Claire's World
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Thursday, January 30, 2003 ( 11:36 AM ) Greg Griffith :::::::::::::::::::: Several weeks ago Claire progresed from saying "book-a book-a" when she brought us a book she wanted read to her, to saying "Ree dree dreed." This morning, she took the next step: Taking "Itsy-Bitsy Spider" to SDG and saying "Bissy bissy cider." -- # Tuesday, January 21, 2003 ( 11:06 PM ) Greg Griffith :::::::::::::::::::: Today Claire was in fine form. She's had a little cold lately, no fever, just congested with a runny nose, but you wouldn't know it by her behavior. She's been very mischievous today, hiding behind the curtains more than usual. Tonight SDG had just finished running her bath and turned around to grab a towel. When she turned back around, Claire was standing in the middle of the tub full of water - fully clothed and grinning from ear to ear. We fished her out, stripped her down, and proceeded with bath time. Earlier tonight, after having heard "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" for the thousandth time, she started singing along for the first time ever: "Tinkle tinkle lih stah... how wondah ahh... up avuvh..." Regular followers of this blog will notice that it's been a while since I posted anything about her vocabulary. There's a reason: It would have taken every minute of every day to document and discuss the new words she's learned. Besides, we're no longer that surprised when she picks up a new word. What we're paying attention to now are the sentences she's beginning to string together. She's had a few sentences in the bag for a while now, but they've been very simple: "Kitty cat knocking," for example. She's also made good use of the word "more," saying things like "more milk," "more juice," "more apple juice," "more bells" (which means "more 'Jingle Bells'"), "more singing," "more bubbles" (we keep a little jar of bubbles on the table, and often blow bubbles after we're finished eating), and lately, during tickle-fits, "more ticking" and "more laughing." She's also been adding some more complex sentences: "I kiss it." This is when she hurts herself on something. SDG and I tell her "Come here, Claire - I'll kiss it." "Bye bye see you little while." I guess she's heard us say this on the phone a few hundred times. "I see baby" Then there are the roll-calls. We'll be eating a meal and she'll say, "Mama daddy eeyore pigget shell gigi papaw red shirt." In order, that's Mama, Daddy, Eeyore, Piglet, Aunt 'Chelle, Gigi, Papaw, and a reference to Papaw's red shirt, which he wore on his last visit, and by which Claire was fascinated. One of the funniest things she's been doing lately is using "okay" to answer "yes" to a question. "Milk-a milk-a milk-a," she'll say. "Do you want milk?" we'll ask. "Ho-kee." She loves for us to tickle her until she goes into hysterics. We'll stop and she'll say, "more?" We ask her, "More what?" And she says, "More laughing!" "More laughing?" "Ho-kee!" -- # Wednesday, January 08, 2003 ( 12:17 AM ) Greg Griffith :::::::::::::::::::: Last night was the Epihany Mass, complete with incense and the full choir and lots of singing, and afterwards a little reception and the start of the Epiphany auction. We plopped Claire into the nursery, and when we retrieved her an hour later it was as if we had never left her. Aside from her hat being on backwards, she looked none the worse for wear. She's no longer the littlest one there, so we don't worry about her as much. And now that she can play with some of the bigger and more complicated toys, I think she's more entertained and less worried about where we are or how long we've been gone. Anyway, she had a big time. So big that afterwards, when she got too squirmy for me to enjoy my food and wine, I took her right back to the nursery (it'll be a few weeks before Stacey can pick her up). There was plenty of wine, and somebody had brough taquitos, which were cleaned out every time a new plate emerged. About 9pm, we all went outside to burn the greens that had previously decorated the church. I assumed that there would be a fire ring, or something suitably Boy Scout-like, but then I remembered we're a bunch of Episcopalians in Mississippi: A big pile of dry branches was just plopped on the ground and set on fire. Bill Buhner explained how when they started doing this years back, some people would actually bring their entire Christmas trees, and the result was a massive bonfire. The first year, the fire department came screeching up because they had gotten a call from some of the church's neighbors across the way that one of the buildings was on fire. When it was explained to the firemen what was going on, they all relaxed, hung out, and drank wassail. The next year, he said, they showed up just as a formality, and since then they haven't even bothered doing that. They just assume that things aren't going to get out of hand. The fire got nice and toasty, and one of the 10-year-olds had a scare when a big spark landed in the folds of his sleeve. It's really not a church bonfire until SOMEbody hops around in a panic trying to get rid of a clinging cinder. After a while the littler kids got to put out the fire with a garden hose. Claire spent the whole time up on my shoulders, squealing and giggling and with a big grin on her face. -- # |
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