Priority Shift

Two weeks ago, on August 25, Jason and I celebrated 10 years of being together...or rather, we should have, we even talked about it ahead of time, but we both forgot!  I actually realized it the next day when I glanced at my phone on the way in to daycare and saw the date...the extent of our celebration?  A text message notifying Jason that we were both slackers.

Now for many couples that might not be so unusual, but I am a birthday/anniversary fanatic.  I just love the chance to celebrate wonderful things like the lives of people I love and relationships with them.  I vividly remember being disappointed 9 years and 5 months ago when Jason felt no need to commemorate our 7 month dating anniversary...obviously things have changed a bit.

Fast forward to last night when the stars seemed to align for an infinitely more important celebration.  Bible Study was cancelled, nothing was defrosted, Wasabi had an early bird special...ta-dah: dinner out!  Moments after Jason agreed to taking Charlie and I on a family date, I realized that today was going to be Charlie's 18 month birthday!  Now there is a reason to celebrate!

Granted, had Jason never manipulated me into asking him out 10 years ago by telling me that he had no plans on a Friday night (whatever!) when my closest friends happened to all be at a produce conference in Colorado (vastly different career path at the time), and had I not charmed him with my glasses (which he still mourns the loss of to lasic, by the way) and my fabulous rendition of Jesse's Girl, there would have been no Charlie to celebrate. 

But, what could be more fun than an 18 month old at a Japanese Steakhouse?  Absolutely nothing.  I highly recommend that anyone with a toddler take them tonight -- it's just too much fun to miss!

And now, for the quarterly Charlie update.  We're 18 months into this adventure and it is truly getting better every day.  I know I've said this before, but 18 months is by far my favorite age.  He is just so crazy much fun right now!

As of 9/09/10:

• Weight - 26 lbs 12 oz (50th percentile)
• Length - 32 inches (50th percentile)
• Head - 49 cm (90th percentile!!)
• Doctor's comment at 18 month appointment: Double Ear Infection!  We had no idea.  Charlie hasn't fussed or rubbed his ears at all, but now he's on his first round ever of amoxicillin...he loves the medicine, but the ear infection makes me nervous...
• Teeth - Still 4 bottom, 4 top, and still gnawing on things right and left, so likely more to come
• Hair - Very blonde after a summer in the sun, but showing signs of darkening up by the roots 
• Birthmarks - Stork bites are no longer visible; second birthmark near the potato-shaped birthmark on left shin and freckles high above his right eye and on each cheek
• Naps - 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours after lunch every day at school and a little bit earlier on weekends
• Bedtime - 7:00 to 7:30
• Waketime - 6:45 to 7:00
• Favorite Foods - Almost anything!  Bananas, meatballs, shrimp (as of last night), steak, pasta, yogurt...
• Favorite Song - Toes by the Zac Brown Band, Itsy Bitsy Spider and Daisy Sour Cream Jingle
• Favorite Dance - His own private dances that he breaks into during commercials...particuarly Daisy Sour Cream, J. Garris Interiors and Big Lots
• Favorite Toys - Silverware, cups, books and puzzles
• Favorite Game - Feeding the fish, peek-a-boo, pouring water out of his water table
• Interests - Trucks, dogs, books, water, outdoors, shoes
• Recent milestones - 

           - Started Daycare and absolutely loves it
           - Knows that B says "bu"

           - Talking constantly and even having some basic conversations 

•  Imminent milestones

            - No idea, but I'm sure there will be something new today and something else tomorrow

• Best Friends - Bob and still Otis (begrudgingly) and Wa-Wally
• Hero - Da-da
• Personality - definitely holding to his original traits...just exaggerated with time

          - Still Goofier - He is developing a fabulous belly laugh and loves to give/receive zerberts, tickle, play tag and hide

         - Active - If I didn't know better I would think he'd forgotten how to walk...all he does is run

        - Curious - He absolutely loves to learn so far.  Whenever I see him at school, he is intently listening to the teacher read or show colors or whatever the circle time activity is for the day, and he loves to ask what things are, repeat it, see them and figure out how they work.

        - Joyful - Charlie wakes up smiling, laughs and jokes around all day.  The best moment of each day is when I get to daycare and peer through the picture window.  As soon as he sees me, he kicks his little legs, swings his little arms and laughs...no mom could ask for more.

        - Loving - He is finally starting to cuddle some.  He is very free with hugs and kisses now, and Jason's favorite part of the day is when Charlie comes in and wakes him up each morning with a hug and cuddles for a few minutes in bed.  Plus, his newfound love of reading makes sure that we get lots of time with him in our laps.

        - Independent - No doubt, he can do it himself, but he will still ask for help when he needs it or gets frustrated.  It's so much fun. 

       - Tidy - He is amazingly good at picking up toys and is a bit over-concerned with washing his hands or having me clean them when he's eating...hopefully this doesn't become a problem.

      - Fabulous! - What can I say?  He's just more fun than I ever dreamed!

All duded up for the night out

Chatty Charlie

My goodness! I've always been a talker and Jason isn't exactly the "strong, silent type," but Charlie is giving us both a run for our money.  We've definitely noticed his vocabulary growing beyond "moh," "Mama," "Dada," and "Dogo" over the past few weeks, but it absolutely exploded this weekend.

While Jason floated down the might MO with 3 of his best friends (or Tom Sawyer and the Three Stooges, as Kelley put it), Charlie and I spent a fabulous Mommy-Charlie weekend here at home, filled with picnics, pancakes, swings, walks, books, church, feeding the fish and lots and lots and lots of talking.

Early Saturday morning I realized that I hadn't documented his vocabulary in quite a long time (since the 3 to 4 word stage), so I thought it would be neat to start a list of his words, thinking that I would end up with 20 or so new entries.  To put it mildly, I was absolutely blown away by how many words Charlie used over the next few hours -- and when I say "used", I mean accurately and appropriately.  My baby is verbal and can actually carry on a short conversation in which he answers questions about how he likes something or what he wants to do/have.

Undeterred, I continued tracking throughout the weekend and came up with a list of over 90 words or phrases!  And yes, being a ridiculously doting mother, I am going to list them all...and while I cannot deny my obsessive, organizational impulses to list them alphabetically by category and part of speech, I will start with some of the phrases and responses that are the most amusing for any readers who aren't quite as passionate about Charlie's vocabulary as I am...  Interestingly enough, a crash course in Charlese probably sums up Charlie's interests, activities and passions better than anything I could ever come up with!

Phrases/Responses

• Ah-go (all gone)
• Amen (shouted upon hearing the phrase "in Jesus' name...")
• Bah-bye (bye-bye)
• BeeBee (yes, please -- repeated, but not used on his own yet)
• Daaazy (daisy -- sung to the tune of the Daisy sour cream jingle, (Daisy, do a dollop of Daisy, do-do a dollop...))
• Deedee (give me -- repeated incessantly when he sees something he wants and you can't figure out what it is)
• Ehmay (help me)
• Hah (hi -- typically used with right hand thrown up in the cool-guy wave)
• Hi (hi -- typically used to get your attention when there is a great "meh" to see)
• Hok-hok (honk-honk -- used while squeezing his own or someone else's nose)
• Noh? (I don't know -- response to where'd it go?, complete with hands out to sides, palms up)
• Moh (more -- very favorite word; used in combination with sign language for emphasis at times)
• Nye-nye (night-night -- generally muttered into pillow as he nestles in after prayers)
• Nuh-moh (no more -- somewhat interchangable with "ah-go")
• No (no -- preferred use "no-no" while shaking his finger at something he's not allowed to do)
• Ohhh nooo (typically follows dropping something on the floor or knocking over a stack of something; more dramatic than our perennial favorite "uh-oh")
• Uh yeah (slowly replacing "yeh" as preferred affirmative response")
• Peez (please)
• Boopie (I'm poopy -- used while pointing at diaper and waving other arm back and forth, whether really poopy or not; always followed by giggles)
• Uh-oh (favorite thing to say upon dropping or throwing just about anything)
• Wheee! (primarily used while swinging or going over the railroad tracks)
• Go? (where'd it go -- used after hiding something behind his back or under a pillow)
• Whoa! (typically used after falling down, almost falling down or any another awe-inspiring moment)
• Dya (yeah)

Nouns

• People: Mannah (Amanda - teacher); Byebee (baby); Bahbuh (Bob); Dada (Daddy); Dogo (Otis);  Nonna (Donna); Jo-Jo (Joanna - teacher); Mama (Mommy); Mimi (Mimi - Baby Einstein); Wa-Wally (Wally)
• Places: hommmme (home); owdye (outside and inside); uhp (up and down)
• Food: nah-nuh (banana); bebe (blueberry); sheez (cheese); kaka (coffee); kuhkuh (cookie); kakha (cracker); gate (grape); jew (juice); mel (milk); moleymoley (guacamole); possa (pasta); peese (peas); peesa (pizza); wah-wah (water); gogrr (yogurt)
• Eating accessories: bawk (fork); nye (knife); pate (plate); boon (spoon)
• Animals: bood (bird); dyedye (dog); duh (duck); feese (fish); gee (geese); kihee (kitty); shawk (shark)
• Modes of transportation: ehermeh (airplane); boe (boat); caw (car); tuck (truck)
• Body parts: ahm (arm); awbye (owie); eah (ear); eye (eye); behbuh (belly button); han (hand); moh (mole); heh (neck); noh-noh (nose)
• Clothing: haht (hat); hock (sock); hoo (shoe)
• Favorite things: baah (bag); baybee (blankie); booh (book); deese (keys); may (mail); meh (mess); moo (moon); hone (phone); staw (star)

Adjectives

• Gooh (good -- typically in reference to food)
• Hot (hot -- in reference to EVERYTHING!)
• Wet (wet -- best to use when splashing something all over something else)

Verbs

• Eeeh (eat)
• Ugh (hug)
• Huht (hurt -- the absolute worst word you can hear from him)
• Peefing (sleeping)
• Feen (swing)
• Wok (walk)

Dada!  Ehermeh, go? Bah-bye.

Whoooaa!  Tuck!

Wheee!  Feen!

Mama, ugh!

Wok, Dogo.

Moleymoley!  Moleymoley!

Another Roller Coaster

Five years ago this week Jason and I lost our first baby.  That may seem like something of a stretch since we only knew we were pregnant for three days, but as anyone who has expected a child can tell you, it is possible to fall head over heels in love and change all of your dreams and plans for the future in three minutes, much less three days.

The loss was more painful and bitter than anything I had ever experienced before or have since.  I felt completely broken.  My silly pride convinced me that I had to move on with my chin up -- after all, it truly seems that most women experience at least on miscarriage, so I would be fine, right? 

I tried so hard to be strong that I put up walls between myself and God and myself and Jason.  Obviously, I understand that God welcomed me back with open arms -- He is endlessly patient and loving.  What still amazes me, though,  is that 9 months later when I was finally ready to admit that my hopes were shattered and my feelings of self-worth as a woman were crushed, Jason's arms were also open wide.  In fact, they both had been gently holding the pieces until I was ready for help putting them back together.

While the five year anniversary of our loss is part of the reason it's on my mind, to be honest we have fully recovered, and amazingly enough, we were there long before we knew Charlie was on the way.  It took months and months of looking at our lives, our marriage, our faith in God and our purpose in life, but Jason and I were actually ready to be a family of two.  We were excited about our move to South Carolina and the opportunity to start a business and have adventures.  We were content with being childless.

Obviously, Charlie spun everything around, threw it up in the air and made it so much better.  He is our constant delight and a living, breathing image of joy.  We definitely could have been happy just the two of us, but we are so much happier with Charlie in our lives.

So, why am I dwelling in the past this week if we are so happy with the present?  Because we're also thinking about the future, and it scares me. 

We actually started "trying" again back in January, and it's now seven months later with nothing to show for it.  I'm not sure I want to deal with the roller coaster ride of trying, hoping, nothing, trying, hoping, nothing, etc, etc until finally giving up.  (As family on both sides can attest, I am not a fan of roller coasters!) 

Or worse yet, to face another loss.  I don't think I'd break this time.  The experience five years ago taught me that Jason and God will hold me together with all the support and love and strength I need no matter what happens.  Plus, we have Charlie now to light up our days...but what if?

I realize that this all sounds ridiculously pessimistic, especially when I am surrounded by pictures of my Charlie throughout my study...but I sometimes just can't imagine that God could possibly choose to heap such amazing blessings on us again.
I wish I could say that I'm content with whatever happens, but I so dearly want Charlie to have a sibling...and to be honest, I find myself daydreaming about a big round belly, that pregnant glow, the excitement of anticipation and the wonder of a brand new baby.   And while I struggle with the idea that we could love another child as much as Charlie, all of my friends with multiple children assure me it's not only possible, but assured.

I guess this week I'm just finding myself remembering, loving, hoping and fearing...I guess this week I just need to focus on my faith and my blessings.  I survived the Legoland Technic Coaster by squeezing Jason's hand and praying, and afterwards I got to give Charlie a hug and spin him in the air.  If it worked then, there's no reason it can't work now.

Poor Otis...?

It's been a long and trying 18 months, and I think Otis might finally be ready to call it quits.  He's had just about enough of us.  For a dog that commemorated Charlie's birth by waking us up at 3 AM the morning my water broke and proceeding to vomit all over the our bedroom for the 3 days we were there, he's actually held on pretty long.

I suppose the final straw was his newfound complete and utter lack of freedom, but I do have to say that he brought it on himself.  As our neighbors, UPS deliverymen, and various strangers can attest, Otis has had remarkable freedom since we moved to SC.  We have no fence and we more or less allow him to wander. 

Pre-Charlie I did a fairly good job of ensuring that he stayed on our side of the street, etc -- and to be honest back then there were about half as many houses and a third as much traffic.  Since Charlie though, Jason and I have become pretty lax about where Otis goes and how long he's out.  This is in part due to laziness, but also out of guilt.  His life has changed so much and he just loves to wander...

Well, the good life has officially come to an end for Otis.  Apparently a woodland creature of some sort died in the vicinity of our home last week, and Otis has come home reeking of death three times since Friday.  There are no words to explain the stench.  It takes at least two vigorous shampoos to rid him of the odor, and Jason and I both continue to smell it for hours afterwards...it could prove to be a quite effective diet, though.

Based on Otis' basic dog-instinct of loving anything rancid and disgusting, my refusal to give him more baths than I do Charlie, and Jason's convenient "out of home" job, I am now Otis' shadow. 

I let him out in the morning and follow him as he pees on the grill (sorry, Honey...just found out today), ambles down the driveway, pees on the mailbox, meanders around the common area and cuts across to the garage, turns back down the driveway and heads past Bob & Donna's towards the pool.  At Garrett and Amanda's yard I pull the plug on the adventure and we head back home.

He's allowed to play in the yard during water table time in the afternoons, but only if I can see him, and if he leaves the immediate vicinity (our yard and Bob & Donna's), he is relegated to watching the fun from behind the french doors. 

I do use treats and peanut butter to coerce Otis in, and this morning I let him ride along to drop Charlie off at school, because he came running as soon as I called his name.  Unfortunatley, though he doesn't seem to see the upside to these things, and chooses to get his retribution by waking up at 4 AM and scratching, whining, whimpering, etc for about 20 minutes -- then just plopping back down in his bed when I'm fully awake and annoyed.

Any neighbors who might happen upon this blog or who see me stalking Otis in the mornings are probably relieved that we are finally taking responsibility for our "wild" dog, but I feel horrible.  I guess the next step will be the electric fence, which will more or less pen Otis in a 20' x 20' area...

The one bright side to all of this is that I've learned that I definitely have the perseverance and patience to shadow Charlie to the ends of the earth come highschool if he misses curfew, drinks alcohol, curses, kisses a girl, skips school, forgets to make his bed, chews tobacco, borrows the car, talks back, leaves his socks on the floor, drinks from the carton or rolls in something dead.

Woe is me...

Motherhood is...

plodding through 5 loaves of Wonder Bread by the August 1 deadline, just to feel completely scammed when notified that due to " an extraordinary response", your one year old will not receive his free Buzz Lightyear light-up lunchbox.

wondering how on earth God saw fit to bless you with the most wonderful creature ever born, despite all of your mistakes over the past 30+ years.

daydreaming of pedicures, massages, etc, then spending the entire 60 minutes wondering where you left The Big Red Barn and whether or not your child will notice it missing before you find it.

welling up with tears when your son whimpers, "Mama it huuurrrts," after you wipe is raw, runny nose.

upon realizing that you need an umbrella stroller, deciding to go with the same brand as your big stroller, but then conducting hours of online, in-store and Baby Bargains research and test drives, only to end up buying the stroller you planned to buy in the first place.

negotiating individual bites of oatmeal for songs, grapes, dances, etc, just to get that all-important iron into your one year old.

wearing a swimsuit in public, sans cover up, despite the cellulite on your thighs and not caring who may see you or what they may think, because your baby loves the beach.

spending valuable pillow hours trying to figure out how to make sure your one year old knows just how loved, cherished and adored he is without turning him into a spoiled brat.

remembering Saturdays full of nothing more than sleep, books and Starbucks and not understanding how you didn't get bored by 10 AM.

laughing uproariously when someone lifts up your shirt and makes loud, obnoxious, embarrassing zerbert noises on your stomach in public.

wishing you could sit down with your 30 year old child and look back on all the growing pains, life lessons and heart break that made him into an empathetic and wise adult without him actually having to go through any of it.

crying at every country song that talks about babies, motherhood, weddings, being born, growing up, going to college, etc, just because it's sweet.

debating whether or not to wake your baby up from his nap because you miss him, but then convincing yourself that it's ok to put him down for bed 30 minutes early because you're exhausted.

looking through all the pictures and wondering where on earth you were...only to realize that you're the one behind the camera.

truly believing that deep down inside all other moms must be just a little bit jealous that Charlie calls you Mama and not them.

what I was born to do.

(Dedicated to my mom, the best mentor a mother could hope to have.)

My mom capturing my dreams of motherhood on Polaroid

Me capturing my dreams come true on SD

Daddy Time

Daddy Time is by far the most precious in our household.  Whether it be "sneaking" across the bed to lean over Daddy and say "Hi" directly into his face to wake him up, climbing into the recliner each morning to help Daddy put on his shoes, racing out to the truck as it rumbles up the driveway each evening or randomly yet frequently asking, "Da-da?", which can be translated many ways:  Where is Daddy?  When will Daddy be back?  What are you doing Daddy?  Please pick me up Daddy, etc. etc.

Charlie loves to tromp around in Daddy's shoes, to play in his laptop bag, to follow him around the yard, to sit next to him in their matching recliners, to walk around blinded by his hats, to vroom-vroom in his truck, to roll across the floor in his arms, to mow the yard in his wake, to drive the boat on his lap, and most of all to talk about and to his Daddy in an endless, high-pitched babble.  Essentially, Charlie just loves his Daddy.

I have to say, we had no idea just how cool Jason was until Charlie was born.  Charlie literally cannot contain himself when Jason walks into a room.  It doesn't matter if it's been two minutes or two days, Charlie's excitement about Da-Da will overflow in shrieks, shouts, giggles and arms thrown in the air.  Jason is truly his "rockstar."  In fact, I like to tease Jason that he knows just what it's like to be a Jonas Brother.  Were Charlie not Jason's son, I'm not sure it wouldn't actually be considered stalking...

Seriously though, when I have a moment to reflect I realize how amazingly blessed I am to have a perfectly healthy and goofy one year old son and a perfectly healthy and goofy 33 year old husband, but even more, to have them be the light of each others' lives. 

I remember journaling back when I was pregnant about who our baby would be.  While I was convinced that Charlie was actually going to be Ansley, on the off-chance that he was a boy, I remember writing that I hoped he would be exactly like his Daddy with only two minor differences:  1 - he would love to read (check - at least so far!) 2 - he would never go through the chewing tobacco stage (I plan to be vigilant and downright mean if necessary!). 

To date it looks like my hopes may be realized.  Charlie is definitely a little, blonde mini-Jason, and I couldn't be more thrilled or more proud!

A few of the basic skills Jason has passed on to his little protege over the past 18 months:

Grooming 101: Basic Cleanliness

Computers 101:  Video Conferencing with BaBa and PaPa

Swimming 101: Toes in the Water

Boating 101: Ease on the Water

Grooming 200: Extraordinary Bathing Opportunities

Chilling 101: The Recliner

Chores 101: Winter Yard Work

Christmas 101: The Art of Digesting Christmas Dinner

Survival Skills 101: Building a Fire

Automotive 101: Truck Cleanliness

Automotive 200: Engine Repair

Animals 101: Slimy Creatures

Animals 200: Hairy Creatures

Grooming 300: Looking Good & Knowing It

Boating 200: Safety Gear

Swimming 200: Fun and Games

Gymnastics 101: The Somersault

Cooking 101:  Sand Birthday Cake for Mom

Grooming 300: The Importance of Good Hair

Grandma Time!

What a fabulous weekend!  Grandma came to town and we had an absolute blast.  From our belated Birthday dinner at Eileen's Thursday evening through feeding the fish last night right before bed, Charlie had a ball  -- and he wasn't even around for the outlet shopping, card playing and fuzzy navels! 

Charlie absolutely loved reading story after story after story in Grandma's lap and practicing his camping skills in his new tent/tunnel combo...but I definitely think the highlight of the weekend was Celebration Town.  It's basically a large, padded room full of jump castles.  After an early dinner of guacamole and margaritas Saturday evening (we adults had to psych ourselves up), we took Charlie for his first adventure based on the recommendation of a good friend.

All I can say is it was absolutely fabulous.  Of course, I have a 2 inch vinyl-burn on my left elbow and Jason may have broken his left foot, but Charlie had a ball!  At first he was much more interested in running around on the padded floor, chasing the balls that other kids were throwing, but once Mommy, Daddy and Grandma joined him in the jump castles, it was game on.  I must have gone down the slide (and therefore climbed the extremely slippery stairs/ladder thing) in the Cars castle at least 10 times.

Jason and I have tentative plans to make Celebration Town a monthly date.   Basically, we'll take Charlie there around 6:00, wear him out, pick up carry-out at Eileen's, Oscar's or Mustard Seed on the way home, put Charlie to bed and have date night. 

The only bad part about the weekend with Grandma was saying goodbye this morning (and the stress/fear that she would miss her flight due to malfunctioning gates at the railroad tracks) -- but fortunately, she made her flight and we are already planning our next trip to El Paso for Thanksgiving.  I can't imagine what Charlie will be up to by then!

Family Hug!

Honest, Grandma,  Mommy lets me eat my crayons all the time!

First Soccer Game

First Corn on the Cob

There he is!

Yeah!  We found him.  Our Charlie is back and appears to be planning to stay.  After a few nights in his own bed and a return to his routine, it appears that life is back to normal.  I'm no longer flinching when Charlie comes at me, confident that he plans to hug, not scratch, bite or hit, and he's replaced his frustrated habits with some new games.

Jason's and my favorite is "family hug".  We have no idea where he got it, but Charlie's new favorite thing is to insist on hugging both Jason and me at the same time.  He demands a family hug every morning before Jason leaves and another each evening while I'm making dinner -- with others sprinkled in from time to time.  It's absolutely hilarious.  If one of us is holding him, he'll yell the name of the other until we're all together, then he grabs us both around the neck, pulls us in tight and giggles.  And once we think we're done, we generally have to come back in for another squeeze or two.  What started out as a funny moment in San Diego has become a highlight to our days.

And I can't tell you how excited I was to replace "Imposter Charlie Peek-a-Boo" with "Where's the Book?" this morning.  After three for four run-throughs of the Boat book, Charlie stashed it behind the couch cushion, looked at me, held open his arms and asked "Go?"  I quickly learned that my role is to become very concerned about where the book could have possibly gone, until in a fit of giggles, he pulls it out from behind the cushion.  Then I say "Ta-Da!"  As you can imagine, for a 17 month old, this game just does not get old...and only ends when Daddy comes downstairs to put on his shoes.

It's definitely good to have our happy little nut back.

Another new game: Naked Piano

Wheeeere's Charlie?

The past few days have been like an endless game of peek-a-boo.  We've had glimpses of our sweet Charlie, but mostly we've been faced with an angry imposter...but let me start at the beginning.

Our trip to San Diego went very well.  In fact, Charlie behaved better on the flights than we ever could have dreamed, despite the fact that on the way out we woke him up at 4 AM to catch a 3+ hour flight at 6 AM, and on the way home, after 8+ hours of traveling, we were diverted to Charlotte where we sat on the runway for over an hour in the midst of a thunderstorm complete with high winds and hail...delaying our arrival in Charleston by three hours. 

Through all of this, Charlie was a champ.  He slept at least an hour per flight and almost 3 hours on the long flights each way, and while he was awake he played happily with his crayons and empty cups or flirted with the other passengers.

On top of these triumphs, Charlie had a great time with his cousins, aunts, uncles and BaBa and PaPa in San Diego.  While he didn't adjust to the time change until the day before we came home, he was perfectly willing to patrol the resort grounds in his stroller from 4 AM to 6 AM each day while Daddy, BaBa and PaPa slept in the room.  We had a great time exploring, eating raisins and chatting with the birds, capped off every morning with the glorious, highly-anticipated opening of the coffee cart, or as Charlie puts it "Caca".

Despite these lengthy stroller stretches in the morning, Charlie also did a great job at Legoland and Sea World.  While he definitely preferred to be out roaming the parks with his cousins, running, climbing, building, driving, splashing, etc, he put up with a lot more stroller time, too.  As a reward Charlie got his first set of duplos, which he valued to the point of locking them in the hotel safe, requiring a visit from hotel security to free them.

Then on Thursday we all loaded into the minivans and took a roadtrip up to Los Angeles where Jason, Charlie and I cavorted in a park just off Rodeo Drive while the rest of the family did a bit of shopping -- after almost 6 hours in the car, we decided not to try our luck in the shops. 

We followed this with a fabulous dinner at Moon Shadows in Malibu with Aunt Monica, where we had the most "California" waiter you can imagine.  He looked exactly like Frank Sinatra in Guys and Dolls and was throwing out surfer lingo and hand signals right and left.  Aunt Erin, Uncle Matt and I enjoyed the show thoroughly -- while Charlie napped blissfully in the corner.

Unfortunately, it was during the drive back to San Diego that the tides turned and "imposter Charlie" showed up.  About 30 minutes from the hotel he woke up screaming and wouldn't stop.  Jason and I were doing everything we could: singing, cuddling, promising, begging, praying, stroking, bribing, but to no avail.  He didn't calm down until we arrived back at the hotel after midnight.  Then he passed a rough night in the pack n play until we woke him up around 5:30 -- not a good start to 12+ hours of traveling, but as I said before, he was a trouper.

"Imposter Charlie" did rear his head a couple times through the week and on the flights home, when Charlie developed a new love for hitting, biting and pinching, but each time he would try it we would just correct him and he would stop fairly quickly.  We were convinced that he didn't even know he was hurting us when upon Jason's recommendation I returned pinch for pinch, and Charlie was completely surprised -- and hasn't pinched since.  How wrong we were though...

Rather than rehash the gory details, I'll just say that Saturday and Sunday were characterized by screams, pouts, smacks, bites, tears and one particularly memorable headbutt -- all by Charlie, other than the tears which I believe were shed all around.  It was as I was watching Charlie laugh at the tears streaming down my face after he headbutted me hard enough to give me a fat lip that I realized it is possible to dislike your own child.  

It was a very scary moment for me.  I have a pretty in-depth theory on like vs. love, but to sum it up, I basically believe that "loving" is a choice we make, whereas "liking" is a reaction we have.  To be clear, I never waivered in my love for the little monster, but I cannot honestly say that I liked the brown eyes laughing into mine.

Jason was actually out helping some church friends on a special project yesterday evening, so the return of "sweet Charlie" for dinner, bath and bedtime was an overwhelming relief.  I'm not sure I could have handled 2 hours of "imposter Charlie" on my own.

Of course, there was a downside to Jason being away.  Basically, I cannot be trusted alone with a channel changer and spent the evening watching the Discovery Health Channel, which was highlighting children with Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia.  While even I am not ridiculous enough to think that Charlie was showing signs of Schizophrenia, a lot of the symptoms discussed on the Bipolar show hit a little close to home -- to the point that by the time Jason got home, I felt compelled to discuss the possibility that Charlie was showing the first signs of the disorder.  Needless to say, I believe Jason may be blocking that channel in the future...

Despite his confidence that "sweet Charlie" hadn't been permanently replaced by "imposter Charlie," even Jason was a little nervous to send Charlie to daycare today.  Yesterday morning in the church nursery he actually pulled a sweet little girl's hair, so we were somewhat expecting a call to come get him quite early today.  But much to our surprise and delight, this morning everything seemed to be back to normal.  Charlie seemed thrilled to be back on his normal schedule, waking up on time, eating his breakfast and playing in the living room, and he was excited to see Miss Jo-Jo and Miss Amanda at school. 

All in all, this morning went off without even a glimpse of "imposter Charlie".  And, as it's almost 2:30 in the afternoon and we haven't heard from school, I am hopeful that all of the drama and mayhem of this particular game of peek-a-boo are behind us, and our "sweet Charlie" is back to stay.  I sure hope so...

Jamming with Daddy on the first flight

Pro-traveler

Bliss!

Motorboat with PaPa and Cousins!

Pre-dawn wandering

Coffee Cart is open & has "Na-nas"

Heads of the table

Chuga-chuga

Loving the Legos

Maximizing the Daddy Time

Bob who?

The Killer Whale Show

Starfish are way more exciting

Zoom-zoom

Ready to swim

Fun with cousins

Whee!

Happy Family

Tackling the Tree

Art Appreciation in Beverly Hills