Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Ahhh-boom!
A highlight of Charlie's weekend in Chattanooga was when he got to spend the afternoon with Daddy and Uncle John while mommy got her nails done. Evidently, the afternoon was filled with a tutorial on how to throw oneself face down onto the bed while shouting "Ahh-boom!" Charlie has really taken this tutorial to heart.
I suppose a 16 month old just can't conceptualize that, while going Ahh-boom! on the bed might be super fun, going Ahh-boom! on the slide at the park could be painful. Ditto for hardwood floors. Regardless, he seems to take such delight in the whole new game. He squeals with joy and has such a proud look on his face - like he's in on some secret game the big boys play.
Clearly, the real loser in this situation is poor Junebug. Charlie is Ahh-boom!-ing her left and right, which involves hurling his whole body into her while yelling at the top of his lungs. Luckily she is a big, and infinitely patient, dog, so the full body slam doesn't phase her or shake her from her solid perch. She does look extremely annoyed though. I like to think she is thinking "Who taught the kid this trick?" Thank you Uncle John!
I suppose a 16 month old just can't conceptualize that, while going Ahh-boom! on the bed might be super fun, going Ahh-boom! on the slide at the park could be painful. Ditto for hardwood floors. Regardless, he seems to take such delight in the whole new game. He squeals with joy and has such a proud look on his face - like he's in on some secret game the big boys play.
Clearly, the real loser in this situation is poor Junebug. Charlie is Ahh-boom!-ing her left and right, which involves hurling his whole body into her while yelling at the top of his lungs. Luckily she is a big, and infinitely patient, dog, so the full body slam doesn't phase her or shake her from her solid perch. She does look extremely annoyed though. I like to think she is thinking "Who taught the kid this trick?" Thank you Uncle John!
Monday, June 20, 2011
Charlie is 16 Months Old!
In the midst of our whirlwind wedding weekend, Charlie officially turned 16 months old. The two main themes we have going lately are Toddler Discipline and Separation Anxiety - doesn't that sound like fun? I know these are two very normal phases of toddler development, but it can still be difficult to deal with. Luckily, Charlie is his funny, sweet self most of the time, with only intermittent episodes of toddler crankypants behavior.
Separation Anxiety - I have been so pleased with our child care situation since going back to work. It really works out wonderfully, and Charlie and his Gram are the best of buds. We knew, though, that keeping Charlie at home had some potential to perhaps make him less receptive to group childcare/school situations, and that he would probably get quite comfortable having one of his favorite grownups at his beck and call at all times. This is part of the reason we chose to start him in his preschool program two mornings per week. We thought it would be good for him to get used to being around other children, have some organized group activities, and good for him to begin to understand that the universe and the attention of every adult does not revolve around him.
I guess it could be a coincidence, but I think that more realistically, starting school last week has kicked Charlie's separation anxiety phase into high gear. He had never been left with anyone except a family member before, but he never seemed to mind when he was left. Cody and I would leave for work every morning with no problem. Linda would go home at the end of the day with a smiley "buh-bye!" Charlie spent plenty of time in Florida just last month with just his Nana and/or Grandpa - no problem! He has also spent plenty of alone time with Emily and Chris without any dramatics. Apparently that is no longer the case.
Suddenly, Charlie is very upset when *anyone* leaves for any amount of time. All week and all weekend long, he would burst into tears if Cody, Linda or I walked out of the room. He freaks out when someone goes to the restroom. If I leave him with Cody, he cries. If Cody leaves him with me, he cries. He cries when Linda leaves at the end of the day. He is just *not* liking when people leave! I'm sure this stems from his first experiences with school and being "left" by us with his new teachers.
It's very difficult for us to see him get upset so frequently. Luckily, the transitions are infrequent and he recovers. He does pretty well with Cody and me leaving for work in the morning, probably because we have been doing the same bye-bye routine for 9 months. The weekends are a wild card though, and like I said, he even freaks out when one of us tries to pee in peace! Another difficulty is that it is impacting his sleep a bit, since he does not like when we leave him in the crib. Two weeks ago, we would set him in his crib and he would wave a smiley night-night to us, maybe fuss for 10 seconds before rolling around in his crib and jabbering happily until he fell asleep. Since starting school he has been crying for a bit before falling asleep each night. Not for long, in the grand scheme of things, probably less than 5 minutes, but it is still sad!
One good thing is progress. Charlie did *much* better at preschool today. We sent him with his lovey, so maybe that helped, or maybe he is just adjusting. Either way, Miss Stacey said he only cried for a few minutes, rather than off and on all morning. She said he played the ukelele during music time, and generally played really hard all day. He also ate all of his lunch and was perfectly content when Linda arrived to collect him, rather than being a whiny mess like last week. I hope he is learning that we will always come back to get him. He really likes school - he walks right in, points at the playground, heads straight to his classroom and starts playing. It's just the dropping off part that elicits tears, so I am confident it is garden variety separation anxiety and not that he doesn't like the school. I am hopeful this phase will be short!
Toddler Discipline - Well, I am not sure what to say about this one except that it is a challenge! Overall, I think Charlie is very well-behaved for his age. He is quite a good listener and we are having major success in teaching him certain things like picking up his toys after he plays and not going near potentially dangerous things. This does not keep him from constantly testing his limits. As soon as he seems to learn and understand that he can't play with cords, he will test his limits in the climbing arena by trying to climb up on our ottoman.
While it is constant, it is less infuriating than I expected it might be. He is learning his limits and it is really gratifying to see consistency pay off when he understands. He sometimes is a little devil, purposefully doing something he knows is off-limits, right after flashing a crazy little grin just to make sure we are watching him break the rules. He does throw the occasional fit when he isn't allowed to do something, but so far the fits have been pretty short. He does tend to throw himself on the ground or bang his head into the wall during these episodes, so that's a little disconcerting, although apparently normal.
I realize the limit-testing and tantrum-throwing will likely increase as he reaches those terrible twos (I feel like lots of moms say the threes are just as "terrible"!), but I hope we are starting consistent disciplinary methods that will work over time. We are trying out a natural consequences approach right now - if he uses a toy in a dangerous or inappropriate way (ahem, "petting" Junebug with a toy truck) the toy goes away - if he throws food on the floor, he has to pick it up. I think I've mentioned before that where there isn't a great natural consequence we have tried "time-in" which is very much like time-out except the parents is right there preventing the little one from running away and/or destroying the house, while also explaining whatever the offense was ("We don't pick up the modem"). It seems to be working well, and we actually haven't had to do it in a while - he seems to be getting that if he continues to do something after a warning, there will be consequences.
It's an adventure, and I'm sure it is one of those things where something will work great this week and be totally ineffective next week. For all the challenge though, it is also very exciting to see Charlie learn - it drives home what a huge responsibility it is to teach these little barbarians how to function in civilized society!
This post has turned into a boring photo-free novel, so I will wrap it up - but that's what is front and center for Charlie as a 16 month old! I think he's hit a growth spurt (height only, he is still a waif), now has 12 teeth (well 11.5 if you consider the chip!), and is a bright and sunny little man!
Separation Anxiety - I have been so pleased with our child care situation since going back to work. It really works out wonderfully, and Charlie and his Gram are the best of buds. We knew, though, that keeping Charlie at home had some potential to perhaps make him less receptive to group childcare/school situations, and that he would probably get quite comfortable having one of his favorite grownups at his beck and call at all times. This is part of the reason we chose to start him in his preschool program two mornings per week. We thought it would be good for him to get used to being around other children, have some organized group activities, and good for him to begin to understand that the universe and the attention of every adult does not revolve around him.
I guess it could be a coincidence, but I think that more realistically, starting school last week has kicked Charlie's separation anxiety phase into high gear. He had never been left with anyone except a family member before, but he never seemed to mind when he was left. Cody and I would leave for work every morning with no problem. Linda would go home at the end of the day with a smiley "buh-bye!" Charlie spent plenty of time in Florida just last month with just his Nana and/or Grandpa - no problem! He has also spent plenty of alone time with Emily and Chris without any dramatics. Apparently that is no longer the case.
Suddenly, Charlie is very upset when *anyone* leaves for any amount of time. All week and all weekend long, he would burst into tears if Cody, Linda or I walked out of the room. He freaks out when someone goes to the restroom. If I leave him with Cody, he cries. If Cody leaves him with me, he cries. He cries when Linda leaves at the end of the day. He is just *not* liking when people leave! I'm sure this stems from his first experiences with school and being "left" by us with his new teachers.
It's very difficult for us to see him get upset so frequently. Luckily, the transitions are infrequent and he recovers. He does pretty well with Cody and me leaving for work in the morning, probably because we have been doing the same bye-bye routine for 9 months. The weekends are a wild card though, and like I said, he even freaks out when one of us tries to pee in peace! Another difficulty is that it is impacting his sleep a bit, since he does not like when we leave him in the crib. Two weeks ago, we would set him in his crib and he would wave a smiley night-night to us, maybe fuss for 10 seconds before rolling around in his crib and jabbering happily until he fell asleep. Since starting school he has been crying for a bit before falling asleep each night. Not for long, in the grand scheme of things, probably less than 5 minutes, but it is still sad!
One good thing is progress. Charlie did *much* better at preschool today. We sent him with his lovey, so maybe that helped, or maybe he is just adjusting. Either way, Miss Stacey said he only cried for a few minutes, rather than off and on all morning. She said he played the ukelele during music time, and generally played really hard all day. He also ate all of his lunch and was perfectly content when Linda arrived to collect him, rather than being a whiny mess like last week. I hope he is learning that we will always come back to get him. He really likes school - he walks right in, points at the playground, heads straight to his classroom and starts playing. It's just the dropping off part that elicits tears, so I am confident it is garden variety separation anxiety and not that he doesn't like the school. I am hopeful this phase will be short!
Toddler Discipline - Well, I am not sure what to say about this one except that it is a challenge! Overall, I think Charlie is very well-behaved for his age. He is quite a good listener and we are having major success in teaching him certain things like picking up his toys after he plays and not going near potentially dangerous things. This does not keep him from constantly testing his limits. As soon as he seems to learn and understand that he can't play with cords, he will test his limits in the climbing arena by trying to climb up on our ottoman.
While it is constant, it is less infuriating than I expected it might be. He is learning his limits and it is really gratifying to see consistency pay off when he understands. He sometimes is a little devil, purposefully doing something he knows is off-limits, right after flashing a crazy little grin just to make sure we are watching him break the rules. He does throw the occasional fit when he isn't allowed to do something, but so far the fits have been pretty short. He does tend to throw himself on the ground or bang his head into the wall during these episodes, so that's a little disconcerting, although apparently normal.
I realize the limit-testing and tantrum-throwing will likely increase as he reaches those terrible twos (I feel like lots of moms say the threes are just as "terrible"!), but I hope we are starting consistent disciplinary methods that will work over time. We are trying out a natural consequences approach right now - if he uses a toy in a dangerous or inappropriate way (ahem, "petting" Junebug with a toy truck) the toy goes away - if he throws food on the floor, he has to pick it up. I think I've mentioned before that where there isn't a great natural consequence we have tried "time-in" which is very much like time-out except the parents is right there preventing the little one from running away and/or destroying the house, while also explaining whatever the offense was ("We don't pick up the modem"). It seems to be working well, and we actually haven't had to do it in a while - he seems to be getting that if he continues to do something after a warning, there will be consequences.
It's an adventure, and I'm sure it is one of those things where something will work great this week and be totally ineffective next week. For all the challenge though, it is also very exciting to see Charlie learn - it drives home what a huge responsibility it is to teach these little barbarians how to function in civilized society!
This post has turned into a boring photo-free novel, so I will wrap it up - but that's what is front and center for Charlie as a 16 month old! I think he's hit a growth spurt (height only, he is still a waif), now has 12 teeth (well 11.5 if you consider the chip!), and is a bright and sunny little man!
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Wedding Weekend
First of all, congratulations to John and Becky! We spent the weekend in Chattanooga celebrating their wedding and had a wonderful time. It was a really great weekend, and a big party. The wedding was beautiful, Becky was beautiful, and a fun time was had by all.
I spent the first part of the weekend a bit anxious about Charlie's ring-bearing debut. Would he walk? Would he scream? Would he run around like a lunatic and somehow knock somebody's red wine onto Becky's dress right before the ceremony? Luckily all went well. We spent the whole week trying to keep Charlie's head bruise-free (no easy feat for such a pale boy who tends to lead with his big noggin). We had him in pretty good shape, but a trip to the Children's Museum in Chattanooga (which as awesome) took care of that when a little girl smacked him in the eye with a toy truck. Just for some icing on the cake, he stumbled into the hotel bathroom door frame a few hours later and chipped his front tooth! What a mess! He still looked cute though.
We hired a babysitter for Charlie during the rehearsal dinner, so he got to know her during the actual rehearsal. To my surprise and delight, he took to Lizzy right away. She is a friend of Cody's cousin Rebecca, and a preschool teacher, so I guess she just had that vibe. She tried to tame him during the rehearsal and then we went upstairs to get him to bed before the dinner. It took him a while to settle down, but he did and all was fine.
On the day of the wedding, Lizzy came at 3:30 to help us during the whole getting ready and photos part of the day before the wedding. Charlie was a piece of work, it took some serious running around to get him situated in his tux. When we finally did he looked adorable and was pretty proud of himself. He ran around and generally refused to pose, smile, or sit still for any photos. When we got to the wedding venue, he did a lot of exploring and running around, including taking 2 or 3 practice runs down the aisle, forcing me to follow behind him and explain to everyone that no, the wedding wasn't starting just yet.
When the time came to do the real walk, he didn't go quite so easily. He followed the flower girl, who, unlike during the practice runs, was actually tossing real petals. Charlie just couldn't figure out why she kept dropping things, so he kept squatting down to pick up the petals. I would encourage him to keep going and he would walk a few more steps before squatting down at the next little pile of petals. It was pretty funny, and he did eventually make it all the way down the aisle. As soon as Becky walked down, it became clear that Charlie would NOT be sitting still for the ceremony, so I walked him outside to Lizzy, who walked him around the grounds until the ceremony ended. All in all it went pretty smoothly. I'm still waiting to see some video of the actual walk down the aisle, but here are some photos I took before and after the ceremony.
And one of the happy couple:
I spent the first part of the weekend a bit anxious about Charlie's ring-bearing debut. Would he walk? Would he scream? Would he run around like a lunatic and somehow knock somebody's red wine onto Becky's dress right before the ceremony? Luckily all went well. We spent the whole week trying to keep Charlie's head bruise-free (no easy feat for such a pale boy who tends to lead with his big noggin). We had him in pretty good shape, but a trip to the Children's Museum in Chattanooga (which as awesome) took care of that when a little girl smacked him in the eye with a toy truck. Just for some icing on the cake, he stumbled into the hotel bathroom door frame a few hours later and chipped his front tooth! What a mess! He still looked cute though.
We hired a babysitter for Charlie during the rehearsal dinner, so he got to know her during the actual rehearsal. To my surprise and delight, he took to Lizzy right away. She is a friend of Cody's cousin Rebecca, and a preschool teacher, so I guess she just had that vibe. She tried to tame him during the rehearsal and then we went upstairs to get him to bed before the dinner. It took him a while to settle down, but he did and all was fine.
On the day of the wedding, Lizzy came at 3:30 to help us during the whole getting ready and photos part of the day before the wedding. Charlie was a piece of work, it took some serious running around to get him situated in his tux. When we finally did he looked adorable and was pretty proud of himself. He ran around and generally refused to pose, smile, or sit still for any photos. When we got to the wedding venue, he did a lot of exploring and running around, including taking 2 or 3 practice runs down the aisle, forcing me to follow behind him and explain to everyone that no, the wedding wasn't starting just yet.
When the time came to do the real walk, he didn't go quite so easily. He followed the flower girl, who, unlike during the practice runs, was actually tossing real petals. Charlie just couldn't figure out why she kept dropping things, so he kept squatting down to pick up the petals. I would encourage him to keep going and he would walk a few more steps before squatting down at the next little pile of petals. It was pretty funny, and he did eventually make it all the way down the aisle. As soon as Becky walked down, it became clear that Charlie would NOT be sitting still for the ceremony, so I walked him outside to Lizzy, who walked him around the grounds until the ceremony ended. All in all it went pretty smoothly. I'm still waiting to see some video of the actual walk down the aisle, but here are some photos I took before and after the ceremony.
Happy Father's Day!
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| Father's Day 2011 |
We have a little tradition going with the D-A-D photos - Cody got his 3 photo frame gift this morning. The real gift was that Charlie decided to sleep in, and thereby let us sleep in in the comfy hotel bed, until 8:45am. After a VERY busy wedding weekend for Uncle John and (now officially) Aunt Becky's nuptials, the extra sleep was very much appreciated. We spent Mother's Day this year packing up a car, driving 6 hours, and unpacking the car, all with toddler-in-tow. So it was only fitting that we spent the day today packing up a hotel room (which looked like it had been bombed), driving 2 hours home from Chattanooga, and sort of unpacking. I plan to devote a whole post to the wedding and Charlie's ringbearing debut, so I won't give too much away, but little man did great! We had a fun weekend and are so excited for the new Mr. and Mrs. Partin.
Happy Father's Day to Cody, thank you for being such a wonderful husband and daddy!
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| Father's Day 2010 |
Monday, June 13, 2011
School Boy
Today was Charlie's first day of school. He has had some stranger/separation anxiety lately, so I was nervous. Even though he loved playing with the toys last time we visited, I didn't actually try to leave that time. I just knew he would cry. But we packed up his lunch and his little bag of diapers, extra clothes, and sippy cup. Cody and I told him about school, promised we would come to pick him up, and brought him there together. We knew this was already probably a mistake in making a bigger deal out of it than necessary, but we both wanted to see his first day.
We walked in and met Miss Stacey and Miss Anne, his teachers. Charlie took off right away and started playing with toys. He was happy as a clam...until the time came to tell him good-bye. They (who are they? I don't know...) say you should say bye and not just sneak out. I guess it makes sense, we wanted to reassure him that we would be coming back and not have him be surprised when he realized we were gone. But it was so hard! He immediately started crying. We just had to subscribe to the pulling off the bandaid theory and leave before he melted down too badly. We left and he was still crying - not total meltdown mode, just some uneasy crying. I only cried a little.
I was, of course, worried about him all day. I texted Miss Stacey to make sure he was fine, and she called me back. She said he had perked up during Music, which started shortly after we left. He had a snack, played with a little broom (the boy is obsessed with brooms), and was generally having fun. By the time we got there to pick him up he was VERY tired (30 minutes past his normal nap time) and pretty whiny. But he wasn't crying, so that's good. He smiled for me and Linda, and made it home for a (not so long) nap. I think as he gets used to it he will adjust to the timing and take a longer nap.
Overall I think he did great! A little crying and whining is about as good as we could expect, given that the little man has never been left with anyone but grandparents and auntie. I think it is a good time for him to start learning socialization and to be introduced to some other trusted adults. The school seemed fun and loving. He took to Miss Stacey and it was apparent when we fetched him that they had also had some fun with stamps and paint! On Wednesday they will do water play, so extra clothes are a must. I'm sure it is only a matter of time until he is crying that he wants to stay. Here are some photos Miss Stacey texted me so we could see he wasn't in meltdown mode all morning:
And here is a little video of him at drop off:
***Charlie Genius Moment of the Day*** To celebrate Charlie's first day of preschool, we went out to Mellow Mushroom. Charlie enjoyed quite a bit of pizza. As soon as we got home, he walked right over to a picture book of his. He very intently flipped through the pages until he got to the page he was looking for. Then he made his little "Uh-uh" noise at us as he pointed to the picture of a pizza! We have never even told him that picture is a pizza, we are usually focusing on the farm animals, colors, and planes/trains/automobiles closer to the beginning. You can try to tell me that this is developmentally normal, but I won't believe you. Genius!
We walked in and met Miss Stacey and Miss Anne, his teachers. Charlie took off right away and started playing with toys. He was happy as a clam...until the time came to tell him good-bye. They (who are they? I don't know...) say you should say bye and not just sneak out. I guess it makes sense, we wanted to reassure him that we would be coming back and not have him be surprised when he realized we were gone. But it was so hard! He immediately started crying. We just had to subscribe to the pulling off the bandaid theory and leave before he melted down too badly. We left and he was still crying - not total meltdown mode, just some uneasy crying. I only cried a little.
I was, of course, worried about him all day. I texted Miss Stacey to make sure he was fine, and she called me back. She said he had perked up during Music, which started shortly after we left. He had a snack, played with a little broom (the boy is obsessed with brooms), and was generally having fun. By the time we got there to pick him up he was VERY tired (30 minutes past his normal nap time) and pretty whiny. But he wasn't crying, so that's good. He smiled for me and Linda, and made it home for a (not so long) nap. I think as he gets used to it he will adjust to the timing and take a longer nap.
Overall I think he did great! A little crying and whining is about as good as we could expect, given that the little man has never been left with anyone but grandparents and auntie. I think it is a good time for him to start learning socialization and to be introduced to some other trusted adults. The school seemed fun and loving. He took to Miss Stacey and it was apparent when we fetched him that they had also had some fun with stamps and paint! On Wednesday they will do water play, so extra clothes are a must. I'm sure it is only a matter of time until he is crying that he wants to stay. Here are some photos Miss Stacey texted me so we could see he wasn't in meltdown mode all morning:
And here is a little video of him at drop off:
***Charlie Genius Moment of the Day*** To celebrate Charlie's first day of preschool, we went out to Mellow Mushroom. Charlie enjoyed quite a bit of pizza. As soon as we got home, he walked right over to a picture book of his. He very intently flipped through the pages until he got to the page he was looking for. Then he made his little "Uh-uh" noise at us as he pointed to the picture of a pizza! We have never even told him that picture is a pizza, we are usually focusing on the farm animals, colors, and planes/trains/automobiles closer to the beginning. You can try to tell me that this is developmentally normal, but I won't believe you. Genius!
No Photos of Second Babies
You know how parents always have approximately 1.73 million photos of their first baby? Baby's first yawn! Baby's first car ride! Baby's first roll! Baby doing absolutely nothing! Baby doing absolutely nothing and not even looking particularly cute doing it! I am totally guilty of this, I have taken so many photos of the Chaz.
Then poor Second Baby maybe gets a hospital photo and then it's pretty much nada until the first day of kindergarten. As a first child and a mother of one, I just kind of thought maybe the excitement just wears off a little. You already have a zillion photos of a baby staring into space that you've done nothing with for years...so why go down that road again?
After a weekend of babysitting my nephew Marco, I can now say that I was WRONG. It has nothing to do with excitement and everything to do with how many hands you have. I swear I really wanted to get all kinds of cute photos of the cousins hugging and playing and looking generally adorable. Needless to say that did not happen. I needed both hands at all times to hold a baby, hold both babies, keep the big baby from maiming the little baby, keep the big baby from shoving a pacifier in little baby's eye, keep the dog and big baby from trouncing little baby, to feed Little while convincing Big that Blue's Clues was as fun as tearing the house apart, to hold Big while Little was sleeping so he wouldn't get too jealous. Phew! No hands for a camera. And when Cody was home, it wasn't really any easier, as I truly needed 4 hands the whole time.
So...I don't have any photos, just a little video we took. Marco was a sweet boy, he slept and ate very well. He is quite the early riser, just like Charlie was at his age, so I am a little tired and remembering those days. But otherwise, it was great. Cody and I high-fived once we handed him off to his parents - we survived! Emily and Chris went to Chris' law firm retreat and had a lovely weekend, so we were glad to help. Charlie looooved his visiting cousin and was very concerned about the baby - any time Marco cried, Charlie magically produced a pacifier and promptly tried to put it in Marco's mouth, whether Marco really wanted a paci or not. He also knew when the baby was napping and would point upstairs any time we said the word "baby." He tried to include Marco in his activities by handing him toys, and really wanted to carry the baby around. Obviously that wish was not fulfilled, but we tried to help him let Marco rest on Charlie's lap, with lots of assistance.
*** Charlie is a Baby Genius Moment of the Weekend*** - Charlie participated in a little reading program at our library this summer, and as a little reward he got a board book called Global Babies. It has pictures of babies from all different countries. Randomly, the baby from Spain looks *just* like Marco. Apparently I am not the only person who thinks so. This weekend, every time we would read Global Babies, Charlie would make us flip to the Spain page, and then proceed to point at Spain baby, then point at Marco. If Marco was napping, he would point at Spain baby, and then point upstairs. He totally thought it was Marco! Genius.
Then poor Second Baby maybe gets a hospital photo and then it's pretty much nada until the first day of kindergarten. As a first child and a mother of one, I just kind of thought maybe the excitement just wears off a little. You already have a zillion photos of a baby staring into space that you've done nothing with for years...so why go down that road again?
After a weekend of babysitting my nephew Marco, I can now say that I was WRONG. It has nothing to do with excitement and everything to do with how many hands you have. I swear I really wanted to get all kinds of cute photos of the cousins hugging and playing and looking generally adorable. Needless to say that did not happen. I needed both hands at all times to hold a baby, hold both babies, keep the big baby from maiming the little baby, keep the big baby from shoving a pacifier in little baby's eye, keep the dog and big baby from trouncing little baby, to feed Little while convincing Big that Blue's Clues was as fun as tearing the house apart, to hold Big while Little was sleeping so he wouldn't get too jealous. Phew! No hands for a camera. And when Cody was home, it wasn't really any easier, as I truly needed 4 hands the whole time.
So...I don't have any photos, just a little video we took. Marco was a sweet boy, he slept and ate very well. He is quite the early riser, just like Charlie was at his age, so I am a little tired and remembering those days. But otherwise, it was great. Cody and I high-fived once we handed him off to his parents - we survived! Emily and Chris went to Chris' law firm retreat and had a lovely weekend, so we were glad to help. Charlie looooved his visiting cousin and was very concerned about the baby - any time Marco cried, Charlie magically produced a pacifier and promptly tried to put it in Marco's mouth, whether Marco really wanted a paci or not. He also knew when the baby was napping and would point upstairs any time we said the word "baby." He tried to include Marco in his activities by handing him toys, and really wanted to carry the baby around. Obviously that wish was not fulfilled, but we tried to help him let Marco rest on Charlie's lap, with lots of assistance.
*** Charlie is a Baby Genius Moment of the Weekend*** - Charlie participated in a little reading program at our library this summer, and as a little reward he got a board book called Global Babies. It has pictures of babies from all different countries. Randomly, the baby from Spain looks *just* like Marco. Apparently I am not the only person who thinks so. This weekend, every time we would read Global Babies, Charlie would make us flip to the Spain page, and then proceed to point at Spain baby, then point at Marco. If Marco was napping, he would point at Spain baby, and then point upstairs. He totally thought it was Marco! Genius.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Busy Bee
We've been light on blogging and heavy on doing. We have come to the conclusion that relaxation is just not possible with a *very* busy toddler to look after. Even when we plan to do nothing and just hang out, we end up doing a ton of stuff to help the little one release some energy in a way that doesn't drive us insane. Sitting around the house is a no-go. We have to break up home play time - otherwise known as following Charlie around the house while he attempts to destroy it - with other activities. Throw in day after day of 90+ weather, and it has been pretty crazy around here.
Luckily the deck is our new favorite hang out. Shaded for most of the day, it's hard to tell whether Charlie or Junebug enjoys the baby pool and water table more. Actually the grown-ups might enjoy it the most because Charlie is capable of entertaining himself out there in a way he can't indoors. Playing keep-away with Junebug's ball never fails to make him laugh, and he will toddle around the deck, in and out of the pool, for pretty much as long as we will let him (and to think he cried the first time he saw it!).
This weekend (on which we had every intention of relaxing at home) we squeezed in the Children's Museum, Blackburn Park, Target (always a hit, air conditioned and Charlie loves riding in the cart), Atlanta Botanical Garden, and a friend's first birthday [pool] party. We mixed that up with lots of deck time, naps, and only the occasional toddler shenanigans. Here are some photos of our recent adventures with Charlie:
Both the Children's Museum and the Botanical Garden seem to be great for this age. Charlie can navigate both pretty well. The museum is obviously air-conditioned and the Garden offers lots of shady spots, plus a splash pond to play in. Of course there are bigger kids, so we have to keep a close eye, but he loved just wandering around both places, checking out all the sights. My confession of the week is that, despite my diligent sunscreening efforts, Charlie appears to be getting a farmer's tan - guess there are some things you just can't avoid living in the south!
Luckily the deck is our new favorite hang out. Shaded for most of the day, it's hard to tell whether Charlie or Junebug enjoys the baby pool and water table more. Actually the grown-ups might enjoy it the most because Charlie is capable of entertaining himself out there in a way he can't indoors. Playing keep-away with Junebug's ball never fails to make him laugh, and he will toddle around the deck, in and out of the pool, for pretty much as long as we will let him (and to think he cried the first time he saw it!).
This weekend (on which we had every intention of relaxing at home) we squeezed in the Children's Museum, Blackburn Park, Target (always a hit, air conditioned and Charlie loves riding in the cart), Atlanta Botanical Garden, and a friend's first birthday [pool] party. We mixed that up with lots of deck time, naps, and only the occasional toddler shenanigans. Here are some photos of our recent adventures with Charlie:
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| Trying out a new playground Memorial Day Weekend |
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| Early morning and already hot hot hot! |
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| Braves Game Tuesday night |
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| It started shortly after bedtime - something we rarely attempt |
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| We made it about an hour and a half - he did pretty good! |
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| Hula-hooping it at Imaginit Children's Museum |
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| Playing in the toddler area for a bit before deciding he was a big boy! |
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| Fishing in the pond |
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| Catching Ravioli and Bibo's Circus Show - he sat still for 15 minutes AND played the role of Elephant - a miracle |
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| Children's Garden at the Botanical Garden with Mommy |
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| Always ready to try a new slide - this one was steep and curvy, so Daddy had to help |
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| Hangin' out with his buddy the frog |
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