On the Move

This is how Claire gets around. It's really fun to watch in fast forward.

Bumps and Bruises

As I was taking the photo above, Claire fell face-forward onto the hardwood floor. I think it traumatized me more than Claire. I scooped her up and hugged her tightly as she cried. The crying didn't last longer than a minute, but the bump on her face became more red and raised as the day progressed. I know it will be the first of many, but it's still painful to think about.


Andrew, Claire, and I went to my aunt and uncle's lake house this afternoon to enjoy the beautiful weather and delicious chili that my aunt and cousin made. My mom, "aunt" Dotty, and "uncle" Greg, were also there and were happily entertained by Claire until she became hungry and tired.

My aunt Jane and Claire look great in red.
My uncle Robbie figured Claire would be most content if she didn't see who was holding her.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We spent Thanksgiving with my sister's family in Cincinnati. They had an incredible meal for us. Claire is looking forward to next year when she can eat more than just the sweet potatoes. The day seemed to get away from me so fast that I didn't take very many photos. Here are a couple.

8 Months Old

This eighth month has been so much fun, but also a little tiring. Claire has had a cold for almost a week now and wakes up in the middle of the night coughing and crying. She isn't bothered by her symptoms during the day though and continues being her cute self.

Claire isn't crawling quite yet, but certainly doesn't stay in a fixed position either. She scoots, wiggles, and makes pretty good headway toward something when she wants to. She loves to take her socks off and chew on them and occasionally she'll suck on her toes.

Claire has six teeth now and loves to tap them together or bite her spoon while eating. This makes nursing somewhat less enjoyable for me. We'll see how long I can last before we use only the stored milk.

No one can make Claire chuckle louder than her Daddy. She finds most everything he does absolutely hilarious. Second to Andrew, Molly can make Claire giggle by licking Claire's toes. Another adorable Claire fact is that she is all about hugging. Whether it's your arm, neck, face, chest, she loves to hug. WE LOVE IT!

Another Cold

Claire woke up early Friday morning with a slight fever and runny nose. She was still very happy greeting us with big smiles, but it made eating and nursing a little difficult. She is doing better today with a mild cough and runny nose. In the photo below we tried to catch her in the act of sucking on her toes (one of her new favorites), but as usual she is interested in the camera as soon as it is pointed in her direction.