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| Thank you Uncle Jerry and Aunt Mary for the cart cover! Putting it to good use! |
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Aw Mom!!!
I know... I know... she will hate me for this later!
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| Oh look- strategically placed toy! |
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| tasty |
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| someone loves bathtime! |
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| crazy bath hair! |
Wow! Babies do sleep!
So, after nearly nine months, I am pleased to announce that Charlotte is FINALLY sleeping through the night.
It has been seven days since she last woke up in the middle of the night...
I'll admit that I never thought it would take this long. I also didn't realize how much my lack of sleep was really getting to me. You see, Charlotte would wake up 2-3 times a night. Couple that with an hour commute each way and a full work day and I was pretty much spent all the time. It wasn't uncommon for me to lose track of my thoughts mid-sentence, or feel my eyelids get heavy whenever I sat still too long. In fact, I'm pretty sure I was 85% caffeine. (Thank you Dunkin' Donuts.)
Sure, I still wake up in the middle of the night, my body being accustomed to a series of power naps, but at least now I don't have to drag myself out of my cozy retreat and rock a screaming baby back to sleep. I can just roll over and resume my peaceful slumber.
Of all the milestones Charlotte has reached, this definitely ranks up there among my favorites! But crawling was pretty cool too... And so was laughing... :)
It has been seven days since she last woke up in the middle of the night...
I'll admit that I never thought it would take this long. I also didn't realize how much my lack of sleep was really getting to me. You see, Charlotte would wake up 2-3 times a night. Couple that with an hour commute each way and a full work day and I was pretty much spent all the time. It wasn't uncommon for me to lose track of my thoughts mid-sentence, or feel my eyelids get heavy whenever I sat still too long. In fact, I'm pretty sure I was 85% caffeine. (Thank you Dunkin' Donuts.)
Sure, I still wake up in the middle of the night, my body being accustomed to a series of power naps, but at least now I don't have to drag myself out of my cozy retreat and rock a screaming baby back to sleep. I can just roll over and resume my peaceful slumber.
Of all the milestones Charlotte has reached, this definitely ranks up there among my favorites! But crawling was pretty cool too... And so was laughing... :)
Friday, May 13, 2011
In that one moment...
This evening Charlotte needed a bath. In fact, I can't exactly remember the last time I gave her a bath, so I knew it was time! Having just finished feeding her, I picked her up, all covered in some organic vegetable and turkey medley and headed upstairs.
It took a few minutes to get the tub ready, and as the water filled the tub, Charlie stood holding the side of the tub talking to her toys as they floated around the water. Finally, it was time to strip her down and get her in.
Charlotte loves taking baths. She loves to kick her feet and splash water everywhere. She has a rubber ducky and a rubber fishy. She also has a rubber whale that makes noise when it gets wet. She especially likes the whale, but since it sounds akin to a screaming banshee, we limit her playtime with it, for our own sanity!
Tim and I were at the edge of the tub this evening as Charlie splashed around and made screeching noises. Eventually she worked her way on to her hands and knees and then promptly fell face first into the water. I immediately grabbed her and sat her back up.
That is when I noticed it... Her eyes were wide... Her body shaking... She wasn't breathing...
My heart stopped. My little girl wasn't breathing.
She looked scared, confused, shocked. Her mouth was open, but nothing was happening. Tim grabbed her out of the tub and she started making coughing noises. She was coughing out, but it didn't seem like she was breathing in. And suddenly she started crying. It was labored at first, and after a few tries, it was back to normal.
This whole episode took less than a minute, but it could have been a lifetime. This was the first time my daughter had ever been in immediate danger. A thousand things ran through my mind, but the thing that screamed the loudest was, "please God, help my baby breathe!"
It took less than three minutes for Charlie to get back to normal. She went back into the bathtub with no fear and we were able to finish cleaning her up.
As I put my baby down to sleep this evening, I held her close and thanked God for answering my prayer. I was reminded as to what a precious gift she is and I am honored to be her mother. Chances are this won't be the last heart stopping, adrenaline pumping moment I will have with her, but hopefully we can keep them to a minimum.
This event is a reminder that I can't do this 'mommy-thing' on my own. I am so thankful that I have a wonderful husband in Tim. He is such an involved and attentive daddy and I am so glad that he is such a hands on parent.
And finally, I am thankful that I have a God who loves Charlotte even more than I do. And considering how much I love her, he must love her a whole lot!!
It took a few minutes to get the tub ready, and as the water filled the tub, Charlie stood holding the side of the tub talking to her toys as they floated around the water. Finally, it was time to strip her down and get her in.
Charlotte loves taking baths. She loves to kick her feet and splash water everywhere. She has a rubber ducky and a rubber fishy. She also has a rubber whale that makes noise when it gets wet. She especially likes the whale, but since it sounds akin to a screaming banshee, we limit her playtime with it, for our own sanity!
Tim and I were at the edge of the tub this evening as Charlie splashed around and made screeching noises. Eventually she worked her way on to her hands and knees and then promptly fell face first into the water. I immediately grabbed her and sat her back up.
That is when I noticed it... Her eyes were wide... Her body shaking... She wasn't breathing...
My heart stopped. My little girl wasn't breathing.
She looked scared, confused, shocked. Her mouth was open, but nothing was happening. Tim grabbed her out of the tub and she started making coughing noises. She was coughing out, but it didn't seem like she was breathing in. And suddenly she started crying. It was labored at first, and after a few tries, it was back to normal.
This whole episode took less than a minute, but it could have been a lifetime. This was the first time my daughter had ever been in immediate danger. A thousand things ran through my mind, but the thing that screamed the loudest was, "please God, help my baby breathe!"
It took less than three minutes for Charlie to get back to normal. She went back into the bathtub with no fear and we were able to finish cleaning her up.
As I put my baby down to sleep this evening, I held her close and thanked God for answering my prayer. I was reminded as to what a precious gift she is and I am honored to be her mother. Chances are this won't be the last heart stopping, adrenaline pumping moment I will have with her, but hopefully we can keep them to a minimum.
This event is a reminder that I can't do this 'mommy-thing' on my own. I am so thankful that I have a wonderful husband in Tim. He is such an involved and attentive daddy and I am so glad that he is such a hands on parent.
And finally, I am thankful that I have a God who loves Charlotte even more than I do. And considering how much I love her, he must love her a whole lot!!
Friday, April 29, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Beware the bed monster...
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| bed monsters live in caves made of sheets and blankets |
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| they are always watching |
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| waiting for the perfect moment to attack |
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| The last thing you see before you get nommed |
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| ahhhhh!!! (poor fellow never stood a chance!) |
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| after especially fierce attacks, bed monsters get sleepy |
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| beware! bed monsters can look deceptively innocent |
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| but they are always deep in thought |
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| 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!
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!
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
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!
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!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
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.
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!
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!
Saturday, March 5, 2011
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!
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| with daddy at the park |
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| Charlie's first slide |
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| Daddy got stuck! |
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| Ready for the big slide! |
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| She loved it! |
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| mommy's turn! |
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| Yay!!! |
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| A girl and her daddy!! |
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| Her first time in the woods! |
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| Love my girl! |
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| chewing on mommy! |
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| fun on daddy's shoulders! (my favourite picture of the day!) |
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| time to go :( |
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| exhausted after a long day |
Friday, March 4, 2011
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.
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| Hey Kitty! How ya doin'? |
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| I will pet you! |
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| ... |
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| Have you seen my feet? |
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| I will kick them at your face... Watch out! |
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| oh boy... |
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| KITTY!!! You're so soft! Hmph! |
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| Oooh! Look at that!! |
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| Ha! You never saw it coming! Ahhhh!! |
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| Oh how I love you, kitty!! |
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| Kitty... Kitty??? Where did you go? |
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