So, Claire had strep in February. Then a cold. Then the Flu and Strep again... at the same time. Then a stomach bug. How much illness can life throw at a kid in such a short time?!?!?
We've been pretty stressed out here in the household. Claire hasn't gotten a ton of time outside, but when she feels up to it, we go outside and enjoy the weather. Recently, she loves "gardening" with Dada. Bryce is weeding the front patch of grass so we can try and get some actual grass there instead of weeds and mud. We have flowers out; it's looking quite pretty.
We just planned out the next few months of travel. Bryce is going to Dallas the weekend of April 22nd to spend time with a couple friends. It's a birthday present from me to him. A weekend with the boys.
Grammie and Poppy are coming to town on May 5th. Why? Because Bryce and I are headed to London on May 10th to 18th! We're starting to make a trip to Europe a yearly thing, and it is so nice! When I come back from those trips, I can't wait to hug and kiss Claire, so it's quite worth it. I'm not as burned out as I get about this time of year when I've been cooped up indoors for months due to the winter. Although, we are coming back during the NATO/G8 protests. Hurray.
Pictures for Claire's 3rd birthday in early June; then we head to the Caymans end of June for the yearly Caymans trip. Then to Grammie's house for Claire and I for two weeks. Hopefully, she'll have closed on the new place by then and Claire (and I) can see it and help her unpack!
For the first time in a few years, I'll be here in Chicago for the entire month of August. Good thing and bad thing. It's hot here, but it's hotter in Florida, so I don't mind it too much.
Grammie should be coming for her yearly October trip, but that's a bit farther down the line, and we haven't planned that yet.
I'm getting rid of all my baby stuff. I'm not sure if we are having any more children, and I don't feel like keeping tons of stuff around that may or may not get used. The only stuff I'm keeping stashed are my baby carriers. Claire will still be worn occasionally, and they have been invaluable in the past. She fell asleep in the ring sling when I visite my mom in January! It was a lifesaver since Claire was refusing to nap the whole time we were there. The whining was unbearable. Ring sling to save the day! And that was a loaner. I just purchased another one (inexpensively), so that I have something for this summer in case we have a repeat of the last trip.
Claire is getting so big and so beautiful. She is so smart and makes me laugh every day. She makes incredibly detailed observations about things; We were out for lunch yesterday, and had just parked the car. She looked and said, "Look! A frozen yogurt place!" Bryce and I could not see the place because of the "noise" of all the other business' signs and flashy lights, but when I focused in, I saw it! She is really great at recognition and processing.
Claire still has issues with sound. We bought a noise reduction headset to help with it. I am hoping it helps her process a little easier when we go to concerts or music classes. She seems to want to do music oriented events, but all the noise is so overwhelming. But we've seen some progress. We went to a Justin Roberts concert in between illnesses this past month, and even though the first two songs were a little intense for her, when it got to "Gym Class Parachute," she started rocking out!
That's it for my current update. I'll try to keep up with this more. The time just escapes me!
