Belated Happy Holidays!

I know. I've been a bad blogger. I would promise to be better but that would be setting myself up for failure. In any event, above are some pictures from Christmas. We had a great time in Ohio visiting with everyone and being spoiled to death. Charlie has a full array of flashing, singing toys to play with (which we also get the joy of hearing as well). He definitely didn't completely "get" the gift-opening but he loved the excitement and everyone being in one place. Ironically enough, he also learned to say the word "wow" with a fair amount of wonder in his voice on Christmas Eve. So we heard "wow" from him with just about every gift that was open. At least it was an appropriate time to say it. Although his astonishment at my brother's spatula was a little overstated if you ask me. That definitely got the biggest "wow."

The poor thing kicked off the holidays with pink eye and an ear infection and then got a cold followed by the stomach bug. He battled through all of that while his molars were coming in. And now, he has another cold. I don't mean to brag, but Charlie is a bit of an overachiever when it comes to building his immune system. Which has led me to the Vitamin C addiction I've developed. (I know, it can be toxic in excess. No worries. I'm on a 12 step program). A word to the wise for any parents that haven't gone through the molar process yet. Obviously different for every kid, but Charlie was in a tremendous amount of pain and went through about 4 days where he threw awful temper tantrums. I will admit that it was scary and I ended up crying to our pediatrician at one point. So if you're child appears to be immitating a demon abruptly, give him some Motrin and a cold wash rag to suck on. I hope it goes smoother for the rest of you. I'm glad to report my smiling little man is back to his normal self.

As mentioned, Charlie is a full-fledged walker now. Correction - he's a runner. And usually in the opposite direction from us. Oh well. It's the best exercise I get!

First Haircut and Visit to Santa

From 2008-12

From 2008-12

From 2008-12

The Big Birthday!

Charlie's First Birthday Party

Well, the day finally arrived and our little (big) boy turned 1. Hard to explain exactly how fast the last year went. It was the blink of an eye but a total roller coaster ride that we absolutely loved. So fun to watch him grow and develop and I don't think I'll ever stop being amazed at how much happens with these little people. And we are blessed to get to watch it all.

Charlie had a wonderful first birthday party surrounded by his family and friends in Mass and his Sami and Papaw from Ohio as special guests. He goes to Ohio this week to celebrate with the rest of his family. He loved every minute of the party - he seems to like the center of attention. The video is long, but about 15 seconds in is a really cute part.

Updates: Charlie is officially walking. He went from taking 5-7 steps to really walking from place to place. He also spent his actual birthday getting his very first haircut! Okay, it was just a few snips but it cleaned up his strays quite a bit. Charlie also took his first trip to see Santa. I'll post a picture so you can see.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving 2008

Here are a few photos from Thanksgiving at our house. Apologies to the kids that weren't captured. Had to grab photos of whoever I could while chasing Charlie. It was a great time!

The Cure for a Bad Day

I'm not sure what came over Charlie at lunch today. He started hitting his tray on his high chair and I looked down at his hands and he thought it was hilarious. He was laughing like this for several minutes before I finally grabbed the camera to try to catch it. Priceless.

He's a walking man

Still haven't figured out how to edit video so sorry this is so long. If you are patient you can see Charlie practice taking steps, first around 2 minutes in and then again toward the end of the video. He also demonstrates a few of the tricks with his mouth - including his elephant noise that he learned at day care. Enjoy!

Eleven Months Old

 

Hard to imagine but Charlie turned 11 months old and his big birthday is a little over 4 weeks away. Big happenings - he took his first steps last week, walking for daddy last Friday and then showing mommy his stuff yesterday. He took 4 whole shaky, slow steps all on his own. It was exciting and terrifying all at the same time. When he is really walking there will be no limit for this kid - he is into *everything*. And he continues to eat very well. We are continually amazed at how much goes into his little body. All that much more fuel for when he starts running around the house. He is very interactive now, playing peek-a-boo and pretending to talk on the phone. He says "mama", "dada", "hi" and I'm not certain but sometimes it definitely sounds like he says "yep". He understands "no" but doesn't listen to it at all. And I am told by Randi (his daycare provider) that he engages with other kids more than most his age and sometimes more than the other children would like. Apparently he's not so into this concept of "parallel play." What can I say? He is a people person.

Charlie has been having a lot of fun visiting with friends. The picture above is of Charlie with Uncle Boyer. He is definitely a "guy's guy" as he always tends to gravitate toward men and loves to rough house. This weekend it is going to be a guy's weekend at 88 Pine Street as I head out for a girl's weekend with friends. I picture Charlie firmly planted on the couch watching Sports Center with his dad. Hardly! I picture Charlie crawling all over the living room trying to pull on all of the cords and eat everything on the floor until he eventually turns the TV off on Matt. Either way - good bonding time :)