One year old

Claire,

Happy 1 year Birthday! I spent the whole day remembering your birth. I remember feeling so anxious the night before you were born. We were at the hospital at 5:30am to start the induction process. We were so excited/nervous. After we filled out all of our paperwork, we headed up to our room. Dr. Tsaltas broke my water and started the pitocin. We waited and waited. The contractions started, and I decided I would wait a little while for the epidural. That did not last too long..after 2 hours, I was ready for the epidural. We waited some more and while we waited, we had many visitors. (GG, Papa Mark, Mimi, Papa, Aunt Amanda, Jason, Ali, Dave and Erica) I thought I was slowly progressing and was not the least bit worried. At 3:30, Dr. Tsaltas came to check on us. He said that you were stuck, and he would schedule a c-section within the next hour. They wheeled me back around 5:00pm. You were born at 5:33pm. We are such proud parents! We can't express the love and joy you bring to our lives.

At 1 year old:

• You weigh 22.4 lbs and are 29.5 inches (both the 50%)
• You are walking and running everywhere.
• You love to wave bye-bye.
• You can say Mama, Dada, and Da= dog.
• You like to Moo, baa, bark, and hiss like a kitty cat.
• You love to eat fruit cups, green beans, cheese, yogurt, and cheerios.
• You have a beautiful 6 teeth smile and the sweetest laugh.
• You still love peek a boo.
• You refuse to drink whole milk, but are still a busy nurser.
• You nap in your crib and spend the night sleeping with mommy and daddy.

We love you so much Claire bear!

Breakfast with Santa!

Claire finally got to meet Santa on Saturday! She seemed pretty interested.

December NEWS

We have recently had to get child-safety locks for all of the kitchen cabinets because a certain someone was beginning to get curious. She is especially fond of the Tupperware cabinet. Which is now hers to play in.

We are so excited about Claire's first Christmas,

here are some of the decorations.

Ali and Jason were in town this weekend

and we all put up the Christmas tree with

the help of Papa Mark.

Here are the videos everyone's been asking about. I think you will find them as cute as we do!

First Steps

Claire took her first steps on Sunday night. I will update with pictures soon. (we have yet to be able to capture it on film)

Claire's First Halloween

We had a great time visiting family members for Claire's first Halloween. Enjoy the pictures!

An Overdue Post

What have we been up to?

I started back to work on October 5th. I am working at Support Solutions which is an agency that provides supported living for individuals with intellectual disabilities. I love my new job!

Before returning to work, Harry and I searched for a sitter. We were so lucky to have such an amazing sitter in Knoxville. She set the bar high which made it difficult to find someone here. I know we had many people praying for our family and God provided. One of my best friends that I grew up with is home preparing to go to nursing school so it worked out perfectly for her to watch Claire. Julia is great with her which gives me peace during my days at work.

On my first day back to work, Harry had to take Claire to the doctor. She had her first ear infection. She loved the antibiotic that she was given, but it hurt her tummy and also her little bottom. Her ear is healed, but we are still working on her bottom.

Last night after Wednesday night dinner, we headed to our church's Pumpkin Patch. Claire had a photo session with her Mimi and the Uran's. She looks like such a big girl in all of the pictures. I hope you enjoy them!

River fun, Tailgating, and Wedding

Here is the picture that I promised with Claire's first tooth. This past weekend I was in my cousin Beth's wedding. Since I was getting ready with the bridesmaids, Jason and Harry were in charge of getting Claire ready and they took this sweet picture. The wedding was lots of fun. Because of the massive amounts of rain we have received lately, they moved it to a rodeo arena at the last minute. It was beautiful! While the guests watched the couple pronounce their vows, they saw horses gazing in the background. The reception was held at the arena as well. The food was spectacular. My uncle Gary had grilled barbecue the night before and the grooms family brought authentic Korean food. After dinner, the couple danced the night away with their friends and family. Congrats Beth and Alex! We love you.

Here is Claire and Ali at Claire's first UT tailgate. We had a great time, but have decided to wait til next season to tailgate on campus again. I think the noise from the fans was a little much for her.

While in Knoxville, Claire went on her first boat ride. She loved it! She looked like a little marsh mellow puff in her life jacket swimsuit.

First Tooth

Yesterday, Claire's first tooth finally came in. It is the bottom right incisor. Once it pops up a little higher, I will post a picture.

St. Louis

Last Thursday we headed out for a trip with the Durbin crew to St. Louis. Of course we had to stop at Lamberts on the way to enjoy some thrown rolls and fried okra. (among other home cooked foods) Claire was a fantastic traveler/vacationer. Friday we saw the arch, went bowling, walked around downtown, and Claire experienced her first baseball game. She did great! She really enjoyed watching all the people, but was a bit scared by the loud cheering. At the 7th inning, she was ready to go, so Harry and I headed back to the hotel. On Saturday morning, Claire had another first...her first theme park, Six Flags. Mimi and Papa watched her while we enjoyed the water park and a few roller coasters. We headed back to the stadium to watch the Cardinals beat the Nationals again. Claire was a true fan dressed in her cute pink Cardinals gear.

Pulling up

On Friday Claire pulled up for the first time all by herself. She crawled over to the couch, pulled herself up, and then patted her hands on the couch and smiled. You could tell she was so proud of herself. She is also enjoying playing games like Ride a Little Pony and Peek A Boo. She had so much fun playing with GG today.

Claire has also started eating a new food for breakfast this past week, Yo Baby Yogurt. I have finally found a food she doesn't like. She spits out the apple flavor and makes a horrible face. Luckily, she really likes the blueberry. This week we will try the peach and pear flavors.

After having a conversation with a friend Friday night about how I wish Claire would start talking a little more, she surprised me on Saturday morning. She was a little chatter box and I think a smile stayed on my face all day. I am so happy I have been able to stay home with her these past few months to witness these huge milestones. (Month 7 has been huge!) She is so sweet and I couldn't imagine my life without my little cuddlebug.

Crawling

On Tuesday Claire mastered the crawl. I set her down on the quilt in the living room to play while I washed dishes and next thing I knew, she was peeking around the corner smiling at me. When Harry came home from work, she showed off for her daddy by crawling to the door stop and playing him a little music. (we can't keep her away from the door stops...Who knew they could be so much fun?) When she gets tired of crawling or just needs a break, she can sit up all by herself. On top of crawling and sitting up, Claire is also trying to pull up on things. It seems like she has grown up so much this week.
Last night Claire played with Papa, Mimi, and Aunt Amanda while mommy and daddy enjoyed date night. We had a yummy dinner at On the Border and then came home to watch The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons. We absolutely love date night. Even though it is hard being way from Claire, I know she had a great time at the grandparents because she was worn out when they brought her home. She usually has to have her mommy to sleep at night, but last night was different. Of course I had to snuggle with her, but she stayed asleep until 4am. She is still not sleeping through the night completely, but til 4 am was impressive.
Tomorrow we will be celebrating Papa and Uncle Larry's birthdays. Happy Birthday!

Wordless Wednesday

7 months old

Today our little baby is 7 months old. I remember when I first came home from the hospital with her one of my friends told me to cherish every moment because it goes by fast. She was so right! I am so glad I have been able to stay home with Claire. The time we get to spend together is so special.

Yesterday when I started singing the ABC's to Claire she began to sing with me. Every time I would stop, so would she and then when I would start again, she would too. It was so cute. After the ABC song, we sang Jesus Loves Me, The Itsy Bitsy Spider, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and

Old McDonald.

At 7 months so far she has eaten:

Applesauce, Peaches, Bananas, Hawaiian Delight, Prunes, Green Beans, Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, and Squash

Tomorrow she will be trying peas for the first time. Poor thing! I am hoping she will like green vegetables more than I do.

She is still working on crawling. She loves getting up on all fours and scooting around. We can't take our eyes off of her because she is a fast little thing.

She is starting to really enjoy Peek A Boo.

She is babbling syllables.

She loves when we help her dance and laughs when mommy or daddy dances.

Happy 7 months Claire! We love you so much.

Wordless Wednesday

Lake J and other new things

We left for Lake Junaluska early Wednesday morning. Claire was a great little traveler for the 7 and 1/2 hour trip. At Lake J we read books, took walks around the lake, played cards, ate yummy food, and celebrated Harry's 25th birthday. The weather was absolutely perfect while we were there and it was a huge adjustment to come home to the Memphis heat. We left our camera at home, so I will post pictures that Mimi took once she gets home.

Claire has figured out how to get up on all fours so she is able to get around quite a bit faster now. Harry and I still love to just sit and stare at her.

Claire is enjoying her big girl seat in the bathtub. She can splash herself and play with her toys. I had to add a picture of her in the hooded towel because she is about to outgrow it.

Today I propped up a mirror in the living room while Claire was playing. She loved it! She kept talking to herself and hitting the mirror. Who wouldn't like to admire this sweet little face in the mirror?

Wordless Wednesday

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Wordless Wednesday

Picture Update

Claire LOVES the computer. She is helping daddy pick out a song on Itunes to play. She is still a huge Creedence Clearwater fan.

For Claire's Half birthday, which was last Tuesday the 30th, she received lots of new toys. Her favorite toy to play with is the pink bowl. (not really a toy, but she wouldn't let go of it)
Claire had her 6 month check up last Wednesday.

Weight: 16 lbs 4 oz. (50th percentile)

Height: 25 and 3/4 inches (50th percentile)

We had a great time celebrating with family and friends over the 4th of July weekend. This Wednesday, Claire, Harry, and I will be traveling up to Lake Junaluska to spend time with Mimi and Papa. We will also be celebrating Harry's 25th birthday on Sunday. Happy Early Birthday Daddy!! We LOVE you!

Wordless Wednesday