Bookworm

We went to the playground yesterday morning for an hour. Always, we take the wagon. Charty had her cube of ice for the ride and her sippy cup of water. We pull in and I ask her if she's ready to play? Yes, she signs back 'play' but doesn't move. I sit down and we wait 5 minutes until she's feeling brave enough to climb out of the wagon and join in.

Huh....

We played, it was hot. She saw a pretty little girl with great big eyes. Charlotte waved 'hey' and the poked her right in the eye.

Today we went to the library. Columbus has a really nice library (I'm talking it has an atrium and a CAFE nice). The children's section has a great big reading circle with kid-size armchairs and bean bags and rockers. Maybe our girl is just a bookworm. There was no hesitation climbing out of the stroller (and it was her first time exploring the library) and she was gone. She didn't even look back to see if I was following. It took her no time at all to pick out a Big Bird book and head over to the reading circle. She tried out every chair in the circle and showed all of the big kids there her book. One little girl was reading to her brother and sister and Charlotte climbed right up into her lap to listen to the story. It was hysterical and the big kids loved her. I think it was because she was so impressed with their showing offs (jumping from footstool to furthest away bean bag). Then she plopped down and loudly "read" her book. Later, she tried to have a "conversation" with a lot of pointing and gesturing to a poor, little, confused 3 year old. It was tricky getting her out of there (after an hour) she didn't want to leave and she was tired and I certainly didn't want a tantrum in the library. It was remarkably quiet considering there were children jumping from footstools to bean bags. We walked out into the atrium together (I know!) and then we checked out out the books together. Okay, I'm not fooling anyone. The children's librarian handed Charty a touch and feel kitty cat book to distract her with.

We came home and read our books. 'Parts' was a huge hit. Then into the tub. After she got out she took off running out of her room, through the living, dining room, into the kitchen (buffnaked). I come behind calling her and 'AHHHHH' out she jumps from behind the cabinet! Oh, she scared me and she laughed so proud of herself. Her first time hiding and scaring me...I was pretty impressed.

Gymnastics tonight! Daddy's coming too!

Wild Animals

Well, I hope everyone had a nice Memorial Day. We did, Adam only had to work half a day! Or should I say, 'got to work half a day'...it's complicated...he's the boss so nobody was making him go in, but he knew no one else would be in (holiday) so he went to get a head start for the week. Now the rest of this week might not be so stressful because he got to go in for half a day yesterday. So, it was a nice holiday! We had to broil our burgers inside for lack of time for setting up the grill but other than that...it was nice. Oh who am I kidding? I bought the fatty hamburger, ground chuck, 40% fat or something so the burgers were delicious...probably would have even been delicious straight out of the microwave...Charty did not want anything to do with a hamburger but she did play with a bun and some ketchup. What distinguished tastebuds we're cultivating...

Noni & Popi had so much fun last week in their new mobile mansion that they decided to repeat and have another trip down to FDR State Park in Pine Mountain. Did you know there are beautiful mountains right in the middle of Georgia? Yep. Friday they came down to Columbus and Charlotte was so excited when we pulled in from our walk around the park and there was Jakob in her backyard and out the door come Noni & Popi. She didn't nap until 6:30 Friday but that's okay because her daddy didn't get home from work till 9pm.

Popi went and bought Charty a pool and it was fun until she realized she was lonely and maybe Eloise could join her. Well, okay, because Eloise is always hot and panting and needed some cooling off but that wasn't good enough, she wanted Moses in on the action. Eloise is too mild-mannered to jump out of the pool (right, I know) Moses is not. Moses says, no, I'd rather not and out he hops. Oh, Charlotte looks at me and grunts and points at Moses. Out of the pool she goes, round and round chasing the poor fellow. When he stops, she bends down and wraps her arms around him. Well, he knows what's coming so he squirms away. She'd grunt and whine and look at me and sign "HELP" (right hand makes a fist, left hand comes under and 'helps' right hand up). Poor Moses, he needs a vacation. Charty also has a habit of whenever she gets a treat (pop-ice, cookie, cheeto) she shows it to Moses until he tries to take a bite then she snatches it away and he has hurt feelings.





Well, the next day was Saturday and I was so excited because I figured we'd go to Callaway Gardens and see the butterflies and all the flowers and play on the "beach" and watch the Masters Waterski & Wakeboard Championship. First, we pulled into Noni & Popi's campsite. They had just gotten back from Wild Animal Safari in Pine Mountain and what fun they had. They had buffalo and cows and camels cramming their way into their jeep trying to get a bite of alfalfa purchased beforehand. Oh what an adventure. Sounded like fun, Adam says, let's go there! So we load up in my car with the promise that Popi will rent a nasty, dented, van from the outfitters so my car won't get dinted and nasty. There was a 2 hour wait for nasty dented vans. We go out with all the other hundreds of families into the 2:00 middle of the day, middle of Georgia heat (probably very similar to the Sahara). We're not really seeing any wild beasts. Most of them are snoozing in the shade, full from their large breakfast no doubt.


Hmmm...We finally see a camel and he came right up to my car (fantastic?) and we all got to shove alfalfa into his mouth and Charlotte could not believe her luck! A camel RIGHT UP to her window!



A few more animals obliged. We got to feed a zebra and a mustang, some real big cows? or steers? Charlotte didn't care for them and their big, ugly noses so much. My car made it through with only one muddy nose rub. I could have gone to see butterflies...

After that we went and had some delicious steaks at the campsite with a nice friendly my-marinade-is-better-than-yours father/son-in-law competition, some wine (to help that competition go down) and some cheesecake (I made). Charlotte was kind of like a wrecking ball in that camper, did not want to settle down. Bounced from one end to the other to the other until her daddy put in a Baby Einstein DVD. Then she went for a walk with Popi and into her carseat and she crashed right out.

While Adam was at work yesterday Charty and I went to make some returns. At Bestbuy there was this awful music blarring, I look at Charlotte to make a 'this is yuck' face and there she is, breaking it down, feelin' the beat.

Oh, I have discussed this with Charlotte's Ant Amber. I have become too dependent on Charty's car dvd. Worried I am. She sits and looks at that thing and zones completely out and won't look out the window or anything so I have said, enough. We don't turn it on anymore for short trips around town. We play music, thanks to Amber she has a nice collection of playhouse disney and ABBA that we, I mean she, really likes. Except that one, hip-hop kiddie rap song that we had playing a couple days ago with the windows all rolled down and right outside the window is a large group of high school homies and I looked over, head bopping, singing along (for Charlotte's benefit) and could have died as I drove away and realized what they saw and heard...

After supper last night we ran to Home Depot because Adam's work is NEVER done - at home or at the office (love you Adam) and Charlotte found a little USA flag and paraded it around the store. It was so sweet. A nice ending to a nice Memorial Day.

nite-nite baby Martha

Although Dr. Sears would discourage me I put Charlotte in time out when she won't go 'nite-nite'. We're really nice parents, very sensitive, nurturing and compassionate but when it's time to go to sleep, and I know she needs a nap but she's refusing to settle down I'll tell her, 'you can go nite-nite with mommy or you can go and play in your play pen' and I point at the bed and at the play pen. When I put her in the play pen I set the timer for 5 minutes and she usually screams the whole time. I'll go in and tell her 'I'm sorry, mommy knows best and it's time to go nite-nite and I hope she makes a good choice' and I'll point again at her two options and she'll point to the bed. Earlier today she had her naked baby Martha and she was "talking" to her and pointing at the bed and at the playpen. Oh it was so cute!!! And then she gives baby Martha kisses and pats on the head. The pats can get a little rough, just like they do with Moses & Eloise and that's why Adam needs to ease up on the patting, 'soft touch'. It's amazing how much she picks up from us. She still isn't talking really which makes it harder to be 'aware' of it, you know? But she's getting it...she's taking it ALL in...which is why, Adam, I made him change it off the dirty scenes in the movie we were watching last night on HBO and now aren't you glad?

So okay, baby crocs are the cutest. I wasn't going to get her any because they've got that rubber bottom that makes even Adam trip when they rub the floor and I didn't want her to fall. But she's constantly in and out and playing in the water and her keds were more wet last week than dry so she needed some water shoes. I saw some generic crocs at wal-mart for $5 and who can beat that and she loved them, WE loved them (way easy, I can rinse them in the sink and she doesn't need socks) but I then I got all worried because she's just walking and don't little ones need really good support for their developing feet? Yes. So, we found her some crocs today and she really likes them. Tiny crocs are harder to find than you might think...I was only able to find one pair in her size and they're pirates of the Caribbean and they're kind of ugly (I know, hard to imagine, ugly crocs (insert sarcasm here)) but they'll do the job.

I'm sorry. I can't stop laughing...I keep envisioning Adam in crocs, tripping across the kitchen ...

So speaking of my wonderful husband and how funny and cute he is even tripping across the kitchen: this happens alot, I fall in love with him all over again. Last night we went on a walk around the park. I kept going on and on about how what we really needed to be doing was running and how nothing will help his stress level like running but we were full and not wanting to get sweaty and I'd had a glass of wine and Charlotte was happy and content riding on her daddy's back in the ergo. Wonderful evening if Eloise hadn't been along barking and nipping at runners passing us. So, skip all that - fast forward to the end of our walk. Adam is talking about something important and I'm not focused - I'm looking at him (he's walking backwards facing me for a second) and he looks so much like the Adam I met 9 years ago working at summer camp. His hair is all shaggy, he's got a backpack on strapped across his chest and his waist only it's not really a backpack, it's Charlotte, our daughter, in her carrier and my breath caught and tears swam in eyes and I love him so much...SO much...and how we have grown up together - he has grown up to be my hero and my best friend. And now he'll be mortified, but not really, because I've put this on the blog.

Charlotte shopped with me today in her stroller and didn't make a peep. Yay! And Tuesday when we went to the library she fell asleep in her stroller, she was that relaxed and it wasn't even nap time. (She has gone probably 6 months without liking the umbrella stroller and wanting to be out out out & walking, okay really only 2 or 3 but it felt like 6) And all the old ladies commented on how well she was keeping her hair bow in. I was so proud.

Oh, i don't know...summer fun!

Adam gave Charlotte her first case of poison ivy. I managed to make it 26 years before I got poison ivy - Charty got her's within her first two years of life. She wouldn't stop scratching it. I called Nurse 1, they said hydrocortisone and benadryl. Charlotte and I headed out to Wal-Mart 10:30 last Monday night. Big adventure. I know I could have gotten Adam up out of bed...he told me and told me...but it was an adventure for Charlotte and what else would we have done? Except sit there and scratch. Next day, to try and keep her from scratching it I covered the area with Dora the Explorer Band-Aids. We put them on Baby Martha too. I turned on Barney, hopped in the shower. When I finished up and pulled back the curtain, there's Moses, sitting on the rug - completely defeated - covered in Dora the Explorer Band-Aids...

We found a new pediatrician. I wasn't sure if I'd like him...didn't like his nurse. I have a thing out for pediatric nurses. Charlotte has dropped to 75th percentile in height and weight. She's weighed 26 pounds now for about 5 months and she keeps getting taller and taller. I was prepared not to like the pedi so I laid it all out on the line: yes, we're still nursing, she sleeps with us, I feed her M&M's, I hardly ever use sunscreen AND I'm concerned about vaccines and want to look into an alternative schedule. Just tell me I'm wrong doctor, I'm all ready to walk out and never come back anyway...But he didn't. He was thrilled that we were attachment parents, that I'm still nursing and went on and on about how fantastic that is. After that, I was all ears to everything else he had to say. We talked all about the vaccine controversy...I feel much better and we'll continue on with recommended vaccine schedule (all you grandparents can relax). He's telling me how great I am and I'm enjoying every second of the visit until I tell him - by the way, I'm enrolling her in Pre-K starting in August, 2 days a week, 4 hours a day for her socialization and education. He tells me, 'no, I don't think you should do that. That is a bad idea.' He wants me to hold off at least 2 years on that and enroll her instead in gymnastics and take her to the park and church to meet other kids. (BTW if you're not ASL fluent, that's a picture of Charlotte signing "candy" - now, tell me, would you be able to deny that little bit of precious M&M'swhen she's running around doing that?!)

The next day we had our first gymnastics class! SHE LOVED IT!!!

http://www.my-gym.com/

We have another class this afternoon when she wakes up from her nap.

Popi's birthday was Saturday and we had a big party for him! It was so much fun but that cake gave me fits. Drives me crazy, baking cakes, they never turn out right...I woke up in the middle of the night to check on that stupid thing and sure enough, the icing had run...

Noni & Popi took their new camper out and stayed in Warm Springs, near Callaway and then drove in for the party. Later that evening we drove down to have dinner at their campsite. It was a beautiful evening and Charty had a blast! That's her idea of fun - being OUTSIDE, running around and exploring. Then, since we didn't have her booster, she got to eat her dinner sandwiched between mommy & daddy, perched on the cake Tupperware.

The next day was Sunday - we went to church, a new church, which shall remain nameless since we didn't like it and Charty didn't like the nursery. We'll keep looking...But we went! Yay us!

Arts in the Park was across the street and we went over there as a family after church and Charlotte got out of her stroller and toddled, no RAN after every dog she could see. We let her pet some shelties...what, shelties are almost always a safe bet...

Later, we went back to listen to some music. Charty woke up from her nap and wanted a brown cow, chocolate covered ice cream bar. I gave her one, stuck her in the wagon and away we went. We were there two minutes when some old men came up to her in the wagon and started laughing and telling her, 'yes, ma'am, sugah, wallah' in it - that's whuchu s'pose do with ice cream' I turn around and sure enough, she has taken the chocolate off the stick and is rubbing it all over herself. I was mortified. Meanwhile, all these little girls behaving themselves just like little dolls in their hand-smocked dresses all around us. Luckily, our house was 15 seconds from where we were so we ran got a washcloth.

Charty got to play in the sprinkler last week. First time - BIG fun! She wasn't sure at first but before we were finished she ran through it.

I painted her bathroom last week, thought I'd take advantage of her being on Benadryl at nap time. Sea-Green - What a mess, what a disaster and right in the middle of it, like out of a dream almost, the painter we'd hired for the exterior shows up to talk to me about the color, or something, I said, 'thank god you're here, come in her and tell me how much you'd charge to finish my little girl's bathroom'. He's great, now - let me just say, very courteous and professional, takes his job very seriously. When I showed him the bathroom and what I had done so far I thought he was having a coughing fit - hand flew up to his mouth and he turned his back. No....no.....he was laughing at me...at my hard work...

So, he gave me his estimate for that and our room and bathroom and the trim in the living room and I said, 'oh don't you worry, I'm going to call you with the colors, I know I can talk my husband into it', you know with a little wink, trying to convince myself I'm one of those women that has the power to talk her husband into whatever she wants... And that evening after Adam got home and told me no, absolutely not, well, I was a little depressed and down on myself for not being one of those women...

But I do have a BMW, ahem...

Mother's Day

Mother's Day was a sweet day this year. We celebrated with Noni on Saturday, had boiled peanuts and daiquirs (Popi made Charty her own frozen cup of fresh limeade) and toured their new camper they got (for retirment adventures!) - Adam calls it the 'mobile mansion' it's pretty fancy. Then we went out to dinner and Charlotte devoured a bowl of cheese dip. We had coffee and coffee cake with Noni Sunday morning, stuck Charty in a dress and hair bow and headed to her Aunt & Uncle's house to celebrate Mother's Day with Gigi.

Apparently, some nasty storms came through Saturday night - some tornadoes. Adam said Ellenwood (where he grew up) was even on CNN! Amber & Bob were without power fixing up a homemade lunch for all of us. But you never would have guessed it! Their house sits amongst whole bunches of trees, and it was so bright and breezy through the windows. The food was delicious! Charlotte had a bunch of fun with her sweet cousins, Violet & Tori. Violet was so sweet and shared all her toys and Tori is always a sweetheart. There was lots to do, lots to explore. She was exhausted when we left - zonked right out...

Everything was so nice, we enjoyed getting to spend time with everbody! Happy Mother's Day Noni, Gigi, Kiki & Amber!

Growing Up

My observation of the Toddler II class at Wynnton Methodist went really well. The children were precious and so curious to who Charlotte was and whether or not she could come and play with them. They were all eating lunch together and they recited their colors for us. They didn't want us to leave! Charty was a little shy but she also wanted down to go play - conflicted. She did not want to leave and while we were sitting in the director's office she kept pointing at the door and tugging on my arm. We went over how old all of the kids would be that were already enrolled for fall term and talked about whether I'd want her to take a special music class (I do!) It hit me suddenly, I don't want Charlotte missing out on all of this socialization, all of this fun. At home she's in a mommy-daddy-charty cocoon and she needs to get out.

In Savannah we had Allison & Carrie and we saw them all the time! But here, well, we haven't found a play group yet. And any lingering doubts I had were put away when I pulled out my trusty 'Touchpoints' and read that at 18 months a regular play group is critical for developing minds! That even though children of this age won't necessarily interact while they play, they parallel play and seem to pick up behaviors from peripheral vision. A child learns more about themselves from a peer than they can from mommy & daddy. Play is crucial! So, she's enrolled...she starts in August...2 days a week, 4 hours a day - eventhough she's so little still!

This age is so terrific. I mean, the best because she's still little and sweet and let's me love all over her but she is perfectly content to play by herself too. I can also talk to her, and reason with her a bit - and she's beginning to understand consequences. She's still not talking much - with regular words of 'ice', 'elmo', 'ada'/'dada', 'mama'. She has been having big fun outside on her slide! And at her water table. (what was I thinking? I change her outfit 7 times a day)

We go for a walk everyday after lunch and bath, before nap time. We bring Moses & Eloise. Eloise has started riding in the basket of the stroller this week...it's been so hot.

Charty has been carrying around baby Martha, trying to feed her crackers and loving on her. Kisses have been big this week. She has a princess chair and a princess place mat (Adam was appalled that I bought a tacky, pink velour princess chair (it has snow white and cinderella and sleeping beauty on it) but Charty loves it and has been giving them kisses. Glo-Worm gets kisses as well.

Adam sent me flowers for Mother's Day. 'One for every hour I selflessly devout to him & Charlotte' (24-wink) Sweet, huh?

Gotta go, painter's coming and I'm still in my pj's.

To school or not to school?

Mommy's Morning Out sounds lovely, doesn't it? Oh, it does! It sounds refreshing and peaceful and glamorous. So, I decided to look into it. We're living in a nice area with lots of nice churches so I called a few up. The flow with the regular school year and Charlotte wouldn't be able to start until August. She'll be 18 months in August which would put her in toddler 2 class. The recommend nothing shy of 2 days a week, from 9am-1pm and they do art and signing and music everyday!

Decided to go and visit a couple of these programs. Charty is clinging to me, wondering, should I get down and play with those toys or should I stay in mommy's arms? She stayed.

The first church was fantastic. Super nice people, super-nice facility. I was walking out and I said to the director, I don't know, she just seems so young still - this will be really hard for me. She says to me, I know, what you mean, I kept mine home with me until they were 3 years old - at this age, this will be more for you than for her.

And there it was. GUILT

So I call Katy, of course, my child development expert. Fabulous job, Counselor Katy, you were gentle and honest and forthcoming and diplomatic. But I heard you, loud and clear: At 18 months, children are still 'me focused'. She won't start reaping benefits socially until she's 3 years old. At that point, she'll interact and engage with other children. (At 18 months she'll play near them and they'll try and take each other's toys and other children will be mean to Charlotte Rose and she won't be able to tell the teacher!) Preschool is beneficial for 4 year olds, primarily, but if you start them younger than that, say 3 years old, they'll be able to adapt more readily to preschool and gain that much more out of it. But, Ang, it would be great for you and it certainly won't harm Charlotte. It won't necessarily help her in any way, but it won't harm her. Then she's quiet for a minute. Letting it sink in. (She totally knows I'm not going to go through with it.)

I don't think I can do it. She's still a baby and she needs her mommy. We'll see...

What I would really like is 1 day a week for 2 hours. All this 8 hours a week business is just crazy, really.

But guess what we did Sunday? We went to church. We arrived 30 minutes early so we could get Charty settled in the nursery. They had 4 different nursery rooms (wow) all age-appropriate and Ernestine took Charlotte right out of my arms and started walking around, introducing her. Then someone else handed Adam a pager and shooed us away. When church was finished, we ran back to the nursery as fast as we could and there's our little angel, rocking away on a Little Tykes seahorse, bow crooked.