Baby Claire - CDH Story

New Blog

2009-06-16T20:02:00.003-05:00

I started this blog before Claire was born to keep our family and friends updated about her CDH. It was a great tool to have while we were up at the NICU because it kept me from having to make so many phone calls and allowed everyone to see pictures. Since then it has become an "online baby book" (I love going back and reading my old posts and remembering all of Claire's major milestones), has kept our out-of-state family in the loop, has raised awareness about the congenital diaphragmatic hernia birth defect, and has provided hope and information to expectant CDH parents who stumbled across it via search engines.

But now that Claire is two years old and doing so well, it seems like a good cutoff point. So I'm going to stop posting here and start a new family blog instead. Please update your bookmarks to http://williamsfamilytn.blogspot.com if you'd like to keep reading about our wonderfully exciting life :-) If not, thank you for keeping up with Claire these past few years and for all of your kind comments.

I'm going to keep this blog available to the public so that future CDH families can find it, and am going to get it printed into a book for Claire to have when she is older.

2-Year Checkup

2009-06-15T16:17:00.003-05:00

Claire had her 2-year checkup with the pediatrician today. She weighs 23 lbs (5th percentile -- WOO HOO!) and is 33 inches tall (25th percentile) and everything looks great. It was an easy visit because she didn't have to get any shots, but she still hates the doctor's office and kept saying "go", "car", and trying to open the door to escape the little room. When I wouldn't let her she decided to keep herself busy by playing with tongue depressors and cotton balls, climbing on the furniture, and opening all the drawers in the cabinet.

We are going to the beach soon and would like Claire to sleep on an air mattress in the floor rather than in the bed with us (she slept in the bed with us in Gatlinburg a few weeks ago and none of us got any sleep because she is so wiggly). So as an experiment we put her crib mattress on the floor in her room this weekend to see if she would sleep on it. She LOVES it. She got up a couple times the first night, but last night she slept the whole night through. She also put herself down for a nap yesterday -- I was doing dishes and thought she was in the living room watching Dora, but found her fast asleep in her bed instead. I had no plans to move her out of her crib this soon, but since she likes her "big girl bed" so much we are going to disassemble her crib and eventually get her a twin bed.

Johnny Rockets

2009-06-11T20:52:00.009-05:00

Claire and I ate lunch at Johnny Rockets today. At one point they started playing disco music and the waitresses came out and danced. Claire could not contain herself and had to get out of the booth and start dancing too. She stood beside them and copied their dance moves and added a few of her own. Pretty much everyone in the restaurant was watching her and laughing. She definitely stole the spotlight. Our waitress offered Claire a job at Johnny Rockets whenever she is old enough. Maybe we will get free hamburgers some day.

2nd Birthday

2009-06-07T13:22:00.009-05:00

Happy Birthday Claire!!! Here are some pictures and video from her party this weekend. She loved her cake, especially the fiery candle. And she got some toys and books and other gifts, including a Minnie Mouse hat from her cousin Casey who works at Disney World.

Bounce House

2009-06-03T10:44:00.002-05:00

We went ahead and gave Claire her bounce house birthday gift a few days early. It is definitely a hit!

2-Year Portraits

2009-06-02T09:13:00.003-05:00

A lady from our playgroup does photography and took these pictures at the park last week.

Almost Two

2009-05-28T18:03:00.002-05:00

Claire will turn two years old on June 7 -- I cannot believe my baby is TWO! We are going to Gatlinburg that weekend for a family reunion and are going to have a small party for her while we are up there. My friend is making her a "Wow! Wow! Wubzzy!" cake (her favorite cartoon right now) and James and I are giving her a bounce house toy when we get back home on Sunday.

She is saying more words than I can count, including "juice", "cup", "snack", "cookie", "bye", "door", "clock", "boat", "moon", "dance", "jump", "swing", "bug", "boots", "no", "stuck", "thank you", "chip", "sticker" and "yay!". Her favorite expressions are "oh no" and "uh oh", which keeps us on our toes. She thinks every color is "yeyow" and every letter is "C", although she can count to 10 and say her ABC's with a little help/prompting. She has started calling for me ("ma-ma!") or James ("da!") when she wants something. When she wants to go outside she says "shoes!" and brings mine to me. She pitches tantrums when she does not get her way, but fortunately they are short-lived and she can be distracted most of the time. Her favorite songs are "The Wheels on the Bus" and "If You're Happy And You Know It Clap Your Hands". Her favorite foods are ketchup, chips, spaghetti, chicken nuggets, peas, applesauce, ice cream, grilled cheese sandwich, goldfish crackers, and gummies.

Random Pictures

2009-05-15T13:51:00.006-05:00

Claire had her first slumber party last week when her best bud Selina came over to spend the night. They played on the swings in our backyard for a long time, then came inside to get a snack.

Here she is a few days later helping me vacuum...

And then riding her rocking horse...

We finally got a warm and sunny day after weeks of rain, so we went to play in the fountains...

Yesterday I caught her jumping on my bed...

Visiting Daddy at Work

2009-05-05T16:45:00.004-05:00

Today is James's birthday, so Claire and I stopped by his job site and brought him some yummy cupcakes. He gave us a tour of the hotel he is helping to build. Claire inspected everything thoroughly, and even tested a potty in one of the rooms to make sure it worked properly. Tonight a friend of mine is coming over to babysit so that James and I can go out on a date!

Claire is doing so great at using the potty. We have been on several outings the past few days and she has worn underwear and kept them dry. The only time she wears a diaper now is at night when she sleeps. Big girl!

Potty Trained

2009-04-30T18:16:00.004-05:00

Yesterday morning Claire walked into the bathroom all by herself and sat on her potty chair. I was shocked, especially when she kept it up all day. I guess she decided she'd rather use the potty than go in her diaper. We have been practicing using the potty for the past month, and something must have finally clicked. I'd like to attribute this accomplishment to my fine parenting skills, but know it is totally her own doing.

She has used the potty all day again today and has not worn a diaper and has not had any accidents. I can't believe she is potty trained already! She's not even two yet!

I am still nervous and put a pull-up on her when we go out, just in case. But she has been good about keeping it dry and using the big potty at places. I have a folding potty seat that fits in my bag -- best invention ever.

She will probably kill me when she's older for posting this picture...

Pool Party

2009-04-25T20:51:00.004-05:00

It was hot today so we broke out the kiddie pool...

Arbor Day

2009-04-24T13:38:00.003-05:00

Claire has become quite the little gardener. Yesterday we planted some sunflower seeds in a pot, and today we went to an Arbor Day playdate at a friend's house and the kids helped plant a tree in her yard.

Claire definitely won the dirtiest kid award, especially her shoe, which she also tried to plant in the hole.

When she wasn't planting things she was busy practicing her golf swing. Look out, Tiger!

Taking a break...

She is saying a lot of new words, including "Claire", "tree", "bubble", "cool", "up", "down", "yeah", "no", and "yeyow" (yellow). She is also making good progress with potty training. And she must be growing because lately she has been eating us out of house and home.

Planting Flowers

2009-04-18T17:46:00.001-05:00

We did not have a very good Easter. A few days before Claire came down with a stomach virus. We thought she was better by that weekend and decided to go ahead with our plans to drive down to Birmingham to visit family. But riding in the car proved to be too much for her poor tummy and she got sick on the way. She was better once we got there, but then James and I came down with the bug. We were too sick to drive home until Monday, and it was a LONG trip back for all three of us.

We are all feeling much better this weekend and decided to do some yard work today. Claire helped her daddy plant some pretty flowers around our mailbox. She thoroughly enjoyed playing in the dirt.

Easter Egg Hunt

2009-04-08T12:58:00.005-05:00

Today Claire went to her first Easter egg hunt. James was able to take an hour off from work to come too and help Claire hunt. At first she just ran around pointing at each egg she saw on the ground saying "there it is!" but not picking any up. But then she got the idea and started filling her basket...

That was so much fun that she decided to dump all her eggs out and start over...

And then she discovered that there is CANDY inside the eggs...

Ah, nothing like a refreshing juice box to wash down all that candy...

Backyard Fun

2009-04-05T21:01:00.004-05:00

Since spring is here we have been sprucing up our back yard so that there are more fun things to do back there. We got a swingset and spent yesterday afternoon assembling it. Claire didn't know what we were doing until the slide and swing went up, and then she was a very happy girl.

We also got a little sand table. I guess we could have just gotten her a sandbox since she'd rather sit in it than stand, but at least we can move the table around. She loves to dump the sand out onto the ground, and figured out very quickly that sand does not taste good.

She has been using her potty about once a day, usually at night before her bath or right before bed. She isn't old enough yet to tell me when she has to go, and I have a hard time catching her in time to use it during the day. But at least she gets the idea and knows what to do.

She has been giving us lots of kisses lately, and also her dolls. The other night James was putting her in her crib and she said "Night, Daddy" clear as day and melted his heart :-)

She has also gotten good at pitching tantrums when we try to make her do something she doesn't want to do, like leave the park to go home. Right now her technique involves crying and going limp. She is definitely about to be two!

CDH Awareness Day

2009-03-30T18:21:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow is Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness Day! We observed it a bit early by having a turquoise-themed playdate at the park this afternoon with our playgroup friends.

This park had a lot of slides and Claire had a blast going down them. All that sliding makes a girl thirsty, but fortunately she found some juice boxes. Her favorite part about juice boxes is turning them upside down and squirting them out onto the ground and all over her clothes.

When she wasn't sliding or squirting juice everywhere, she was busy picking dandelions.

Tomorrow night we are going to a balloon release in memory of Baby Maxton, a CDH angel who passed away last week at Vanderbilt. Please say a prayer for his family and wear turquoise tomorrow in honor/memory of all CDH babies.

Potty

2009-03-19T20:41:00.007-05:00

Claire has become very interested in the potty lately. A few weeks ago she followed her little friend into the bathroom and watched her use the potty. Afterwards Claire reached in to see what had been "deposited" there -- yuck! Her mom said, "now that is a true friend."

This morning we went to a playgroup event and someone left the bathroom door open. I caught Claire and two of her friends splashing in the big potty and throwing toilet paper all around and saying "wee!" They made a huge mess in very little time.

Tonight before her bath she peed in the potty for the first time. I thought it was just a fluke, but sat her on it again before bed and she peed in it a second time, so she GETS it! Her favorite part is dumping it into the big potty afterwards and flushing and waving bye-bye.

She is growing up so fast! This week we put away her high chair and got her a booster seat so that she can eat at the big table, which she loves.

She also learned how to open the gate at the top of our big staircase, so I took it down. She has been crawling up and down the stairs like a pro all week. When we go to the playground she can climb up the slide and go down it all by herself.

She is saying more and more words every day. She can say "cheese", "nose", "kitty", and "salad" (James taught her that one), and she FINALLY started saying "mama". Tonight when I was putting her to bed she said "ni" (night) and gave me a kiss on the cheek. She must be trying to butter me up to make up for the toilet-splashing party she had this morning :-)

Spring Fever

2009-03-12T09:02:00.004-05:00

The weather has been gorgeous lately and we have been spending a lot of time outside. Claire loves going to the park, going for walks around our neighborhood, picking dandelions and chasing birds in our yard.

Swinging...

Sliding...

Playing with flowers and friends...

Yesterday a cold front came through and put an end to our spring fun. It is now cold and rainy. Claire also woke up yesterday afternoon with a high fever and rubbing her ears, and the doctor said she has a double ear infection. Her medicines seem to be kicking in today and she is starting to feel better. We are going to stay inside and keep warm and rest.

Dancing Machine

2009-02-26T12:29:00.000-06:00

Mardi Gras Party

2009-02-24T13:03:00.004-06:00

Today we went to a preschool Mardi Gras party with our playgroup friends. The kids played and ate King Cake, then got dressed up and had a "parade" outside.

Claire loved playing with the beads and dancing to the music.

She was a wild child and was worn out by the time we got home.

She has been saying more words lately. Her latest are "car", "go", and "key", and she can count to three. She has also learned to walk up and down our small stairs by holding on to the spindles. She still crawls them when she is in a hurry though.

A few weeks ago she started "hiding" from me by closing her eyes. She thinks since she can't see me that I can't see her either. She will try to be sneaky by closing her eyes and walking across the room towards me really quietly. When she gets beside me she opens her eyes and says "Ah!" to try to scare me.

She has been eating really well and is getting taller because all of her pants are getting shorter. She still weighs about the same though, so we have to take in her waistband with a safety pin. I'll be glad when summer is here and she can wear dresses and not worry about her pants fitting.

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-13T14:35:00.002-06:00

Here is Claire working hard to make a beautiful card for her daddy...

Hmmm... I think it needs one more sticker right here...

Out and About

2009-02-06T13:14:00.002-06:00

Claire and I have been out and about a lot this week. One morning we went to a music class at the library. They played a CD and let the kids play along with various instruments. Claire was immediately drawn to the drum...

We also went to The Monkey's Treehouse, aka "Claire's Heaven". She loved the ball pit, the "sandbox" (filled with blue foam mulch), the dollhouse, and the giant wall filled with magnets.

This morning a few of her little friends came over to play. This afternoon we are headed to the park to enjoy the sunny warm weather.

Snow

2009-01-28T09:38:00.006-06:00

It snowed an inch here this morning and I took Claire outside to play in it. She liked it for about a minute until she fell. Then she got upset and wanted to go back inside. She prefers to look out the window at the snow while being inside a toasty warm house (just like her mama).

She looked cute all bundled up though. My friend Kristina crocheted her hat.

Science Center

2009-01-24T20:51:00.007-06:00

We having been going stir crazy staying home all week since Claire was sick. So after James got home from work today we went to the Adventure Science Center.

Here is Claire waiting on her daddy to get home. She is tall enough to open the front door now, so we have to make sure the deadbolt is latched at all times or else she will sneak outside. Here she is saying "oh no!" because she realized the door was locked.

Here are some pictures from the science center. She loved looking at the planets. Her favorite activity was the earthquake table. I stacked the blocks up and she would push the red button to shake them and make them fall down.

A few weeks ago I got her a monkey backpack. The tail is a long strap that I can hold so that she can't run too far away from me. I was hesitant to get her a "leash", but she has become too fast for me to keep up with in crowded places and has scared me a few times by running off. She loves the monkey and wears him around the house without the strap all the time. Today was the first time we attached the strap out in public and it was great. Claire didn't mind it at all -- she was free to run around and look at whatever she wanted and we were able to stay close behind her without having to sprint.

Sick

2009-01-21T10:38:00.005-06:00

Claire has been sick since this weekend with a nasty head cold which developed into an ear infection. She has been miserable all week. She started taking antibiotics a few days ago and her fever is finally gone today. She seems to feel much better and is starting to get her appetite back. She weighed the same at the doctor's office this week as she did a month and a half ago, so she needs to EAT. Her poor little nose has been wiped so much lately that she has learned to run away from anyone who is holding a Kleenex.

There... Oh No!

2009-01-09T10:49:00.004-06:00

Rock Band

2009-01-04T14:56:00.005-06:00

Claire had a grand time playing Rock Band with her cousins this weekend. She did a little singing...

And a little dancing...

But drumming was her FAVORITE...

Christmas Recap

2008-12-30T11:39:00.007-06:00

We had a nice relaxing Christmas Day at home this year. Claire woke up that morning and opened her presents. She was very excited about her new toys, and James and I enjoyed watching her play with them. She especially likes her red car. She tries to start it with her plastic keys and is sure to take her purse with her when she gets in.

Last weekend we went down to my mom's house to have Christmas with my family. Claire got a play tent and a toy shopping cart with wooden food. This weekend we are going down to Birmingham to visit James' family, and I'm sure she will come home with even more loot.

Her latest phrase is "oh no!". She will drop a toy on the floor and put her hands to her face and say "oh no!" It is the cutest thing ever.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T16:31:00.000-06:00

18-Month Portraits

2008-12-16T16:19:00.005-06:00

Claire had her 18-month/Christmas portraits taken today. The photographer had to be QUICK because Claire would not be still for more than a few seconds. We were chasing her all over the room, but despite that I think the pictures turned out great. We took her to visit Santa last week but didn't get any pictures because she would not sit in his lap AT ALL (not that I blame her).

18-Month Checkup

2008-12-08T14:54:00.013-06:00

Claire turned 18 months old yesterday and had a checkup with the pediatrician today. She is 32.5 inches tall (50-75th percentile) and weighs 20 lbs 5 oz (almost 5th percentile). She finally broke the 20 lb mark -- woo hoo! Her head circumference is in the 90th percentile (big brain?)

She had to get three vaccination shots today, but got a lemon lollipop and a sticker afterwards. They said she doesn't need any more shots until she is 5 years old. Here is her reaction when I told her this...

She has been saying more words lately. When I get out her shoes to go somewhere she gets really excited and points at them and says "shoes!". And when she sees a banana, her absolute favorite fruit, she says "nana!" She has also gotten really good at waving and saying "bye". And occasionally if I ask where something is she will say "there it is!".

Festive

2008-12-06T19:09:00.001-06:00

We got a Christmas tree this week. I only put ornaments on the top half, but put lights, ribbon, and fake poinsettias on the bottom for Claire to play with. She loves her tree. We finished decorating the rest of the house today and Claire "helped". We are very festive around here now.

Thanksgiving

2008-11-30T14:41:00.005-06:00

We had a good Thanksgiving visiting family in Alabama. Claire enjoyed seeing her grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, and they were all very glad to see her.

She had several accidents and boo-boos this weekend. She fell on the sidewalk at my mom's house and got a huge bump on her forehead. She smashed her fingers in a cabinet door at James' parents' house. And last night she fell on a step and busted her lip. She looks like she got into a fight.

Stuffed...

Watching the Iron Bowl...

Shower Head

2008-11-19T20:07:00.000-06:00

Claire's hair has gotten so long. I could put it in pigtails if she would let me.

It is harder to rinse the shampoo out now since she has more hair, so this week I had the bright idea of using our detachable shower head rather than just a cup. It worked great but she was terrified of it. I haven't used it since, but she is scared to take a bath now and eyes the shower head warily the entire time. I guess I traumatized her. You'd think getting a cup of water dumped on your head would be a lot worse, but she doesn't mind that at all.

James came down with a cold this weekend and I came down with it today. I've been washing my hands a lot in hopes that Claire won't catch it. She has had colds before and been fine, but now that it is fall/winter I'm worried about RSV. Our insurance company denied Synagis/RSV shots for Claire this year. Given her history I thought they would approve her at least until she turned two. Her pediatrician is writing them an appeal, but I doubt it will make a difference.

Visiting Daddy at Work

2008-11-11T16:01:00.007-06:00

This afternoon we visited James at work. On the way in the receptionist gave Claire a cup of crushed ice. She carried it around the whole time and ended up eating most of it (she has about 14 teeth now and can do some serious ice crunching). What she didn't eat she dumped onto the floor in James' office :-)

Here is a picture of Claire visiting her daddy at work this time last year. She was so little! And very bald.

Bouncy Seat

2008-11-06T11:31:00.010-06:00

A friend came over to visit yesterday and brought her 6-week-old baby. I got out Claire's old bouncy seat for her baby to sit in. Claire was enthralled with the seat and kept trying to sit in it on top of the poor baby.

When they left I let her have at it. She played in the seat for the rest of the evening, including standing up in it and holding on to the back and rocking. Sorry kiddo, but I think you have outgrown it!

2007	2008

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T20:38:00.008-05:00

We stayed in tonight and passed out candy, which Claire had a blast doing. She got so excited when the doorbell rang. She said "hey" and waved to the trick-or-treaters and closed the door when they left. She has the candy distribution part of Halloween down now. Next year we'll take her around the neighborhood and work on the candy receiving part.

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-26T17:05:00.004-05:00

Here are some pictures from our visit to a pumpkin farm this weekend.

Talking to a scarecrow...

Riding out to the pumpkin patch (and snacking on a hot dog along the way)...

Following Daddy through the patch to pick out a pumpkin...

How about this one?

Ladybug

2008-10-23T20:52:00.005-05:00

Claire is a ladybug this year for Halloween. I don't know if it tops the chick costume from last year, but I think it is pretty darn cute. I'm trying to get a picture of her in the costume, looking at the camera, smiling, and wearing the antennas. A lofty goal, I know. So far this is the best picture I have gotten...

A playgroup I belong to had a toddler Halloween party today. Claire had a "showdown" on the playground with an alligator and a chicken...

Little Miss Priss

2008-10-20T20:38:00.007-05:00

Last week some friends of ours gave Claire a little purse. She has been carrying it around ever since, and even figured out that it goes on her shoulder. She holds her arm up in the air to keep the purse from falling off. It is hilarious and we are trying to figure out where she learned this. It wasn't from me because I don't even carry a purse.

Her favorite "accessory" is her monkey shoes that she got last Christmas. If I ask her where they are she will go find them and bring them to me. When she wants to wear them she hands them to me repeatedly until I put them on her feet. They jingle when she walks so I can at least tell what she is up to. She is about to outgrow them. We are either going to have to find them in a bigger size or cut a hole for her toes to go out through!

Claire's favorite outfit is her pink princess Dora the Explorer pajamas. She gets mad when I take them off her in the mornings to dress her in daytime clothes. Tonight while James was running her bath water she was in her room rummaging through her dresser drawer looking for the Dora jammies. She sifted through all the other clothes in there and found the Dora shirt and matching pants and carried them out of her room with her. James said, "oh my gosh, she is already picking out her clothes!"

Here is a picture I took of her tonight, wearing her Dora jammies, carrying her purse, and playing with an old broken phone that we gave her. It looks like she is practicing to be a teenager :-)

Tests

2008-10-16T16:41:00.007-05:00

Claire's new surgeon at Vanderbilt recommends that all his CDH patients have routine hearing and developmental tests. I took her in for a hearing test last week and everything is fine. Some CDH kids have late-onset hearing loss for unknown reasons, so they are going to keep testing hers for the next few years to make sure it stays good.

I took her back today for a developmental test. They had her put objects into a cup and take them out, arrange puzzle pieces, find hidden objects, color with crayons, comb a baby doll's hair, put coins into a piggy bank, take apart legos, walk/run, squat and pick up something off the ground, etc. She scored normal on her cognitive development, above normal on her motor skills, and below normal on her language/speech.

She babbles a lot but only says two or three real words. They recommended that we have a speech evaluation done, but I'm going to hold off for a few more months. She's only 16 months old and I think she will catch up on her speech just like she has done with everything else. (Claire has her own schedule for doing things!) She understands a lot that we say to her. If she's not saying more words by next year then I will let them evaluate her and decide if she needs some speech therapy.

She loved playing with the gumball machine toy in their office and figured it out pretty quickly. "Where did the ball go?"

"Ah, if I push this button the ball will come out!"

Boating

2008-10-11T19:25:00.000-05:00

Today we took our boat for a ride on Old Hickory Lake. James had a very good co-pilot helping him drive...

We stopped at a state park for a picnic lunch. There were lots of doggies there which Claire followed around (she LOVES dogs). She also had a great time on the swings...

She was TIRED after all that fun and slept on my lap the entire way back.

Using a Fork

2008-10-10T14:39:00.004-05:00

This week Claire has been learning to eat using a fork. She thinks it is great fun and will eat anything so long as it's attached to the end of a fork that she is holding. I hope this lasts a while!

Multitasking

2008-10-01T08:29:00.002-05:00

Latest Adventures

2008-09-23T17:00:00.004-05:00

Claire has become fascinated with drawers. We had to ramp up our childproofing efforts when she tried to climb inside the lazy susan in our kitchen.

She also loves to open and close doors, especially if someone is on the other side knocking.

She tried coloring with crayons last week, but couldn't push down hard enough to make much of a mark and ended up trying to eat the crayons. So I got her a mini Magna Doodle, which was my favorite toy when I was a kid. She has made some pretty good scribbles with it. She also likes to "paint" on the coffee table with milk from her sippy cup. Someone suggested I let her finger paint with pudding on a cookie sheet, which I will have to let her try one day when I feel like cleaning up a big mess :-)

A nearby shopping center has a big fountain that kids can run through. We took Claire there a few weeks ago to try it out but she was afraid of it. I took her back today to give it another try and she liked it a lot better. I think next summer she will have a blast running through it.

15-Month Checkup

2008-09-11T10:01:00.012-05:00

Claire saw the pediatrician today for her 15-month checkup. She weighs 18 lbs 8 oz (below 5th percentile) and is 31.25 inches tall (50-75th percentile). We saw a different doctor today and she said that even though Claire is not on the growth chart she is increasing in weight and height so she is growing well, she is just petite. She said to keep giving her PediaSure to drink rather than plain whole milk so that she'll keep getting extra calories.

She looked in Claire's mouth and noticed that three of her molars have almost come in. They also re-checked her iron level and it was really good this time, so she is no longer anemic and I don't have to give her yucky vitamins anymore.

She looked at Claire's back and confirmed that she has mild scoliosis. She is going to recheck it at 18 months and if it is worse they will do an x-ray to measure the degree of curvature. Otherwise they will wait until she gets her next x-ray at Vanderbilt next summer. She has had so many x-rays during her short life that I'd like to limit them from now on if possible.

Claire got the MMR shot today and was not happy about it...

But they gave her a blue sucker afterwards and that made things a little better...

She decided to share some with me and my shirt...

By the time we got home her entire mouth and hands were blue and I started calling her Smurfette.

Come On Down!

2008-09-09T13:26:00.009-05:00

There are four steps leading up from our den to the hallway. Claire is a pro at climbing up the steps but has never been able to go down without taking the "express route", so we usually have them gated off unless we are with her. But today she figured out how to climb down and is so pleased with herself. Now she can move freely between the den and her bedroom. There is a toy box in both rooms and she has been carrying toys back and forth all morning. Next I think I will teach her to fetch diapers.

War Eagle!

2008-08-30T14:10:00.004-05:00

Can you tell we are ready for football season?

Though we Auburn fans are outnumbered here in Tennessee, we make up for it with spirit and STYLE!

Update: Claire's aunt sent these pictures to a friend of hers who used to be Auburn's mascot Aubie and he loved them, so Claire is now Aubie-approved.

Boogying Down

2008-08-22T11:44:00.001-05:00

Visiting

2008-08-19T10:02:00.017-05:00

We went down to Birmingham this weekend to visit family and friends. Claire saw lots of grandparents, aunts, and uncles. She also visited her friend Elisha and they were very cute together. She played nice most of the time...

But not so nice some of the time...

She has become very interested in books within the past few weeks. She will bring them to us to read to her and wants us to read them over and over. Sometimes if we don't read fast enough for her liking she will flip the page for us. Her favorite books are "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" and "Pat The Bunny". You can tell they are her favorites because they are the most chewed upon.

I had Claire's latest x-ray sent to her old surgeon in Birmingham to get her opinion on it. She said it was a very bad quality x-ray (I think Claire was wiggling too much). She said Claire's diaphragm looks fine and is still completely intact and that this x-ray doesn't look much different than her previous x-rays. They sent them all to me on a CD and I agree -- the right side of her diaphragm has been elevated ever since her surgery. I guess that is "normal" for her because she has never had any problems. I'm going to send the CD to her new doctor at Vanderbilt so that he will have something to compare to from now on. I feel very relieved.

Summer Fun

2008-08-13T08:43:00.008-05:00

The weather has been great this week so Claire and I have been spending more time outside. She loves toddling around the yard looking at grass and flowers.

We went swimming yesterday, but she preferred walking laps around the pool rather than actually being in the water.

Follow-Up Appointments

2008-08-08T10:47:00.010-05:00

We took Claire to Vanderbilt for a follow-up appointment with her new surgeon today. He knows her surgeon down in Birmingham -- they trained together at UCSF.

They did a chest x-ray and noticed some asymmetry. Her lower organs have rotated and are pushing up on her diaphragm on her right side. Her hernia/repair was on her left side. He asked if she has been wheezing or coughing and we said no, and he said her right lung looks compressed due to everything pushing up on it. Her spine is also starting to curve to the right and her ribcage is asymmetrical.

He said all this might correct itself as she grows, that we will just have to watch and see. As long as she is not having any problems they are going to leave her be. Her O2 sats were 97-98. We are supposed to see him again next summer for another follow-up. Her pediatrician is going to be watching her until then.

Dancing

2008-07-31T08:41:00.002-05:00

Claire is walking around all over the place now and rarely crawls. She has also taken up dancing...

Crawling Is For Babies

2008-07-22T10:01:00.002-05:00

New Hairdo

2008-07-20T19:30:00.003-05:00

When I give Claire a bath, she gets clean. When James gives Claire a bath, hilarity ensues...

Walking

2008-07-18T11:00:00.001-05:00

Rashy and Skinny

2008-07-17T11:08:00.004-05:00

On Sunday I noticed that Claire had a rash all over her body. I thought it was a food allergy and gave her Benadryl, which had no effect. She didn't act like it was bothering her or itching, and she wasn't acting sick and didn't have fever. The rash seems to be getting better and drying out, but since it is still there today I took her to the pediatrician to have him look at it. I was supposed to take her in for a weight check soon anyway.

The doctor wasn't sure what the rash was. He didn't think it was a food allergy, said it could be a virus but she's not acting sick otherwise, and said it could just be eczema or dry skin. He told me to try switching soaps and putting lotion on her more often, and to bring her back next week if it's not better.

She weighed 17 lbs 10 oz on their scale today. She has gained 14 oz since 5 weeks ago, just shy of a pound. The doctor didn't seem overly thrilled by that and wants me to try to get her to drink more PediaSure and eat more. I have no idea how much she is supposed to be gaining, but she at least seems to be heading back up again on the chart.

Hesitant

2008-07-14T17:52:00.007-05:00

The morning that Claire took her first steps she was bold and kept trying to walk without holding onto anything. But I guess she fell enough times to become more hesitant, and by the time her daddy got home from work that evening she wouldn't even try anymore. Since then she has taken a more cautious approach to walking. She will take a few steps between furniture if the distance is short, will walk for miles if you give her a push toy or hold her hands, and is able to stand without holding onto anything. One of these days she will get brave again and let go.

Last weekend James painted Claire's room yellow and decorated her walls. It looks much cheerier now.

She goes to the pediatrician next week for a weight check. I weighed her today on our bathroom scale and it said she was 18.4 lbs! That was with her clothes and diaper on, but I think she is at least 18. The PediaSure is working and she is gaining again. We have also been feeding her more fattening foods, like lasagna...

First Steps

2008-07-01T11:15:00.006-05:00

Claire took her first steps today! I picked her up off the changing table and stood her in the floor and she shocked me by walking five or six steps across her bedroom. I cheered and clapped and she looked very pleased with herself. Now that she has it figured out she has been practicing all morning. She is wobbly, but swiftly getting the hang of it. Look out world!

Smoky Mountains

2008-06-28T19:25:00.006-05:00

It has been a LONG time since our last vacation, so we decided to get away for the weekend and go to Gatlinburg.

We did lots of hiking, including Clingman's Dome and Laurel Falls trails.

After hiking we picnicked in the park, then went back to the hotel to swim in the pool. In the evenings we strolled downtown and Claire waved and said "hey" to everyone we passed.

Here are some more pictures from our trip.

12-Month Portraits

2008-06-19T14:18:00.020-05:00

Since we don't have many photos of Claire (Ha! Only a bajillion!) I took her to Portrait Innovations to get her 12-month portraits made...

She did great and was all smiles and didn't even rip the bow out of her hair. But towards the end she got tired and let us know she'd had enough of this picture-taking stuff. I would cry too if someone made me wear this getup...

Bathing Beauties

2008-06-18T20:32:00.000-05:00

Claire went swimming with her new friend Jaiden this afternoon. The girls had coordinating floats and enjoyed lounging in the pool together and kicking. Afterwards we came inside and they had a grand time playing with Jaiden's toys, especially her kitchen set.

12-Month Checkup

2008-06-11T10:46:00.012-05:00

Claire went to the pediatrician today for her 12-month checkup. She weighs 16 lbs 12 oz and is 29 inches long. She dropped off the percentile chart for weight, so they want us to continue giving her PediaSure and come back in 6 weeks for another weight check. She is also still anemic, so we've got to keep giving her vitamins and feeding her meat and other iron-rich foods. She has 5 teeth now and has been feeding herself finger foods for over a month (she refuses to eat baby food anymore). She eats pretty well, she just burns it all off. Maybe we should feed her birthday cake to fatten her up since she really seems to like it.

She had to get several vaccination shots today and got pretty upset. But afterwards the nurse gave her a cherry lollipop, which greatly improved Claire's outlook on life.

She had a cold last week that she caught from me. She ran fever for several days and had a runny/stuffed up nose. We almost canceled her birthday party because she was sick, but the fever broke the day before and she started feeling much better. Today the pediatrician listened to her lungs and looked in her ears and said all was clear.

1st Birthday

2008-06-07T21:46:00.002-05:00

Claire turned one year old today! We had a big party with family and friends. Claire was hilarious eating her birthday cake. She dove right in and made a big mess...

She got lots of cool toys and cute clothes...

She was tuckered out after the day's festivities, and snoozed all the way home.

James and I got her a wagon for her birthday. We took it for a spin yesterday and she loves it.

Memorial Day Weekend

2008-05-26T19:59:00.004-05:00

Memorial Day weekend was fun and busy. On Saturday we went to the zoo and saw elephants, giraffes, tigers, and monkeys.

Claire also rode the carousel. She recently learned how to wave, and was waving at people as we went around. After lunch she took a snooze in her stroller.

It was hot yesterday, so she went swimming in her pool and loved on her puppy dogs.

Later after it cooled down we plopped on a blanket in a shady spot in the yard and she played with grass. That night we went to a neighborhood cookout.

Follow-Up Appointments

2008-05-22T20:54:00.010-05:00

Claire had follow-up appointments at Children's Hospital in Birmingham today. She got a chest x-ray, then saw her surgeon and pulmonary doctor. I usually take a picture of her when she goes to the doctor, but didn't get any good ones today because she kept trying to crawl off the edge of the table!

Her sats reading was 100 and the pulmonary doctor said her lungs look great and that he can see improvement between today's x-ray and the one taken in February. Her left lung is still smaller than normal, but is growing well. I asked if I could leave Claire in the church nursery on Sundays and he said that would be fine this summer, but I need to keep her away from children this winter during cold/flu season. He said she would qualify for RSV/Synagis shots again this winter.

The surgeon said Claire's diaphragm repair still looks good and that she can go a year until her next x-ray unless she has any problems. We need to watch her closely for signs of re-herniation (trouble breathing, pain after eating, vomiting). I asked if she was less likely to re-herniate now that she is almost a year old and she said no, that it could happen at any time (eg. during growth spurts) and that she will need annual x-rays "indefinitely" to make sure everything is staying where it should be.

The surgeon also said Claire's latest x-ray looked like she might be developing scoliosis, but it could have been because Claire was wiggling around during the x-ray (I hope!). Scoliosis is a common side-effect of CDH, so we will need to watch her for this as she grows. I'm going to talk to her pediatrician about it when we go for her check-up next month.

Claire weighs 16 lbs 10 oz and is 27.5 inches long. She grew 1.5 inches since February, but didn't gain very much weight and dropped off her curve on the growth chart. They were hoping she would be closer to 20 lbs by the time she is a year old. She has always been small, but has always stayed around the 10th %. She is a lot more active now though (crawling, pulling up, cruising) and burning more calories. They sent a nutritionist in to talk with me. Claire is eating lots of table foods and is also still nursing. I was planning on gradually switching her to whole milk after she turns a year old. The nutritionist said I need to switch her to PediaSure instead so that she will get more calories (whole milk has less calories than breastmilk/formula, and PediaSure has more) and that I can go ahead and start giving it to her now. I gave her some vanilla PediaSure in her sippy cup this evening and she wasn't too thrilled with it. Pray that she takes a liking to it and fattens up!

I stopped by the NICU on our way out. It was freaky being back there and brought back a lot of memories. I showed Claire off to some of the nurses who had taken care of her, including the one who helped transport her from UAB when she was born and took care of her those first few days. He was glad to see her and said she looked great and that "made it all worthwhile." They have had a slew of CDH babies come in lately. They had four come in this week and one of those passed away. Another CDH baby was arriving this afternoon, and two more were about to be born at UAB.

Now that Claire is nearly a year old we are going to transfer her follow-up care to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital, which is MUCH closer to home. Both doctors I saw today gave me referrals and are going to transfer her records up there. I will miss everyone at Children's in Birmingham and it was sad to have to tell them goodbye. The doctors and nurses there are great and they know us and seem to genuinely care how Claire is doing. But I'm sure the doctors at Vandy will be great too, and I will feel better being closer to them in case we have a problem. And since we won't have to travel for follow-up appointments anymore James can go with me because he won't have to take off work.

Racing

2008-05-17T16:25:00.003-05:00

This morning we got up early and walked in the Run4Kids 5K. Claire rode in her stroller for the first two miles but then wanted out, so James carried her on his shoulders the last mile and got quite the workout. It was a beautiful morning to be out walking.

Cruising

2008-05-07T18:37:00.004-05:00

Claire is 11 months old today! She is cruising around the furniture and walls, and everyone tells me it won't be long before she is walking.

Birthday Delivery

2008-05-05T17:15:00.006-05:00

Today is James's 40th birthday! Claire and I went over to his office for lunch and surprised him with balloons. Tonight she is staying with a babysitter while he and I go out to dinner. For dessert we are having red velvet birthday cake.

Fun at the Park

2008-04-24T16:12:00.001-05:00

Dining Out

2008-04-20T21:00:00.008-05:00

We ate dinner at a restaurant tonight and Claire REALLY enjoyed her cookie...

She only has two teeth but makes very good use of them. She has been eating all sorts of finger foods lately, such as puffs, wagon wheels, teething cookies, and diced veggies and fruit. She prefers to feed herself rather than letting us feed her with a spoon, so we have to sneak in spoonfuls in between the bites she feeds herself.

Exploring

2008-04-11T10:29:00.009-05:00

Claire has had no problems adjusting to her new surroundings. She was scared by the house when it was empty and echoed, but now that our furniture is in here she likes it just fine.

She has been sleeping well in her crib/room and only woke up ONE time last night...

She has explored EVERY square inch of the living room...

And she figured out how to climb up stairs (but not back down again). We installed some heavy-duty baby gates to keep her away from those for a while...

When she's not exploring, she takes time out of her busy schedule to help me with household chores...

New House

2008-04-07T11:27:00.011-05:00

After spending five months (half Claire's life!) in a one-bedroom apartment, we were finally able to move into a house this weekend! Claire now has her own room and is able to sleep in her big-girl crib rather than the pack 'n play. She also has several "new" toys that got packed up this fall since she was too small to play with them. Her favorite is the Tap-a-Tune Piano, which she has been banging/climbing on all weekend. I have started calling her Schroeder.

Moving In...

Shopping at Home Depot...

Claire also turned 10 months old today. I can't believe she is so close to being a year old! Pretty soon I'm going to have to change the name of this blog from Baby Claire to Toddler Claire.

CDH Awareness Day

2008-03-31T10:51:00.008-05:00

Today is the first annual Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness Day! We are decked out in turquoise, as are several of our family members and friends. 28 states proclaimed the day, including Alabama (where Claire was born) and Tennessee (where we live now). The more people who know about CDH the better chances there will be for improved treatment, stronger support, and more research. The day also provides an opportunity for families whose lives have been affected by CDH to celebrate life and to remember loved ones lost.

Pulling Up

2008-03-26T09:10:00.006-05:00

Claire has mastered crawling and is all over the place now. If she's awake, she is on the go. She has also started pulling up on everything within her reach. Her favorite activities this week are flipping open the door of the DVD player...

And gnawing on the coffee table...

Swimming

2008-03-17T19:51:00.003-05:00

Our apartment complex has a clubhouse with an indoor pool. It was warm outside this afternoon so we took Claire swimming for the first time. She is a little fish! She started kicking her legs as soon as I got them in the water, and she loved splashing her daddy. I took several pictures.

Easter Bunny

2008-03-15T20:12:00.000-05:00

9-Month Portraits

2008-03-12T13:15:00.010-05:00

Crawling

2008-03-11T10:22:00.000-05:00

9-Month Checkup

2008-03-10T13:07:00.006-05:00

Today Claire went to the pediatrician for her 9-month checkup. She weighs 15 lbs 15 oz (10th percentile) and is a little over 26 inches tall (10th percentile). The doctor said she looks great and is growing like she should and hitting all the developmental milestones. Our goals for the next couple months are to get her used to eating chunkier baby food and finger foods, and to increase her from two meals of solids per day to three.

I was relaxed during this appointment because I didn't think Claire was going to have to get any shots. But then they told me she hasn't had her third Hep B shot yet so they gave her that and also pricked her finger for an anemia test. It was good that they did the test because they found out she is slightly anemic. This surprised me since she is primarily breastfed. They said I need to start giving her a multivitamin and try to get her to eat more iron-rich baby foods.

Snow Day

2008-03-08T13:00:00.008-06:00

The weather is crazy! Last weekend it was warm and I was convinced that spring had arrived. This weekend it is freezing cold and snowing.

Fortunately Claire is prepared for all conditions. A couple months ago I bought her a Ralphie-like snow suit on eBay for 99 cents. I didn't think she would get a chance to wear it, but mother nature proved me wrong. I'm glad we don't live further north where I would have to bundle her up like this all the time -- it was a lot of work! She thought it was hilarious.

When we got outside it was so bright that she couldn't open her eyes, so she got to sit in the snow but didn't actually get to see it...

Here are some more pictures from our snow day.

Hiking Baby

2008-03-02T15:45:00.018-06:00

Today was a beautiful spring day, sunny and 70 degrees. We loaded up the tot and took her hiking at a nearby state park. She had a great time and "talked" to us along the entire trail. Every time I got out the camera she automatically smiled -- I have her trained!

If you click the picture below you can zoom in and see her new tooth.

Expect This!

2008-02-19T14:08:00.009-06:00

I caught Claire reading my "What to Expect The First Year" book the other day, and I think she has been getting some ideas...

She started eating dinner in her high chair rather than in her bouncy seat...

She prefers taking baths in the "big" tub instead of her infant tub...

And she has been trying so hard to crawl. She has the fundamentals down, she just hasn't figured out how to put them all together...

Rockin' and Rollin'

2008-02-10T16:24:00.000-06:00

Claire is getting closer to figuring out how to crawl. She has mastered getting up on her knees and is doing some serious rocking. She propelled herself forward several times today and face planted, which she thought was funny. Silly girl. Once she figures out what to do with her arms she will be gone.

Her new tooth is poking out a lot more now. She keeps running her tongue over it trying to figure out what it is, and has become a drool monster.

Follow-Up Appointments

2008-02-08T13:57:00.000-06:00

Claire had follow-up appointments at Children's Hospital in Birmingham yesterday. She weighs 15 lbs 3 oz and is 26 inches tall. Her chest x-ray looked good and her O2 sat reading was 99. They said we could stop giving her Zantac for reflux and just see how she does without it (I don't think she needs it anymore). They want to see her again in May, right before her first birthday.

It was one year ago today that we found out about Claire's diaphragmatic hernia during my ultrasound. She is doing SO WELL now and we feel incredibly blessed.

First Tooth

2008-02-04T13:27:00.001-06:00

I was carrying Claire this morning and she bit my shoulder and I was surprised that it HURT. I looked in her mouth and there is a little tooth poking through her gums on the bottom. She has been in an incredibly happy mood today -- I guess because that tooth finally cut through.

She is able to situp by herself for longer and longer periods of time. She sat in the cart at the grocery store for the first time on Saturday and loved it. I stuffed my fleece jacket around her so that she didn't flop over. Today she sat in the boppy pillow and played with some blocks. I stacked them up tall and she thought it was hilarious to knock them down.

She is also on the verge of crawling. This weekend she figured out how to get up on her knees and has been rocking a little. I predict that she will be crawling around by Valentine's Day. I told James we had better get some baby gates soon.

It is amazing how much she has changed in just ONE weekend.

Tumbleweed

2008-02-01T13:22:00.000-06:00

Claire got her monthly RSV shot today. Actually she had to get two shots this time because the dosage is based on her weight and goes up every time. They can't inject the whole dose into one leg anymore because her little muscle can't hold that much, so they have to split the dose in half and give a shot in each leg. She cried and cried. But I am thankful that she is getting these shots. I know of several kids who have caught RSV/bronchiolitis this winter and had to be hospitalized or given breathing treatments. At least that's one less thing for me to worry about.

Claire is getting more mobile everyday. She hasn't figured out how to crawl yet -- her preferred method of travel is still rolling. James calls her "tumbleweed" because she rolls across the room and picks up toys as she goes. I have started childproofing the apartment.

The exersaucer and doorway jumper have helped her to get a lot stronger. She is able to stand up and can sit unsuppported for a few seconds. She shows off her new skills to her daddy every night after dinner. The picture below looks like he is teaching her to water ski.

Claire has also gotten quite a bit rougher with her toys, but it's nothing a little duct tape won't fix.

Birthday Party

2008-01-18T18:49:00.000-06:00

James and Claire helped me celebrate the BIG 3-0 today with a yummy caramel cake!

Jumping Bean

2008-01-15T08:50:00.000-06:00

This weekend we got Claire a doorway jumper. It has some toys on it that light up and play music. She is fascinated by these and has played with them for the past few days.

But then this morning she realized that she could JUMP! She jumped for thirty minutes straight and had a great time.

I walked away for a minute and came back to find her completely zonked. All that jumping wears a girl out!

7 Months Old

2008-01-07T10:25:00.000-06:00

Claire is 7 months old! They weighed her last week when she got her RSV shot and she was 14 lbs 8 oz. She is becoming a chunky little monkey! She is also getting long and outgrowing her pants and footie pajamas.

She has been eating all sorts of solid foods this past month. Right now she likes veggies a lot better than fruits (she didn't get that from me!) Her favorite foods are rice cereal, green beans, carrots, and squash. I let her try drinking from a sippy cup for the first time yesterday -- she grabbed the handles and put the spout in her mouth all by herself and started drinking like a champ. No teeth have appeared yet, but everyone tells me they think she is definitely teething.

We made two trips down to Birmingham for Christmas and New Years, three hours each way. Claire was a very good traveler. She snoozed most of the way in her carseat, and when she was awake she would "talk" to us and play with her toys. She and I are going back down there next month for follow-up appointments at Children's.

First Christmas

2007-12-25T20:57:00.001-06:00

Checking out the tree...	And her stocking...
And her presents...	Opening them up...
Playing with her new toys...	The aftermath...

Roly Poly

2007-12-21T10:05:00.000-06:00

Forget about crawling, Claire has discovered that rolling is much more efficient...

More Pictures

2007-12-13T16:41:00.000-06:00

Our prize for the cutest baby contest was a gift certificate to Portrait Innovations, so I took Claire there today for her 6-month/Christmas pictures...

Visiting Santa

2007-12-12T15:30:00.000-06:00

Claire went to visit Santa this afternoon...

Here are some more pictures.

6-Month Checkup

2007-12-10T13:25:00.000-06:00

Claire saw her new pediatrician today for her 6-month checkup. She weighs 13 lbs 10 oz (10th percentile) and is 25 inches long. She showed off her new skills -- chewing on her toes, rolling over onto her tummy and holding up her head. She was fascinated by the baby in the mirror on the wall next to the examination table.

She still has a stuffy nose from the cold she has had this week. The doctor looked in her ears and listened to her lungs really well and said everything is okay (Whew!). She also gave us the all clear to start feeding her veggies and fruits. Claire loves rice cereal and eats really well from a spoon, so I think she will enjoy getting to try some other foods. We are going to start with sweet potatoes since we know she is not allergic to them after sampling some at Thanksgiving.

Claire was all smiles for the nurse until she started giving her shots. December is going to be a rough month because she had to have an RSV shot last week, three vaccination shots today, and she is getting a flu shot this weekend. January won't be much better because she has to get two RSV shots and a follow-up flu shot. Poor Claire bear.

6 Months Old

2007-12-07T10:12:00.000-06:00

Claire is six months old today! This fall my friend's little girl asked me how many years old Claire was. I told her zero, and she thought that was just terrible. Now I can tell her that Claire is half a year old.

Claire caught her first cold this week. She has had a really stuffy nose, but so far her lungs seem to be okay. We are going to the pediatrician on Monday for her six month check-up and I'm going to make sure they check her over really well.

She doesn't have any teeth yet. Last week I was convinced that she was about to get one, but then the symptoms went away and no tooth appeared.

CDH Awareness Day

2007-11-28T18:42:00.000-06:00

I belong to a support group for parents of CDH children called Breath of Hope. They have a campaign underway to get March 31, 2008 proclaimed as Congenital Diaphragmatic Awareness Day in all fifty states. This fall a few other Alabama moms and I wrote to the governor requesting that he proclaim this day. I just received a signed proclamation from him that declares the entire month of March as Congenital Diaphragmatic Awareness Month! I'm going to frame the proclamation and show it to Claire when she is older.

I believe that thirteen states have proclaimed the day so far. I asked my friend who lives in Maine to write to her governor and he proclaimed the day, and I asked my sister-in-law in Georgia to write her governor and he proclaimed the day as well. I am still working on Arkansas (where my brother lives) and Tennessee (where I now live).

Several events are being planned by CDH parents all over the country to promote awareness on March 31, including rallies, candlelight ceremonies, blood drives, and wearing turquoise. I told Claire's surgeon about it the last time we saw her and she got really excited and agreed to spread the word and pass out turquoise ribbons around the hospital.

Solid Food

2007-11-26T10:41:00.001-06:00

Claire has been eyeing our plates at dinnertime for the past week, so on Thanksgiving we gave her a bite of sweet potato. That was the first solid food she has ever had -- up until now she has only had milk. She wasn't sure what to do with it at first, but eventually swallowed it and seemed to like it. Today I fed her some rice cereal and she gobbled it up. After each bite she would give me a big smile. When I held out the spoon for another bite she opened her mouth and was ready for it.

I think she might be teething. Her bottom gums are puffy and she has been drooling and gnawing on everything in sight (including her feet). She has also been a bit cranky. Hopefully that tooth will break through soon.

Visiting Daddy at Work

2007-11-16T14:20:00.001-06:00

Lifting Up My Head

2007-11-14T11:27:00.000-06:00

Claire has finally figured out how to lift up her head when on her tummy! Now that she can raise up she is able to flop over onto her back. She hasn't mastered this all the way yet, but is getting stuck less often. The girl is rolling all over the place and chattering! She has been taking lots of naps during the day because she wears herself out playing so hard.

We got settled into our apartment and are learning our way around Nashville. We found Target and Wal-mart so we are set. We have been looking at houses and are meeting with a realtor this weekend to go inside some of them. (Hopefully our house in Birmingham will sell soon.) We are also going to start visiting churches to find one we fit in at. I'm anxious to make some friends up here. Although Claire is a budding conversationalist, it is lonely being in the apartment all day while James is at work.