More stuff about Claire so I don't forget.

• Here are Claire's stats from her 12 month doctor's appointment:
  
  Weight: 23 lb 5 oz (80th percentile)

  Length 78 cm or almost 31 in (90%)
  Head 45 cm (25%)
• Claire got her first tooth at around 9 months, and three more within the next month.  We got another clump of teeth the past few weeks.  She is now about to cut number 8.  All of that teething made for some difficult nights, but she is a trooper and hasn't complained too much. 
• Claire's nose sweats when she sleeps.  A lot. 

• Claire started walking early.  She was barely 10 months when she took her first steps.  (Although it took her almost another month before she could take more than a handful of steps at a time.)  Now she is RUNNING- and fast!  We got lots of comments about how surprised people are to see a baby her size walking.  I felt like some mothers with babies around her age were a little jealous.  Okay, to be honest, I'm secretly proud of my little stinker.  But I'm also a little jealous right back at those Moms.  A few more months of an immobile baby- what a blessing that would be right now!  
• It is now pretty much impossible to get anything done when she is awake.  If I pick up her toys, she dumps them out again almost immediately.  She unloads the dishwasher as fast as I can load it.  She grabs and shakes the piles of folded laundry much faster than I can fold them.  We are about to move and I'm pretty much terrified of how packing is going to go.  Luckily, Grandma Harvey has promised lots of help.  I'm going to need it!
• It's fun, though, to see how she is trying to figure things out.  I can see how she watches me and tries to copy adult behaviour.  She puts things in other things, she moves things from one drawer to another.  She is always so intent on whatever she is doing, and sometimes I can tell that she really is trying to be helpful.  I just didn't need all 100 sheets of tissue out of the box...
• She doesn't sit down often.  When she does, she will often acquire a "squat" position so that she can go back to standing and running quickly.  It's quite impressive.

Her bum is about 1 to 2 inches off of the floor

• Claire has started talking!  (Kind of.)  We are pretty sure that she knows that when she says "baba" she is referring to the ball that she is playing with.  She also says "baba" when she is babbling, but it seems consistent when we give her the ball.  She also says "uh oh" at the appropriate time.  I wasn't sure until the day after her birthday.  We were at church, and she kept on dropping things and saying "uh oh."  So cute.
• Speaking of church, we have quite a few little babies in our Sunday School class right now.  We all sit in the back row and lay out toys for the babies to share.  Claire is the most mobile (of course) so she walks from one baby to the next taking their toys and food.  When she gets bored of that, she runs up to the front of the room and bangs on things, or runs to the trash can to see what treasures she can find.  Momma gets to chase her.  The fun continues during the third hour, but this time she gets to go with Daddy to Priesthood so her Mom can go to the "Young Women's" class.  Daddy says she has fun playing with the babies in there.  If there's a chalkboard, she and her buddy Wesley push it around the room much to the chagrin of the teacher.
• Oh yeah, did I mention that she LOVES pushing things?  She did it a lot while she was learning to walk- it gave her something to balance on while she propelled herself forward.  She still loves it, though.  On walks, she wants to push the stroller.  At the store, she wants to push the shopping cart.  We went to a local event with a lot of old people, and she kept on going up to them and trying to steal their walkers! 
• Claire has what her Gram calls a "WHIM of Steel." (By the way, she is copying the expression from her mother who used it when describing ME at Claire's age.)  When Claire doesn't get whatever thing she happens to kind of want at that moment, she shrieks and screams and squirms like her life is coming to an end.  This is most likely to happen when she wants to be running around and we want her to be holding still.  Diaper changes, shopping trips, Sacrament meetings... these have all become especially difficult times.  I am trying to be a consistent Mom, but it's hard because sometimes it's just easier to give in to what she wants and avoid the scene. 
• She is getting to be so much fun, though!  She claps her hands and laughs and plays with us.  She loves songs, rhymes and being tickled.  When we are sitting on the floor, she will turn herself around and sit down on our laps.  She gives the hugest toothy grin when she's happy.  She's just delightful.

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Claire is 1!

I had a lot of fun planning and getting ready for Claire's first birthday.  I may have gone over the top.  I'm pretty sure my next baby is not going to get a party like this (because I will be busy taking care of two kids and a bigger house!) I'm hoping I will make it up to them, though, by being a more experienced Momma and giving them an older sibling to help them through life.  Pros and cons to each position in the family, right? 
Anyway, we did a butterfly theme.  I found matching decorations that I liked at the dollar store and went a little crazy buying streamers, balloons, tablecloths, centerpieces, napkins, party hats, etc.

 

I made little favors for the "baby guests." The tag said "Thanks for fluttering by" (get it?!) and I just put in a little match-y party horn (useless) and a little board book (useful)

 I had fun making Claire's cake and cupcakes for everyone else with some "pin"-spiration.

And I made a little shrine to Claire.  It included the 6 month baby book that I made for her on Shutterfly.  (I had a coupon that was going to expire!)  I made a video where I compiled some of our favorite short videos of her and put it to music.  I also made a banner with a picture of her at each month of her life so far.  

 

The party (or should I say parties) went very well. 
Round 1: We pretty much invited every baby we know for a one hour party in the morning.  Nine ended up coming.  We completely baby proofed the common room of our apartment building, and laid out blankets and toys and let the babies go crazy.  We served fruit and arrowroot cookies for the kids, and the parents could also have chips and cupcakes.  I was a little nervous about so many babies, but all of the parents were there and watching their little ones.  I don't think I heard any babies cry during the whole hour.  (Except for maybe Claire when we were making her open her presents- we're so mean!)  Highlight: going outside and blowing bubbles.

Round 2: After Claire finished her nap, we had a family party.  We served hot dogs, chips, fruit and cupcakes.  We watched Claire eat her butterfly cake, and had a better time opening presents with her. (We figured out that you had to put her in her high chair and give her presents one at a time, hiding each one before giving her the next one.)  We were grateful for Jason's family who came out to wish Claire a happy birthday. 

All in all, a very successful day.  Claire seemed to LOVE all of the attention and food (big surprise.)  We love this girl!