Relaxing time with Daddy on holidays

Paul had last week off from work so we spent a lot of time relaxing together and just hanging out. Usually Claire and I are super-busy throughout the week but it was nice to just stay close to home and enjoy Paul's company. That said, we did get out a bit. We took Claire skating at our nearby outdoor rink (she liked it and was starting to balance a bit on her own!) and went to the zoo one day. The little wooden train at the Zoo was snow-covered but it held just as much appeal to Claire as it did in the summer and fall. Paul was fascinated with the red pandas right across from the train but Claire quite strongly ordered Paul away from the pandas and to a seat on the train opposite her. Here she is looking up at her daddy.

Unfortunately, Claire came down with another stomach bug or something last Friday. She had a nasty fever and a stomach bug before Christmas but this one was a bit different in that there was no fever (thankfully!). Just a lot of crying, some vomiting and major lethargy. I was grateful that Paul was home with us because he was able to get things for Claire while I held her in whatever hold I was using that had momentarily stopped her cries. Despite her illness, though, she still goofed off when I tried to take a photo of her.

Claire loves her kitchen set from Santa, and I'm amazed by how realistically she sometimes plays. For example, I very rarely use a blender and I'm sure I've never used one in front of her. However, she somehow knew to hold her hand on top of the toy blender and then to pretend to pour the contents into a cup!

We've also had serious improvement in Claire's sleep routine. Until last week, I was the only one who could go through the bedtime routine with her and tuck her in. Whenever Paul tried it in the past, she'd cry for me - hard. But after spending a lot of time with Daddy and others in the past couple of weeks, we decided to give it a try at nap time. Voila, it worked! Nighttime didn't go as smoothly as naptime for a couple of days but Paul stuck with it and now he's an old pro. Now he can see for himself the funny poses she is sometimes in when she finally gives up the ghost:

In the past couple of weeks, Claire has also become quite the neat-freak. I have no idea where this comes from, but she'll pick up a cloth, a dryer sheet, or even a piece of paper which she then crumples, and then she'll "spot-clean" the walls, the cabinets, and any other surface she can reach. It's bizarre! One time in the bathroom, I gave her a square of toilet paper. She promptly wiped herself down below (she was fully clothed) and then proceeded to use that same square to spot-clean the bathroom wall. I have to carry my camera around for a while so that I can get a pic next time she does it.

We're visiting the Travellers' Health Clinic tomorrow to find out what shots we need before going to Cuba in February. I know Paul and I both need Hep boosters but I'm not sure about Claire. I hope she already has everything she needs: she was quite a pincushion in November and in both our opinions, she'd had enough. Wish us luck!