Are You There, Claire? It’s Me, Mom.

Claire, it’s your mom.  You know – the person who feeds you five bottles a day, pre-mushes your bananas before inserting them into your mouth, lets you rake your spitty hand across my face and thinks you’re the ideal baby even when you’re grumpy.  You are now nine months old, and I know what is coming – the big 0-1.  And one-year-old is truly the beginning of the end, the beginning of the end your babydom.  At one-year, you will start the slow slide out of babydom, and by two, all I will have left is maybe some slightly fat, baby cheeks.  I have asked you before, and I will ask you again – can’t you put the brakes on?  To me, you are perfection.  I know I endlessly wax poetic about the chubbiness of your legs.  You’re probably embarrassed.  But to me, those chubby stems (or are they trunks?) are so exactly symbolic of your guileless, squishy, content baby-ness.  At some point, I will resign myself to fate and move into acceptance that you can’t be a baby forever.  Until that day, I will continue to revel in sweet, baby YOU (and probably smell your head in an attempt to memorialize your baby smell a creepy amount of times)!

Claire, at nine months you are

• Crawling at a rapid pace and exploring every nook and cranny of our house, including behind the toilet (don’t worry I removed you), in the pantry, on the dog-beds, and under the coffee table;
• Playing side-by-side with your big sister, which is very gratifying for this mama to see;
• Weighing in at a slim 19.5 pounds;
• Saying “mamamama,” “dadadada,” and “bububu” for “bye-bye”;
• Waving (inexplicably cute), clapping (be still my heart), and bopping Avery on the head (not appreciated by AJS);
• Pulling up to stand on every surface within reach;
• Playing games of peekaboo with your dad;
• Crawling over to any blanket left on the ground for a spontaneous cuddle; and
• Starting to eat table food with slight skepticism.

Claire, you are a joy, and we thank God for you.

From Me to Me.

You may be puzzled by the title of this post.  One reason I blog is because all of our family and many of our friends do not live in the same city as we do.  So the blog is a convenient way to watch our children grow from afar.  Another reason is that I am a terrible scrapbooker.  Avery’s baby book is a dismal, and Claire does not have a baby book.  So the blog is a way for me to look back and remember all the details that quickly fade.  Thus the name of the post.  Not to make you feel excluded, but I feel compelled to jot down a few random notes from my day every now and again – not to commemorate anything noteworthy – but just because I want to remember those sweet and abundant little moments that occur so frequently that they are impossible to remember.  I think everyone is up to speed now. 

Today I want to remember . . .

• The way Claire’s chubby legs were shown off to maximum advantage as she wore her first dress this spring,
• Avery softly singing along to “Hakuna Matata” in the backseat of the car,
• Avery insisting on wearing my turquoise nightgown with white polka dots to go to the Whataburger drive-thru (yes, mother of the year for that one, I know),
• The slap, slap, slap of small hands crawling across the kitchen floor,
• Claire calling “ma ma ma ma ma” from her crib when she woke up from her nap, and
• Avery telling me that she “loves me more than anyone.”

Are you asleep from boredom?  I warned you – this post more for me than you.  Just to show you that I am not totally self-involved, here’s a picture of the aforementioned chubby legs.  They are glorious, aren’t they?

Weekend Highlights.

We had a fun-filled weekend, including a visit from Avery and Claire’s grandparents and the birthday of one of Avery’s besties.  Needless to say, Avery was flying high.  There were hugs to be had, candy to eat, new toys to explore, candles to be blown out, and bouncies to be jumped in.  Here are a few pictures from a lovely weekend.

Springing Ahead of Ourselves.

With temperatures well above seventy degrees everyday last week, we might have gotten a little ahead of ourselves.  I was mentally packing up all my sweaters.  But, alas, this week, the sun has vanished behind some much-needed rain clouds, and we’re back in jackets and boots.  Ah well, we will adjust because we know that all the springtime fun that is just around the corner.  We have already managed to squeeze in more than our fair share of outdoor activities.  See below for our homage to spring. 

 

 

Happy Monday.

Happy Monday, friends.  The start of another new week, and we’re pretty happy about it around here.

On The Catwalk.

Here’s some of the latest spring fashion.  Straight from our sidewalk to yours.  This is what happens when Avery selects her own wardrobe.

Padre Island T-shirt.  Target “Princess” Skirt (as dubbed by AJS).

Easily accessorized with purple mardi gras beads.

The Grandest of Weekends.

We spent this past weekend being spoiled by my parents.  You probably think that grandparents only spoil the grandchildren, but when my parents come to town, we all feel pampered.  Laughter, lovely meals, help with the kids, all the book-reading Avery can handle, shopping, playing and togetherness.  I feel like we give our kids their fair share of attention, but watching my parents with the girls, I realize that they fulfill something in my children that is so necessary and special.  I can’t describe it.  But naturally I will try.  I am a lawyer after all.  When Avery is with my mom and dad, she is lit up on the inside.  She is the happiest version of herself.  Now if she was only the most well-behaved version of herself.  Even tiny Claire seems to realize that her grandparents exist to cuddle, coo, and coddle her.  She started putting on the Claire show within moments of their arrival.  Such a perfect weekend.  I wish my kids (and me) could have them everyday. 

Here are a few pictures.  I am terrible at taking pictures when we’re with my parents.  I get so caught up in enjoying myself that I totally forget.  Apologies that I didn’t get any with Avery.  I only took my camera out for a brief moment at lunch because it was so cute to watch Claire devour my mom’s necklace and to see her tucked so neatly in between them.

 

 

 

We Need A Little Spring.

Thanks to day light’s savings time, it was as bright as day tonight when I was putting Claire to bed.  As I was patting and walking and rocking and soothing, I looked out at the trees in our backyard and noticed with surprise that they’re covered with green buds.  As much as I have been looking forward to spring, I feel like it is sneaking up on me.  Seeing those tree buds sparked a slideshow of memories from springs and summers past to start playing in my mind – images of Baby Avery in pastel dresses at the park, of her baby legs in a swimsuit for the first time, of a tiny tongue licking dripping snowcones last summer, of her giddy smile as she swings in her swing on our back porch, and of warm evening walks in her stroller. 

As we teeter on the brink of spring, I can barely contain my excitement.  Although there are things I like about winter, it’s not my season.  I’m much more sandals than sweaters, sunshine than snow, and swinging than sledding.  Winter feels like the intermission of my life – I’m merely biding my time until I can throw open the door and step back outside.  And, of course, this year we have another daughter, and this spring will bring with it all of her “firsts.”   I am looking forward to pint-sized, bare feet slapping the sidewalk; mornings spent meandering around the zoo; multiple trips to the park in one day just because we can; chubby legs and arms in baby swimsuits; lots of lunches eaten on blankets spread on the grass; evenings spent puttering around the yard; babies in bonnets; and dinners on our patio.  I see you spring, and I can hardly wait!

Addendum.

You may recall a past post about Avery’s Valentine’s party.  Thanks to a friend who has better camera skills than I do, I have a few more pictures from the party.  Although I already gave you most of the pertinent details, I must share these pictures, too, because it is so cute to see the girls all decked out in their Valentine’s accessories. 

Just a few subtle touches really complete an outfit.

The only thing better than dressing up is dressing up with friends.

And maybe a little dancing, too.

 

Chandlers Unite!

This weekend, Claire Chandler’s namesake, who coincidentally is my sister, came for a visit.  It was such a beautiful and perfect weekend.  Lots of chatting, eating, laughing and playing with kids.  I don’t know about my sister, but, for me, this weekend was like a spring cleaning for my spirit.  Nothing compares to uninterrupted time with someone that knows and loves you best.  Avery was a bit stalkerish, requiring my sister’s absolute attention and presence at all time.  Claire was totally enamoured and engaged in lots of cooing, eye-batting, gurgling and general baby flirtation tactics.

Here are a few highlights.