24 Hours With Claire: Part I

Friday and Saturday Judy and I had a wonderful opportunity for "extended babysitting" with our granddaughter Claire. She has spent a lot of time with us, but this stretch of nearly 24 hours incorporated all aspects of her typical daily and nightly schedule. That made it a valuable learning experience and bonding time for her and for us.

As you can see, there is no "separation anxiety" when Jennifer and Matt depart. Claire's ready to party.

She's ready to "get down." Even if it means lying on her tummy, which she has generally disliked.

"Help! I've fallen and I can't get up. Just kidding."

With those strong little arms, she finds tummy time is not the difficult chore it once was. As long as she doesn't think about it, that is.

"You use your camera your way, I'll use mine my way. This is actually quite tasty-- for molded plastic."

"Yes, I can stand on my own two feet. Just keep that big mitt of yours on my belly, Grandpa."

"Mirror, mirror, in my hand, who's the fairest in the land?"

"Well, DUH! Who do you THINK?"

"Hey, everybody-- gather around the keyboard and I'll play ya a few tunes."

"For my first selection, How about Grieg's Piano Concerto in A#?"

"Here's my little bumblebee rattle. It's good for keeping the grownups awake when their attention starts to lag. For that matter, it's good for keeping me awake."

"By the way, some of you are looking a little drowsy. I'm gonna save the rest of my story and pictures for the next blog post. Now go take a nap."

"I'll let you know when I need a nap. But not yet!"