This past Tuesday marked 10 months we’ve been blessed to have Miss Claire in our lives. (Yep, I’m a week behind with the monthly post AGAIN). She continues to grow, learn and play - delighting her mommy and daddy with new sounds, talents and expressions. I tried (unsuccessfully) to get a good picture of her with the 10 month sign, but I’m afraid my attempts were even more pitiful than last month’s. She was perfectly happy to sit in the rocker and read a book, but smiling at mommy while NOT playing with the paper sign? Not happening! Make sure to view the outtakes in the April 2009 gallery - too funny!
So what is Claire up to at 10 months??
She has SEVEN teeth now! The bottom left tooth popped up about a week ago. With it came 4 or 5 nights of Claire waking up, but she usually went back to sleep within 30 minutes. I think the bottom right one is on it’s way, but until then, she’s a bit lopsided!
She can stand on her own! But only for a few seconds and with a very hesitant look on her face. 
Claire doesn’t fall, she just realizes that she’s all by herself and chooses to sit. It’s not a question of ability, just confidence. She’s been able to do this for about 3 weeks now. We first noticed the weekend before Easter (when she had the yucky tummy virus) when we were in Chapel Hill, relaxing on a large stretch of grass in front of a church on Franklin Street. Claire was so intrigued by all the people, she didn’t seem to notice she was standing unassisted. We counted a full 12 seconds before she gave up and plopped down. We have since tried to capture it on video, but can’t seem to distract her well enough to convince her to give us some working material! We did manage to get a mediocre pic or two of her standing during her Easter portraits for proof that she can do it!
She is the queen of mimicking! Her new favorite trick is to make the “Indian call” either by herself with the back of her hand or by just holding her mouth open and making a noise while one of us pats our hand back in forth in front of it. I’m working on getting a video of this… She still loves raspberry wars and carrying on conversations, often very serious ones!
She says mama - to me! Claire babbles constantly, usually “dada” or “nana”, but she is selective with her use of “mama”, only saying it when I’m around. There’s no doubt in my mind that she knows that’s a special term meant just for me!
She is a hungry hungry hippo! In addition to eating two full containers of baby food (a veggie and a fruit) at each meal, Claire has been trying numerous kinds of table food. Favorites include meat sticks, cheese ravioli and chicken. She also loves any kind of bread, but doesn’t seem to enjoy fruit chunks. I think the texture is strange to her. She hates carrots and peaches (both in liquid and chunk form), thus they normally end up sprayed across my face instead of in her belly. When she eats, she store the pieces in the sides of her cheeks like a little chipmunk. We’re constantly offering her a drink of water from her sippy cup to help her to swallow. They are still feeding her baby food at daycare, but she’s working on eating the school-supplied menu. This past week she did pretty well with a blueberry muffin and potatoes, but was not a fan of the baked beans or cream sauce pasta.
She is a BIG girl! I took her to the doctor last Monday so he could take a look at these two red spots on her left leg that had been there for over 3 weeks. Turns out they were most likely fire ant bites that were taking their dear sweet time in healing. While we were there, I had the nurse check out Claire’s growth. She’s weighing in at a whopping 20lbs, 6 oz (70%) and is super tall at 30 inches (95%). Wow! What a chunky monkey! She is in size 4 diapers and 12 month clothing (for the most part). Her height has met the maximum for her current car seat, so it looks like we’ll be installing the new one this weekend. I will miss the convenience of being able to transport her while she stays asleep, but my back will be grateful to no longer have to carry her in that heavy seat!
She has moved to the older babies class at daycare. This means lots of new changes including going from two naps to one and sleeping on a cot instead of in a crib. She also plays outside twice a day, for 30 minutes at a time. All this activity wears Miss Claire out and she’s been sleeping more at night. We have been enjoying sleeping in until 7am most mornings, but there is still the occasional 6:30am waking. Her schedule is not quite as set on the days she’s at home. Sometimes she takes one nap, other days she goes down for two.
She dances to her new favorite TV show, Yo Gabba Gabba. Up until recently, Claire didn’t show much interest in television, unless it was basketball or football. All that has changed now! The little munchkin loves her some Yo Gabba Gabba! Her attention span is still relatively short and she only makes it through about 1/3 of a 20 minute episode before needing to roam around, usually wanting to pull up on the TV. But for 5-10 minutes or so, her little face lights up and she bounces up and down to the songs - it’s too cute! She still would much rather sit on my lap and read tons of stories than watch television (a habit I hope sticks!), but it’s nice to get a few extra minutes of “mommy time” while she is entertained by the tube.
She LOVES swinging and sliding! We have been taking advantage of the beautiful weather and all the parks in our area lately, and Claire couldn’t be more thrilled. Swinging with mommy is fun, but if daddy is there…it’s the best thing ever! She’s getting quite good at sliding, scooting her little bootie right up to edge and then arching her back so she can go flying down. The fun multiplies when there is a buddy “racing” her on the adjoining slide! Seems like there is always a willing toddler to play along and Claire delights in trying to keep up with the “big” kids.
She is the joy of our lives! Claire is constantly making us laugh, either with funny noises or her big personality. She’s growing so fast, I can hardly believe this is the same little girl we took home from the hospital 10 months ago. Even her hair is starting to come in more and it’s staying a beautiful red color which makes her mommy happy! She loves to see and touch new things, especially the ones that aren’t for her! She’s already showing signs of being a social butterfly, smiling and showing off for anyone (yes, strangers included) that will pay her an ounce of attention.
More photos in the updated April 2009 gallery; below are two of my favorites of our mischievous little munchkin…
