July 20, 2021 - July 29, 2021
I left early Tuesday morning from BWI airport and arrived at Midway Airport at 8:30 am Central time. Rachel, Juan, Lili, and baby Claire picked me up and drove me to their apartment in Oak Park where I held my granddaughter for the first time.
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| Lili with her baby sister, Claire |
The week was filled with a lot of baby holding by everyone in the household. Claire is a calm and happy little thing with lots of entertaining facial expressions. She likes to lay in her crib or bassinet and when she is awake she moves her arms and legs all-around. I got into the habit of getting up around 6:00 am and taking the morning shift of baby tending. After Rachel nursed her I would burp her and lay her back in her crib. If she was awake I would start her baby lessons (I am a retired educator after all). I held up shape, color, and number books a page at a time for her to focus on and of course I talked about everything she was seeing extensively.
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| Claire is sleeping. |
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| The happy parents - Rachel and Juan |
Later in the day we took her for walks in the stroller and one day she went to the doctor’s for her first check-up. She gained 1 lb. and grew 2 in. She is doing well.
Lili and I visited the bead store down the street several times. Lili is becoming adept at making beautiful wooden bead and shell necklaces. She learned how to put lobster clasps on the cord which looks very professional. I purchased the beads, direction book, and findings to make Kumihimo braided jewelry. My first attempt was not perfect but the clerk at the bead store showed me what I was doing wrong and hopefully I will be showing you a photo of the finished project in my next blog.
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| Lili is posing next to the sign announcing her graduation from elementary school. |
On Sunday Juan’s two sisters, their husbands, their children and his mother came for a visit. It was great to meet all of them. The two babies - Claire and Amelia - stole the show. Amelia was born in April and will grow up with Claire. What fun to have a cousin so close in age and so close by.
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| The two proud Papas are holding their girls. |
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| Juan's sister's Jenny and Flor are holding the two stars of the day as Rachel looks on. |
I left Oak Park on Tuesday, July 27 in the afternoon and got home to the boat by 9:00 pm. Bob and I completed several boat projects in the next few days and I prepared to leave for Bethany Beach for my yearly family vacation. All about that next blog!
Thank you for reading my blog.
