Ambidexterous waving and more Stink Eye

Now that Charlotte is ten months old, she's got a few tricks up her sleeves. As documented below, she can wave (both hands, mind you) and give the stink eye on command. She makes a mama proud!

(She can also cover herself in salvia and teething biscuits to the point of grossness.

Kisses, anyone?!?) 

10 months old...

Noana time...

My mom came to visit us this past weekend, and her and Charlie got some much needed Noana/Charlie time! Charlotte is my mom's first grandchild, and in true grandma form, she takes exceedingly good care of her! They spent a lot of time playing in her walker, 'talking,' eating Cheerios and chasing kitties. They both seemed to have a blast. 


At one point, my mom picked up Charlotte and started blowing raspberries on her upper back, and Charlie started laughing... I mean really laughing.. For anyone that has heard Charlie laugh, most of the time she sounds like a hyperactive seal, but this time her laugh was deep from her belly. And she kept laughing and laughing! 


When they were finished, Noana asked Charlotte for kisses, and Charlotte gave a great big smile, turned and started showering her grandma with kisses! (It should be noted that lately Charlie has been pretty stingy with the kisses. In fact, most of the time when I ask for one she just looks away, but somehow Noana gets them pretty liberally! Must be a grandma thing!)

Thanks Mom for being such a wonderful grandma!

A girl and her laundry basket...

Apparently Charlotte likes laundry baskets....

Charlotte's laundry basket prison...

(the video is pretty dark, so you might not be able to see much,

she does a lot of talking in this video, using a lot of her new sounds!)

Watch Out B'Oscar Kitty!!!

Mommy in a cabinet...

Our house has a really nice kitchen. There are a set of cabinets that you can open from both sides and see all the way through.

When Charlotte began opening cabinets, we thought it was fun to open the other side and surprise her. This has turned into a favorite game for her. Enjoy!

It's time...

After much thought and discussion, Tim and I have decided that it is time to get rid of our kitty boys. I am heartbroken by this decision, but I know it is the right choice for our family at this time. Our decision to get rid of them has nothing to do with them, or behavioral issues.

With that said, I am looking for a home/homes for my wonderful, furry little men. Let me take a moment to introduce them. Both cats are indoor cats and would need to go to a home that can keep them inside.

The first is Eli. Eli is a pretty big cat, completely white and 11 years old. He is a definite lap cat. He is happiest around people and great with kids. (Charlotte loves him!) His favorite toy is a piece of ice on a hardwood floor! I initially got Eli because I was looking for a large cat. When I heard his story, I knew he was a good fit for me. For the first four years of his life, he lived with a little old man. When the man passed away, the family didn't want him, so they sent him to a shelter. He bounced from shelter to shelter for 6 months, living in a tiny little cage. By the time we met, he was about 17 lbs. He's slimmed down a lot since then! I think he is about 14 lbs. He is highly adaptable and very loving!

The second is B'Oscar. (The "B" is silent!) B'Oscar is a black cat, 9 years old. Shortly after I moved to college, my cat of 17 years died. I decided then that the day after I graduated, I was going to get a cat. So, when the time came, I went to a pet adoption and met the ugliest kitten I had ever seen. He fell asleep in my arms and I was won over! I brought him home, and within a few months I watched him transform into a truly handsome cat. B'Oscar is about 12 lbs now. He is a bit shy. He takes a little longer than Eli to adapt to new surroundings, but once he does, he's great. He is a very loving cat. His favorite game is "Squish The Kitty!" which consists of him rolling on his back, exposing his belly and letting you 'squish' him with your foot! He is also a huge fan of cheese and knows the sound of a string cheese being opened. (Shh... don't tell Eli that he is my favorite!!)

I'm having a really hard time not crying while I write this post. Please feel free to spread the word if you know anyone in the Washington, D.C. / Baltimore metro area that is willing to take them in and love them bunches. We can deliver the cats wherever they need to go. We are under a tight deadline with this and need to have them in homes by July 1. Thank you so much for reading this and spreading the news.

Feel free to contact me at jonipear2@gmail.com or on facebook if you have any additional questions. Again, thank you!

Feeling nostalgic...

With my baby about to turn 10 months old, I'm feeling a bit nostalgic! Enjoy!!

10/22/10

10/23/10

10/24/10

11/09/10

Father's Day with grandpa

For Father's Day, we went out to Virginia and had lunch with my mom, dad, brother and sister. It was a great chance for Charlie to get some much needed Noana and Grandpa time!

Charlotte loves her Grandpa Crider. When she sees him, she gets a great big smile. When he holds her, she stands up on his lap, reaches up and pets his beard. She chatters with him and gives him kisses. It's fun for me to see them enjoy each other's company! In fact, it's hard to tell who is enamored more!!

DISCLAIMER
**The iPad 2 takes embarrassingly bad quality photos. Considering Apple's reputation for quality, I am surprised that they actually released the iPad 2 with a camera at all. I would hazard to say that first generation digital cameras took better quality images. With that said, I do appreciate the ability to take pictures with the iPad. I just wish they looked better!**

Cousin time...

Natalie and Charlie playing peekaboo!

Time flies....

One week old...

This pic was taken around 8 months old.
She's even bigger now!
(Well, not that much bigger)

Loving on mommy...

These photos were actually taken on Mother's Day. This was the first time that Charlotte instigated kisses! Best Mother's Day present I could have asked for!

Charlie has a ball...

So last night, when Tim and I made an emergency trip to Walmart for diapers and cat food, we stopped down one of the toy aisles and bought Charlie her first bouncy ball. There were so many to choose from... Disney Princesses, Cookie Monster, etc. In the end, price won out and we got a purple marble one for a dollar.

I know I will sound like a bad mother when I confess that she was licking it before we even left the store! (I know, gross!)

So, when we got home, I rinsed off the ball, whipped out the video camera and shot lots of footage. Personally I think it's all cute, so I'm uploading it all. It's a mother's prerogative, I guess! At least I know her Naona will watch it! :)

Perfectly Proportionate...

So last week Charlotte had her nine month pediatrician appointment, and it was determined that she is the size of a healthy, proportionate six month old...

Yup, you read that right. My daughter is short! (shocking, I know!)

In fact, she has the great distinction of being in the 15th percentile for height and 25th for weight. Her cousin Gabe, (born in March) is pretty much matching Charlotte in the height department.

Being short isn't so bad, really. Her center of gravity is much lower, therefore, when she does fall, she has less distance between her head and the floor. It's also pretty cute to see someone that tiny trying to walk. And my guess is that she will always look younger than she really is. Sure, she might hate that as a teenager, but she will love it well into her thirties and beyond!

While at the appointment, the doctor said she is entering her "Stranger Danger" phase. It explains why she has been so clingy lately. He said that it will last for a few months and then go away. She's never been much of a social butterfly, so we'll see.

Charlotte now says 2 words pretty well. "Dada" and "Mama." Imagine our excitement when she started uttering those words and we realized that she understood what she was saying. The funny thing about it is that she says "Dada" in this sweet, happy, cute voice... She only says "Mama" in this drawn out, whiny voice. She usually only says it when I walk out of the room, or she gets upset. "MaaaaMaaaa!!" I think she knows who to get the cuddles and kisses from and who to get the airplane rides from.

Sometimes she also says "KeeKee," which I'm pretty sure means kitty... She also tries to say "This little piggy," which comes out as "Thisfgdxdihoifhaiosfnlsdfnieo" It's cute. She has also taken to mimicking her singing toys.

I really can't believe that my little girl will be turning 10 months old soon. It really does happen too quickly!

She loves that walker...

... and sweet potatoes.

Growing up digital...

A few weeks ago, I came across this video. I'm sure you've seen it, if not take a look. The folks at Google do a real good job of pulling at the heartstrings. Someone in their marketing department should get a raise...

Anyways, I thought, why not? So, I opened up an email address for Charlotte. Every few days I sit down and write her an email. Sometimes it is about something she did that day. The other day, I told her all her statistics from her nine month appointment. I send her pictures and videos. It's a great way to make a record for her to be able to look back on. One day, I will give her the address and the password and she can explore it at her own leisure. (assuming gmail is still around at that point!) 

Well, if you are interested in dropping Charlotte a note, feel free. I don't want to post the address on here, but if you are interested, contact me and I will get it to you. Thanks!

Daddy and his girl...

Bouncy Seat Charlie

A girl in her walker...

Dancing

 

Messy Eater

Imitating Daddy

Charlotte's Stink Eye