18 months

Already. How did it happen? It seems she was just born, and yet it feels like she has been with us always. Oh, my sweet Claire. She continues to delight us. I love so much about her. Everything, in fact. She's nothing short of the greatest treasure. The only thing I hate is how quickly time is passing. It all happens too fast. She's a busy little girl now, no longer be helpless baby. A talker from early on, Claire is mastering language. She repeats nearly everything she hears and is putting phrases together. Perhaps her first two word phrase was "hi, Tessa." Among the cutest names she says is Nate. Her sweet little voice melts my heart. She also says "Momma, I want _____" and "here, Momma". Obviously the "I want" isn't perfectly enunciated, but very obviously what she's saying. She's a very good communicator, always making it very clear what she wants and usually getting it.
She is a girly girl and she wasn't taught to be. Sure, I have loved dressing her in cute clothes since she was born, but it certainly wasn't my influence that caused one of her first words to be "shoes". I didn't teach her to put things she finds around the house on her wrist like a bracelet. She has a true shoe fetish already. She notices when Paul or I are wearing new shoes. She often points out her own shoes to other people to allow them the opportunity to admire them. She requests to put her shoes on. When I am looking for shoes for her at the store, she will insist on putting them on and wearing them through the store and all the way home.

She could still turn into a tomboy. Claire loves to play outside. She will stand at the back door and say "outside" until I let her out there. Nathanael usually goes out with her. They play together in the sand box. The swings are her favorite at the park. If she's playing in our front yard, she loves to collect acorns or just run up and down the street. She also likes trying to ride little ride-on toys. Anything that she can do to be like the boys.

I love how she loves to be with her brothers. Since Nathanael is home more during the days, naturally she spends more time playing with him. And they sit besides each other in the van. Among my favorite sights in the world is the two of them holding hands while riding in the van.

Though I have slacked off on it some in recent months, from the day Sam was born I have made a habit of looking in on the children before I go to bed. That is one time of day when my heart wells up with love for them the greatest. They lay there, so pure and angelic. My heart feels full then. But I also love looking in on Claire because you just never know how you'll find her. 

I'm a lucky woman to have been blessed with these children of mine. I am so grateful to be a mother. I could not ask for more.