7 Months Old!!

Where has the time gone? I know that some of you that have older kids, even adult kids are laughing at me saying this when my child is just 7 months old...but I really do feel like it was just yesterday that Bradley and I were bringing this tiny little thing home with us...totally unaware of what was in store of us! Claire has made some huge progress in her development this month!! Here are some of her milestones:

~3 new teeth! Yes, 3...and I think 2 more are well on their way
~Crawling
~Babbling "da" mostly and every once in a while I'll hear a "ba" or a "ma"
~Pulls up to her feet (she wants to do this ALL of the time)
~Still about 17 1/2 pounds...she didn't gain much weight this month
~Eating lots of different foods...sweet potatoes and apples are her favorite...I'm trying to get her to eat other things but she makes the worst face and spits it all out...I have a picky eater on my hands!
~Understands what "no" means, although she rarely chooses to obey...most of the time she laughs at me when I get my stern voice.
~Sitting up
~She has been on her first plane ride and will go on 2 more before she is 8 months old!
~Kisses...but they are the open-mouth "baby" kind.
~Waves "bye-bye" to Daddy when he leaves for work in the morning

What a Big Girl!

In just a matter of weeks Claire started sitting up AND pulling up! I know I'm her mom...and I'm a little biased...but she just keeps on getting cuter and cuter!! Everytime I see her sitting up like a big girl, my heart swells with love for her!


One day I went in to get her from her nap and this is what I found. She'd trapped her feet, under the bumper, through the crib slats...with her socks hanging on for dear life. I laughed outloud when I saw her, which made her laugh too.


Pulling up like a big girl!


Claire LOVES to sit up like a big girl. In fact, I think when she starts to stir a little when she's waking up, she accidentally sits up and startles herself awake.

She's so proud of herself for sitting up like a big girl.

A Beach Adventure

We have such generous friends! A few weeks ago, Chad and Jamie spent the week at Topsail and invited us to come for the weekend. Bradley and Chad got to go fishing and Jamie and I were able to hang out, talk and play with the babies. We were at a beautiful home right on the oceanfront. What a refreshing weekend! Thanks Chad, Jamie and Barrett....we had a wonderful time!!


I've been wanting to try this for a while...Claire's got a really long "strip" of hair, so I decided to put it in a ponytail. This was the end result...it cracked me up. I think I'll wait a little longer though before trying again...she looked hilarious.


Claire's new "fun" is to take her basket of toys and dump them all out. Sometimes she dumps them all at once and sometimes she takes them out one by one, but anyway you look at it...they're all out of the basket. :) I love to watch her play with them too. She picks them up, looks at them, talks to them and then moves on to the next toy.


Claire is a little older than Barrett (although Barrett is her same size). She is constantly trying to grab him and we have to hold her back. We laugh and laugh at how aggressive she is. But, it won't be long that she and Barrett will be able to play safely together. But for now, we have to keep an eye out for poor Barrett. :)

Claire in her daddy's fishing hat. One day she'll have one just like it and will be fishing right along side him.

Fall Fun!!

Fall has arrived in North Carolina and I've been loving to dress Claire in something other than onesies! (Although the onesies are soooo easy). She really, really loves the outdoors and loves to walk around, watch the leaves blow, watch the squirrels play etc. It won't be long and she'll be camping in a tent ready for an outdoor adventure.


I moved her bouncy toy outside on the porch and she had a blast. I just HAD to take this cute picture of her in her fleece. I love the cute little ears on the hood.


Her daddy built a swing in the backyard and Claire absolutely adores it. She leans back and lets the wind blow her hair. She grabs on to the ropes and holds on like a big girl. And she laughs and laughs.

The Stars at Night are Big and Bright

In October, Claire and I went to TX!! Her first visit to Nana and Grandpa's house. It was her Aunt Angy's birthday and we wanted to surprise her with a visit from her favorite sister and niece. :) Claire did GREAT, despite a crazy full schedule!! We can't wait to see everybody again in November.


Claire's about to go on a plane for the first time. She did AWESOME!!


Claire loved playing with her Aunt Angy! Here we are at dinner just a few minutes after surprising Angy!

Claire was able to meet her Great-Grandma. What a special moment that was for all of us!


Four Generations of Women. A moment I will treasure in my heart for years.

Nana enjoying time with all 3 of her grandkids!

We took Claire to see her Great-Papa's gravemarker. I wish that Papa was able to see his beautiful Great-Granddaughter! He LOVED babies and children and was so good with them. As Claire grows older, she will definitely be told stories about Papa...he was funny and had a great sense of humor!!

Claire is checking out her Grandpa.

Claire loved spending time with her crazy Uncle John. I think that's what we'll teach her to call him...Crazy Uncle John. Ha ha ha...seriously though...she loved hanging out with him...they laughed and played and had a great time!

Claire and her Grandpa.

Aunt Angy discovered that Claire loves to be tossed in the air. It makes her giggle every time!

I LOVE these kids! Jake, Charlie and Claire!!

6 months old!!

My baby is a little girl! Today she is six months old. I can't believe it! Here are some milestones that she hit this month:

~Eating vegetables...sweet potatoes and peas
~Eating solids 3 times a day now
~Pushing up on her feet when on all 4's (she pokes her tushy up in the air)
~She's now ticklish...she wasn't for the longest time
~She lights up when she sees someone she loves (mommy, daddy, her favorite toys, etc) and even reaches out to hug around our necks when we lift her up (it melts my heart)
~She's sitting up (supported)
~She can sit in the cart at the grocery store and in a high chair at a restaurant
~We're still waiting for that first tooth!

Beautiful Sunrise

This weekend we camped at the beach. It was a wonderful 3 day weekend for our family. And we are amazed at how well Claire does! Unfortunately we didn't take any pictures of us camping, but Bradley took this pic of the sunrise on Monday morning while he was fishing.

Upwards Football & Cheerleading

Our church has a recreation program called Upwards. They play football and have cheerleaders too. Every Saturday morning in the Fall, there are football games on the field next to the church. In September, Bradley was helping to referee the games. (He had to stop because he has to work on Saturdays now). Claire and I would enjoy going to the games to watch the bigger children play.


Such a cutie in her stoller.


Bradley's refereeing.

Sweet Potatoes and Peas

I've been making my own baby food for Claire and I love it! It makes me feel like I am contributing not only to her health, but also helping out our family financially. So far, she's tried sweet potatoes and sweet peas. She really likes the sweet potatoes, but initially hated the peas. I've had to put some sweet potatoes on the same spoon as the peas for her to even touch the peas. She's slowly coming around, but still makes an awful face sometimes. I've got some carrots to try out next and after that I think I'm going to give her some squash then apples. We'll see how it turns out. So far, solids have been fun for her. She loves to spit them, put her hands in her mouth and grab the spoon. Oh, how messy my life has gotten lately...but I love every minute of it. :)

First time eating the sweet potatoes. Not so sure, but she eventually came around.

First time eating the peas....not so much!

My friend, Barrett

Claire and Barrett are just 2 1/2 months apart. They are getting big enough now that they are noticing each other and starting to play. We look forward to many more years of fun with Chad, Jamie and Barrett!


She is so sweet with other children!


Claire is very interested in him.