Time Flies...

Where do I begin?  And more to the point, how on earth do I sum up 10 days in Kansas City in one entry?  Obviously I have been struggling with this dilemma, as it has taken me 5 days to even sit down and start it. 

Of course, that could also have something to do with getting in at 11:00 Sunday night, being a week behind at work, forgetting to prepare our dish for Bible study until an hour before it started, having to use my Kohl's cash before it expired on Wednesday ($40!!),  taking a quick trip to Fayetteville, NC, and inviting the neighbors over to dinner in my ridiculously dusty house!  (No worries, though -- you can't see the dust after dark and other than the salad, the entire menu is grilled!).

So, now that it's all more of a distant memory, I'm going to try to record Charlie's third trip to Kansas City.  I know I'm going to leave out some things, but I will try to hit the highlights.

Chapter 1: Abject Terror

I sometimes wonder if deep down inside, I actually hate myself.  Being a glutton for punishment, about a month before the trip I suggested that Jason fly with Charlie and I to Atlanta, but then break off to meet his Dad, Grandpa, Travis and various others in Talladega for the race -- while Charlie and I fly on to Kansas City BY OURSELVES!  Seriously -- who suggests stuff like this???

In the interest of self-preservation, I pretty much forgot about the suggestion until the morning of the flights.  I was nervous, but I didn't fully grasp the enormity of the task ahead of me.  I packed enough snacks for a kindergarten class, and we set off for the airport. 

I planned ahead and ate my dinner on the first flight, while Jason entertained and fed Charlie.  All was well.  After an uneventful 50 minute flight, we landed safely in Atlanta -- and reality set in. 

I was still in denial, but when I looked at Jason and saw concern, guilt and fear, I started to second-guess my genius idea.  Charlie and I were about to board a 2 1/2 hour, late evening flight, during which some unsuspecting stranger was going to have to sit by us.  I tried very hard to hide my fear, so as not to make Jason feel worse -- but I was pretty terrified.  Jason notified the airline that he wouldn't be using his seat, and I noticed that there was a standby waiting list.  This could not be good.

Charlie and I boarded fairly early, because we were all the way back in row 28.  We found our seat and settled in, and he was doing great playing in the seat next to us while the plane slowly filled up.  I was texting Jason to tell him just how great Charlie was doing when I recognized an all-too-familiar facial expression -- Charlie was filling his pants!  I shot Jason a text to ensure that he felt properly sorry for me -- only to discover when we'd landed in KC that I'd actually texted "I think he just filled his pants" to my boss!

Anyway, rather than wait until we were airborn, I hunted out a diaper and wipes, scooped Charlie up and headed back to the bathroom -- and he started screaming.  He screamed all the way back to the bathroom, he screamed the entire time I changed him (on the toilet seat!!!), he screamed the entire way back to the seats.  Just imagine the looks on the faces of everyone finding their seats -- had it not been my child, it would have been funny.  At least I wasn't the only one dreading the next 2 1/2 hours. 

I was especially afraid of facing our seatmate, whom I was sure would have appeared by then.... but, no!  The seat next to Jason was still empty and as soon as I set Charlie down, he stopped screaming and went happily back to playing!  I was stunned and relieved.

The flight attendant was making the standard "the plane is full, move your bags, etc, etc" announcement, but it was immediately followed by an announcement that they were closing the door!  They didn't put any of the standby people in Jason's seat.  It was a miracle! 

Now, I realize that that might seem to be an exageration -- but if you think about it, the empty seat made Charlie happy the entire way to Kansas City.  Charlie being happy (and quiet) filled me with overwhelming joy, relief and gratefulness, which is a fabulous way to start a vacation.  Jason not receiving a frantic, crying, guilty phone call from the mother of the screaming baby on the plane made his race weekend infinitely more enjoyable  Charlie being quiet allowed everyone else on the plane to relax and not hate us.  A plane full of serene people arriving in Kansas City impacted everyone they were there to see.  Truly, I believe that God answering Jason's and my prayers and giving Charlie his own seat on the plane was a miracle -- the impact was huge!

Now, the flight home was vastly different from this (exhaustion, crying, whining, misery, lost cell phone, etc), but since Jason and I were in it together, it wasn't so bad.

His own seat!

Chapter 2:  Girly Boy

Charlie would be any big sister's dream!  Throughout our week in KC, he thoroughly enjoyed getting in touch with his feminine side...

It all started Sunday at my friend Jennifer's house.  Charlie was absolutely enthralled with her daughter Lilly's pink heart belt -- so we let him wear it.  Thankfully I had goldfish crackers to distract him when we left, or giving it back would have been a struggle.

In addition to the lovely belt, Charlie is a fan of the "man-bag".  He managed to track down purses in a variety of shapes and sizes and trot them around Baba and PaPa's house all week.  When Daddy witnessed the fun on Tuesday, he renamed the purses "satchels" and assured Charlie that Indiana Jones carried a satchel.

Following a particularly active nap, Charlie woke up with fabulous mad-scientist hair.  It was so cute that I didn't bother to brush it.  A few minutes later we were downstairs having a snack when I noticed some fabulous High School Musical barrettes on the counter.  I regret that I didn't get a picture of this, but I can assure you that Charlie rocks the Troy barrette like nobody's business.

Finally, Charlie is quite the diva when it comes to his make-up.  We did face painting at Paradise Park on Monday and he was quite particular about dabbing the little make-up sticks and seemed very pleased with his finished result.

Green brings out my eyes

Chapter 3:  New Do

With as long as it took Charlie to actually get hair, I didn't think we'd be getting it cut so soon...but our adorable son has a very interesting hair growth pattern.  His hair is still nice and short in front and is finally thickening up on top, but the poor thing has had a mullet to make any camaro-owner proud for the past few weeks -- it's even curly! 

Jason and I have been going back and forth as to whether or not to cut it, because we don't want to rush things -- but he's starting to look a bit unkempt.  So, in light of the fact that Uncle Travis & Aunt Natalie's fabulous wedding pictures will be framed and hung for us all to enjoy for the next 70 years -- we decided it was time.

Jason and I took Charlie to Uncle Travis' stylist for his first haircut.  Charlie was enamored the second that he saw Lisa, but he fell head over heels when she raised and lowered the chair.  He was a champ through the whole haircut, never shedding a tear, and when he got bored we just gave him Jason's watch to play with.  It really couldn't have gone better and now he looks like a little man!

The Mullet

What do you think?

Chapter 4: The Banker

Before Charlie was even born I realized that if he were going to be a boy, dressing him up wasn't going to be quite as exciting as if he were a girl.  They definitely make cute little boy clothes, but girl clothes are just so much more...well, more!  They hav bows and tights and black patent shoes and matching purses and all sorts of fun stuff.

To be clear, I have never once wished Charlie was a girl, but mesh shorts and onesies just don't offer the same thrill.  But, when it's time to really get dressed up, a little boy is a blast! 

Since the moment Travis & Natalie got engaged last summer, I've been looking forwarded to dressing Charlie up in a little suit.  We even bought it back around Christmas, and with as much as he's been growing lately, I was somewhat concerned that it wouldn't fit -- but apparently not concerned enough to try it on more than 15 minutes before we were supposed to meet everyone at the church.

The wedding party took pictures all day Saturday, but Charlie and I weren't due at the church until 4:45.  In an effort to prepare him for a great evening, I tossed him in the car around 2:30 and we drove the 435 loop around KC to get a good nap.  He woke up right about 4:25, so we pulled into the Price Chopper on Roe to get changed.  Words truly cannot express how fabulous he looked!  I had replaced the original tie with one that coordinated better with my dress (kind of like prom), and my little boy became a little man. 

Charlie's haircut was an excellent addition to his ensemble, but the finishing touch had to be his shades.  When we arrived at the church, I let him walk around the building, himself, and asked him if he wanted to wear his sunglasses (it's usually hit or miss).  Well, this time he did, and I kid you not, my 14 month old son strutted around the side of the church, walked right up to the photographers and proceeded to ham it up for the next hour and a half.  If I weren't so in love with him, I probably would have been embarassed!

We survived the wedding, but spent most of it in the vestibule our outside -- as soon as Charlie figured out how loudly his toys, my sunglasses and the goldfish crackers would bang on the wooden floors of the church, we were out of there.  We did witness a car accident, though, and had a blast playing with cousins Demetrius and Kalani in the back!

Charlie took it a step further at the reception, when he grabbed his sock monkey lunchbox and proceeded to run around the upstairs tables, looking just like a little banker.  I wonder if it's going to be all Jason and I can do to keep the little monster out of show business.

Let the party begin

Hey, baby

Little Man

Angels?

Duded up with Dad

Chapter 5: Water Baby

Despite sleeping through the reception only to wake up at midnight in pure delight that he was still at the party, Charlie was in pretty good form on Sunday.  He took a great nap in the morning and was more than ready to join the recovery Bar-B-Q when he woke up.

After playing the cymbals with Grandma Jane and enjoying a couple leftover wedding cookies, Charlie and Jason went outside to enjoy the nice day.  Charlie crawled directly for the pool, reached his hand in to feel the water then turned around and started to lower himself into the water -- fully dressed!  Since we still had two hours before we needed to head for the airport, Jason and I decided to track down a swim diaper and let him have at it. 

With Daddy standing guard at the edge of the steps and cousins Elizabeth and Tyler swimming all around, Charlie had a fabulous time splashing and playing and laughing.  He absolutely loved the fountain and it didn't even phase him when he went completely underwater.  It looks like we're going to have another fish in the family.

Woohoo!

After Swim with BaBa and PaPa

Epilogue: So much more!

As long as this is, I had to leave out so much: wonderful lunches with Rebekah, Jennifer, Laura, Wendy & Jessica; playtime with cousins Alexis, Tyler & Elizabeth.  Plus, Charlie had a blast in the ball pit and the baby room at Paradise Park, and he loved going for long walks around the lake.  We had a fabulous time at Deanna Rose milking a cow, petting the goats and so much more.  And we got to see Lilly, and Tom and Abby and Megan and Great Aunt Jan, Great Uncle Sam, Great Uncle Jim, Cousin Melanie and Jill, the Daniels, the Allens, and so many more people.  It was just a fabulous trip from start to finish!

Climbing with Cousin Elizabeth

I need one of these at home!

Giddy-up

 

Is this really where milk comes from?

Yeah!  Tom's Daddy's Home!

So many cousins!

Proud Mama

I guess I should just get used to all the changes, but each day takes me by surprise.

Take yesterday for example, Charlie made it very clear that he is rational human being able to make decisions and follow directions.  It was amazing.

Situation #1:  Charlie, Otis and I were upstairs in the playroom.  Charlie was randomly wandering the room, and I was half-heartedly playing fetch with Otis.  To be honest, I was collapsed on the bean bag chair with this ridiculous cold -- it's been a week!

Anyway, I tossed Otis' toy and it got stuck behind Charlie's little piano.  Otis went over and tried to get to it, but it was lodged between the piano and the wall.  Jokingly, I asked Charlie if he would go get Otis' toy and give it to him.  Charlie looked at me and toddled right over to the piano.  He bent over and peered underneath it, stood up and peaked behind it, then paused and played a couple songs. 

I had just resigned myself to the fact that I was going to have to get up when Charlie reached behind the piano, grabbed the rubber quail and handed it to Otis.  I don't know who was more surprised, me or Otis.  Charlie just looked at me and grinned, then did a belly flop on Otis' bed!  The kid is amazing.

Situation #2: Later in the evening, I was sitting on the couch and Charlie was doing laps through the kitchen, dining room, hall and living room.   Thanks to his love of jabbering, it's always fairly easy to determine where he is, but suddenly it got quiet.  Then I heard an unusual scraping noise and knew I needed to investigate.

I walked into the kitchen and found Charlie in the butler's pantry with the koozie drawer open, pulling out koozies and dropping them on the floor.  His face when he saw me was priceless -- he definitely knew that he wasn't allowed in the drawer. 

Of course, I immediately grabbed the camera off the counter to catch him red handed.  I couldn't have been more surprised when I looked back -- Charlie was putting all of the koozies back in the drawer!  He got all of them in but one -- which happened to have a stickier, non-neoprene texture.  When I asked him to put that one back, too, he looked down at it and smiled, grabbed another one out of the drawer and put it away again, and grinned up at me.  Obviously, I let him keep it.  How adorable!

And yes, I realize that in order to truly teach him to follow directions and the importance of parental authority, etc, I really should have required complete compliance -- but how could I?    I was overcome with pride in his ability to follow directions in the playroom and to clean up after himself in the kitchen.  Truly amazing!

Caught!

Getting rid of the evidence

A Boy's Boy

Watching Charlie's little personality (or should I say big personality in a little body) develop is keeping Jason and I very entertained.   Over the past few weeks we've had many glimpses of the man behind the curtain -- and he is a hoot!

To be clear, there haven't been any drastic changes -- Charlie still loves to eat, loves to laugh, adores his Daddy, hates to nap, and lives to tease Otis -- but all of his emotions and reactions are focusing, and we're even starting to understand some of his thought processes -- and I take quite a bit of the blame for his wacky logic.

One of the highlights of the past week was his discovery of "walking backwards".  To be honest, I never realized this was a skill to be learned -- but last Thursday Charlie mastered the ability to back his way around the living room and spent most of Thursday evening running into Otis.  He has yet to discover the benefits of peeking behind him for obstacles. 

Also, last night he amazed (and alarmed) me with his newfound ability to make obscene noises by blowing raspberries on his arm.  Apparently this is a favorite way to entertain himself while waiting for his dinner.  It's only slightly less exciting than the real thing -- and yes, at 13 months he already finds bodily functions a source of unending amusement.  Is this just wired into the Y chromosome?

Charlie is also working on some of his flirting skills -- but the angels are anything but push-overs.  Over the past week, we've had both Lakely and Kate over to play.  Charlie used his smoothest moves -- leaning against the couch and drinking one-handed from the sippy-cup, as well as moving in for the oh-so-sweet hug -- but both girls were more interested in his toys than his attentions.  Poor thing...

In general, Charlie absolutely adores anything that can be done outdoors.  Just putting on his shoes gets him crazy excited, because he knows he gets to go outside.  Biking and swinging are near the top of his list for outdoor activities, but the real winner is...mowing??   Charlie is an avid lawn boy.  He absolutely adores his little musical reel mower and has even progressed from using it as a jackhammer to pushing/pulling it around the yard.  He can actually spend almost as long out there "mowing" as it takes Jason to do the real thing -- too bad for Jason his doesn't cut the grass.

I have no doubt that even as I type this, Charlie is enlightening and amusing Donna with some other new habit that will have us all cracking up this evening.  Actually -- he, Donna and Otis are just outside my window playing in the yard!! It truly doesn't get any better than to be able to look up and see your baby boy while diligently participating in a conference call.  Life is good!

Hey -- did you know there were goldfish in these plastic things???

Look, Dog-dog, a kitty!

Giving Lakely a Ride

We're all about equality around here...

Hey, Baby...

Like my shades?

Work, work, work...

What a wonderful surprise!

Parental Conflict

It's commonly proclaimed that parenting is an ongoing conflict of wills -- but I never realized that I would be on both sides of the same argument!  I constantly finding myself wishing Charlie would learn or do one thing and then wanting to take it back as soon as he does.  Either I'm completely nuts, or being a mom is...

Some obvious examples are the big milestones: rolling, sitting, crawling, walking, talking, weaning, etc.  I looked forward to each of them, was proud for about 30 seconds and then missed my baby. 

But there are many much more subtle (and perhaps crazier) such moments every day.  Last night, for example, Charlie was obviously sleepy, so I was rushing to get him through dinner, nap, stories and prayers, so he could go to sleep.  Then I came downstairs, curled up on the couch to do my crossword puzzle and missed him.  I wanted him awake to play with me.

An even more ridiculous situation occurs regularly in the mornings.  Like any mom, I am thrilled when my baby sleeps through the night and overjoyed if he makes it past 6:30, but if 6:45 rolls around and I haven't heard a peep, I have an uncontrollable urge to sneak into his room and see if he's breathing.  And due to my 32 year old knees that snap, crackle and pop, I sometimes wake him from a peaceful sleep (like this morning!).  Seriously, who is crazy enough to wake a sleeping baby before 7:00 in the morning!?

We actually experienced a brand new conundrum last night at dinner.  As Charlie is quickly closing in on 13 months, it's probably time that he starts learning to feed himself.  I've been cutting him loose with "tidy" finger food for months, but to be honest, I'm just too lazy to let him feed himself the messy stuff -- I don't want to clean it off the walls, floors, dog, etc.  Therefore, Jason and/or I take the lead with anything that requires utensils. 

Based on this practice, one would imagine that the first time we did let Charlie try to feed himself it would probably be something not too sticky and not too brightly colored, right?  No, OCD mom here decided that the perfect food for Charlie's first foray into utensils would be left over pink fluffy stuff.  For anyone who has never attended one of Jason's family's holiday, this is a glorious concoction of strawberry jell-o, strawberries, cool whip and angel food cake...mmmm....  Fabulous food, but completely contrary to my attempts to keep my kitchen free of pink flecks and Otis from succumbing to a sugar-high.  Oh well -- it sure was fun!

He scoops...

He scores...

He chews...

He wants more!

Read All About It

It's crazy to think back to the pre-Jason days when I would frequently stay up until 2 AM to finish a book that I'd started earlier that evening, or the early-Jason days when I'd waste and entire Saturday reading in the recliner while Jason was fishing.  It wasn't the least bit unusual for me to read two to three books per week -- and despite my husband feeling sorry for me, I loved it!

Obviously that's all changed with Charlie -- but not just due to lack of time.  Even before I found out I was pregnant, I just stopped reading.  I'm sure some of it was due to the exhaustion of the first trimester, but it was as if a switch were flipped and I just had no intererst.  Instead, I wasted countless hours watching crime documentaries on TV. I think I've seen every single episode of Cold Case Files, American Justice and City Confidential -- which begs the question, will that craving have similar results to my chocolate milkshake and chicken nuggets cravings?  Is Charlie destined to be a cop???  But I digress...

I mention my formerly voracious appetite for reading as a context for the fact that I have been embarrassingly lax at introducing Charlie to books.  I had every intention of reading to him in the womb, but that really seemed like a waste of time to me.  Then I pictured myself reading multiple books a day to my newborn...but I spent his waking moments cooing at and/or shushing him and it again seemed somewhat silly to read to a sleeping baby.

Over the past year as our routines have changed, we have somewhat regularly read to him before bed -- and yes, yes, we know that we should read to him other times a day, too, so he doesn't only associate books with sleep.  But to be honest, other than Goodnight Moon, we probably only read Charlie 2 to 3 books per week.

Which is why we are so surprised and amused by his newfound obsession with books.  It's a hoot!  Whether he's repeatedly paging through his tugboat book in the bath (Splash! Splash!,  Toot! Toot!,  Tug! Tug!), reaching over the side of the glider to point and laugh at his bedtime books, emptying the bookshelf in the playroom or tripping around the living room with his great big puzzle book -- he loves them!

Sadly, I missed the foremost literary moment of Charlie's life so far.  Earlier this week when Jason was putting Charlie to bed, he started out trying to read our new Easter book (which is fabulous by the way -- I would highly recommend it for anyone looking to explain the true meaning of Easter to kids!  It's The Easter Story by Patricia Pingry and available at both Walmart and Target.)

Anyway, Jason started out reading The Easter Story, but Charlie was fidgety and whiny, so he switched to Goodnight Moon, which never fails to calm our little monster.    After he finished saying goodnight to noises everywhere, Jason set down the book and started prayers, but Charlie reached towards The Easter Story and started his grunt/whine thing that lets us know that he wants something, so Jason picked it back up planning to try to read it again.

Instead, Charlie grabbed the book out of Jason's hands and held it off to the side away from Jason, just like we do with him.  He then opened the cover and started "reading" to Jason, "blah-blah-blah-blah-blah," turned the page and read some more "blah-blah-blah-blah-blah," and proceeded do this for five or six pages.  Next, he closed the book and looked up at Jason and smiled.  Then Jason laid Charlie down in his crib, and we didn't hear a peep until morning!  I so wish I had been there to see it!  Now we just have to figure out how he'll fit in both voracious reading and obsessive fishing on the weekends...

Our little book worm

Moments

What a week!  Following my trip to Texas, Jason met all of the his brothers, cousins, uncles, etc. in Nashville for Travis' bachelor party.  They had a wonderful time, from what I hear -- but the stories are somewhat vague.  Knowing these guys though, I'm sure it was fabulous.

Charlie, Otis and I had a quiet, fully lit and fully heated weekend here at home.  It's amazing what a difference electricity makes!  It was nice to be free of any schedules or obligations and to just take it easy.  Charlie even took two naps each day, allowing me to lay on the couch and watch TV -- talk about a lazy indulgence!

In the midst of all of this glorious monotony, we did have two amazing moments that I know I'll remember for years to come.  Each was a little glimpse of the future, and I wish it were possible to capture them like a scene in a snowglobe and pull them out from time to time.

First, during breakfast on Sunday morning, Charlie was drinking his oj from his sippy cup.  He has improved this skill vastly over the past couple of weeks, but from time to time he still holds the cup with the spout on top and the liquid pools beneath it. 

In an attempt to "help", I tried to pry the cup out of Charlie's hands and turn it 180 degrees.  Well, the little booger is stronger than he looks, so after a few seconds I let go...and Charlie pulled the cup back directly into his eye.  He's definitely going to be  tough one, though, because despite the loud plastic vs. bone bonk, he didn't cry -- he just looked at me like, "What the heck are you doing?!".  I had a very clear and ominous preview of how he'll be looking at me from 2022 to 2029 on a regular basis -- I saw a teenager in my Charlie's eyes.  It was both funny and scary at the same time.

Thankfully, a one year old's memory is short, so we were back to blissful morning fun just a few moments later.  After breakfast Charlie was carrying around one of his baby picture books, which holds photos of family.  He was flipping through it and saying "Dada", but the only picture of Jason in this one is pretty small and dark, so I handed him a frame from the end table and pointed out "Dada" in the picture. 

Charlie immediately grinned, grasped the frame and started walking laps around the living room, all the while pointing at Jason's face and giggling "Dada".  It was absolutely precious.  It seemed to me that he really connected the image in the photo with a person for the first time -- either that or he thought that I had somehow shrunk Jason and trapped him in a picture frame...either way, it was great!

One might ask why I didn't capture at least the "Dada" laps on video -- one without a toddler that is.  Just Saturday night Charlie and I were "rocking out" to Blondie, Duran Duran and my favorite, Rick Springfield.  And yes, it does appear that I have passed my horrendous taste in music onto my innocent little boy.  He was waving his hands in the air and laughing as I belted out Jesse's Girl (Jason's and my song, for the record -- sorry, honey!). 

Well, as any adoring mother would do, I grabbed the camera and tried to capture Charlie's first full-fledged boogy, but each time I hit "record" he stopped and laughed.  Then when I hit it again to stop the recording, he started dancing again.  The kid is just as ornery as his Daddy!  So needless to say, I'm going to have to capture the most precious moments in my memory and in words, because Charlie's too quick for me!

Sippy Cup Practice

Ornery Little Booger

BaBa & PaPa in Charleston

Now this post is entirely out of order due to the upheaval of my trip earlier this week.  Prior to all of the wedding excitement, we had a fabulous visit from BaBa and PaPa!

They arrived Thursday evening and stayed until Monday evening, and we all had so much fun!  Charlie was on his best behavior at various meals on the town, as we introduced BaBa and PaPa to some new places and revisited some favorites. 

He did fairly well at his first trip to the South Carolina Aquarium, but apparently Mommy mis-judged the attention span of a one year old for fish.  He really liked them, for about 30 seconds per display.  His favorite parts were the touch tank, the shrimping boat and the benches!

The weekend highlights for Charlie were playtime with BaBa and PaPa and the Outlet Mall -- he got to ride the rides for the first time (and loved them!) and he picked out his own pair of shorts.  He was adamant about some plaid shorts in OshKosh, even returning to the rack a second time.  He'll have to grow into them, though -- the smallest size they had was a 2T!

The weekend was truly 4 days of jam-packed fun, but it definitely went by too fast.  The bright side is that we're headed to KC in less than a month to see everyone again!

Welcome to Charleston, BaBa!

Fun with PaPa

Splash, Splash, Splash!

Ready for Shrimping

First Wish

First Ride

First Crayons

I like Red Best

We did it!

Charlie and I survived our first extended period apart  -- and it was trauma-free.  Actually, the anticipation was much worse than the actual separation.  My flights on Tuesday morning were incredibly relaxing with only myself to worry about, no luggage to speak of, and a good book.  Plus, Charlie had a great morning with Daddy and got to see Donna again (she had been out of town all weekend).

Then the actual wedding prep, ceremony and aftermath were fabulous.  I have never seen Angie, my sister, so happy -- and the simple event was just her style.  I am so grateful that I was able to be there to help her get ready and the ceremony, itself, was wonderful.  Other than a tad bit too much champagne at the reception (nothing crazy -- just a bit tipsy -- I never even fell out of my 3 inch heels!), everything was perfect.  As an added bonus, Uncle Sam and Aunt Jan came back to Mom & Dad's house to chat for a couple hours.  It was so much fun.

Meanwhile back in SC, Charlie spent the morning and early afternoon at Donna's -- squeezing in two good naps.  Then he, Jason and Otis played and walked and had a great time.  Wednesday was much the same, but rather than playing and walking, they ran man errands -- Charleston Angler and Lowe's. 

On Wednesday, I was blessed again with perfect flights and then with very little traffic at the 526 merge at 4:30 in the afternoon, so I made good time getting back to Summerville, where I met up with my boys and we had dinner on the patio at Five Guys Burgers. 

The entire experience was great.  I proved that I can handle 45 hours away from Charlie, Charlie had a wonderful time with Daddy, Donna and Otis, I got to celebrate my sister's wedding day with her and I made it home safely to my boys. 

The official wedding pictures aren't in, but here are a few snapshots, along with some picture texts Jason sent to get me through...

Uncle Bill & the Officiant decorating for the reception

Aunt Angie beaming

Aunt Angie trusting me to do her hair

Crusing the 'hood

Hamming it up for Mommy

Am I Ready for This?

It's 4:30 AM and I'm blogging...obviously it's an unusual day.  First and foremost, it's Charlie's Aunt Angie and soon-to-be Uncle Bill's wedding day! 

On the much more self-centered side, it's the first time I'm leaving my baby.  After scrounging up some breakfast I'm headed to the airport for the wedding.  I am thrilled that Charlie was weaned just in time for me to jet off for the celebration.  I should arrive in El Paso at 10 AM this morning in plenty of time for the 2:00 wedding.  Then I get back home early tomorrow evening.

Due to the whirlwind nature of the trip and the length of the flights, Jason and I decided that it would be unfair to Charlie to ask him to make the trip.  And obviously I want to be at my sister's wedding, but this is so hard.  Not counting the little peek into his room before I came downstairs, I'll go 45 hours without seeing Charlie. 

The amazing thing is that despite the fact that I used to travel monthly, if not more often, this is the first time I'll have to go more than 12 hours without a hug.  We have truly been blessed with my new job situation this past year.

Plus, the fact that my first journey is for something wonderful makes it so much easier to go.  Add to that the fact that it's just one night and it should be easy...but it's not.

I know fully well that Charlie will have a wonderful time with Donna during the days and will just adore his one-on-one time with Daddy in the evenings.  I also know that I am going to thoroughly enjoy the long, quiet, solitary flights (a 3 hour stretch to do nothing but read!  each way!), and have an absolutely wonderful time celebrating with Angie and Bill.  But I already miss him...

I suppose it's just yet another milestone to survive, and that in 14 years or so I'll look forward to stuff like this...but it sure seems traumatic at 4:30 AM!

"Mom"

Charlie inherited a lot more than just his good looks from his Daddy.  He also inherited the gift of perfect timing! 

As I whined about last week, I am struggling with the transition from Baby to Toddler -- feeling a bit nostalgic for the infant days.  In response to my case of the Mommy blues, my clever little boy pulled out all the stops on Saturday morning...he finally said "Mom".

And with Charlie it's not Mama or Mommy or really even Mom -- it actually sounds like a cross between Mome (rhymes with home) and Mum (apparently his British ancestry is coming through!).

And each time he says it, he leaves his lips tightly together afterwards and snickers.  The little stinker knew exactly what he was doing over the past couple months when he said Dada, Donna, Dog-dog, Mooo, etc...but not "Mama".  He was just waiting for the perfect moment to ensure that his first utterance of the magical word would be not only noticed, but would gain him the world.  Clever little devil!

As if I weren't already wrapped tightly around his little finger, this made it even worse.  Objectively, I should probably resent the fact that my one year old is already not only trying to play me, but succeeding -- but I have to admit I find it adorable and take a wacky pride in his ability to read me and pull my strings.  I'm doomed!

But back to "Mom".  I had no idea how powerful one little syllable could be.  Had I known, I would have worked much harder on "Mom" over the past few weeks.  I honestly can't put into words how amazing it feels to know that my little Charlie says my name.  Over the weekend I confronted Jason with the fact that he had never told me how amazing it felt when Charlie said "Da-da", to which his response was more or less, "duh!". 

See -- that's exactly what I mean.  These two guys both know me so well and know exactly how to handle me.  I should probably be worried, but for now I'm just loving being loved.

Hi, Mom!

Starfish Hat

To Wean or Not To Wean?

Ok...so that's not really the question.  In order to avoid future psychological trauma, we are of course weaning Charlie, and Jason and I decided that one year was our target.  Basically, that got us cleanly through the first 6 months when breast milk is so valuable and also put us in a position to never have to introduce (aka pay for) formula.

So, here we are.  Due to our recent trip to Texas, we should actually complete the process at about a year and two weeks -- multiple articles suggested avoiding weaning over a vacation.

I guess the real question is who are we really weaning here, me or Charlie?  It sounds crazy, but I think he's actually taking the change better than I am.  We're down to just two feedings a day (morning and night), and he seems entirely unphased, while I am crabby, verging on despondent, about the whole thing.

Now, there are some very practical reasons for me to dread giving up nursing.  I am:

• Losing the opportunity to cuddle Charlie multiple times a day -- with a non-cuddly baby, these 15 minute windows of snuggle time are priceless.
• Losing the excuse to sit down and read an actual magazine or book for 15 minutes twice a day while I pump for his daily bottle at Donna's -- I'm not sure I"ll be able to justify these breaks otherwise.  I'll probably just push through my spreadsheets so I can get more done during the day.
• Losing a free 500 calories a day! -- for anyone who has been on a diet since she was 8 years old then miraculously has seen 45+ pounds melt away over the past year, this is terrifying!
• Losing my status as "sustainer of life" for my son -- and yes, I realize that Charlie has been getting far more calories and nutrition from food than from me for the past 6 months, but it is hard to accept that I am no longer able to provide him something that no one else can.

The bottom line?  I'm throwing a pity party, I suppose.  I partially justify my grief by the fact that we had such a rough start.  A year ago Sunday, at 5 days old, Charlie went on two successive hunger strikes lasting about 12 hours each. 

I was determined to breastfeed, so the realization that my brand new baby either could not or would not nurse threw me into a tailspin.  Layer lack of sleep on post-partum hormonal wackiness on new parent anxiety, and I was laying in bed crying about my failure as a mother.  Thankfully Jason and Debbie, along with my beloved pump, got us through the weekend, and we found a lactation consultant on Monday who straightened everything out. 

Once Charlie was eating, though, we still had to get through the physical traumas of the first few weeks of nursing -- but don't worry, I won't go into detail in case any grandpas or uncles are reading.  Needless to say, though, it was not easy.

But as hokey as it sounds, all of that trauma (and that's not an exaggeration) was completely overshadowed by the bonding and pride that nursing provided.  I reveled in being the one to get up in the middle of the night and the one that was able to quiet Charlie's cries when nothing and no one else could.  And let me remind you that I haven't been on the treadmill since months before Charlie was born!

Maybe it's just the triple whammy of weaning with the first birthday with walking, but I feel like I'm losing my baby.  An equally precious and fun little boy is taking his place, but I miss baby-Charlie.  I guess I want both -- which brings me to a better understanding of why so many siblings are about two years apart. I can't imagine that I'm alone in my nostalgia for milk breath, squeaky cries and newborn onesies as Charlie transforms from a baby to a toddler.  I'm willing to bet that a lot of husbands are pleasantly surprised by their wives' renewed attentions around one year.

And no, Mom and Debbie, there is no news or announcement that this is not-so-subtly hiding.  And to be honest, based on the fact that Charlie was 3 1/2 years behind my so carefully planned schedule, I certainly wouldn't want to get anyone's hopes up.  Nevertheless, I wouldn't change a thing about how things went, so I suppose I need to just relax and see what happens...  On the bright side, I get to go pick him up in 3 hours and 10 minutes...

Birthday Boy!!

I've decided that "birthday-itis", which I am defining as an over-abundance of enthusiasm in relationship to one's birthday, is genetic.  Charlie woke up Tuesday morning at 5:52 AM smiling and laughing.  How do I know this?  Because I had been lying awake in my bed since 5:32 waiting for him to wake up so we could start the day! (Apparently birthday-itis is also transferable to one's children's birthdays).

Seriously, though, Tuesday was FABULOUS!  Other than the early start, the morning was pretty standard.  Jason and I laughed and played with him, then after Jason went to work and we had breakfast, I took Charlie to Donna's aroun 8:45.  Later while "participating" in a conference call, I prepared the meatballs for Charlie's birthday dinner.  (If anyone EVER hears me complain about my job, please slap some sense into me!)

The fun really began at 11:30, though.  I picked up the birthday boy, and we drove down to North Charleston to meet Daddy for lunch at where else, but IHOP.  Charlie celebrated his birthday with a blueberry pancake lunch, and to our suprise and delight, a bunch of Daddy's work friends and their families joined us for an impromptu party.

Next, Charlie and I stopped by the outlet mall to pick up a shirt for his 1 year pictures this weekend.  Well, I had forgotten that he was wearing his adorable "Birthday Boy" t-shirt until we walked into OshKosh.  Just imagine how much fun it is to have everyone wishing your one-year-old son a happy birthday -- with him grinning and hamming it up all the while -- especially when you  have to go to OshKosh, Carter's, Gymboree, Children's Place, Strasbourg, Baby Gap then back to Children's Place to decide on a shirt. (I got a fabulous deal, though!)

Charlie and I spent the beautiful 75 degree afternoon taking Otis for a walk.  Then, to our delight, Daddy got home early, just as we were getting back to the house.  We all enjoyed spaghetti and meatballs in the dining room to celebrate Charlie's birthday dinner, then opened a couple gifts to kill time until 6:30.  That's when the real party started!

Kate, Sophia and Avery (moms in tow), Garrett, Bob and Donna all came over to celebrate and enjoy cake and icecream (though Jason and I forgot to get the icecream out...so now we have to eat it all ourselves!).  They all brought Charlie fun presents -- and he actually kind of paid attention while opening them.  Kate was the only one of the attendees to put up with the party hat, but Lakely wore hers at home, even though an ear infection kept her away.

Following presents, Charlie did us proud by sampling the frosting on his cake, then picking up the entire piece and just chowing down.  Unfortunately, he then had to leave his own party a little early in order to go take a bath.  Afterwards, we just played a bit with his new magna doodle until bedtime.

March 9, 2010 was an absolutely perfect day from start to finish.  I will freely admit that I am a little bit birthday-crazy, but I think justifiably so.  To me birthdays are annual reminders of how amazingly blessed we are to have people in our lives -- how our lives changed so much for the better 1, 33 or 99 years before when the honoree was born.  That being the case, I think we all should get a bit more excited about birthdays and really celebrate the birthday boy/girl, not just buy a present and attend a party.

I cannot even imagine my life if things had gone differently on January 22, 1977 or March 9, 2009 -- thankfully, I don't have to!

Now, before I get into the slew of party pics from Tuesday, here are the nuts and bolts of Charlie at 1 year:

As of 3/10/10:

• Weight - 22 lbs (40th percentile)
• Length - 30 inches (60th percentile!)

                What!?!?  You'd never think he was tall and skinny by looking at him!

• Head - 47 cm (60th percentile)
• Teeth - 2 bottom, 4 top
• Hair - Light brown/dark blonde; starting to resemble a mullet
• Birthmarks - Stork bites are no longer visible.  The potato shaped birthmark on his left shin is more distinct.  In addition to the freckle high above his right eye, he also has one on each cheeck.
• Naps - Good nap in the morning.  Afternoon nap still a battle...quite possibly a losing battle...
• Bedtime - 7:00 to 7:30
• Waketime - 6:30 to 7:00
• Favorite Foods - Blueberries, Pancakes and Meatballs (he likes pretty much anything other than spinach or microwave babyfood pasta)
• Favorite Song - Toes by the Zach Brown Band
• Favorite Dance - Still lies on his stomach and wiggles all over, but also "be-bops" by bouncing his upper body up and down while sitting
• Favorite Toys - Bike, puzzle book, remote control and a growing attachment to Eeyore
• Favorite Game - "Coffee Break", tag, swinging, dancing
• Recent milestones -

                - Walking!
                - Climbing down off things
                - Up/Down stairs
                - Patty Cake
                - Signs "eat" in addition to "more"
                - Says "dog-dog"
                - Putting things inside other things
                - Drinking out of a sippy cup

• Imminent milestones -

                - Maybe finally say "Ma-ma"????

• Hero - Daddy
• Personality - (no changes from 9 months!)

                - Even Goofier - He loves to laugh and be surprised and wiggle and giggle.
                - Active - Unfortunately, Charlie is not much of a cuddler. He is sweet and loving, but would much rather climb all over you than hug you.
                - Curious - He loves to check out new things and is always craning his neck or crawling/walking off to check out something new

Birthday Call from Grandma

Birthday Surprise from BaBa

Birthday Pancakes

Birthday Meatballs

The Party's at My House!

Am I supposed to play with fire?

Not so bad...