Charlie Dear

Late Valentine

2010-02-16T23:28:00.000-08:00

This girl

2010-02-05T01:21:00.001-08:00

This girl
Originally uploaded by Seattle Morgans

Look at those cheeks!

A new bouncy thing

2010-02-05T01:09:00.001-08:00

A new bouncy thing
Originally uploaded by Seattle Morgans

This girl was cracking me up today!

Morgan 2.0 - The Kate Addition

2010-01-23T23:20:00.000-08:00

It had been in the works for 37 weeks and even though you know that something amazing is going to come into your life, nothing seems to prepare you enough. It's pretty powerful and amazing. KC and I were both on board with finding out the sex of the baby but it had other plans. The kiddo would not reveal "the goods". We had 4 or 5 (I can't remember) ultrasounds and each time the legs were crossed. This was an issue for me. A pretty big issue as I'm a bit controlling and was really looking forward to buying some cute baby clothes. With a second, you don't have all the build up with researching and buying the gear, the luxury of hours day dreaming about names and what they're going to look like. Loving, laughing, running, playing, singing and disciplining Charlie was wearing me out, so there were many times I would forget I was even pregnant until the baby moved. And move it did. This kiddo was much more active than Charlie was. But similarly to Charlie, this baby was transverse breech. This would normally be a problem, as it was with Charlie, but I was already scheduled for a cesarean at 37 weeks due to complications from Charlie's birth. Swedish Hospital, October 15th at 12:30. I was really looking forward to this day but started to get nervous about 2 days prior. This wasn't a little procedure, this was surgery. The spinal didn't go well when I had Charlie so I was most worried about that. My worries were all for not. Everything went like clockwork and KC, Charlie and I finally got to meet Katherine Elizabeth Morgan. She was born at 4 pounds, 6 ounces and 18 inches long. Good lord that's small! I can hardly believe she was that tiny as she's grown so much since. Unlike Charlie, who had to go to the NICU for about an hour after birth due to his coloring, Kate was able to be with me the entire time. All the nurses were amazed at her size and many nurses that weren't caring for us came in to see her as they typically didn't get to work with such small babies as most child with low birth weight are premature and need to be monitored in the NICU. Kate was just a tiny little package. The first thing the pediatrician on call said was "hello little mouse".

Kate just passed 3 months. She's sweet, she's a great eater and a wonderful sleeper. Thank goodness! She's been gaining weight like crazy and is finally on "the charts" when she sees her doctor. KC weighed her today and she's just about 10 pounds. She's petite but solid. In the past couple of weeks, she's been smiling like crazy and cooing. I have to coax it out of her a bit but with KC, it's instant. She definitely knows who her Dada is. Charlie loves his baby sister and alternates between "little sister", "baby sister", and "baby Kate" when talking about her or to her. A day doesn't pass that he hasn't given her a kiss and said "ahhh I love you baby sister". So, Morgan 2.0 has arrived. She's the final edition, I mean addition and I'm the luckiest Mama in the world.

Charlie's Summer

2009-09-18T21:00:00.000-07:00

Oh how guilty I feel for not keeping up with this. Charlie had a fantastic summer. Below are a few pictures to get us up to speed. From most recent and back...

Charlie on his first day of Preschool. He rocked it. He marched into that classroom and barely noticed I was present the entire 2 hours. He adored Teacher Tom of course (you must check out his blog. Who wouldn't love a preschool teacher in a cape!?) and can't wait to go back on Tuesday. You have another new fan Teacher Tom!

We have a couple of die-hard Sounders fan under our roof. We purchased season tickets to the Sounders inaugural year in the MLS and have never regretted it. Charlie has a blast dressing up in his jersey and screaming directions like "don't give it up in the midfield!" and encouragements like "GO Sounders!". He's showing off his autographed jersey below.

Charlie got a new bike this summer. It's a balance bike which doesn't have peddles and allows the child to learn how to use their balance while pushing with their legs to ride the bike. He hasn't yet mastered it but we'll keep trying.

We spent the 4th of July with friends. They have a parade in their neighborhood each year and Charlie (uh, Mama really) had a great time decorating his trike and participating in the parade. At the end of the route, the SFD firetruck was parked and ice cream was served.

A picture of Charlie and Pa hanging out at "Pa's Beach". Too cute.

Charlie's playground

2009-07-15T22:44:00.000-07:00

Charlie's favorite place to be is with his Grammy and Pa on their farm. When we know that he's going on the ferry and over to the farm for the day, we can't tell him until the night before or he will ask every few minutes if he's going to the farm today. Three more night-night's. Two more night-night's. One more night-night...TODAY! They have the most beautiful veggie garden where Charlie has acquired a taste for raw broccoli. He absolutely LOVES raw broccoli now. He gets dirty, he gets tired, he gets tons of love and freedom. It makes KC and I smile when he tells us the stories of the farm and how he hangs out with the dogs, watches birds and picks veggies. If the horses, dogs, cats, donkey, fish, garden and tractors weren't enough, something new came to the farm.

Pa and Grammy called us a few weeks ago to tell us they bought a play structure for Charlie. We had NO idea what this meant until we visited the farm.

I introduce to you, Charlie's very own park and playground. Wow! This kiddo doesn't even know how lucky he has it.

Charlie loves the trac-toys big and small.

Another favorite thing to do while at the farm is to go down to "Pa's beach". This is the community beach in Eglon, where the Grandparents live...not far from the farm. Charlie even got to ride the big tractor down there one day. It's beautiful and Charlie could spend hours throwing rocks.

Thank you Ed and Kim for all you do and all the love you give to Charlie!

The Artist

2009-02-25T11:08:00.001-08:00

Charlie received all sorts or great gifts for his 2nd Birthday. Three were of the "Art" theme and ones that he has thoroughly enjoyed. His easel, paints and art apron. An artist at work.

Blue Hat

2009-02-18T16:35:00.000-08:00

Charlie

2009-02-18T16:34:00.000-08:00

Pictures by Dada.

Just because

2009-02-04T20:57:00.000-08:00

I just love this guy. Charlie the morning after his big party in his jammies and the kitchen apron Mae Mae gave him for his birthday. We love you Charlie!

Birthday Party

2009-02-04T20:15:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Charlie's second birthday with friends and family at our home. Deep dish pizza and chocolate sweet and salty cake were served. Charlie was pretty tired as people were arriving and retreated to his bedroom and the hallway with Pa. Only until our neighbors came over did Charlie light up and realize that it was party time and it was all for him. He received many wonderful gifts and has had an amazing time exploring and discovering them all. Thank you! Charlie's dear Mae Mae flew up from California for the occasion and got many snuggles, kisses and in depth conversations from Charlie. She was amazed at how much he's grown in height and in his speech. We've got a talker on our hands people...I just don't know where he gets it.

Ginny and Meg fluffing and primping the house.

The red lanterns I had to drive all over the city to find as I bought them one day before the Chinese New Year.

"Sweet and Salty" cake from the cookbook Baked written by the owners of the same named shop. This cake is crazy rich, crazy good and only made by crazy people. It's not the easiest cake I've ever made. I actually made it for Charlie's Grammy for her Birthday two weeks before and burned the caramel 4 times! Ahhh! I had better luck with Charlie's cake, but I tell ya, it still wasn't for the faint of heart. Thanks KC for frosting it for me...I just don't have the patience to make it look pretty.

Charlie and Pa's favorite past time. Hangin' with each other.

This is what Charlie looked like as guest were arriving. I looked like he needed a nap.

Cut to five minutes later...this is what he looked like when Michael and Maddie showed up!

Thanks a lot for the socks Uncle Will, I play with them all the time - Love Charlie.

The most beautiful guest in my opinion. Baby Josie!

Sparklers for the sparkler.

Ahhhh....Chocolate Clown Coma.

Charlie opening gifts and loving being the center of attention.

A 2 year old lives with us

2009-02-04T19:29:00.000-08:00

It's very hard to believe that two years have passed since Charlie was born. We celebrated the actual day, January 28th with a day with just he and I. Spanish class, a haircut and a cupcake. The evening was spent with Mama, Dada, Grammy, Pa, Skipper and Auntie Meg. Dinner and homemade cupcakes for dessert. The gifts that Charlie received were very special, which included an easel that was designed and handmade by Pa and a beautiful table built by Pa Skipper and Charlie's Great Great Uncle Willard. Charlie is wild about both. I should also mention that EVERY cool gift he got was forgotten when he opened Auntie Meg's gift. A remote control car. He went crazy over that silly thing! We made the mistake of having him open that gift before KC and I revealed our gift to him, which he virtually ignored. He could care less about the tricycle and helmet...oh well!

Charlie before getting his haircut. An example of his new smile which he does with his left eye closed.

Dada and Charlie blowing out his Birthday candle (why didn't I put a second one on there? I have no idea). Notice the spit coming out of his mouth on the last shot.

Another smile. He only does this when he knows you're taking a picture of him.

Pa and Grammy gave him this doggy card that sounds like a dog barking "happy birthday to you". Charlie couldn't get enough of it.

While I'm on here I should give a developmental update because god only knows when I'll get the time to post again.

Charlie's speech and vocab have sky-rocketed. He talks constantly and always makes sure to say "please" and "thank you", even without being asked. He's using multiple word sentences and often says things like "thank you dada it was really fun" or if asked how he's doing, he may respond "I'm doing really well, mama". Sharp kiddo.

We Voted.

2008-11-04T13:39:00.001-08:00

We got up at 6:30 this morning to be at the polls when they opened at 7:00. We woke the little guy and bundled him up for the 10 minute walk to our polling place. A family affair! I've never been so excited and so nervous for an election. This is it people. This is the time that we decide if we want more of the same or if we want something better for ourselves and for our children. I choose something better. I choose Barack Obama. For the last two months or so, Charlie will say "BER-AHK-O-BA-MA" everytime we pass a sign in someones front yard. He's memorized the way Barack's name is spelled and the different symbols on his campaign materials. He'll stop what he's doing if he sees him on the television and say "BER-AHK-O-BA-MA". I need to get this kiddo out more though...the other day we passed a little African American kid and Charlie pointed and said "BER-AHK-O-BA-MA". That made me smile and worry all in the same breath. Differences. Differences are all around us and I'm sick of people saying that they'll "tolerate" differences (which I guess is better than what is going on right now in California). The word tolerate is so negative and superior and I'm tired of it. I say the new word needs to be "embrace". Let's embrace our differences and learn from one another. It's shocking that we may be voting in the first African American President (or god help us, woman vp) but there is a state considering taking away fundamental civil rights from our friends, neighbors, grandmothers, grandfathers, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles....and on and on. If you have ONE person in your life that you love who is gay you cannot in good conscience vote yes on 8. I'm sorry, but they go hand in hand. You cannot on one hand say that you love someone and then deny them love on the hand. It doesn't work like that people. It doesn't work like that family. Do what is right. Please. We love you Ah-May!

Grumpy Bumblebee

2008-11-04T12:58:00.000-08:00

I love Halloween. Definitely number two on the holiday love list. Last year, Charlie was pirate and a very cute one at that if I do say so myself. I procrastinate...always have...to my mother's dismay, I'm afraid I always will. So last year I found myself scrambling around to find a costume for Charlie with absolutely no idea what I wanted to do. This year was different. I had a plan. I had a vision. I had the time. So, what did I do? I procrastinated. Yes I did. The weekend before Halloween, Megan and I set out to find his costume. We were going to turn Charlie into CHARLITO! Charles Morgan was going to be a Luchador. A Mexican wrestler. All I needed to find were solid jammies, red brief underware, and red converse high tops. I was then going to make his red cape with "Charlito" on the back and sew him the mask using these instructions. Easy enough and how cool and cute. Well. Out of all the things I couldn't find...Megan and I were not able to locate a pair of solid colored jammies. What the?! Come on...so easy and so ridiculous that we couldn't find them. So...Charlito was finito!

Don't fret...we found a pretty cute outfit. Charlie the Bumblebee. Correction: Charlie the Grumpy Bumblebee. He was totally unamused with the whole thing. The tights, the legwarmers, having to go up to total strangers, not knowing that he could turn his head when the hood of the costume was up. Unamused. KC's parent brought him over to Microsoft to "trick or treat" in the office and he made a big fuss, so we just went home. No trick or treating for this little guy. As soon as he got home, he wanted to put his jammies on and snuggle in, which was just as well.

We had a few friends and family over for Chili and Corn Chowder (thank you Kim!) and had a great time. It was a mello Halloween with very few kids coming to the door. Our neighbor Maddie got locked out of her house (with no shoes on!) and her mom was out with her brother hittin' the hood up for candy. So, she and her friend hung out with Charlie for an hour or so. I should note that Maddie and her brother Michael are two of Charlie's favorite people in the world! Charlie is in love with Maddie and when she babysits, he doesn't even know we're gone. He was thrilled!

Charlie's Grandparents brought corn husks from their farm and Charlie's Great Grandfather carved a "CHARLIE' pumpkin. Look at the picture below. Can you find all the letters?

Pumpkin Hunt 2008

2008-10-13T13:11:00.001-07:00

For Mae Mae's viewing pleasure

2008-09-27T17:04:00.001-07:00

Mama - Not sure about this config, but it's still a work in progress. KC doesn't care for the long table. Living Room pics below. The last one is the best though.

Charlie's a little sick...runny nose. Poor little guy!

First Haricut

2008-08-03T21:04:00.001-07:00

Charlie had is first haircut on Thursday and it went better than I imagined. We headed over to Lil' Klippers in the Wallingford Center for our 3:15 appointment. KC stayed home from work that day so the whole gang was there, Dada, Mama, Auntie Meg and Charlie. Lynette greeted Charlie with a huge smile and reminded me of Go-go (my sister's mother-in-law), sweet, kind and expressive, she talked directly to Charlie and made him so comfortable. He hopped right into that rocket and away he went. No tears, no whining, some fidgeting but not much. The only time you could tell he was a little uneasy was when Lynette started cutting around his ears. He swatted at her hands. As soon as he was finished, you could tell he was a little boy and no longer a baby. We stepped next door to Trophy Cupcakes for a sweet treat afterward.

Bye bye bugaboo...hello Bob!

2008-07-14T14:53:00.001-07:00

We're buying a new stroller. Now that KC's running and I'm hoping to start soon, we're moving over to a Bob. I'm selling the bugaboo on craigslist.

Update: The bugaboo sold and the Bob is ours. Yeah!

So Sweet

2008-07-14T13:07:00.000-07:00

I just love this little guy.

Happy Birthday "Pa"!

2008-07-13T11:01:00.000-07:00

Charlie calls his Grandpa, "Pa". We celebrated Pa's 60th birthday yesterday with a boat trip around Lake Union. Happy Birthdy Pa, we love you!

How do they learn this?

2008-07-12T11:07:00.000-07:00

Charlie is so lucky to have his Grammy and Pa Morgan close by. He spends every other Friday with them and gets so excited when they come to our house to pick him up. It's comforting for me to know that he's getting the best care and attention while I'm at work and we can't thank them enough for all they do for us and for spending quality time with Charlie. This past Friday, the Grandparents informed me that Charlie learned something new and they were able to catch it on camera. I was so excited to learn what this new skill was until they showed me. Wow...both nostrils! How and where did Charlie learn to pick his nose? I guess he was doing it all day long and really enjoying it. I haven't yet seen the action live, but I'm looking out for it.

Guppy

2008-06-24T21:55:00.000-07:00

Charlie had his first swim lesson today and did really well. He looked the part in his hawaiian print board shorts and 'little swimmers' diapers. The teacher was a young thing, probably on her summer vacation from the local state school and just itching to get back to her real life on campus with her Gamma Beta Phi Omega Chi sisters. She didn't really tune in much and there was only three of us in the pool. Oh well. Charlie enjoyed himself. Oh yea, I had to get in the pool too. Oh joy. "It's all for the boy, it's all for the boy, it's all for the boy (my mantra as I was walking around "the club" in my bathing suit). "

Black Jesus

2008-06-24T14:23:00.000-07:00

I don't know if you noticed but the picture above is not Charlie. It's a picture of black Jesus. I don't know why, but the idea of a black Jesus just makes more sense to me. It fits, it's right. So, if I was a follower of Jesus, he would be black. What does this have to do with Charlie? Well, he said "Jesus" the other day. Our days of expletives like "shit!", "damn!", f***!" and yes, "Jesus!" (sorry jesus...and/or god, we're really bad and take your name in vain ALL the time) are over.

Words that Charlie says

2008-06-16T16:53:00.000-07:00

Kitty Cat

Good Girl

Good Boy

Mama

Dada

MaeMae

Charlie ("yallie")

Hi ("eye")

Bye Bye

Truck

Car

Arugala ("roo-ah")

Baba (bottle)

Blank (blanket)

Baby

Bike

Book

Ball

Baseball

Hat

Agua

Tortuga

Shoe

Bird

Juice

Down

Out

And so many more that escape me....

So proud

2008-06-16T16:44:00.000-07:00

It's a warm day and Charlie was enjoying hanging out in his diapers (a rare treat up here in the chilly Northwest). He disappeared for a bit in his room and came back with his converse shoes.

Charlie: "On? On? On?"

Me: "You want these on?"

Charlie: (nod)

Me: "Okay"

He stayed this way until his nap at noon. He's so proud and so am I.

Father's Day in Seattle

2008-06-16T12:59:00.000-07:00

Amazing blue skys with little puffy white clouds greeted us in the morning. Charlie and I served KC his protein shake in bed and snuggled in for a bit. We then took him to the Ballard Farmers Market where we picked up fresh veggies, fruit, cheese and meat. After a quick pit stop home, we headed to the kite shop then off to Gas Works Park for a picnic and kite flying. We had a great day with Dada and hope he did too!

Mae Mae - Does the picture below look familiar? Charlie could not stop talking to this group of people sitting in front of us. He was so sure that they wanted to be his best friends. Hilarious.

Father's Day Weekend

2008-06-16T12:35:00.000-07:00

The weekend was gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous. We started the weekend by of course going to the gym then taking a ferry over to Grammy and Grandpa Morgan's farm in Kingston. Charlie hung out with Honeybear (AKA Fabio - pony), Pansy (the miniature donkey), Sunny (horse), Perry (the horse), Dude (dog), Noel (dog), Jake (dog), Perry (the cat), Bahama Mam (cat), Tibedeaux (cat), Autumn (cat) and many many more fun and frisky animals.

After a wonderful walk around the property, visiting the animals, smelling the herbs in the vegetable garden and swinging in the hammock with Grandpa, KC and Ed were off for a golf lesson.

A delicious dinner of grilled oysters on the half shell with homemade tomatillo sauce, jerk chicken and shrimp and fresh fruit followed.

The day went by too fast and we ran for the 9:55 ferry, knowing we would miss it but ecstatic to find that it was running late so we made the boat!

Hooker Heels for Newborns

2008-06-12T16:31:00.000-07:00

What the hell is wrong with people? This is just wrong.

Baby...baby...baby?

2008-05-31T22:54:00.000-07:00

Charlie's really been into babies lately. He spots babies out and about - "baby?!" He sees them on the television, in books or on the internet - "baby?!" When he wants to see pictures or video of himself, he repeats "baby...baby...baby?!". Not until we go to his blog or pull up a picture of him is he satisfied. So, I decided it was time to get him his very own. I announced to KC today that we would be making a trip to the toy store to pick out a baby doll for Charlie. I didn't give a thought to how my husband would react to this as he's a progressive kind of guy. A smart man with great taste, an open mind with skills in the kitchen, garden and doing laundry. He's sensitive to boot. God I'm a lucky woman. So why did he immediately roll his eyes and say "What?, No we're not. You're joking". As if he was in disbelief or he thought I was trying to be funny. The man struggled with the idea the entire time we searched two stores and then didn't want Charlie to take it out of the car when we went to dinner and Barnes and Noble. What is wrong with him? Where did my liberal, easy-going, non judgemental husband go?

We went to two stores before I found the perfect one. I didn't want it too small as I want Charlie to also be able to grow into it. I wanted it to have a soft body so he could snuggle with it and I was open to looking at both pink and blue dolls. They have a shockingly limited selection for boy dolls, by the way. Really so sad. So, the best one happened to be a Corolle Bebe Do doll with cute pink jammies on. At the first store, they had a few display dolls that Charlie went crazy over. At the second store, KC and Charlie stayed in the car. When I returned to the car, I couldn't get that thing out of the packaging fast enough. Charlie was going wild in the back. "BABY?!, BABY?!, BABY?!". He loves it and even uses the tiny bottle to feed it. I totally forgot how baby dolls are infused with a slight vanilla scent. Dreamy and darling.

Closet Idea

2008-05-30T21:43:00.001-07:00

Charlie's closet is long and narrow. Martha features this closet from her home in this months Martha Stewart Living. I think it's a great solution...but where can I place a rod for hanging clothes?

Busy Bees and Bookshelves

2008-05-28T09:05:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial weekend. The weather in Seattle was amazing on Saturday and Sunday and the members of the Morgan family were busy little bees. On Saturday we headed over to Swanson's, which is an amazing nursery in our neighborhood. They have it all. A koi pond, cafe, gift shop and oh ya...plants. Our goal was to find veggies for our raised bed that KC's dad gave us. We purchased lettuce, carrots, beets, artichokes, sweet and hot peppers, sweet peas, pumpkins, winter squash, two types of melons, and a bunch of herbs. Charlie and Dada did the digging, Charlie ate dirt and now knows how to say "Arugula". Pictures below are of Charlie at the nursery.

Another family outing this weekend was to Ikea. What the heck were we thinking!? Ikea on memorial day weekend? We planned to get there right when it opened and unfortunately I misread the website and thought it opened at 9am. Well, the restaurant opened at 9am and the store at 10am. So we had an hour to kill, which is really difficult with a 16 month old. We made it into the store with about 100 other people (it was tax free weekend at Ikea - who knew!?). Charlie got a bee in his bonnet right around the sofa area and didn't stop having a tantrum until we reached the cashiers. That place is a maze and takes forever to get through normally. With a screaming child, it's even longer and more agonizing. I wanted to take the little shortcuts but feared we would miss something. We talked of just dropping everything and going to the car, but decided we weren't bothering anyone as it's quite loud in there and people were hustling through. Had we been someplace that Charlie would normally be enjoying, we would have left in a second. Our goal for this whole trip was to buy shelves for both Charlie's room and the bathroom. KC spent most of Monday installing them. Thank you Honey, I think they look great! We hung the first shelf at a level where Charlie could get to his books all on his own.

Now, how do I go about arranging the shelves? Any suggestions?

Evidence

2008-05-03T21:59:00.001-07:00

Video: Charlie Wakling

Six steps or more

2008-04-28T22:06:00.000-07:00

Charlie walked tonight for the first time. Well at least I'm calling it the first time. KC said he took three steps last night, but I wasn't there to witness it, so it didn't happen as far as I'm concerned. We were hanging outside waiting for KC (Dada) when I decided to try to get him to walk. He's been standing up with "look mama no hands!" for a few weeks now and about two weeks ago he started standing up on his own from a sitting position. Well, long story short. He walked, our boy finally walked! KC wasn't there but our neighbors saw it and made sure to really rub it in when they saw KC. Speaking of our neighbors...they have a brand new baby and she's precious! Little Josie will be Charlie's girlfriend.

Strike up the band

2008-04-28T21:55:00.000-07:00

The house I grew up in was located on a direct route between a Rose Parade float warehouse, where they create many floats each year and Colorado Blvd. Every year on New Years Eve, we would have our own mini Rose Parade in front of our home while 10 or so floats were being driven to the starting point. We loved it and were lucky if we walked away with a few flowers thrown by the workers riding the floats. I had a similar feeling tonight. Our local High School is about 6 blocks away. When they're preparing for a parade, they use the streets of Ballard as their practice route. KC and I were getting Charlie ready for bed when I heard the music. I ran outside and saw them about a block away, moving in our direction. All the neighbors came out and many decided to join the "parade" by walking the sidewalks with the band. Charlie was dancing around and having a great time!

Where's my sharpie?

2008-04-16T23:39:00.000-07:00

The day has come. I've dreaded it for 14+ months now and it's finally arrived. Charlie's going to daycare. KC and I are starting our "program" tomorrow and Charlie gets to be a "sea turtle" for 4 hours a week while mom is busting her bum on the treadmill. I sharpied his food containers, lunchbox, diaper bag, blankie and extra clothes. I know I'll have separation anxiety. I hope he plays well with others.

Update: Charlie did really well. I met KC in the hall after our workout and we picked him up together. I cried when I dropped him off but the teachers were so kind and told me to give them a call from any phone in the club if I wanted status. I only thought about doing that twice...or many three times.

Garbage Day

2008-04-16T23:22:00.000-07:00

Wednesdays are a big deal in our house. Wednesday is garbage/recycle day and Charlie's favorite day of the week. He is in love with the huge, dirty, stinky, loud trucks. Regardless of what we're doing, playing on the floor, eating breakfast in the kitchen, changing a diaper, etc. etc. - Charlie must get to the front window immediately when he hears the rumble of the truck creeping up or down our street. It's so funny to see his eyes get even more enormous than they already are and for him to look at me like "window, Mama - STAT!". The garbage men (er...waste management coordinators), know him and make sure to wave every time they pass. I don't think it's a coincidence that they always choose our house to stop, raise the bucket, dump the trash and run the compactor. They do it for the boy, for sure. If it's nice outside, which up here means it's not raining, we'll sit on the front steps or our stoop by the sidewalk for a closer more personal look at the action. I caught a few shots of Charlie's usual hangout at approximately 7:45 and 9:00 AM every Wednesday.

Hello mounted flat sreen!

2008-03-30T18:44:00.001-07:00

I originally posted the below pictures to show my mom that we *finally* mounted the damn flat-screen, after almost a year. My husband has been getting tips from his father on how to best hide the cords, which I believe we'll be threading through the wall and into the closet to the right of the tv - so I think that will be solved soon. Does anyone have suggestions for the room? With Charlie toddling around, we have to keep it a bit sparse. The table with the lamp is actually a nesting table with the smaller of the two temporarily supporting our cable box. I bought the two barrel chairs the day before Charlie was born and loved them at the time, but now think the black laurel print is way too Crate & Barrel - which isn't a surprise because they came from where else but....Crate & Barrel! I blame it on my delirium of being 41+ weeks pregnant. Any suggestions on how to warm up the space, what to use as a coffee table (ottoman?) or how to liven it up would be appreciated. Oh - and I almost forgot...is the flat-sreen mounted too high?

bye bye round table

2008-03-30T18:41:00.000-07:00

Charlie and Dada

2008-03-12T11:53:00.000-07:00

A few shots of Dada and Charlie on the front porch. We had a few days of "warm" weather, so bare feet were in order.

Pictures, pictures, pictures!

2008-03-12T11:43:00.000-07:00

Everytime...okay maybe not everytime, but almost everytime I talk to my Mom, she stresses how much everyone (aka Auntie Sarsh) wants to see more pictures of Charlie on the site. Im bad. I know I'm bad about posting, but the time, people...the time! It's slim. I have a few to share. Enjoy.

And he's off!

2008-02-17T13:16:00.000-08:00

A few days after Charlie's birthday, a package arrived for him. Inside was a Radio Flyer Trike from Uncle Rick and Aunt Jean. I couldn't wait for KC to get home to assemble it, so I did it myself. With little encouragement from the parents, Charlie's taken to it very well. We took it outside yesterday for the first time and look at him go!

Some additional photos in black and white.

Thank you Uncle Ricky!!!!!

Oh boy aprons!

2008-02-06T10:16:00.000-08:00

You want to bake with Mama? You want to fingerpaint? You want to work with Dada outside? No problem! These overall aprons from Beansoup via Design Mom, look like the perfect addition to Charlie's play clothes. They look sturdy, fashionable and easy to get on and off. Now...to buy or make my own, that's the question.

Hey, if he wanted to wear this adorable Orange Creamsicle Cobbler apron, that would be fine too. The colors and patterns are too cute.

One year

2008-01-28T20:54:00.000-08:00

Charlie turned one year old today. We celebrated with a snow day and stayed indoors snuggled with Dada, Mae Mae and Auntie Meg. His party on Saturday was so much fun and I think a hit with the guests. Here are some shots from the party.

I made a birthday banner for Charlie and one that we can take out year after year. It was made with ribbon and really fun fabrics I found at a local fabric and craft store. It turned out better than I thought it would and my Mom had the ingenious idea of adding "celebrate" to the other side. Brilliant!

We gave small plants to each guest.

KC and I were up all night cooking chili and baking Charlie's cake. Buttermilk orange cake with homemade lemon curd and white chocolate cream cheese frosting. I would love to take a cake decorating/frosting class.

Charlie was so delicate with the cake and as you can see from the picture above, tickled to be sung to and be the center of attention.

The gifts Charlie received were wonderful. Books, animal puppets, funky t-shirts, rain boots, toys. So generous. Thank you everyone!

Focus

2008-01-17T16:04:00.000-08:00

One new year resolution that I've made is to find a digital photography class. Oh, how I wish this picture was in focus. Charlie looks so much like his Grandpa Yount in black & white pictures, especially with the dress shirt on. We miss you Pop!

Our Stars

2008-01-17T15:49:00.000-08:00

Between work and the holiday madness, I haven't had an opportunity to post pictures of our trip to California for Christmas. Here are a few to buy me some time to edit and post the others. Thank you Auntie Gigi for the star jammies! Charlie wears them all the time.

What Mama wants...this room.

2008-01-16T14:30:00.000-08:00

It's gorgeous. I love the colors and the contrast of old and new. I adore it and wish I could go in this direction in my home. Mae Mae...is it possible?

Babyhawk

2008-01-10T21:32:00.000-08:00

Charlie and I set out for a brisk walk yesterday. It was very cold and windy, but I just had to get out of the house and Charlie very much enjoys the outdoors. We made Gracewinds our destination, which is only a few blocks away from our house. Gracewinds is an incredible resource for new mothers and family's, but one that I didn't use when Charlie was a newborn. They have childbirth, parenting and nursing classes as well as classes on baby wearing and infant safety. While at Gracewinds shop Peapod, I tried on a Babyhawk baby carrier and both Charlie and I loved it. They are surprisingly easy to use, come in great colors and patterns and best of all are extremely comfortable. We can no longer use the Bjorn that was so thoughtfully given to us as a gift, as the weight requirement tops out at 22 pounds and Charlie's just about there. The babyhawk goes to 40 pounds. 40 POUNDS! Isn't that like a 6 year old or something? I doubt I'll be letting him hang off me for that long, but he's still at the age where carrying him is still needed. I didn't care for the fabric print on the last one they had, so we headed off to Birth and Beyond in Madison Park. Birth and Beyond is such a great store and has 10 times the amount of products than Peapod. The woman that helped us was gracious and knowledgeable and we ended up buying a babyhawk. I wore it around the house and I think Charlie thought I was pretty strange to strap him to me in the house, when he probably preferred to be crawling on the floor playing. When I called KC to tell him I purchased a carrier, he asked "did you get one of those hippie sacks?!" Too funny. For what it's worth...I love it and I think Charlie does too. I'm off to knit a hemp scarf and stir fry some tofu...tata!

Adiri Update

2007-11-14T17:51:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-10T11:27:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-10T11:02:00.000-08:00

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!

2007-11-01T10:21:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-29T08:38:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-21T23:43:00.001-07:00

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

2007-10-07T23:27:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-02T10:58:00.001-07:00

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

2007-09-25T10:36:00.000-07:00

Some recent and adorable pictures of Charlie boy.

little pearls

2007-09-25T10:25:00.001-07:00

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

2007-09-12T16:05:00.000-07:00

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?

2007-09-12T15:56:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-09T17:57:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-30T09:52:00.001-07:00

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

2007-08-30T09:41:00.001-07:00

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

2007-08-30T08:58:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-29T20:30:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-15T16:41:00.001-07:00

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

2007-08-15T16:17:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-15T16:07:00.000-07:00

Special time with Grandma Nicol

2007-08-13T16:07:00.000-07:00

Auntie Boo Boo

2007-08-13T11:55:00.000-07:00

Uncle Rick and Aunt Jean

2007-08-13T10:25:00.000-07:00

Mae Mae and the Boy

2007-08-13T10:00:00.001-07:00

Charlie's 6 months old!

2007-07-28T17:52:00.000-07:00

Today is Charlie's 6 month birthday. Where has the time gone? Some things that Charlie's doing:

Sitting up on his own.

Standing with a little help from his friends.

Sucking his toes.

Eating rice cereal.

Sleeping in his own bed.

Waking up only once during the night.

Being the cutest damn kid in town.

His 6 month appointment is on August 15th, so it will be interesting to see how he's grown. A couple pictures of little guy are below.

We just had a wonderful time with Gigi, Hap, Dalton and Jack up here in Seattle and I'll post some stories and pictures very shortly. I'll also post more pictures of our trip to California.

Happy 6 months Charlie! We love you!

It's been too long

2007-07-28T17:49:00.000-07:00

We purchased a flatscreen tv when we returned from vacation. We couldn't wait to connect our laptop with the tv, so we could view our vacation pictures on the big screen. Well, big mistake. We blew something in our laptop and couldn't get it to power up. I thought we lost all our pictures as we hadn't yet saved them to disk. KC to the rescue. He was able to get all our precious pictures off the computer, but we still don't have a home pc. So, hence the reason I haven't blogged lately. We hope to have it back up and running very soon.

Old Aunt

2007-07-04T13:00:00.001-07:00

One stop that was a must was to drive out to Blythe, California to see KC's Great Aunt Arlene. The last time we saw her was about a year and a half ago, right after her 90th Birthday. If you're not familiar with where Blythe is, drive to LA, hit the 10 freeway and drive to Palm Springs. Once you hit Palm Springs, keep driving for another hour and a half and your there...or you're nowhere, depending on your mood. She lives out in the middle of the desert and KC was able to track the temperature at 114 at one points. Hot, hot, hot! Arlene lives on a working farm and is well taken care of by friends and family of her late significant other, Paul. We love Arlene. She is so full of life, but talks about death all the time. She's bright and quick and surly as hell. She tells good stories and has lived quite an adventurous life. Did I mention we love Arlene? Old Aunt.

The Cousins

2007-06-23T09:47:00.000-07:00

Being able to introduce Charlie to Dalton and Jack was magic. The Cousies are finally together...and all I have to say is "ohhh so cute!". The older boys have been so gentle with the baby and have done well with entertaining him. Jack has minute long conversations with Charlie and even pauses to make sure that Charlie has a chance to respond. So funny! On our first day together, we took a trip to the Dairy for ice cream.

We're goin' back to Cali...Cali

2007-06-23T09:27:00.000-07:00

We started our adventure on Father's Day, Sunday the 17th and had planned to get an early start to get down to Oregon by the morning. Everything would have gone smoothly had we finished our laundry and packed before the very same morning we were going to leave. About 2 hours into our drive, we got a call from Meg. "Where you guys at?". We could have lied, but we decided that honesty was the best policy, "Renton". We left our house a little after 9 am but made the following stops before hitting the open road. The Bank. My office. Starbuck's. The local parking lot for Charlie's breakfast. Gas. And I'm sure there were a few others that escape me.

We drove the coast most of the way and stayed in hotels both Sunday and Monday nights. We stopped in Monterey and had coffee with our dear friend Kelly Baker, whom we hadn't seen since our wedding. After almost three days of travel, we made it to Mae's Mae's and have really enjoyed our time here so far.

Dinner last night

2007-06-14T12:36:00.000-07:00

We have a great neighborhood restaurant/bar just 5 blocks away. The Barking Dog is a fantastic place to take kids. It's a casual environment with large tables inside, great picnic tables outside, good food and terrific staff. We've only been there two times, but both times we've met other parents and babies. As Auntie Meg always says "you guys are totally members of a new club". It's true, having a child automatically gives you a free pass to talk to any stranger you choose. Typically it's other parents, but I've had many conversations with grandparents that love to coo over Charlie or young adults that comment about how cute he is...and it's true. He is very cute. Last night, Charlie met Gabriella and Elsa. Gabriella was at the restaurant with her two Dads (love Seattle!) and Gabriella was taking a stroll with her parent, hoping she'd fall asleep for the night.

Auntie Meg met us at our house and we walked to the restaurant. We sat outside, which proved to be a little cold, but made sure to bundle the little guy up. Charlie is such a good baby and did really well until we got our food. KC's convinced that this is always the case and I'm beginning to think so too. He started to get a little fussy so I fed him until KC was finished eating and then he took over by walking Charlie around the block. My halibut sandwich was yum. Here are a few pictures.

Funny face

2007-06-14T12:07:00.000-07:00

KC took this picture a few weeks back. I think it's hilarious. I was given a Nikon D80 for my first Mother's Day and we were playing around with the settings. I'm enjoying the camera so much and have really enjoyed taking tons of pics of Charlie. A photography class is definitely in my future, there is so much to learn. We're heading out on Sunday for a road trip down to California. I'm very excited and looking forward to getting pictures of him with the Cousins, Auntie G and Uncle Hap, Mae Mae, Great Aunts and Uncles and the rest of the California gang. We'll see you next week!

Our little Houdini

2007-06-11T20:49:00.000-07:00

Charlie's been having a tough time getting to sleep at night. He was doing so well up until about 2 weeks ago. KC would swaddle, shush and rock him to sleep with relative ease. He now cries, like I've never heard him cry before (he's definitely found his voice), and struggles to release himself a la Houdini, from his blanket that binds him. After about half an hour of, what sounded like a battle in our bedroom, KC got him down. Go KC! When I walked into our room to go to bed around 11:00pm, this is the sight I saw.

Oh my goodness! I couldn't stop laughing and had to leave the room as not to wake him. I grabbed the camera of course, I couldn't resist capturing this. It looks like he did a good job freeing his legs, but Dad did such a stellar swaddle job, Charlie just couldn't compete. I think we're nearing the end of our swaddling routine.

We miss you

2007-06-07T09:25:00.000-07:00

We lost someone very dear to us last week but are so greatful for the time Charlie had with Great Grammy. We have many priceless pictures.

Rough day for Charlie

2007-06-06T22:51:00.001-07:00

Today was Charlie's 4 month check-up with Dr. McMahon. Knowing I could barely handle his 2 month appointment alone, I asked KC to come along. The last time I took him to the Doctor, I was completely unprepared for the nurse to stab, yes I said stab, my childs legs with four very large needles. I learned three very valuable lessons from that appointment. One - Give him tylenol before the appointment. Two - He's a bleeder and the tiny one inch round bandaides simply won't work, they just slide off. Three - I repeat, he's a bleeder. Don't dress him in his cutest, most adorable, heirloom outfit. He will get blood all over it.

Luckily everything went well today and without further ado, here are his stats.

Height: 24 inches (25 to 50%)

Weight: 12 lbs, 6 oz (10%)

Head: 42 cm (50%)

We were tickled to hear that he's a healthy boy. We knew he was thriving but there's just something about your Doctor confirming the facts. He's doing so well, we don't need to introduce new foods quite yet and he can continue to nurse 100% until 6 months. Yeah! I was planning to leave the room when the nurse returned, but then felt guilty, I needed to support my boy, to be strong for Charlie - I know, so dramatic. So I stayed. He cried, he screamed, he bled. He's a bleeder. Poor Charlie.

I should have done this 4 months ago

2007-06-05T09:34:00.000-07:00

Charlie was born on January 28th, 2007. Since then, I've been telling myself that I needed to write down every little development, every little smile (god, he has adorable smiles), every little...he rolled over for the first time yesterday, for goodness sakes. I even bought a beautiful blue leather journal to document my first childs every move. Good intentions. That's what I feel I'm full of lately. So, knowing the enjoyment I get in reading the blogs that I've come across on the web and coming to terms with my addiction to my laptop, I've finally decided to start blogging. Why not. Why not? Well...I'm a terrible writer, not sure others would be interested in reading about Charlie, our little lives in Ballard and our three naughty kitties. But here it goes.