Adiri Update

I just wanted to share a great article about Adiri, featured in the NY Times. Looks like a great company, I totally want to work for them. I can't sing their praises enough. Charlie is still using the original two that I purchased months ago and loves them. My mom was cracking up when Charlie stayed with her for a few days, recalling the looks on people's faces when they spotted the Natural Nurser...natural is right! Like I said before...a little shocking but worth it!

Article is HERE.

mae mae's cottage

This site is meant for Charlie. A place for me to share little stories, developments and pictures or my beautiful boy. Sometimes though, I get off track. Sometime I have to post something that has nothing or very little to do with that darling boy of mine and this is just that time. My mom is an Interior Designer by trade, by heart, by soul. This woman is amazing and can make your hum-drum average home into a showroom in 10 minutes only using the items already in the home. I swear she needs to go into business for herself...her girls have all told her this time and time again. Stepping into her cottage home is like stepping into a magazine. She creates whimsical yet elegant vignettes and for as long as I can remember always decorates for the holidays...always. I was able to capture a few shots of her Halloween decorations before she packed them away.

first flight

Charlie took his first airplane trip last week and he did great! He and I flew to Los Angeles to visit Mae Mae and for me to have a girls weekend with Tori, Robyn and Kelly...so much fun! My mom (Mae Mae) watched Charlie for two nights and I got caught up on the gossip, relaxed with the girls and had a pedicure. Thank you Tori for a wonderful weekend! We extended out stay with Mae Mae until Tuesday so we could fit in some quality cousin time. The boys were amazing with Charlie, very gentle, helpful and kind. Just look at the sweet pictures of Dalton and Charlie...darling!

Ahoy!

I have wonderful memories of Halloween as a child growing up in Arcadia. The costumes my mom would make were amazing and I really wanted to do the same for Charlie. But alas...my procrastination that has plagued me for as long as I can remember reared it's ugly head and I found myself running around on Monday trying to come up with an appropriate costume. I found an adorable pirate's hat at Gymboree for $5 and couldn't pass it up. I tried to find red and white striped tights or sock, but found a better solution with a pair of striped Christmas pajamas with a little gingerbread man on the chest (which we covered up with his white kimono onsie). We finished the outfit with a pair of black corduroy pants that I rolled up. I was so proud of myself for putting together his outfit with clothes he could really use after Halloween had come and gone. And the best part about his costume? He looked adorable! Auntie Meg, her best friends and our neighbors John and Stacy came over for chili and Charlie of course. We had about 10 to 12 groups of kids trick-or-treat, which was so fun. Bat costumes were all the rage this year it seemed. I love Halloween.

9 months old

Charlie turned 9 months yesterday and he spent his special day snuggled in with Dada, Mama and Auntie Meg. He's saying "khee khee" for kitty, "Dadadada" for Dad and "Mamamama" for Mama. He's also really into screaming when he get's excited, regardless of where we are. Charlie seems to get away with it though, since he's so adorable. He's a wonderful napper and allows me to get a few hours each day to myself. He's getting a little bored with purees so we've been feeding him little bits of whatever we're eating...chicken, pasta, whole wheat bread, shredded cheddar cheese, yogurt. He's still not a huge eater. He had his first taste of Ivar's clam chowder yesterday..yum! We love you Charlie!

Starting him out early

Charlie and I took KC to Willamette Valley, Oregon to go wine tasting for his Birthday. We had a surprisingly wonderful time. I say this because I went into this trip quite blindly. Yes, I did research...a little. I tried booking us into a B&B but no one would take babies/children, I tried to do the right thing by becoming familiar with the wineries prior to the trip by trolling Wine Spectator, but I had a really, really busy week and didn't get around to it until the night before we left. So, yet again, I was flying by the seat of my pants, which is typically fun and spontaneous but a little stressful. We awoke at 6:30am on Saturday morning and headed to Oregon around 7:30. The drive was wet and windy and slightly depressing, but by this time I had told KC where we were going and we were both excited. We rolled into Newburg, OR around lunchtime and stopped off at The French Bear. Wonderful food and the owner, Doris Nelson is a love. She brought out the winery brochure and circled all of her favorites, adding that we need to tell so-and-so "hello" or tell what's-her-name that "Doris says hi!" She was great and stopped circling suggestions around the letter "D" in an alphabetized list of about 60 wineries, so really, we guessed we were on our own. I must say that after two days of tasting and buying, some of Doris' favorites proved to be our favorites too. To make a very long, relaxing, picturesque and delicious story short - we had a ball, met wonderful people, bought too much wine and become members of two wine clubs - yikes! We were a hit wherever we stopped because of Charlie and the answer to the question "can you take a baby wine tasting?" is YES! We even saw a few others along the way and all the drunk men and women loved flirting with Charlie. We're starting him out early and are proud of it. Oh, and the Pinots in Oregon? - Yum!

It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Morgan

I love Fall! For the last three years, KC and I have driven out to Fall City Farms to choose our pumpkins. The first year we went, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Where I come from, you "pick" your pumpkin out of a huge box outside of Ralph's or Albertson's. If you're lucky, you get to go to the corner pumpkin "patch" which is a black-top parking lot covered with hay and littered with pumpkins (substitute "pumpkin" with "christmas tree" and you also have my childhood memory of picking out x-mas trees).

So, I was not prepared to spend hours in a huge muddy field carefully choosing finalists for the ultimate pumpkin pageant that KC orchestrates at the end of our excursion. He picks his pumpkins off the vine and lines them up side by side, carefully considering the attributes of each one but ultimately choosing them based on how they look as a group. This amuses me and I totally get into it, making KC wear his "pumpkin sweater" each year.

Our trip this year got off to a rocky start, but we made it to the farm no worse for wear. We had a blast. Our pumpkins are beautiful and the gourds we got this year are so funky and fun. Oh, Charlie had a good time too. He wore his "pumpkin sweater" just like Dad. Thank Mae Mae!

More Pumpkin Photos HERE.

second best

If you're transitioning out of breastfeeding or pumping and using a bottle, I've found what I think is the best alternative to the breast. The adiri natural nurser. I was looking for glass bottles, since I've been reading reports of polycarbonate and bisphenol-A chemicals found in baby bottles. We ordered two last week and it showed up at our door within 4 days. I have to say the bottle is a little shocking, if not graphic. It looks very similar to an A cup breast, and feels like one too. It's definitely "natural". The first attempt with Charlie was a miss. KC discovered that the nipple didn't have large enough holes or there just wasn't enough of them, even though we purchased the stage 3 (6+ months). So, I took a needle and made my own. Even after the alteration, Charlie wasn't having it, so I brought in the big guns. Dad. KC was finally able to get Charlie to drink from it and now he loves these bottles. In addition to being a healthier alternative to Avent or Dr. Brown's, the bottle only has two parts that need washing. The bottle and the base, which houses the venting system. They are ridiculously easy to clean. I couldn't be happier with them.

Pictures

Some recent and adorable pictures of Charlie boy.

little pearls

I don't know if you can see them in the picture, but Charlie's getting his two lower front teeth. Are we there already? He's really growing fast isn't he. Charlie will be 8 months on Friday and he's so lucky to have his Mae Mae flying up to see him on that very same day. We'll be sure to take lots of pictures as we're planning to go to the pumpkin patch, which in this family is a huge event. KC won't settle for just any old pumpkin...it's a process. So stay tuned.

Best Friends

Charlie has a best friend and he tells me all the time how much he loves her. His Auntie Meg always makes time to come over to his house to visit, play and snuggle him. He wants her to know that there's no person in this world as special as she. We love you Auntie Meg!

Does it make a difference?

So we decided to go with Satin finish on the paint. We tried matte and it looked a bit too industrial. I've also decided to go with white wood flower boxes with brackets on the bottom that mimic the ones at our roof line. What do you think?

Charlie's window

This really doesn't have anything to do with Charlie, although it is Charlie's window. We had our painter come over today to paint a few test windows in black. What do you think? The paint is satin...and the other option would be something more matte. Any opinions on the matter? I'm also thinking of installing flower boxes...possibly black iron. Discuss and share.

Evidence that I feed him

So he's a little lean...someone has to be in the 10th percentile, right? These pictures were taken a couple of weeks ago, right after Charlie got his highchair that we LOVE. I've been trying to cook and puree organic fruits and veggies and although more time consuming than jarred baby food, totally worth it. I keep Earth's Best jarred food on hand for times that I don't have the fresh stuff or if we're on the go. Charlie's favorite foods are:

Rice cereal
Oatmeal cereal
Bananas
Carrots
Green beans - loves these fresh from Great Grandpa's garden!

Mother of the year

I knew it would happen. It happens to every kid and for some kids multiple times. I just knew the day would come, but not on my watch. I would be damned if Charlie would ever fall, be dropped or get hurt on my watch. Well, I stand corrected. Charlie fell asleep on our bed as he often does (he loves taking naps on our bed since we have the ceiling fan in there and is more snugly than his crib). I surrounded him with pillows and went out to the kitchen to continue posting things on his blog. I heard a thud and scream and found him face down on our hardwood floor. Oh my god! There's no word to describe how I felt. After many tears from him, more tears from me, a call to KC so I could sob and a small red spot on his head, I determined he was going to be fine. I'm sorry Charlie! You're banished to your crib from now on buddy...sorry!

6 month checkup

Here we go again...another checkup, another brutal round of shots. I can honestly say that this has been the hardest thing about being a new parent. It's heart-wrenching. Those tears..oh my god those tears. I love our Doctors office because they let you have the room as long as you need it, in case you want to nurse your baby to soothe them after the horrible episode. The nurse gave Charlie cute blue camo bandaides, you can see them below in the picture. It gives him the sense that he's been through a battle of sorts. Charlie cried but as soon as I picked him up and gave him kissies, he was fine. He even smiled. So without further ado....

Height: 261/2 in - 50th %
Weight: 15 lbs 3 oz - 10th %
Head Circumference: 441/2 - 50th to 75th %


Do you see the bandaides? So funny.


Damn binkie...he doesn't really need it but it comforts him and mom.

PEPS

Charlie has been meeting with these little babies since he was 4 months old. Our PEPs group has been great and we've both enjoyed getting to know new people. Charlie's on the far right with Henry next to him. Get a load of Henry. Isn't he adorable? You gotta love the pose.

Tripp Trapp

I've been looking for highchairs for the past couple of weeks and had a list of criteria that needed to be met.

Must be compact (with a 980 sq ft house this is a must)
Modern and stylish
Easy to clean
Comfy for little guy
Durable
As little plastic as possible
Versatile
Unique

I think I found it! The Stokke Tripp Trapp chair. The only set back was the price. Although it was more than I wanted spend, the clincher for me was trying to buy one used from a woman out in Sammamish. She had posted an ad on Craig's List and we gave her a call. She wanted $150 for a tripp trapp that was 3 years old (they retail for $199) and she originally bought it when her daughter was 3 years old and has used it since. 3 years old! We can get tons of mileage out of this thing and it holds it's value too. SOLD! She didn't have the strap that was needed for Charlie to use it, so we went to the local retailer and brought one home. If there's one thing that I've realized about myself since Charlie's been born is that 1) I'm a sucker - what? My child must have this for ____ reason? Sold. 2) I'm a consumer. I like new...I know, I know, it's bad. But I do. So, there.

Charlie loves it...what do you think?

Flyboy

Saturday with Great Grandpa was a blast. We first went to breakfast then off to the Museum of Flight, which was amazing. KC and I have wanted to go for the past year or so but I had no idea how engaging and extraordinary it would be. There were four areas of the museum. The Red Barn, which was Boeing's first factory, the WWI and WWII exhibits, the main room with tons of actual airplanes and the space exhibit. We made it through the Red Barn, WWII and the main room...there was just too little time to see it all and we were there for 5 hours. We need to go back. My favorite part was the WWII room. It was so well done with actual aircraft, clothing, memorabilia donated from families, video diaries and a great area dedicated to women pilots. Fabulous! Charlie of course did great. He hung out in the backpack for most of the time and he and I slipped into the theatre at the museum, when he got hungry.

Sweet Charlie boy.


The guys hanging out by the Concorde.

The Aunties

Special time with Grandma Nicol

Auntie Boo Boo

Uncle Rick and Aunt Jean