Where's my Charlie?

Yesterday evening was absolutely horrible.  I honestly don't know what sparked it, but our sweet, goofy Charlie was replaced by an evil twin (tempted to call him Chuckie...but that may be a bit too creepy...).

It all started while I was putting together his new trike/rocker/push toy --- yes I was putting it together.  It came in the mail yesterday from Grandma and I couldn't wait until Jason got home.  I have to say that I did a fairly good job (despite the fact that I had to remove and re-screw 13 screws because I thought I had used a #10 instead of a #8 somewhere on the handle -- turns out I had just counted wrong -- and the fact that a wheel came off this morning...no worries, though, Daddy will fix it tonight).  Following the apocolyptic tantrum, we even played with it for a while before bed.

Well, while I was figuring out the toy, Charlie was playing with the stickers.  From time to time he wanted something he couldn't have (screwdriver, screws, small plastic pieces), but I just took them away and though he would fuss, he recovered fairly quickly each time.  Jason got home a little bit before six and Charlie was thrilled as ever to see him, but when Jason tried to put Charlie down the crying started.  It soon developed into screaming -- we were stunned.  Thinking that he was hungry, we tried to put him in his highchair but the screaming turned to shrieking -- which is highly unusual.  Charlie loves his highchair because he only sits in it when he eats.  We fed him a bit of cheese and sausage on Jason's lap, but even that didn't calm him down for any significant period of time.

Next, Jason took him upstairs to change his pants and see if perhaps something was pinched or twisted (ouch!), but everything was fine.  While they were upstairs I frantically counted screws, plastic pieces, instruction sheets, etc, thinking that I may have allowed Charlie to swallow something that was now stuck in his esophogus and causing internal bleeding, but everything was accounted for. 

Still, the crying/screaming continued, so we opted for a bath -- which is typically fool-proof in our house.  Naked is the closest thing to heaven for Charlie.  He did calm down in the bathtub briefly, but started crying again before we even got him shampood.  It was absolutely bizarre. 

Finally, after rocking him for a while, I decided to nurse him early.  Thank goodness he finally started to come around.  Jason and I considered that the whole ordeal might be due to the fact that we've started weaning this week (a whole other blog...), but I don't think so.  So far Charlie has only given up his mid-afternoon bottle, so we haven't gotten to the part that should cause any separation anxiety.

Afraid of kicking off yet another fit if we put him down, we brought Charlie back downstairs to play with his new toy (which he adored!) and even fed him some fruit and puffs while we ate our somewhat congealed dinner.  Then around 7:30 we read a couple stories, said our prayers and he went down fairly easily.

All in all, the entire episode lasted less than 2 hours, but it was all just so un-Charlie.  The only times he's ever been inconsolable before were the first time we left him at Kate's and one time in the nursery at church.  At Kate's a bath solved the problem, and at church he recovered soon after I came back to play. 

While I have never belittled the trauma that colic can inflict on a family, after 2 hours of a screaming child I have much more empathy and sympathy for those poor parents -- and this was nothing in comparison.  I can honestly say that I don't know what I would have done if this had happened when Jason wasn't home. 

This morning our sweet Charlie was the one staring back at us from his crib, and so far he seems to plan to stick around...but I can't shake the underlying fear that that horribly unhappy little boy might make a return visit.

Feeling it out in the "rocking" position

Getting the hang of it

Don't Mess with Texas

Some would call us crazy...a number of other travellers thought we were cruel (to them!)...but we took an 11 month old to El Paso, TX this weekend -- and he was perfect!

As Jason can attest, I have been dreading these flights since the second I clicked the mouse to buy the tickets.  I couldn't wait to take Charlie to Texas for the first time, but was convinced that the flights were going to be a nightmare.  After a quick hop to Atlanta, we had an almost 3 hour flight across to El Paso -- and as all the pictures prove, Charlie is not big on sitting still these days.

After all of the worry, over-analysis and general annoying-ness, I humbly admit that I underestimated both my son and the power of an empty plastic cup.  Charlie loved crawling around the airport before the first flight and curiously observed all the other travellers as we boarded and waited to take off.  Once we were airborne, he was content to treat the couple behind us to a rousing game of peek-a-boo and play with an empty cup provided by the flight attendant.  We made it to Atlanta unscathed, and I thanked God that at least part of the trip had gone well.

Our flight for El Paso left around 7 PM, so Charlie had a quick dinner on the plane then after a few minutes of fussing (nothing like the hour plus of howling from the child 2 rows ahead), he fell asleep and didn't wake up until we were almost to the luggage carousel!  We'd made it!

We all had a fabulous time in Texas with my mom, dad, sister and her fiance, Bill.  I can't remember a lazier (or more relaxing!) weekend -- of course my jeans don't fit right now, due to an overabundance of homemade chocolate chip cookies, but it was well worth it! 

Charlie had his first visit to the playground, and he is definitely a fan.  We're going to have to start looking into some sort of swingset, since our neighborhood's idea of a playground is 2 swings.  He also adored playing with Aunt Angie's chihuahua, Wiley.  I think he may have gone into withdrawal if he'd had to survive all weekend with no dogs!

The highlight of the weekend may have been the two stairs from the game room to the kitchen.  Charlie took it upon himself to master the obstacle and even worked his way up to the three stairs that lead down into the family room.  The best part is watching him lay on his tummy and start scooting backwards 5 feet away from the steps.  I'm not sure what he's going to think of the less scoot-friendly carpet here at home.

Despite the lessons learned on the trip out, I was a worried mess again yesterday.  This time the long flight was first -- and in the middle of the day!  I still had an arsenal of toys and enough snacks to satisfy a preschool class, but I was in full dread.  Again, Charlie played and flirted at the gate -- and as an answer to worried prayers, our seats were unexpectedly changed to the bulkhead!  Charlie had a full 4 foot by 6 foot play area for the entire flight!  He loved it!

After an hour nap following takeoff, we played with some toys, scarfed down some blueberries and landed in Atlanta 3 hours later, none the worse for wear.  By now I was getting confident!  We had a relaxed dinner in Atlanta we even shared Charlie's first icecream cone -- he's a fan (though other travelers seemed to think we were insane).  The short flight to Charleston started out a bit rougher, but after 10 minutes of restlessness (still no wailing), Charlie zonked and slept until the seatbelt light dinged.

I realize that this all may seem like a small success to some, but the anticipation of torturing 4 planes full of strangers with a screaming baby and worse, of not being able to console a little man who just wanted to get up an crawl around, had me almost in tears last week.  I am so grateful to and proud of Charlie -- and me and Jason.  We definitely believe that the keys to our blissful travel were plenty of snacks, some brand new (and inventive) toys and frantic prayer!  Now we just have to duplicate the effort come May...

Ready to go...

First Bubble Bath

Tough guy...

Chuga-chuga-choo-choo!

Playing with Aunt Angie

Love for Grandma!

Meeting Wylie

Perfect teether

Saying Goodbye to Grandpa

The power of a baby

Celebratory Ice Cream Cone!

What a weekend!

Uh-oh...

One, two, three... that's all it took, three little steps and our lives will never be the same. 

It all happened last Thursday.  It was late afternoon and I was finally squeezing in my shower (why would I waste the valuable time while Charlie's home -- I schedule them between conference calls!) when the phone rang and I saw that it was Donna calling.  Something is wrong with the phone in the master bedroom, though -- it picks up, but you can't hear anything and callers can't hear you.

For the five seconds it took me to run downstairs I was terrified.  Donna never calls -- she's right next door, and since I come over every day for lunch there is never a long enough delay to require updates between my visits.  Therefore, I of course assumed that Charlie had spiked a fever, broken a limb or was unresponsive for some unknown reason...  To be clear, I have absolutely no doubts regarding the care Charlie gets at Donna's -- it was just instinctual Mother Terror that set in.

During these 5 seconds I also debated calling or rushing over and opted to call because Donna had called here.  As soon as she picked up, I begged her to tell me what was wrong, but Donna just laughed and said "Your son walked!".  I was relieved, terrifed and bursting with pride all at the same time.  My baby boy can walk!

Now, at no point during the previous 11 months and 1 week had we had any reason to doubt that Charlie would walk -- but it still felt like a miracle.  We did it!  Jason and I succeeded in raising Charlie all the way through the baby stage.  He is officially a little boy!

To take a step back (pun intended!), here is exactly what happened.  Donna was standing in the pantry area of her kitchen while Charlie played on the floor.  All of a sudden she looked up, and he was standing right beside her.  Surprised, to say the least, Donna said to him "Come over here to me, Charlie," and Charlie walked the three steps into her arms.  Yes -- he is amazing!!!!

Of course, I went to pick him up early that afternoon and while it's debatable whether or not he walked again, he did stand unassisted and step/lunge/dive at me when I held out the remote control.  I say it counts!  Later that evening we tried many times to duplicate the feat, but only got as far as him standing on his own in the driveway looking back and forth from Bob to Jason and laughing at both of them.

Then Sunday morning while we were picking up his toys before church, Charlie took three steps to me when I pulled away the toy bin he'd been holding.  In my unbiased opinion, he may be an Olympian walker someday -- such skill, such grace!

Despite my obvious excitement and pride at Charlie's amazing abilities, it's bittersweet to realize that in the near future my son will be independently mobile -- he won't need me as much.  I can't wait to hold his hand and walk down the street, to watch him run to greet daddy and to see him chase Otis through the house, but I'm going to miss his crooked little crawl. 

Just learning to crawl...

Can't catch me...

Yeah, Daddy!

We are ALL so glad Daddy is home!  Jason spent the weekend in Daytona for the race with his brothers, uncles, dad, grandpa, etc, and they had a wonderful time and saw a great race.  On Friday I was very excited for him to get to go...but with the way the weekend turned out, I was pretty much counting the minutes until he got home yesterday.

While I know that it is nothing compared to what the rest of the country has been getting, Summerville got 8+ inches of snow Friday night.  It was absolutely beautiful, and since Charlie and I didn't have anywhere to go, we loved it.  In fact, our wonderful neighbors John and Johnny even built Charlie his very first snowman.  I was looking forward to a memorable and fun first Valentine's Day for my little guy. 

The power started flashing around 11 PM and finally went out at 1 AM Saturday morning.  I wasn't overly concerned, assuming it would be back on shortly.  Nevertheless, I decided to sleep in the hallway outside Charlie's room, because our master bedroom stays so much warmer than the rest of the house and I wanted to be sure to have an accurate gauge of how chilly Charlie's room was getting.  Once I got the crazy UPS backup to stop beeping with Jason's help (interesting that unplugging something during a power outage DOESN'T turn it off!), I settled in with a light blanket, a flashlight and my phone.

Well, by 3 AM I realized that the power wasn't likely to flash back on anytime soon and that I wasn't going to get any sleep on the floor, so I bundled Charlie up and brought him into my room with me.  After assuring and reassuring myself that there were no pillows, blankets or dogs close enough to his face to suffocate him (darn parenting magazines!), I cuddled up to him and went to sleep.  It was fabulous!  There is nothing like snuggling with your baby...which begs the question, why don't we just have him sleep with us all the time?? (I'm sure Jason is shouting the answer to this at his computer, but still...it was sooo sweet!). 

When 7 AM came around and the power was still out, I started to strategize.  I had closed all the shutters in the master overnight to keep the heat in, so it was still quite comfortable.  We hung out in there for a while, but soon realized that the rest of the house needed attention, so I went around closing doors and shutters, battening down the hatches so to speak (this boat/nautical thing is apparently contagious in our family).

Next up, a fire.  To be clear, I'm not even very good at lighting matches, but I was bound and determined to keep my baby warm so I tracked down some of those self burning log things in the garage, piled a couple real logs on top and we were in business.  I am proud to say that I was able to keep a fire going until 5 PM Saturday evening.  While this might not seem like a big deal, I would like to remind everyone reading this that I am from Johnson County and my girl scout experience consisted primarily of eating Thin Mints!

It's pretty amazing to realize that with an all electric house, you can't even boil water during a power outage.  Charlie, Otis and I stuck to the family room all day, expecting the sudden boom of the surround sound at any moment.   By mid-morning, I had Jason do a little research from Daytona and find us a hotel in town that accepted dogs, so we had a reservation for Saturday night in the event that the power didn't come on. 

So the day passed...minute by minute... hour by hour... broken up only by the need to add more wood, newspaper, etc to the fire and by the two highlights:  Charlie's belly laugh when we took turns balancing pillows on our heads and our absolutely fabulous neighbors Bob and Donna bringing me coffee from town! 

It was actually kind of nice to spend the whole day in our jammies, unable to even think about starting laundry, vacuuming or running the dishwasher.  Add to that the fact that Charlie took two good naps, enabling me to do my crossword and read part of a book, and it was almost like a vacation...for a while.

By 4 PM I was over it, though.  The sun was going down and our roasty-toasty living room was starting to feel a bit cooler,  so I started packing for the hotel.  I even figured out how to switch the garage door to manual (with a bit of guidance from Bob).  Certain that the power would come on the second we pulled out of the driveway, Otis, Charlie and I loaded up at 5:00 and headed for town.  As expected, Bob called at 5:20 while we were getting gas, the power was on!  We got to go home! 

I have never been so excited to see porch lights in our neighborhood or to hear the ridiculously loud whir of our heatpump.  I learned a number of key lessons this weekend:
1 - I am NOT a pioneer woman
2 - About 9 hours of peace and quiet is all I can handle
3 - My neighbors are even more amazing and wonderful than I already knew
4 - I am fully capable of handling a "crisis"
5 - I am extremely blessed to have a husband who does not travel regularly
6 - Single moms and military wives are a cut above the rest of us!

The rest of Charlie's and my Valentine's weekend, was pretty uneventful in comparison to Saturday.  We celebrated Sunday morning with strawberry pancakes, spent church together in the nursery (following a brief screaming fit when mommy left and about 15 minutes of hiccough/sobs when I returned), and ended up driving all the way to West Ashley in desperate search of a nap around 4:00 Sunday afternoon. 

Charlie clearly noticed and did not appreciate Jason's absence.  Of course, if I was trapped at home with just one other person who apparently broke the entire house, I would probably be pretty anxious for Daddy to get home, too!

Charlie's first snowman

I thought it was "Summer" ville?

Our own winter wonderland

Mr. Goofy

Mr. Cool

Shame

I have been debating long and hard about this particular entry, and even as I'm typing it I'm not certain I'll post it -- primarily out of shame, but also because it's definitely not a cheerful, humorous update on my silly Charlie.  But, my goal with this blog is to be completely honest and truly capture Charlie's life, so here goes...

This morning has been hectic from the start, because the CenturyLink fleet crew was coming to pick up the EMBARQ-mobile. They apparently finally decided that data analysis doesn't require a company car.  Unfortunately, the driver completely disregarded my email directions only to find out around Holly Hill that our address wasn't in his Tom-Tom, so we had multiple calls back and forth with him trying tell me where he was, so I could give him directions -- rather than stick to the interstate, he thought side roads would be better!  Add to that the standard, getting dressed, packing a lunch, preparing a bottle, etc of a weekday morning and it was a bit crazy around here.

Finally, during the third call I sat down at the computer to pull up mapquest and figure out exactly where the driver was (he'd passed us and was in Goose Creek!).  As soon as I hung up with him, I started writing an email to his supervisor to let him know what a mess it was. 

During these few minutes, Charlie was playing on the floor of the study -- he loves to take all of Otis' toys out of the basket.  While I was finishing up the email, Charlie started fussing, but to my distracted ear it sounded like the standard "I'm bored...come play with me..." cries.  When I stood up I saw that he was actually playing with the old router that's been sitting on the sofa for a couple weeks.  I knew it was there, but as it wasn't atached to anything, I didn't think it was a big deal.

As I knelt down, though, I saw that Charlie had the cord for the router wrapped under his arms and I thought, "well, no wonder he's fussing", but as I tried to unwrap it, I discovered it was actually tightly wound around his neck, as well.  Of course, I immediately unwound it, but I was almost physically sick.  Now, to clarify, Charlie was breathing the ENTIRE time and didn't appear to be in any pain...but it was horrifying.

Charlie plays all over the first floor regularly while I'm making dinner or feeding Otis -- he's never out of my sight for more than a couple minutes, but that's all this was.  Part of me keeps defending myself by saying that I was only 6 feet away, it was only for a minute, I didn't even realize the cord was attached to the router (it's the removable kind), etc, etc -- but the truth is that none of that matters.  Had Charlie pulled more tightly or had he found this when I was in the kitchen making his oatmeal, it could have been tragic.

This is by far my worst mothering moment, and I feel more negligent than I ever thought possible.  Jason and I have worked hard to secure all dangerous cabinets, put away any sharp or breakable decorations, cover all the outlets and protect the stairs...but I let my baby wrap a cord around his neck within an arms reach of me, because I was distracted by my work and complacent with the idea that we had made our home "safe".

I keep reminding myself that Charlie is perfectly fine.  He had a red mark around his neck, but within a few minutes was laughing, playing and eating his breakfast like nothing had happened.

I am ashamed and embarassed to admit that this could happen in my home to my Charlie, but it did.  I am trying to think of this as a blessing, so I don't completely lose it. God protected us and nothing horrible happened to my baby, plus I learned the danger of distraction and complacency. I've read about it a million times, but apparently I had to experience it first-hand to get the message.

Whirlwind!

Where to begin?  Charlie is doing so much right now that it's hard to keep up, much less record it all.  I know I'm going to look back someday and wonder when he started doing things we will have grown accustomed to.

He is sooo close to walking and I'm torn between excitement and sorrow.  I really feel like his ability to travel upright will be the defining step between baby and little boy.  The emotions are so confusing.  I would give anything to go back and relive the past 11 months, but at the same time I can't wait to see what's next.

Charlie can stand unassisted right now, as long as he doesn't notice he's doing it.  He has also learned to moo -- in imitation of one of his barnyard toys.  It's absolutely hilarious.  He just started doing it one day on his own.  Obviously, since he can moo, say da-da, say Donna, say no-no and say dog-dog, he can say ma-ma, right? Nope...and interestingly enough, if you ask him to he just laughs!  My son is already teasing me!

In addition to his new mobility and expanding vocabulary, Charlie is becoming something of a food connoisseur.  Spaghetti-os have joined spinach on the grimace list (I was shocked!), but he absolutely adores blueberry pancakes and pizza.  Charlie is a two-fisted, chipmunk-cheeked eater given the opportunity. 

Other new skills include rolling a ball (intermittently), climbing up the stairs (yikes!), climbing down off the bed (huge step!) and finger painting (just imagine!).  I love how proud he is of himself when he does something new.  I just wish it wasn't all happening so fast!

I'm soooo cute

Playing with dog-dog (formerly known as Otis)

Where's Charlie?

The artist at work!

Busy, busy

Aren't January and February supposed to be those boring, slow months in the dead of winter where you go stir crazy and look forward to having something to do come spring?  Not so much around here.  Between work, church, friends and Charlie just being Charlie, life is a whirlwind -- and as I look at the next few months is just going to get crazier, but even more fun! 

Charlie seems to love this pace, because he seems to be doing something new almost every day.  He can stand on his own briefly (as long as he doesn't realize he's doing it), and he chatters in his own little language almost non-stop -- throwing in some deafening squeals every now and then.  He's also learned to sign "more" this week. It takes some prompting, and he actually looks more like one of the Temptations than someone doing sign language, but he's learning. It's amazing to think that he is on the road to communication

Right now the pinnacle of humor at our house is to put an upside down cup on Charlie's head or our own head.  It tickles him like nothing else.  And to Otis' profound dismay, Charlie adores petting him.  Who knew that a dog could perfect a look of righteous indignation?

Just in the past week Charlie has had two play dates with little Miss Kate.  He struggled a bit at her house until his bath -- naked equals happy in his book -- but did great when she came to our house.  Charlie had a ball "teaching" Kate to play his piano, though sharing is apparently going to be a bit of a struggle for him.

This week he also went to the nursery at church for the first time.  Jason and I both spent the service straining to hear any howling or screeching from down the hall, but Charlie did great.  And if being able to sit back, listen, learn and not worry about Charlie waking up weren't enough, his speed crawl to Jason when we picked him up would have made the whole thing worthwhile.  We definitely plan to keep it up -- it's almost like an hour long date!

Out of everything, I think the biggest kick of the past week has been Charlie's new obsession with Jason.  Daddy is the coolest thing EVER!  Charlie actually crawled over to the door, turned around and sat there indian style the other day when he knew Jason was leaving for work.  And when Jason comes in the door at night Charlie can be playing, eating, squeeling, anything and he'll shout out "Dada" as soon as the door opens.  It's fabulous -- a bit frustrating if Jason tries to do something like tie his shoes or go to the bathroom, but absolutely adorable to watch!

When you throw in Jason's birthday (and cake!), lunch in North Charleston on Wednesday to meet Jason's new boss, Bible Study Wednesday night, with the standard naps, diaper changes and playtime, it's no wonder Jason and I have trouble getting out of bed in the morning!  It's really just crazy fun and getting better every day.

Our little comedian

"Sharing"

Piano Lessons

Mmmmm... Cake!

Let's Play!

Each day I am amazed by how much Charlie "does".  It's as if he went from being a baby to being a little boy over night. 

Like all "good" parents, we have purchased a ridiculous amount of toys to educate, entertain and challenge Charlie.  But, like all "good" babies, he would much prefer to play with the shutters, an empty cup or a remote control (as long as it does something -- he is not fooled by the old battery-less remote we gave him.)

Of course, lately Charlie's very favorite activity is to chase Otis around the house and "pet" him or feed him random things found on the floor.  Talk about a role reversal -- 9 months ago Otis couldn't get enough of Charlie, now he can't get away fast enough, unless of course Charlie is offering something particularly tasty.  This puppy love resulted in Charlie's first black eye following a head on collision with Otis' bone.  Naturally, I felt the need to offer a detailed explanation in line at Publix the next day, likely convincing the check out girl and bag boy that I had indeed beat my son...otherwise why would I be so defensive?!

A few weeks ago, Jason and I cleaned up the bonus room to create a real play room to contain Charlie's Christmas haul -- and boy was it worth it.  Any time we head up the steps to the the third floor Charlie starts running in our arms out of excitement (he hides his emotions about as well as his mom). 

Now after nap, after lunch, before dinner, after walk, before bed, etc. we form a family convoy up the stairs, close the door and Charlie is in hog heaven (definitely a play on one of his favorite toys -- his Fisher Price farm!). Out of necessity (of course) we got rid of the 13" TV that had been up there (well -- we at least got it to the back of the Yukon awaiting a trip to Goodwill) and moved the living room TV upstairs, replacing it with a new TV -- all for Charlie, of course -- so we can turn on the news, music videos or Say Yes to the Dress and play right along with him.

I had no idea how much Jason and I would love the new play room until the stomach flu struck last week.  First Donna got sick, so Charlie was home with me.  Next I got sick, but since it was Jason's first week of his new job I couldn't let him stay home (though the fact that he was able to go in a couple hours late and come home a couple hours early may have saved my life), so I had to figure out how to keep Charlie safe and entertained without expending any energy or making any sudden movements. 

Who knew that he would be so happy playing on and around me while I laid moaning on the floor?!  I apparently make a terrific jungle gym -- thank goodness!  The best part is that since we can close the door, and the room is virtually empty, Charlie is safe from the standard household dangers of stairs, cabinets, outlets, breakables, etc -- it's like safety heaven for moms.

Logically I know that all of the changes and developments in Charlie's personality and abilities have been gradual, but in truth, I can't believe that my 8 pound 1 oz baby is now a 22 lb little boy able to crawl, stand, cruise and laugh when the Fisher Price chicken lays her eggs...

My Goofy Face

Come on Ride the Train

Story Time

First Black Eye

Checking the Mail

Open, Closed, Open, Closed, Open, Closed...

10-4 Good Buddy

Hey, Dog-dog!

Brrrr....

Nothing could have prepared us for 12 degree temperatures on Screamer Mountain and a heatpump that couldn't quite keep up, but we had a wonderful trip to the North Georgia Mountains this weekend.

The weather was actually such a big deal that the local news out of Atlant pre-empted EVERYTHING to talk about the icy roads and water main breaks....over and over and over again.  Normally we may not have noticed, but when you are restricted to local channels, can't get out from under the blanket by the fire and have a dog nuzzled in between you, it gets old!

Thankfully, the little room that Charlie slept in stayed toasty warm all weekend, and by noon each day we were all able to venture out into the living room where it had warmed up to about 63, which was actually quite comfortable.

Despite the frigid temps, each day we set out on adventures post morning nap.  Friday we drove over to Helen, GA, and it was like stepping directly into a Heidi movie.  There wasn't much open (apparently January is an incredibly slow month), but the town is adorable and we can't wait to visit in the summer to try out the water park and see the shops. 

On the way back we checked out Tallulah Gorge, the deepest gorge East of the Mississippi.  It was quite impressive, especially when you learn that some crazy person actually walked across it on a high wire once!  We capped off the day with the highlight of Charlie's weekend, a ride in the cart at Walmart and a new balloon!

Saturday we took Charlie to the Dillard House in Dillard, NC.  It's a family-style restaurant where they serve you everything on the menu -- seriously!  The food and service were great, and  I think Charlie may have found his favorite restaurant!

After lunch we drove on up to Highlands, NC, which is an absolutely adorable little town that reminds us of Eureka Springs, AR -- lots of shops and galleries.  While Charlie was still napping we checked out the Bridal Falls, a waterfall over the road.  It was frozen so we didn't drive under it, but we did walk through.  It was gorgeous.  Once Charlie woke up we had fun poking around in the toy store and a couple other shops before heading back to the cabin for pizza, a fire and football.

Jason and I spent Sunday morning watching crazy infomercials curled up on the couch with Otis while Charlie napped -- I really don't know how I survived so long without cable before I got married.  Then we all loaded up and headed home.  We tried to stop at a store where there are real-live goats walking around on the roof, appropriately called Goats on the Roof, but it was closed.  You gotta love the mountains!

Overall we had an amazingly relaxed and fun family vacation despite the record low temperatures, and to top it off, all of the time curled up under the blankets may have convinced Otis to finally forgive us for having a baby! 

The Dew-Drop-In

Playing cups in the cabin

Helping Daddy with the fire

Breakfast in Bed

Not pleased...

Where do I start?

Yummy!

Mom & Dad at Bridal Falls

Parental Hubris

I am quickly realizing the dangers of parental smugness -- you know, the feeling that you have everything under control and this parenting thing is a piece of cake.

Exhibit A:  Last Thursday morning Miss Sophia spent the morning with Charlie and me because her daycare was closed for the holiday.   Not only was I able to keep up with two crawlers and two sets of diapers, but the kids got along great and actually played together (if you call Charlie stealing Sophia's bow and chewing on it and following her around the house "playing"). 

The arrogance set in when I was able to get both Charlie and Sophia down for naps, and Charlie napped for 2 1/2 hours -- allowing me to come downstairs and revel in my amazing parenting abilities. 

Flash forward to Friday through Sunday when my beloved napping expert refused to nap for more than 40 minutes at a stretch, then on to Monday and Tuesday when our happy little boy has actually been grumpy in the evenings!

Exhibit B: As I've mentioned before, mornings are my favorite part of the day.  Charlie and I get up, nurse, then come downstairs to play and eat breakfast until time to go to Donna's. 

Yesterday morning Charlie was playing with his new piano from his cousin Camden (a fabulous toy that I highly recommend) while I sat on the couch enjoying my cereal.  As I scarfed down my Fiber One and caught up on my GMA, I was thinking of how far we've come in the past 10 months -- how wonderful it is to sit and enjoy a few minutes of "me time" while my son innocently and contentedly plays at my feet...

Then I looked over to discover that Charlie apparently has go-go-gadget arms.  He was contentedly swinging my empty coffee cup while the last remnants spilled out onto the rug!  To add insult to injury, I hadn't even had a sip yet (luckily it had cooled off while I fed the dog, made Charlie's lunch and packed his bag for Donna's). 

The fun didn't stop there, though.  Charlie enjoyed the clean-up nearly as much as the destruction, unspooling the entire roll of paper towels while I tried to soak up 12 ounces of coffee from the rug.

I suppose I've learned three key lessons from my cockiness:
1 - Never feel like you have things under control -- God has a sense of humor
2 - Dark brown carpet is a blessing
3 - Even annoyances and accidents are fun with Charlie!

Mmmm...bow

Chasing Sophia

"Sharing"

My little Piano Man

Clean up time