VIDEO POST: Baby's first steps! (with support)

We took Charlotte outside for some fresh air, and to play with her baby doll buggy today. It was VERY windy, but that's normal here. She had a blast, and to our surprise and amazement, she actually PUSHED the little doll buggy back and forth across our bumpy lawn. She even managed to negotiate the bumps in our shabby-looking grass!

She really didn't want the doll to ride in the buggy though, so she decided to take her out. This led to an interesting dilemma for Charlotte... you'll have to watch the video to see what that puzzle was, and how she decided to handle it!

Enjoy! She is not as cold as she looks in this video - she's wearing a long sleeved shirt under her sweater, and we were really only outside for about 15 minutes.

VIDEO POST: Falling Asleep at the table

Charlotte was so tired at lunchtime today, she tipped right over and fell asleep. She was gnawing on her graham cracker (dessert that soothes sore gums), and was hardly able to keep her head from hitting the tray. It was so cute (and sorta sad) to watch her struggling with herself. Instead of disturbing her, I decided to let her get a little bit of rest where she found it. She slept for about 20 minutes like this. She's never been a big nap-taker, but her recent changes in sleeping habits might encourage her to catch some more sleep during the day.

We've just started sleep- training, to help her learn to fall asleep on her own. I know, we probably should have done this months ago, but at least we are doing it now. Bedtime has been emotional for everyone this week. Hopefully, it will soon pass, and Charlotte (and Mom & Dad) will get a better night's sleep. She's already sleeping longer stretches in her crib.


We have also been struggling with our first serious nursing issue. Charlotte has a case of thrush, which has been passed to me, making nursing sessions extremely painful. It's most likely brought on by her antibiotics that she takes as a prophylaxis for the urinary reflux, and it turns out this isn't something you can just take a pill for and it gets better quickly. The infection has turned a warm, comforting experience into torture for me and confusion for Charlotte. (please make it go away!)

I caught this precious event on video: her first time falling asleep while sitting up! So cute... I dare you to try to stay awake through the whole 3 minutes... I can't do it (but maybe I am just sleep-deprived!)

Charlotte had her 9-month checkup yesterday with Dr. O'. Here are her stats:

Weight: 17 pounds, 4 ounces (25th percentile)
Height: 27-3/4" (80th percentile)
Head circumference: continues to be off the charts (105th percentile)... she is one smart baby! :)
Teeth: 2 on the bottom, working on 2 on the top
Gross motor skills: Crawls, pulls to stand, stands without hands for several seconds, then sits back down and pulls herself up again. She cruises along the furniture, and is just starting to realize that she's using her feet to "walk"... she seems unafraid of falling down. She also enjoys pulling things out of boxes, cupboards, plastic tubs... she's making a bigger mess than we are now! This morning, she dumped herself face-first into the toy box, and I had to run and rescue her... feet kicking. She went right back over to try it again, of course!
Language: Says "Da-da-da" and "Ma-ma-ma," although it seems to be da-da when she's happy, and ma-ma when she's distressed... hmmm! She also tries to say kitty, but it sounds more like "iddah," and so quiet you can hardly hear it. She attempts "all-done" at the table, too. She hasn't been signing as much this week, but I think it's because she's been concentrating on her gross motor skills so much.
Fine motor skills: Picking up every teeny tiny piece of lint or paper that she can find on the floor, shredding paper napkins with glee, and she just started trying to snap her fingers (this gets the kitty to appear out of nowhere).

The doctor said she is thriving and developing very well. Her gross motor, fine motor, language and social development is right on track; he said she is doing "awesome," and that "she's a very precocious little girl." After the doctor got done inspecting her, she started waving bye-bye to him. He thought that was pretty funny, like she was asking him to leave. She really does have quite the personality.

VIDEO POST: Laughing Baby

Here is a video of Charlotte laughing every time Grandma says, "Boom!" Charlotte is trying to say "Boom!" right back at Grandma, and then starts laughing hysterically. If everyone had a nice hearty belly-laugh like this one every day, we might have a lot less stress!

9 Months Old!

Charlotte is now 9 months old (as of May 11). I can't believe how fast this first year is flying by! I will post all her stats after her checkup on May 15, but she weighed in at 17 pounds, 1 ounce on May 10. She still has just the 2 teeth that she got at four months old (bottom front teeth), but the top teeth are bulging in her gums... this has made her very drooly and a little bit clingy and emotional.

Today we went took the stroller and went to the library, and out chasing seagulls and Canada geese. We threw some stale bread, and Charlotte enjoyed watching the gulls eat, fight and fly around. After we ran out of bread, we chased some geese across the big lawn by the bay, until they flew away too. I didn't stop to take any pictures because we were having too much fun.


These pictures are from a couple days ago, when Charlotte had her first try at Spaghettios. She didn't get that messy, considering the possibilities. She enjoyed swishing her fingers inside the bowl, and trying to catch the slippery O's in her little fingers. She even managed to get a few into her mouth. It turned out that she wasn't very hungry, but she had fun playing with her food and smearing it all over her tray.


As you can see, she got pretty excited! This lunch was immediately followed by a mid-day bath and some playtime - I let her crawl around for about 10 minutes in her birthday suit. She was really having fun then!

I don't know what could be cuter, than a naked baby playing in the living room!

Just hangin' with my baby

Just a few more pictures of Charlotte with her baby doll. She's trying to play pat-a-cake with her baby in the first picture... it was so cute to watch! She really does seem to like hanging out with that little doll.

So much fascination in a blade of grass!

These are just a couple of pictures from the other day, which was the first time that we actually let Charlotte sit in the grass and explore.
As you can see, she was studying those dandelions with intensity.
I just love to watch her using her little fingers. She's really developed a lot of dexterity in the last month.

Dishwasher in Training

Here she is, helping Dad unload the dishwasher. She was playing on the floor in the kitchen when he opened the dishwasher full of clean dishes. She was so amazed, she could hardly contain herself. After removing all the knives and forks, Dad let her move the spoons around for a few minutes.
She had a lot of fun, playing with the baskets inside the dishwasher. It won't be long before we can have her load the dishes for us... it's right within her reach! :)

Playing in the Front Yard

These are just a few of the pictures we took today. Charlotte was playing in the front yard, exploring the grass and dandelions. She kept crawling toward me, trying to steal the camera from me. She managed to get a hold of the strap, which is why she's so close to the lens!


She can take some little steps behind this little baby buggy, if you nudge it forward while she's holding it, but she's still not steady enough to move herself forward. She is getting better at standing unsupported, and likes to stoop over and try to pick things up.

In this picture, she had just picked her baby doll up off the ground. She didn't like it when I put the doll inside the car - she just kept trying to pull her out by her hair.

Archymommy's Blog

Here is a link to my friend Sarah's blog. We met Sarah and Liam while we were living in Lansing. Sarah is super-smart, a great mom, and one of the neatest people I've met in a long time. We were so lucky to get to spend some time with them before we moved back to Frankfort.

Sarah shared her blog with me a couple months ago, and it took me a while to realize what a great idea it was. Her son Liam is such a sweet and handsome little guy. Charlotte really loved talking to him while Sarah and I did some ceramic painting in East Lansing... another thing that Sarah introduced to me...

Thanks for the inspiration, Sarah!

A New Friend

Charlotte has a new friend! We visit our local baby pantry, where people exchange their old baby items for "new" ones and some other donated baby necessities. We dropped off 2 bags of clothes, and we spotted this cute little baby doll next to the toy bin. Does she remind you of anyone? I think these 2 look just alike -- they both have bright blue eyes, just 2 teeth and the blond top ponytail -- it was meant to be!

The doll is hard plastic, so not exactly soft and cuddly, but Charlotte doesn't seem to notice. She gives her lots of sloppy kisses, and seems fascinated by the baby's hands.

Here they are, swinging in the new swing that Daddy installed the other day. It swings a little crooked, because the tree limb is not level, but she doesn't seem to mind. She just loves her new car swing, and the doll helps keep Charlotte from leaning forward too. She does wear her seatbelt when driving, but she gets a little excited and has hit her nose on the dashboard twice. The sun gets in her eyes on the upswing now, but it will be perfect once the leaves fill in for some good shade.

Beep Beep! My other car is a stroller!

Charlotte Started Signing Back!

Charlotte is just starting to really try to use her sign language with us. We have been using some sign language with her for the past couple months, just to see if it really would work. She definitely understands almost all of the signs that we are using with her, but until now, most of the the signs she's been using have seemed more like they were more "accidental" or unconsciously being used.

At mealtimes, she is using the sign for "more" consistently, and attempting the sign for "drink" and "all-done!" She has used the sign for "eat," to tell us she wanted to have dinner with us. Now that she's realizing that she can actually affect her world with her hands, she seems to be getting a little more into it.

Her very first sign came at 7 months old, when she used the sign for "cat" while I was changing her diaper and she heard Celeste walk by (the cat wears a little tinkerbell). She also understands the signs for light, fan, ball, where, bath, music and help. It will be interesting to see how much we actually use this with her in the future. It is supposed to help babies communicate with you before they can speak... we'll see if it helps Charlotte.

Here she is, looking over the top of the safety gate we have on the doorway to the living room. You can see what she wants, just by looking at her eyes!

First time at day care!

Charlotte went to day care for the first time on Friday, May 4th. We decided to let her go to day care for just a few hours a week, so that I can try to complete my medical transcription course online. We are lucky to have a home day care just 2 doors down the street, so it's very easy for me to run over there if I'm needed.

When we got to Pat's, the kids were having lunch, so Charlotte joined the crowd at the table. Here she is, drinking water from her own "sippy" cup, which has a rubber straw that pops up. She is very good at drinking from a straw, and at feeding herself soft foods.

Some of her favorite finger foods to eat are cooked carrots, kidney beans, peas, tofu, avocado, banana, mashed potatoes, spaghetti noodles, and also Cheerios, Goldfish crackers, veggie puffs, and graham crackers (without honey). She will also sample whatever we are eating for dinner, assuming that it is baby-safe, of course. She still nurses a few times during the day and several times at night, but is definitely learning to like lots of different foods. She loves to eat.

She sat down at the table, where the kids were enjoying a lunch of pizza and green beans (another one of her favorite finger foods). About to enjoy one of her favorite activities, she didn't really care that I was leaving her behind. I didn't want to sneak out the door, so I made sure she saw me waving and saying "Bye-bye!" All the kids at the table waved and said good-bye to me, and much to my surprise, Charlotte waved her arm and said, "Ba ba ba," right along with them! Every day is another amazing day with my sweet baby girl!

Our Wild Cavegirl Can't Sit Still!

Playtime is ALL the time for Charlotte. Now that she's an expert crawler, she refuses to sit still. She has a real zest for life, and is constantly exploring her world.

Since moving around is so much fun, probably her least favorite thing to do now, is to get her diaper or clothes changed. She will not lie down, so it usually takes both Mom and Dad to keep her safe while we keep her clean and dry.

We recently started using the medium sized covers for our cloth diapers (at least at night). They are so big on her, especially her nighttime cover, the leopard-print fleece shown in these pictures. These pictures were taken just so we could remember when these were too big for her, since we know she will grow into them soon enough!

She looks like a little cavebaby, and it turns out these couldn't be more appropriate attire for our wild little girl. You can see Dad holding her back from literally jumping off the changing table!

Charlotte got her first real injury this week. She loves to pull herself up on the furniture and cruise around and see what she can reach from this new vantage point.

While she was practicing her solo standing technique, she lost her balance and hit her cheek on the edge of an end table. You can see where she cut herself near her right eye. POOR BABY!
But as you can see, she's not going to let a little setback slow her down!

She wants to stand up and climb all over the place - and the changing table is so exciting for her. She can reach the top of the dresser, grab anything in sight and pull it to herself or onto the floor. Even though it gets frustrating, it's hard to be mad at someone who finds so much delight in the most mundane things!

These huge diapers make her legs look so short - and forget about putting pants on over this one! She looks so cute crawling around, especially when she is wearing her little ponytails. These pictures are just after bathtime, so it's just clean fluffy hair.

First Time on a swing - March 13, 2007

Charlotte loved to swing from the very first time she tried it - as you can see by the pictures here. She didn't know what to think, until we gave her that first big push. It is so cute to hear her giggle when she gets that little "catch" in her tummy.

This swing is at Pat's Day Care (the house 2 doors down from us). The snow on the ground shows how late our spring came this year. It was a little cold that day, so it was a short adventure. Charlotte cried when she had to stop swinging and come inside!



11

Swinging into spring!

We're SO glad that spring is finally here, so we can spend more time outside. It's still a little chilly and windy here, but we recently went downstate to celebrate the first birthday of Charlotte's cousin, Grace. My sister Wendy has a swing set in her yard, so Charlotte had a blast swinging the time away. I think she stayed in that swing for close to an hour! She was laughing and squealing... it was so cute! In these pictures, she is being pushed by her cousin, Love (age 4).


Doesn't this look like fun? I love how her hair is blowing back in these pictures, like she's on a roller coaster. She never seems to get tired of swinging. She also enjoys our hammock in the front yard.

VIDEO POST: Ages 6 - 8 months

This video is a compilation of some video clips we took of Charlotte between the ages of 6 and 8 months old. She had just learned to clap and play pat-a-cake on the day we filmed the most recent clips. She stops clapping in the middle of the song, when the cat walks through the room... the world stands still when Celeste is in sight. (you can hear the bell on her collar in the video)

VIDEO POST: Newborn Charlotte

This is a video of Charlotte that I made from the clips I have from her first six weeks of life. I can't believe how much she has changed since she came to join our family!

My girl Charlotte

Here is just one of the many smiles that have been brightening my days. Charlotte has a real zest for life, and is having a blast exploring her world. Her excitement is contagious! No one can spend more than a few minutes with this little girl without grinning and giggling right along with her!

This picture was taken in March of 2007, when Charlotte was just 7-1/2 months old. She still likes to play in her exersaucer, but not for long... she really wants to get out and crawl around all the time.

Her favorite thing to do now (at 8-1/2 months old), is to crawl around and find little things to put in her mouth. She is getting really good at finding every little crumb or piece of lint. She's also (still) in love with ripping up paper and chewing on little bits of it. I think this is not only the natural baby urge to explore, but also part of her new-found love of eating and food. She wants to sample EVERYTHING, and she likes almost all the foods she tries. Of course, that might not be saying much, since she also seems to enjoy eating lint!

In this blog, I hope to keep a better record of her as she continues to grow and change so much every day. Wish me luck!