She's a toddler now

I think we can officially call Claudia a toddler now that she's toddling. She's really good at getting herself up and down and walks best if she has a wide open space. She loves to back her bum into my lap, but then usually crawls right back out. It's hard to get her to sit still these days. Sometimes she's a wild woman, throwing toys and hitting or head butting us, or throwing food and her sippy cup off the table, which gets really annoying. We've been trying to say "no" to teach her not to do it, but she just laughs at us. Hopefully this phase will pass soon!

She now really likes toys that sing songs and make noise. One of her favorites is her jute box that sings nursery rhymes. When it plays Itsy Bitsy Spider, she makes the motions with her fingers of the spider crawling. Glen & I both hate spiders, so it's weird that this is the song she likes the most. Auntie Neely came over one night and Claudia crawled all over the living room showing off all her toys. Although it was chaotic to see her press every button and pick up every toy, it was also really cute to see how proud she was of all her possessions.

She had her first dentist appointment and she did well. The dentist quickly looked at her teeth and showed us how to brush them. She has two bottom ones and three top ones (2 on the right, 1 on the left). Ideally babies should have good spacing between their teeth, but hers are pretty close together, so she will probably have a little crowding with her adult teeth.

They're learning sign language at daycare: all done, more, and please. Claudia has been doing the signs randomly, but just today she did "more" when I said the word, so soon she should be doing them all appropriately. She has a book called Moo, Baa, La La La and she can copy the "la la la" sound, although it sounds a bit like "ra ra ra." This is about the only book she has the patience to sit through at this point.

Claudia sharing my lap with Pepper Face (my parents' cat).


This is a typical weeknight dinner with Claudia. It can get wild.






razzing...


Here's a cute video of Claudia playing peek-a-boo.

First Steps and Now Walking

Yes, Claudia is walking! On Sunday May 16th, at almost exactly 13 months old, Claudia took her first steps. She was practicing standing on her own and all of a sudden she just took a couple steps into my arms. Glen & I were so excited that we spent the next hour getting her to walk between us and she took up to 4 steps at a time. Now, a week later she's doing even better. I counted 10 steps in a row yesterday. She is quite steady, but she gets so excited that she starts trying to run and then falls, or she breaks her walk by leaping into our arms. The look on her face is precious.



At daycare, Claudia has been in the toddler room for 2 weeks now. Her first week was a little rough, but she's doing great now. I actually think she's napping better in her new room because the whole classroom goes down for a nap at the same time, so she sometimes goes for 2-1/2 hours. They have a great outdoor space for the toddlers that has a rubber floor and lots of tunnels and other toys for climbing on. She has become more adventurous lately and is a wild woman in the evenings playing with toy after toy. We are seeing an emerging preference for her right hand. She eats and throws a ball right-handed. She also loves to shake her head "no" and knows what "all done" means.

Glen was out of town last week at a gene therapy conference in Washington D.C. and he also took the train to Baltimore one day to do a seminar. Claudia & I fared well except the first night he was gone when we had an incident involving diarrhea, the bathtub, and several soiled items. Not the best time for our washing machine to be broken. The rest of the week was better, but we were both very happy to have Glen back in town.

Over the weekend Claudia & I went up to Bellingham to visit my friends the Hindermans and their new baby Jada who is two months old. Jada is a very sweet good natured baby and I enjoyed cuddling with her. Normally Claudia would be very jealous of this, but Auntie Gina came over (remember she lives in Bellingham too), so Claudia tolerated it because she had her Auntie. Unlike when she was a little baby, she does not let anyone hold her except us, her favorite teachers, grandpa and grandma, and her aunties. While this is normal, not all kids have such a strong "stranger danger".

The pool at our condo complex opened for the season, so Claudia & I went for a swim. She wanted me to hold her the whole time, but she did good and we bobbed around for about 30 minutes. I couldn't get a photo while in the pool, but this is her swimsuit before we went out.


Asleep in the carseat. I just thought this was cute.


I love all the snuggles I get.


Claudia & I had waffles and strawberries one night for dinner when Glen was out of town and for a treat I let her nibble on one while playing.


Me and "my" girls Jada and Claudia.

Leaps and Bounds

Claudia is into everything these days. She can completely bomb a room in a few minutes by pulling out every toy she owns. She is always on the move and is getting more brave to try new things. She had her first big tumble when she fell trying to climb up the kitchen drawers and got a bloody lip. She is cruising furniture like a pro and letting go for a second or two to practice her balance. She has 5 teeth and really likes to use them. She likes to bite crackers and cereal, and unfortunately sometimes people. Although she was afraid of hats when she was a little baby, she now really likes them. She especially likes to play the on/off game, but will keep it on if we're in bright sun. She is getting less fussy with me touching her hair and will sometimes let me put a headband on her head or a rubber band in her hair.

She started a new classroom at daycare called Pandas, which is Toddler 1. There are eleven kids in the room and she she has two new teachers, but luckily her favorite teacher from Infants can still come over a bit some afternoons to make the transition easier. Claudia had hip dysplasia as an infant, so she had an X-ray for her 1 year follow-up. She was a champ and held still for the nurse and didn't even cry. The X-ray showed normal development of her hips and she's in the clear for another two years and then will be checked again.

Glen went out of town for the first time since Claudia was born. He had a 5-day muscle conference in Ottawa, Canada. He was very busy and didn't get a lot of sleep, but it was a successful conference and he even won a poster prize for his work on muscular dystrophy. Claudia and I managed better than expected on our own, but we still missed him a lot. He's back in town for a week and then has to leave again for another 5-day conference, this time for gene therapy and being held in Washington D.C.

And last but not least, I celebrated my 2nd Mother's Day. I was still pretty dazed and confused last year, so this year I was more rested and had time to reflect on how much fun this year has been and how much joy Claudia has brought to our lives. We had a really cool weekend too. It was sunny and beautiful in Seattle, so Neely & I took the baby to the zoo on Saturday before we went to pick Glen up at the airport. Then on Sunday, the women in my family participated in the Breast Cancer Network of Strength Walk that Neely organizes for her company. We start at the Seattle Center and then wind down through the market, down to the waterfront, and then back. It was an absolutely perfect day for it and we were supporting a great cause. That afternoon, my dad made dinner for everyone and we had a relaxing time socializing.

I get lots of comments on Claudia's pretty blue eyes and blond hair. She sure is beautiful.


She's likes to play the on/off game with this headband.


She can really speed across the room with her baby walker.


She has finally mastered the Piggy Bank and can put the coins in the top all on her own.


We went over to Alta Lake a couple weeks ago and my parents and I took a nature walk while Glen was golfing with the boys.

Claudia has a new cousin

First off, we have exciting news! We have a new niece. Glen's brother Adrian and our sister-in-law Jo are now proud parents of Alannah Banks, born on April 26th. She is adorable and we can't wait to meet her next autumn when we visit Australia. This is Claudia's fourth cousin, but the only one close in age. She has three other cousins (Joseph, Eloise, and Tyrone) but they are 15-23 year older than her.

We had a great time last weekend. Grandma & Grandpa babysat while Glen & I went to the Crohn's & Colitis benefit concert at the Showbox. Sweet Water opened for Flight to Mars and both bands rocked! It's an annual tradition for us to attend this concert. Before the concert we met up with friends at the new Seattle Hard Rock Cafe, which was great too. The next day Glen was able to go golfing and I meant to do errands, but instead I just bummed around and relaxed. That's something you take for granted before children, so I sure appreciated it! While we were doing this, Grandpa & Grandma took Claudia to a NWPT party (my mom's work) and she had fun playing with all the toys and other children. She especially liked playing with Malia, who is due to become a big sister soon. On Sunday, Claudia went on her first hike. We tried to do the Four Ice Caves, but when we got there, slushy snow was still on the ground, so we did Lake 22 instead. We didn't make it to the lake, but we were able to go several miles up the trail and see lots of waterfalls. Hopefully in about a month when all the snow is gone, we can go back! The mountains in Washington are so beautiful. We are so lucky to live near the mountains, ocean, and a vibrant city.

Speaking of the Crohn's and Colitis benefit reminded me to post an update on my health. I had a flare of my ulcerative colitis this summer and had to go on prednisone (in addition to my other medications) to control it. It never got too bad, but it's dangerous to be on prednisone long term so I started Remicade infusions. I'm proud to say I'm off prednisone now, but I'm still doing Remicade infusions every 8 weeks. The only side effect I have is easy bruising, so sadly I've had to stop playing contact sports because the risk of being injured is too high. It is a bit strange to be on this medication because I have to go to the hospital for 5 hours to get it and they mark my IV bag "chemotherapy" and put on a protective jacket to administer it, although the nurses joke about the jacket being silly and unnecessary. Also, the medication is about $40,000 a year (paid by insurance), so it makes me nervous to be on such a costly medication in a country where health coverage is always temporary. But, it's seems to be working for me and I'm healthy, so I shouldn't complain too much.

Look at those smiles ready to head out on the hike.


It's hard to make out in this photo, but there were several small streams to cross and lots of steps because there was 1500 feet of elevation change in 3 miles.


This is on the way down when Claudia got pooped out, but Glen was still doing well.


Claudia & Malia playing together at the kids party.


Here are some photos from Claudia's birthday party a couple weeks ago. The theme was fairies. Notice the pink "fairy dust" on top of the cake.

Claudia's birthday cake -- thanks Auntie Gina & Grandma.


Eating her cake.


Kisses from Auntie Neely.

One Year Old

Claudia turned 1 on April 15th! We are so proud of our baby girl for all she has accomplished in one short year. We are also proud of ourselves for all we have learned and the way we've grown to become loving and knowledgeable parents. The first year is such a life transition, but helped by a strong marriage, supportive families, and of course an easy tempered daughter, we made it! Her one year old statistics are 19 lbs 15 oz (25th percentile) and 29 1/4 inches (50th percentile).

We had a small celebration with just the three of us for Claudia's real birthday (Thursday), and then on Saturday my parents hosted a party for the extended family and some friends. The party went smoothly, the weather cooperated, and Claudia received some really great new toys. I will post photos from the party soon.

A purple cupcake for her birthday. She doesn't like to get very messy, but she eventually dug into the side to get at the cake part.


"All done."


Toy kitchen set from Mom & Dad.


She's learned how to hold her own bottle, but too bad we're in the process of weening her from it.


Day out with Mom in the sun wearing her Strawberry Shortcake hat.


I think we need to move the crib mattress down to the bottom because she's getting pretty good at pulling up.


Watching golf on TV with Daddy. I'm teasing. Actually, she had her immunizations today, so she was just really tired after daycare.

Snuggle Bug

Claudia has been so snugly and lovable lately. She likes to cuddle us, her blankets, and her stuffed animals, especially "wombat" and "kitty". She is crawling and climbing everywhere. She is really enjoying her new mobility and has switched from being totally exhausted in the evenings to not wanting to go to bed because there are so many fun things to do instead. When we walk with her holding her hands, I can tell her stability is getting better. She cracks us up with her antics. She started playing peek-a-boo by covering her eyes with her hands or pulling a blanket over her face. And she does what we call the "I Dream of Jeannie blink" where she blows out her nose, nods her head forward, and blinks her eyes. I have no idea where she picked that up or what it means, but it sure is cute! She is also showing her sense of humor and likes to pretend to give us a toy and then pull it away and laugh. She has this recent fondness for her binkie. She was down to using it just for naps and stressful or new situations for months now, but all of a sudden she thinks of it as her favorite toy. And they seem to be disappearing... I think she's hiding them. My little squirrel.

We all had a good Easter hosted by my parents. Claudia enjoyed putting plastic eggs in her basket and she got a pretty Easter dress from her Grandma. I naively thought cold & flu season was over because it was April, but Claudia got sick last week with coxsackievirus and another ear infection. At least she was mostly sick over the weekend so we didn't have to take time off work. Kids bounce back fast, but it's hard to see her so uncomfortable.

Our little baby is almost one... her birthday is in just a couple days. She already got her presents from Nana & Poppy and Great Nana. She is going to be one styling kid in the toddler room at daycare because she will have all the pretty dresses. Also, "wombat" was a popular addition to her stuffed animal collection. I personally thought all the bunnies she got were the cutest, but for some reason the big brown wombat rules!

"So big"


Snuggling wombat and climbing on daddy.


Taking a nap to rest up for all the excitement today...


In her big girl carseat for the first time heading to Easter at Grandma & Grandpa's.


Hunting for eggs.


And winding down.


My sick grumpy face girl. We're both on outfit number 2 or 3 for the day because of all the puking. She got lots of snuggles though.


I tried to cheer her up by taking her out for some fresh air at the park, but that didn't last long. At least I got her to a wear a hat for the first time.

Found her Knees

Just a few days after my last post, Claudia figured out how to use her knees and she's now properly crawling everywhere! She likes to crawl on carpet and butt scoot on hard floors. Her knees are red and calloused. The increased mobility has made her very exhausted by the end of the day. She's now going to bed at 7pm or earlier and sleeps straight through for 12 or 13 hours. She's down to one nap a day at daycare, but two with us on the weekends. And she's starting to ween from her bottle. She's down to 2 or 3 bottles a day and she's drinking whole milk and water from a sippy cup. She has become very fond of her blankets. We have three soft ones that are similar and she likes to give them snuggles if she finds one laying on the carpet and of course she holds one while sleeping. She has a 3rd tooth (on the top) and the one next to it is not far behind.

She has been with the same group of kids at daycare for about 8 months now and I'm seeing the beginning of friendships. There are two other baby girls that have a similar temperament (patient and fairly gentle) and those three are always sitting around each other and often sharing toys. Growing up with two sisters, I can appreciate the need for playmates, so I'm happy that daycare provides this opportunity for Claudia. At our center the babies move to the toddler room between 12 and 14 months. Claudia has reached most of the milestones required to move over, but I'm still hoping she can stay with the infants for a couple more months because she has really bonded with a couple of her teachers.

On her knees.


She has learned to point at things and she's mastered the "point and grunt". Notice the Mohawk hairstyle her teacher gave her.


Playing with a toy her friend Victoria gave her. She has good fine motor skills for her age.


Showing off more of the Mohawk.