Claire update...

Claire has been really fun lately. I blog so much about her because she's home with me and I spend the most time with her. We've both been sick off and on for about 2 weeks, so we've been shacked up in our house with fevers, sore throats and coughs. I don't remember a year where so many people I know have been sick!

Thankfully, Claire has been in pretty good spirits. She's taken naps almost every day, which she hasn't done since she was 2. I think she's just been fighting to get healthy again. Often, she'd be talking to me, then it would get quiet and I'd find her asleep... 

For a while, she started getting out of bed after I'd put to bed at night and then she'd fall asleep in the hallway! One morning, I went in to wake Corey up for school and she was asleep on his floor! Thankfully, she hasn't done that in a few weeks! We just got Corey a new bed, so Claire got Corey's fun IKEA bunkbed. I'll post pictures soon!

I've really been enjoying teaching Claire preschool. I teach 2 days a month and we do a letter each week. Her 3 friends we do it with are so cute and the girls get along well... Most of the time! We've done things such as making necklaces out of noodles, frosting Valentine's cookies, doing jigsaw puzzles, learning about jellyfish and making a jellyfish craft and learning about the phases of the moon.

Recently, my friend Rachel hosted a "Pink & Purple Princess Party" for the letter "P." It was so cute to see all the girls dressed up and being girly. Rachel had them put on lipstick and kiss a picture of a frog, pin the crown on the princess and painted their nails! (Collage pictures below courtesy of Rachel:)...

Claire has been walking on her tiptoes ever since she could walk. We all think it's cute because she flits around like a little ballerina. My friend commented the other day, "Claire reminds me of a little fairy." Well, it turns out that it could be a problem. Claire's Pediatrician referred us to a Physical Therapist to evaluate her toe-walking and she's lost some flexibility already. The P.T. fit Claire with some stiff insoles that she wears in her shoes. The insoles make it nearly impossible to walk on her toes and it's really helped so far. She may need physical therapy to help stretch her calf muscles, but for now, we're just doing some basic stretching every day...

Claire keeps me laughing. She's so easy to be around and is usually very happy. Here are some of my favorite things she's said lately:

• "Mommy, I hurt my pinkie promise in the door."
• "I don't love it."  (As in "I don't love this dinner" or "I don't love going to bed."
• Me: "Claire, what do you want to be when you grow up?"  Claire: "A big Ashlyn."
• "Daddy, don't go to work. Stay here and we watch Dora."
• "Mommy, you're my favorite person."
• "Let's go get Nanny & Papa at the airplane-port."