Beware the bed monster...

bed monsters live in caves made of sheets and blankets

they are always watching

waiting for the perfect moment to attack

The last thing you see before you get nommed

ahhhhh!!! (poor fellow never stood a chance!)

after especially fierce attacks, bed monsters get sleepy

beware! bed monsters can look deceptively innocent

but they are always deep in thought

planning their next attack

Dear Charlotte,

You turned seven months old this past weekend!

You've said your first word (mama!) and you are soooo close to crawling forward. (You've been shimmying backwards for a few weeks now!) You have two teeth and you like to chew on people's fingers. You love your big white kitty. You have started taking 3 hour naps. You currently have a cold. You laugh when mommy sneezes. You love when mommy feeds you solid food and when your tummy gets full, you pull off your bib. You only suck on a pacifier when you are sleepy. You love baths. You like to ride on daddy's shoulders. You give open mouth kisses on our cheeks. Last night, you slept 8.5 hours straight! You love music, especially blue grass. You nod your head for no apparent reason. You smile when you hear mommy's voice on the phone. You fall asleep when I rub your eyebrows. You still have to be swaddled to sleep. You love to play 'Where's Charlotte?' and 'Buzz, Buzz, Buzz.'


And lastly, you are growing up way too fast!

Love you,

Mommy

PS- It's cute that you fit in a duffel bag!

Only Daddy

I have a sneaking suspicion that Charlotte is going to be an adrenaline junkie! She loves movement.

She especially enjoys her daddy time. Only daddy can throw her in the air just right... Only daddy can zoom her around corners... And only daddy can place her on his shoulders and take her dashing around the house. She holds onto his hair and laughs up a storm.

I tried to capture this on video for you. Of course, she knows the camera is there, so her reaction to daddy's antics are tempered by the fact that she knows I'm recording her. But, you should still be able to get the gist of how a typical evening is spent in our house!

Cameras

Charlotte loves cameras...

I blame myself, really. Shortly after Charlotte was born, we started snapping pictures and haven't stopped since. This is one well documented baby! And it didn't take long for Charlotte to begin to notice. She's had a few sessions with a photographer that I work with, and she just sits entranced by the camera and all the flashes. It makes for some great photos, her eyes open wide in wonder!

But her love of cameras has a down side...

See, Charlotte does a lot of cute things... (at least we think so!) So, when I have a camera handy, I take the opportunity to catch the moment... At least I try... But Charlotte won't perform for a camera. Nope. She just wants to stare at it. So, she may be doing a most adorable thing, say- playing with the kitty, or rolling around on the floor, or snuggling up to mommy, but the moment she sees the camera, its all over. She's done.

With that said, I have a lot of video footage of her sitting around like a log, looking bored or uninterested or just distracted by the camera.

So, I thought I'd take this opportunity to show you a before and after 'VC sighting.' (video-camera-sighting)

In this first clip, Charlotte doesn't know there is a camera. For all she knows, it's just me and her and aunt Julie hanging out on the kitchen floor.

And this is her after 'VC-sighting.' In this clip, Charlotte has become very aware that there is a camera in the room. Notice her change in attitude and interaction. 

Yup, it's like a completely different baby. Silly Charlie! I guess we are going to have a transition to stealth mode if we want to be able to document anything more than a blank stare!

The great outdoors

The problem with having a baby at the end of summer is that by the time you are feeling confident enough to take your baby outside, the weather has changed and its too cold. So, Charlotte has spent the majority of her little life tucked away inside. Thankfully today was beautiful and we took the opportunity to take Charlie to the park and into the woods for the first time!

with daddy at the park

Charlie's first slide

Daddy got stuck!

Ready for the big slide!

She loved it!

mommy's turn!

Yay!!!

A girl and her daddy!!

Her first time in the woods!

Love my girl!

chewing on mommy!

fun on daddy's shoulders! (my favourite picture of the day!)

time to go :(

exhausted after a long day

A Girl and Her Kitty

In our house, we have three cats running around...

Eli, B'Oscar (with a silent 'B') and Cyclo. 

Charlotte decided early on that Eli was her favorite. Maybe it's his size (he's huge!). Or maybe it's his white fluffiness... Or maybe it is because he is the only one that doesn't run, tail tucked between his legs, from her every movement!

Whatever the reason, Charlotte loves him! She starts jabbering at him the moment she sees him. She carries on long conversations with him and she reaches out to pet him every chance she gets. For the most part, he is a good sport about it. He never gets aggressive and I never have to worry that he will hurt her. Sometimes, he even leans into her strokes... That is until she grabs a handful of fur and skin and pulls! Then, he'll let out a protest and scurry away. 

Hey Kitty! How ya doin'?

I will pet you!

...

Have you seen my feet?

I will kick them at your face... Watch out!

oh boy...

KITTY!!! You're so soft!
Hmph!

Oooh! Look at that!!

Ha! You never saw it coming!
Ahhhh!!

Oh how I love you, kitty!!

Kitty... Kitty??? Where did you go?

There's that contagious laugh again...

Too fast...

This past weekend, Charlotte Jane turned six months old.

Six... months... old...

It was 11:45 at night when the contractions started.  11:50 when I told Tim and saw his eyes light up. 2:15 when we got in the car and started towards the hospital...

7 am the pain was so intense. Tim was talking... I couldn't hear him. I couldn't hear anything past the pain.

It was 9 am when her heartbeat first dropped. Tim was in the cafeteria eating a sandwich. He was so tired. He didn't know it was happening. My room swarmed with doctors and nurses, flipping me over trying to steady her...

11 am when her heartbeat dropped again. Tim looked worried. More flipping. More hushed, hurried voices. But she was steady again.

It was 1:30 when it dropped again. Urgent voices when it wouldn't rise. We knew.

1:45 in the OR.

1:55 It's a girl! I heard her cry. She was safe! Everything was foggy... But she was safe!

That was just last week, right?

Too fast... Way too fast...

Photoshop Fun!

pretty girl!

the infamous bear suit

big girls sit in big girl chairs!

Charlie's cousin Emma!

Charlie's cousin Adie!

Charlotte with Nonna! 

Charlotte with Grandpa & Grandma Pearson

Dancing with Daddy

Tim and Charlotte have a favorite past-time... Dancing!

Are you surprised?

She loves being in daddy's arms

Daddy's girl

And so it begins...

Eli kitty vs. Giraffe

Which one does Charlotte love more- Eli kitty or her giraffe?

Big girls use cups

Mommy calls a sick day...

Unfortunately it was a Saturday!

Mommy couldn't play, so she hung out with Eli kitty... She bit his ear...

Kitty legs are delectable morsels!

Laying on the floor for hours without complaining!!

Hands are always fun!

Sitting on mommy's lap!

The Blair Charlotte Project... Episode 1

When babies attack...

A working mom

Being a working mom is hard.

I knew it would be, but I never imagined it would be this hard!

No, the job itself isn't any harder, the hours aren't any longer, the commute isn't any worse... but it feels like it. Don't get me wrong, I love my job. I work with an incredible group of people and I really do enjoy what I do, but every time I see my little girl smile, I want to drop everything, call in sick and cuddle up with her for the day.

But I don't.

Sometimes I bring her to work with me and that helps. She lays on the floor in the office or takes a nap or makes her rounds, holding court with anyone that passes by. Most of the time, she is content to sit in my lap and watch me edit. If I could, I would bring her every day.

It's hard sometimes, walking out of the door in the morning, away from that smile... And then counting down the hours until I can see her again.

There is no better feeling after a long day filled with meetings, laborious edits and unforgiving deadlines, than to walk in the door and see my little girl. When she notices me, her eyes light up and she grins uncontrollably. Her feet start to kick and her hands wave around. I feed her and then she sits in my lap, snuggled up in my arms and she talks to me. Sometimes she reaches up to touch my face or she plays with my clothes. And other times she just sits in my lap and screeches.

These are good moments. These are the best moments.

Being a working mom isn't easy, but at least I have these moments and for that I am thankful!

smiles for mommy