Our girl ...

This post has been sitting in my "drafts" for a couple of weeks. Needless to say, things have been crazy busy. I'm trying to wrap up the graphics for the upcoming sermon series, iPhone App, Production Company, and a freelance job on top of my normal weekly responsibilities with the youth department. All while caring for Claire, constantly feeling nauseous, planning play dates and maintaining friendships. Whew!

My first trimesters are no-fun. I can't even begin to think about cooking - it makes me want to yarf. More than diapers - go figure. So poor Ethan and Claire are suffering through eating cereal and microwavable things. ick. I'll be 11 weeks tomorrow so there is some light at the end of the tunnel.

However, despite my first trimester "ailments" Claire and I have been having some fun. Alas, my Nikon is lonely and dusty this month so I have no photos to share outside of iPhone photos - but I'm too tired to download those.

Here are some of the fun things she's doing these days:

Hugs:
Claire loves to give hugs. She loves to hug people, stuffed animals, dogs and even strangers. This is one of my favorite things about her right now - most of the hugs she gives all on her own. She's a lover.

A couple of weeks I dropped her off for her Monday afternoon play date with Sophie Kate. She and Sophie Kate ran right up to each other, gave a big hug and then ran off to play together. So stinking cute.

Another day last week I was playing with Claire in her bedroom. She'd play with a toy for about a minute and then come give me a hug, then go to another toy for a minute and then come give me a hug. She did this about a dozen times all on her own.

Helping:
She so desperately wants to help me with all kinds of tasks. She loves to help unload the dishwasher. For me this means I have to quickly remove all the knives and glassware before she realizes what I'm doing and comes to help. Tonight I was striping her down for bath time and I threw her diaper in the trashcan. My sweet girl picked up the clothes we just took off and put them in the trashcan to help - I didn't have the heart to take them out right away since she was so proud of herself.

When we are leaving to go somewhere she sees me grabbing my purse, keys, etc. So she walks around the living room searching for something to carry in each hand to "help." Usually it's something random like a block or a receipt she pulled out of my purse. Sweetness.

Cuddles:
She loves cuddling in the morning and right before bed. In fact, she "requires" some nighttime cuddle time in her rocker. She grabs her bottle, paci and blanket and then heads to the rocker waiting for someone to come cuddle her. She couldn't be any easier. :)

Bracelets:
I'm not sure where she picked up on "bracelets" - maybe from women at church. I haven't worn a bracelet since she was born, ha ha. She finds rubber bracelets, rings, hair ties (anything that is round) and will wear it around the house on her wrist. She bends her arm and points her wrist towards the floor to show off her bracelet. It's so funny how she is just girlie all on her own.

Words:
She's still pretty passive about her communication these days. She says her name ... a lot. She will occasionally try to repeat a word I say - yesterday it was "good." She has picked up on some of the baby sign language and her favorite is "all done" to let us know she's finished eating. She also does "hungry" when she's ready for a meal or snack.

Dancing:
She still loves to dance and really loves hip hop. I love when she busts a move in public. She learned to "twirl" a couple of weeks ago - adorable.

Teeth:
We've spotted 4 molars this week. I think there are more but trying to get a 14 month old to let me check out her teeth is a feat.

Shopping:
When we are walking through the toy section she lets us know what she wants by picking up the toy and hugging in. She's sure to make a sweet face that is hard to resist ... but Mommy is good at resisting these days. Daddy on the other hand is another story ... but that is just what Daddy's are supposed to be sometimes. Suckers for their baby girls. :)

In other news, she is still a social butterfly and thrives on her play dates. She took a 3 1/2 hour nap this afternoon after playing with some of her friends all morning. She imitates so many things and is really figuring out how to use her body.

There ... I blogged.

Right now this is an achievement.

I'll graciously received your applause. Thank you and goodnight. :)