Mighty Fine Motor Skills

Clara Grace sat beside her mommy and baby brother on the couch Monday, October the sixteenth. Her mommy was feeding Everett and talking to Clara Grace about all the things left to do before they could leave for the park that morning. “Do you know where your shoes are?” she asked the little girl. “Yeah,” Clara Grace answered and ran off toward her room. “Found it!” she called and ran to join her mommy on the couch again. When Everett had finally finished eating around ten minutes later, Clara Grace’s mommy was shocked to discover her not even two-year-old daughter had already wriggled into her own footwear and even refastened the Velcro.

All In The Timing

Clara Grace wiggled and squirmed in her daddy’s arms at the checkout line on Saturday, October the fourteenth. “What are you doing?” her daddy finally asked as he noticed the curious stares of onlookers directed his way. To his mortification, Clara Grace replied very loudly and enthusiastically, “I’m Sooooo poopy!”

Reach Out And Touch Someone

Clara Grace waited in the Hobby Lobby checkout line with her daddy more or less patiently on the afternoon of Thursday, October the twelfth. Curiously, the toddler slipped under the chain and into an abandoned cashier’s station. Her daddy watched the little girl closely but didn’t see anything in too much danger at the moment.

“Good afternoon,” Clara Grace’s daddy heard the cashier from his line announce cheerfully and realized she was addressing him. Just as he was about to swipe his card at the end of his purchase, a sound from the abandoned lane caught his attention.

“Hello, hello?” a confused voice inquired through the speakerphone.

Clara Grace stared wide-eyed at the unusual phone trying to remember which of the hundreds of interesting buttons had evoked this response. She couldn’t believe her luck, perhaps checkout lines weren’t really so boring after all. There was only one female voice which regularly spoke to her through such a contraption. She answered excitedly, “Hello, hello Nana!”

If I Do Say So Myself

As the mail truck pulled away on Wednesday, October the eleventh, Clara Grace and her Daddy went out the front door to retrieve what he had left in their box. “Checking the mail,” the little girl announced conversationally on the way down the sidewalk. “There goes an orange cat,” she told her Daddy and pointed at her old friend across the street. “Walking away,” she sighed sadly as the cat quickly scampered under a car. She watched her Daddy flip through the stack of envelopes and in the absence of any forthcoming praise, she finally announced, “talking so well.”

Bumps In The Road

Clara Grace found her daddy doing yard work on the morning of Wednesday, October the eleventh. Blissfully unaware of his current state of productivity, she decided to use him as a human highway for her tiny fire truck. “Up the leg,” she told him as the red engine plowed up his worn blue jeans. “Drive on tummy,” she continued as the truck made a U-turn along her Daddy’s old T-shirt. “Down the leg. Ah oh pocket,” she announced as the fire truck veered into the deep and unexpected pothole.

The Grass Is Always Greener

Clara Grace and her mommy sat reading a book together on the couch the morning of Tuesday, October the tenth. Suddenly, as though a new idea had come to her, the little girl reached for a second book that lay on the coffee table in front of them and handed it to her mommy. “Read too,” she told her and in quite a grown up air scooted a few inches away to open her own book. She began perusing the story she had chosen with occasional comments each time she turned a page such as, “Elephant walking in grass. Agalator jumping in water.”

Her mommy took the cue and began to read her own book with great interest. “Ah ha, there’s Elmo,” she announced quietly, and then, “Oh, look! What is Oscar doing?”

Reluctantly, Clara Grace peered around the cover of her own book and into her mommy’s. After a few more page turns and fascinated remarks from her mommy, she could bare it no longer. “Share,” she announced and offered her book in exchange.

“Okay,” Clara Grace’s mommy said in agreement to the swap.

In the same manner as before Clara Grace dove into her new book. She flipped the pages excitedly and exclaimed “Elmo, brushing teeth, Ahhh!”

Meanwhile, her mommy flipped a few rigid pages of the board book her daughter had discarded and commented, “Oh no, the hog is scared.”

Clara Grace’s page turning faltered and again she peeked around the corner of her book.

“Mama raccoon and baby raccoon are playing,” her mommy continued. By this time, Clara Grace was unabashedly reading over her mommy’s shoulder and it was clear she was having second thoughts about this new plan of hers. “Share,” she instructed her mommy once more, only this time, she took her mommy’s book and kept the other safely stowed beside her.

Growing Up

To her bewildered mommy, Clara Grace seemed to have suddenly transformed into a grown child. Everyone had warned her of this phenomenon, but she honestly believed that her perception of her baby girl was accurate enough to remain unshakeable even after she returned from the hospital with a helpless and tiny infant in her arms. All children grow up however, and Clara Grace’s mommy soon saw in alarming clarity with a mixture of regret and pride how the gradual effects of almost two years had worked their inevitable effects of change over her baby daughter.

The first time Clara Grace’s mommy kissed the top of her daughter’s head, she was utterly surprised at what now felt more like a Kindergartner’s curly noggin than the little baby’s soft brow she had left just days earlier. And when she rocked Clara Grace on the first day home, she couldn’t help wondering how she’d missed the way her baby girl’s head and long legs dangled over the arms of the rocking chair completely unlike the curled up baby girl she had remembered from less than a week ago.

Not only had the toddler seemed to grow physically, but her vocabulary and syntax had multiplied by leaps and bounds as well. On Friday, two days after Everett arrived, Clara Grace snuggled beside her mommy and baby brother on the sofa and pretended to sleep like her baby brother. “Are you sleepy?” her mommy asked quietly.

“Sleepy,” Clara Grace answered.

“Are you ready for your nap?” her mommy inquired.

“Okay,” Clara Grace replied.

“All right, let’s go to your bed then,” her mommy said and began to stand.

Clara Grace’s head popped up from the cushion in alarm and she shouted, “No!”

“But you said you were sleepy,” her mommy told her.

“Want to sleep on the couch,” Clara Grace informed her and then snuggled back onto the cushion.

That night, Clara Grace awoke uncharacteristically in the early hours of the morning. Her daddy checked in on her to determine the problem. "What’s the matter?” he asked his little girl.

“Fires on floor,” she told him dejectedly and looked wistfully through the crib’s bars at her discarded pacifiers.

“Why are they on the floor?” her daddy asked in an attempt to find the underlying cause of the night’s disturbance.

“I dropped them,” Clara Grace admitted ruefully.

“And why did you drop them?” her daddy persisted. “Hungry,” Clara Grace replied, “Need food.”

Floored by his one year old daughter’s grasp of cause and effect, Clara Grace’s daddy asked patiently, “Do you think you can wait till morning when we’ll eat a big breakfast?”

Clara Grace thought for a long moment and then answered, “Wait.”

Her daddy rocked her until the little girl told him drowsily, “Want to go to sleep in bed.”

Baby @ Work

Clara Grace’s daddy took her to work with him on the morning of Friday, October the sixth. The day was designated as professional development, so he selflessly decided to allow the energetic toddler to accompany him and provide a few hours of rest for his wife and new baby boy. The first activity on the agenda was a session on “Brain Dance,”--one of the latest trends in education involving stimulation through movement to improve learning.

Once Clara Grace’s daddy had successfully interested his daughter in cooking at the play kitchen area, he joined the other teachers who were beginning relaxation techniques in the center of the Kindergarten classroom. “Stand with your feet on the floor,” the instructor directed in a soothing monotone.

“Where else would they be?” Clara Grace’s daddy wondered sarcastically.

“Let your feet sink deep into the floor,” the instructor continued.

“They’re as deep as they’re going to get,” Clara Grace’s daddy reflected silently.

“Now lie on your backs,” the instructor directed and Clara Grace’s Daddy obeyed grateful for the chance of a moment to close his sleep-deprived eyes. No sooner had he finally begun to give in to the feeling of relaxation when he heard the familiar “jingle, jingle, jingle,” of his daughter’s rapidly approaching shoes. “Ooof!” he grunted as twenty-five pounds of toddler landed squarely on his chest and lungs.

“Feel your body sinking into the floor,” the instructor carried on obliviously dispite the snickers from every corner of the room. Spurred on by the laughter, Clara Grace decided the grown ups area had far more potential for entertainment than the play kitchen. She scanned the room and decided to join in with this strange ritual by lying on the ground and performing her best imitation of snoring. “Sleeping,” she informed the room in case anyone had mistaken her performance.

Then, she glanced at her daddy’s half drunk coffee mug and announced, “Need some coffee.”

“Did she just say that she needed some coffee,?” one of the teacher’s asked incredulously.

“It’s not how it looks," Clara Grace’s daddy attempted to explain.

Baby Logic

Clara Grace’s mommy had done her best to prepare the little girl for the earth shattering arrival of a new sibling in the home. In the beginning, this had been done through requests for the toddler to please refrain from kicking or bouncing on mommy’s tummy, seeing as how a tiny baby lived inside. She further explained that the baby was getting bigger and bigger and soon would come out to play with his big sister. Clara Grace showed interest in the concept by continually asking her mommy to sing the “Baby song” which had been improvised for the occasion. Even so, her mommy couldn’t be sure whether the full magnitude of the coming event was fully realized by her little girl.

During the last week of pregnancy however, Clara Grace talked more and more about her little brother, almost as though her anticipation was mounting along with the rest of her family’s. On Thursday morning, four days before her brother’s arrival, Clara Grace commented to her mommy during a diaper change, , “Baby Brother coming.”

Her Mommy replied, “You’re right, baby Brother is coming soon."

Clara Grace carried the conversation further by stating matter of factly, “Baby Brother coming out door.”

With the imminent day approaching, her mommy reflected wistfully of a delivery where things could really be that simple. On Saturday morning, the day before her baby brother arrived, Clara Grace patted her mommy’s stomach during another philosophical diaper change and said, “Baby in tummy.”

Her mommy answered, “You’re right, there’s a baby in mommy’s tummy.” Clara Grace thought for a moment then reflected empathetically on what must seem like an eternal imprisonment for her baby brother, “Baby in time out?”

Pacifier Debate

Clara Grace bounded to meet her daddy as he came home from work on the afternoon of Friday, September the twenty-ninth. After greeting him with a hug she asked, “Fire, please,” which meant she would like a pacifier. Once her daddy had retrieved her precious pacification device, she decided to press her luck with a further request. “Two fires?” ventured the hopeful little girl. “How many mouths do you have?” her daddy asked rhetorically. “One, two,” Clara Grace replied slyly. “One mouth, one fire,” her daddy answered without wavering. Clara Grace stood thoughtfully for a moment and then made her final plea, “Two hands, two fires.” With their one-year-old daughter’s current level of reasoning and verbal repartee, her mommy and daddy have high hopes for a prosperous future in law.

Playtime Etiquette

Clara Grace and her mommy enjoyed a play date with Nicholas, one of Clara Grace’s best friends on the morning of Thursday, September the twenty-eighth. The two toddlers giggled almost uncontrollably as they raced each other to the top of the two slides in Clara Grace’s back yard then sped shooting down. Then came a very proud moment for Clara Grace’s mommy as Nicholas decided to switch slides. The little girl stepped back allowing Nicholas to pass, looked at her mommy and announced, “Share, share slide.”

Phonics

Clara Grace proudly pushed the letter “B” on the refrigerator to hear the sound it made on the morning of Tuesday, September the nineteenth. “B-b-b,” she told her mommy enthusiastically. “You’re right,” her mommy encouraged, “’B’ says ‘b’ like b-b-b-baby or b-b-b-ball.” Clara Grace considered this for a moment then surprised her mommy by saying, “B-b-b-book!”

What Happened in Shoe?

Clara Grace’s Daddy got her dressed on the morning of Saturday, September the sixteenth. As her daddy hurried through the finishing touches of shoes and socks, Clara Grace exclaimed suddenly, “Ah! What happened in shoe?” Her daddy reexamined the situation only to find a crumpled sock stuffed all the way in the shoe’s toe. When the little girl heard her mommy repeating this story and the laughter it received, she commented “Funny joke,” and often repeated, “What happened in shoe, ha ha ha!” as her feet were shod.

The Last Inhibition

Clara Grace’s daddy removed his little girl’s wet pajamas and snapped a new diaper in place on the morning of Saturday, September the sixteenth. Clara Grace exclaimed, “Ouch! Hurt foot! Foot hurts! After kicking her big toe on the wooden rail of the diaper table. Miserably, she glanced up at her daddy and requested, “Kiss it?” Her daddy, who would normally do anything to wipe away his daughter’s pain, was more than slightly reluctant on this particular occasion owing to the fact that Clara Grace had completely soaked her pajamas and sheets the past night. In the spirit of compromise, her daddy offered, “I’ll kiss your cheek,” but Clara Grace wiggled her tiny toes and replied, “No, kiss foot.” Upon seeing his options were none, her daddy gingerly kissed the very tip of the little girl’s big toe. “Hug it?” Clara Grace persisted and of course, her daddy eventually succumbed to this request as well.

Consider the Consequences

Clara Grace’s daddy balanced her high up on the afternoon of Friday, September the fifteenth. She eyed the enormous and inactive ceiling fan and pleaded, “Up, up fan.” To her surprise, she stretched out her hand and actually moved the giant blade. As the fan slowly rotated away from her, she waved and called, “Bye bye fan.” Predictably though, the next blade in line followed and gently tapped the back of her head. “Bonk the head,” she announced in surprise.

Calling Us Names

Clara Grace’s mommy and daddy woke her early from her nap on the afternoon of Wednesday, September the fourteenth for her mommy’s doctor’s appointment. Their daughter popped up from the mattress as they tiptoed into the room and greeted them, “Jeff, Marcy!” Needless to say, this was quite a shock to the parents who weren’t even aware that their little girl knew their names. “Hopefully if she regresses when her baby brother is born, she’ll go back to calling us mommy and daddy,” her daddy mused.

Danger Baby Robinson

Clara Grace played with her daddy in the department store on the evening of Saturday, September the eleventh. “Crawl under here,” he urged his little girl pointing out one of the doughnut shaped clothes racks under which he had spent many happy hours while his own mommy shopped. Clara Grace wasn’t interested though, so her daddy attempted one more tack. “Be careful,” he warned and glanced ominously once more at the hanging garments, “be very careful!”

Immediately, Clara Grace looked back at the rack with renewed interest. She pushed through the clothes glancing over her shoulder every few seconds and grinning at her daddy. One can only wonder what activities this daredevil attitude will lead to in the future.

Mailbaby

Clara Grace bounded from the sunroom on Friday, September the tenth. She found her mommy washing dishes in the kitchen and proclaimed in a state of near hysteria, “Truck is here knocking on door!” As it turned out, the delivery of her daddy’s new steamer was the highlight of the little girl’s day.

That'll Learn Ya

Clara Grace eyed the coffee cup in her mommy’s hand with particular envy on the afternoon of Thursday, September the eighth. Mustering all her toddler charm, she laid her head on her mommy’s lap and asked sweetly, “Mommy coffee, try it? Try it please?” “I suppose we can give her a sip,” her mommy said tentatively to Clara Grace’s daddy. “Once she tries it, she’ll probably stop asking for it all the time, right?” Unfortunately, no sooner had the little girl’s lips come away from the mug, than she said in a throaty voice, “Like it! Nummy, nummy! Good coffee!”

Dog Observations

Clara Grace’s mommy and daddy took her to an outdoor concert on Friday, September the second. Their daughter proudly called out “banjo!” and “fiddle!” each time these instruments took a solo break.

After a while, her daddy decided to take her on a tour of all the dogs that had come to listen to the music. Each of the canine’s owners was proud to let the little girl pet their furry friend. First, Clara Grace met a tiny and playful Jack Russell and commented, “It’s a doggie, fast dog!” Next she met a quiet but friendly red spaniel. Much to her surprise, she got a big kiss from its large, wet tongue and said, “Wet dog! Need a towel." One of the last she met was a wiry terrier whose fastidious owner had even remembered to bring its water dish. “Water,” Clara Grace observed after taking a sip from her own cup, “doggie’s water, bye bye doggie.”

A Spoonful of Sugar is the Medicine

The morning of Saturday, August the nineteenth, was not a good one for either Clara Grace or her parents. While Clara Grace’s mommy faithfully manned the family yard sale intended to make room for Clara Grace’s soon to arrive baby brother, Clara Grace and her Daddy marched around the front yard hand in hand until the little girl took a notion to run toward the road. Instinctively, Clara Grace’s Daddy squeezed tighter to his daughter’s hand. After a strong tug from the little toddler, she whimpered in surprise, “Arm hurts!” She grasped her wrist and held it straight out gingerly. This resulted in an emergency trip to the doctor who coincidentally happened to be the very same physician who had treated Clara Grace’s mommy when she was a little girl.

“Nursemaid’s elbow,” he said definitively on first sight of the poor toddler supporting her left arm straight out by the wrist.

“I think it might actually be her wrist—“ Clara Grace’s Daddy tried to protest. “I felt a little pop and she’s been holding it—”

Before he could finish though, the doctor had Clara Grace on her mommy’s lap and had begun bending the little girl’s injured arm in what could only be described as rubber-like contortions. “It’s back in place,” the doctor reported, “she should feel better in a few hours.”

The poor little girl sat uncharacteristically motionless on the couch for the rest of the afternoon and propped her arm just as before. Finally, her mommy made the hard decision to go ahead and bring her to Nicholas’s birthday party in the hopes that she would be distracted from her misery. As expected, Clara Grace cheered up on seeing all the lively children, but hung back from fully joining in their raucous play. When it came time to eat, she allowed her mommy to hand feed her yummy cheese and crackers, hotdogs, and macaroni, but still felt it necessary to prop her left arm.

The moment of miraculous healing at last occurred when Nicholas’s mommy held out a vanilla and a chocolate cup cake to Clara Grace and asked which one she preferred. All memories of pain seemed to vanish as the little girl stretched out both arms and grasped the two cakes simultaneously.

Invented-but-Accurate English

Clara Grace’s daddy heard a tiny rumble as he watched his daughter in the bathtub on the night of Tuesday, August the fifteenth. “I Tooted!” Clara Grace informed him proudly. “Yes you did,” her daddy replied. “Bubbles!” the little girl went on discovering a new bath time diversion.

The next day, a similar tiny rumble issued from the little girl while she played with her toys in the nursery. “I bubblesed!” she exclaimed.

An Announcement

Monday, August the seventh, Clara Grace surprised her mommy by announcing from her high chair “Two spoons.” And “Two yogurts.” Which happened to be precisely the cargo her mommy had just deposited on the table for their breakfast.

Caught a Cat by the Tail

An extremely amiable cat frequented Clara Grace’s yard during her second summer. After a few meetings, the little girl developed enough courage to chase down the friendly animal and pet it’s soft back. The short-lived friendship ended abruptly however when Clara Grace decided to invite the cat into her house. Not knowing the words for a formal welcome, she decided the best plan was to take hold of the cat’s orange tail and pull in the direction of the front door. Needless to say, it was several months before Clara Grace ever could get close enough to the cat to attempt to reestablish their relationship. Her mommy took this time to give a few lessons on feline etiquette. After this instruction, Clara Grace never failed to treat the posterior of a cat’s body with proper respect. Whenever she viewed her estranged friend at a distance across the street, she would call ruefully as he scampered out of sight, “Bye bye cat, bye bye tail!”

Conversational English Progresses

Clara Grace can be said to have carried on one of her very first conversations of substance on Friday, July the fourteenth. On this afternoon, she was again watching vehicles as they whirled past her car seat. “Truck,” she announced and stared after a pickup that had caught her attention.

“You’re right,” Clara Grace’s mommy told her from the front seat, “that’s a truck.”

“Dirty truck,” Clara Grace elaborated.

“Yep, trucks get dirty a lot,” her mommy answered.

“Need to wash it,” the little girl continued.

“He does need to wash his truck,” her mommy agreed.
“Wash with water,” Clara Grace concluded apparently guessing that if it worked for her bath time, it couldn’t be a bad idea for this dirty truck as well.

Butt Nothin'

Clara Grace and her daddy prepared to board an elevator on Thursday, July thirteenth. Unfortunately, her daddy wasn’t aware of the new responsibility his daughter had recently inherited from her mommy of pushing the buttons. The little girl looked on in utter disbelief as her daddy called the elevator to their floor and the number four button lit brightly. “My butt!” she announced as she tried to convey her frustration. “My butt! My butt!”

It was during these last enthusiastic exclamations that the elevator doors slid open to reveal a full cart. “My butt!" Clara Grace protested once more then turned to the crowd, waved, and offered a cheery “Hello!” Once that courtesy was out of the way, she turned back to her daddy and, just for good measure, reminded him once more, “My butt!” Of course, this evoked riotous laughter from the confused elevator passengers.

True Love

Clara Grace’s Daddy called to say that he had made it safely to his hotel in California for another short speaking engagement on Sunday, July ninth. He talked to his daughter on the telephone for a while and then told her he would call her back the next day. When he said, “Bye, bye, Clara Grace answered, “Love you” unprompted for the very first time.

Woo-Car

Clara Grace’s attentiveness to the automobiles that barreled past her car window was obvious. She could identify already cars, trucks, busses, “Woo cars” (police cars), and fire trucks. On Sunday, July the ninth, she watched curiously as a car with a screeching fan belt drove past. Sympathetically she pointed after the vehicle in need of repair and commented, “Ah-oh, car cry.”

It's Only Fair

Clara Grace’s daddy prepared to tuck Clara Grace in for her afternoon nap on Thursday, July the sixth. The little girl realized for the first time, that she would like to start another bedtime routine and insisted, “Mommy kiss.” Ever since then, no matter which parent gets her ready for bed, the other must at least receive one kiss before she drops off to sleep.

Sweet and Salty Dreams

Clara Grace had taken Tylenol for her swollen gums and fever but still lay in bed with mommy during a restless night of teething Monday, July the third. At least for that night, her mommy didn’t have to wonder too much about the dreams flitting through her daughter’s tiny brain. In her sleep, Clara Grace contentedly murmured, “chicken, yummy yum yum.”

I Think So

Sunday, July the second, Clara Grace asked her mommy from the backseat of the car, “Is Nonnie here?” The little girl had obviously been missing her cousin Donnie whom she’d played with under Grandma’s supervision while her mommy taught Spanish a few hours each week during the school year. Mommy said sadly, “I don’t think so.” Much to her mommy’s surprise, Clara Grace replied confidently, “I think so.”

Food Critic

No matter how enthusiastically her parents presented vegetables, fruits, and meats, Clara Grace never seemed quite able to trust many foods that strayed too far from some shade of beige. Needless to say, her mommy and daddy smiled politely, but didn’t slow down when a not so savory character with a nose ring and dreadlocks offered their daughter some teriyaki chicken on a toothpick outside the China Express. Much to their disbelief and slight chagrin, their finicky daughter gulped it down as though she’d never been fed in her life. She then used her powerful, one-year-old charm to win another sample and scarfed if from the stick twice as fast.

Sick as a Dog

While Clara Grace ate in her high chair on the morning of Tuesday, June twenty-seventh, her mommy noticed that the little girl seemed a bit stuffy and coughed every so often. “Are you okay?” her mommy asked sympathetically. Clara Grace responded in an extremely dejected voice, “No! Not okay not okay!” Her mommy realized actually acting sick during a cold was just one more little sign her baby was growing up all too quickly.

Share

On Saturday June the twenty-fourth, Clara Grace played at the Children’s Discovery Museum with her mommy. She watched enviously as other children raced around with a popping lawn mower. Finally a little boy discarded the coveted toy and she dashed in for her chance. Unfortunately, her triumph was short lived. She got in about three good pops, then decided to lay the lawnmower’s handle down for just one fraction of a second to give her mommy a toy shaker with which she had previously been playing. Another eager child swooped in right under poor Clara Grace’s nose and merrily popped away with the mower. As Clara Grace looked on in amazement and disappointment, her mommy heard her repeating softly an unhappy mantra of “Share, share, share, share.”

Peaceful Protest

By Friday, June the twenty-third, Clara Grace was becoming very good at communicating with words the things she did and did not want. This was a welcome relief to her parents who had often found themselves completely baffled by their daughter’s enthusiastic gestures, grunts, and cries in past months. On that particular evening, Clara Grace’s daddy had finished lathering her up with soap and then directed, “Okay, sit down in the water so I can get the soap off.” “No!” Clara Grace answered defiantly. “Clara Grace,” her daddy repeated in a firmer tone, “sit down.” “No, no,” his daughter whimpered, “Poopy,” she added and pointed out a floating log which obviously held contradictions for her when presented in the same context as cleaning off in the bathwater.

What's Important

On Thursday, June twenty-second, Clara Grace’s mommy set a bowl of oatmeal and a banana on her daughter’s high chair tray and then got busy preparing her own breakfast. With the push of a button, the family coffee machine whirred into action. No doubt, this sound brought to the minds of both mommy and daughter the family’s true coffee aficionado who was away on a four day speaking engagement. “Foffee,” Clara Grace commented as the lights on the machine blinked to life. “You’re right, I’m making coffee.” Her mommy answered. “Yum yum,” Clara Grace remarked then went back to scooping her oatmeal. Later that morning on the phone, Clara Grace’s mommy was sure to relate the influence Clara Grace’s daddy had already had on his one-year-old daughter.

One, Two...Skip a Few...100

On Sunday, June fourth, Clara Grace’s Daddy packed up the luggage from a weekend trip to Gatlinburg with the Whisman family. While he worked, he allowed his little girl to indulge in one of her favorite activities, pretending to drive his big, red car. After a few moments of two much quiet from the front seat though, he decided it would be prudent to investigate. What he found was Clara Grace on the floorboard helping herself to the travel stash of animal crackers. “What are you doing?” he asked rhetorically. “Mamamal crackers,” Clara Grace answered nervously. “I see that,” her daddy sighed, “and how many have you eaten?” he inquired not expecting any answer. “One, two…” his daughter replied.

Rats

On Monday, May the twenty-ninth, Clara Grace’s mommy made conversation with her daughter on the way home from a long trip of errands. “When we get out of the car, do you want to take a bath?” “No,” Clara Grace responded from her car seat. Always enjoying the thrill of outwitting a one year old, and knowing his daughter’s fondness for the word “no,” Clara Grace’s daddy then asked slyly, “Are you sure?” “Without a second’s hesitation, Clara Grace answered definitely, I’m sure.”

Calls it as She Sees It

On Monday, May the fifteenth Clara Grace sat on her Daddy’s lap while her mommy washed dishes across the house. Apparently Clara Grace felt the injustice of a rule being broken as her parents conversed across the space of the living room and over the noise of the running water. “Too loud!” she announced with finality.

So PAY!

On Saturday, May the thirteenth, Clara Grace’s mommy and daddy began to notice a strange form of pig latin creeping into their daughter’s vocabulary. Suddenly, once easily understandable words such as soap, no, and shoe, needed decoding. Thankfully the key was fairly simple; draw out the first part of a one-syllable word, then add “ay” very enthusiastically onto the ending. This created words like, “Soapay, shoeay, noay, noseay.” (Soap, sounds like So-PAY! for example.)

Birding Baby

Clara Grace shared her mommy and daddy’s hobby of bird watching even from an early age. She quickly developed the ability to recognize and identify three birds in the wild by their calls. When Clara Grace heard a crow, she exclaimed "Co, co!" When a Blue Jay flew over our yard and made its call, she jumped up excitedly and shouted, "Jay jay!" And whenever she heard the sad song of the morning dove, she informed her mommy, "Duh, duh!"

One...Two...THREE!

Clara Grace climbed nimbly to the top of her new slide time after time. Once at the top, she had a habit of getting her mommy’s attention by calling “Two, two, two…” until her mommy finally got the hint that it was her job to watch and count to three.

Masterpiece

Tuesday, April the eighteenth Clara Grace sat politely in her restaurant highchair and waited for her food. To pass the time, she colored streaks and dots of orange and blue on her paper placemat. Then, as if to acknowledge the true worth of her masterpiece, she laid down her crayons and kissed the abstract three times.

Backseat Driver

Clara Grace showed the first signs of becoming a backseat driver right around this time. Whenever her daddy took a curve a tad sharply or rode over a bump in the road, a firm “Whoa daddy!” came from the occupant of the car seat behind him. “Thanks baby,” her daddy replied obnoxiously and then made sure to give the next bump just a little bit more bounce.

A Discerning Ear

One habit of Clara Grace’s which her mommy and daddy find particularly adorable is her way of really listening to a song and then announcing her approval of a select few by a quick but enthusiastic “Yea!” after the final note has sounded. The reason her mommy and daddy find this habit particularly endearing is that while professional musicians score only the occasional “Yea”, whenever one of the amateur songs recorded in mommy and daddy’s home studio is played, Clara Grace never fails to be encouraging with resounding and decisive “ “Yea!”

Zoo Adventures

Clara Grace’s zoo visit on the morning of Monday, April the third proved to be quite eventful. She was high fived by an enthusiastic orangutan through the glass enclosure and if that wasn’t up close and personal enough, she was actually pecked right on the head by an African Crowned Crain. She ran straight for mommy, and although there were not many tears, that bird still retains one of the prime spots on her “Things not to be trusted” list.

On Friday, April the fourteenth, Clara Grace gave her mommy a flower for the very first time. While walking on a wooded path through the zoo, Clara Grace bent down to examine a pink petal on the trail. Then, deciding it was worth further notice, she marched back to her mommy and announced “Flow,” as she placed the silky petal in her mommy’s palm.

Riding Along in my Automobile

On Sunday, March the twenty-fifth, Clara Grace’s Daddy allowed her to pretend she was driving his big, red car while he worked on cleaning the automobile. Once it was clear that Clara Grace had mastered horn honking, a new game had to be found, so her daddy put her into her little motorized, blue car. After a few more minutes of productive cleaning, her daddy heard the whirring sound of the battery-operated motor, alerting him that Clara Grace was on the move. He looked up to see her pulling out of the garage and into the driveway as though she’d been driving all her life.

Whatever Works

Clara Grace was visiting her Nana and Baba in Michigan on Wednesday, March the twenty-second. All the grown-ups were finishing lunch that afternoon and clearly not paying Clara Grace enough attention, so she devised a plan. She toddled down the hall to her bedroom, climbed up onto the bed and grabbed her changing pad. Then, she dragged the pad back down the hall, and laid it out flat near the table. Once she had situated herself in a comfortable supine position on the mat she announced, “Diaper.” Upon inspection, her mommy found the little girl not very in need of a new diaper, but the plan had succeeded.

English Language Learner

On the morning of March the thirty-first, Clara Grace greeted her daddy with the words, “Hi, diaper, yes.”

It is amazing what social skills and conversation topics Clara Grace can glean from her meager vocabulary. She began a new custom on Saturday, April the first, which she maintained for months afterwards. Her mommy and daddy had taken her out for an omelet at the Waffle House. Of course, it wasn’t long before one of the waitresses stopped to say hello to the adorable little girl. Clara Grace returned the greeting and then, so as not to be rude, went on with further introductions. “Mommy,” she informed the waitress and patted her mommy. “Daddy,” she announced pointing across the booth to where her daddy sat.

Due to a backup in the dishwasher drain, Daddy spent all of the first week in April putting in a new kitchen floor. Fortunately this time, he had occasional help on the job. Whenever Clara Grace wandered into the worksite, she dutifully handed Daddy a nail and then joined in the hammering by exclaiming, “Boom, boom, boom!”

Jump!

On Thursday, March the sixteenth Clara Grace bent low to the ground, then thrust her arms up into the air with a loud exclamation of “Mmmm!” The sheer force of this motion actually propelled one foot from the ground. It was clear that this was Clara Grace’s first attempt at a jump. Within several weeks, both feet cleared two to three inches and she began replacing the exclamation with the actual word “Jump!”

More Conversational English

Monday, February the twentieth Clara Grace and her mommy played in the yard. Clara Grace surprised her mommy by pointing toward a mourning dove pecking around the bottom of the giant cedar tree and announcing “bird.”

One afternoon in early February Clara Grace’s mommy asked her daughter if she could kick her pink ball. She was surprised to see the coordinated little girl kick the ball several times all the way across the yard.

Plan B

Clara Grace sat with her mommy and daddy at the dinner table on Saturday, February the eighteenth. She diligently plunged her fork into her bowl of noodles each time she wanted another bite. Nothing ever emerged on the tines so plan B was always a quick dive with her fingers.

Daddy is Part Machine

It became evident that Clara Grace had become accustomed to her Daddy’s routine after half a year through the double load of his master’s program. On the morning of Thursday, February the sixteenth she got a diaper change from Mommy and ran straight to the computer calling, “Daddy, daddy!”

T

Thursday, February the ninth, Clara Grace announced “T” and plucked the corresponding letter from the refrigerator door. Her mommy and daddy were shocked to say the least. She repeated this game several times though and was correct even when her mommy sneakily mixed up the magnetic letters.

No-No, Aunt Amy!

Monday February the sixth, Clara Grace watched in complete shock as her Aunt Amy, who for all practical purposes could be considered a grown-up, spilled her drink all over the restaurant table. The little girl was the first to speak offering a very loud and heartfelt, “Uh-oh!” “Should we say “No, no Amy?” Grandma asked jokingly. “No no,” Clara Grace replied delighted to be on the other end of that phrase.

Kid's Eye View

On Saturday, February the fourth, Clara Grace went to one of her favorite places, the Tennessee Aquarium. So many eventful things happened on this trip that they are worth recording.

1. First of all, a gigantic, six-inch, purple butterfly took a decided liking to the little girl and fluttered inches from her face. Clara Grace, on the other hand, did not return the insect’s friendly attention and batted at it until being rescued by Daddy.
2. Second, Clara Grace who is usually very shy around strangers came completely out of her shell that afternoon. On one occasion, she spotted a group of six adults standing in a circle and deep in conversation. She noticed the single opening left in the group and stepped in, hands folded behind her and face tilted upward to the towering grown-ups as if to say, “Don’t mind me, just carry on with whatever it was you were saying.”
3. At another point, she saw a man standing near a tank of fish, which she could see so much better if she could stand on the ledge in front. Noticing that he was closer than Mommy or Daddy, she decided to try out talking to someone else for a change. “Up, up!” she demanded.
4. Another strange thing that day was how different floor textures seemed to fascinate her. Whenever there was a switch from tile to carpet, or a metal grate, she was obligated to examine it thoroughly. Any of these things took precedence over whatever her mommy or daddy were showing her, whether it was a ten foot shark or a six foot catfish.

Organized Crime

On Tuesday, January the twenty-ninth, Clara Grace decided to try out some acrobatics. She gripped the fireplace screen firmly and began her ascent. This was followed by a very loud clang at which point Clara Grace must have been more than a little surprised to find herself staring up at the ceiling. It didn’t take very long for her mommy to make things better and within five minutes, she was back to tapping at the screen experimentally. “No, no!” her mommy said firmly. “Don’t touch.” The lure of adventure was strong though. Finally, after repeated warnings from mommy, Clara Grace relented. She headed for her toy basket and picked up her Baby Tad. Cautiously she stepped close enough to the fireplace to place baby Tad’s hand on the screen.

That Tad can be so bad.

Deductive Reasoning at its Best

When Clara Grace was fifteen months old, she began showing the very first hints of moving away from diapers and toward the potty. Grandma watched her zip around and around the living room with her shopping cart when all at once, she skidded to a halt, announced “Uh oh,” and squatted. That next Saturday morning, Clara Grace sat on the couch with her mommy and daddy proudly stuffing shapes into their appropriate holes in her shape sorter. “What do you think that means when she says ‘uh oh’ and grabs her pants?” Daddy asked curiously. “Hmm,” said mommy and sniffed, “I think it means she needs a new diaper.”

Gifts from the Heart

Clara Grace and her mommy enjoyed an uncharacteristically warm day in the yard on Wednesday, January the eleventh. Clara Grace scoured the yard while Mommy listened to the birdsongs and savored the warm breeze. Every so often, Clara Grace marched triumphantly to mommy’s porch swing and said, “Uhhh!” which her mommy knew to mean “Here!” Eight times, Clara Grace placed a miniature pinecone into her mommy’s hands. “Thank you, for the pinecone” Clara Grace’s mommy said excitedly each time. Her enthusiasm was genuine, for these pinecones represented eight generous treasures born completely of her daughter’s own effort and discovery.

Vocabulary Expansion Continues

More and more words are finding their way into Clara Grace’s vocabulary. On Monday, January, the ninth she said “Good job, bath, ball, sock.”

She's So Grown-Up!

Clara Grace went to a baby shower on Saturday, January the seventh. She watched curiously as all the adults performed the strange ritual of placing an animal cracker somewhere on a prostrate and very pregnant woman. Next, each woman had to take a turn removing one of the crackers with their mouths. Finally Clara Grace could take it no longer, with unexpected determination she burst into the crowd and grabbed for an elephant on the mommy-to-be’s leg. “Oh no!” the other women shouted and blocked her path just in the nick of time. Clara Grace’s mommy picked her up and considered how she might possibly explain that this silly game was grown ups only.

Vocabulary

Words seem to be bubbling out of Clara Grace now. On Monday, January the second, she said car, dog, good, banana, and yum yum. Some words which the little girl chose to emulate, mommy didn’t even realize she said so often, but Clara Grace’s regular repetition of “Cool,” has led mommy to examine her unfortunate hang-up on certain vocabulary from the eighty’s.

Prized Possessions

On Tuesday, January the third, Clara Grace’s friend Ashlyn came for a visit. Both girls played happily while their parents ate and talked. Clara Grace seemed more than pleased to share any of the toys from her abundant stock, any that is, except her pink, bouncing ball. Somewhere midway through dinner, she devised a plan that would allow her to free up her hands for another toy while at the same time keeping her prized treasure safe. She placed the ball on her mommy’s lap and made abundantly clear through grunts and “No, no's” that under no circumstances was mommy to put the ball back on the ground.

Conversational English

Wednesday, January the fourth Clara Grace spoke these words for the very first time: stuck, cup, book, and poop.

Potty Mouth

Clara Grace’s daddy took his turn changing her diaper on the morning of Friday, December the thirtieth. “Here’s your new diaper,” he told his daughter conversationally as he fastened the snaps. “Diber!” Clara Grace said for the first time.

She's Listening

Wednesday, December the twenty-eighth, Clara Grace pushed a rubber frog across her tiny bathtub. “She ate such a good dinner tonight,” her mommy said to her daddy, “maybe she should get a teensy weensy bit of ice cream.” Clara Grace looked up and said to her parents’ amazement, “Teensy teensy.”

Pavlovian Baby

In her short fourteen months, Clara Grace has become familiar with several routines. For example, when her mommy says, “Get your coat,” that also means “We’re going outside.” On the morning of Friday, December the twenty-third, she heard the familiar “Pop!” of the toaster and naturally assumed her blueberry waffle was on the way. She squealed with delight and was so overcome with joy that she flung the soggy cracker she’d been munching into her Daddy’s cup of coffee.

Big Shoes to Fill

Clara Grace played dress-up for the first time on Thursday, December the twenty-second. She set her mommy’s boot down with a clunk, and then proceeded to place her entire foot, shoe and all inside. She seemed pleased with the boot, even though it swallowed her whole leg and made walking extremely awkward.

It Could be Worse

On Wednesday, December the twenty-first, Clara Grace’s Aunt Amy took her to the aquarium. She watched as Clara Grace splashed her hands playfully in the pool of petable stingrays and bamboo sharks. When an unsuspecting ray glided near, Clara Grace stretched out her hand. On touching its silky skin, Clara Grace drew back with a surprised, “Ooooo!”

And She Sits in the Back Row, Too

Clara Grace’s mommy and nana went out for lunch at the Chinese restaurant on Monday, December the twelfth. Nana was so intrigued by Clara Grace’s folded hands, that she had to peek during mommy’s prayer. Clara Grace unclasped her hands until the familiar phrase, “In Jesus’ name…” Nana reported that the little girl’s tiny hands were refolded just in time for the Amen and opening of eyes.

Mutual Bye Bye's

On Saturday, December the tenth, Clara Grace’s daddy was shocked to hear his little girl repeat “Bye, bye" right in his arms. He promptly began a game of entering the living room and greeting the visiting Paulson family. Then he left with a very loud “Bye, bye,” which Clara Grace happily repeated time after time.

Partners in Crime

Clara Grace followed her cousin Peter away from the noisy Paulson crowd assembled in her mommy and daddy’s living room and into her nursery on Friday, December the ninth. Her daddy peeked around the door in time to watch Clara Grace reach into her diaper holder and withdraw one of the freshly laundered pampers for Peter and one for herself. She then went about showing him how to join in her favorite game of strewing the diapers around the room in all sorts of hard to discover places. Each time she went to the bag, she took two diapers and only went for more until she was satisfied both hers and Peter’s had been adequately distributed about the room.

A Star is Born

Sunday morning, November the twenty-seventh, Clara Grace’s mommy admired her daughter’s frilly Sunday dress as they danced to a Carter’s tune. “Daddy will shoe my pretty little feet, and mama will glove my hand,” she sang. And then, as if Clara Grace had just unlocked the secrets of song, she joined her mommy in a clear high pitched, melody which flowed first up and then down.

Everyday Math

Clara Grace didn’t show much excitement over turkey and cranberries on her second Thanksgiving; however, the ice cream for dessert was a true cause for rejoicing and thankfulness. Daddy fed her bites from her abundant bowl and then snuck one for himself. “I think she has mastered the concept of subtraction,” her daddy announced as Clara Grace waved her arms emphatically and indignantly grunted for daddy to stop digging into her supply.

Ukulele Baby

Clara Grace’s daddy watched proudly on the afternoon of Friday, November the twenty-fifth, as Clara Grace held his ukulele correctly and strummed properly with her right thumb.

Maybe She'll be in Shoe Sales

During the month of November, Clara Grace began several new morning rituals. First, in an extremely helpful way, she always delivered mommy and daddy their shoes at the first signs that they were getting dressed. She ran into the bedroom, dove under the bed and reappeared holding an enormous shoe with both hands. “Shoe,” she would say and lift it to her thankful parents. She always delivered both shoes and never once delivered daddy’s shoes to mommy or vice versa.

Q & A

Clara Grace answered her first question on Tuesday, November second. “What do you want to eat?” her mommy asked while preparing lunch. “Cheese!” Clara Grace answered enthusiastically.

Imperatives

Clara Grace spoke her first two-word imperative on Thursday, November the third. It occurred while her daddy wrestled with a pesky sink pipe. Clara Grace pulled at his arm, whined, and tried all manner of attention getting techniques very non-conducive to plumbing. Finally, she took hold of her daddy’s arm and said “Daddy, cheese!” “Oh, are you hungry?” her Daddy asked. Clara Grace bounced up and down in a happy dance and repeated, “Cheese, cheese, cheese,” all the way to the refrigerator.

Spelling Bee in Training

Clara Grace and her mommy sat on the kitchen floor playing with refrigerator magnets on Wednesday, October the twenty-seventh. Clara Grace plucked three letters from the door and held them out for her mommy’s inspection. “Hmmm, F, R, S. Well if you added a U it could be furs, or maybe an I and a T would make first.” Clara Grace retrieved her letters and as if aware of the new point of the game plucked two others from the door. “GO” was the first word she spelled all on her own. Whether Clara Grace is blessed with extremely high intelligence, or whether she has merely inherited her mommy’s uncanny good luck, it is clear she will go far in life.

Kissy Litter

Thursday, October the twenty-seventh, Clara Grace blew her first kiss to mommy. It took almost no time for her to realize the vast potential this one gesture held for obtaining attention from family to complete strangers. If kisses were tangible things, the isles of stores, neighborhood streets, and house floors would be littered with the thousands she liberally dispensed during her first years.

Would You Like some Cheese with Your Shoes?

Wednesday, October the twelfth, Clara Grace announced “Shus” as her mommy slipped her shoe over her wiggling foot. The following week, Wednesday the twenty-sixth, she announced, “Chus!” as her mommy opened the refrigerator drawer where the dairy products are stored.

Tickles and Kisses

Clara Grace was particularly charming on Wednesday, October the fifth. She crawled over to mommy and tickled the toes. Her mommy rewarded her with a high-pitched, “hee hee hee!” which prompted the same giggle from Clara Grace as well as many more tickles. When her mommy couldn’t stand it any more, she bent down and retrieved the little girl for a kiss. Clara Grace seemed to find this fascinating and brought her round cheek close for mommy to kiss time and time again. Each time, she screamed for fun.

Morning Duties

Clara Grace has what has become almost an obsessive-compulsive ritual to complete each and every morning. Each day, before she cries out to alert her mommy and daddy that she is awake, they hear one by one, pacifiers kerplunking to the nursery floor. When the binkies are all dispatched, Clara Grace calls out her greeting to the world. Each morning, mommy or daddy enters and lifts her from her bed, but before any good morning kisses or hugs can be dispensed, business must be taken care of. The little girl wriggles until she is set down on the floor. Then she pops one pacifier in her mouth and collects two for each hand. Now she stands and is ready to be hoisted back up to the side of her crib where she ceremoniously pitches the pacies to bounce around on the waiting mattress. It seems her day cannot begin until each and every binky is in its proper place. This ritual carried on well into her first year.

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.

Reading into Speech

It could possibly be argued that dog was Clara Grace’s first word. It is even more probable that Da-da was her second utterance with meaning, and Clara Grace’s mommy wonders whether or not she might have spoken her third word on Sunday, May the 29th. This all came about, ironically, in a church service during which Clara Grace’s mommy was doing her utmost to keep the little girl quiet. Numerous toys lay strewn below the pew at Mommy and Daddy’s feet, but finally, a shoe seemed to hold the baby’s attention for longer than the customary thirty seconds. Clara Grace pressed the shoe to mommy’s nose, then to her eye. She rubbed the shoe up and down mommy’s cheek and then shoved it into her mommy’s smiling mouth. At this she giggled and uttered what sounded very much like “Eat!” As with her other forays into speech, the merits of this imperative could be debated; however, she did only speak the word when the shoe was thrust into the exact location where she has observed the act of eating occur. “Eat” does also seem like a word that she has had ample opportunity and motivation to acquire.

Michigan Milestones

Clara Grace’s grandpa was hoping to see her achieve one major milestone during the week of her first visit to Michigan. As it turned out, he got his wish several times over. On Sunday, May 29th, Clara Grace pulled herself to her feet in order to meet her daddy in the morning. He reported to her mommy that he found her standing up and gripping the crib bars tightly. Clara Grace also found a new melodic way of talking that week. It involved her upper register and most of her conversation came out as cheerful singing. Finally, while Clara Grace was still by far a better backwards crawler, she did find enough inertia to get herself moving forward during the stay at her grandparent’s house.

Sit Ups

Clara Grace’s mommy went in to greet her daughter on the morning of Sunday, May the fifteenth. There was Clara Grace, sitting up in her crib and proudly waiting for someone to notice.

As Good as it Gets

On Thursday, May twelfth, Clara Grace, her mommy, and her daddy all went to a party. During the mingling, many people tried to figure out exactly which parent the little girl took after. “I can’t tell,” they all concluded, “When her mommy holds her, she looks like her, and when her daddy holds her, she looks like him.” “She is a good mix,” Clara Grace’s mommy told them proudly, “that is exactly what we wanted.” Furthermore, as more of the baby girl’s personality is revealed day by day, it is clear she got the very best of not only each parent’s looks, but of their inner traits as well. For example, she seems to be as curious, excitable, and determined as her mommy, and as content, happy, and playful as her daddy. All of this goes to make Clara Grace a truly amazing baby.

Mother's Day Resolutions

On Mother’s Day, Clara Grace’s family celebrated with a picnic outside after church. Clara Grace sat on her Grandma’s lap and was quizzed over three familiar words. Unfortunately, it became quite plain that she was most familiar with the word dog. A close second was the word daddy, and then bringing up the rear was mommy. “Where’s the dog?” Grandma asked. Clara Grace looked down at Katie who was making a general nuisance of herself by scrambling over people’s feet under the table. “Where’s daddy?” Grandma asked. Clara Grace turned toward her daddy and grinned. “Where’s mommy?” Grandma asked. Clara Grace looked at Uncle Jimmy. “No, that’s not mommy, where’s mommy?” Grandma tried again. Clara Grace began to suck on her toes. “I’m right here,” her mommy called dejectedly. “Remember me? Happy mother’s day and all that?” Daddy snickered, obviously a bit pleased with the turn of events. “Well,” Clara Grace’s mommy asked, “how do you think she learned your name so well, hmm? And maybe if someone said ‘there’s mommy!’ whenever I walked into the room, she would know my name too.” Slightly less smug, her daddy promised to put more effort into teaching the word mommy from then on. Good to his word, her daddy wore out the word “mommy” that afternoon. By evening, Clara Grace knew it as well as daddy, but, try as he might, “dog” was still the front-runner.

First Mother's Day

Clara Grace’s first Mother’s Day fell on the eighth of May. Before mommy awoke, she and her daddy secretly cleaned the entire house. After that, they cooked a marvelous breakfast for mommy over an open fire. After mommy unwrapped a box from daddy containing all sorts of jewelry, Clara Grace decided it was her turn. For several weeks, she had been preparing her gift with much secrecy by building lip strength with funny sucking sounds and many spit bubbles. Now, the time had come and she proudly blew her very first raspberry. To the little girl’s extreme delight, her stunned mommy and daddy praised her profusely and laughed hysterically. Their reaction resulted in a bumper crop of raspberries that morning. The excitement carried on into the afternoon when Clara Grace found it even more fun to blow raspberries with a mouthful of sweet potatoes. Not only was a better sound possible, but daddy’s face was splattered with orange goop and mommy was thoroughly amused. Of course, after the second time, mommy decided laughing might not be the best reaction since it would be her turn to feed little Clara Grace next. In the end, both parents resorted to a firm, “Not while we’re eating.” And the raspberries held off for dessert.