Told You So

Clara Grace and her mommy sat across from each other on their music room floor in the late morning hours of Tuesday, June 14. Strewn all about them were the contents of the little girl’s band in a box. Clara Grace had rattled the maracas, beat the drum, tapped the triangle, shaken the tambourine, and clicked the castanets. She had even delved into experimental and creative forms of music such as clashing the cymbals with the maracas, and tapping the drum with the triangle. Finally, Clara Grace sat still as if to say she had gone as far as her eight months of talent would take her in percussion and knew it was time to branch out. Tentatively, Clara Grace’s mommy honked a purple kazoo and handed it to her daughter. Clara Grace accepted the woodwind and gave it a resounding toot. There was some discussion and a good deal of pulling and tugging between Mommy and Baby about which end was to be blown upon, but seeing as how both ends produced the same sound, in the end, Clara Grace’s mommy graciously decided not to belabor the point. It could be noted that when Clara Grace showed her new talent off for her daddy that afternoon, he confirmed that his daughter had been using the correct end all along. In light of the new circumstances, in what can only be described as genuine humility, Clara Grace refrained from telling her mommy, “I told you so.”

Churchgoer

During the church service on June twelfth, Clara Grace rummaged through her diaper bag tossing toys, shoes, burp cloths, and various and sundry other baby essentials onto the floor. At last, she dug out a pair of overalls from the very bottom of the sack. While her mommy and daddy and all the churchgoers in the near vicinity tried desperately to keep focused on the sermon, Clara Grace pulled the clothing over the front of her head and then the back. It was obvious she was trying to dress herself, but unfortunately, she had forgotten the minor detail of putting her head inside of the clothes. Or, perhaps since the over-the-head part happened to be Clara Grace’s least favorite aspect of dressing, she was actually attempting to figure out a way of getting the job done without those dark and suffocating seconds her mommy mercilessly inflicted upon her each morning. After four or five goes, she stared at the uncooperative overalls as if to say, “What’s the problem? You never give Mommy this much trouble.”

Mobility

On Sunday June 12 Clara Grace gained a new measure of independence as she crossed the threshold from one room to another for the very first time. She spanned at least ten feet in her momentous crawl beginning in the music room and ending by her mommy who stood brushing her teeth at the bathroom sink.

Let's Not Rush Things

“Maybe it’s time for her to learn how to kiss now,” Clara Grace’s mommy said, On Thursday the ninth of June. So Clara Grace’s daddy puckered up and made a smooching noise with his lips. Clara Grace watched intently and then did the same. “Well,” her daddy said with a shrug, “that was easy, what’s next?”

Interpretations in Communications

“I really think she is imitating our eating sounds,” Clara Grace’s daddy observed after some careful scrutiny of his daughter’s novel sucking noises during dinner one night. Clara Grace’s mommy paused to evaluate the little girl’s loud smacking and slurping. “Well,” she told him after finding no better explanation, “I only hope it’s your eating sounds she’s imitating.” It was the next morning when Clara Grace’s daddy found the true purpose of his daughter’s odd noises though. While feeding his daughter some delicious butternut squash, he noticed Clara Grace begin her strange slurping ritual. This time however, she also pointed to her sippy cup of water, which remained just out of reach on the highchair tray. “Ah, ha,” her daddy exclaimed, “you want water, WA-TER.” By the end of the meal, Clara Grace’s daddy had her saying “Ahhh,” and pointing to the cup whenever she was ready for a drink. Of course, sometimes the little girl forgets herself and reverts back to her old, slightly less refined, way of communicating, but her parents feel confident that even the etiquette columnists would be understanding at this stage.

Daddy: Clap On, Clap Off

On Wednesday, June 8th, Clara Grace clapped for the very first time. “I have a surprise for you,” her mommy explained when she met her in the crib that morning. “Your daddy is home with us today!” Clara Grace’s anticipation mounted as she understood the word “daddy” and picked up on the obvious excitement in her mommy’s voice. Just then, they rounded the corner of the computer desk and there was daddy himself. Clara Grace kicked her legs, bounced in mommy’s arms and yes, clapped her hands for the very first time.

She'd Like to Teach the World to Sing

Clara Grace has the knack of making everyone around her happy. It isn’t just because she is an adorable baby either. She actually goes out of her way to smile at each person she sees. First she makes eye contact and waits for them to notice her, then her whole face lights up as though they were the very person she had been longing to see all her eight months. “I’ve never seen such a happy baby,” the cashier at Home Depot reported after receiving several of Clara Grace’s smiles. “She’s the most pleasant baby I’ve ever run across,” a woman on the downtown bus admired. On and on the compliments pour in, and Clara Grace’s proud mommy feels that this talent is the very best thing a baby could receive acclaim for at this age. Clara Grace does not show discrimination when bestowing her smiles, everyone; young and old, men and women, and people with any color of skin enjoy a greeting of equal enthusiasm. “She makes everyone happy wherever she goes,” her grandma commented, “That’s a real gift.”

Safety-Deposit Pants

Clara Grace’s daddy was dismayed to find her after naptime with only one pacifier in hand. “Now, I know I put three of those in the crib,” he told her. “What have you done with them?” After a thorough search under and around the crib, her daddy decided that a diaper change was quickly becoming the more urgent matter. He unsnapped Clara Grace’s pants to get at her diaper and out popped the two missing pacifiers. “Were you storing those for a rainy day?” Clara Grace’s mommy asked. Perhaps Clara Grace is hoping to receive for her birthday clothes with pockets.

Clinch Park Zoo

During Clara Grace’s second trip to the zoo, she thoroughly enjoyed her introduction to the fauna native to her daddy’s home state of Michigan. Of particular interest to her was one very energetic otter, two wily coyotes, a friendly elk, and a pair of playful black bears.

Clara Grace Dictionary 1st Edition

These are the words Clara Grace has demonstrated awareness of as of her seventh month. Of course, there is dog, daddy, mommy and Clara Grace. In addition, she can pat and kick on command. She also clearly becomes excited whenever she hears the words eat and water.

Dolly WWF

Clara Grace enjoyed playing with Nana’s baby doll during her May visit to Michigan. The doll has no hair and is a little slow, but does have a pacifier and so is okay in Clara Grace’s book. Using this doll as a model Clara Grace’s daddy attempted to show his daughter the motion required for a forward crawl. Clara Grace sat opposite the two and watched curiously. After a moment’s observation, she got on all fours like the dolly. Pleasantly surprised, her daddy sat the doll on its bottom and Clara Grace sat herself down again. Even more amazed, her daddy stood the doll in front of her at which Clara Grace attempted to stand. She got as far as one knee in the kneeling position and the other bent to push upwards when gravity inevitably took over. To the great delight of her daddy Clara Grace imitated her plastic friend’s positions reliably time after time. On another evening, Clara Grace’s nana observed her attempting to coax the floppy baby into some sort of play. Generously, Clara Grace offered one of her orange interlocking stars to the motionless infant. After no response was forthcoming from the doll, Clara Grace took the baby’s hand in both of her own and pressed it firmly onto the star several times. Nana reported that she looked a bit puzzled at the new friend’s inability to open her molded plastic fingers. The two still get on well enough, though, in spite of Clara Grace’s repeated knocking of her new friend’s bald head onto the floor.