Merry, Merry Christmas!

It's Christmas. I've always loved this time of year, but this year I feel especially grateful and in awe of life and people. Just so much to say and so little time to write.

Some of the traditions that have come about for us are:
Decorating Christmas cookies (and of course set some out for Santa)
Getting together with good friends on Christmas Eve (hopefully this tradition will stick)
Looking at lights on Christmas Eve
Having panettone french toast on Christmas morning
Staying in our pajamas all day on Christmas

OK, that last one is not a tradition. Well, not officially. But, I'm working on getting it on the list. I managed to keep on my flannels until about 3pm this year. Not bad.

This year, we're so happy to have 'Baby Joss' with us. She took a little nap through the opening of most of the gifts, but when she woke up she was the only one with presents left to open. So she didn't have to feign excitement for others while they were opening their gifts. Sleepy, or totally smart? ;-) This year was also a lot of fun because Charlie is starting to understand the concept of Christmas and a fat man in a fluffy red suit who lands his reindeer on your roof and comes down your chimney and eats your cookies and brings you presents for no reason. I don't know why that's a hard concept for a toddler to grasp. But after he saw the shiny new train table he was a believer.

Here's a little video Brian took of Charlie coming downstairs and seeing his presents on Christmas morning.

Happy Birthday Joss - 4 Months Old Today!

Well, that was fast - Joss is already 4 months old!
And, Charlie has stopped hitting her! (for now ;-)
So many things to celebrate. ;-)

She just had her doctor's appointment and we got some good stats:
Weight: 16lbs, 12oz (97th percentile)
Height: 26 inches (96th percentile)

That's my girl!

As for her personality, she's very smiley and loves to laugh, especially when you tickle her tummy or make a silly face. She is totally enamoured with Charlie. She giggles and coos and does her best to get his attention. And he enjoys pretending not to notice because he's a big boy with lots of big boy things to do. ;-)

Charlie Choo Choo Turns Two!

So, Charlie turned 2!! I can't even believe it. We had a train-themed party, um, of course. The kid is obsessed with trains. I know lots of kids go through a train phase, but I swear he's taken it to another level. I think he's a lot like his dad....those of you who know Brian well know what I mean. ;-) I mean, he's REALLY into them. As a mom, I'm getting a little concerned and wondering if I should do a little research on train conductors, see how much they earn, etc. Can't hurt.
In the meantime, Charlie and his friends had a blast at his party. I'm just enjoying these years when it still takes so little to make them so happy. The cupcake choo choo train was a huge hit. Maybe too much of a hit. Charlie ate so much of it that he was up until 9pm (and normal bedtime is 7:30). Oh well, birthdays only happen once a year. Thank god. ;-) Happy Birthday Charlie Choo Choo! We love you!
See more pics from the mayhem, I mean party, on our shutterfly site (click green link on the right and look in the December photos.

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree!

This year we decided to chop our own tree instead of going to Bob's Tree Barn or some crap place that sets up in the parking lot of the local grocery store and sells trees that can't even pretend they're fresh long enough to contain their needles until you get it loaded on your car. Well, we almost got there. We didn't cut our own tree down, but we did go to a place where they cut it down for you on the spot AND as a bonus Brian kept all his fingers and was able to take this photo.

PhotoShoot at Flower World

We had our first pro photos done since Joss' arrival on November 14 at Flower World in Snohomish, WA. We didn't know this place existed before this. It is a beautiful nursery on acres of land. It's a gorgeous display of Northwest beauty. We had a good time and everyone cooperated, which was nice because when I booked it Joss wasn't born, so I didn't know what I'd be in for. ;-)
So family peeps, all the photos are on our Shutterfly page. If you see one you like and want to order a professional print, let me know and I can get it for you through our photographer.

Joss Finds Her Voice

Smile, Baby!

This is a pretty cute video. We've gotten bigger smiles, but you take what you can get when the video camera is out. Enjoy!

Bathing Beauty

Joss is finally able to hold her head up a little bit, so we could bathe her without the sling in the baby tub. And she liked the bath soooo much better! Before she used to cry through the entire thing, but now she looks like she just wants a glass of Merlot and a trashy novel to complete her experience. Fabulous!




The End!

Hollaaaaa! Joss is Two Months Old!

So, Joss had her 2 month check up on Monday, October 18. Brian and I guessed how much she would weigh and we weren't even close. She's a very 'healthy' 13lbs 8 oz! The doctor, of course, is happy with this weight gain. I had some questions; she's in the 96th percentile, for goodness sake! He assured me that the growth charts they use are outdated (um, good?) and that by today's standards, she's more like 75th percentile. Hmmmm...
Nonetheless, she's healthy and happy. Charlie is going through, let's call it an 'adjustment period.' He seems to love his baby sister. Every time she wakes up from a nap or when he sees her first thing in the morning, he says, "Heeere comes Baby Joss," like Ed McMahon. But, then after he says it a few times, it starts to sound more like Jack Nicholson in the Shining, "Wendy, I'm hooome." (reee reee reee (those are scary horror movie knife sounds)) and that is usually accompanied with the burning desire to hit her. Sigh. :-( But, we're working through it. I'm sure it will be a short-lived phase because Charlie is sweeter than red rum!
We are so happy to have Aunt Deb and Aunt Patti visiting right now. They are naturals with both babies and we wish they could just move to Seattle and stay with us. We're trying to convince Deb that she really should think about nanny as a post-retirement career. She and Joss have their own special bond, which is super cute. Patti is going to start work on a Rosetta Stone edition of 'Charlie speak,' as soon as she figures out why he is saying Haagen-daz, Mohammed and algorithm all the time. The kid baffles us. ;-) At least mom understands what he's saying (most of the time).

Alphabits for breakfast

Charlie decided to bust out the alphabet this morning, totally unprompted. Believe me, I don't ask for performances before 7am. ;-)

One Month Already!

(Well, last weekend, actually. But we were a little busy to post)

So, Miss Joselyn is the big 1 Month! It's been a month of joy, excitement, learning and adjustment. Joss is a pretty good sleeper and a total sweetheart. She's happy to eat and sleep and lie on her back and watch the chaos around her. ;-) Just kidding, she really likes to listen to her mobile and just gaze at her crazy family. She's very zen and composed for a one-month-old. Maybe we'll learn something from her? ;-)
Charlie has been dealing with this new situation very well. For the first couple days, he wasn't sure. Then he decided he really liked "Baby Joss" and he insists on kissing her before he kisses me or Brian. Lately, however, he's gotten a little ... let's say curious and not so careful. He walks up to her very calmly and then pokes her in the eye or pushes on her tummy. You've got to pay close attention because he does it with ninja-like tactics. ;-)
And, Joss has provided some entertainment too! A couple weeks ago, I was feeding her and Charlie walked up with his cup of milk and did "Cheers!" with her. It was adorable. Another time, in a story that was funny for me, but maybe not for Charlie - we were all in Charlie's room and I was sitting on the floor feeding Joss. I had to get up and put her on the changing table and I forgot to pick up the bottle. When I turned around, Charlie was taking it out of his mouth (with a sour expression on his face ;-). I said, "See, that's formula. Not milk. Yucky, huh?" Needless to say, we haven't had a problem with Charlie coveting Joss' food anymore.
We live, we eat formula, we learn. Right Aunt Melissa? ;-)

Welcome Baby Joss!

This picture was taken when she was just 1 week old, but she is 2 weeks old today! She had her well baby doctor visit and she's back up to her fighting weight and then some - she's now 9lbs 11oz!

Getting Ready for the Newest Baby Pea...

We're so excited! Just days to go until we meet our petit pea!

We finally finished Josselyn's room, with less than 2 weeks until Michelle's due date! To say things are a litle different this time around is an understatement. I think we had Charlie's room all put together 4 months before he was born!
Anyway, the room turned out quite pink, much to my surprise. But, with a cherry blossom theme, I should have known! But, we love it. There are more pictures on our Shutterfly site. Just click on the link to the right to see more.

A Big Day for C

Last Saturday, August 7, Charlie turned 20 months!! So we celebrated by getting him a big boy haircut. Man, he looks about 10 years old now! People keep saying he's going to look soooo big when the baby arrives. We're wondering how much older/bigger he can look. Is he going to start sporting a 5 o'clock shadow? Can I buy a baby Remington at Babies R Us? Hmmm... things to ponder. In the meantime, check out the pics on our Shutterfly site of our handsome young man!

Safety First!

Last weekend I picked up a toolbox for Charlie, complete with all the cool tools, a toolbelt, and as you can see, safety goggles. Needless to say, Charlie really liked the goggles. I thought he'd hate wearing them. Um, nope. So, for now, I guess we'll do goggle-friendly activities. Maybe I'll take him swimming tomorrow.....

It's almost summertime! (And C's almost 18 months old!!)

Ahhh, June in Seattle. Highs in the 50s, rain everyday, and gray clouds. Hmmmm...sounds vaguely familiar, doesn't it?
Well not today. The sun decided to come out (finally), so Charlie's been outside on his bike all morning. Now he's taking a nice long recovery nap. Then this afternoon he's having his friends over for a BBQ. He loves to entertain. ;-)
We can't believe he'll be 18 months old in just two days! Everyone says that he's going to look so big when the little one is born. I already think he looks huge. But, what's crazier is how old he SEEMS. He just acts like he knows exactly what he wants to do and why he should do it. (Well, maybe not always why... ;-)
Neither Brian nor I know babies/kids at all so every stage is truly an eye-opening experience (as our moms and sisters can tell you, as we call them all the time for a sympathetic ear, advice, or just to hear them say 'yeah, that's normal.')
Anyway, the next three videos are some of Charlie going on 18 months, going on 10 years old. ;-) Enjoy!

Feeding time is a zoo!

It's Fun to Swim at the YMCA

Playtime with Lola

Pears!

Not only are we teaching Charlie new words, we are apparently teaching him to speak with a New Jersey accent....

"No More Candy, No More Cake!"

Weekend Getaway

We decided we needed a little getaway to break up the routine. So, we went to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. It's an hour drive up north to Anacortes and then an hour ferry ride to the island. And well worth the travel. It was so relaxing and Charlie had a ball on the beach, collecting rocks and exploring.
He didn't get much of a nap on the way home, but both Brian and I took turns napping that day! Go figure.
More pics are on Shutterfly in the album 'Friday Harbor trip.'

This is NOT a meltdown!

Charlie discovered his screaming voice! Woo hoo! I like how he's really getting into it; closing his eyes and going for it. ;-) Funny. Well, if this is the sound of a happy baby, what are the terrible two's going to sound like????

Dirt Time with Mom!

Charlie helped us plant some flowers in our pots in the front of the house. Now, if only he was old enough for us to tell him to go cut the grass.... oh well, all in due time. For now, we'll just play in the dirt....

Playtime with Dad!

Look What I'm Learning!

In my Kindermusik class, I learned that I can fit into this cubby hole! I must look like I'm having fun because Frederick decided to see if he could fit too. Ah, good times.



Oh, and I love this elephant:

Harmonica, Mastered

After only a couple tries, we have ourselves a little harmonica prodigy. ;-)
This was shot on Valentine's Day, hence the bib. I can't, however, explain why Charlie's not wearing any pants. Maybe the music flows better that way? At any rate, enjoy the "music."

Dueling Harmonicas

I took Charlie to his first Kindermusik class this week, and they gave us some harmonicas to make me crazy... I mean, um, make music with, at home! Here's Brian and Charlie working it out on the dueling harmonicas.....

Charlie Channels 'Latka'

Spit Bubbles That Make a Mama Proud

Boogie Time!