A New Word

Tonight, my 1 year and 4 day old baby pathetically cried "Moooommmmyyyy!!!" from her crib a few minutes after I laid her down to go to sleep.  Normally, I'll let her cry a little before I go get her.  Tonight, 3 "Mommys" was all it took.

Me: Andrew, did you just hear "MOMMY"?
Andrew: Yep.
Me: "MommY", not "Mama"?
Andrew: Yep.
Me: ...I'm just gonna rock her for a few minutes and calm her down.

I rocked her until she was just shy of asleep.  Then I came downstairs and reveled in the fact that my baby can say Mommy!!



I don't really believe a baby can be "spoiled" by too much attention, or "too much love" as I call it.  I want her to know that when she calls me, I will come.

Now, if only I could get her to call me by my name when she isn't upset...

We have a 1 year old!!

Height: 30.3 inches (86th percentile)
Weight: 20.2 lbs (38th percentile)
Head circumference: 17.7 inches (49th percentile)
Eye color:  brown
Nicknames: CJ, Claire Bear, Claire-a Beara Boo Boo, Boogies, Boogs, Munchins, Munchies
Clothing size: Mostly 12 mos and 12-18 mos. We use both, and some just fit a little too big.  She also still wears a few 9-12 mos things, but they are too short. She'll sometimes wear the pants as capris under a dress or the dresses as shirts.

Her birthday dress was a size 18 months.  It was a little too big,
but I wanted her to be able to wear it longer while she is still 1!!

Teeth:  6, and 2 more on the way!  She has 4 on the top (which have ALL come in in the last month), 2 on the bottom that she has had for a while, and 2 more on the bottom just now coming in.

Check out those teefers!!!

Eating:  She still likes mommy milk the best, but we're working on adding more things to her menu.  She (consistently) likes bananas, blueberry puffs, mum mums, and bread/croissants.  I just bought Greek yogurt, avocados, peaches, sweet potatoes, Annie's mac&cheese, and clementines for her to try.  We'll see how it goes!  (Update: We tried the yogurt today and she seemed to like it okay.  Go Claire!)
Words: Her favorite word right now is "uh oh".  She will drop things on purpose just so she can say uh oh.  It is adorable.  She has also said Dada, Mama (only when she is reeeaaally upset and tired), and hi.  She can sign "more", "eat", and "all done".  She will also sometimes wave hi and bye.
Favorite things:  PEOPLE - she is always up for smiling at a funny face or giggling for a game of peekaboo, even when she is exhausted.  She also loves blueberry puffs, going for walks in her stroller, the library, Mommy&Daddy, giving hugs, trying to pull Piper's hair, crawling, wind, being rocked, eating all of her toys, and visiting Daddy at work.

Hugs for Grandma at Daddy's softball game!

Dislikes: Going to bed, being by herself, being taken from Mommy, and trying new foods.  She's also not a fan of having "fun toys" (i.e. cell phones, coat hangers, plastic bags, etc) taken away from her.
Sleep:  Bedtime is normally around 6:00 and she sleeps for 12+ hours, usually waking up 1-2 times to eat.  She also usually takes one nap for 2-3 hours, and sometimes lays down again for quiet time in the afternoon (if she woke up earlier than usual or her nap was cut short, or if Mom just needs a break).

Ya know,  just fell asleep while I was trying to escape. No big deal.

Milestones: CJ is a crawling pro.  She also loves to pull up on furniture and "cruise" along it.  She can walk holding one hand, and has even taken a few steps on her own!  She could take off walking any day - we know she has the muscle control at this point, but she's still working on developing her confidence.  She's also constantly babbling, and her babbling is starting to sound more like words!  She really is learning and doing new things every day.

Today Claire got to drive the cool cart at the store!
Being 1 (a big girl!) has its perks.

Exclusive Dining Establishments of Europe

Andrew's parents came to see us for 24 days!  That's almost a whole month!!  While they were here, we were able to visit the ancient sites of Rome, Italy, the peaceful beaches of Barcelona, Spain, and the bustling attractions of Paris, France!!  I will be writing posts about each of those places (with pictures!), but this post is about some of the places CJ got to eat along our journey, which is something I am likely to forget if I don't write it down soon (since there are no pictures...).

Since we're still breastfeeding, CJ got to dine at some of the coolest sites in the world...FOR FREE!  If the thought of breastfeeding in public is weird to you, just move along.  This is something I think is worth remembering, and this is my blog!  K thanks.

Exclusive Baby-Only Dining:

- inside the Roman Colosseum
- St. Peter's Basilica (bonus: Vatican City)

- Prison of St. Peter

- Sagrada Familia (Barcelona)

- on a Spanish beach...sand included

- inside the Louvre Museum
- inside Marie Antoinette's Estate, Palace of Versailles

- Arc de Triomphe (bonus: Champs-Elysees)

- Eiffel Tower

She also ate on a lot of public metros and trains, since that was pretty much the easiest place to feed her if there happened to be an open seat.  I will miss the convenience of having ready-made, healthy food for her at my disposal at all times.

25000 Miles

Our car hit 25,000 miles!!!  This is the first car I have ever had NEW, so it is really cool to think that every single one of those 25,000 miles is ours!

In 25,000 miles (less than 2 years, in case you were wondering), our car has been...

  ...on two continents: Europe and North America
  ...across the Atlantic Ocean
  ...in 5 different countries: Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United States
  ...in 5 states:  Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia

Pretty cool, huh?