Birthday Photo Update

I'm not going to overload the blog with birthday photos, so I'm just sharing a few...

What are birthdays for?

OPENING GIFTS... EATING CAKE...
(ABOVE: Claire with cousins Matthew and Jonathan)

AND SPENDING TIME WITH FAMILY BOTH NEAR...(Above Claire with cousins Sara and Mercy and neighbor Katie)

AND FAR... (Pop and Nani watching Claire eat her cake via Skype)

Happy Birthday, Sweet Claire!

Enjoyed a mud cake at our friend Isaiah's 1st birthday party. (Mommy used this as a precurser to figure out what Claire would do when confronted with her own cake tomorrow at her party - it's gonna be messy!)

Received a singing telegram from her cousins

And spent some time in the sprinkler

Tomorrow holds a party and surprise visitors!!! Happy birthday, my sweet girl!

Today - Then and Now

At this time one year ago, I was lying in a hospital bed in labor and delivery. The doctor had successfully turned Claire from a breach position into a head-down position, but something didn't feel right. I kept telling Geoff I didn't want to go home, that I was ready to have her. The doctors thought we might go home, but Claire wasn't doing all that well. We were in for one long day and night, made longer by the fact that I hadn't been able to eat for 24 hours due to the version (procedure to turn the baby).

This year today
I've been working on checking all those little things off my pre-birthday-party list so that I can spend tomorrow with my big one-year-old girl. I tried to take a nap, but at almost 18 weeks in utero, Evelyn is too squirmy for me to doze off this afternoon. I'm remembering this time last year and feeling thankful for my husband, thankful for my OB who is caring for me and Evie this year, and a little nervous about Evie's arrival in 16 to 20 weeks.

Evelyn Jane Peel

Here's baby sister at 16 weeks and 2 days. Sorry it has taken me so very long to update the blog. It's been a long and busy couple of weeks! Evelyn was literally so active that we hardly got any good still shots. I am hoping to upload a portion of the video soon. I've felt her little movements from time to time, but I am so busy with Claire that I don't feel Evie move as often as I'd like to. I'm sure that will change as she grows.
It's a BIG week in the Peel house with our little girl turning a year old on Friday. Expect plenty of pictures to mark this momentous occasion, as well as video of her eating cake and walking.

11 Months!

She's standing tall at 11 months!
Her favorite thing to do now seems to be a cross between walking and reading. She's taken a few steps here and there, but really likes her walker or to have someone hold her hands. It won't be long now!

She is also a big fan of peek and seek, where mommy hides on one side of the ottomans and she crawls back and forth to play peek-a-boo from the other side.

More of an update to follow later, plus pictures (finally) from the past month or so off of my phone camera. She's getting into things at the moment, so I'd better run for now!

Letting Go: Milestone Alert!

Claire took a few steps to her Daddy tonight. She was so excited to see him she didn't even realize Mommy had let go of her little hands and off she went to him. No wobbling or falling, just straight into his arms. Hooray!