Letter to my Little Bear

Little Bear,

This past Sunday, you turned 11 months old. We met some new people at church who asked how old you were, and I almost cried a little bit when I told them. In less than a month, you are going to be one year old. I literally can't believe it. 

You've made a lot of advances this past month. My favorite thing is that you now put your own Cheerios in your mouth. Previously, you had a little bit of a princess syndrome going on; the kind where you wanted Cheerios and would lean forward with your mouth open. It took me weeks and weeks to get you to do it yourself. You would cry and fuss and act like I'd asked you to eat glass or something. So, the day that I held a Cheerio out on my palm and you nonchalantly picked it up and put it in your mouth was a HUGE and victorious day for me. You quickly moved on to picking up bread, cheese, and turkey at mealtimes. Oh, it's been sweet.

You are still not crawling, but it's ok. You're a scooter. You can scoot yourself around pretty effectively, and you love to stand. You're not yet standing without some help, but you don't need too much. I'm still cool with this; no need to rush complete mobility. Especially with the all-tile apartment we have. 

My very favorite thing that you've been doing recently is what we call your "tribal head greeting." We don't know how or why you started doing it, but you will frequently tilt your head forward (cutting your eyes upward so that you can still look at whomever you're interacting with) and lean in, with the goal of touching foreheads. I've had to explain it to several people that you've attempted to "greet." The best moment was when you tried to greet Charlie. He totally didn't get it and just tried to take your toy away (don't be mad: you let him know how you felt about it. Loudly. He left you alone.)

Speaking of Charlie, you were his guest at his first birthday party! We had fun watching the two of you interact. He's basically your only same-age friend. We love Charlie and his family, so we're pretty happy that he's your buddy.

This past month has been REALLY cold. You and I don't get out and go too many places because we've had so much single-digit temperature days. When we do go places, though, you have the best time. You are continually proving to us that you are quite the extrovert. You just love being around people. And, you always put on a show for folks. I'm afraid that you're going to be a ham. The grocery store is one of your favorite places to go, and yes, we always let you carry a bag of salad or spinach. You are delighted every time.

You have gotten a little more rigid with your eating and bedtimes. You are pretty clear about when you're hungry and sleepy. This is a little difficult to balance with events like church. You get hungry before the end of the service, so I end up shoving Cheerios in your mouth throughout Communion to keep you occupied (not while we go forward...but while everyone else does). Speaking of Communion, this week when we went forward, Sam (remember him? He's one of the pastors.) put his hand on his head to pray for you, and you pushed his hand away! Bear. That's really not polite. And, that left Sam trying not to laugh. Laughing really isn't appropriate during Communion. Let's try to behave in the future, mmmkay?

We really love watching you in church, too, because you love to "sing" and "participate" in the liturgy. Everyone sitting near us always loves it. You are quite joyful during church, which is wonderful.

One of your current favorite things is riding in the Ergo carrier on my back. You've always loved riding in the Baby Bjorn (which is worn on the front), but you've recently gotten really into the backpack-style carrier. I wear you in it when we go do laundry and sometimes when you're just disgruntled with life. It's fun. Except when you lick my shirt. That's a little gross.

You are so fun and sweet and love your life. You get prettier everyday, and your personality is coming out more and more. We LOVE it! We're so glad you're our Bear.

XO <---times infinity.

44 weeks with Fawkes at Gran and Grandpa's

Rawr!!

45 weeks

46 weeks...sassy pants.

47 weeks

48 weeks and 11 months

Charlie's birthday!

"I want one! Please mom??"

We love you, Bearsy-Bear! Lots of snuggles and cuddles.

There's this McDonald's in Cleveland, TN...

This is going to sound weird, but there's this McDonald's in Cleveland, TN that might be cursed. Or, at least, we have really bad luck there. Both last January and this one, we stopped there for a bathroom break and a quick snack during the journey from my parents' to Brad's, and both years, sickness has befallen us. If it had just happened once, we'd chalk it up to coincidence, but two years in a row??

Our plan for our time down South went like this:
1. Fly in and visit with Brad's family for a few days at the beginning.
2. Spend Christmas and 10ish days with mine.
3. Drive back to Brad's family for 3-4 days before returning to Boston. 

When we wrapped up time with my family, there was a lot of this going on:

These were taken in preparation for the National Championship. War Eagle, anyway.

We're working on not letting our skirts ride up so much.

We strapped Claire into the car seat- which she came to loathe. And, then we drove to TN, stopping in Cleveland, which is about halfway, to stretch our legs, use the bathroom, and grab a smoothie (Brad) and a salad (me). About an hour after our stop, I told Brad that I felt weird. I slept for a little while, and when I woke up, I felt better.

We arrived at the Boswells', and Tim made dinner for everyone. He made a favorite pizza recipe of Brad's and mine: pesto pizza. Everyone enjoyed it, and we had a great time visiting around the table. Unfortunately, it was the last time all of us were going to be hanging out together for the rest of the visit. Because of the Malady. Or the Scourge. Whatever you want to call it.

I slept fitfully that night. I tossed and turned and felt dreadful for hours. At 2:30, I started with the throwing up and threw up every 20 minutes until a little after 6:30. I timed it. It was awful. And, sadly, I don't think I'll be eating pesto pizza for a while. 

I banished Claire from our room for the day and spent the rest of the day resting and trying to hydrate. Brad had a somewhat milder version of the same virus that day, and we spent a chunk of the afternoon just crashed and pitiful.

Around 4:00 am Saturday morning, I heard someone being sick down the hall and thought, "Oh no...it's going to get everyone!" <very dramatically...it was the middle of the night, after all> Tim, Brad's brother, had caught the Scourge and spent the day in bed, recovering. We were holding out hope for Brad's parents and the friend staying with them. 

Brad and I emerged from our room that day, seeing as how we were no longer on Death's Doorstep. I still ended up taking quite a few naps throughout the day, but overall, it was a much better day. 

Our plan for getting back to Boston involved someone driving us to the airport (2 hours away) and dropping us off. This changed a little on Saturday night, when the forecast started calling for ice and snow. To get to the airport, we were going to have to drive through the mountains, and we started wondering if we needed to readjust our plans to drive Sunday night (before the ice coated the mountains), rather than Monday morning. We made plans, hoping that it wouldn't really be necessary.

Around 2:00 am Sunday morning, I heard more rustlings in the hallway, and when we awoke a few hours later, we found that Brad's parents and the family friend had all succumbed and were down for the count. Obviously, this meant that we had to keep Claire away from everyone and readjust our getting-to-the-airport plans. 

Sidenote: I started panicking about Claire getting the Scourge. There were quite a few calls to my pediatrician dad. I was imagining Claire getting the virus (she's never had one before) and being sick for the entire journey to Boston. On a plane! I had Brad stock us up on pediatric rehydration salts, and I packed about a bazillion extra diapers and wipes and spare outfits. I also started quarantining her toys. You can roll your eyes and say "first-time mom," if you'd like, but honestly, I'm like this in my life without kids, too. I do not mess around with airplane preparedness. Why would I- with the horrible luck I have with air travel? 

So, Brad and I ended up renting a car to take ourselves to South Carolina to the airport. We also ended up having to leave without anyone getting to give Claire hugs and kisses, which I felt bad about, but we were on high-alert. It was rather an anti-climactic ending to our glorious Southern Stint. But, what can you do other than get in your rental car, drive to South Carolina, get Chick-Fil-A as your final breakfast, and get to the airport? You know...to have a myriad of things go wrong, of course.

Bearsy's first Christmas morning

We got quite a few sweet shots of Bearsy on her first Christmas morning. Here she is in her Christmas jammies:

And, yes, that is a tartan tutu that my mom got to go with her jams. And, no, she didn't sleep with the headband on. 

My Dad always reads the Christmas story before we open presents. Claire really got into the spirit of the morning:

This is my favorite shot. She looks so happy about baby Jesus!

And here she is, checking out the Christmas goodies with Nana.

She had lots of fun with the excitement of the morning. Again, she wasn't too interested in unwrapping or boxes, but she did fixate on a few items. My mom had gotten her a small zippered pouch that matches the diaper bag, and she spent a long time just turning the pouch over and over in her hands. Then, she found the mirror attached to the inside of the pouch. That girl loves mirrors. She is quite fond of the baby in the mirror...you know, the baby that follows her everywhere. She also got a Red Sox jingle bell ornament that she played with for a long while, too. 

Claire was a champ, not getting fussy until the very end of our present-opening time (a fussy that was easily satisfied by some yogurt). She seemed just to enjoy watching everyone doing things. Told you...she just loves to be around people. Bless her.

All in all, she decided that Christmas is something she could get used to.

'Twas the Night Before Christmas...

...and all through the house,
Everybody was stirring,
excited about this little mouse (er...bear...):

We were all pretty excited about Bear's first Christmas. We headed down to Alabama a few days before Christmas and got to spend time visiting with lots of friends and family. This is Claire's favorite thing; she is SUCH an extrovert. She just soaks up all the energy from a crowd and is in her element. This was so evident on Christmas Eve. 

The church I grew up in does a sweet Christmas Eve service that is comprised of some singing and the pastor inviting all of the children up to the platform for a reading of the Christmas story. He sits in a rocking chair and all the kids crowd around him. It's adorable.

When we arrived at the church, Claire was incredibly fussy and tired. I was really bummed about it, because I knew there were going to be a lot of people that wanted to see her, and they were going to want to see a happy Bear...not a fussy one. I was prepared for the worst. No one wants for people to meet a baby that they think is going to be adorably sweet only to find that she's in a MOOD. 

However, as soon as we walked into the sanctuary and she saw all the people, she morphed into a completely different creature. She bounced up and down during the songs and "sang" along (pews and pews of people were watching...it was pretty funny. She can't carry a tune yet.). I was really pleased that she forgot her tiredness but was wondering how long it would last and how bad the fallout would be when she remembered she was tired.

Amiee took Bear up for the story, and I went and sat on the front pew so that I could take pictures like the new mom I am. Claire had a great time being surrounded by so many little friends. My favorite thing was that the little boy of a friend of mine from high school was actively trying to befriend Claire. They were definitely carrying on some sort of conversation that was solidifying a friendship. I took about 50-60 pictures and two videos during the five minutes it took for Bro. Jimmy to read the Christmas story. 

Taking in all of the people. 

Listening so intently. Good, Bear.

Please notice our friend, Luke, to Amiee's left. Typical.

"Let's be friends."

"That sounds like a good idea."

"Ok! Let's play now!"

It was so fun to take my baby to the same service that I went to year after year. She had a great time, and we were all pretty content just to watch Claire experience her first Christmas. I'm sad that she's growing so fast, but it is really exciting to see her taking things in and beginning to figure out what's going on in this world. Oh man. She's going to be such a ring-tailed tooter.

With Bro. Jimmy

Claire was, apparently, very excited about this picture.

Attempt at a family shot. We've had better ones.

With my Granddaddy.

Meeting Mrs. Song.

Chilling with Mr. Kevin

Epilogue: Her enthusiasm gained from seeing all of the people did eventually wear off, and we saw the Return of Fussy Bear. Thankfully, though, she waited until the sanctuary was almost empty and we were back in the car. Whew. Close call.

Duckmen and Playing Cards

One not-so-awesome thing about living in Boston is that we live really far from all of our family. I know that seems really obvious, but you really feel it around the holidays. We choose to make holiday travel a priority, so we've logged quite a few miles in the sky recently. Since we spent Thanksgiving in Tennessee with Brad's family, we spent Christmas in Alabama with mine. However, we chose to fly into Tennessee (well, technically, we flew into South Carolina <Hi, Kylie!>, and were picked up by Tennessee family) and spend a few days with the Boswells first. We had a nice few days visiting with everyone. Claire has really enjoyed all of her southerly trips and seems to becoming familiar with our families and their homes, which makes everyone really happy.

We did the Brad/Erin/Claire part of Christmas with the Boswells the night before we headed out to Alabama. It started off fabulously for Claire, as one of her gifts was wrapped in a Duck Dynasty gift bag. Claire loves watching the Duckmen, so seeing their bearded faces on a bag that was right at her eye level was very exciting. Uncle Tim picked out that bag and did equally well with the gifts inside: a board book with protruding reindeer antlers, as well as a pack of Duck Dynasty playing cards. Claire definitely held onto that pack of cards for about half an hour. The cards are still in the cellophane, and she still loves holding them. Who am I to argue with that kind of love?

Such a great idea of Uncle Tim's.

The ever-popular pack of cards.

She loves that Uncle Tim. Don't be fooled by this face she's making.

She was kind of into opening presents but was more into the presents themselves. You know how everyone tells you that for a baby's first Christmas, you really only need to give them boxes because they like those best? Not exactly the case for Claire. She loved playing with the Duckmen bag, but she was actually rather interested in her gifts. Much to my delight, she got a lot of books and puzzles. Those happen to be her favorite things, so it was delightful for everyone. She also got extra-absorbent diaper inserts for nighttime. I was thrilled! 

Bear and Gran.

My friend, Breanne, gave Claire a fantastic Melissa and Doug zoo-themed puzzle when she visited in October. It quickly became a favorite. So much so that when we traveled at Thanksgiving, I tucked the giraffe and alligator pieces into the diaper bag for in-flight entertainment. That was a great move on my part, if I do say so myself. Well, for Christmas, Claire got several more puzzles from the same line, which was GREAT! I waxed eloquent about Claire's love for that puzzle, and the family took note. On top of that, my mother-in-law got the puzzle stand to hold the puzzles. That has turned out beautifully. Bear has already figured out how to get the puzzles out of the stand for herself.

Hangin' with Aunt Rachael.

We had fun getting to see some family friends and participate in Boswell family traditions, like fudge eating, puzzle assembling, and egg nog drinking. The only ripple to disturb the waters is that Sadie, the family dog, does not like sharing attention with Claire. She's not aggressive or anything dreadful like that, and she'll actually interact Claire a tiny bit; she just mopes something awful. It's really sad. She tucks her tail and hangs her head and makes us all feel very sorry for her. Poor Sadie.

Grandpa had this idea. Sadie was less than thrilled.

Boswell Family Christmas was jolly and merry. We were sad to miss the extended family shenanigans, but we were so glad to be able to spend the time that we did! 

Stay tuned for the saga of the Boswell Family Stomach Virus. Let me tell ya: that was a rollicking good time.