Happy Birthday Clara!

March 6, 2015

Height: 28.5 in

Weight: 18.96 lbs

Head: 19 in

I cannot believe you are 1!  We had your birthday party the Friday before so that everyone could be there, including your Aunt Janae that left for her mission 2 days before your birthday.  You ate your cake like "This is no big deal.  I do this all the time."  You enjoyed playing with Henry and Rubye.  After presents, they played a round of Candyland and you moved your piece around the board and the box like you were playing right along with them.

For your real birthday, we went to the Aquarium.  You loved the shark tank and the tank of turtles.  You had fun looking for the fish and up close to a swimming penguin.  We got home too late to have your birthday dinner, so we did that Sunday and opened up the presents from us and Henry.  Henry got you a mailbox so that he could send you letters.

At one year old, you are still sweet as ever.  You are walking like a pro.  You eat all kinds of big kid food, but your favorites are mac and cheese, cheese, cheese toast, baby cheese puff snacks as well as peaches and bananas.  You might have a thing for cheese.

You still love to be outside.  If you see an opportunity to get out, you go for it!  You then get terribly disappointed when you do not make it before the door is closed.  It is still not quite warm enough most days to let you play outside but I think you will enjoy summer.

It sounds like you are closer to talking.  You are making more distinct sounds, but they are not words yet.  I think you have a few words that you use for a few different things.  "Mama" means Mama, but in the right tone, it is really more like "I need something!  Fix it!".  "Ba" (long a) is bath.  That is about it, but you are SO CLOSE to having a good sized vocabulary.

 

You have the cutest little wave that means hi, bye, and come to me/I'm coming.  I love seeing you wave!

You could not be more loved by everyone around you but especially your Mama, Daddy, and Henry.  Henry loves you so much and is so protective.  In true big brother fashion, he may find it fun to pretend you are as big as he and initiate a wrestling match on occasion, but when it comes down to it, he might destroy anyone that tried to hurt you.  We are so glad to have you!  Happy Birthday Baby Clara!

11 Month Clara

February 6th

You are still a happy baby.  You have such a sweet personality.  You get grumpy, and you let everyone know you are grumpy (even babies have bad days sometimes), but mostly you are a sweet happy baby.

You like cleaning things.  Weird.  You get your own dish rag almost every day.  At breakfast or lunch I get a clean towel, wipe off your hands and face, then you take over.  You carry around this towel for the rest of the day.  You wipe your face, wear it on your head, suck on it, clean the walls, wash your owl, and all kinds of fun things.  Besides having to do laundry more often, it's cute.  

You don't just like to clean your animals; you like to tuck them in.

I think you are starting to talk.  You say Mama and Dada with meaning and we are PRETTY SURE you say bath "ba" and down "dn".

You have started to walk!  You take a just a few steps at a time.  You will come to us if we are a few steps away.  You go between furniture to get where you want to go.  It comes in handy when you want to play Star Wars with your brother and Daddy.

Overheard

February 6

Friday night is Kindle night for Henry.  He gets way excited about this and acts all grown up being up past 7 pm.  Tonight the Kindle died and Nate was up plugging it in for him.  From the family room I overhear Henry saying to his Daddy:

"Can you go to the store to get a nana for Haha?  Thanks."

(Henry and Haha asleep sometime in the middle of January.)

Haha is his best buddy and #1 protector.  We need to keep him stocked in bananas.

10 Month Clara

January 6th

You have an opinion now!  You babble with assertiveness when you have something you want us to hear!

You have figured out how to wave.  It seems like you enjoy this new form of communication.  You get the biggest grin when you wave and someone waves back.

Bath time is your favorite!!!  Every time water turns on, you think you should be in it.  I think you will enjoy summer.  You will get to play in the water, while outside, and probably naked.  All of your favorite things all rolled into one.

If someone is eating, you think you should have some of that exact food too.  You are eating a lot of new things.  Mac and cheese is one of your favorites.

You are starting to move!  You are crawling and standing up while holding on to things.  Henry's big trucks are great for this, as long as they do not get away from you.

You had your tear duct unclogged so your eye isn't watery any more.  We have to go back when you are about 18 months to make sure you do not have a lazy eye.  There is a link between clogged tear ducts and lazy eyes.  If you do have a lazy eye, you'll have to get glasses.

You love to give kisses!  I can ask you for a kiss and you will plant your wide open mouth on my face for a few "wa wa wa" kisses.  I love it!  You love getting kisses.  When someone is kissing your face, you lean in until you are done getting kisses.  If we stop before you are done, you put your cheek right back on our lips to let us know you are not done.

You are such a happy baby!  You smile almost all of the time and are happy doing almost anything.  We love you so much and are so glad you are our Clara!

Christmas

Christmas and everything leading up to Christmas was very enjoyable this year.  Most of the shopping was done before the beginning of December, so we got to spend Christmas time doing Christmas-y things.  Thanksgiving weekend we set up our giant Utah tree and scattered our lights so that they would stretch the height of the tree.

It is a tradition at the Butterflied house to build gingerbread houses.  Henry and Clara both participated this year.  Clara ate her house before we could put it together but she enjoyed snacking on graham crackers and icing while watching everyone else construct their masterpieces.  Henry's house was wonderfully done.  Covered in "snow" and candy with Star Wars guys surrounding to protect it.

Christmas Eve we set out cookies and tried to get a good picture of the kids together by the tree.  Most of the attempts have one or both of them in a blur.  They could hardly sit still.  This is the only one where they were both kind of in focus.  Henry was trying to keep Clara from escaping.  He is not grabbing her head.

Christmas morning was so exciting!  Santa brought Henry a big wheel and a hot wheels ramp (for the bath tub!).  Clara also got some bath toys and a soft owl rocker that sings songs and has squeaky ears.  They made out from family with lots of fun toys that have proven to stick around.

It was a nice Christmas.  Very quiet and enjoyable.  Nothing like Christmas with little kids around to make it exciting and magical!

Fun At Grandmas House

The kiddos are lucky and get to go to Grandmas house where they have Grandma, Grandpa, and lots of Aunts to play with.  It is like kid heaven over there.  They get to play all kinds of things and have so many people to take turns doing those fun things with them.  For your picture viewing pleasure: