New Blog Site

Tim has created a new and improved version of our blog so we will now be posting at blog.timandleia.com. I just posted some fun video clips so check it out!

Baby Bits - 6 Months

Claire - 6 Months - Week 1

That's right folks: Claire is SIX MONTHS OLD! Unbelievable! She turned six months last Wednesday and she just keeps getting more adorable by the day. She's been making a lot of raspberry noises, especially when we encourage her by making the noises ourselves. She's started looking at her hands. She's learning how to sit without support. She loves yogurt and drinking water from her sippy cup. She'll maneuver her body through rolling and pushing with her feet to get at a toy she wants. Claire also does something else that I've been aware of for a couple of months but until recently thought I was imagining it (and I didn't think anyone would believe me). Now that she's older, it is really obvious that Claire helps us dress her. I'll ask her to stretch her arm through her sleeve and she does it. She'll also stretch her leg out when she sees me rolling up her pants to put them on her. She's a really easy baby on the changing table and I'm thankful for that.

Here are some pictures:

Reaching for a toy

New Year's Eve

The onesie reads "This is my little black dress." I thought it was appropriate for New Year's Eve even if we didn't go to a party.

Claire trying to go to sleep.

In her new pjs that her Papa gave her.

Spending time with her Dad. Look at how big she is!

Growth Spurt - 6 Months

Please forgive my delay in blogging. I thought I might work on it today but Claire started her six month growth spurt yesterday and we're both exhausted. She was up until 11 both Saturday and Sunday nights and she was also up last night at 2 and 4. When I am less sleep deprived, I will post pictures and an update. Have a good Monday!

Claire's First Christmas

What a perfect Christmas! We were very fortunate that our parents were able to join us this week to celebrate Claire's first Christmas! We had such a good time and we are very thankful for all that they did for us while they were here. They helped us cook, clean and Tim and his Dad spent time in the shop building things. It was hard to see everyone leave. We'll get to see my folks very soon, though, because my brother Stephen, and his wife, Jessica are due to have a baby in a few weeks. I am just beside myself in anticipation!

Here are the Christmas photos:



PS My sweet husband gave me a beautiful gold bracelet to commemorate Claire's first Christmas! I'll post a picture later.

PPS I forgot to mention a couple of things in the previous post. Claire's eye-hand coordination has made great strides this month. She loves to play with her pacifier when she is sleepy and she can get it in her mouth without too much trouble. She is getting pretty good at using just her thumb and index finger, as well. Tim and I have also noticed her mimicking the way we play with her. We love to kiss on her neck because she loves it. She will now try to bite us in return. So much fun!

Claire - 5 Months - Weeks 3 & 4

What a difference a couple of weeks can make! Claire needs a lot more room to move around now that she is rolling over from her back to her tummy. She has also discovered her feet and spends a lot of time playing with them and trying to get them into her mouth. She has also become much more vocal and makes the most adorable sounds. In additions, she is a champion eater. We have been amazed at how quickly she has caught on. She now opens her mouth as soon as we sit her in her high chair. She has enjoyed rice cereal, bananas, avocado, butternut squash, and yogurt. I went to the store today and picked up pears, mangoes, and sweet potatoes for her to try.

Here are all the adorable photos:

What does our Christmas look like?

Christmas for me growing up included a lot of handcrafted decorations. I loved it and I love that I now have some of those items in my own home. I had mentioned to my mom that I wanted Claire to have a Christmas stocking much like the one someone made for me after I was born. My mom said that she would take care of it. Little did I know how much work was involved! Here is a picture:

Do you see all those sequins and beads? My mom hand sewed everyone one of those. Do you see all the lettering? Yep, she hand sewed all of that too! She also cut everything out and pieced all together. Unbelievable! I can't imagine how long that took her.

The two on the right are the ones I grew up with. My mom was so good at filling our stockings with fun goodies. I hope I am able to do that for Claire.

(PS Can you see that I'm in the holiday spirit with my holiday socks?!)

Here's what our house looks like for Christmas:

Oh, I wish you could see how the lights are sparkling on it! The tree has a lot of handmade ornaments on it from different family and friends. The skirt was quilted by my Aunt Mary Jane, as well. One day, Claire will get to add her special touch with macaroni and glitter art!

Tim did this for me. I had cleared the hutch off and managed to get a few things up but he completed it last weekend by adding the garland and lights and other decorative knick-knacks. I love looking at it. It is quite festive! It includes a number of pieces that my grandparents made.

Well, I better get back to work. Tim requested clean pants to wear to work!

Merry Christmas!