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.