This will be the very last Blog Posting where Claire is an only child (sorry Claire!). There's no new baby yet, but he's coming very soon. The last possible date for his arrival is May 20th (C-Section scheduled). If Jen goes into labor beforehand, she'll try for a VBAC (Regular Birth), but we're not counting on it. Anyway, there will be a new Blog Post sometime in the very near future where we introduce our son. And now, we're not discussing the name or taking recommendations. Thanks anyway :-)
In the meantime, here's what we've been up to.
Claire started speech therapy, but before we get into that, here are a few fun things.
This Blog Post is going to be very picture heavy and light on the reading.
THE NEXT POLLACK?
Claire has finally gotten into crayons and coloring. Here are a few samples of her new found interest.
So then, we got her some crayons for the bath tub...
This is what Claire thinks about Tax Day (we agree!).
EIGHTEEN MONTHS OLD!
Before this new little kid blesses us with his presence, we wanted to take Claire out to grab a few solo 18-Month pictures at a couple of the local places around SoCal. This first set is at Vasquez Rocks Natural Area (about 10 miles from our apartment).
She was CLEARLY excited to get started on these photos.
And then things got better - Claire praying and clapping.
This is our favorite picture from this series.
A few days later, we went to the Antelope Valley Poppy Preserve (about an hour from our Apartment).
This is Jen, seemingly as always, taking her Blood Pressure, with her friend Gretchen, who joined us on the outing. Since Jen has been having Preecclampsia issues again (Blood Pressure spikes, which is one reason why Claire was born at 36 Weeks via C-Section), she goes nowhere without her Blood Pressure monitor. This trip was just before Jen was taken off of work and placed on modified bed rest.
EASTER TIME
Before Easter, in Catholicism, we have the period of Lent, which is a time of fasting and praying in preparation for Easter. Ash Wednesday begins the season of Lent, so, as always, Jen, Claire, and I went to get our ashes. The guy with us is named Damien. I sponsored Damien (He was a student in the RCIA Program I teach at our Parish), who was seeking Confirmation during the Easter Vigil Mass.
This year, Jen, Claire, and I went to the entire Easter Triduum (pronounced "Tri-joo-um"), which entails attending Mass on Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Vigil (Saturday Night). The Triduum was really interesting and basically goes through the entire story of our salvation. Our favorite part was during the Good Friday service when the Gospel was sung versus just being read. All of this is basically a LONG explanation for why Claire is in her Easter Dress before she received her Easter Basket.
Anyway, this is a picture of Claire in her beautiful Easter Vigil dress. What a cute little doll baby!
Here's a picture of Damien with Jen, Claire, and me. Yes, Jen was VERY pregnant at this point (she's ready for this little guy to get out of her!). Congratulations to Damien (and everyone else in the RCIA Program), who was Confirmed and received his First Holy Communion during the Easter Vigil.
On Easter morning, we slept in as much as we could, and then Claire got her Easter Basket from our roommates.
Jen and I purchased a little Tea Party set for Claire a week before Easter, so Ian and Anita made sure to include a cute pink apron in her Easter Basket. It was (and still is) a HUGE hit!
Also included was a bubbles set. Also a huge hit.
Of course, a few days prior, we colored Easter Eggs.
We were invited to Ian's Mom's house for Easter Lunch so, we took the opportunity to get a few nice Easter pictures of Claire in the back yard.
Here's a photo of Claire with John Paul (Ian and Anita's little son).
I couldn't let those cute new little shoes get too dirty before preserving them for posterity. Nope, they're not bronzed, but they are cute!
CLAIRE AND JOHN PAUL
Claire has been very interested in John since he came home from the hospital. Hopefully all of this "interest" is a foreshadowing that she'll be a really good, attentive, nice big sister to our little guy (or are we being naive?).
Claire likes to give John his bottle.
She also loves giving hugs.
CLAIRE AND PEYTON
Claire also loves bothering (loving on) Peyton.
Peyton is always around, making sure that Claire is properly taken care of.
Click HERE to see a hilarious video of Claire trying to Walk Peyton.
THE SANDBOX AND THE JUNGLE GYM
At the same location that Claire walked Peyton, we have a little sandbox and jungle gym. We finally got around to taking Claire down there to play. She's not interested in the swings or the slide yet, but she loves the bridge.
After a little bit of a warm-up period, she started playing in the sand.
A few other pictures from the sandbox.
One evening, Claire went nuts and we took her outside, at 8pm, in the dark, so that she could run around a "Get the Lead Out," so to speak. Click HERE to see a really strange (but funny) video of this happening.
BACK IN THE POOL
For comparison purposes, check out this picture of Claire from last year (her first time in the pool).
Now that Claire is a "Big Girl," she likes to help when we walk back to our Apartment from the pool. She's adamant about carrying her floaty.
FINALLY FEEDING OURSELVES
Claire and I had been fighting each other for months about eating. She'd want to eat, but didn't want to feed herself. I'd want her to eat and she wouldn't be interested. And on, and on, and on. Back in February, I finally got her to start feeding herself!
Click HERE for a video of Claire feeding herself with a spoon for the first time ever.
THIS CHICK SLEEPS WEIRD (A SECOND INSTALLMENT)
Hopefully this is self-explanatory and yes, in the 2nd photo, Claire managed to take her pants off while sleeping.
SHE ALSO HAS FUNNY HAIR
DON'T HOWL AT THE MOON, PEYTON!
On April 14th, Jen and I went outside in the middle of the night to view the total lunar eclipse. It was pretty cold, but a nice way to enjoy some peace and quiet. Peyton wasn't really interested.
This is the best picture I could get of the Blood Moon with no tripod. I'll try to get a better shot next time around.
CUTE WALKING PHOTOS
There's something about those Mommy/Kid and Daddy/Kid walking away from the camera photos that are just adorable. Here are a couple for you.
BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS
Back in August, Jen and the rest of the family chipped in so that I could take guitar lessons. Well, I've finally began the lessons. No, I don't have any video yet because I don't think I'm that great yet, but here's a picture of me with my teacher, Cher Klosner Lane. She's awesome and I've been having a really great time. Thanks to all who chipped into this gift for me!
And for Jen's Birthday in January, I got her a canvas print of one of her favorite photos of Claire (from our Summer 2013 Camping Trip - Logan, Utah).
A few years back, Jen's Dad went to Holland and bought her a pair of Holland "Wooden Shoe" Slippers. Well, Jen had practically worn the hell out of those things, so I also purchased her a new pair.
WORKING ON SET
I got hired to shoot a Short Film in April. Here are a few photos from set.
And what "Set Photos" collection would be complete without the stereotypical Director of Photography (DP) talking to his Camera Assistant photo and the DP talking to his Director photo (below)?
A FEW OTHER PHOTOS
Here's a photo of Claire with her new friend, Nayeli (I probably spelled that wrong).
Claire likes to read (almost too much, if that's possible).
And, of course, Claire likes Notre Dame. We always wear ND garb during gameday (this was taken on April 12 - the day of the Annual Blue and Gold Game). We purchased the jersey at the same time that we purchased a ND going-home-from-the-hospital outfit for our little upcoming son. The gold shoes are from my sister, also named Jen.
Click HERE to see some video of Claire working with her building blocks. She's really getting good with fine motor skills!
SPEECH THERAPY
And finally, here is some information about Claire's speech therapy. We've been working with a company in town called McRory Pediatrics where Claire has been evaluated for Speech, Occupational, and Feeding difficulties as a result of her birth defect. She's qualified for Speech and Feeding therapy, but before beginning, Claire also needed to be evaluated by our insurance company.
Here are a few photos of Claire working with our Speech Therapist (from the insurance company), Theresa Cunningham. Claire LOVED working with Theresa and we loved it too. This whole process is going to be very interesting for us.
Nonetheless, Claire has really started babbling and talking a ton since her Palate Surgery in November (as promised). Click HERE for a video of Claire saying some of the words she knows.
Welp! Hopefully this posting will tide everyone over until we can get our son announced to the world. It's been a really interesting 20 Months since Claire was born. We've seen some awful lows, and we've seen some tremendous highs. Claire is truly a blessing in our life and we truly believe that she was meant to be our daughter. She's great, and I really hope that she's ready for the impossible job of being a big sister. I'm sure we're just kidding ourselves, but we feel that we're really ready for the next chapter in our parenthood journey. As always, thanks for reading!
Love,
Dave, Jen, Claire, So-and-So, and Peyton
