10 months

I can't believe Claire is 10 months!  I've even started thinking about her 1st birthday!  Once Christmas is done that will be the next thing I work on.  This has been a fun age.  Claire is now very mobile and gets into everything.  She is extremely curious and loves to explore our house.

Look at those teeth!

Adorable!

10 months:

• Claire now says "ma ma" and "da da" and means it (most of the time).  "Da da" was definitely her first word.  When we walk down the hall Claire will point at our wedding picture on the wall and say "Da!"  It's so cute.  She usually just says "ma ma" when she is in distress and needs help with something. 
• Claire is now a pro crawler.  She figured out the real way to crawl and crawls everywhere.  
• She loves to crawl to our garbage cans and dump them over. 
• If I leave Claire in her room to go wash my hands or do something quick she will usually always crawl out to the hall and come looking for me.  Or if we're playing in her room and she knows Dan is in the other room she will crawl out there to look for him.  
•  She now pulls herself to standing on everything.  She stands in her crib a lot and she even likes to pull to standing on us!  I got her a cute little table with toys on it for Christmas and I ended up giving it to her early so she would have something to stand on.  
• Claire now points at things she wants, especially when we're eating.  It's kind of nice to know what she wants.  Of course she always points at what Dan and I are eating and wants a bite.  She will also point at which book she wants me to read her.  
• She loves her books that have flaps where she can lift the flap and see what is under.  
• Claire climbed 2 stairs this month!  She crawled to the bottom of our stairs and I wondered if she would try to get up them and she did.  After 2 she was done and wanted to be carried the rest of the way.
• This month she became a really good napper.  She finally started consistently taking two long naps each day and goes down without crying majority of the time (except when she's teething).
• She learned how to wave a while ago but kind of stopped doing it, then towards the end of this month she started waving again all the time!  Pretty much at everyone she sees, even random people at the store.  
• Claire always claps when we sing.  I love it.  
• A few foods she really likes are toast, scrambled eggs, fruit, beans, tortillas, avocado, anything sweet!
• Claire had her first Thanksgiving.  My parents and my sister and her husband all came here.  Claire had turkey, rolls, mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes.  She also loved all the attention she got! 
• Claire also got to play in the snow for the very first time.  She always seems happy outside, the cold must not bother her.  
• We took her to see lights at the temple and she loved it.  She also loves to point at the lights on our Christmas tree.  

We love you, sweet Claire!
 

Snow Day

We are having quite the snow storm in St. George today!  This will be our 4th winter here and this is by far the most snow I have ever seen.  It usually snows once or twice a winter about an inch and melts by noon.  I think we have about 6 inches outside.  They even cancelled church tomorrow because St. George doesn't own any snow plows to plow the road so they are telling everyone to stay inside and not drive anywhere.

Luckily I bought Claire boots and gloves this past week!  We decided to take her out for her very first snow experience this afternoon.  She was all smiles (except when I took pictures, haha)!

We walked up the street and saw our neighbors making a huge snowman.

They needed Dan's help getting it all put together!

Cute snow baby and snow dad!

9 months

Everyone is telling me this sweet little 9 month old is no longer looking like a baby :(  it's so sad!  I even had to buy 12 month pajamas and at Target they are no longer in the infant section, I had to go to the toddler section.  I was not ready for that!  Regardless this girl is still as cute as ever!

I love this photo, I wish it wasn't blurry!

9 month stats:

• Claire now knows how to clap.  It is so cute!  She claps at dinner, she claps in her bed, she claps when Dan plays the piano, she also claps when I sing "Popcorn Popping" or "Do As I'm Doing."  
• She has discovered door stoppers and loves playing with them!  I had to remove the white end part or it'll go right in her mouth.  
• Claire can give five.  If you hold her hand out she'll usually hit it over and over lots of times.  
• She can pull herself to standing usually on our ottoman.  
• Claire will use her little pointer finger to point at things, usually pictures in her book.  
• This past month Claire suffered her 1st ear infection.  It caused a few sleepless nights for us both.  Unfortunately she currently has her 2nd ear infection.  They are rough!  
• She has learned to army crawl and it gets her where she needs to go.  Sometimes she will get up on all 4s and attempt real crawling, but she seems mostly content with going everywhere on her belly.  
• Claire enjoyed her first Halloween and was a cute little bumble bee.  
• She likes to smack her lips and make funny sounds.  She also vibrates her lips (not sure of a better way to describe that).  
• One day I was talking to my sister on the phone and she climbed right up in my face and bit my nose!  I couldn't stop laughing.  
• She no longer smiles for strangers, she usually just stares at them.  
• Claire loves Costco muffins!  She wants to eat every last crumb and cries when I throw the wrapper away.  
• She is starting to eat more table foods and has become a little more picky.  She will no longer eat squash or green beans.  
• She "sings" along to the radio and Dan playing the piano.  
• Her cousin Calvin came for a visit (he's 6 weeks older) and they had fun grabbing each other's faces and hair and holding hands.  
• We got a trampoline and Claire really enjoyed bouncing on it with me.  
• For my birthday Claire got to ride the carousel.  She smiled quite a bit!  She rode it a 2nd time when Calvin was here, but was too tired to smile.  
• She also tried some of my pumpkin birthday cake and loved it!  This girl already has a sweet tooth.  
• Occasionally when she says "mama" or "dada" I think she is associating it with us, but still not quite sure.  The other day Dan walked in the room and she looked at him and said "dada".  But she tends to say those sounds a lot, so it's hard to know!  
• She likes playing with this Sesame Street toy that makes sounds, she also likes her nesting cups, her toy piano, and cars.  
• When she's not sick, she's a good sleeper.  She still takes 2 naps (totaling about 2 hrs each day) and sleeps from 7 pm to 6 am, eats, then sleeps til 8 or 8:30.  

Aside from being sick, we had a fun month!  Claire is always surprising us with her new skills!  We love her so much.  

Birthday Weekend: Sunday (My Actual Birthday)

On my actual birthday we got up and Dan made me breakfast, we then got ready for church.  After church Jannifer and Danny had lunch we us, played the new game they gave me (thanks Jannifer, Danny, Noelle & Jared), and then left for Vegas.  They also brought a present from my parents (Piano Guys 2 CD and Cold Stone gift card) and Dan got me a diamond ring for my right hand.  I was spoiled!

That evening Dan's Mom made me a yummy pizza dinner with the most delicious pumpkin birthday cake.  His parents also got me a fun cookbook.  It was a great birthday!

They got me the game, Thurns & Taxis.  We love new games!

27!

Happy Birthday to me :)

Even Claire tried some pumpkin cake!

So yummy!  Recipe found here.

Thanks to everyone who made my birthday a great one!

Just buzzing by to say...

With her buddy, Darren.

Cutest little bee I ever did see!

Birthday Weekend: Saturday

On Saturday we went to breakfast for my birthday at the Black Bear Diner.  If you are ever in town you should go there because they have the yummiest pancakes!  Plus they gave me a free birthday meal :).  Dan had this awesome surprise planned but unfortunately it didn't work out.  His gift to me this year was a glass tile back splash in our kitchen; something I have been wanting ever since we moved in.  Well he had planned to have them start to install it while we were at breakfast, then I would come home to it partially done.  Unfortunately the tile he picked had to be sent from California and took forever to get here.  He even tried to overnight it but they said no.  So... he told me about his awesome plan while at breakfast and finally a week later they are starting on our back splash.  I will post a pic once it's finished.

After breakfast we came home for the baby to nap.  That afternoon my sister, Jannifer, and her husband, Danny, stopped by on their way to Vegas.  They joined us for the rest of my birthday festivities that day.

We took Claire to the carousel for her first time:

She really did like it, even though she never smiled while Dan was taking pictures.

Jannifer is clearly having the most fun! I was just trying to make sure Claire didn't fall off the horse.

That night we went to dinner at one of my favorite Mexican restaurants while Claire stayed at Grammie & Papa Joe's house.  Thanks to them and Andrew & Jess and their kids for keeping Claire entertained!  I don't even think she noticed we were gone.

We then finished the night off with delicious Sweet Tooth Fairy cupcakes, one of my favorites!

Happy 27th to me!

Delicious and pretty!

And then of course we played games with Janni and Danny; one of our favorite things to do while guests are in town!

Birthday Weekend: Friday

On my birthday weekend we headed to a nearby pumpkin patch/farm with Dan's family.  We had a fun evening together even though we thought it cost too much :).  I told Dan we really needed to start our own Halloween attraction to compete with them because there really aren't many down here.  I'm sure we never will, but somebody should!

Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures with cousins, these pretty much just document Claire's experience at the pumpkin patch:

Watching the animals

Riding the tractor

Petting zoo area

On the hayride

Family photo!  I really like this picture of us especially with the beautiful red rock in the background.

8 months

How is my baby already 8 months?  I have to say, this month was by far the most difficult taking her monthly pictures.  Dan was helping me and we had to do everything we could to get her to not roll over or jump out of the chair.  We didn't even worry too much about catching a smile because we were so busy just trying to get Claire to look at the camera!  This girl is a busy one, always moving and exploring.

This past month has been a fun one.  Claire is so cute and interactive!  She has learned so much this past month.  Here are her 8 month facts:

• Claire can now wave, and it is adorable!  Dan and I are always waving to her just so we can see her cute little wave.  
• Her first bottom tooth poked through this past month.  Her 2nd tooth is close behind.  
• She can say "mama" and "dada" but doesn't really associate those words with us.  
• When I walk over to her, she now lifts her arms for me to pick her up.  Even when I'm not planning on picking her up, she lifts her arms whenever I get close.  
• She plays peek a boo with her burp cloth, towel, bib, blanket, etc.  She thinks it is so funny and always gets a huge smile when she does it.  
• Claire can now sit in the shopping cart and in high chairs at restaurants.  It is so nice!
• We got her a new convertible carseat so she can sit more upright.  She still fit her infant seat but was always trying to sit up in it!
• She loves Gerber Puffs!  She would eat the whole bottle if we let her.  She is really good at grabbing them and feeding herself.  They have been a really great way to keep her happy at dinner or quiet in church.  
• She shakes her head no and it's so cute!
• Claire will roll a ball back and forth with us.  
• She is trying to crawl!  She gets on all 4s and rocks back and forth.  We're sure it'll happen any day now.  Then we will really need to baby proof!
• She loves splashing around in the bath.  
• She likes standing up on the couch (with some assistance).
• Claire can drink out of a straw and really loves when I give her apple juice (which isn't very often).  I wasn't sure if she would know what to do with a straw, but she figured it out pretty quick!

Claire has the cutest smile and is usually pretty happy (except when super tired or teething).  Our friends visited last week and she loved playing w/ their boys and they were amazed at how smiley she is all the time.  We love our smiley girl!  

Update

I think it's high time for an update on our family.  It's something I don't do all that often aside from Claire's monthly updates.  It's about time I talk about all of us on this blog :).  But we will start with the star of the show, of course...

Here is a pretty good picture to sum up Claire:

She truly is the Princess of the house, but we wouldn't have it any other way.  Some might call us a little obsessed, but it's hard not to be with a face like that!  She probably gets tired of us kissing her sweet cheeks all day long.  People are constantly telling me how beautiful this girl's big blue eyes are and I completely agree.  She is very alert and loves looking around at everything.  

This past month Claire has been learning so much!  She isn't crawling yet, but is getting very close.  She now plays peek a boo with us and is learning to wave.  She's also getting her first tooth.  Time is really flying!  She is very content and smiley most of the time.  The minute Dan walks in the room she gives him the biggest smiles.  She is a great eater and loves almost everything she has tried.  Her new favorite snack are Gerber Puffs.  She could probably eat a whole container in one day.  Whenever I pull them out of the pantry she kicks her legs and gets so excited.  She is so much fun to be around, she brings so much joy into our home.  We can't imagine life without her.

Dan is busy maintaining his internet businesses while constantly coming up with new business ideas.  He just started his own web design company (www.thundersparkwebdesign.com) and also started a business with his friend selling specialty wrenches (www.cheaterwrench.com).  His next big idea is to start a roller rink in St. George.  We have gotten lots of feedback from the community saying they would love something like this.  St. George is really in need of a place for teens and tweens to hang out.  We have a couple fun centers but they kinda stink.  Dan has been searching high and low for a building that would work for the roller rink but has so far been unsuccessful.  Most buildings are too small or have lots of poles in the middle.  Dan has always loved hockey and I'm sure he will eventually find a way to bring it to St. George.  Aside from all that business stuff he is busy as a counselor in the Young Men's Presidency in our ward.  He comes up with great lessons to keep the deacons interested and he faithfully attends mutual each week.  He told me it has been one of his favorite callings so far.  

As for me, I am happy being a mom and a wife.  I feel like Claire and I are finally in a good routine and I think all my pregnancy/child birth hormones have settled down and I feel like myself again.  Claire and I try to go walking almost every day with different friends from the neighborhood.  There are tons of babies Claire's age to keep us company.  I also watch my friend's girls 2 days a week.  They are 3 and 5 and so far it's going really well.  They love Claire and constantly want to hug her and hold her.  They always say things like "This baby is SO cute!" or "I wish this was MY baby!"  They are funny and Claire enjoys being around them.  Aside from keeping the baby happy, I try to keep our home in order and I occasionally find time to craft or try one of my many Pinterest pins.  I just decorated for Halloween and I am SO excited for the holidays!  October is my absolute favorite month because it's my birthday (19 days away) and Halloween.  I am starting to get our costumes put together, but you'll have to wait and see what they are.  I'm also looking forward to hosting Thanksgiving this year with my side of the family and I can't wait for the Christmas season.  I think it'll be even more special this year because it's the first year we get to share it with our baby girl.    

That's it for us, life is great! 

7 months

It's that time again, another month has gone by!  Claire is now 7 months old.  I feel like she has really grown up a lot since her last pictures.

As you can see, this is the first picture where she is sitting up in the chair.  She no longer needs to lean back. This girl is a pro at sitting now!  Here are a few more facts about Claire at 7 months...

• She loves to grab EVERYTHING.  Her #1 favorite thing to grab is my hair.  She gets the biggest smile on her face as she wraps her hands around it.  And then she proceeds to put it in her mouth, yuck!  I finally cut it even shorter because it was driving me a little crazy.  Even when my hair was pulled back, she still managed to grab some of it.  She also loves to grab our phones, the remote, my wedding ring, buttons on shirts, and whatever food we are eating.  
• She has now tried quite a few solids and eats 2 solid meals a day (breakfast & dinner).  She really liked when I mixed peaches and yogurt, she also loved her first taste of chicken and apples (sounded like a weird combo to me).  
• Claire can hold a sippy cup all by herself.
• If I take out my phone to take a picture and say "smile" Claire usually will, at least for a few seconds before she gets distracted.  
• She rolls all over the place now.  She can roll across the whole room.  Once she reaches the wall she just keeps trying to roll!  She has also tried to steamroller me when laying on our bed.  
• Claire loves looking at herself in the mirror.  She hits the mirror and gets all excited as she chats away with her reflection.
• We finally got her to laugh for real, no more little giggles.  Dan was kissing her tummy and got her to laugh.  It was so cute!
• Lately the sounds she has been making are "ba" and "da".  It sometimes sounds like she says "hi Dad". 
• She is finally starting to take longer naps, not always but if I'm lucky she'll sleep anywhere from 1-2 hours.  Before it was 45 min.  She still takes 2-3 naps a day.  
• Claire was doing really well at sleeping through the night.  However, this past month she has started waking up around 3 am almost every night.  Hopefully she'll go back to her old ways soon!  
• She can't move forward or backward on her tummy, but she can pivot.  Her mix of rolling and pivoting gets her to where she needs to go. 
• Claire will no longer nap at church.  It makes for a long 3 hours.  
• Her favorite toys are her blocks, this little stuffed Easter chick, this vibrating bird, and this dog with a chime in it.
• She likes being in her exersaucer. 
• Claire loves to use her voice, she talks, yells, screams, etc.  She likes to make sure she gets our attention.  
• She always gets a huge smile on her face when Dan comes home from work.   
• Claire has started to cry when I leave the room.  
• She likes other kids.  I babysit these 2 girls and she loves watching them and giving them big smiles.
• This past month Claire got her very first cold.  It was sad but we all survived.    

I know this is a long one, but I don't want to forget anything!  This has been a really fun age.  Claire is really smiley and usually pretty content.  We love our precious girl! 

Family Pictures

All my Mom wanted for her birthday this year was an updated family picture.  The last family picture we took was before their mission, about 6 years ago.  Since then 4 in laws have joined the family and 10 grandkids.  We were definitely due for a new pic!  My brother in law, Jared, took the pictures for us and did an awesome job.  Here are a few of my favorites:

Our family of 3.  Claire looks so cute!

My baby girl!

Cal & Claire with Grandma & Grandpa.

The original Hemingway family.

The whole group!  That's right, 11 grandsons and 1 granddaughter!

Sister pyramid!

Claire with Grandpa.

The 3 sisters with Dad!  And yes, those are our natural hair colors.

Me with my parents and siblings.

My loves :)

With our amazing, beautiful Mom!

It was fun celebrating my Mom's birthday with everyone and getting some updated pictures.

6 months

Can you believe my baby is half a year old already?  I definitely can't.  This girl is such a sweetie!

Here are Claire's 6 month facts:

• Claire has started solids!  So far she has liked everything we have given her.  I think she has enjoyed bananas and sweet potatoes the most (yep, sweet tooth!).
• After she eats her solids she likes to play with the spoon and the bowl.  She also attempts to feed herself.
• She is getting better at sitting up.  She is still a little unstable so I always sit close by, but she is doing awesome.
• When laying in her bath support, our laps, on the floor, etc... she is always trying to sit up but is not quite there yet.
• Sometimes after nursing she will calmly lay in my lap and just coo.  It is the cutest thing and I love it.  She seems so content!
• Claire can roll both ways.  She rolls all the time now, especially in her bed.
• Claire is a tummy sleeper.  
• When on her tummy she tries to scoot, but can't move too much yet.  
• This girl loves tags.  Tags on blankets, clothes, toys, etc... she likes the tag more than the item I'm pretty sure.  She loves chewing on them!
• She gives us the funniest reaction when we blow in her face, she acts so surprised!
• Sometimes she takes her pacifier out of her mouth and tries to put it in our mouth.  She is good at sharing!
• She sleeps 10 hours straight, eats, then sleeps 2 more.  She is an awesome night sleeper!  She is also good at self soothing and going right to sleep (most nights).  
• At her 6 month appointment we found out that she is pretty average size.  She is 50-60 percentile in weight and height.  
• We still wonder what color her hair is going to be.  It looks different every day!  I also feel like her hair is getting a little thicker. 

She is the sweetest, cutest girl.  6 months is a really fun age.  She is so interactive and we love getting her to smile and play! 

5 months

My sweet little baby is already 5 months old!  She is growing too fast!  This past month she learned quite a few new skills.  We even bought a baby gate in preparation for what's up ahead.  Here she is...

5 month facts:

• We went on Claire's 2nd road trip to Northern Utah and she did awesome again.  She is really great in the car.
• Claire's new favorite pastime is sucking on her toes!  She does it all the time.
• This past month Claire learned how to roll over.  She has rolled over from tummy to back twice and hasn't done it since.  Dan still hasn't seen her roll over.  In the past week she learned how to roll from back to tummy but only does it in her crib.  Neither of us have actually seen her do it in person, only on the baby monitor.  So now she rolls to her tummy, gets stuck and then cries for help.  I spent all last night rolling her back to her back!  I'm hoping she'll get better at tummy to back soon so I won't always have to help her.  
• She sleeps on her side almost all the time now.
• She is still a great night sleeper and is getting better at nap time.  We are slowly working on teaching her how to put herself to sleep.  
• Claire loves playing with this little bird on her car seat.  If you pull it, it vibrates.  It keeps her entertained in the car.
• She now responds to her name when you call her.  
• She doesn't really laugh yet, but still gives big smiles if you talk to her.  
• Claire sits great in her bumbo.
• When we hold her she likes to stand so she can look around at everything. 
• She spits up a lot. 
• We haven't started solids yet, but probably will soon.  She is acting ready and always pays attention to what we are eating. 
• She likes listening to Dan play the piano.
• She gets excited when Dan comes home from work.  
• She is pretty much content unless she is tired.  
• Claire went swimming for her first time and loved it.  
• When she's on her tummy she moves her arms and legs a lot, I can tell she is getting close to scooting. 
• She loves to touch my hair. 
• She likes when we dance with her.  
• She thinks it's funny when we pretend to eat her fingers and toes.  
• She loves my phone and I have taught her how to swipe through the pictures, she doesn't do it perfectly, but she tries! 
• For a few days she would stick out her tongue and spit, I think she liked how it felt, but she hasn't done it in a week or so.  

Claire is just a little sweetheart!  We love her SO much! 

Swimming

Claire went swimming for her very first time yesterday at our neighborhood pool.  I wasn't sure how she would react but the minute I put her in her float she laid back and was all smiles!  It was so cute.  She loved relaxing in the pool.  I love the float we got for her.  It's so nice because she can sit in it and it has a shade cover.  We were only in the water for about 20 minutes and then she was done, but I think we will be making a lot more trips to the pool this summer.  On the walk home she fell asleep, guess all that swimming wore her out.

Here she is in the pool... she is so stinkin cute!

Loving the pool!

Baby and me :)

Family Reunion

Last weekend we headed to Northern Utah for a little family reunion for my mom's side of the family.  We ate, we visited, we had a talent show, and we shopped at "grandpa's store" (which they used to do when I was a kid and the tradition still continues... everything costs a penny!)  It was also fun for Claire to get to know my family a little bit better.

Us!  I chopped my hair off... got sick of baby pulling it!

Sweet Claire baby

Danny (bro-in law) and Tim (brother) sharing their skills

More sweet baby.  Love that face!  Her hair looks so red in this pic.

The kids were supposed to wear superhero costumes... here's Cal, the cutest little Clark Kent/Superman I have ever seen!

My Dad on the guitar... my family is so talented.

Cute parents!

Nephew Chase and his new gun.

Katie & Riley aka Captain America!

Me and my sis, Noelle, with our babies!

Croquet game!  Dan got 2nd place.

Cousins getting to know each other.  They are both so cute!

Claire and Great Grandma Western.

Claire and my sister, Jannifer, they match!  So cute!

Claire with Grandpa Hemingway.

4 Generations!

Dan showing off his amazing piano skills.

Claire in the car.  She did awesome on both drives!

* Thanks to Jannifer & Jared for letting me use some of your pics :)