Catch Up

Many milestones have passed as Claire comes upon 10 months! She has begun mastering the art of crawling. In fact, she only started this week, a late bloomer, which is fine by me since I have only just begun baby-proofing the house. Claire's teeth have been coming in great! She cut her first two teeth in January and is working on all four top teeth at the moment. She has cut her lateral incisors first and now the central incisors are finally making their way through her tender little gums. It was funny for a week or two as we waited for the middle teeth to make their presence known because she looked like a little smiling vampire whenever we coaxed another gummy grin from our sweetheart. More and more, Claire is looking like a little person and not the fragile little bundle we brought home from the hospital all those many months ago. Time certainly is fleeting.


We survived our first plane ride to Arizona for a week long getaway in Phoenix. The timing was convenient for all in our family, as our Girls' Getaway fell within Daddy's final exam period. I'm sure he appreciated the lack of distractions! Claire was a little trooper and did not seem to be bothered by the goings on or the pressure changes, perhaps she takes after her mom just a little bit *wink*. She enjoyed splashing around in the beautiful outdoor pool and spending quality time with Nana. We have since made an addition to our "backyard" or glorified slab of cement by purchasing Claire's first blowup pool in hopes of spending lots of wonderful hot summer days enjoying the outdoors. Our first trial run was a success, with Claire's cousin joining her for a summer's day splash in the new pool. Although spring has definitely taken it's sweet time in arriving this year.


Mommy has joined a soccer team for the summer and had a great time at her first game. Not only is it fun but a great way to get back in shape. She has also begun working on her backyard oasis.... or as close to an oasis that you can get with a cement back yard, however, is still looking forwards to a little blast of color and some fresh tomatoes to brighten our day.


Daddy has started his work this month for Liberty Security and we are enjoying the increase in time we are able to spend together. What a contrast to those endless days spent landscaping in summers past. With Claire gaining mobility and independence, it certainly is a blessing that he is able to spend more time playing and interacting with our little miracle. We are looking forward to the first summer of our little family of three and all the adventures that come with a baby and family on the move.

Claire's First Christmas

When the snow finally fell leaving a white blanket on the ground and the smell of baking began to fill the air, one cannot help but get excited as the Christmas season has finally arrived! This Christmas was going to be a special one in particular as our daughter Claire was going to spend her first Christmas with us. As Christmas approached we spent Christmas eve with the Day's and had a wonderful time singing carols and playing games together as a family. But the party was hardly over. On Christmas morning we pulled ourselves out of bed, which was so much easier as an excited youngster on Christmas morning, and made our way to the Black's. Once there we made our way to the Christmas tree surrounded by presents while we were warmed by the fire. We made sure to take many pictures of our cutie in front of the tree before opening all of the presents. Claire got her very own Jolly Jumper, which she loves, and many wonderful things. It was wonderful to be surrounded by family and friends during this time of year when we can reflect on the things that mean the most to us. I look forward to a "fresh start" as the new year approaches. Jacob will begin his winter semester in the new year while I begin a few new projects. Next year looks like its going to be just as exciting as this one!

Halloween

Well, we enjoyed our very first Halloween as a family of three! Last years Halloween wasn't particularly memorable probably due to the fact that we used to live in an apartment and bought candy for zero Trick or Treaters. But this year we carved our pumpkins, ate a Day traditional meal of beans and dressed Claire up in her first Halloween costume. Nanna Black's pumpkin costume was a hit and I could not stop giving our little Claire tonnes of hugs and kisses just because she looked so cute! We managed to pull in about 60 kids while staving off some of the rowdy pumpkin smashing teens! All in all Claire's first Halloween was a lot of fun and I look forward to the years to come when we can take her Trick or Treating!

Camera

When Jacob and I were just newly married we created a "bucket list" of sorts, it was a lot of fun and we ended off with a list of 100 things that we wanted to do before we bite the dust. One point on our list was to visit a local corn maze which we were able to do a few weekends ago. It was a lot of fun to spend the afternoon wondering through a huge field of corn!
After our visit I dropped off a dinner for a church couple who had just had a baby boy. As I was at their apartment building fumbling for my phone, I had forgotten their apartment number, I must have taken my camera out and left it on the floor. Only twenty minutes had gone by before I realized my mistake but my camera was already gone! I had lost it! The only good thing was that most of our pictures had been uploaded but many of our daughter were lost.
But this story has a happy ending. My faith in humanity restored, some good Samaritan picked up my camera and responded to my lost signs. He returned my camera and refused my reward!
I am pleased to discover that there are still some really great people out there and that one of them found my camera before others with not so honorable intentions could!

On another note, Claire continues to grow so quickly before my very eyes. We were excited to welcome a new cousin Andrew Cephas Day who was close to Claire in weight (7 lbs 14 Oz) and size but upon comparison have discovered that our little Claire bear is growing into such a "big girl!".

First Time Blogger

Well, I have finally "broken down" and decided to start a blog. Finally making us official bloggers. Much has happened over the past year and I have finally decided to start documenting it for the enjoyment of friends and family.

Beginning with the arrival of our precious little girl, Claire Judith. Born the 31st of July weighing 8 lbs even, her birth marks the beginning of a new chapter in our lives. She is so dear and has already found a place in our hearts.
I love watching her sleep! Having her tiny body curled up on your chest while listening to her breathe is one of my favorite things at the moment. Enjoying each finger and toe, making sure not to miss a moment.

Jacob and I are also celebrating our first anniversary on the 31st of August! Another momentous occasion in only a month. This year has been a big one and the next is also showing promise of being another big year for our family. Now that our family of two has grown to a family of three!

With Jacob beginning school and my being at home with Claire these should be some interesting times for our family.