The End of an Era

Claire has been home for over a year now, and I think it's probably time to bring this blog to an end. We originally intended it to be a way to keep in touch with our family and friends while we were in Kazakhstan, but you all fell in love with Claire right along with us (it's okay, we can't blame you), and we couldn't just stop the updates. No, really...we tried. You guys didn't like it. We've loved sharing how much she's grown and changed over the past year, but we're not "Bringing Claire Home" anymore.

For the die-hard fans, Claire will be sharing face time with her soon-to-be little brother on a new blog. I won't even begin to make promises about how often I'll update it, but I'll try to at least post photos.

Thanks for following along on our journey. Those of you who've gotten to meet Claire know what an amazing kid she is, and we're so lucky to be her parents and to have shared the experience with all of you.

TWO!

We celebrated Claire's second birthday today. The spoiling began late last week with the arrival of Justin's parents on Friday and a suitcase (yes, a whole suitcase) full of presents. Oh, that's not all...I haven't even mentioned the giant new swingset in the backyard yet. Can you tell she's the first grandchild? By the end of her big day, she managed to rake in a new kitchen (complete with pots and pans to bang together...fun!), a "Stalker Elmo" doll who knows a bit too much about her (check it out here), and a tricycle, too. She went to bed an exhausted, happy, two year old. And we went to bed equally exhausted, equally happy, and still in disbelief that our baby is a two year old.

Was this really a whole year ago??


You can see more pictures from her big day here.

What a Difference a Year Makes

Claire's first Family Day!

A year ago today, Claire officially became our daughter. Of course, we felt like Mom and Dad from the moment we laid eyes on her, but today is the day Kazakhstan considers her officially ours. That whole "legally ours" bit was sort of a necessary hurdle in order to get her out of the country.

In a year, Claire has gone from a nine-month-old baby who could hardly sit up to an energetic 21-month-old toddler who can outrun both of her parents and probably even some track stars. She's developed a legion of devoted fans (many who will be floored when they see that her mommy actually updated this site!) and can charm just about anyone she pleases with her big southern "hey!"

People often tell us that Claire is so lucky, and sure, she's got a good life, a ridiculous number of toys, and virtually unlimited access to Ritz crackers. But in the "luck lottery," Justin and I certainly came out on top. We were given the most amazing little girl, and not a day goes by when we don't look at each other and say, "Gosh, we are SO lucky she's ours."

Sheeeee's back!

Let’s see…where were we? I believe Claire was turning one. I know that to some of you, it feels like a million years ago since my last update, but honest, it’s only been three months. Claire is now a happy, healthy (albeit still quite tiny), VERY mobile 15 month old. She has a serious penchant for chocolate milkshakes and whatever she finds on the floor. The latter has taught us to move quickly…she finds dust bunnies and other proof of my housecleaning ineptitude with amazing speed. When we say, “No, no! Yucky!” it only makes her quicker and more determined. We’ve become pros at “sweep the mouth.”

Upright mobility came in August. She’d been standing on her own for a while, but she’d just sort of shimmy like she was willing her legs to do something they couldn’t quite grasp yet. The day she figured out the whole “one foot in front of the other” concept was a big day for her…followed by lots of falls. Fortunately for all of us, she’s a great faller. She walks like Frankenstein with her arms out in front of her, which has prevented the inevitable head bumps…or at least kept them temporarily at bay. She gets steadier and faster every day, and at this rate, she’ll be running track by next summer. We know the day when she can outrun us is coming soon, so for now, we’re just enjoying the fact that we’re still quicker.

Claire’s World Tour picked up again in late July with a trip to Georgia to visit Justin’s family - lots of aunts, uncles, cousins, and her great-grandmother. We flew up to New England in August to visit some friends in Boston and then drove up to Maine and introduced Claire to her great aunt and uncle. She’s accumulated more frequent flier miles than most adults, and the tour isn’t over yet! She’ll be jetting off to North Carolina in a few weeks to meet more doting great-grandparents, and there are lots of other travel plans in the works. Check your local papers.

It’s pointless for me to promise regular updates since when I do, I keep proving myself to be a total liar. If you find yourself desperate for a Claire update and I (quite likely) haven’t provided one in a while, feel free to e-mail me. No, not to harass me (!), but I’m a much better e-mailer than I am blogger and you’re likely to get some recent photos of the most photographed child ever.

Happy 4th of July!

Birthday Girl

Our little girl is one!

Claire’s grandparents and Uncle Adam were in town to help celebrate the big day. She started the day off with her first taste of pancakes and then began preparing for her big celebration. Even an adorable one year old needs time to rest and primp, especially if that one year old’s two boyfriends are coming to her birthday party. I would include photos of them, but quite frankly, you would all fall in love and I won’t have anyone taking my daughter’s boyfriends away. One day, she’ll have to decide between the two of them, but for now, she’s loving the attention from her two suitors.

The party went well. There was singing, lots of presents (and enough new books to warrant a new bookshelf), and naturally, some fabulous cake smashing and plenty of icing in the birthday girl’s hair. We also started a “birthday tablecloth” tradition for Claire. Every year, her guests will sign their names on her tablecloth and we’ll embroider over the names, so one day, she will have a tablecloth that’s been used at every one of her birthday parties and has been signed by all her guests. This year, Claire’s guests weren’t exactly autograph-ready, so we traced their handprints and wrote their names inside the print. It’s going to be so cute in a few years when it’s full of names and handprints.

We’ve known Claire for four months now and only had her home for a little more than two months, but she’s wasted no time becoming the center of our world and we’re so grateful to have her in our lives. And of course, the very reason we’re celebrating today has a lot to do with a woman who lives halfway around the world who made very difficult decision a year ago and gave us the best gift we could ever hope for. I’m sure she’s thinking of Claire today, and we’re certainly thinking of her…and thanking her.

Month One

Okay, so I lied about the whole “weekly update” thing. Sorry to those of you who’ve been checking everyday. We’ve been home a month today, and for more than half of that time, we’ve either had company at our house or been company at someone else’s. What a whirlwind.

Claire began the Claire Sumner 2005 World Tour (contact me if you’d like a t-shirt) earlier this month with a ten-day trip to Kansas, where she had two parties in her honor and lots of other social engagements. The first weekend in June, she’ll be in Nashville and then off gallivanting in Florida later that month. We’ll be back home for her birthday on July 3 and then off to visit family and friends in Georgia later that month. North Carolina and New England dates are in the works.

Despite being the one who stays home with her every day and changes the dirtiest of the diapers, Claire is saying “dada” non-stop. We’re not sure if it counts as her first word because she doesn’t really know what it means. Yes, she calls Justin “dada,” but she also calls me, the dogs, the neighbors, and strangers in the store “dada.” Regardless, Justin is pretty excited about it. When he comes home and she yells “Dada!” he beams, even if she is talking about the dogs.

Sleeping is going much better than we could’ve hoped for. She sleeps about 12-13 hours each night, usually waking up once for a bottle, but sometimes sleeping straight through until the morning. When she does wake up for a bottle, that’s all she wants, and when she’s had enough, she holds up her hand as if to say, “Enough. I’m through with you now,” and then she rolls over and goes back to sleep. She sleeps until at least 8 a.m. every day. You physically cannot wake her before that time. I have tried and she will groan and scoot away from me. I wonder what she’ll be like as a teenager.

Over the weekend, Claire learned how to pull herself up. We were making lunch, looked over at her, and she was standing up and holding onto the edge of a basket. On her face, she had a, “Are you watching this? I’m amazing!” expression. The baby-proofing is beginning in full force and suddenly everything in our house appears to have sharp, dangerous corners. I’m about to buy a giant roll of bubble wrap and start covering the house…or better yet…covering Claire.

In addition to her summer tour dates, Claire also has a busy schedule around home. She starts Kindermusik next week, we’re joining a playgroup with other kiddos her age, we just bought our pool passes this afternoon (the best way to spend an Alabama summer day), and of course, she has her daily shopping regimen. You can’t start them young enough!