Big News

When I go this long without posting - know that when I do post I'll have some exciting things to report for sure...lots happens in 2 weeks when you're learning everything new for the first time.

Our trip to Columbus 2 weeks ago was successful - we bought a house! It was the house I found the first time we visited Columbus in November and fell in love with. Our realtor told me then, if it's the right house for ya'll - it'll wait. And wait it did. Which is good for seveal reasons: (1) it got a new roof; (2) it got painted.

The house is in the historic/park district section of Columbus - it sits right on Lakebottom Park. It is just precious - it was built in 1931 but fully restored in 2007 so it's kind of like a brand new house with a whole lot of charm. It's a cape cod something or other bungalow. We're thrilled. Charlotte & I looked at about 40 houses all over Columbus and this is the one she liked the most too. It's also only 11 miles from Ft. Benning and only about a mile from the Hooch.

When were at Noni & Popi's house, all she wanted to do was walk around outside, pick up Jakob's nasty ball and carry it with her, laugh at Jakob catching his ball and at Eloise and Moses barking at Jakob. She also would get real tickled with walking down the hills in the yard real fast.

She loves her squeaky shoes. If she's barefooted she'll wander over to her bottom drawer and find her squeaky shoes and try to put them on her feet. We'll be walking around the squares here in Savannah and every dog within a 4 block radius is trying to find out where that squeak is coming from.

Yesterday I walked her little hienie away from our square, Lafayette Square over to Madison where there is no fountain (she loves the fountain at Lafayette and will spend hours picking up little leaves and acorns, walking over to the fountain, asking mama for help, sitting on the side of the fountain and dropping her leaves and acorns, one at a time, REPEAT) usually I'm all for it for about an hour maybe but yesterday I had on an old pair of too-big, ripped jeans and every time I bent over to lift her onto the side of the fountain, I heard them rip a little more, so we moved on over to Madison Square wher I hoped to not have to do so much squating. It's where all the dogs and all the art students are. There was a sweet spaniel named Erin, a therapy dog, that had just finished visiting the pediatric ward of the hospital, we got to visit with her for a while, until I became aware, once again, of my ripped jeans and decided it best to move on and leave Erin and her person to read and watch squirrels in peace. Charlotte threw an all out hissy fit and we disturbed every art student there, I just know it. I saw one girl get up and throw away her sketch. But I saw it as she was throwing it in the trash and man it was good! These SCAD students must have high expectations, it was all I could do not to reach on in that trash can and pull it out for myself!

Thanks to everyone for the Valentine's cards...Charlotte LOVES her cards. They're all lined up on the mantel and she points to them one at a time for me to get down for her and then she holds them and looks at them.

She got a new book about belly buttons, her favorite body part. She likes to hold her baby doll, Martha, while we read the story and then she finds Martha's belly button and hers and mommy's.
Charlotte found a plastic bowl in the kitchen cabinets. She enjoys going through the drawers and cabinets big time while I do whatever it is I so in the kitchen. It fits on her head just right, kind of like a derby. Now she wears that bowl everywhere, she doesn't want to be without it. It's kind of like a helmet, so that's good. As much as that girl stumbles I'm glad she's making safety a priority.

Corn on the cob has been a huge hit here lately. As I suppose it should considering she's got a great big ole' mouth full of teeth. As are Mac & cheese and ants on a log (see photo below)

Charlotte is so sweet. Every once in a while I start thinking we're doing something right. My hope is to raise her to be compassionate, happy and secure. She's friendly too and I wouldn't say shy but more coy; she seems to make friends wherever we go. She waves and smiles - it's cute at the grocery store and standing in line at the post office but every once in a while she waves and smiles at the homeless man talking to himself. And upon engaging him out of his monologue he'll wander over and begin a dialogue with us...I hope there are no homeless people in Columbus. That's not P.C. is it? Well, I don't know what else to say...I'm not ready to start teaching her about stranger danger...She's just a baby after all...a walking baby...