The newest part of Clare's life has been her vocabulary...she's really talking and repeating everything we say. It is fun, but you really gotta watch what you say around her because it will be repeated. One thing I never realized how much I say is "oh man!" Now everytime Clare drops a toy or falls you can hear her yell "oh man" but she has somehow picked up my Michigan accent (thats what people in the south say I have) and it sounds more like "oh MEEn!" Her other new favorite word is "amen." She has learned that at dinner time we fold our hands and thank God for the food, ending with Amen. Last week she started standing in the kitchen with her hands folded saying "amen please" when she wanted a snack. It is so incredible to watch how their little brains work!
Since the new year Clare and I have a brand new place to spend some time, which is extremely exciting when you are a stay at home mom of 1! We joined the Y, which is literally at the end of our street. At first I was feeling a little guilty about putting her in childcare for an hour a few times a week while I went to cycle, step or yoga class (a few of my favs), but thankfully she loves playing in the childcare center so it has become a treat for her. One of her newer favorite words is "no" and when you ask her any question that is usually the answer you get, unless you prompt her that the answer should be "yes." So most days when we walk in I ask her if she is going to play with her friends and the answer is always "no." But when she sees all the toys she can barely contain her joy and walks right in without even a quick goodbye wave to her mommy! It is a blessing that Clare has quickly learned to adapt to new settings and people and it helps with the mommy guilt a whole lot!
In Charlotte when you join the Y you are members of all the Y's in the area. Last week Clare and I went to a different Y that has a beach style inclined pool (I don't know the proper name), a few water slides, and some spray areas. We were the only ones there and Clare just walked up and down the incline with her little cup for over an hour. I have a feeling that is going to be one of our favorite hang out places.
The other cool place we have been spending some time is the uptown Children's Library called ImaginOn. It is quite an incredible place with a lot of room for moving around. We went two weeks ago with a great friend and her little boy, Ayden who is the same age as Clare. We rode the light rail uptown (in FREEZING weather) and let them play. It was seriously one of our best playdates yet!!
Life could not be much sweeter as we are all healthy and so incredibly blessed in more ways than we could ever count!!
