"Mom, don't they see how cute I am?"
Oh boy....


She still loves the water.
We finished 9 weeks of swimming lessons 
a few months back and she was by far the most enthusiastic student. 
The pool has opened in our complex and we've already had some really fun pool days. 
She also loves to be outside. A true Smid-Heinemann combination.
Much to my dismay, she's not a big shopper.
Her dad is also happy that she is not a big fan of cats.
She has a few dogs in her life and she will warm up to them after a while.
She loves the swing too.



She still does "He shoots, he scores!"
And now has a few more tricks to add to the list-
waving hi or bye, hugs with back pats,
clapping and we are working on blowing kisses.
She gets it once in a while but has perfected her pucker sound!
She plays Peek-A-Boo like a champ,
and dances, sometimes even keep a good rhythm. 
Too cute.


Claire is at an age now where she will sit and play on her own.
This has freed up some of my time (and hands.)
However, she is past the stage where she can only sit.
This girl is on the move!
She has a funny scoot/crawl that makes her look like a little orangutan. 
She is also walking with her walker,
and zooming along the furniture. 
She has stood up on her own for a moment,
and taken one or two steps unassisted.
I feel like it will be another month or two before she is walking.
She is SUCH a mover and some days I am beat from trying to juggle her.


Claire is a talker
(I don't know where she gets that from!)
She babbles non stop and has the funniest expressions 
and hand actions that go along.
She has a few words -
hi and Dada most commonly.
She has said nana (for banana, and once for Nana),
Mama and no once in a while.

She is still a great eater,
eating everything in sight.
She is disinterested in baby food if there is solid food available.
Right now she is loving blueberries,
Goldfish, Cheerios and chicken.
She must have an amazing metabolism.
No concern of hypothyroidism here! 
(Praise the Lord.)

Now I love my little girl,
but you have to know her to fully understand what I am about to say.
She is a full blown drama queen.
People used to tell Spencer and I before she was born
that because he and I are so laid back,
our baby would be too.
Its not that she's not laid back,
she just has an idea of how things should happen.
She will throw her head back and give a cry,
she bites while nursing and laughs,
when she is doing something or has something 
she knows she shouldn't she will shake her head no
and wave her arms in the air.
She has started to be defiant,
which was so shocking to me.
I thought that defiant behaviour came out around 18 months.
Most recently she stuck a block in her mouth
that was a dangerous size,
Spencer told her no, not to put it in her mouth.
She took it out and threw another block at him.
It was so defiant!
Well Spencer had two people to discipline 
because I was trying not to laugh but just couldn't stop myself.
This happened once more.
Discipline is so hard,
so hard to follow through.

Her doctor's appointments have all gone so well.
Right from the get go her doctor 
(who is a wonderful man) has been so pleased with her development,
and so have we. 
She is quite advanced in her abilities
(hey, I think I have SOME bragging rights don't I?)
and is always so impressed with her.
She has always hovered between 35-48% for her height and weight.
It dropped a little as she starting moving.

At the beginning of the month
we did a cake smash with a Portland photographer.
I made a really fun rainbow cake,
and Claire got to smash it to bits.
It was so fun.

Please pray for Spencer and I 
as we enter the world of toddlerhood,
discipline and having a strong-willed child.
Pray for patience for us,
creativity, and enjoying these precious moments.

2 comments:

  1. I love this whole post.
    The girl
    The Mama
    That cake
    everything!

    ReplyDelete
  2. what a wonderful post. you are an amazing mama and you have a very special little girl! She is so beautiful! I miss her (and you!!) everyday!!! xoxo

    ReplyDelete

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