Belated Christmas Eve Entry

Claire Bear has had a busy past couple of weeks. She is now cross-crawling like a real baby, sitting intermittently and exploring her numerous toys. Her favorite toys are her wooden spoon, her stainless spoon (which she stole from Carrabas – really! I found it in her carrier hiding under her little leg after I brought her home), and her Winnie-ther-Pooh bear. She has starting “pointing” with her whole hand, most often at the dog, her best friend. She then shouts “ah-DAH!” This may mean “dog” or “Double” or “down you bad, bad dog!” We aren’t sure which. She also pants like a dog when she is happy and excited, usually flapping her little wings as she does so. Yesterday, Aunt Libby suggested that she may actually be mimicking Double, a disconcerting thought I had not yet considered.

Claire received a new baby sling from her Daddy on Tuesday. She now likes to be worn by me constantly … like a little mink! She rides on my hip and peeks out from under my left wing, observing everything around us.

Over the course of three days, Claire ate an entire jar of baby food chicken and sweet potatoes. Her favorite food is still bananas, although I limit her to two ounces per day. Otherwise, she gets constipated (TMI?). She now regularly uses the sign for “milk,” which she started doing at six months and one week old. She understands the word for “cat.” When I say it she looks straight at the doorway, trying to find the cat.

On December 23rd, Claire received her first banjo lesson from Patrick. She strummed the banjo and banged her wooden and “hot” spoons together. As a result, she is now an official member of a bluegrass band. There are several presents under the Fraser fir tree this year, many of them for Claire … but Santa has not come yet, of course. Grambee sent her a beautiful, rose-colored, silk, knitted stocking with pretty embellishments.