Joy to the World

Christmas has always been my favorite time of year.  I love the family, the friends, the food, the music, the lights, the silly movies, the magic in the air, and especially the opportunity to share the joy and hope of our faith -- but this year everything is so much more...just more.

I feel like I've taken a giant step forward as far as really "getting" it.  I was raised to believe that Christmas is the celebration of Jesus' birth and that Jesus was the son of God sent here for us, but I realized this year that I've always kind of taken it for granted.  Having a son of my own has opened my eyes to the amazing grace and mercy that is at the heart of Christmas.

While anyone can tell you that I believe that Charlie is perfect, I know that he will disobey and make poor decisions and mistakes along the way.  Nevertheless, I would never send him out into the world to be a sacrifice for anyone, much less people who would mock, hate and ignore him.  To think that God sent us His son, who actually is perfect, for just that reason astounds me.  To think that God loves us more than I could ever dream of loving my Charlie is beyond my ability to comprehend.

With these thoughts in mind, I feel like I am truly "adoring Him" for the first time in my life.  I expected Charlie to bring new joy to the presents, the lights, the snow and the time with family, but I never dreamed that my baby boy could open my eyes to the true love of Christmas.

Joy to the world, the Lord is come
Let earth receive her King.
Let every heart prepare him room,
And heaven and nature sing.

Merry Christmas!

All I want for Christmas...

Is my left front tooth!  Yes, on top of a booger of a cold (pun definitely intended and incredibly appropriate!) and a crazy schedule, Charlie's left front tooth is finally poking through.  At this point I'm not sure if it's the cold or the tooth that has him tugging on his right ear, but I'm praying it's the tooth!

Despite the challenges, we're having a great week in Kanas City and looking forward to even more fun with friends and family...but at this point honestly, all I want for Christmas is Charlie's left front tooth.. preferably painlessly and within the next 30 seconds, so the stinker can at least enjoy the excitement of his first Christmas...even if he has no clue what's going on.

Meeting Santa's Reindeer at Bass Pro

Learning the ropes

I never knew how early people picked up certain routines, customs and behaviors.  Since Charlie was a few weeks old he has habitually scratched his nose  (lucky kid inherited my itchy nose), raised his right eyebrow when he's curious and rubbed his little eyes when he's sleepy.   Jason and I have been suprised by how many actions are innate rather than learned.

Now that Charlie is 9 months, though, we're starting to establish some learned habits that could be with him for the rest of his life:

• Brushing his teeth (better be!)
• Playing the piano (could be?)
• Snoring in church (uh-oh!)

I was horrified this past Thursday when I noticed that my perfect son's two perfect teeth had plaque on them!  I have to admit it -- it hadn't even crossed my mind to start brushing his teeth, and he's had them since August. 

I swung by Walmart Friday morning and picked up Charlie's first toothbrush and toothpaste just in time.  That afternon at his 9 month check-up the doctor asked me if I was brushing his teeth.  While I couldn't say "yes", I was able to tell her that I had purchased the tools and planned to start right away.  How embarrassing would it have been if I'd had to look at her in confusion and say "Oh, wow!  I hadn't thought of that yet"!

So, this morning I brushed his teeth for the first time (forgot yesterday) and it went fairly well -- though I'd love to see anyone who can brush those two tiny little teeth in a "repetitive circular motion" as instructed on the toothpaste tube.

Next up is Charlie's introduction to music theory -- also known as banging on the piano keys.  Mom and Dad brought out my Grandma's piano for us at Thanksgiving, and Jason had it tuned for me as an early Christmas gift.  Pretty much all I can play is a few Christmas Carols, but I love it -- and like it or not, Charlie will take at least one year of piano.  And who knows, maybe he'll be a virtuoso -- everyone was commenting on how long his fingers were when he was born...

The most distressing habit that Charlie has worked on this weekend is snoring during church.  Since he was three weeks old, I have delicately tucked (and/or stuffed) him into the sling to take his morning nap during church. 

Most weeks he will nap until at least 11:30 or so, allowing both Jason and I to listen to the service and preventing us from having to take him to the nursery.  To be clear, our church has a wonderful nursery staffed by wonderful people -- but with all of the H1N1 mess in the news I'm paranoid.

This morning I crammed Charlie into the sling (at least al but his right arm) and he went directly to sleep.  He slept peacefully through the Christmas hymns at the begninning of the service, but when we all sat down for the sermon he started to get a little noisy.  Apparently he was scrunched over a bit far, because he was snoring like a 5000 pound elephant.  It was hilarious.  I kept trying to shift him or adjust his head, but had little luck.  Thankfully all of the folks sitting near us adore the little stinker, but it was quite embarrasing. 

As far as this becoming a habit, I have no doubt that while he might get out an initial "zz-" in the future, he won't get any further before Jason or I pop him awake.

It's truly amazing to watch our little baby develop into a person with his own preferences, interests, abilities and quirks, and to know that things we do and decisions we make today may impact him for the rest of his life. 

Quiet... I'm practicing

9 Months!

I can't believe that we have known and loved Charlie longer than we waited for him (well, for him specifically).  He is officially 9 months old today, and the time has just flown. 

I can remember every detail of the day he was born like it was yesterday -- or at least those that I could remember the next day -- I'm still grateful for my epidural!  At the same time, though, I can't remember what our life was like before March 9.  What on earth did we do all day and why did we think we needed so much sleep?!?

To commemorate this 9 month-iversary of the start of our adventure, here is the latest Charlie update as of 12/9/09:

•Weight - 21 lbs. 7 oz (50-75th percentile)

•Length - 28.5" (50th percentile)

•Head - 45.9 cm (75th percentile)

•Teeth - 2 (bottom front)

•Hair - Dark blonde/light brown and still thin, but respectable

•Birthmarks - The stork bites on the back of his neck are almost fully covered by hair, and the potato shaped birthmark on his left shin is definite.  Plus, just Monday night I found his first freckle high on his forehead over his right eye.

•Naps - 2 per day (though the afternoon nap can be a battle)

•Bedtime - 7:30 to 8:00

•Waketime - 6:30 to 7:00

•Favorite Food - Grapes by far, but he loves just about everything -- even mediterranean and thai food!

•Favorite Song - Toes by the Zach Brown Band

•Favorite Dance - Self-taught: lie on your stomach, bury your face in the floor and wiggle all over!

•Favorite Toys - Links and Push Train

•Favorite Game - Chewing up magazines -- but still loves Peek-a-Boo

•Recent milestone -

• Standing and only holding self up with one hand
• Walking beyind his Push Train
• Cruising around coffee table or sofa -- and transferring from one piece of furniture to the next
• Trying to feed himself with a spoon
• Says "Dada" and "Donna"
• Riding in Big Boy Carseat
• Sporadically giving hugs (particularly first thing in the morning)

•Imminent milestones -

• Walking!
• "Mama" - hopefully!
• Top Teeth  

•Hero -  Daddy

•Personality -

• 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 little neck to discover the source of a noise or to see where something came from/went
• Morning Person - Charlie wakes up grinning and ready to go and can't wait to get to bed at night...definitely takes after his mom here.

Obviously Charlie has learned a lot over the past 9 months, but I'm willing to bet that Jason and I have learned more.  A few of our recent epiphanies:

• Sometimes it's easier to just let Charlie chew up a Victoria's Secret catalog than to try to entertain him while you make dinner.
• The world will not end if Charlie's clothes are already dirty when he arrives at Donna's in the morning.
• It's possible to go through an entire day without noticing that you have spit-up all over your jeans.
• Boston Terriers may allow babies to poke them in the eyes, pull their hair and pinch their ears, but they take it out on the parents.

Here are a few shots from our 9 month celebration this morning (also known as playtime before work).

Checking out the new day

Loving life

Ho-Ho-Ho

I have to be honest, it hadn't even crossed my mind to take Charlie to see Santa...there's just so much to learn in the first year!  Jason received an email earlier this week that Santa was making a surprise visit to our neighborhood and suggested that it would be much easier and nicer than visiting him at the mall.  My response?  Of course!  (Phew!  Talk about a lucky save to keep me out of the "bad mom" club!)

We combined our first encounter with Santa with a gift exchange with Charlie's Angels.  It was too much fun!  All of us moms dressed our babies up in one of their Christmas outfits (funny how they all seem to have more than one this year...), and thoroughly enjoyed chatting and laughing at their antics.  We even had a special guest this time, Miss Kate's "Annie" joined us for the fun! 

After some playing, corraling and laughing, we paraded down Scrapbook Lane to see Santa.  Amazingly, we didn't have any criers -- and Sophia was downright overjoyed with Santa. 

And talk about instant gratification -- we walked back up to our house and the kids each got to open their first Christmas gifts!  There's nothing like setting unrealistic expectations the very first year. 

I have always loved the Christmas season and all the faith and hope in the air, but everything is brighter and better this year. 

Playing with the Girls

Waiting to see Santa

Hmmm...  Why did my Mommy give me to you?

Apparently Sophia is the only one to

appreciate the importance of Mr. Claus!

Whelmed

Well I'm not technically overwhelmed, but I'm definitely not underwhelmed, so  I guess I'm "whelmed".  I don't suppose this year the holidays are any busier than any other year -- there's just less time to spend cleaning and planning and more time to spend playing and laughing.

I've learned a few key lessons this week.  One - chewing on black construction paper will stain a baby's mouth making him look Goth.  Two - even after almost nine months, a formerly spoiled dog can act out by using the recently cleaned carpet as a bathroom.  Three - only the best husband in the world would surprise me with a massage on Saturday afternoon, while he stays at home to wait for the new washer and dryer and deal with the dreaded afternoon nap (and yes I am totally bragging!)

Car troubles, a broken washing machine, a passive agressive dog, crazy work schedules, and 100 unaddressed Christmas cards notwithstanding, life is good, and we are looking forward to the best Christmas season ever!

Goth Baby

(I swear it was almost black in person)

One of the Boys

Charlie is without a doubt a little boy.  It's almost as if someone sat him down for a step-by-step lesson on boy interests, habits and quirks.

Now, I'm sure that were he a little girl, I would interpret some of the very same things as "feminine", but since he is a boy they are extremely masculine to me.  For example, my 8 month old son has already started flirting!  The first incident was Halloween night when he clicked across the room until Lakely looked his way, then burst into a huge grin.  The next was with a bartender at Jim & Nicks!  Grins, giggles and stares left no question that he was trying to impress her.  To make it even funnier, Uncle Travis was his wing man.

In addition to flirting, Charlie has started spitting (more of zerberts or raspberries, but nonetheless) and shows a distinct preference for footballs, tools and cars over anything cute or cuddly -- and Daddy's tools are the best thing ever.  He also seems to have the inherent male desire to tear things apart -- rather than ride or push his little train, Charlie prefers to knock it over and bang on the tires.

The clincher, though, the incident that assures me that Charlie is a "boy's boy", occurred Sunday. While playing in his bathtub, Charlie stood up, grinned and started to pee into the water. I laughed/screamed in surprise, at which point he stopped, stared at me, then started again with an even bigger grin! It appears that I have a lifetime of adventures before me.

Learning from a (retired) Master

The big guns

Counting our Blessings

There is so much to love about Thanksgiving.  The obvious things:  family, food and the start of the Christmas season;  but beyond that, the opportunity to take a step back and truly realize how amazingly blessed we are each and every day.

We have been having so much fun with Charlie's first Thanksgiving week.  We spent Sunday downtown with Uncle Travis before he flew home, and met Kris, Stephanie and Korden for a wonderful pre-holiday brunch at Poogan's porch.  Grandma and Grandpa drove into town Tuesday and delivered the piano on which Charlie will someday suffer through his lessons and the dining room table at which he'll eat many, many, many more holiday and everyday meals -- both of which originally belonged to Charlie's Great-Grandma and already carry so many wonderful memories.

The festivities kicked of Wednesday with a BBQ lunch with Charlie's Uncle Chris, Aunt Chrissy and cousins, then a guy's night with Chad while Mommy and Daddy took Grandma and Grandpa to the Woodlands for an outstanding dinner.

Charlie made sure to wake us all up plenty early (aka 4:30) on Thursday morning to get the Turkey in the oven by 7 and watched his first Thanksgiving Day parade after his nap -- waking up just in time to see Santa.  Then he thoroughly enjoyed turkey, rolls, sweet potatoes, green beans, cinnamon apples and pink fluffy stuff before joining Daddy for a Thanksgiving nap.  Add to that pumpkin pie for dinner and Charlie definitely got a dose of the Thanksgiving spirit!

The highlight of the evening was the "official" lighting ceremony after dark to officially kick off the Christmas season.  We all oohed and aahed from across the street when Jason hit the switch. 

The best part of Friday was sleeping in to 7:15!  Charlie must have taken pity on his poor, sleepy parents.  So, we of course rewarded him accordingly with Aunt Chrissy's homemade pumpkin bread and pink fluffy stuff for breakfast.  I'm not sure what's going to happen when we go back to oatmeal and orange slices.

2009 has brought Jason and I so much joy and hope and growth.  Charlie's birth was the most precious experience of our lives and watching him grow and mature has been nothing short of amazing.  This year we've also found a church home here in Charleston, learned to understand and appreciate the value of my work situation, and been blessed with many visits from friends and family.  If I believed in luck, I'd have to say we're the luckiest people in the world.  Instead, I believe that God has chosen to shower us with incredible blessings, and I can only pray that we find the will and the opportunity to pass them on to our family, friends and neighbors.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Brunch with Korden, Uncle Travis, Kris and Stephanie

Don't even think about touching my pie.

The lighting ceremony

Surprise!

I can't believe I made it!  I am notoriously bad at keeping secrets from Jason, but I did it.  With a lot of help from family and friends, I successfully surprised Jason with a visit from Travis Thursday night.  To go back to the beginning...

For the past three years Jason and I have talked about putting up Christmas lights, but we didn't know how to maintain Jason's standard on our house with 40 foot tall peaks.  Last year we hemmed and hawed and eventually decided not to do it, but I got the idea to take advantage of Travis' professional light hanging abilities and give Jason a surprise weekend with his little brother. 

My plan was to talk to Travis about it over the summer, but with my job uncertainty I couldn't commit to the cost of the plane ticket or the materials, so I waited.  Once my job was secure though, I emailed Travis with an offer he couldn't refuse:

Subject: Can I interest you in an all expenses paid trip to Charleston?????

Hi, Travis! I have an opportunity for you. If you are free any of the following weekends, I would like to treat you to an all expenses paid trip to the Charleston metropolitan area (Summerville, to be exact). Your weekend will include air fare, fine dining, and a stay at a waterside resort in a balcony room overlooking a quaint old-style Charleston neighborhood. In addition to all that, you'll be entertained by the cutest baby East of the Mississippi, his adorable dog and their parents. Interested? But wait, there's more! If you are able to stay for 3 nights, we will throw in a free trip on a 25 foot center console with a private fishing guide (weather permitting)! All of this and much more can be yours...if you'd be interested in helping Jason hang Christmas lights...

Luckily, Travis fell for my extremely persuasive marketing technique and agreed.  Soon after the plan was set in motion, I decided that I really wanted to try to pull it off without lying to Jason.  We have an agreement that lies in relation to Christmas/Birthday presents are permitted, but lately I've been feeling like I tell too many "little white lies" -- the kind designed to make people feel better, ease a situation, or just fill a break in conversation -- so I was determined to do without.  Not easy...but not impossible with a little creativity. (Though my mother reminded me there is little difference between lies and deception, I prefer to look at is purposeful vagueness...)

In order for the plan to succeed I needed to:

1. Make a large charge on our credit card from "Creative Displays"
2. Convince Jason not to make any other plans for this weekend
3. Arrange for Jason to take Friday off work
4. Get Jason to the airport Thursday night to pick up Travis
5. Keep my big mouth closed

Obviously, number 5 was the hardest, but here is how the rest worked out:

1. Reminded Jason that my corporate card was "broken".  Then told him that there would be a large charge from a "fixture company" on our personal card, but not to worry about it -- I would be doing expense reports in the next week or so. All true.  (Apparently my corporate card had never been turned back on after maternity leave -- oops!)  Then hid all of the boxes in the enormous trunk of the Impala.
2. Suggested to Jason that it had been way too long since he'd been fishing and that we should leave this weekend wide open to ensure that he could go.  (He and Travis are picking up the boat right now to go fish the jetties.)
3. Told Jason that I had a "wiring specialist" flying in from Kansas City for a project in Summerville on Friday that required my consultative support.  Then told him that Donna had doctors appointments in Columbia this week --they happened to be on Wednesday, but I left that part out.  Finally, asked him if he could get the day off and be home.
4. Emailed Jason Thursday morning and told him that I had offered to pick up the "wiring specialist" from the airport after reminding him of the cutbacks in travel spending since my company's merger.  Then asked him to go with me, since the specialist was arriving at 10:00 at night and I would be more comfortable if I weren't picking him up alone.  When it was time to leave, I told Jason that the Impala was completely out of gas (true!), so we'd need to take the truck, thus avoiding unauthorized use of the company car.  Finally, when asked if I knew what the guy looked like, I suggested that Jason keep an eye out for a someone who looked like he was from Kansas City.  I told him that if that didn't work, the guy would recognize us since I was the only redhead standing around.
5. Told my mom, my brother, Jason's whole family and most of the neighbors about the surprise -- to keep from popping -- and regularly reminded myself that any false comment would ruin everything.

So, believe it or not, it worked!  Jason was completely confused when Travis walked through security and thrilled to here that Travis was here to go fishing.  I'm not sure he was quite as excited about spending an entire day of Travis' visit hanging Christmas lights, but he definitely loved the idea of a weekend with one of his brothers. 

Plus, now that they are done and no one has to go back up that 40 foot ladder until January (next year we're renting a cherry picker), he is thrilled with the lights, but based on the number of neighbors that stopped and commented, most of the men in the neighborhood are not thrilled though -- apparently my surprise has tweaked the interest of quite a few of their wives.  Oh well!

While I would love to post pictures of the lights, all self-respecting Kansas Citians know that the official lighting ceremony will not be until Thanksgiving night...but I assure you that they look incredible and we never could have done it without Travis.  What better way to kick of Charlie's first Christmas season than to light up our house like the Star of the East! (Speaking which, I'm considering adding a large star as a chimney topper next year -- with the cherry picker it should be easy, right?)

Supervising

Whoa!

Giggles

Laughter has always been at the heart of Jason's and my relationship.  We both love to laugh and between our goofy senses of humor and my natural "grace", we have ample opportunity to do so.  Throughout the years laughter has rescued us from fights, comforted us from loss and eased the boredom of many long flights and drives (what other adults do you know that drive down the road making fish faces at each other?).

In spite of all of this experience, though, neither of us was prepared for the overwhelming  joy of Charlie's laughter.  We took him swinging for the first time on Saturday, and my cheeks actually started to ache as he giggled his way to and fro.  It's definitely safe to say that he inherited our appreciation for silliness.  In the past few days it has become easier to make him laugh than to get him to stop, and I assure you there is no sweeter sound than his little "khu-kA-kAA-kheeee". 

He laughs when he's tickled, when he's changed, when Mommy & Daddy wake him up in the morning, when he gets ready for bath, when he sees Otis, when he swings, when he rides down the street in the pack, when Mommy flies his spoon almost to his mouth then throws it in reverse (beeps and all), when Mommy peaks around Daddy who is pushing him in the cart at Home Depot, when Mommy or Daddy sneaks around the edge of the couch, and sometimes just for fun.  He's an absolute delight.  The joy is just spilling out of him and brightening the world around him.  We are so amazingly blessed.

Playing in the Warming Drawer

"Those" Parents (with Pictures)

It happened this week, Jason and I became "those" parents, the ones you roll your eyes at in annoyance or worse, wrinkle your forehead at in concern for their poor children. 

The setting for our fall from grace was a whirlwind trip to KC.  As soon as we found out I had a permanent job, we scheduled a trip back to meet Charlie's new baby cousin, Landon, and his best friend Tom's new baby sister, Abby.  It was so much fun to meet the babies and see so much family.  In addition to seeing most of Jason's family, we were surprised by Charlie's Great Aunt Jan and Great Uncle Sam when we met Great Uncle Jim for breakfast on Monday. 

Our slide down the slippery slope began during our layover in Atlanta.  Charlie was getting a little bit fussy, so I started to pat his mouth when he whined.  Well, he and I both got a huge kick out of the "wah-wah-wah" noise it made -- the rest of the passengers in line to board the plane, not so much. 

Next, upon arriving in KC we coerced our very sleepy baby into staying up past 10:00 central time, more than 3 hours past his bedtime, just to play and smile at his aunts, uncles and grandparents.  Then when he woke up at 3 AM, rather than calmly and patiently easing him back to sleep, I snuck in an extra feeding to quickly nurse him into oblivion. 

The next couple of days were full of on-the-go, abbreviated and some downright skipped naps, late bedtimes, and all the junk food we could get past those perfect little lips, including: cookies, frosted animal crackers, goldfish, angel food cake, custard, french fries, cran-apple juice, pickles and more.

Then on the way home I, Charlie's devoted mother, neglected to sanitize the seats, tray tables, arm rests, windows and video screens on either plane (unlike on the trip out).

To top it all off, though, Jason and I -- loving, responsible parents that we are -- allowed Charlie to be "the snot-nosed kid".  You know, the one that you see out in public with boogars on, in and smeared beneath his nose.  Yep, that was us.  Charlie came down with a cold, the prime symptom of which was continous, spigot like dripping from his nose, and we didn't wipe it every single time he glanced our way.  As Jason put it, "There is a time and a place for the shrieking that accompanies a nose wipe, and a weather delay in Row 28 is not it."

If anyone had told me 3 months ago that I would wreak this havoc in my baby boy's life, I would have been shocked and riddled with guilt, but interestingly enough, I'm fine with it.  In fact, I've learned that too much sugar will not send Charlie into a frenzy, missed bedtimes will not turn him into a terror and at 8 months he is still able to nap in the Baby Bjorn.  Most importantly, though, I learned that even babies can relish the decadence and upheaval of vacation and thrive on it, as evidenced by his flirting with a sweet little 2 year old in ballerina jammies as we waited for our luggage.

Lest anyone be concerned, Charlie had pineapple with his cereal this morning, not cookies, and is back to his normal routine -- nose wipes and all.  I have to admit, though, that it is possible that some of "those" parents are just letting their kids have a little bit of fun and freedom, and that might not be so bad.


Some pictures of our fun:

Kissing Cousins

Standing around with Demetrius

Breakfast with Uncle Jim, Uncle Sam and Aunt Jan

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.