finally a new post

When you're busy running after a toddler and trying to catch up on sleep there isn't much time for blogging.
Claire is using some 3-4 word sentences that she hears a lot like: What do you see? Read a book. I'll be back. She is making good progress with Spanish and knows a few three syllable words like cabeza (head) and cabello (hair). She loves songs and rhymes that have hand motions and will try to do dome of the motions after practice. She still likes cleaning up messes and took my napkin after breakfast and started dusting all over the house.

Claire Likes

Claire Likes
1. Hugging
2. Reading
3. Swinging (and the "sa-lide") in the playground
4. Dancing
5. Making music i.e. tapping, banging, knocking
6. Walking
7. Bouncing
8. Grabbing cats
9. Eating bananas
10. Climbing

Yesterday as I was cuddling with her after her nap Claire said, "Night-Night. Close your eyes."

Mark's back is feeling better but now he has a cold/cough. I am sneezing like crazy--allergies I suspect. Claire seems to be fully recovered.

getting better

Claire is feeling a lot better but still coughing. She isn't interested in resuming regular meals though. (Just bottles, argh!)

Meanwhile I've had a bit of a sore throat for the last few days... nothing else with it.

And Mark hurt his lower back so he spent yesterday in bed. He's on his way to the chiro now.

Thankfully we had help yesterday from both Beth and the respite care person.

Sick

New word, "sick"
Claire has a respiratory infection or the flu. She is feverish and coughing and congested. I'm scared it's going to turn into pneumonia like last year. She got sick on Monday and today she was worse so we took her to the doctor this morning. They checked for Strep which was negative. They gave her a breathing treatment because her breathing was a bit labored. She has slept fitfully and it takes her awhile to get back to sleep when she wakes up. Thankfully she had a good nap early this afternoon.

Update Thursday. She is getting better, though coughing seems painful to her. Unfortunately now Mark is home sick with a sore back from holding the sick baby in his lap at odd angles too long during the night.

hugging! hugging!

where to start... so much has happened since I last blogged.
Some highlights:
1. Our first Zoo trip with Joy and Aidan earlier this week was great. Claire was a champ all afternoon.
2. We are so proud of her walking abilities--she is toddling all around the house. Earlier today she followed Mom around in the living room and dining room holding a feather duster. We told her it is for cleaning up messes. She says "fluffy, fluffy, broom" and tries to help clean.
3. She continues to learn words at a phenomenal rate and enjoys adding "ing" to verbs. We've reviewed some toddler word-lists and checking off the ones she knows totals over 200 words! Her enunciation is getting better for certain words: formerly "hung-ee" is now clearly "hun-gry" for instance.

Gotta go Claire wants "hugging, hugging!"

gave up on quick wean

We gave up on the fast track weaning. Claire was really distraught after that first night. I was afraid she was so upset that she was going to go on longterm strike from eating food and drinking from the sippy cup. Well she is eating like a champ since we realized that she has been taking way too much formula and started limiting her formula intake. She has been eating soy yogurt which seems to be a current favorite along with pureed pears with pineapple or blueberry. I've started mixing in pureed veggies and black beans or rice-protein powder and flax oil to the foods she likes and she doesn't seem to mind. She is still interested in exploring other crunchier foods but doesn't consume much. Claire is not interested in trying the sippy cup about 9 times of the last 10 that it was offered to her. Hopefully she will warm up to it.