And so it begins...

It all started with a stick obsession.  About two weeks ago, Charlie added sticks to his required hunting/gathering routine on the way out of school each day.  First it was pine straw, then "flowers" (aka weeds), now sticks...all to go with the woodchips he gathers in his shoes, diaper, neck creases, etc.

At first the sticks were multi-purpose -- accompanied with a "psh, psh, psh" sound, he was putting sunscreen on me; struck together, he was a musician, etc...  Then out of the blue one day he held them up and asked "I go fish in pond?"  When I say "out of the blue," it's not as if he doesn't see the pond and people fishing in it daily, or as if our garage isn't stocked full of fishing poles and gear, but he's just never shown much of an interest, until now.

Of course, my immediate response was, "Ask your Daddy when he gets home."  Due to a runny nose/sore throat epidemic which resulted in a VERY grumpy little boy, a fabulous weekend with Lakely & family and other activities, Charlie didn't ask again until Sunday when Mommy was upstairs in bed, convinced that she was dying of her sore throat and congestion.  (I've said it before and I'll say it again, I am nowhere near as resilient as Charlie!)

The boys spent about 30 minutes by the pond, which is approximately 12 hours in 2 year old time.  Jason was thrilled with Charlie's ability to sit and watch the bobber (aka "ball"), keep his balance by the shore, and most importantly, thoroughly enjoy the experience despite the lack of action.  Overall, it was a perfect experience.

Later that evening, Jason told me that he had promised himself to wait until Charlie asked to fish, rather than encourage or coerce him into the hobby.   As much as he dearly hopes to have his first mate living down the hall, the last thing he wants is to force it, but from the look on his face, it was a long two year wait.  I am so proud of him and thrilled for them both. 

Quick warning to friends and family: within a few years I am going to be free just about every Saturday and looking for people to entertain me, while my boys are off fishing the gulf stream...

 Practicing for "the big one"

Working on his form

Proud Papa

Lakely, Lakely, Lakely

Really, the title says it all.  Charlie had so much fun with Lakely this past weekend...despite being a grumpy, disobedient mess part of the time.  All he could talk about before she and her Mommy arrived was Lakely, and all he's done since they left is ask "Where Mrs. Lea?  Where Mr. Tony?" and remind us that "Lakely borrow my book!"

It is so exciting to see him start playing "with" other kids, not just alongside them -- and even better to watch his and Lakely's friendship grow -- she was after all, a charter member of Charlie's Angels!  And watching them together makes it obvious that no matter how tough Lakely is or how much Charlie loves pink, she is all girl and he is all boy and the differences are hilarious!

We're already excited about our trip to VA Beach in July!

Friendly Teamwork

"What does she think she's doing?"

Living it Up with the Good Friends

Very Best Friends

Breathe In, Breath Out, Repeat

I truly do adore the sound of Charlie's little voice.  So much so, in fact, that the only voicemail saved on my phone is one of him telling me he loves me.   Nevertheless, it is slowly becoming apparent that there is such a thing as too much of a good thing --- waaay too much.

Daddy had to go to a business dinner this evening, so tonight's walk around the neighborhood was just Charlie, Otis and me (there is no way I can handle the stroller and both dogs).  It went something like this:

"What's that, Mommy?"
"Where he going?"
"What's in Bob's hand?"
"Airplane!  I don't see it!  I see it!"
"Who's truck, Mommy?"
"What's the green girl doing?" (green shirt)
"Who pooped in that yard?"
"Where my Daddy?"
"Where that car going?"
"That's like Bob's mower!"
"Who lives there, Mommy?"
"Whose trashcan, Mommy?"
"Why trashcan open, Mommy?"
"Whose garage, Mommy?"
"I need my sunglasses."
"Where my book?"
"What's that, Mommy?"
"Where Miss Corrisa?"

So, that represents approximately 30 seconds of our 45 minute walk... Of course, it didn't help matters, that this followed the most frustrating conversation of both Charlie's 2 year old and my almost 34 year old lives. 

After willfully disobeying my instruction to bring me his water after he dumped out mine, then running down the driveway, Charlie found himself in time out.  Our strategy with time out is to get him to  understand why he's there before we release him. 

I could get Charlie to agree to the fact that he needs to obey Mommy and Daddy.  I could even get him to answer the question "What do you do when Mommy & Daddy tell you to do something?" with "I do it," but he stubbornly refused to add "right away" to the end of that statement, over and over and over again.  He can obviously say both of those words, but flat out refused.  So after a few deep breaths, a prayer for wisdom for me to communicate and for him to understand, and a few more tries, I gave up, half-heartedly convincing myself that Charlie is just too young to understand, not merely too stubborn to agree.

Rumor has it that as a small child, I, too, had a wide vocabulary, clear enunciation, the ability to speak in sentences, a voracious curiosity about the world, and a stubborn streak, but bottom line, I liked the sound of my own voice and thought I knew best. While I don't believe in karma, I do believe in DNA. 

Therefore, it will likely be a very long time before I hear that fabled "sound of silence" in the presence of my beloved son, and while I know that the me of 12 years from now will wish she could reach back in time and slap me upside the head for even thinking this, I have to admit that part of me is looking forward to the sullen teenage years when we have to plead with him to even acknowledge our presence, much less talk...a small part, but still a part.

P.S. Dad, I apologize if this made you laugh so hard that you spit coffee all over your computer, and I sincerely apologize for my childhood!


Update:  (15 minutes later)
Ok, I take it all back.  Well, not take it back, but I certainly just learned a lesson.  After a bedtime story and prayer, Charlie just asked me to sing "Jesus Loves Me" and chimed in on the chorus.  In my heart, I do truly pray that he is still doing this 12 years from now -- but I also pray for the patience and wisdom to get me from now to then!

Dedicated

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Dear Sweet Charlie,
Today was a big day for our family.  Today your Daddy and I stood up before the congregation at Grace Christian Fellowship and dedicated you to God.  In so doing, we promised you, ourselves, each other, our church family, and God, Himself, that we will strive to do absolutely everything possible to ensure that you fully understand the foundation of this world.

God created the world thousands of years ago and created man to live in it as His companion.  When man sinned, we were all painfully separated from God because He is perfectly just.  The only way back to Him is through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ, who came to earth to live and to die for us, and pay the price for our sins.

Charlie Bear, your Daddy and I have so many hopes and dreams for you.  We look forward to your first day of kindergarden, your first home run, your first fish, your graduations, your wedding, your own children, and everything in between.  We look forward to getting to know you even better as you grow, and laughing and loving all the way -- but all of that is meaningless without faith in God.  Everything good and beautiful in this world comes from God and everything good and beautiful in a person comes from His Spirit. 

We pray that you will come to understand and appreciate this truth as soon as possible, so you will know the security and hope and love that come only from Him, and whether you face peace or sorrows, you will know that it is "well with [your] soul".

You were dedicated alongside others whom we hope will be life long friends: Samuel Lanz (your beloved Philip's younger brother), Brendan and Seth Garlick, Ryleigh, Jacob, Carly and Mason Altman, and Alethea Hill, but today's ceremony did not complete or assure anything for any of you, it simply demonstrated that we, as parents, are commited to you and your spiritual welfare, and know that we will need help showing you and keeping you on the correct path.
 
You, Charlie, are blessed with an amazing family spread across this country, many of whom are already praying for these very same things, but now we also have your church family focused in the same direction. 

Your eternal security is the very most important thing in the world to Daddy and me, so we will continually ask for and expect help from other believers -- it is far too important to entrust to ourselves alone.

We know that your family and friends and church will support us in every way to show you what really matters in this world, but ultimately your relationship with God will be between you and Him.  Thankfully, He is the one person that doesn't need our help at all.

Charlie, you are a reward we do not deserve, a love we could not imagine and a joy we cannot contain.  We delight in you each and every day and are so grateful to call you Son.

Love,
Mommy & Daddy

So Blesses

Daddy presenting you to the church

Mommy trying reign in your need to be heard

                       It Is Well With My Soul
Words: Horatio Spafford, 1873. Music: Philip Bliss, 1876

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

It is well, it is well,
With my soul, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath she'd His own blood for my soul.

It is well, It is well,
With my soul, with my soul
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
It was nailed trough his cross, and I bear it no more,
Bless the Lord, bless the Lord, O my soul!

It is well, It is well,
With my soul, with my soul
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

This could be trouble...

Around 4:00 this morning an absolutely huge thunderstorm hit Summerville, and the lightning was absolutely amazing.  Sadly, Charlie, Otis and Louie did not agree. 

First, Otis started whining and wandering around the bedroom, then soon after I heard Louie pipe in right before I heard Charlie "calling" me. (That's what he tells us when we go in his room lately, "I was calling you!")

Having vivid memories of racing down the hallway on Long Street to dive into my parents' waterbed, I plopped Otis in bed with Jason and rushed into Charlie's room.  We had a quick chat about the fact that thunder couldn't hurt him, a sip of water and I tucked Charlie back into his crib, making him a "fort" as he requested (i.e. putting the blanket over his head).

When I got back to our room, Jason was closing our shutters because the lightning was so bright it was hard to sleep, and as soon as he climbed into bed there was a simultaneous lightning strike/thunder boom, and I hopped up to go check on Charlie.  After all, it had kind of scared me.

Back in the nursery Charlie was completely silent, so I crept over to his bed and put my hand on his forehead to see if he was asleep.  My poor baby was cowering under his blankie trying to be tough, so obviously I scooped him up and brought him into our bed -- which is where the trouble begins.

Charlie cuddled into me and was perfectly silent for about five minutes, while I just basked in the feeling.  To date, he has spent two nights in our bed, once at about six days old with Jason and I cuddling either side of the Boppy that surrounded him to protect him from us, and once when the power went out during the Great Snowstorm of 2010 while Jason was at Daytona.

After a few minutes, Louie's incessant whining became more than we could bear, so Jason brought him into bed, too.  Thank goodness we have a King!  After about ten minutes of getting situated, talking to Louie, using Jason's face as a pillow and drinking about 16 oz of water, Charlie finally settled down and slept until 7:15 this morning when I hopped out of bed, shocked at how late I can sleep with the shutters closed.

I do appreciate the fact that Charlie is a good sleeper in his own bed...  I do understand that it is important for Jason and I to have our bed to ourselves...  I do fully realize that we all sleep more soundly in our own space... but it sure was fun...

Charlie Knows

I suppose I should just prepare myself for a lifetime of this, after all, he is Jason's son -- it appears Charlie is going to have that gift (or maybe curse) of knowing things, people, places, etc.

Following a fun-filled Saturday of blueberry pancakes, couch shopping (Charlie is a trouper!), icecream and a family cookout, Mother's Day # 3 (and yes, I'm counting -- I remember every moment of each of them and will treasure them forever.  I waited a long, long time to celebrate Mother's Day and I bask in it from dawn to dusk!), anyway, Mother's Day #3 began with a quiet morning at home while Jason and Charlie took care of a few details in the study -- then Charlie ran out to give me my Mother's Day picture, and proudly announced, "Mama, it's for you.  It's a diamond!".  Ah, yes -- Charlie knows. 

Jason quickly begged me not to read too much into it, and I reassured him that Charlie had been learning shapes this week at school.  Nonetheless, smart little guy, isn't he -- already knows what Mommy loves.

My diamond:

One might think that my "big" gift would have a hard time measuring up following that introduction, but that one wouldn't know Jason.  I do believe in my heart that diamonds are ALWAYS a perfect gift, but sometimes a gift can be better than perfect. 

For Mother's Day,  I am going to be treated like a queen.  Jason has given me the most decadent yet practical gift imaginable -- early Wednesday morning two strangers are going to arrive at my house and set to work cleaning it from top to bottom -- baseboards, windows, walls, fans, floors, you name it, it will be spotless.

Yes, the sun is shining a little brighter, the birds are chirping a little louder.  All is right with the world.  Sigh.

My house will be cleaner than it's ever been (forgive me, but I don't dust the walls and rarely work up the gusto to go after the baseboards), and I don't have to lift a finger.  Spoiled?  Yes!  Rotten?  Nope -- because I'm unendingly grateful!

As you can see, my Mother's Day started out better than my wildest dreams -- diamonds and decadence!  Then we were off to church, where both Jason and I had nursery today, so we got to spend the time playing with Charlie and his little friends.  From there it was lunch at Wasabi, where Charlie proved that he is even more like his Daddy than I'd thought.

Being a party of two and highchair, we were seated immediately, carefully avoiding eye contact with all of the larger parties waiting in the lobby.  Once we were settled at the table, Charlie looked at the little girl three seats down and said, "That's Taylor".  Not sure what he was talking about, and quite certain we'd never met her parents, we told Charlie that she probably just looked like a little girl from school.  That's when her mom looked up and said, "Well, her name is Taylor." 

That's right as Charlie will gladly point out, his name is not Charlie Brown, but Charlie B... -- and like his forefathers, he knows someone everywhere we go... Taylor is in the Older Twos class at school -- they share the playground in the afternoon.  Seriously.

Following mild terror at the fire and a delicious meal, we finished the day with a beautiful afternoon cruise up the Wando river with Charlie and I giggling and cuddling in the nose of the boat while Captain Daddy played with his gauges and settings  --  a perfect day with my perfect boys...so now the brainstorming for Father's Day begins -- it's going to have to be good!

My boys at work

Shake Break

Charlie's Pick

LOVING the bunk beds!

Playing with Fire!

Little bit Sticky

S'more please!

Such Fun!

Mommy's Mother Day Rose -- Pink, of course!

Not a fan of the fire at first!

Impressive little monster!

Mahi Hahi

It's no secret that Jason and I are continually looking for similarities between Charlie and ourselves.  Whether due to nature or nurture, we just love to see signs that he is "our" son. 

And if I'm honest, I probably look especially hard for my family's traits -- after all, with Charlie's striking resemblance to Jason and overwhelming desire to be exactly like Daddy, it's good for my ego to see little bits of me sprinkled in the mix.

So far, I think I can safely say that Charlie's love of reading comes from my side, and if you look at him at precisely the right angle, he might have my head shape (hey, it's something!).   And of course, like Mommy, Charlie wakes up at the crack of dawn laughing and ready for a big breakfast -- not so much Daddy habits.

As for his overwhelming silliness, I suppose it's up for grabs -- Jason and I are both total goofs.  It's going to be so much fun to watch him grow and develop and see other bits and pieces of Jason and me shine through.

Surprisingly, I was overjoyed this weekend to discover that Charlie has developed yet another distinctly Jason taste -- he loves fish!  Following Daddy's successful fishing trip on Saturday, we grilled chicken and Mahi Mahi -- or Mahi Hahi as Charlie calls it -- for dinner last night.  Charlie gobbled up over half of the Mahi that Jason had grilled -- having expected to have enough to take some for lunch this week!  At one point he even gave me back a piece of his chicken and asked for more Mahi!

I have to admit that the Mahi was so fresh that even I liked it, but I'm just not a seafood person.  I am thrilled to think that Charlie may grow up to love fish and seafood and all of these wonderfully healthy and readily available foods -- it will make dinner parties and fish fries so much more pleasant!

According to Jason, the next step is sushi, so they can enjoy their first Tuna while still on the boat -- oh the times ahead!

Hmmmm.... I try it....

I like it!