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Monday,
January 14, 2008
CLUBB FAMILY UPDATE
Happy New Year! As 2008 begins, we are excited about what lies
ahead for the “Clubb Family of Four!” Of course, looking ahead
also causes us to pause and look back. And we think 2007 will go
down as a pretty big year for us to say the least! Ha!
As we look back through the pages of this Web site (just one of
many ways we are chronicling our journey as a family), and as we
otherwise reflect on our journey to parenthood, it is amazing to
see how much has happened and how fast the time has gone by.
Griffin came into our lives first on March 9, 2007, but his big
sister Ainsley was soon to follow on April 14, 2007 when she and
Daddy came home from China and joined Mommy and Griffin. Since
their arrivals, Griffin and Ainsley have turned our world
upside-down, our hearts inside-out, and our perspective on life
right-side-up! It has not always been easy, nor has it always
been fun, but it has always been a humbling blessing beyond
measure. What a privilege and an honor to be able to have a
daughter like Ainsley and a son like Griffin! And what an
awesome responsibility to be a parent! We know there is so much
to learn and experience in 2008! We can’t wait!
Since our last update on December 14, we had a whirlwind of
holiday celebrations with all the grandparents, aunts, uncles
and cousins! Shannon’s family drove out to Pittsburgh to
celebrate in our home the week prior to Christmas and then we
made the trek to North Carolina to visit with David’s family for
the week of Christmas. It is always extra special to spend time
with the family now that we have Griffin and Ainsley. We love
seeing them get to know their extended family and hope they will
develop some close bonds with them as they get older. We still
have a few more visits planned this month and into February with
some family members we weren’t able to see over the holidays, so
Christmas is still not over for the Clubb house!
Books, Babies, and a Toy Kitchen
We warned the grandparents that we didn’t want this first
Christmas with their new grandchildren to be overboard with
gifts. While we think they all tried to restrain themselves, we
still ended up with quite a lot! They got a box full of books, a
toy kitchen, a new baby doll, some play tools, and much more
from the grandparents and other family members. They love it
all!
Ainsley definitely started to figure out the concept of opening
gifts and she would perk right up when you would say – “Do you
want to open a present?” She was also very good at passing out
the presents and was eager to do so. And Griffin was a pretty
good present-opener as well!
After returning home from NC, we decided to have our own family
Christmas on New Year’s morning. We gave the kids a few gifts
from us, including a toy airport complete with passengers, a
taxi, and (of course) an airplane! They have been busy ever
since playing with every last inch of each new thing! We now
have all of their toys separated out into four bins that are
stored in the basement. Each week, we rotate them in and out so
the kids don’t get overwhelmed or bored with their new things! |
Ainsley turned 21 months old
on January 5. She is becoming more and more independent and
seems to be showing some signs of what we hear about those
“terrible two’s.” We’re trying to allow her to be independent in
places that are appropriate so that she can feel she has a
bigger role in caring for herself. They are simple things but
they make a difference – like pulling down her own sleeves after
mealtimes, getting her pajamas off in the morning, putting her
clothes in the hamper before bath time, etc. More and more it
seems that she is a sensitive little girl and even the slightest
“off tone” from us can set her off into a crying fit. She really
loves to be cuddled and tickled. She also is trying to learn the
concept of sharing and will now give Griffin a toy in place of
the one she wants to take from him by saying “Here Gee Gee!” On
the other hand, she has also developed a bit of a bossy nature
(as all kids do, right?!) by telling Griffin “No, no” if he gets
even an inch too close to her baby or to a toy she is especially
interested in for the moment. She loves playing with her kitchen
and has started a lot of make-believe play – giving us some tea
or food and blowing on it if it is too hot!
Grandma Gump Gump came out for a recent visit to help while
Shannon had a big work event to prepare for and she instituted
the official “Letter Day!” She spent each new day showing
Ainsley a new letter and talking about that letter. Ainsley now
knows her “A” and “S” without a doubt and is pretty good at “I”
and “N” too. It was an idea we loved and Shannon plans to
continue it at least once a week.
Another big event for Ainsley this past month was when we
accidentally left her baby in North Carolina after Christmas!
Meme called us an hour into our drive home to tell us that she
had just found “Baby” on the floor. We first tried to take the
approach that we wouldn’t bring it up, but when we got home and
she found the baby’s hat or clothes, all we heard was “baby,
baby?” We then tried to tell her that Meme and Grandpa had her
baby and so she started saying “baby, Meme, Grandpa?” (She
doesn’t quite say Grandpa…but she says something that means
Grandpa but it is impossible to write out!) Luckily, Meme got
her in the mail right away and we had a sweet reunion with baby
later that week!
Jamaica in January
(“No Problem Mon!”)
We’re off to Jamaica! Pretty soon we will be boarding our flight
and headed to the sun, sand, and crystal clear waters of the
Caribbean. We are scheduled to arrive in Jamaica at 9:30am after
a very early 6am departure from Pittsburgh! We are a little
nervous about the 3 ½ hour flight this time – mainly about
Griffin, and not so much about Ainsley since she always does
pretty good on trips. We are nervous about Griffin because he
has changed quite a bit since our trip to Turks & Caicos back in
July 2007 when he was just four months old. Back then Griffin
was content to be fed at take-off and then sleep the whole
flight. Now he is an on-the-go little baby who is close to
walking and who does not really want to be held. Should make for
an interesting flight! We’re trying to think of all the things
we can to entertain and engage him for a 3 ½ hour flight. Who
knows? Maybe we’ll get lucky and he’ll sleep most of the flight
since we’ll have woken him up so early for the 6am take-off.
Once we arrive in Jamaica, we get to enjoy some sunshine and
swimming pools and soft white sand for a whole week! We are
definitely excited to see Ainsley swim again and get into her
“vacation mode” where she just runs around with a funny smirk on
her face! And, of course, this time Griffin will be much more
alert and able to take in all the fun as well – including more
time in the water, which he loves! Once there, we think this
trip might be easier than our last one, particularly in terms of
mealtimes since Griffin is now a very eager eater of all kinds
of food, whereas last time he was only being breastfed and was
stuck in his car seat while we tried to enjoy meals. On the
other hand, there are other ways in which this trip might be
harder once we arrive at the resort. For example, hanging out on
the beach or by the pool will likely be a little more difficult
with two children who are mobile now. Last time Griffin mainly
slept in his car seat, but now he wants to be down and climbing
and crawling and exploring!
No matter what happens, we’re set to roll with it and enjoy
ourselves! And we’ll be sure to give an update next month! |
Griffin turned 10 months old
on January 9. He is SO close to walking that every day we’re
waiting for the big moment. He continues to stand independently
for longer and longer stretches of time but still doesn’t quite
take the steps. He started giving kisses this past month, which
is so sweet! They are quite slobbery, but we don’t care! He also
started clapping and loves to clap at the dinner table and watch
as we all follow. Then he stops and we stop, and then he starts
again, only to have us follow on and on! He also started
reaching for things in case we were not clear what he wanted.
Ha!
He got yet another tooth (total of 8 now), so one of his
Christmas presents was a toothbrush, which we’ve started using
with no complaints so far! He loves being all over the place and
playing with all of his new toys. He seems to understand our
tone now when we say “Griffin” or “No” when he is about to get
too close to something he shouldn’t be near. Many times he will
sit down and go on to something else. But, he also likes to
“run” away too. If he sees us coming near him, he crawls as fast
as he can to get away! It’s a fun game right now, but not sure
if it will always be that way. The one thing Griffin is really
into now is wrestling with anyone who will take him on. He
absolutely loves to wrestle! If anyone is lying on the floor, he
makes a beeline straight for them and is crawling all over them
laughing and screaming! He is a strong and funny little boy and
we love watching his personality develop. He is such a happy boy
99% of the time – really! And for that we feel so blessed. He is
just a joy!
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS (or Lowlights!)
●
Sick as a Dog … Literally. Bosco ran away for 20 minutes
earlier this week, which is the longest he’s ever run off.
Shannon even called our neighbor to come watch the kids so she
could go looking for him. Unfortunately, he must have eaten
something terribly disgusting on his journey because we spent
the next 3 days cleaning up after him – the first time he
vomited directly in the middle of our bed (luckily we were not
in it at the time). This pretty much set the tone for the whole
week since poor Griffin then was sick on Friday night. (For some
reason, Grandma Gump Gump had just been saying recently how she
can’t believe we didn’t have to deal with throw up with the kids
yet. Jinx! Now we have. Thanks a lot Grandma Gump Gump!) Griffin
woke up about an hour after going to bed and when he didn’t
quiet down, Shannon finally went in to check on him and the poor
thing was covered with throw-up and still trying to just lay
down and go to sleep. Shannon was next, spending all day
Saturday sick and in bed. David followed all day Sunday. Now
we’re just keeping our fingers crossed that this 24-hour stomach
bug somehow misses Ainsley. We definitely want to be back to
100% by the time our trip comes around.
● Weight Check – Griffin was 21 pounds and 11 ounces
this past week. We haven’t had Ainsley weighed recently, but she
feels much lighter than he does. She is definitely getting
taller and all of her clothes are getting too short in the legs
and sleeves (but she is still wearing 12 months when she is 21
months old!).
There is much to anticipate in this coming year and we’re
excited to see what is in store. We look forward to lots of days
of building tents and tunnels with blankets and furniture (which
the kids LOVE), reading books, having tea parties, wrestling
matches with Griffin (and Ainsley joins in too!), and much more.
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Griffin and Ainsley in their holiday pajamas
Ainsley eager to get into the presents
Griffin using his special technique for opening presents
Daddy showing Griffin the “proper” technique
(NOTE: He ended up
liking his way better!)
Ainsley and Griffin dressed up for the holiday festivities on
Christmas Eve
Ainsley and Griffin enjoying a ride on their new train
Ainsley taking over the train
Griffin pinning Ainsley in one of many wrestling matches
(I bet
she won’t steal his train again!)
Griffin so close to walking on his own
The “Clubb Family of Four” at Christmas
One last family dinner in NC before heading back to PA
Ainsley and Griffin driving home after a long holiday season on
the go! See you in 2008!
BONUS: While in NC, we were able to visit with Mark Fox and his
family (Mark was the pastor who married us nearly 13 years ago!) |
