My 9-month old walker

Claire is getting so good at walking, it's crazy! I thought it would take her a while to really get going, like when she learned to crawl. But, no, she's really anxious to get going. She certainly doesn't take after me, I didn't walk until 18 months.


Notice she also has incredible balance. I think I may be seeing a gymnast or dancer in the future.

Giggles!

My very favorite sound is of a baby giggling, especially mine. Evidently, Claire thought her Uncle Jared was HILARIOUS!

Let's go to the park

Oh boy, what should we do first?

Swings! We've never tried those before, let's do it!

Proof!

Claire has a couple new tricks that she's been working on. She just barely learned how to clap. It's so cute! I always clap when she stands on her own so now she'll stand up and clap. She likes to wave "hi" and "bye" if you wave to her. Oh, and that little thing called walking. She prefers crawling since she can go really fast, but she's been practicing her standing and walking skills more and more. Here you see her taking a couple steps. She's done more, but now you have proof!


Never mind my idiotic voice, just pay attention to the cute stuff.

My 9-month-old cutie

I'm having a hard time believing it's already been 9 months since Claire was born. It's incredible how time flies.

And since I know you're all DYING to see what her favorite toy is, here you go.

It's a foam sword!

First Mother's Day

I have been looking forward to this day for a long time. Last year on Mother's Day, I was 6 months pregnant and sick that day. So, it didn't really mean anything. This year, being able to hold my beautiful child in my arms and be reminded of how truly special she is was just incredible. My love grows for Claire more and more each day. I thank God every day for the amazing gift of being a mother. I knew that I would love my child with an indescribable love, but now that it's real, I really believe it. It is the most wonderful feeling I have ever felt. Becoming a mother was the best thing I have ever done and it is incredibly rewarding. I couldn't ask for a better baby. She is so good-natured and happy. She's healthy and beautiful. Oh, how I love my Claire Bear.

Claire got me a flower

But she decided to eat it instead

"What?"

Mmmm... happy face bacon and eggs for lunch
(because I was the only one awake during breakfast hours)

Gifts from my favorite people (Claire had fun with the crayon. The creases in the paper are from her, too)

A Mother's Day massage

Is this what heaven is like?

Geek baby

My smart baby walked 5 steps toward me tonight! She is 3 days shy of 9 months. Whoa... crazy baby! She certainly doesn't take after me - I walked at 18 months. I'm so proud of her! Though, now it will be harder to keep up with her. Anyway, guess what she was after that I was holding...

Yep, I have a geek baby. And do you know what her favorite toy is? It's not a stuffed animal, doll or blanket. I'm not gonna tell you what it is yet, because I need to wait until she wakes up tomorrow so I can take a picture because a picture is worth a thousand words. Yes, I'm mean.

But...

I'll let you enjoy a couple other pictures of my geek husband and geek baby, just to keep you entertained until my next post. :)

Level 1 Human


My "Level 1 Human" and my "Level 12 Paladin"

Great-Grandparents

Claire is very fortunate to have all 4 great-grandparents on my side of the family. And they all live within a half hour from us. We visit my dad's parents every Friday and we see my mom's parents quite frequently, too. Of course they all ADORE Miss Claire.

Claire and her Opa (my paternal grandpa)


Claire and her Oma (my paternal grandma)


Claire and my maternal grandpa
(we haven't come up with a nickname yet)


Claire with my maternal grandma
(yes, she's eating the Food section)

No more Pirates

I sure am gonna miss Pirates of Penzance. I had never seen it before and now it's one of my favorite musicals. Today was the last show. It was an awesome audience! Normally Sunday matinees don't have very lively audiences, but today some actors had friends in the audience, so it was great. Last night's audience was great, too. We knew quite a few people. It's always fun to play for people we know. Yesterday matinee's audience was not responsive at all. Hardly anybody laughed or clapped. We put this sign in the pit during intermission for the actors to see:
We pit musicians like to have fun and make the actors laugh. :) But, what a way to end a run, with the last 2 audiences pretty much the best audiences of the whole run! I now have a 7-week break before my next project, which is much-needed.

My view from the pit