Baby milestones are a peculiar thing to experience. I know that every baby has their own approach to covering new development territory, so I can only speak to The Little Red's style, but it's both amazing and shocking when your kiddo suddenly is capable of something that moments before, they had literally never done before. Claire's style is to spring a new skill on us, with no real warning, and then pretend like she's been doing it her whole life. "Why are you getting out your camera?" her face says, "I'm just taking my first steps. No big deal." Or "Seriously, you're calling Grammy to tell her I rolled over? Why all the fuss?"
While the whirlwind of the big milestones is behind us, we're now on to adventures in talking. Last night, Kyle and I went to dinner and Claire busted out her patented reach-across-the-table-to-simultaneously-hug-your-arm-against-her-body-and-melt-your-heart move. Then she looked up at me and said "I lu loo". Seriously kid, are you trying to make my heart explode? I felt like the cartoon of  The Grinch, when his heart grew 3 sizes. It was one of those mom moments that you are incredibly grateful that someone else was there to bare witness because you would feel like a lunatic trying to convince someone else that it happened. To be clear, Grammy taught Claire to say a 1 year old version of "I love you" last Saturday, which was a jaw dropper of it's own, but this was the first time that she used it on her own and in the right context. Coincidental? Maybe. Do I care? Not in the least!

Here is quick video of Claire's "I love you". It's quickly becoming her favorite thing to say.