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The birthday announcement I designed - click to view larger 

A week before her first birthday, we had Andrea of Andie Lane Photography take Claire’s picture. We went back to the same locations where we had maternity pictures taken a year ago and even tried to recreate some of the poses. It was very hot and bright outdoors, and although we tried to stay in the shade, Claire had a tough time showing her “true” smiles. We got a lot of photos with squinted eyes and a scrunched up face. Not the usual grins we’re used to seeing from our little booger! So I pleaded with Eric to let me take her over to Portrait Innovations for just ONE good photo (that was the deal - can’t purchase more than the $9.95 package). I think I got my money’s worth - she looks pretty darn cute, especially for a scanned-in version!

From Andie’s pics, most of my favorite shots are the artistic ones where she wasn’t looking directly at the camera. I’ve included some faves below, and a few of the “matching” ones from the maternity session to show the difference a year makes! For more, visit her online gallery at www.andielane.com/claire3. If you’d like a print of any of these, please let me know and I’ll make sure you get one.

Miss Claire celebrated her 1st birthday with a pink elephant themed party, in honor of her long-time best buddy, Mr. Elephant. While she napped, mommy and daddy decorated the party area with pastel balloons and pink streamers. Daddy even got the wise idea to use an extra white tablecloth as a “splat mat” underneath Claire’s highchair. We laid out elephant plates & napkins, polka-dotted candy & nut dishes, flowers, pink lemonade and a strawberry cake decorated with - you guessed it - a pink elephant! The cake later proved to be just as yummy as it was cute!

After Claire woke up from her nap, her Auntie Bonnie changed her into the cutest birthday get-up I’ve ever seen. I custom ordered an embroidered pink and green dress, bloomers, bow and party hat from Robella Children’s Boutique on eBay. I got a fantastic deal and was extremely pleased with the finished product. Doesn’t Miss Claire look absolutely adorable??

First up on the party activities list was opening presents and I must say that Claire was a pro! She tore through cards and packages, showing little excitement over the actual gifts, instead ripping the paper to shreds. Such a shame because she received some really cute things! Swimsuits, dresses, pajamas - even a tutu (from Aunt NaNa) and a personalized beach towel (from Auntie Bonnie)!

Just when she thought the present opening was over, Grandma and Grandpa brought up a big red wagon! Claire was so excited! It has two seats - just perfect for sharing a ride with Cousin Cash. Daddy took them for a small spin on the deck, but didn’t stay out too long because it was HOT out there. Plus, it was cake time!

Let me preface the following words and pictures with this: We usually do not give Claire sweets or sugar of any kind and that includes juice (she likes water, so we don’t see the point). However, it was her birthday and that means all (well, most) rules get thrown out the window. Bring on the sugar overload!

All it took was one little taste of icing from mama’s finger and it was all over. The huge piece of cake on her plate didn’t stand a chance. She devoured it - using both hands to work as quickly as possible. Giving mommy or daddy a bite, usually something she enjoys, was NOT going to happen this time. “No sharing baked goods,” she says!  She topped off the sugar fest with some vanilla ice cream and pink lemonade. Yes, we know we were asking for it.

We figured the kiddos could clean-up and run off steam (ie: sugar) outdoors, so we stripped them down and plopped them in the kiddie pool on the deck. That lasted all of 2 minutes. Cash had other ideas (like running around the house) and Claire likes to do whatever he’s doing. So we all changed into swimsuits and headed over to the shore. Notice Claire’s belly full of cake sticking out of her new swimsuit from Auntie Bonnie below! We must have worn Claire plumb out because she was out for the night at 8:00 pm. Cash stayed up with the grown-ups and we feasted on burgers, hot dogs, potato salad, etc. - all the good cook-out stuff!

It was a fabulous day. Eric and I had fun watching our little wiggle worm enjoy all the special things that were just for her! I believe her favorite were the balloons…

A HUGE thank you to Les & Shirl for offering up their home as party central and hosting my family for the weekend. Also, thanks to everyone for all the sweet gifts. Claire is a very blessed little girl!

Grandpa and Uncle Jay were kind enough to stand in as videographers for the event. We’ve got about 35 minutes of tape that I’ll try to edit down and post the good snips. In the meantime, there are TONS (pun intended!) more photos in the 1st Birthday Weekend photo gallery. Enjoy!

Note: If you are reading this in email or on Facebook, you’ll need to visit our website, www.ericandcolleen.com to view the videos. If you’re already here, welcome!

Things are finally getting back to normal in the Stafford household. My family is safe back in Arkansas, even if it was a bit later than planned (canceled flights, multiple trips to the airport, craziness in general). I’ve grocery shopped, done the laundry, wrote thank-you notes, unpacked (only to pack again for this weekend’s trip back to the beach). I am now tackling the task of documenting the birthday festivities and posting over 350 photos. Whew!

Lots of firsts for Miss Claire over the past couple of weeks. She got her first “real” taste of the beach (and I do mean that literally as she was very interested in eating the sand). Decked out in so much pink it would make Barbie jealous, our little wiggle worm made her grand entrance to the shore in style! At first she loved it, playing in the sand and high-stepping towards the ocean with a super-big grin on her face. The next couple of times we headed to the shore, she was less impressed, preferring instead to bury her head in mommy or daddy’s shoulder. I’m pretty sure she was just tired and/or dealing with some teething pain on those particular occasions.

None the less, she loved “helping” Poppy build a sandcastle, having her legs buried in the sand, playing with her aunts and uncles, and going for a boogie board ride with Cousin Cash. I quickly learned that my assumptions were right and there really is no relaxing on the beach when you have a one-year-old. Between digging sand out of Claire’s mouth, prying her fingers from the “mommy grip” (ouch!), and the long clean-up process, I found little time to sit and relax. But truth be told, I truly didn’t mind that much.

My family enjoyed soaking up the sun, playing Bocce Ball, and doing a bit of boogie boarding. The weather was beautiful - just one small spot shower that we weathered through huddled underneath the canopy. It was great to have everyone together - looking forward to doing it again next year!

Look for a gallery with more beach photos….coming soon!

Today I celebrate four years of marriage to an amazing man. He’s my best friend, my rock, my constant source of humor (even if we aren’t always on the same page with the bathroom jokes), and my baby’s daddy. I am so blessed to have him by my side. I love you, Eric!

We’re planning on enjoying a kid-free meal at a fine dining restaurant in Raleigh that I’ve been wanting to try. A big thank you to our friend, Leah, for offering to keep the wiggle worm entertained while we celebrate. I am really looking forward to an evening alone with my husband!

I got a bit sentimental and decided to dig up some photos of us throughout our dating and wedded years. Looking back, all I can say is I miss my long hair, being tan was great (although I won’t be doing it ever again for health reasons), and my, oh my is my husband HANDSOME!

Our first photo together - one of many self-portraits to come.
Taken within a week of our first date (June 8, 2003).

About a year later, celebrating my college graduation
in May 2004. I moved to Raleigh a month later.

Almost exactly two years after we met, we were married in
Siloam Springs, AR on June 25, 2005. One of the happiest days of my life!

A self-portrait with the help of the camera timer
taken on the evening of our first anniversary. We celebrated
with dinner at The Melting Pot and an outdoor concert.

In the Bahamas for Josh and Meredith’s wedding - July 2007.
We didn’t do anything special on our actual second anniversary,
instead opted to use the Bahama trip as a second honeymoon of sorts.

Five days after Claire’s birth, we celebrated our third anniversary with
dinner at a local steakhouse while my mom watched the baby.

For those of you waiting on birthday pictures….hold just a bit longer. I’m making my way though the list of “after-party to-dos” and will be posting all about the birthday festivities soon. However, you can see a sneak preview of her one year photo session at the top of our homepage (I switched out the main photo). I guess I should also start looking at redesigning the header illustration. Claire is definitely not an itty-bitty baby anymore!

Just three more days until our sweet girl’s first birthday. I can’t believe how quickly the past year has gone. Everyone told me it would go so fast, but it’s hard to believe until it actually happens. My parents, sister and brother-in-law are flying in today and we’ll head to Eric’s parent’s house on the beach for birthday festivities this weekend. I will be posting photos and video of Miss Claire’s big day soon, but in the meantime, here’s a look at her first year, month by month. By the way, my favorite in the group is month 5.

Although Claire dipped her feet in the pool last summer, she was too little to take her first “real” swim until this year. The weather has definitely been nice the past couple of weeks, but we wanted to make sure the pool water temperature was like bath water (for both baby AND wimpy mommy) before diving in. Last Tuesday evening after Daddy came home from work, the three of us dug out our swimsuits, slathered on the sunscreen and headed over to the apartment pool for some family splish-splash time.

I can’t say much more other than Claire LOVED the water! She had fun being pulled around in her float, swimming with mommy, and trying to catch the “shark” (daddy). She kept kicking her little legs as if to tell us that she was ready to do this swim thing by herself! We didn’t stay too long, but all the excitement wore her plumb out and she was ready for an early bedtime. Humm….we might need to start swimming more often! Ha! We actually wanted to take her this weekend, but the weather wasn’t cooperating on Saturday and Claire was suffering from another diaper rash on Sunday. Not sure if she’s caught a tummy virus or it’s just side-effects from the molar she’s trying to cut. Either way, we’re hoping things are back to normal this week so we can rest up before her one-year birthday festivities!

Claire sported one of the three swimsuits I bought for her last year on clearance. Because she was so tiny for the first few months after birth, I had stocked up in 6-12 month sizes for the next summer. Then our little wiggle worm took a big growth spurt, so I was afraid it would to be too small, but luckily it fit her just right. I was thrilled she could wear it - I mean, have you ever seen anything cuter than our little girl in a palm-tree print bikini?

Below is a video clip of Claire and Daddy playing in the water, as well as several more of my favorite pictures. Also, there are more in the new June 2009 photo gallery.

I finally got smart and had Daddy help distract Claire from the oh-so-enticing paper sign during her “official” monthly portrait

Written by Daddy:
It just can’t be. There’s no way this is the very last month that our sweet girl’s age is less than 1 (turning 1 next month for those of you who are a liiiiitle bit slower on the uptake!). She has most definitely made some strides in her development, with her most impressive new trick being auditory recognition. We can say “clap clap” and she will clap (just like a monkey!). We’re trying to get her to do the “Indian call” (Native American call for those politically correct readers!) on demand, but we’re still having to show her that one before she’ll mimic us. Next thing we know, she’ll be calling out colors, animals, and objects.

She’s starting to stand by herself with much greater frequency. Before, we would have to trick her by handing her something to examine to get her to take both hands off of the couch, but at that point it was only for a few seconds before she’d plop down on her bootie. Now, she stands for longer periods of time and doesn’t seem to need to be tricked into doing it. She’s thinking about taking steps without holding on to something, but isn’t quite brave enough. She’ll be walking all over the place before we know it!

Playing with the lint roller and thinking about plopping down, hence the bent knees. But, definitely standing on her own!

She’s also taking steps with mommy or daddy while holding on with just ONE hand instead of two The earlier videos we’ve posted have us walking behind her as she high-steps her way towards the camera. Now, she can walk beside us and hold just one hand while keeping her balance - something that she couldn’t do before. Well, she could but the video we have of her trying it and face planting with us laughing at her in the background seemed kind of cruel to post. Instead, below is a short (like her attention span) video clip of her walking with mama in Pullen Park a couple of weeks ago.

Written by Mommy:
Claire’s little personality is really evident these days. She is learning how to express herself in ways other than just crying. She loves to be outdoors and will kick her legs in excitement when we open the front door to go for a walk. One of her favorite games to play is peek-a-boo, especially with her daddy. He’ll crawl from room to room and she’ll follow with a big grin on her face, just waiting on him to pop out and yell “peek-a-boo” when she rounds the corner.

We’ve been spending a lot of family time rolling around and playing in our bed. Claire loves trying to find us underneath the covers and generally just being able to flop around with out fear of hurting that precious noggin. It also wears her plum out so it’s usually a good pre- nap or bedtime activity.

Playing peek-a-boo with Daddy in our bed

We finally got around to moving Claire from her infant carrier to the Britax Marathon car seat I purchased a couple of months ago. Eric won the “Best Husband/Daddy Award” for detailing the Escape (which is now officially ours and paid for - yay!) and installing Claire’s new seat this past Saturday. I’m loving my clean ride and Claire seems to feel the same way about her big girl seat. I think she’ll like it even more when she can face forward after her first birthday.

First ride in her new big girl car seat

Claire is pretty much eating whatever Eric and I are having these days. She now eats just about anything you put in front of her, including carrots and peaches - foods she previously disliked. Yay for persistence - I thought she’d never come around! She is a dairy nut and will fight you for cheese or yogurt. Same goes for peas & carrots. Green beans, corn, any form of pasta or chicken, blueberry muffins, Nutri-Grain bars, pears and mandarin oranges are more foods she eats on a regular basis. She still gets the occasional container of baby food (trying to clean out our stash), but would prefer to feed herself.

Taking a break from destroying her bookshelf, a favorite past-time

With her first birthday just a couple of weeks ago, and the formula container getting low, I decided it was time to start the switch. Today I introduced whole milk in with her formula and she did great. My goal is to have her completely off formula by the start of next week. Her daycare provides milk and I’m REALLY looking forward to (1) not purchasing formula anymore and (2) only having to bring in sippy cups instead of cleaning and making bottles each night.

Speaking of sippy cups, we’ve been working hard to get her off the bottles completely, but it’s been a difficult transition. We still give her a bottle at night, but during the day she drinks from a soft-spout sippy cup. She can do it just fine, but it takes her a lot longer to finish because she keeps holding out for the bottle. We’ve seen a lot of temper tantrums and cup throwing lately. I guess it’s time for more persistence….

Happy baby smiling at mommy!

I’m always on the lookout for good finds on our local Craigslist. Last week I found a couple of good deals and Claire ended up with two new toys (as if she really needed them, and so close to her birthday, but I couldn’t resist). The first is a fridge farm magnetic animal set by LeapFrog. It plays cute little songs and Claire loves it. She hasn’t quite got the hang of “making a match” just yet, preferring instead to bang the animal pieces together. I’m just happy she has a fun, learning toy to play with in the kitchen instead of her previous (not baby-safe) activity of pulling down all the photos, papers, magnets and general forms of junk off our fridge.

Loving her new fridge farm animals toy

I’m quite proud of my other Craigslist find. I had been looking for the Little Tikes Deluxe Cozy Convertible Car for a while. It’s a cute little push car with a removable parent handle and floorboard so the little munchkin can power it Flintstone-style when she’s ready. Unfortunately, it is sold out everywhere. The only place I could find that still had one in stock was wanting over $200 for it (retail is closer to $70). Ridiculous! I had just about decided that this was one toy Claire was going to have to live without when a posting came online for one in our area that was in great shape for only $30. Sold! We picked it up last Friday evening and have already put it to good use several times. Claire loves going for walks in it. She is usually either chilling to the side or shifting gears like a crazy lady.

Driving her new convertible car - beep beep!

May has flown by and we couldn’t be more excited that June is here. It’s going to be a busy month - we have two birthdays (Claire & Les), an anniversary (our fourth!) and Father’s Day to celebrate. My parents, sister, and brother-in-law are flying in from Arkansas in just two weeks and we can’t wait to show them a good time here in NC.

The May 2009 photo gallery has been updated - check it out!

Wow! What a difference a year makes - check out the comparison photos below! Last year I was big, fat and pregnant squeezed into a maternity swimsuit on the sweltering hot beach. Uncomfortable and anxious, I was definitely ready to meet our little munchkin! And look at us exactly a year later - a happy family of three touring a museum (trying to hold on to a wiggle worm)!

Memorial Day 2008

Memorial Day 2009

We spent Memorial Day 2009 at the NC Museum of Life & Science in Durham with friends Trey, Sabrina and Carter. I was amazed at the quality and quantity of things to see and do there - all within 15 minutes of our apartment! Children under three are admitted free, and we had a BOGO coupon for the adult admission, giving us a few hours of educational fun for a mere $12.50.

We wanted to beat the oncoming rain, so we started outdoors with the live animal exhibitions. Neither the bears nor the foxes were cooperating, thus making it almost impossible for the adults to get a glimpse, let alone a squirmy 11-month old. Claire enjoyed the farm animals much more, getting an up-close view of the sheep, a goat and a cow.

Hanging out with Daddy by the Bear Yard

Up close and personal with Mr. Cow

Next up was the Magic Wings Butterfly House - apparently one of the largest butterfly houses in the world (so says the website). Claire loved the constant motion of the birds and butterflies moving about. She especially enjoyed any chance to touch the trees & flowers, wanting very badly to be free from our arms or the stroller to crawl around as she pleased.

Smelling the flowers in the Butterfly House

One of Claire’s favorite areas of the museum was Loblolly Park, where she could create music with drums and bells. This was oh-so-much fun for our little one who loves banging objects to make noise! I truly think she could have played here for over an hour, had we not been ready to get indoors and out of the humidity!

Making music with mommy - fun!

We actually skipped most of the indoor exhibitions, thinking Claire was a bit too young to appreciate  most of them.  Opting instead to spend the rest of our time in the Play to Learn Area, mainly the “Gentle Zone”. It was filled with mirrors, textures, sounds, soft balls and blocks, sensory toys, and classic early learning games, as well as safe, low climbing structures. A perfect place for the little munchkin to finally do what she had been wanting to all day long - explore! I couldn’t help but wish that we could have a place just like this in our apartment.

Playing in the “Gentle Zone”

We all thoroughly enjoyed exploring the museum and are considering purchasing a membership. Like always, there are plenty of more pictures in the May 2009 photo gallery.

We live in an industrial/corporate area right in between Durham and Raleigh.  It’s very quite on the weekends, which has made us wonder how any of the area restaurants have survived (seriously, it looks like a ghost town).  Apparently, they do very well during the week with all of the big office buildings containing lots and lots of hungry employees at lunch time.

This past weekend, The Taste of Durham Festival came to that industrial/corporate area which is a hop, skip, and a jump away from our apartment complex.  We decided to go, mostly because of it’s proximity to us, but also because it would provide a nice afternoon/evening “out on the town” for baby Claire.  They had restaunt vendors lined up, live music, dancing exhibitions, a wine garden, lots of aired-up play equipment for kids, and my personal favorite, a beer tasting garden.

Claire spent most of the time in her stroller just looking around.  She usually does that when there’s A LOT of stuff going on.  It’s almost like sensory overload for her because you can’t get much of a response out of her.  She’s so distracted by everything going on, where as if she’s at home with just a couple of people in attendance, she’ll ham it up and be just as silly as can be!

And because we took Claire to the festival, she is now famous!  Well, kinda sorta.  There were several photographers walking around taking pictures of all of the people, and baby Claire just happened to be one of them!  The picture below was/is posted on the WRAL.COM website, which is a local TV station.

We ran into a former co-worker of Colleen’s, Elaine, and her husband Mike at the festival.  She actually designed the Taste of Durham Festival website, which was very good if I do say so myself (with my big fancy PE degree and all!).  Since she designed the website for free, the festival organizer felt inclined to give her tons and tons of tokens for the event, which she kindly passed some on to us!  I used a good portion of the extra coins to sample beers in the beer garden, but we also tried just about every type of food available, as well as Colleen getting some ice cream for the road.  Thanks again for the hook-up, Mike and Elaine!

Overall, it was a good evening for the wiggle worm.  She enjoyed the music and all of the different types of foods, as well as her 15 minutes of fame on the TV station’s website