Happy Easter

This will be quick. We're packing again...

Closing went well last week. We made it into our new house and started unboxing. Jeanne came to help us, Charlotte went to the zoo with Noni & Popi and had a BIG time! She loved the elephants.

The Easter Bunny came and visited her in Columbus, bringing along a new wagon for the park. He also sprinkled bunches of eggs in our new backyard (which Charlotte and Moses & Eloise love) for her to find. She found one, and that was enough for her.

We're back in Savannah, boxing up, and we'll hit the road for home again tomorrow.

Big Day Here

So the big day is finally, almost here.

We close in Columbus tomorrow morning.

We're excited - but feeling a little bit melancholy and nostalgic about leaving this place. I have decided to embrace sadness when it's necessary...I think it is a productive and essential emotion that helps...usually it only lasts a couple of minutes but I'm trying it out - the embrace-ment of it. It seems like we live in a society where it is not okay to be sad, well, I've decided that it's good! Helps with depth of character.

We're going to miss our friends here and Savannah itself. For those of you that didn't make it down to stay with us: I'm really sad for you. Savannah is as beautiful as the set of a movie. You couldn't imagine a more beautiful city and one with so much history.

Charlotte had a spend-the-night-party last Thursday night when Carrie & Allison came. We went for a run at Forsyth, let the girls play on the playground (Charlotte's first time on the slide), let them run around in the azaleas, then headed home for supper. The following morning was the parade (see post below). Chris & Aubrey came down Friday night and stayed through the weekend. (It was St. Patty's Day weekend, after all) and River St. is our equivalent to Mardi Gras, I guess. I did not imbibe, thank you very much, but I can say with certainty that everyone else got River Faced on Shit Street and I'm going to leave it at that boys. They did come back for a bit to take Charlotte and me to dinner (we finally ate at Firefly down on Troupe and like everyone says, it was divine).

Chris & Aubrey brought their little Yorkie, Darla, and Charlotte had so much fun with her! She's tiny and so precious. Moses & Eloise take Charlotte very seriously and are more like babysitters than playmates. Not Darla...she thought Charlotte was big time fun. She would chase Charlotte and Charlotte would chase her, round and round the table, Charlotte squealing and laughing. Charlotte would take Darla's toy and refuse to give it back.

It was a fun weekend.

We'll be spending Easter in Columbus - Charlotte's first egg hunt, and we're doing it up big time. Jeanne is going to come down to help us unpack this weekend. Mom & Dad are taking Charlotte to the zoo. I think she'll have a bit more fun this time. She's gotten to where she likes to stop and watch the pigeons when we're strolling around. She's also been trying real hard to say 'flower' - how can she not?!?! They're everywhere here!

Charlotte can climb into all of the chairs...quite proudly and she has taken off on Phonz(ebra)

Yay St. Patty's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! We're wearing the green here!

To help celebrate Charlotte had her first spend-the-night-party! Her friend, Allison, came over with her mommy, Carrie and we all had a big time!

Suites on Lafayette is on the parade route. The streets, sidewalks and squares were packed and it was a little scary. Luckily, we were able to sit in the big windows in the building next door (still part of Lafayette) and the girls had a front row seat without all of the trouble. It was SUPER! Charlotte & Allison were clapping and dancing and waving. We watched for about 2 1/2 hours and then we had to leave to fix the girls some lunch...the parade was still marching on!

Big Girl Eats!

She is eating like a big girl! Adam & I were so excited. We went out to dinner Friday night to a Mexican restaurant. I didn't bring any toys and I didn't bring any snacks (if you're a mother to a toddler you realize how big a deal this is). She sat in her booster seat with her sippy cup. She ate some chips and salsa (loves salsa) and then she ate her taco and her rice and her beans. (YIPPEE! HOORAY! WAHOO!) We were so proud of her.

Moses is always around. He follows me wherever I go, thus, he's always with Charlotte. Well, last week she decided he needed some clothes on. She picked two pairs of pants out of the dirty clothes basket and drapped them over Moses and then stood back and laughed. Well, he would pull an ol' Eeyore, wait a few seconds and try to wander off, inconspicuously. The clothes would fall off, Charlotte would laugh, run to pick them up and do it all over again. It was so funny - and Moses looked so miserable but he kept it up. She also likes to brush his hair...or more accurately, whack him with my hairbrush. (She doesn't really whack him but it sure isn't what you'd call brushing and notice I said 'my hairbrush'.) Moses is a good boy. Right now Charlotte's laying down taking a nap and Moses is in bed with her, snuggled right up next to her, tight as he can get.

We had big plans to go to the 'greening of the fountain' at Forsyth. But wouldn't you know it...we got rained out - tornado warning and all. We made the best of it, though. I kept telling Charlotte we couldn't go outside (she signs outside) because it was raining and it stuck me...she doesn't know what rain is. So, I put her in her rain gear and set her out in the rain (no tornado came to Savannah). Charlotte was big time!

Taking the dogs for a walk is a favorite thing to do. I wonder how long before Charlotte is embarrassed, as her parents already are, of Eloise's constant barking and leash-attacking. If she sees a dog out on a walk, Eloise will bark and then attack her leash. It's quite dramatic. I can Cesar her, walk her on a high collar with a leash but usually my hands are too full with Moses and stroller. The problem is fixable, though. Anywho...Charlotte knows when it's time to go for a walk and will go get 'Mo-Ellie' leash and drag it around until I attach them to it. Adam no longer can sneak out of the house without Charlotte for the dog's evening constitutional either. Where Mo-Ellie goes, Charlotte goes...

Charlotte's Gigi came for a visit this weekend. We had big plans to go to Tara Feis, an Irish Festival and watch River dancing but it was so blustery, we couldn't go. We got close to the river and a huge gust came through and nearly 'pigleted' us (we've been watching winnie the pooh) so we turned around and headed for home. But before we got there we stopped at the cupcake emporium and then let Charlotte toddle in Chippewa Square. I was going to let her explore the monkey grass but was stopped by Adam and Jeanne. Apparently that's where dogs poop. I played in it when I was a kid (poop-free monkey grass, that is).

Then, because the sun is always shining in Colonial cemetery, Charlotte got to toddle all over. This will probably creep her out when she's older, but she had a fun time on Saturday.

Maybe this will make up for it: Charlotte, you are an absolute doll and everywhere we go people comment on how gorgeous and precious you are. At supper on Saturday night a woman stopped, squated down to your level and told you, face to face, just how beautiful you were. On Sunday, we were leaving Mellow Mushroom and a table full of college kids (girls and guys), your daddy and I overheard them, started all talking about how ADORABLE you were toddling down the street, friendly and happy to all...We are so proud of you already.

I had a hard time getting into the shower today because whenever I started to Charlotte would run up to me in her 'Well-Behaved Cowgirls Seldom Make History' t-shirt and frantically sign 'nurse mommy please' (oh my gosh, it's the cutest thing ever!!!). She did it 5 times. Finally I signed back to her, 'nurse mommy all done'. 'Please' in ASL is palm rubbing a circle over your heart but Charlotte rubs her belly and wiggles her hips.

Charlotte got a dolly stoller. She LOVES it. For things other than baby Martha. She collects things in it: YOu know, remote, gloworm, book, cup, whatever!

14 months is so much fun!

We've found another house, we're under contract again - home inspection was done yesterday, all is well! This house is also on the park, just on the other side of the park and it's bigger. We close March 20. We'll be moving on in three weeks. Man, we're going to miss Savannah. Especially this time of year, Savannah is really a beautiful city. All of the azaleas are in bloom - the weather is fantastic. Now that we've got a house in Columbus and can stop worrying about that, we can just enjoy these last few weeks here. I cannot walk around Savannah without marveling at how beautiful a city it is and how lucky everyone that lives here is...




OH, 14 months is fun! I mean, I know all moms say 'I love this age' well, I don't...I have certainly not said that about every age thus far. 4 months, tough, 7 months, hard, 12 months, exhausting, 14 months, great (and every month in between there pretty good as well). But this really is a fun age. She's walking, so she's much more independent and I can communicate with her, and we know how to make her laugh (so cute) and she's funny and does the most precious little things!



We took Charlotte and went to Tybee over the weekend. It was beautiful in the city, nice and warm but it was freezing out on the beach! Charlotte got to spend all of 5 minutes out there but loved it! She was so tickled to be in the sand. Hopefully, it will be warm enough to take her back before we move.




She had her vaccines last week. I started reading about an alternative vaccination schedule a smidgen too late but I did talk to her pediatrician about it. I'm just a little weary of overburdening her with too much at once. It was her 12 month and we only did 2 vaccines. Alternative schedule is kind of just stretching them out over a longer period and never giving more than 2 at one time. With all the controversy surrounding autism and vaccines, just to ease my conscious, if for nothing else, we're going to go with a more alternative approach.





It was awful. Charlotte was terrified. I know that her hospitalization in December has left her traumatized. She's 25 pounds, 30.5" - her length has finally caught up with her weight, she's in the 90th percentile for both and for head circumference. Charlotte is pretty proficient with her 'no's and her 'yes's (she shakes and nods) and she kept telling the doctor 'no'. When he asked if she wanted a book she nodded 'yes' and when he said, 'I'm going to leave now, bye bye Charlotte' she nodded, 'yes' and waved bye bye. She also used a good bit of her sign language while we were there (he was impressed) and surprised too, when she started the very obvious sign for 'nurse mommy' and when I ignored her request started trying to pull my shirt up. Suprised because I guess it's rare to find a mommy still nursing at 14 months? He said, 'oh, you're still nursing?!? Oh...I mean, that's wonderful! Good for you! How long do you plan on doing that?' He's a doctor, for the love of grapefruit! It's natures most perfect food and it's stock full of goodness, and Charlotte loves to nurse and it's keeping me in size 2's. But, you know, a bit unconventional in this country - which to me is sad.





Charlotte's sign language has suddenly taken off! She knows:

• more


• please


• dog biscuit


• drink


• candy


• bath


• all finished


• open


• help


• nurse mommy


• ball

Oh, it's just the cutest! And it's so much fun...

Charlotte loves Moses & Eloise. We wake up in the morning and she rubs her little eyes and stretches. I'll say, 'Charlotte, where's Mo Ellie?' and she scrambles up, with a great big smile on her face, turns around and slides off the bed to go let them out of their crate. They're about to pop from all of the dog biscuits and have started refusing Charlotte's generosity. So, the other day, I caught her sitting in their dog bed, munching on a biscuit.

I think the only words she says on a regular basis are: Mama, Dada, Mo, open (o-en), all done (ah ah ah d) but she knows a bunch of words...

Today I've started working with her on 'blow kisses'

She really likes to wear bowls, or Tupperware, on her head. Even if she can't see, she wants them on her head. She has also started eating really well. She loves salsa! I mean, big time loves salsa. She loves pinto beans and black eyed peas and olives...and ice cubes. The last couple of days for lunch she's had cheese & salsa quesadillas. Today she had tuna fish and she liked that a bunch.

She's so smart! I can ask her where just about any of her toys are and she'll find them (even Elmo and we had never even practiced Elmo's name!) and go show them to daddy. She's only 14 months but can already follow directions like a big girl. Of course, she's started getting into big girl trouble too...like unrolling rolls of toilet paper and shoving them into the toilet to watch mommy make them go 'bye bye'.