Square one

It looks like we are back to square one on finding a house in Dubuque. The owner of the house we wanted got a better offer (not contingent on selling a house!) and we're getting the boot. Will is disappointed and Kate's too stressed to care, but Claire, the eternal optimist, is sure we'll find something even better.

-W

Ready or Not!

There may be a chance of snow today, but Claire is ready for sunny, summer weather!

-K

More block towers

Singing Lessons

No, I didn't mean to call this post "Swimming Lessons," because at baby "swim" lessons what actually happens is that the parents all get in a circle singing songs to their kids for a half an hour in the water. Sure, the teacher tries to teach the kids to blow bubbles in the water, and she tries to get the kids to float on their backs, but really, it's all about the parents singing.

Claire seems to like the lessons so far. Her favorite part is definitely "jumping" in off the side of the pool.

-K

Peek a Boo

I usually am the one who changes Claire and puts her pjs on before bedtime. This night she was in a goofy mood and took off after her diaper was on... and hid from me behind the couch. As you look at these pictures, imagine constant giggling.




-K

Bare Feet

It was sunny and warm and beautiful here Sunday, so Claire got to walk around outside in the grass without shoes or socks for the first time. I think she liked it and being outside in the sun. See what you think:



Here she is laying out in the sun, relaxing:


Playing with the ants:


A new world view in the past couple weeks:







-K

Keys

Claire loves keys. ("Tees!") Unfortunately, she doesn't really like the spare keys we gave her so we could stop having to search for ours. She doesn't know that those keys actually work, since Mom and Dad don't use them. She knows which set of keys is mine and which is Will's and asks for them in particular, even when both are sitting on the microwave in a pile: "Tees? Mama tees?" (and she's not satisfied with Dada's keys in that situation... I've tried.)

We think she likes keys so much now because she thinks they will open the door for her so she can go outside. (She would live outside all day if we let her.) We didn't know until one day when we were outside playing that she also understood that keys unlock the car (and even knew exactly where it should go!)

Is the driving permit age still 14 in Iowa? Only 12.5 years to go, Claire!


-K

First Hair Cut

Some of you might have noticed that Claire was getting a big shaggy over the eyes:

"What's going on? Why am I sitting in my chair when it's not dinner time??"

We decided it was time for Claire's first hair cut (4/12):

"Just a little off the bangs please, Mom."

Here's the finished picture:

"I don't really know if I like it yet... do I really have to tip?"

-K

Spring Sicknesses

We made it through winter with no illness, but then March arrived and the sicknesses started coming. Claire's had several colds, and two bouts of stomach flu (luckily the second time she didn't feel like sharing with Mom and Dad.) This latest illness seems to be just a bad cold with a fever for Claire, but she's very stuffed up and coughing a lot, which makes sleeping not so easy. She's been home from day care, so mom and dad have been home from work. But she's doing much, much better today, looking a lot more like this picture from a month ago than the sad, sick, sleepy, coughing little girl we had on our hands a couple days ago.

-K

Sunny Saturday

-K