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Claire turned the big 1/2 of a year on Dec. 20, the same day we flew to AR. I did mange to sneak in the oh-so-important photo session that day, but with all the chaos of the holidays, I’m WAY behind in writing her “official” 6 month post. In fact, she turns 7 months in 5 days. How’s that for late? Thus, here’s a summary of all things new in the life of Claire (I apologize in advance for the super lengthy post, but I want to keep a record of this important time for Claire to read one day).

She has teeth! Her two bottom ones emerged simultaneously while we were in AR. With their appearance came a 101 degree fever, a snotty nose and an unhappy Wiggle Worm. Once we figured out that her fussiness was from teeth and not jet lag, we doled out the Tylenol and quickly saw a much happier girl. I’m not sure Claire would agree, but I think it was all worth it because they are the two cutest teeth I’ve ever seen! Her pediatrician says the top teeth are on their way, due to some red, puffy gums. It’s hard to get a good picture of the teeth because when she smiles, the tongue comes out and covers them, but below is my best attempt. You can see the two tiny teeth, although I wouldn’t say it’s the best picture of Claire.

Cousin Cash graciously lent Claire his super cool Rain Forest jumparoo back in December, but Claire didn’t really seem to understand it’s coolness until this month.  These days she thinks it’s the greatest toy ever made. She jumps as hard as she can, usually keeping her tongue out, and spins around to play with all the toys.

For quite sometime we’ve noticed that when laying on her back, Claire will try to sit up, but this past month it’s been a constant occurrence.  You can’t even change her diaper without her little head popping up and her tummy muscles straining. If you offer her your hands, she’ll quickly grab them and use them to pull herself up. Usually, the sitting position is not thrilling enough, she would much rather stand. Once doing so, she has this look of pure joy and accomplishment on her face. It’s amazing to watch how grow and develop - those little legs are strong!

Claire continues to try and like a variety of foods. So far she’s had carrots, peas, green beans, peaches, applesauce, squash, sweet potatoes, pears and bananas. She went through a stage last week where she refused to eat just about anything but fruit. I quickly put an end to that by only offering her vegetables. I figured she’d eat them if she was hungry enough. Worked like a charm. Her tastes seem to constantly change, but she’s always been a big fan of peas and bananas. The only food she didn’t care for was carrots, and so did momma because of all the laundry they brought on. But, this week, she likes them. Next week - who knows? Mixed foods like prunes with apples and banana combos are next. Yummy!

We still have to work hard to get a laugh out of Claire, but it is now possible to hear one without tickling her.  The other day I discovered that bopping her on the head with a rolled up newspaper ad was absolutely hilarious to her. Of course, now we’re constantly bopping her on the head. That only gets a few looks from people… I am looking forward to the day where she lets me hear that giggle a bit more. She still coos and talks to us, but I guess we’re still not funny enough to warrant full on laughter.

She can sit up all by herself! She showed off her new skill the week we got back from AR and could only do it for a minute or two before toppling over. But now, she’s really getting the hang of it. We still have to watch her closely or put the Boppy pillow behind her, but it won’t be long before she’s a pro. She usually falls because she’s decided to try and push herself to the standing position or because she’s bored. As long as she’s entertained and happy, she stays balanced.

Claire has really taken to reading stories. One of my favorite things to do is to cuddle up with her in the glider and read picture books, pointing out the different colors, shapes and animals. She’ll last for about 2 stories or so before that arm goes up by her ear and she starts wiggling, letting me know she’s had enough. Another one of her favorite activities is dancing around with mommy or daddy. From the Mamma Mia soundtrack (my fave!) to the Wiggles (fitting, yes?), she likes it all. Especially when daddy holds her and helps her mimic the movements her silly mommy is making. I can now do the Hokey Pokey in my sleep… We’re planning on taking her to story and song time at the local library on Saturday morning - I think she’ll really enjoy it.

As evident from the pictures in the recent photo galleries, Claire has discovered her tongue. And my is it exciting. So exciting that she wants to show it to us CONSTANTLY. You want a smile, mom? You get a tongue for free. Enjoy.

Although still a good sleeper, lately she’s been waking up at 5:45 am instead of the usual 6:45 or so. Considering she’s still sleeping roughly 10 hours, even while teething, we can’t complain too much. She is napping better, which is a welcome change on the days I work from home. The past two weeks or so I’ve gotten at least one 2 hour nap a day, if not more.

I took Claire to see Doctor Coleman last Friday for her 6 month check-up and shots. She got her regularly scheduled vaccinations as well as a flu shot. Unlike the previous times, she ran a 103 degree fever that night and was up every 2 hours. Plenty of Tylenol, hugs and 24 hours later, she was back to her happy self. She’s continuing with a big growth spurt, weighing 16 lbs, 13 oz and falling in the 55% for babies her age. She’s shooting upwards as well, a whole 27 1/4 inches and in the 80% for height. She’s come a long way from the itty bitty thing she was for so long! We are so blessed to have a healthy little girl!

She’s finding more joy in her toys these days. New ones include her laptop and cell phone. Yep, she’s definitely OUR daughter! However, she can stay entertained for quite some while with the plastic bottle and food lids. Anything that can be chewed on is a favorite. And for some reason, non-toys are the best ones of all. When sitting in her Bumbo seat on our bathroom counter, it doesn’t matter which toy you give her, she undoubtedly will go for the contact lens solution or vitamin bottles.

For the longest time, Claire has seen her bath as just that. A bath. Nothing special or fun. She would just sit on her little tub seat, with her hands crossed over her big belly and watch as we washed her. We didn’t mind - we stayed dry as did the floors. Not anymore! This week she discovered the art of splashing. Although still a bit tentative, she’s definitely finding joy in using her hands and feet to create waves. I’m debating on posting the video…not sure what the protocol for showing naked babies is…

She’s started to drink water from a sippy cup. Well, she really just throws the cup around and every now and then will let water fall off her tongue. She hasn’t quite figured out the art of sucking and swallowing from the cup yet. However, it’s still entertaining to watch.

As you can see, a lot has happened over the past month or so! In other news, our camera’s flash decided to burst, so we quickly replaced it with a newer, much-improved model. My fave feature - it removes red eye! Yay! Maybe I will actually be able to get pictures posted quicker now that the most time-consuming editing task is a moot issue. Speaking of which, photo galleries will now be organized by month - mainly because I am having way too much trouble trying to remember our little booger’s weekly age! Check out the three new galleries - Christmas in Arkansas photos, 6 month photos and January photos. A post with several videos is coming tomorrow….