Kids: Claire

Claire is 3 years and 7 months old. She is my little girly girl. She likes to be prim and proper and wear dresses “like a princess.”

Claire isn’t a very picky eater or a difficult child in general. She’s very sweet and easy-going though she is sensitive to anyone being slightly upset or displeased with her. Once she starts crying (sobbing) it is hard to consol her! And when she looks sad or starts to cry, you cannot help but feel completely heart-broken for her. This is why it is extremely difficult not to spoil her. Her big blue eyes can look so sad that I’m surprised that she doesn’t get away with more than she already does.

Claire loves to sing and dance. She goes around the house singing like she’s on Broadway all the time. Most often the song is made up on the spot and usually the words are either unintelligible or they are some secret language that only Claire knows! Yet she always sounds musical and adds plenty of flair to her “performance.” She stops and gets shy if she realizes that anyone is paying attention to what she is doing so I usually have to pretend to be doing something else while I am very amused and entertained by her belting out songs while making up some new dance steps.

Claire has a bit of a charmer in her, I think. She comes out with these non-solicited comments that are so sweet and so unexpected that there are times when Steven and I are on the verge of tears. Examples: Last night I was reading with her and when it was bedtime she ran up to put on her PJs, but before making it to the stairs, stopped, ran back and said, “Thank you for helping me to read, Mommy!” Later in the evening she woke up crying and we brought her downstairs for a few cuddles. Once she calmed down we sent her back to bed. She was climbing up the stairs and we said, “Goodnight, Claire!” she responded, “And goodnight to you too!” She also often comes out with, “You are so beautiful today, Mommy!” or, “I like your shirt, Daddy!” We’re not sure if she’s always completely sincere or just wants something, but whatever it is- it’s working for her!

Recently she very frequently requests to watch “Belle” (aka. Beauty and the Beast), and it feels as though she will never tire of that movie! The rest of us are a touch sick of it, but like I said… those eyes!! I figure there are worse things than watching that movie over and over and over and over…

I have been working with Claire on reading and she is just on the cusp of learning how to read! She knows all the letters and what sounds they make and she sounds words out like a pro. Now we are just working on bridging the gap between sounding it out and hearing what word she is saying. Sometimes it is really frustrating to hear her sound out a word over and over and over, but not hear herself saying the word! She’ll say C-AAAAA-T, just as plain as day and I will ask, “What word does that say?” “I don’t know!” She’ll respond. But sometimes she does get it and she gets giddy with excitement when she realizes she’s reading!!

Between Claire’s charm, talent, and bubbly personality, we may be in over our heads!