10 Months – Fiestas!

Well, you start a family blog with good intentions and then you interview for a new job, buy a rental property and catch the 3rd iteration of daycare sickness this year… and before you know it you’re 20 days overdue for an update! But here we are, loaded up with pictures!

A visit from the Okies!

We scores a visit from my Aunt Nancy and Cousins Jamie and Garrett so long ago that I can’t remember if it was the end of January or beginning of February… it was so nice to catch up and show off a little munchkin!

Rewind back to the Super Bowl, James begrudgingly took this pic with the tiniest Steelers Cheerleader! Go Browns?

Thanks Jill and Carm for helping us represent Steeler Nation! Now, if you will please help us settle the debate about whether she will be allowed to join cheerleading 😝

also, here’s the State Farm “good hands” play of the week- Claire Daly holds her own bottle. Onesie says “ESPN & Chill with my daddy”

Grandma Liz’s Birthday

We celebrated Grandma Liz’s birthday… though somebaby crashed out mid-fiesta! We scarfed down some yummy pizza and cake! 🎂

Grandma Mary’s Birthday

Grandma Mary turned 60 this year, and we discovered that Claire is 0, I’m 30, mom is 60 and Great Grandma Sarah would have been 90. Talk about some symmetry! No pressure Claire, you do you, it just worked out that way!

We had a fun day in Dallas to celebrate, starting with brunch with all of mom’s Richardson friends, and following up with a fun walk around the Dallas Farmer’s Market.

I love a good knick-nack so I picked Claire out this cute giraffe rattle, and she loved it!

ONE more Birthday (see what I did there?)

Claire is turning one in just over a month! While I can’t believe this kid went from squirmy thing in my belly to threatening to walk in the last 12 months, I also am so excited to celebrate her big first year!

I have had a few people ask me about what she wants for her birthday. I posed her the question and she just looked at me and then went back to harassing the dog. So I came up with a few things I think she would like, if you feel so inspired!

• Annual membership to the Tyler zoo (I know we will go a LOT once she figures out there are more animals than Ace the dog)
• Annual membership to the Discovery science place (If it’s too hot or rainy you’ll find us here, teaching this kid to love math and science)
• A trip to the Wildlife Safari drive thru park
• A gift card to Andy’s frozen custard (we can walk there from our house on hot summer days)

Or, if you want to go the traditional “box with a bow” route, here are some fun toys and baby gear things she wants/needs:

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/8ELH32B9IZDI?ref_=wl_share

Here’s our soon to be birthday girl

Fun times at the Trade Days

The weather here in Texas is warming up, and I love to get this kiddo outside! I took Claire out to Canton, Texas to her first First Monday Trade Days, which is like a flea market, tchotchke shopping extravaganza. We met up with my girl Rose and her son Thomas. And we had 2 whole hours of entertained and well behaved babies.

The only disasterous moment was when my car got stuck in the mud and a tractor took 45 minutes to pull me out. Mom of the year over here didn’t have any toys, so Claire played with a straw from my lemonade cup the entire time.

Claire shrugged it off by the time we got home though

Valentines

Alright, I’m out of chronological order here… Claire took these precious and then confused pictures at school! It wasn’t me who was a sucker this time— dad bought these.

And Grandma Pam sent this super cute 💗 outfit for her first Valentines! But this was the best I could do… most of the time she cooperates 🤷🏼‍♀️

Aunt Bri gave me some concert tickets to see Chris Lane in Dallas, so mommy and daddy took the perfectly timed date night and Claire got to see the Burkerts

Before we left, we played a round of cards, and I tried to get Claire to help me cheat, but she is of much higher moral standards and wouldn’t pick up the cards to show me what was underneath!

What we are loving right now

James and I have been experimenting with taking Claire more places with us, sometimes out of necessity or convenience and sometimes  to fulfill a desire to get out of the house!

We take her to restaurants

Sometimes she gets tired, and tries to sleep on the table

And sometimes she likes to sit on our laps (until food arrives, then she loves to throw it on the floor)

And I personally love taking her in the shopping cart because she dances to the music of whatever the play in the store.

Snapshots of real life

I have a few friends and cousins who are recently pregnant and I thought I might share a little bit of “real life with a baby”

Exhibit 1: play time when it’s 7 AM

Exhibit 2: Becoming a baby food chef in 4 photos. This is about 11 days worth of food and it took under 2 hours while feeding and play time was going on. Honestly, I’d make bigger batches but I don’t have enough containers or freezer space. Also, Claire LOVES beets, who’d have guessed?

10 month pictures

I figure everyone has seen these already but might as well put them up here, since the rest are. Claire didn’t want to lay down for her pictures, then she quickly went destructo-baby on the letter board. Also of note, it is getting increasingly difficult to get Ace to come near Claire and be still for a picture, she wants to pet him, he doesn’t trust her, it’s a challenge, so we did our best!

Claire is 26 inches tall, 18 lbs, wears size 9-12 months in most brands of baby clothes, she’s in the 1st percentile for height and 38th for weight. Her head is also in the 1st percentile. Basically she is small but mighty!

In her 9th (and 10th) month we have been fighting drool rash, a particularly persistent diaper rash, and constant boogie nose. She’s been sick with a fever twice, though even when she’s sick she’s in pretty good spirits just extra sleepy. She still has exactly 0 teeth, but who needs those when she is gumming up corn chips and crackers all the time!

Her favorite toys are her xylophone, she’s taken a few cautious steps with her walker and she would probably ditch both of those for strings, shoelaces and IPHONE CORDS!

Miscellaneous February and March pics

The maids keep placing my headband in Claire’s room, so I thought we would do a “who wore it best”… we all know who wins!

Claire has just been squealing and talking more and more, and getting more and more smiley, we love it!

Her favorite toy, the iPhone cord… especially when she gets both ends

That’s one sick and sleepy kid:

and I think this one just captures her squishy cheeks perfectly

Alright last one! Look at how this kid sleeps! It’s just so precious, all tucked in a ball, usually with her head pressed against the mesh of the crib so she wakes up with waffle print on her forehead! Half the time she is so sound asleep in the mornings that she doesn’t notice when I turn the lights on! I’m not complaining, I just think these little pieces of her life are so fun and unique about her tiny life and I am so glad to be able to share them with you!