Claire

Does it even seem remotely possible that Claire will turn 2 in just 2 months??? What a crazy couple of years it has been! This little girl is the sweetest, funniest, most affectionate, headache you'll ever meet. :) I know without a doubt that the Lord sent this child to me to ensure that if I ever at any point thought that I had even a remote clue about parenting... I was wrong. I have been searching all over for the instruction manual that must have been misplaced upon her arrival... but it has yet to turn up.

First of all... Claire gives the best. hugs. ever. Truly. They are the sweetest. And not only that, but her timing - is usually impeccable. I've decided she's got to be one of the smartest toddlers I've ever met. Not because she can speak in full sentences (she can, but we can't understand a word of them)... but because she's figured out how to use affection to get herself out of trouble. Place the child in a time-out, and as soon as you go to get her out, she will (with solemn face), plant the most tender of kisses right on your lips. than throw her arms around your neck and squeeze for as long as you will let her. I'm quite certain she does this to avoid the lecture that inevitably follows, and I will admit she is successful on many occasions. I hold back giggles every time she solemnly mouths, "sorry Mommy", and then, yes, another hug.

Claire, unlike her big sister, has been sick a LOT. We discovered early on that she had a lactose intolerance (we originally thought is was a milk allergy)... and since then it seems it has been one thing after another. This past winter she came down with RSV and battled several ear infections. We finally had ear tubes placed a month ago, and not long after she contracted Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease. Once we finally got that out of her system, she somehow managed to pick up an awful intestinal virus that has taken us 2 weeks to beat. It's crazy to me how one child can have a super-human immune system, while the other catches every bug that blows her way. Poor Claire just can't catch a break. You know you've visited your Pediatrician too much when the receptionist recognizes your voice when you call to make an appointment. Claire's so used to visiting that the second they call her name, she runs through the door and jumps right up on the scale. *sigh* I'm hoping that a 2nd Birthday brings with it some physical maturity that helps her fight things off a little better. Now if we can just make it through the 2 year molars...

Here's a few shots of the little cherub who now answers to the name, "Trouble".