Babysitting friends

Who needs a baby doll when you have a huge stuffed bear to push around? It was a challenge to keep this bear in the stroller, but Claire enjoyed giving it rides around the house.

Claire loves to give Eskimo kisses...especially to her Daddy!

Yesterday we had the pleasure of watching our friends Marley and Ava so their mommy could go to school. We had so much fun playing together. Mommy was exhausted by the end of the day! Having three kiddos at this age keeps a person very busy!

We decided to build a fort and the girls had a blast running through it!

After the girls left, Claire thought it would be a great idea to munch on a pickle. This is something her Daddy introduced her to and she loves them!

Therapy

Most of our blog entries are intended for others as a way to keep people informed on miss Claire's wild ride. This video on the other hand is intended for "Dadda" to watch when he needs to relieve some stress.

Becoming so smart!

Claire is becoming so smart. For Christmas she received some touch-n-feel flash cards. We have been playing with them lots. The other day, I placed them all out on the floor and asked her to bring me certain cards. She was able to identify each object or animal I asked her for and bring them to me. Her favorite one is the brown cake (wonder where she gets the sweet tooth from!). We had to surprise Daddy with this new activity when he got home from work. Daddy was pretty proud of his little girl!
Claire has also started to learn what sounds animals make. She knows what sound a dog, cat, and cow make very well. We are working on others still.
One other thing we have noticed Claire doing lately is feeding her babies and wanting to put diapers on them. She will ask for the changing mat and a diaper and then has to take the baby's clothes off to put on a diaper! I have a feeling the pretend play is going to get even more fun in the next few months! Can't wait for the day I come home from work with Daddy wearing makeup and high heel shoes!

One time around

Everyday play

Claire has a story to share

Claire has been "talking" so much lately and we wanted to share some of her stories with you. We have such a blast listening to her go on and on about things only she can understand!

More park play!

Just say "No no"

Well, we have started the new year off right. Claire has learned how to say "no". Up until now, she would just shake her head, but now we get to hear "no" quite often! She has started to pick up on saying more words. Her list includes yes, no, mom, dad, mama,dada, dog, up, on, off, nanny, papa, and more. These are the few that come to mind at the moment. Claire has also started to recognize more things and will pick out an animal from a bucket of them when asked. She is familiar with many of the animals and many of the toy foods she has. She also loves books and spends much of her day looking at books. Good thing Nanny and Papa got her a rocking chair for Christmas. She loves to sit in her little chair and go though many books. We hope her love for books remains strong. It is exciting to watch her grow and learn more every single day. She never fails to put a smile on our faces!

Claire had her 18 month check up yesterday. She weighs 25 pounds 10 ounces and is 32 inches long. This puts her between the 50% and 75% for both weight and height. She is right on track. Our baby is becoming a big girl quickly!

Christmas 2010

As we distance ourselves from Christmas 2010 and begin the journey of 2011, I wanted to create a slideshow of memories that included one song that might not fit the pictures. "The Christmas Shoes" is a song that makes you stop and realize just how special Christmas time really is. During the last few weeks, we have been blessed to have family around us for Claire's second Christmas. We did many things and saw many sights. Everything from San Antonio's River Walk to Moody Garden's Festival of Lights. They were all amazing but the one thing that will stick with me the most is a story Shannon told me about her family. They are starting a ritual that doesn't require expensive toys wrapped in paper or plane tickets to exotic places. It only needs four people spending quality time together. And if I have learned anything in 2010 it is that time is moving faster and faster and the days will continue to blur from one to the next. That is why Sheila and I want to start some traditions of our own that will be exclusive to the Naustdal Family of 3. Traditions that Claire will look back on with fond memories not because they were extravagant or expensive but because they were things that "we always did". Happy New Year!