Swimming, Crawling, Weaning, and Visiting

After downloading 280 (count 'em!) photos to my computer, I realized I failed to mention a number of milestones that we passed this summer.

Annabel learned to crawl! Her crawling is best described as "inchworm-style", but nevertheless, she gets around. As she has mastered her crawling (and thus, eating!), she's given up breastfeeding. She's just more interested in "real food" than what I have to offer. I'd planned to nurse for at least a year (as recommended by the American Academy of Pedicatrics), but she just wasn't having any of it. So at nine months, Annabel said adios to nursing, hola to moving and grooving. (The picture of us on the bed was taken in July at our hotel in Portland during our human-and train-powered vacation. She weaned shortly thereafter.)

Speaking of moving and grooving, Clara has become our own Martha Graham, dancing her little rump off to every kiddie rock cd/concert we can pack into a summer. Her pogo is particularly heartfelt. And Annabel enjoys watching all the big kids' moves. She is concocting a routine of complicated dance steps in her head, I can tell. The photos above were taken at Seward Park at the Not-Its! show. Clara, approaching groupie status, saw the Not-Its! 3 times this summer!

Clara learned to swim, really swim! Thanks to swim lessons with Katy Close at Tam O'Shanter, Clara can doggie paddle, swim with her face in the water, jump in unassisted (or what she likes to call "diving")and dive to the bottom of the pool to retrieve objects (with some help). By the end of almost 3 weeks of swim lessons, Clara's hair was a wreck, and with school fast approaching, she got her first back-to-school haircut at Columbia City Cuts. She was thrilled to get to sit in the "car chair" for her coiffing. (It was a Volvo sedan, so it felt quite safe.)

Also, Grandma and Grandpa Armitage made their annual trek to the Northwest. We loved having them visit us in our natural habitat. The girls loved waking up and having someone to play with each morning. If Clara had her way, we'd all live in a giant compound (complete with car chair, pool, and haircuts) in which to while away the summer.