Sheeeee's back!

Let’s see…where were we? I believe Claire was turning one. I know that to some of you, it feels like a million years ago since my last update, but honest, it’s only been three months. Claire is now a happy, healthy (albeit still quite tiny), VERY mobile 15 month old. She has a serious penchant for chocolate milkshakes and whatever she finds on the floor. The latter has taught us to move quickly…she finds dust bunnies and other proof of my housecleaning ineptitude with amazing speed. When we say, “No, no! Yucky!” it only makes her quicker and more determined. We’ve become pros at “sweep the mouth.”

Upright mobility came in August. She’d been standing on her own for a while, but she’d just sort of shimmy like she was willing her legs to do something they couldn’t quite grasp yet. The day she figured out the whole “one foot in front of the other” concept was a big day for her…followed by lots of falls. Fortunately for all of us, she’s a great faller. She walks like Frankenstein with her arms out in front of her, which has prevented the inevitable head bumps…or at least kept them temporarily at bay. She gets steadier and faster every day, and at this rate, she’ll be running track by next summer. We know the day when she can outrun us is coming soon, so for now, we’re just enjoying the fact that we’re still quicker.

Claire’s World Tour picked up again in late July with a trip to Georgia to visit Justin’s family - lots of aunts, uncles, cousins, and her great-grandmother. We flew up to New England in August to visit some friends in Boston and then drove up to Maine and introduced Claire to her great aunt and uncle. She’s accumulated more frequent flier miles than most adults, and the tour isn’t over yet! She’ll be jetting off to North Carolina in a few weeks to meet more doting great-grandparents, and there are lots of other travel plans in the works. Check your local papers.

It’s pointless for me to promise regular updates since when I do, I keep proving myself to be a total liar. If you find yourself desperate for a Claire update and I (quite likely) haven’t provided one in a while, feel free to e-mail me. No, not to harass me (!), but I’m a much better e-mailer than I am blogger and you’re likely to get some recent photos of the most photographed child ever.