trying to keep track

i was so good at journaling when i was pregnant with claire. i didn't journal at all being pregnant with the triplets. i regret that, but everyday was an adventure, good and bad, while pregnant the second time. i didn't feel like i had time to journal between working, raising a toddler, dr's a couple times a week. when claire was born, i was so good at keeping track with her baby book of all the things she did. i was so good at taking monthly pictures of her. i have so wained from all that since she turned 1. i want to keep track of everything she's doing, and i also want to use this blog as more of a journal, so for the new year, i'm going to try to write in here daily. let's see how life takes me, but i certainly will try.

everyday claire seems to be saying something new. she doesn't talk so much for others, but she doesn't stop talking while she is at home with us. she's always been shy/anxious around other people, so this isn't a surprise to me. however, just when i think that things are slowing down and i can put her baby book away, i find myself pulling it out and writing something new in it. this REALLY bothers my husband. like to the point of random snide comments about the baby book on the stairs...everyday....never getting put away. i can't help it. i don't want to miss a thing. it's not because i think she will be upset when she's older that i didn't keep track, it's more for me. to remember and savor ever moment of her life. she is such a miracle to us. from day one she has always been a miracle to us. getting pregnant was so hard, and when it happened we couldn't believe it was true. then, we thought we were going to lose her, and we prayed and went to the elders at our church, and turns out she just wanted to be difficult. we got a scare with her heart at about 19 weeks. we got another scare when she measured on every week and then suddenly a month later hadn't measured any more than the month prior. turns out, she just really, really liked my pelvis and stuck herself down there at about 32 weeks. she was just fine. we couldn't believe it. we almost had our daughter. when she came each and every milestone amazed us. we are "those" parents. we cried when she rolled over, tears of joy. we clapped and cheered, and cried tears of joy again when she crawled, walked, ate food, etc. you see the pattern here. her first words, we couldn't contain ourselves. now, with each new word, we still get so excited when she says something new. i don't think it will every end. she just amazes us.

she has so many funny little quirks, like LOVING to clean. to the point of temper tantrums when it's all clean and time to put the vacuum, swiffer, duster away. she thinks everything is "stuck" whether it is or not, if it doesn't do what she wants it to do. she learned how to fold a washcloth, and when the laundry is in a pile on the couch and i'm folding it, she finds the wash clothes and folds them for me. she runs from one end of the house to the other and back again, for minutes! tags the ottoman, then tags the kitchen cabinets, and back again. over and over again, giggling the whole way. i want to know what she is thinking. she loves the song "bringing home a baby bumblebee". she cups her hands together and swings them back and forth and says "bum bum bum" a million times a day. i'm trying to teach her new songs, it's not working. she watches something and INSTANTLY repeats it, AND remembers it from day to day. i watered the tree one day, and now every day she points to the tree and runs to the sink to get the canister we water it with. she does a TON of sign language, like putting on a coat, shoes, more, eat, drink, book, sleeping, i can't think of them all right now. she puts her finger to her lips and says "shhh" when her doggy Chief is laying down or mommy or daddy is laying down. then she runs to them and wakes whomever is sleeping up by a big kiss and hug. when she runs she sways her one arm because her one daycare teacher does that. she goes to daycare less than 10 times a year. she LOVES dancing. i mean LOVES. she does these moves like she is "raising the roof" all the time. she spins and spins and dances around on her tippy toes. she will turn on the bose radio where her cd is in and start dancing multiple times throughout the day. she likes to turn the tv off when we leave the room. her daddy loves this quality, let me tell you! she thinks every animal she sees is a doggie. we have to keep telling her there are other animals out there. she just started counting and will count to 2.

her words she says so far:

mommy

daddy

doggie

cheee (chief, her dog)

shoe

socks

shh

on

off

bye

hi

up

down

yeah

no

mine (she OFTEN puts "no mine" together! ugh)

ball

nuk

ouch

gramma

nonnie

pop

eh eh eh eh is still her favorite though! ha

alright, she's fighting me on cleaning up so we can eat lunch, so i better go for now.