And that brings me to Klair. She has developed SO much in the past few weeks.
By six months (I am so behind on blog posts) she had 2 teeth, and she was sitting up for extended periods of time.
Her mode of transportation became barrel rolling and a little bit of army crawling when she really wanted a toy. She loved (and still loves) Bananas, Laughing, Singing (yelling), Drumming with kitchen utensils (They make better toys than actual toys), Dancing around the house and Harvey. She loves that cat. The feeling for him is not mutual, but she doesn't care. Just his mere presence is enough to get those little feet a kickin' (her hallmark display of excitement).
In terms of language at 6 months she would say "Ma ma ma" (when she was sad or angry... Something she's been doing since she was a few months old) and just generally yelled a lot. She went from constantly making this cute little inhale squeak noise and babbling to yelling at the top of her lungs whenever she was happy or excited.
Some developments during July (her 7th month):
On the 4th of July she swam with her daddy for the first time at a family barbecue, then watched him play band on a stage for the first time, and had her first encounter with fireworks. Sam's band, j.wride, headlined for the Riverton fireworks and I took her with me. Afterward we stayed for fireworks and Klair not only watched without being afraid, but she even liked them! I was worried about her being out so late, but she was a rock star.
On Saturday the 13th we had our first family get-a-way. My good friend works at a Snowbird ski resort and was able to get us a great deal on some rooms with an adjoining kitchen, and free passes to all of the attractions that they have (zip line, tram, alpine slides, etc.). Plus my friend and her husband have a daughter that is 11months older than Klair, so we had a mutually beneficial arrangement where we took turns watching the girls to do the fun activities. It was 15 degrees cooler up there and so green and beautiful! It was nice hanging out with our friends who understand the demands and limitations of a baby, and it was good for the girls to spend time together. Despite the age gap they are about the same size and they showed a lot of interest in each other. It was fun to see them share toys, hold hands, and babble at each other. I also think it was good for Klair to see someone her size walking around...perhaps it will influence her a little. We spent the weekend swimming, playing, and having a good time. I was worried about the sleeping arrangement but Klair slept in the crib the hotel brought us for the first half of the night, and when Sam accidentally woke her with a loud noise I didn't even bother trying to get her back to sleep in the crib. I caved and let her sleep with us for the rest of the night...which of course she loved. All-in-all, our first family get-a-way and friend trip was a success!
On Thursday July 18th she said the syllable "da" and followed it with lots of "da da" and "da da da" over the next couple of days. Now it is one of her favorite sounds along with "ma", and she has started to replace the all out yelling with quieter yet excited strings of syllables (a fact that her publicly paranoid father is grateful for).
Another fun development that attests to her intelligence is that she understands to push the seat belt button on her high chair when I remove the tray. She has intently watched me remove the tray and take her seatbelt off to get her down, so now she anticipates this and tries to speed up the process by doing it herself. Luckily she's not strong enough to actually get down, but it's a cute, intelligent gesture nonetheless.
Speaking of high chairs, she is such a good eater. She loves solids these days. She is up to 3 solid meals a day and she is still maintaining a consistent and frequent breastfeeding schedule. She loves food and trying new things. So far I haven't found anything that she will refuse to eat (although she likes some things more than others). I'm hoping this is a sign that she takes after me when it comes to food and won't be a picky eater like her dear sweet dad. We even tried giving her lemon last Saturday (video tape ready for the anticipated sour face) and she was unaffected. She liked it! Haha!
Another development is that she has said what sounded like more "mo" while eating and "hi" while playing peekaboo several times now. I could be imagining it, but I suppose time and another witness will tell if she is indeed saying deliberate, meaningful words or just babbling.
Monday July 22: I felt her top right tooth poking through her gums while she was chewing on my finger. Teething this go around has been so much easier! She's been a little fussy but she seems pretty unaffected overall. I can't wait to see her toothy grin with two front teeth!
Also on Monday I videotaped she and Rosie playing tug-of-war. Klair was sitting up, tugging with all her might while Rosie gently tugged back. Klair thought it was hilarious. We have such a good pup.
Oh and yesterday (the 23rd) I was playing with her in her room on her rug and she put a foam cat in my mouth. She has this little book with removable foam animals that she LOVES to chew on. Well for some reason she decided I would enjoy chewing on it too, and she put it in my mouth. I responded by biting down, growling a little shaking, and my head side to side (like Rosie would do). She thought this was hilarious and proceeded to do it over and over again. I have a feeling it won't be the end of this new game.
And that brings us to today, the 24th of July, aka Pioneer Day. I can't believe that one year ago today Sam felt Klair kick for the first time. Now she's a lively, bright, adorable 8 month old!
Our holiday was pretty uneventful. We slept in (she wakes up around six or seven these days, I bring her in my room, feed her laying down, and we go back to sleep until nine or so every morning. This morning we didn't get up until after ten and it was lovely! My baby is such a good little cuddle bug :)
Anyway, back to our day. We then went on a walk around our neighborhood with Rosie. It was meant to be leisurely, but it was more of a hike. I didn't realize how steep this neighborhood really is until I found myself wishing I had worn my workout clothes as my nice stroll turned into an arduous trek. We then went to the grocery store and bought a bunch of produce, and ended the holiday with dinner at my sister's. We were going to try and stay for fireworks, but it became apparent that Klair wasn't going to last so we came home. And now, here I am blogging. All in all, a good day...
Truth be told, we've been having lots of good days recently. Klair has been such a fun, loving, easy going, HAPPY baby. We have such a beautiful connection. All I have to do is smile at her and her perfect little face lights up. And, if I put in a little more effort... say a funny face, dancing around, or some version of peekaboo I can easily get her laughing and squealing. I seriously enjoy her! I love my little baby to pieces. I'm partly saddened by the fact that she's growing so quickly, but I am also just so excited to watch her grow and for our relationship to continue developing. She is one amazing, brilliant little soul! She is a light and I am fortunate enough to bask in her radiance everyday. I am one blessed "ma ma ma."
...
Here are the most recent photos of Klair--her 7 month shoot. Sam took them in our new backyard while I assisted him (positioned her/made her smile by jumping around and making an all out fool of myself to any neighbors who may have seen).
The dress she is wearing is one that my great grandma made for me. She was a seamstress all her life and even into her eighties she was still making dresses for her great granddaughters.
I think it is both sentimental and timeless.
Thanks, Grandma :)
I had to get at least one photo of her in her swim suit.
Two words:
baby. rolls. !!!
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