Picnic and Painting

We had some friends over for outside playtime and a picnic lunch Friday.  I love having a back yard!

 Claire got to help Daddy paint her room.

And a video...

James Working Puzzles

I know that a video of James working puzzles isn't the most exciting thing to watch, but I'm so proud of how well he's doing that I could watch him all day!  He's getting so grown up.

Claire's First Date Night

(written by Matt)

Chick-fil-a's Daddy Daughter date night is a pretty special treat. The front of the restaurant is set apart with tablecloths and centerpieces with tiny glass candle holders, beads, and electric candles (Claire really wanted to play with the beads). We arrived a little late for our seating time and were shown to a table where we were handed place mats, menus, and crayons. I'm glad that we had given Claire a rose before we left because I think every girl in the restaurant had a rose, and she was enjoying it quite a bit so it's good she wasn't left out; I later found out that these were given out as people walked in so we got one from the next batch and she was super excited to have "TWO FLOWERS!"

The tablecloth was white paper for coloring and the placemats were blue and pink with conversation starter questions on them (favorite things, stories from Daddy when he was a boy, etc.); I laughed at first but this is probably a good idea. Claire was having so much fun coloring that she didn't want to order food the first time the waitress came around. The staff was doing their best to imitate a sit-down restaurant but I witnessed enough simple mistakes to gain a renewed appreciation for the difficulties of waited food service.

I ordered chicken fingers for Claire and a sandwich for myself. We spent a little time talking about our favorite things but keeping track of the crayons was enough conversation to keep us busy without the bother of anything else. When the food came, there was much discussion about what to do with the extra ketchup packet and Chick-fil-a sauce that weren't being used. We finally decided to open the extra sauce and Claire declared that it would be fun to dip chicken and/or fries two times, in both her ketchup and the sauce.

Midway through the meal, I noticed that other tables had started ordering desert. Amazingly, Claire didn't pick up on this. When we were through I asked for a dessert menu and they provided one that wisely had a picture of each one. First she wanted the cake (a brownie) but then wanted the cookie; before we ordered I had suggested ice cream which got her really excited. We ordered a cookie and small sunday. Upon arrival she gleefully reached for the cookie (too hot to handle at first) and I offered her the cherry on the sunday which she gobbled up. When I began to break apart the cookie to cool it down, Claire grabbed the spoon and began chowing down the sunday. When I asked for a bite of the sunday she began devouring the cookie. Then the check came and as I tended to paying she alternated between the two. I asked for a bite of ice cream again and she would say "don't eat it all," or I took a bite of cookie and she would say "I want some cookie too." When she arrived home, cookie and ice cream would be her favorite things of the night.

There was a Chick-fil-a cow there too. He appeared earlier while we were eating and she became very excited. She was happy to go see him up close but became very timid as we approached. The staff took our picture next to the cow (not my camera) and she stared him down. When we returned to our seats, she had forgotten all about being nervous and was excited about the cow again. During desert, the cow appeared once more and she was elated to see him. On our way out, she walked right up to the cow and gave him a high-five and a hug. Nevermind the restaurant mascot; I'm so proud of her for being able to work through a minor fear like that in a relatively short time.

Feeling Crafty

These are the Valentines that Claire is going to take to preschool tomorrow.  The drink is fruit punch and the card says "I'm pleased as PUNCH to have you as my friend!"  Claire put on the stickers, colored one side, and helped glue the paper.

I decided to try making Claire some hair bows. For the first one, I followed an online tutorial and it turned out pretty well, except that I finished and realized that it's way too big for Claire's head!  I guess she'll grow into it!  The others are much more proportionate. 

Atlanta Children's Museum

It's been so rainy lately, that we look for any chance we can to go outside, even if it means bundling up.  James in particular loves to be out.  If I mention the word "outside" he runs (yes, he runs everywhere now) over to the sliding doors and says "a-side, a-side, a-side."  He loves to go down the slide.  He can't climb up by himself, so when he gets to the bottom, he vigorously signs "please" until I put him at the top again.  He can scootch himself forward and go down by himself.  When he wears this hat, Claire says that he looks like a reindeer. 

We took a Saturday morning to visit the Atlanta Children's Museum for the first time.  The kids had fun exploring the exhibits.  Claire's favorite seemed to be playing at the big water table.

This picture amuses me because it captures James following Claire.  Anytime we're at the park or playground, he is right behind her--confident that he can do anything she can. He keeps me on my toes!

James 15 Months, Claire 34 Months

Can I have a drum-roll please? *Insert drum-roll sound here* I am happy to announce that James is sleeping through the night!!!!  It was a long 14 month process, but we made it!  We didn't change anything or do anything differently.  We had tried everything and pretty much given up hope.  He's a very light sleeper and still wakes up and cries, but those times have gotten shorter and more sporadic and I haven't had to go in to comfort him or listen to hours of crying for a few weeks now.  It is such a relief to be through that rough stage.

James has really had a fun month.  He is able to communicate with us so much more.  He's added many new words and a few new signs (drink, up, more).  He understand the phrase "Can you say...?" and will try to imitate what he hears--often getting it pretty close.  James loves to play with puzzles now.  He has transitioned from just taking the pieces out to being able to work most of them.  He shows remarkable patience as he sits at the activity table working puzzle after puzzle.  He also loves books--especially if there is a truck or tractor involved.  James get a kick out of peek-a-boo and loves to peek into a room, laugh, disappear down the hall and reappear a minute later to repeat the process.  He adores Claire and is constantly trying to hug/tackle her.

James is an incredibly picky eater.  We have to sneak fruits and veggies into his yogurt or oatmeal, and even then he often rejects it.  He eats raisins, oatmeal, yogurt, and cheese consistently, but we never know about anything else.  I just continue to offer the healthy food and look forward to the day when we can bribe negotiate with him.

James has eight teeth (plus the tips of two molars poking through), wears size 18 month clothing, and size 4 diapers.  He sleeps from about 7:45 pm until about 7:00 am and naps for about 90 minutes each afternoon.  Every sleep period begins and ends with crying, and he often wakes up quite grumpy.

Claire is growing up right before our eyes.  This month she went on her first date with Daddy.  Pictures will follow.  Claire asks questions about everything--mainly "Why?"  She is always thinking.  Two funny conversations from this month:

Me: Well we probably won't go to see him for several days.
Claire: How do you count to several?

And following a discussion about the Fruit of the Spirit, she said "Goodness is when you cough."  It took me a minute to figure out that I must say "Goodness!" if she coughs really hard.

Claire plays very very well independently.  She can play with something for long stretches of time and her imagination works hard.  Claire has started working her first "real" puzzles.  She also enjoys books, dolls, play food, her reusable sticker games, and her dollhouse.

Claire wears size 3T clothing and is in diapers at night.  She sleeps from 8:00 pm until about 7:30 am.  She doesn't always nap, but when she does, it's usually over two hours.