1 year

Dear Claire,

Today, you are one year old. Twelve whole months. And you are such a big girl.

We went to Guapo's to eat for your birthday, and everyone came.

Unfortunately, you weren't such a big fan of the cake. Or the sombrero. Or the mariachi band. But I'm sure you'll get over that. You know, someday.

You aren't walking yet, but you are a really good cruiser. You say a few words - Mama, baby, and bye. You have finally started sleeping in your crib. Maybe one of these days you'll sleep through the night.

Happy birthday, my little baby bear. Our lives are so much more complete with you in it, and I can't believe that you are one year old already. Time flies when you're having fun.

Love,

Mama

Claire Amanda

22lbs 11oz, 30 3/4in.

Month 10

Dear Claire,

Today you are 10 months old. You are getting so big, and wanting to be so independent, you're not going to be my little baby for much longer. You would rather be crawling around, getting into everything and forcing me to re-baby-proof everything.



We are getting ready to go on your first airplane ride tomorrow. Please please please behave. I've been that mom with the screaming baby on an airplane before, and I'd really like not to repeat that experience.

We passed out Halloween candy last night, and everyone loved you. You loved looking at all of the kids in their colorful costumes. Your personality emerges a little more every day, and you are going to be the most wonderful person.

I love you baby.

-Mama

Month 9

Dear Claire,



Today you are nine months old. Wow, time does fly by. You are such a happy baby, all smiles all the time for everyone. Until they try to touch you. Then it's shrieking and huge alligator tears.



You have abandoned all baby food in favor of Cheerios. If there are Cheerios around, you really don't want any of that Gerber crap. You love to eat pasta, bread, and pretty much anything you can shove in your mouth before someone swoops in to take it away. You even steal food from your sister's plate!

You still say 'mama' for everything, although you are getting some other sounds as well. You wave bye-bye, but only when you feel like it.

I love you so much it's overwhelming.
-Mama

Month 8

Dear Claire,

Today you are eight months old. And boy, does time fly when you're having fun. We are approaching the end of summer, and last month you experienced your first earthquake (heck, mine too!) and your first hurricane. After a hot, dry summer that was absolutely relentless on the plants & garden, suddenly it won't stop raining.
Speaking of rain, the stupid mosquitos won't leave you alone. Today I counted five bites on you, one on your face. Poor baby.

But back to you! You've started eating Puffs and Crunchies, and all kinds of baby food. You also love bread and rice and pretty much anything you can grab when nobody's paying attention. I swear, you eat and eat until we stop giving you food. Yesterday you stole your sister's bacon. Today you cried when I took away a French fry. This is probably why you are now wearing 12 month size, and those are getting small. You're my little chunky monkey.

You say 'Mama', but that's kind of your thing, and I don't think that it means anything in particular yet. But I still like it.
You still laugh on the inhale, so it sounds like an excited gasp, and is really funny in itself. You're a very smiley baby, and interact with absolutely everyone. Until they get too close to you, then the game's over. You don't let most people hold you, although the Mama Fever is kind of easing up. Maybe. A little. Okay, not really.

You have a slight problem with the biting. Really, you need to cut it out. I have little bite marks all over my shoulders, and it hurts! Some people think they can get away with anything just cause they're cute.

And yeah, you're really cute.

Happy 8 month-day, my baby bear.

Love,
Mama

Month 7

Dear Claire,

Today you are seven months old. It's been a really busy month. This month you really started taking off with the crawling. You still army crawl, not picking your tummy up off of the floor, but you're super quick.

You are eating like a champ. You still aren't too sure about the Puffs, but you think that the purees are awesome. For some odd reason, prunes are your favorite. And you've had the blow-outs to prove it.

You've still got those crazy blue eyes, and you are so chubby that everyone wants to eat you. Nom nom nom on the baby thighs.

You have seven teeth now, two on the bottom and four on the top. After your canines came in, the two middle teeth came in pretty quickly. So you weren't a vampire for long.
guess it's time to move you out of the bassinet. Since you can stand up in it and all. This month we started putting you to sleep in your own bed. Which is actually a pack and play in the office, because I really don't want you and your sister to wake each other up in the middle of the night.

Thank you for being part of my life. I love you so very much, sometimes it's painful. You smile all the time (unless someone else is holding you, you've got Mama Fever pretty bad) and you have this huge smile where you open your entire mouth and show everyone your tonsils.

Love,

Mama

Month 6

Dear Claire,

Today you are six months old. You are getting so very big, and you have a mind all your own. Determined, I think they call it, and I have no idea where you got it from. You are almost sitting, but generally find that there is somewhere you have to go before you sit still for very long.

You roll everywhere, and you have started creeping backwards on your tummy. You're going to start crawling any day now, you get up on your knees and elbows and launch yourself into a faceplant, then scream your frustrations into the carpet.

You still don't sleep through the night. But don't you worry. I'll get you back, when you least expect it.
You should probably not be sleeping in the bassinet anymore, since you're bigger than it is and all. Although you spend most of the night co-sleeping.

Your dad put the crib back up to baby-level, and it's all ready for you, and you will share a room with Sophie.

Except I don't want your 2am shenanigans to wake up your sister, because I don't need two of you up at that unholy hour.

You have started eating solids. You are very skeptical about the actual food, and you spit out more then you actually eat. You really enjoy getting a mouth full of bananas or squash and then blowing a raspberry to get it all over the room. I know you enjoy this because it makes you laugh.

You are quite enamoured with the spoon though.

You have four teeth, two on the bottom and two on the top. Although the two top teeth are, oddly enough, your canines instead of your middle two teeth. Therefore, we've decided that you're a vampire.

You aren't a fan of the carseat. You do like sitting in your jumperoo, and your highchair. You ride around for hours in the Baby Bjorn, looking at everything and everyone.

You are starting to enjoy swinging. We bought you a special baby swing for the swingset in the backyard, and spray you down with DEET before plopping you inside.

You are such a happy baby, you smile at everyone and everything. You're my little cuddler.

Love,

Mama

Claire Amanda, 27 1/4", 18 lbs 4 oz.

3 years

Dear Sophie,

Today you turned 3 years old. We had a party for you a few days ago, and all of our friends came over for a cook-out to celebrate. We had hot dogs, chorizo and hamburgers, and a bunch of other things. Everyone had a lot of fun playing, we had animal masks, bubbles and temporary tattoos to keep everyone occupied.

This has been a big year for you. You finalized the potty training (yay!) and started sleeping in your very own big girl bed. You are getting so big, and every day you look less like my baby and more like a little girl. Although you'll always be my baby.

You love stickers, and when given the option between coloring and stickers you always choose the stickers. You love books, and will want one book read over and over until you have it memorized, and only then will you move onto the next book. You love all things Dr. Suess, and adore the Cat in the Hat. You like to watch movies, and right now you are in love with the Princess and the Frog, all of the Toy Story movies, and Tangled.

Your favorite food right now is probably potato chips. But you'll tolerate salad, hot dogs, chicken and pasta. You'll eat pork chops, but only if we tell you it's chicken. I have been known to bribe you with lettuce to get you to try new things. You love pretty much everything salty, including different kinds of olives and feta cheese. You are a chocolate monster, but only chocolate candy peices (like kisses), you won't eat cake or cookies. Which means that there is more for me.

We joined the neighborhood pool this year, and you have been several times. You don't know how to swim, but you love jumping off of the side of the pool, and it's pretty amazing how you have absolutely no fear. You wear your "baby soup", and your sister wears her "diaper soup".

You still call me Mama, and you call Daddy "Da-ee" unless you call him "Dad-dy" with an English accent you picked up from watching too much TV. Your Abuelita is "Weeta", which I think is absolutely charming. And Claire? Clairt.

You talk so much now, it wears me out just thinking about it. You can spell your name, and now we're working on writing it. You're so smart and outgoing. We signed you up to start pre-school in the fall at St. Philip's, which is right down the street. You talk to everyone, and are not shy at all.

Happy birthday, baby.

Love,

Mama

Sophie Gloria, 3 years old

39 1/4 inches tall, 40.8 pounds

5 Months

Dear Claire,


Today you are 5 months old. What a ride it's been. You are such a happy baby, smiling at everyone you see and even some people you don't. You're an easy baby for me, content to ride around in the baby carrier and chill out most of the time.

Your two teeth are getting so very big, and next week we are going to start you on solids. I've already bought cereal and some beginning foods.

I can tell you're going to be a blast to be around. You love making faces and clowning around, and I just know you're going to be an outrageous person.

You have started rolling over in earnest. As in, to get places. You're on a mission. You're going to take over the world, and you're going to roll to get there. Which has also pretty much ruined my life, since I can't leave you anywhere anymore. You're not there anymore when I turn back around.

I think you look like your Daddy, but he thinks you look like me. Regardless, you're a beautiful baby, you get attention from everyone everywhere. Strangers stop on the street to get a better look at you. I know I may be biased, but only a little bit.

It's getting warm outside, and we're bracing for the DC humidity. You love to be outside, and we've had some good times hanging out on the deck and in the backyard. We've joined the neighborhood pool this summer, and we're going to have so much fun.

You and your sister are going to be two peas in a pod. It's great watching the two of you together. You watch her do everything, and laugh at everything she does.

And I love you, my baby Bear, my little Claire, with such completeness it's scary. You're still my little nuzzler, my cuddly, giggly, laughing baby, and you always will be.

Love,

Mama