Big Moment

Jason and I are amazed  by how quickly Charlie is learning new things.  He now drinks water from a sippy cup, pulls himself up to standing as often as possible, and has even cruised 2 steps along the coffee table!  Plus, he remembers where things are and hunts them down (particularly shoes!).  It's so much fun.

With all of this newfound ability/knowledge, we've started introducing "No" at our house.  At first, it was just a meaningless syllable, quite similar to Charlie's preferred babble of "na-na-na-na-na."  Then it became funny, but last night and this morning we had our first breakthroughs!  He continually goes after the movies under the TV, and we slap his hand and say "No" in a firm voice.  (slap may be a stretch -- the first few times I did it he didn't even seem to notice...) Then we remove him from the scene of the crime.

Pretty much he just turns around and heads back over, but once for Jason last night then 3 times for me this morning, when we said No, he turned, looked at us and crawled off in another direction!  It was like a miracle -- so much so that I called Jason on his way to work and then left my mom a voicemail at 5:45 AM Mountain Time (sorry, Mom!).

I have to be honest -- I basked in the dreams of a fabulously obedient, well-mannered toddler for a good 5 minutes.  Then I ran into the study to take a work call and came back out to find Charlie eating dog food!  So, we still have a ways to go, but we're headed in the right direction (I hope!).

Standing on Dad

Daddy's Shoes

Trick-or-Treat

Charlie's first Halloween was a raging success!  He wore his costume like a champ, and while he kept taking his cap off -- he did let me put it back on at each new house.  He absolutely loved trick-or-treating and watching all of the big kids out in the neighborhood -- plus the sheer joy of being out after dark!

In fact, it worked out perfectly -- he stayed up until 9:00 and slept until the new 6:30 this morning.  We couldn't have asked for more!

Passing out Candy

Puppy Love

Bunch of Hooligans

Boo!!

Our Little Punkin

My first jack-o-lantern

(carved by Mommy!!!)

But I thought I was a little boy

Feelin' spooky

Sick Baby

Ugghh... is there anything worse than waking up to the sound of your little boy's raspy, raw cough?  Charlie has been a little wheezy for a couple of days, but early this morning he started coughing those painful, chest coughs.  It was horrible. 

We took his temperature and it was only 100.1.  Per the book, for babies over 6 months you don't need to call the doctor until it's 100.5 or higher, so I gave him some Tylenol and we went about our morning.  He did play this morning and ate a good breakfast, but was very lethargic, frequently laying his head down, had a runny nose, and his coughs almost had him in tears a couple times. 

Since I had a dentist appointment at 9:40 (my mouth is still numb, by the way), I planned to check his temperature at 8:45 and go ahead and take him to Donna's if it hadn't gone down. Then I would see how he was doing at lunchtime.  Well, that plan lasted about 5 minutes. 

I knew via Facebook that Kate and Lakely had both gotten sick since the weekend, so I emailed Julie and Lea for the scoop on symptoms, doctors visits, prognoses, etc.  Julie called and told me that not only did  Finley have a double ear infection, but Kate went in on Monday with the same symptoms as Charlie and was put on a breathing treatment and scheduled for a follow-up Thursday to determine whether or not she has bronchiolitis.  Obviously, I immediately called the pediatrician with visions of prolonged illness in my head and got an appointment for 11:40 (first available).

After I dropped Charlie off at Donna's, it just got worse.  I came home to pump and looked up bronchiolitis in the baby book and found out that it is commonly caused by RSV, which leads to asthma in 50% of kids.  Plus, the following article was about croup and detailed the process whereby a baby's air passages can become so swollen that they stop breathing altogether!  Needless to say, I was a bit tense as I rushed off to the dentist.

I made it home just in time to pick up Charlie and find out that he'd continued coughing throughout the morning and only napped for 45 minutes.  We had a quick lunch and were off to the pediatrician.  Like any cautious (aka paranoid) mom, we stood in the middle of the waiting room to avoid touching anything.  After a short wait, I detailed Charlie's symptoms to Dr. Rodgers, while Charlie laughed and smiled flirted with the nurses.  The doctor listened to his chest, checked his ears, and gave me the news: Charlie has a cold. 

The wheezing is just in his upper air passages, and he'll likely eat a bit less than normal and more frequently, since he'll opt to breathe rather than eat.  I know what to watch out for as far as nostrils flaring, rapid breathing, etc, but bottome line: it's just a cold.

Now part of me feels borderline munchausen by proxy, but the silver lining to the whole adventure is that FedEx delivered a new batch of flu shots to the pediatrician's office just today.  I explained to Dr. Rodgers how Charlie had received his first round but was at the bottom of a very long list for the second, and we got Charlie's second round vaccine!

So I've learned two lessons today.  First, I am a bit of a hypochondriac when it comes to my baby boy, and second, sometimes it pays off to make unnecessary visits to the doctor during flu season.

Oh so sick...

What was I thinking?

It's not in any baby books and no well-meaning distant relative suggested it, so why on earth did I think that giving birth would make me crafty?  And more importantly, why didn't anyone set me straight??

Back before Charlie was born (when I thought he was a girl), I had these wonderful daydreams of myself sewing all sorts of adorable little dresses for my baby girl -- for the luau, the 4th of July, etc, etc.  In my mind they were perfectly sewn and just absolutely precious.

Well, then Charlie came along, and fully aware of just how wrong it is to put a child in homemade jeans, I realized that I would likely only be sewing costumes and dress-up items for him.  But still, they would be adorable and creative and perfect...

A little bit of background -- I haven't sewn since college!  And other than doubling over and stitching towels for my dad's carwash in KC, I've only sewn 3 things in my life: a pillow for pink-baby, a quilt for my brother, and a dress for myself.  All came out usable, but none was anywhere near perfect.

Nevertheless,  a few months ago I decided to design and sew Charlie's first Halloween costume.   After all, what could be more adorable than dressing up my beloved baby boy as my beloved puppy? 

I had it all figured out.  My mom had sent me her old sewing machine last year during my earlier delusions.  Over 6 weeks ago I bought the fabric, thread, scissors, pattern, cutting board, etc to give myself plenty of time.  I even commissioned an extremely talented friend to knit an adorable little hat to complete the costume, which she whipped out in no time and sent weeks ago.   I thought about the costume, planned it, decided how I would alter the pattern to allow for Otis' coloring, thought about it some more...and all of a sudden it was 3 weeks to Halloween!

So, two weeks ago I cut out the pattern pieces (all but the altered ones -- these required more thought).  Then after even more procrastination, Saturday was the day.  Everything was going my way: Jason was home due to high winds, Charlie took 2 naps over 2 hours each... and I sewed.  Below is a partial list of the questions that came up throughout the day:

1 - What is interfacing?  Will it matter if I don't use it?
2 - (Jason) Do you want me to bring up a table?  Wouldn't it be easier than sewing on the box and pushing the pedal with your knee?
3 - Hmmm... I wonder if I should have paid attention to the "Grain" markings on the pattern?
4 - How do I put this thing in reverse?
5 - (Jason) Maybe I shouldn't have opened the window? (As pattern pieces started flying out the door and down the stairs)
6 - If I just pull the top piece while I'm sewing, the seems should meet, don't you think?
7 - Where did that pin go?
8 - How did this huge spot get on the front?
9 - It won't matter if I machine sew this part that they say to hand stitch, will it?
10 - You're kidding right?  It can't really be 4:20?!?  I bet I can finish this collar, shower and nurse Charlie before 5:15, don't you think?
11 - What direction does Otis' tail bend?
12 - Do you think I can just stuff this with cotton balls?
13 - What if I just sew up the legs, so we don't have to put so many snaps on?
14 - Is it even possible to sew right side to right side with both pieces inside out and match the dots while pulling the bobbin string on the basting to adjust the gathers on the leg hole to fit in the foot?
15 - Why didn't you tell me this was a crazy idea???
16 - Would a male seamstress be a seamster?

Unsurprisingly, we never figured out the answer to many of the questions above -- and some were downright unanswerable, but fortunately, the most important question of the day had an easy answer:

Was it worth almost $100 and 12+ hours to make Charlie an Otis costume for his first Halloween?
Absolutely!

I'll post pictures later this week -- Jason is in charge of the snaps because they require a hammer.

Other fall fun:

Charlie, Kate & Finley enjoying the season...

Mom Hair

I have a new theory on Mom Hair -- the haircuts that new moms get within months of having children.  Conventional wisdom suggests that moms do this because they are too busy to style long hair, but when you think about it long hair can be pulled up into a ponytail.  Short hair requires styling every day -- even just to go to the grocery store.

I believe that the true root cause of Mom Hair is hormones!   Now, I'm not talking about mood swing hormones  (though they might be the last straw that actually get us to work a hair appointment into our crazy schedule). I'm talking about the crazy hormones that make all of our hair start falling out around 3 to 4 months.  I honestly have lost enough hair to carpet our house 3 times over.  It's horrible.  It's very difficult not to feel like a bad mother when you pick up your brand new baby, and he's holding a fur ball of long red hair!

I thought that losing the hair was the worst of it, so back in June I went and had about 3 to 4 inches cut off the back of my hair, because the longest layer had gotten so thin and stringy.  This worked for a while and seemed like a perfect solution.  I could still pull my hair up in a ponytail and Jason still had his long hair.  Little did I know, the worst was yet to come.

About two weeks ago all of the hairs that had fallen out started growing back in.  It's bizarre!  My head is covered in spikey little baby-hairs.  They poke out when I try to do a ponytail.  They stick up like a rooster tail at my part. They are horrible!  Why did only one of my mom friends mention this to me?  When Carmen told me about it last year, I figured it was a rare occurence since no one else had mentioned it.  I was totally unprepared for the reality of it.  What do you do when even ponytails don't work??

About a week ago I finally got around to reading my September issue of Parents magazine and found a section on Mom haircuts.  Desperate for a solution for my stringy, spikey mess, I found a cut that I thought would work.  This morning I assured Jason that it would look cuter (aka longer) on me than it did on Jenny McCarthy, and he begrudingly told me that he was fine with whatever I did.  I knew he didn't mean it, but I was desperate.

So, I did it.  This morning I got my Mom Hair.  I think it's the shortest my hair has been since Jason and I started dating.  I texted him a picture from the car and he said he liked it.  Granted, we haven't seen what it looks like when I try to style it, but I'm hoping that chopping off another 3 inches of hair, getting bangs, and buying  2 oz of Bb Brilliantine for $18 will make my hair thicker and the little spikey hairs blend in sooner.

All I have to say is that Mom Hair resulting form laziness on the mom's part is a myth.  The true cause is hormones, just like everything else.

Mom Hair

(as styled by Adrienne)

Nature vs. Nurture

Last night we finally found a food Charlie doesn't like -- spinach.  I've been buying up every flavor of baby food I can find in order to expose him to as many as possible in the hopes that he won't be a picky eater, and he's loved everything that's crossed his lips...until now. 

We tried spinach and potatoes last night and the first bite elicited our very first grimace -- we didn't even get one with pickles!  He opened right up for another bite though and for a while just looked confused. Then he started whining between bites and about halfway through the jar the whines turned to near crying. 
The funny part was, he kept opening up for more bites, so I've decided he inheritied my ridiculous optimism. I'm the kind of person that will persist in a friendship no matter how many times I'm cancelled on or left waiting while someone is 5, 10, 15 minutes late.  I also truly believe that I'm going to live happily ever after, the sun is going to come out tomorrow, etc. 

Granted, I know that a huge part of my optimism is due to my faith in God and His perfect plan for and ultimate control over my life...but I've always been this way.

I think that deep down in our DNA both Charlie and I possess a happy gene.  Now life experiences and disappointments can block it, I'm sure, but it's there.  It's the reason we both wake up grinning in the morning and laugh more than anything else.

As parents, I guess Jason's and my job is to nurture this natural phenomenon within our little Charlie-bear and help it to grow -- but I truly believe it's just part of who he is.

To finish the story, I gave up on the spinach halfway through the jar out of guilt, and we moved on to pears.  The whining ceased until the pears were gone, but Charlie was still hungry, so we went back the spinach.  He gave it another fair shot and ended up eating almost three quarters of the jar.  We'll see how it goes tonight -- who knows, maybe he'll love it!

Good morning, Sunshine!

Lonely...

It's a little before 10 AM on Monday morning and we're going strong. We've already nursed, played and eaten cereal (day 2 of breakfast!). We had to skip our walk due to the near frigid temperatures (the 40s are arctic here in SC!), but we replaced it with a quick run into town for cash and a swing by Starbucks. All of that before Charlie went to Donna's!


Since the drop-off, I've medicated Otis (allergies), had 2 conference calls, cancelled a conference call, researched Operation Christmas Child, found Otis sunshine to bask in twice, pumped, thrown the sheets in the washer, resolved a customer referral issue, researched baby gates and discovered that my internet and phone have gone out. So, while I wait for my personal IT expert to call back and remind me of how to restart the router and other contraptions upstairs, I'm pre-blogging in MS Word.

The funny thing is, despite everything that's going on...despite the fact that I should be very concerned that I'm not going to get any work done today without the internet... despite the fact that I dropped Charlie off less than 2 hours ago...despite the fact that he is currently less than 100 yards away at Donna's house, I miss him. I just want to run over and give him a big hug and see his smile.

We had such a wonderful weekend. Charlie had his first play date with Lakely, Kate and Finley on Saturday. They all seemed to enjoy it and we moms had a blast -- we even got to sit down for lunch together!

On Sunday Charlie slept all through church for us, then we headed down to Mt. P for lunch at Five Guys and a fall festival with Chris, Chrissy, Carter, Cole, Cade and Camden. It was chilly, but a lot of fun. For the very first time Charlie's hair is long enough to be blown by the wind.  We thought this day would never come!  The whole afternoon was great.  Charlie just loves watching the big kids, and it was really nice to spend time with family. Plus, Charlie got his first taste of funnel cake - a critical milestone in any boy's life. (Don't worry, we bought a variety of organic baby food, including spinach, lentils, pumpkin, and mixed vegetables at Babies R Us on the way home, so he's getting a good balance of yummy, toxic food and healthy stuff.)

In other breaking news, Charlie has learned to pull up to standing and now crawls at high speed! So, Jason spent both Saturday and Sunday evenings baby proofing the house. We have 1 gate (the other was defective), covered outlets and "proofed" drawers and cabinets so far. It's crazy to think that Charlie will be trying to get into this stuff soon. Just hanging out with the younger girls on Saturday made us realize how quickly things change.

I suppose the trade-off for fabulous weekends is lonely Monday mornings. All things considered, it's a pretty small price to pay.

Being good while the mommies eat lunch

(Thank goodness for baby gear!)

Flu Shot Frustration

Every decision seems so much bigger when Charlie is involved -- and every inconvenience so much worse!  Jason and I started thinking about flu shots over the summer with all the publicity around the H1N1 virus.  I never realized how scary stuff like the flu can be when you have a small baby.  We have been incredibly blessed and Charlie hasn't really been sick yet (just a couple cases of the sniffles that cleared up in a matter of days), so I can't even imagine what it would be like for his first illness to be the full blown flu or even worse, the swine flu.

After much consideration and discussion, Jason and I decided to get Charlie the seasonal flu shot, but to forego the H1N1 vaccination -- it's just too new.  We're not completely convinced that we're making the right decision, but we're going with our gut instinct.  Plus, we figure the facts that he's not in group daycare, he doesn't have any older siblings in school and neither Jason nor I work with children or in healthcare are all on our side.

All that being the case, Charlie had his first seasonal flu vaccine dose at his 6 month appointment in early September.  He did great (I didn't do quite so well -- apparently flu shots reactivate my childhood asthma for about 24 hours -- yuck!), and we were on track to get the follow-up dose this afternoon.  Unfortunately, Charlie's pediatrician's office called yesterday and they're out of the vaccines.  They suggested that I take him to CVS, because they've heard that they have plenty.

So last night I called CVS to confirm that they knew how to give the second dose of the two part vaccination required for first timers and was told that not only do they not vaccinate anyone under the age of 9 (!), but they only vaccinate one day a month.  They suggested that I call Walgreens.  Walgreens told me that they do in fact vaccinate every day, but again only people over the age of 9.  Correct me if I'm wrong but according to all the doctors on the news, small children are at the highest risk for the flu (whichever variety) and should be first in line for vaccinations.  If that's the case, how come establishments that only vaccinate pre-teens and older have plenty of flu shots, but pediatricians offices are out?!?

This morning I called our pediatrician back to try to coerce them into finding a second dose and let them know that the alternatives they are providing to parents are useless.  The result is that Charlie is at the bottom of a lengthy waiting list and can possibly expect to get the second dose of his flu shot in early to mid November -- but no guarantees.  They have ordered 4000 doses, but are only receiving 20 to 30 at a time.

I'm amazed at how quickly I stop caring about everyone else's children and just want my son to be vaccinated, but I try to remind myself that a lot of kids either haven't had the first dose yet, go to group daycare, have older siblings in school or have parents that work with children or in healthcare.  Plus, with Jason and I both getting vaccinated, we should stay healthy for him (yes, honey, that was meant to make you feel guilty enough to stop at the next Walgreens you pass and finally get your shot...)  So far I've been able to change my own mind for about 2 to 3 minutes at a stretch, but inevitably the mama bear comes back out and I want my Charlie's dose now!

The nurse at the pediatrician's office did tell me that it's possible the first dose will do the job on it's own and the second dose is just to "make sure", but I think she may have just been pacifying me.  Either way, it looks like our only option is to wait.  And worst case scenario, if Charlie does get some strain of the flu, I know we'll make it through it.  So far I've had 2 good friends whose sons have been stricken with H1N1.  One is is still in the trenches but one is fully recovered, so I know the experience is survivable -- even for the mama bear -- but I truly hope it doesn't strike here.

Healthy Charlie

Routine vs. Flexibility, Intervention vs. Independence, etc...

I'm confused.  Like all parents, I'm sure, Jason and I try to do what is best for Charlie with every choice and decision we make -- but what do you when you get conflicting advice...or when your gut is giving you conflicting direction.

In my own life I am very structured and I like routine, but I also love surprises and spur of the moment fun.  We have Charlie on a fairly regular routine --

• 6:30 - wake up & breakfast
• play
• 7:40 walk
• 8:45 Donna's 
• play
• nap
• 11:30 or 12:00 lunch
• play
• nap
• snack
• 4:30 home
• play
• 6:00 dinner
• play
• 7:30 snack
• 8:00 bed

There is some variation and weekends are completely different -- other than wake and bed, but overall Charlie's life is very predictable. 

According to the books I've read this is all well and good, but I worry that maybe he's not learning to be flexible.  Should we be throwing more variation into his days, so he can deal with it?  What tends to happen is that he'll have a couple weeks of routine then one week where everything is a mess because we travel or have guests or have other random commitments. 

Last night we took Charlie with us to Bible Study, so he was up about an hour and a half later than usual.  He did much better than Jason or I would have thought while we were there -- except for the incident of stealing Little Phil's toys.  (Apparently we have a little bully in training.)  Which brings up another question -- what are you supposed to do in this situation?  I took the toy from Charlie and gave it back to Little Phil, but should I have just let them "work it out"?  At 7 and 8 months is that even possible?  It is just so hard to know what to do. 

All in all, Charlie always does pretty well.  If he misses naps or stays up late he is sleepy and a little grumpy, but has never had a meltdown.  I'm sure I'm over analyzing the whole thing, but it's so hard to know what the right thing is to do...

My goal is to raise a happy, independent, loving, confident, considerate, little boy.  I'm just not sure exactly how to do it!

Like a Baby

Our family has been struck by the cold bug this week.  Charlie woke up with the sniffles on Monday morning, and by lunchtime Jason was miserably congested and achey.  Thankfully, my immune system has seemed a bit stronger and I didn't really get sick until yesterday -- which got me through a business trip to Wake Forest and house guests Wednesday night.

The crazy thing is that Charlie has been a trooper all week.  We can tell he's been having trouble breathing, but he hasn't complained at all.  His only reaction has been to nap a bit longer during the day and go to bed a bit earlier. 

Jason and I are another matter altogether, though.  We have both been moaning and groaning about not being able to breathe, not being able to taste, the horrific affects of Tylenol Sinus Daytime (I truly felt like I was on drugs -- and am not sure if I should have been left alone with Charlie!  I was jittery for 5 hours after I took it!), etc, etc.   I personally was convinced that my head was going to explode during an American Marketing Association luncheon yesterday, and Jason has found it nearly impossible to wrench himself out of bed in the mornings (worse than usual!). 

Charlie, on the other hand, still rolls over and smiles as soon as we turn his light on, laughs at Otis, grins for Donna, and he appears to be trying to make words -- nothing is coming out, but he's sure contorting his little mouth into some interesting shapes.

I wish Jason and I had acted like babies this week -- we would have been much more pleasant to be around.

It's a Boy!

Discovery has been the theme at our house recently.  Charlie has figured out where Mom hides the remote control, how to turn on his crib aquarium at 5:00 in the morning and appears to be close to working his way into a sitting position.  I have to say the most entertaining and perhaps concerning breakthrough, though, has been the discovery of his wienie.  While that particular part of the mail anatomy goes by many terms (Jason can rattle of an alarming number), I think we're going with wienie at our house.  Penis is too clinical, and everything else sounds dirty.

So, as I was saying, Charlie has discovered that he is in fact a boy and that one of the benefits is an easily accessible toy whenever his diaper is off.  Now, he had actually grabbed ahold a time or two during diaper changes in the past, but never seemed to think anything of it. 

As of this weekend though, he is enthralled.  The second the diaper comes off he reaches down.  Luckily, I'm a good blocker and pretty fast with the wipes, so I'm not too concerned about his exploration during diaper change.  Now, if he figures out how to undo his diaper (like he tried this afternoon) we'll be in trouble, but for now we're fine.

Bathtime was an even bigger adventure for him.  Due to the fact that he's still in a baby tub, the angle allowed him to see his new toy.  Again, at this point I feel like it's normal to be figuring things out, so I wasn't too worried about bathtime exploration.

It's the grabbing of the diaper that has me worried.  While playing, he'll just randomly reach down and grab the front of his diaper -- just like an adult male with very bad manners.  Is this something he'll get over once he realizes he's effectively blocked by the diaper?  Or is he going to be one of those unfortunate men that doesn't seem to be able to avoid adjusting on a regular basis?  I've always believed that rather than "adjusting" they were in fact just entertaining themselves.  I'm very hopeful that this is a learned habit and a mother's active disapproval will prevent Charlie being one of "those men".

This is definitely a developmental stage I hadn't anticipated.  I think I've decided that through the years issues of a similar nature will fall in Daddy's court.

Baby Belly Laughs

You always here people talk about enjoying the "simple things" in life, but so often it's easy to get caught up in the complicated, emotional, dramatic, annoying, etc...  A six month old can really bring it back into perspective though.

Simply put, Charlie is a happy baby, but I am thrilled with his ability to have fun at such a young age.  Our two hours together this morning were full of perfect examples of pure, innocent, goofy joy, and I feel so blessed to be a part of them. 

It all started when Jason and I turned on his light at 6:30.  Charlie's little head immediately popped up over the crib rail, brown eyes blinking and a smile stretching from ear to ear-- there is no better way to start the day.  Next we were playing on the floor and watching GMA when Otis finally came downstairs.  The second Charlie saw him he "raced" after him with his mouth open in a big drooly grin.

The highlights were on our walk, though.  Three trips around the neighborhood can get a bit boring, so sometimes we hokey pokey and play airplane on the vacant street by the pool.  The games had Charlie giggling  (and probably the construction crews, too), but the giggles turned into outright belly laughs when the rain started.  Apparently Charlie loves to walk in the rain as much as I do -- Otis, not so much. 

Charlie laughed all the way home and continued giggling in his swing while I dried us all off and made his bottle.  His newfound ability to grab the little lambs on the swing's mobile and create a horrendous clicking sound only made it that much better.  He was still smiling when we walked into Miss Donna's kitchen, and as soon as she called him "Sugar" the giggles were back. 

It's funny that a morning devoid of extraordinary milestones can be so full of memories.

Buddies

One of Jason's and my biggest concerns before Charlie was born was the impact that it would all have on Otis, and we were not encouraged by the  projectile vomiting at 4 AM the morning I went into labor. 

Over the first few weeks Otis' curiosity turned into annoyance, then ambivalence.  Then once Charlie started playing on the floor, Otis' interest was peaked again.  He started bringing Charlie toys to play fetch and looking back and forth between me and Charlie confused that Charlie wouldn't throw them.  It was great.  Then when Jason and I finally relented and allowed Otis to give Charlie kisses on the hands and feet, they were both thrilled. 

By 2 months or so, Otis displayed an affectionate and protective, brotherly love for Charlie.  Granted, he still despised me and Jason, but he started to love Charlie.  Nowadays, if Charlie is crying Otis will sit outside his room and pout until he stops, and the first thing Otis does when we let him out of our room or when he comes in from outside is track down the baby.  Charlie is definitely his top priority.

Every morning the three of us go for a walk, and in the past few days Charlie has started to grab the leash handle to help.  Then when we get home, we all play on the floor, and amazingly, Otis does not bother Charlie's toys.  Charlie, on the other hand, loves Otis' toys and will chase him around the living room for them.  It's hilarious.  Otis will move about 2 feet, wait for Charlie to army crawl over, let Charlie get one hand on the toy, then pick it up, move 2 feet and the whole game starts over.  This typically goes on for about 5 minutes or so (quite a while in baby time) until Otis gets bored and leaves the toy for Charlie.

Our only close call so far was when Charlie got Otis' ear.  It all seemed to happen in slow motion.  We were practicing petting when Charlie grabbed hold of Otis' ear and started to pull and twist.  I was sitting right there, but didn't react quickly enough to stop him.   Otis yelped and reared back, then just sat there.  I was shocked.  He didn't nip or bite or run away, he just sat and waited while I peeled back Charlie's fingers.  It was a huge relief, because I had visions of a dog bite, trip to the hospital, figuring out what to do with Otis, etc. flashing through my head.  In retrospect, I think it was great that it happened.  Now Otis maintains just enough distance from Charlie to ensure that he doesn't get grabbed, which is safer for both of them.

I've been telling Otis for months that it's all going to work out and that whether he believes it or not, he and Charlie are going to be best friends.  I think he might finally be starting to believe me...not forgive me, but believe me. 

"Is this really all he does?"

"Just throw the lizard, kid, it's easy..."

"Hmmm...mighty furry big brother I have..."

"How come everybody gets sunglasses but me?"

"It's my turn to drive.  Otis had his turn."

"Almost there..."

"Care to share?"

Love Story

As Emily can attest, I was a huge fan of romance novels as a teenager.  I just loved the whole fairy tale genre, and to be honest, I still believe in happily ever after...but  I'm witnessing my favorite love story of all time right now. 
In the beginning I think it was easier and more natural for Charlie and I to bond than it was for him and Jason.  This isn't a criticism, but an observation of the impact that 9 months in-utero, an abundance of hormones and feedings every 2 hours had on us.  All of those things made my role as "mom" very clear, and created an instant bond.  Jason has obviously loved Charlie since before he was born, but I believe that being relegated to observer for the first 9 months and for many activities after Charlie arrived made his role a bit more uncertain.  After all, why should we both get up in the middle of the night when I'm the one with the milk, and how much input did he have in Charlie's routine when I was home 5 days a week for the first 3 months and he only got to be home 2?
Everything is changing now, though.  It's so much fun to watch Jason rush into Charlie's room at 6:30 in the morning, because he wants to see that first grin, or to hear him tell Charlie he'd rather not go out in the evening, because he wants to stay home and play.  And absolutely nothing compares to seeing Charlie's whole face light up when Jason comes in the door at night, or having him reach out and rest his hand on Jason's shoulder during church. 
Watching them together, I finally understand exactly what it feels like to "beam" -- to have your heart so full that your chest swells and to smile so much that your cheeks ache.  I've always been a sucker for romance, but I have to say that the past few weeks have given me a new undertanding of what a "love story" can be.

 

Separation Anxiety

So far solid foods are a huge success!  Like parents, like son -- our Charlie is quite the little eater.  He not only "chews" and swallows the rice cereal, but actually grabs Jason's hand to try to get him to feed him faster.  It's hilarious.  After 3 nighs of rice cereal, we're moving on to peas tonight.  Wish us luck!
While I definitely put off the food as long as possible, I was looking forward to giving up the late night feeding.  Charlie has been going to bed each night at 8:00 for quite some time, but I would wake him up at between 10 and 11 for a "top off" to make it through the night.  Being that we get up every morning by 6:30, it was sometimes hard to stay awake for this feeding (Jason has some pretty funny stories of finding me passed out in the glider and Charlie eating away...). 
Naturally, I thought that it would be a huge relief to put him down at 8:00 and not worry about another feeding until the next morning, and Friday night was great.  Jason and I watched TV until about 10:30 and then just went to bed.  Saturday night was a different story, though...

Charlie had a somewhat rough day, because tooth number 2 poked through.  He was a trooper but exhausted by 7:00, so I put him down a bit early.  Jason and I had a late dinner and were watching the race on TV when I looked up and noticed it was 9:52...and I didn't have to feed Charlie.  Translation:  I didn't get to go up and cuddle Charlie for another 8 1/2 hours!  I hadn't expected this feeling of loss.  I even considered continuing the late night feedings, just for my own benefit -- but figured not only would I regret it eventually, but that a longer continuous sleep was really what was best for Charlie.  Still though, Jason can attest to the fact that I was pretty mopey the rest of the evening.  Who would have thought I was the one that was so attached to the 10:00 snack?!
Last night, my little man gave me a bit of a reprieve.  He woke up around 11:00 mad at the world.  I think it was his teeth, but Jason suggested that I try to feed him, so I did.  It worked perfectly -- he calmed down and I got my cuddle.  Logically, I hope that this was a fluke, and Charlie sleeps from 8:00 until morning tonight and most nights, but I have to admit that I will kind of look forward to a late night feeding every once in a while...

The Six Month Milestone

It's official.  Charlie had his 6 month appointment this morning, and Dr. Tripp confirmed that he is perfect. 

He was a trooper despite a ridiculously long wait due to computer issues, and he stopped crying fairly easily after his shots.  I went ahead and got the flu shot while we were there, and if his leg aches as much as my arm, he's going to be pretty fussy when he wakes up.  He always gets over his shots very quickly, so I haven't been too sympathetic in the past.  Hopefully I'm just a wimp, and he won't be as achey.

But, on to more fun stuff -- The Charlie Update!  Since 6 months is such a big milestone, I decided it would be appropriate to give a rundown of his measurements, characteristics, abilities, etc.  So here goes:

As of 9/11/09:

• Weight - 17 lbs. 3 oz (50th percentile)
• Length - 27 inches (75th percentile!)
• Head - 44 cm (50th percentile)
• Teeth - 1 (bottom left)
• Hair - Minimal, but lots more than even a month ago
• Birthmarks - Stork bites on back of neck, possibly a potato shaped birthmark on left shin
• Naps - 2 per day (sometimes 3, but seldom)
• Bedtime - 8:00
• Waketime - 6:30
• Favorite Food - Milk ;o) (we're starting rice cereal tonight)
• Favorite Song - Old MacDonald (If anyone knows what noise a turtle makes, we'd love to add it to our repertoire.  Our farm currently has a horse, a cow, a donkey, a bull, a rooster, a hen, a chick, a pig, a dog, a cat, a rabbit, a mouse, a sheep, a goat, a bumble bee, a bird, a dove, an owl, a turkey, a duck, a frog, a fish, and a snake -- and on our farm the sound for snakes is the "bang-bang" of a shotgun!)
• Favorite Dance - The Hokey Pokey
• Favorite Toys - Ollie & Taggy
• Favorite Game - Peek-a-Boo
• Recent milestones


• First tooth
• Sitting up
• Army crawl
• Random regular crawl
• Petting Otis
• Taking toys out of box


• Imminent milestones


• Solid food
• Second tooth
• Consistent regular crawl


• Hero: Daddy
• Personality


• Goofy - always smiling and laughing unless it's naptime or mom & dad have paid for professional pictures
• Deliberate - he sees something he wants and goes after it, even it means following Otis around the living room for 10 minutes until Otis gives up
• Ornery - unlike his 3 month pictures where he wouldn't smile at all, smiled for his 6 month pictures -- if his fist was in his mouth!

But most importantly, he is perfectly healthy and perfectly happy.  We are blessed beyond words.

6 Month Birthday Pre-empted by Mommy's Antics...

Yes, can you believe it?  Charlie is 6 months old today!  These have absolutely been the best 6 months of my life.  But, since his 6 month appointment isn't until Friday, I'm going to pre-empt a post focused on Charlie's growth, achievments, likes, dislikes, etc. with a little story that will outline exactly what the poor boy is going to have to deal with as he grows up.  Below is an email that I sent to Jason about 5 minutes ago...

Subject:  It's safe to say...

I didn't miss my calling as a plumber.

So, you know how my sink has been draining super slow lately. Well, obviously it's probably due to all the hair I'm losing. Since you'd mentioned that to get the plug out you have to unhook something down below, I decided to check it out. After a couple of tries, I figured out how to unhook the stopper pull and then remove the little bar so I could unhook the stopper itself. I pulled it out and it was absolutely disgusting, so I pulled the hair off and started to remove this weird black sludge stuff -- but I decided I wanted to get it really clean, so I rinsed it. In my sink. Yes, really. No, it did not occur to me that this would be unwise.

So, a minute later I bent down to put it all back together and heard water running to my right…out of the cabinet onto the floor. Yes, really. Amazingly, I got it cleaned up and I got the sink put back together. So, it appears that while I have the skills to be a plumber, I lack the understanding that water flows through open holes…

Happy Wednesday.

Family Vacation

Since 7:00 AM is prime playtime at our house, I have become an even more avid fan of Good Morning America in the past 6 months.  As much as I love the show though, their recent series on "Staycations" has annoyed me -- not because I have anything against having fun at home, but because the term "Staycation" grates on my nerves.

That said, Jason, Charlie and I had the best Staycation ever this weekend!  We had originally hoped to spend the long weekend in El Paso for Charlie's first visit to Grandma and Grandpa's house, but my ongoing job uncertainty made the investment a bit irresponsible right now.  Next, we talked about boating up the Cooper River and splitting a cabin on the lake with some friends, but when that didn't pan out we had a 3 day weekend with seas too large for off-shore fishing and no plans!

At first we didn't know what to do, but slowly the days and evenings filled up with the most relaxing and fun activities I could imagine.

We kicked off Friday night with dinner at home with our friends Chris & Sophie.  They're little boy, Calvin, is 14 months older than Charlie, so we were able to swap tales and hear about all sorts of upcoming adventures we can expect -- plus we shared some out-of-this world chocolate-raspberry cupcakes.

Due to poor planning on Jason's and my part, Saturday morning ended up being just the 4 of us on the boat -- and it was so much fun!  We ran up the Cooper River until the GPS map ended (come to find out we were only 6 miles from the lake) and slowly boated back home.  Charlie & Otis loved the day on the water, and I even remembered to bring our lunch (unlike last weekend).  That evening, after Goodnight Moon, prayers and kisses, Jason and I shared a fabulous steak dinner on the porch.

Sunday we went to church, swung by KFC to pick up lunch, and headed back to the water, this time with Chad, Corrisa and Vicki (no Otis -- he was still recovering from Saturday's trip).   We headed out through the Wappoo Cut and anchored at a sandbar where Charlie went skinny dipping for the first time!

Two boat trips by the Peninsula put me in the mood for an afternoon downtown, so I convinced Jason that Monday would be the perfect day to head into Charleston.  After a fabulous lunch at the new Taco Boy, we parked on King Street and explored all our favorite haunts, including of course Ye Olde Ice Cream Shoppe.  Charlie has yet to try rice cereal, but he loves vanilla icecream with strawberry swirls.

Next we took Charlie to Waterfront park for the first time where Mom made him cry when I sprayed him in the eye by putting his feet in the fountain (oops!), and Dad saved him just in time when we thought it would be a great idea to get a picture of him sitting by himself on the swing (oops again!).  Luckily, our Charlie is a very solid and very forgiving little boy. 

Finally, we capped off our weekend with a fabulous dinner at Basil with Chad & Corrisa, whom we'd run into between shops.

I honestly can't imagine a more perfect weekend with my boys, so while the term is still grating, I have to say that GMA is on the right track with their "Staycations".

The good life...

     Such a sweet little tushy....

The fountain in the background...

 The perfect vacation picture...

   

Zzzzzzz...

It feels like a miracle.  Charlie is home today, and I am actually getting stuff done -- lots of stuff!  We're having some friends over for dinner, and I've been able to set the table, bathe Otis, prep dinner, join 2 calls, shower and even blow my hair dry! 

The source of all my productivity?  Naps!  My little Charlie is a rockstar napper now.  He was down for 2 1/2 hours this morning and has been down for 1 1/2 this afternoon.

A few months ago we were lucky to get 45 minutes out of him and getting him to fall asleep was pure torture (for the whole family).  But now, as soon as he's sleepy we just swaddle him up, close the shutters, break into a lengthy (and quite random) version of Old MacDonald and down he goes.  Obviously he doesn't always sleep for this long, but we rarely have naps shorter than an hour anymore -- and if he wakes up mid-nap, sometimes he'll even fall back asleep! (For all you non parents out there, trust me, this is a huge milestone!)

The funniest part is the way he gradually comes back to consciousness.  The other day Jason peeked in when he got home from work, and Charlie was in a little baby trance just staring at the side of his crib.  Jason came down and got me, we both watched and giggled for a bit, tapped him on the back, and he rolled over and grinned. 

While that's the funniest, the best part is the ability to count on productive periods of the day.  This morning I was able to schedule a call for his predicted naptime -- and it worked! Almost every evening Jason and I can count on having 8 PM to 10 PM to ourselves for chores, chats with neighbors (love our new super-long range monitor) or even a quiet glass of wine by the pond.  It's a whole new world!

So yes, I just spent the last 15 minutes or so of Charlie's afternoon nap flat out bragging.  I have a baby who sleeps!  It's a minor miracle.  But...now he's awake, so off I go to get my grin!

(Thank goodness I don't believe in superstitions or jinxes, huh?)