Clair takes a stand

Tuesday night, we had to lower the crib mattress in Clair's room. I've observed her pulling up on the crib bar and getting on her knees, but Tuesday when I got home from work, Michelle said she came in to get her up from her afternoon nap and Clair was fully standing in the crib, leaning on the crib bar, giggling like a mad woman.

Clair is 7.5 months. By contrast, please note that we didn't have to lower the crib mattresses for C and D until they were 9 months (Cary) and 9.5 months (Dean). Even if you adjust for their prematurity (5 weeks), she's still ahead of them.

 Does she not know that she is my baby girl? She is supposed to go through this baby-stage SLOWLY. Darnit.


Oh, and just for good measure, please check out this video of Clair's crazy-crawl just ONE DAY after I posted the one of her not getting anywhere:

(Please ignore the room. The couch pillows -- made into an "airplane" -- are piled up by the front door. And I did not notice that Lester's slipper was so gross until AFTER I watched the video. Don't call CPS on me. Thanks.)

Anyway, since this day, she is literally unstoppable. She rolls and "crawls" away from me when I'm changing her diaper, and shrieks with excitement at the fun of it. She gets to corners of rooms and eats things I didn't even know were there. She grabs the cat. She attacks Cary and Dean's Lego buildings. She nearly falls to her death, scurrying to the edge of our bed. She's going to give me a heart attack!

(P.S. Cary and Dean also were about 9/9.5 months when they started doing things that resembled crawling.)

I told you this girl was going to run circles around her brothers. I just didn't know she'd actually be running so early. :-)

In other news, Lester's birthday was a resounding success! He was happy; the kids (stuffed full of cake and ice cream) were happy. And we still have the weekend family picnic to come. So the celebrations continue!

Best part of Daddy's birthday party: Trying to put an entire balloon in my mouth. Yum!

Yay!

Clair's quirky crawling attempts

I like to move it move it. I like to move it move it!

Of my three children, Clair (as an infant) has been the most energetic and active. She moves even when she sleeps. A LOT.

I get a total upper-arm workout just trying to hold her in my lap.

Clair has been mobile for weeks. She can get almost anywhere she wants to go, using a combination of half-crawling, downward-dog, slithering and rolling.

But lately, she has been trying hard to really, actually crawl.

It's not going well.

Her attempts to crawl are hysterical. Poor thing just can't figure out what to do with her knees. She'll move one knee an inch, and then, instead of moving the other knee, she keeps trying to stand on her feet. She does better on the bed, and when she's got bare legs and feet.

But please check out her funny little half-crawl when she's slipping and sliding along the floors in her sock-feet (I'm having trouble embedding videos for some reason):

Watch video

She is too funny!