Mimic

Claudia has been so much fun lately. She has now learned how to mimic others. This is more impressive than it sounds. She can repeat sounds, so we like to yell out "ahh" back and forth while we're out shopping. One of her new motions is to shake her head left to right, so I can get her to mimic me. And, her grandma taught her how to play catch. You can roll a ball to her, she picks it up, sometimes mouths it, and then throws it. How neat!

Last week was Thanksgiving, so we got two days off work and we got to celebrate the day with the whole Olson family, hosted by my parents. We had amazing food and we (including Claudia) all gobbled up the turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and stuffing. Claudia pretty much eats everything. We now have her eating fruit, mostly canned fruit like pineapple, Mandarin oranges, applesauce, and pears. But she is definitely more of a savory than sweets girl, so she loves crackers, Cheerios, and cheese. We've discovered her love for grated cheddar cheese and cottage cheese, although they do make a mess. Oh, and sticky rice really makes a mess too. She now takes water (with assistance) from a sippy cup and a regular cup. With our extra time over the holiday weekend we finally set up Claudia's bedroom with a real changing table and her crib all in one place. And we did some preliminary work on baby proofing, although still no crawling. She can pivot around on her tummy though. We're hoping for some forward (or backward) movement by Christmas. Lastly, she's started snuggling a bit against my shoulder, with is very special for me because she's never been a snuggly baby.

Sporting some of her new winter clothes -- a jacket and bunny gloves.

Her first time in the grocery cart. She clung on to the rail tight; I was very proud of her.


Neely & Claudia playing on Thanksgiving.


By the fireplace. It's definitely winter in Seattle now.


Playing with her mini-Bennie babies in front of her bedroom. Nana has given me several dresses for Claudia so I've discovered tights and Claudia seems to like wearing them.


Mondays are always a big day for her at daycare, so she feel asleep at the dinner table.