dear clara (9 months and 5 days)

Who are you? And what have you done with that chubby little blobby moppet who used to live with us? I admit that you have a passing resemblance to her, but so far as I can remember, she can't crawl. Or stand. Or bounce on the bed. Or eat blueberries. Or chase the dog. You can do all of those things! I think Sarah Q got it right when she said you're Clara 2.0. Like Clara 1.0... but faster, stronger, louder, and with more hair. I guess you're definitely out of beta, baby.

You've been totally mobile for a couple of weeks now, and I'm finally used to it. Our house is pretty much Claraproof, except for the kitchen. So we just gate it off to keep you out of it.


Note the hole in the gate for stupid kitties who don't realize that they're CATS who can jump OVER things. Luckily the dumb felines are significantly smaller than you, so we don't have to worry about you getting your 95th percentile noggin stuck in the gate.

That's right- 95th percentile. This could mean you're a genius. Or it could just mean you have a big head. Either way, it's a cute one. And since you're in the 75th percentile for height (28 1/2") and weight (19 lbs, 15 oz), it's all pretty proportional. In other 9 month numbers news... we have:

5 teeth. Three on the bottom, and two on top. I like to call you "fang."

11.5 hours. This is how long you sleep at night. Thank you, fang.

3 meals plus 5 bottles plus 1 snack. Your veggie strike was short lived, although I'm not holding my breath that it won't come back. But all in all, you're a good eater. Not surprising, since you come by it naturally. (Perhaps a little too naturally!)

1 bath per day. We used to do every other day, but you're a little grubbykins from rooting around the play area at LMUCC every day, so now you get a daily splash & scrub before bed.

30 seconds. The amount of time it takes after strapping you in the carseat for you to nod off. You're definitely my kid.

143 and counting. The number of times we've read "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" to you.

I'm starting to think that being a parent means being in a constant state of disbelief about how rapidly your child grows, learns, and changes. Forgive me for being a little slow in coming to this conclusion. But each time I think I get used to the way things are, you go and mix it all up again. Keep it up kiddo, because all those people out there, the ones who have been here before- I think they're telling me the truth. It does keep getting better and better.


I love you,

Mama