Tulips

Here is a picture of Claire in the Harborview area of Baltimore in April. It was their early spring, and the tulips were in bloom. It looked like Holland. Claire loved all the colors!

Gelato

John and I took Claire with us to Baltimore in April, in order to attend the wedding of our friend, Christy. While in the Harborview area, Claire and I went to a cafe that sold several flavors of gelato. I chose the tiramisu gelato. I wasn't sure how Claire would like it. On the one hand, it was sweet. On the other, it was cold. Here is the progression of Claire's reactions.

Bottoms Up II

Claire still loves to sleep with her little bottom up in the air. Here is a picture of her from March, in which she is sleeping in her pack 'n' play while at the Hilton.

Swing Low

In March, while at Deborah's lake house, Claire and I sat on her porch swing outside on her upper, screened in balcony. As it is surrounded by trees, we felt like we were in a magical tree house. Claire was very happy and relaxed out there.

Pulling Up!

Claire began pulling up during the third week in March. John told me the news while I was away on a trip to Mobile. When I returned, I snuck into Claire's room while (I thought) she was taking a nap. She was awake, and when she saw me, she pulled up in her crib and just beamed at me. She had such a joyful smile. I picked her up and sat with her on the couch and discovered that she had also learned to hug! She hugs by sort of throwing herself onto my chest and laying her head down briefly. She now hugs her stuffed dog, Violet, by throwing herself onto it, laying on it, and sort of rolling back and forth.

Chocoholic

Just before Easter, Claire had her first taste of chocolate, courtesy of her Southern Meemaw, Deborah. While we visited with Deborah at her lake house, she pulled out a little egg carton that contained Russel Stover chocolate-covered marshmallow eggs. Claire absolutely loved them. She ate an entire egg and then spent the next hour crawling around the room at hyperspeed.