Update on Claire's Accomplishments

Claire is really starting to talk. She is saying: mama, dada, mawmaw, papaw, dog, ball, doll, more (which she said to get more goldfish), shoes, keys, nose, eyes, Bobo. We called Bobo so she could hear Claire calling for her. Papaw also got to hear her say "papaw" on the phone! She knows many of her body parts. She tries to mimic words she hears but may not get the first sound right. I can't believe how fast she is learning and growing. She has both top molars but is still missing the teeth between those and her two front teeth. They are on their way because I can see them! She is eating a lot more food, too. She like cold cereal in milk, she ate a sandwich, and loves hamburger helper! She loves to dance to music and will "put her thumbs up" when you ask her to. She hates to have water poured over her head. She will whine and try to get out of the tub. I also noticed that she can walk backwards! Not sure why that is important, but the doctor asked me if she could do it. Claire loves slides. She climbs up and slides down a hundred times in a row. We played outside on her swingset this weekend. It was in the 70s and gorgeous!

Great Pa, Taylor Sims

Claire's Great-Pa, Taylor Sims, passed away on November 6. We were planning a trip to Gatlingburg, so we were already packed to go. We left Franklin in the afternoon, but the City was experiencing a City-wide power outage, so it took forever to get through town. Once we got to Cookeville I started to feel ill. I was sick (throwing up) every 30 minutes from there to Johnson City. It took 7.5 hours to get to Johnson City. Claire had been sick Wednesday and we kept her out of school Thursday. I am sure I got it from her! Sam never threw up but he did not feel well Saturday. My mom got sick during the visitation and my dad got sick the morning of the burial (Monday). Taylor, Tara and Tiff also got sick. The visitation was great. My Pa had a great turnout and the burial service was nice. He had a military burial and I got to keep a few bullets from the salute. We will miss Pa, he was a great man!