Merry Christmas!!

What Fun it is to Ride and Sing...

For years, Clint and I (primarily me :) had been wanting to do a carriage ride/lights tour around Dallas and this year, Charlie finally gave us the motivation to do it. The Steins and Grays joined us for the fun, and we took Charlie and George to see on a ride to see the lights in Highland Park. The weather was perfectly chilly and crisp and I, of course, was quite enamored with the horses. The boys loved it--although Charlie is not the most discerning baby, with his love of any outdoor event. :) All in all, it was a wonderful evening and I love this new tradition!

Our fabulous two-horse open sleigh...

Little George looked so cute in his winter duds.

Charlie was covered in Christmas spirit. :)

Paci envy.

7 Months Old!

I cannot believe that Charlie is 7 months old. Doesn't the first year just fly by? This past month has been full of new and exciting changes and lots of holiday excitement. Charlie is continuing to scoot (or army crawl) all around--he spins around, scoots backwards and forwards, and gets up on his knees. Although he can push up on his knees, he can't figure out how to crawl forward on them yet--he just rocks back and forth and smiles proudly. :) He has figured out how to move from a sitting position to a crawling position and just this morning figured out how to get from laying down to sitting up--we found him sitting up in his crib! He is starting to pull up on things and loves nothing more than to be able to stand at a table and gaze around a room.

Charlie is continuing to be quite the chatterbox and has ditched the ever-popular "goo" for "da-da-da," which I hear over and over while he's playing. He loves to screech and particularly likes it when I imitate his screeching sounds--I can always get him to laugh that way. Charlie already has the funniest little sense of humor and is even learning to laugh at himself (a bit). Sometimes when he's starting to whine I will whine back, imitating him, and it makes him just dissolve into laughter. I LOVE seeing this little personality develop and I hope that he continues to laugh at himself! He laughs for me and Clint easily now, particularly when we tickle him, throw him in the air or pretend to drop him on the ground (he is quite the daredevil!). Unfortunately, he has also been laughing when I sing him lullabies, which should not be funny!!

Charlie eats all kinds of different foods now, and luckily, is not too picky. He seems to like almost everything--except yogurt and cottage cheese. These foods come out as quickly as that little tongue can push them out. And we finally figured out what those big cheeks are for--Charlie uses them to store up cottage cheese curds, which dribble out slowly for hours after a meal. :)

Charlie loves all kinds of games, especially those that involve some element of danger (tosses or going upside down) or surprise (Peek-a-Boo). He still adores the Wheels on the Bus--I've really never seen anything like it; it can magically turn him happy no matter what mood he's in. We are now working on learning Wheels in Spanish (Las Ruedas Del Camion). :) He also adores his weekly Little Gym classes and will proudly demonstrate his back flip and forward roll for anyone that will watch (before you think he's too advanced, I should disclose that both of those tricks involve a lot more work on my part than his :). Charlie really has a great outlook on life in general--he assumes that each outing will be fabulous and each person we meet will adore him, and this outlook is serving him well thus far!

We had his 6-month appointment a month late, so his 7 month stats are:

Weight: 16 lbs., 8 oz. (15%)

Height: 28 inches (75%)

Head: ? cm. (50%)

Charlie's appointment went great, and he didn't mind his shots much at all this time. He is apparently a bit skinny (I'm skeptical about this because he looks pleasantly plump to me), so we have to go back for a "weight check" in a few weeks. Lots of avocados and yogurt for Charlie coming up!

Here's Charlie rocking back and forth. Still can't quite figure out how to move this way--he has to flop down on his stomach to really get going.

Lovely runny nose... :(

Someone was done with pictures!

Thank you for a wonderful 7 months little Charlie. I can't wait to see what month 8 brings!

Finger Painting and Play Dates

Charlie got in a few fun play dates before the holidays. Trey came over to play and the boys had so much fun together. They are at the exact same stage, which is so fun. Charlie has so missed Trey since he left day care, so the reunion was a very joyous one. :)

Charlie's hands were as fascinating to Trey as they are to Charlie!

Later that day, we headed over to the Grays' house for some finger painting with George. I think more paint ended up on Charlie and George than on the paper. But the boys loved it, and Abbey was a great sport about the mess. Thanks for the fun Grays!

George enjoyed painting on paper and on Charlie!

Jackson Pollock and his artsy legs.

Christmas Shopping

Charlie got to join in some of the Christmas shopping this year. Although he wasn't too big a fan of the shopping, he always loves being with his Ali, Aunt Meggie, Dede, and Aunt Addie. And he LOVED showing off his new Santa outfit. :)

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas...

The three of us have had so much fun getting ready for Christmas this year. Although Charlie doesn't really know what to expect (considering that he's never had a Christmas :), he seems to know that something exciting is in the air. I just love the holidays and, like everything else, they are made so much more fun with the addition of Charlie.

We spent a chilly afternoon picking the perfect Christmas tree...

The chainsaw only scared us a little bit.

The fine selection in the Albertson's parking lot...

Our tree-decorating evening was so much fun (and only a little chaotic). Charlie loved seeing the lights and all the ornaments. But, not surprisingly, he was desperate to get said lights and ornaments in his mouth. :)

Those of you getting packages from us this year might notice a few tears in the paper... :)

I love getting out our Christmas decorations and ornaments every year. So many of them bring back such wonderful memories! This little tree--which was always at my grandmother's house when I was growing up; she gave to me after noticing that I had admired it every year since I was about Charlie's age--always makes me so nostalgic. :)

Our tree-decorating helper was quickly relegated to the couch. :)

He was frustrated with his distance from the tree...so close, and yet, so far...

Determined to get there somehow!

As you can guess from my last post, we have also been trying to visit Santa. It took 3 trips to North Park (and a little begging), but we finally got our chance. Santa was so sweet and Charlie was very relieved to finally get to schmooze with the jolly old guy and deliver his list in person. Santa requested cookies on Christmas Eve, so Charlie and I will have to start baking!

Waiting in line for our big moment...

Excited, and only a little nervous...

Pure admiration. :)

This really is the most wonderful time of the year, isn't it??

A Dastardly Trip to Denver

Charlie and I decided to accompany Clint on another interview trip--this time to Denver--and had a wonderful time. This trip, however, was not quite as smooth as our North Carolina trip. I should have known when I arrived at the airport and realized we had left my trusty Baby Bjorn carrier in the car (and was traveling without a stroller because I was supposed to be bringing the Bjorn...) that this was just not going to be a problem-free trip. When traveling with a baby (or at all, for that matter), organization is key. And somehow, I just didn't have it together on this trip. It started with the Bjorn and continued when I arrived at the gate without my boarding pass (I later found it tucked away in one of Charlie's diapers--because that's a great place to keep a boarding pass, right?). I lost a glove on the plane, and then left our only blanket and Charlie's toys at the house of one of Clint's friends in Denver. Because Clint had a pre-interview dinner on Sunday and his interview all day Monday, Charlie and I were on our own for a good chunk of the trip. I felt the loss of the Bjorn (and Clint of course :) very strongly when I was left to wrangle Charlie on my own all day on Monday. We took a taxi to a nearby mall, and on the way, I was chastised by my taxi driver for not having a way to carry Charlie around the mall (because I had no idea that would be a problem). Luckily, I was able to rent a (huge!) stroller for $1 at the mall. Not the best stroller I've ever tried, but I was sure happy to see it! :)

The final blow came at the airport on the way home (after we had to undergo full body pat-downs because I failed to separate out my liquids :). I went to change Charlie right before we boarded the plane and just before I did, Charlie managed to go to the bathroom all over his outfit. We were already running late, so I peeled off his outfit, put on a fresh diaper, wrapped him in my jacket and ran to the gate, planning to put him in a fresh outfit on the plane. The flight attendants made sure to let me know that Charlie didn't have clothes on (nice of them, because I hadn't noticed), that it was very cold outside (again, hadn't noticed) and that I should have packed extra outfits (I did, just didn't want to hold up the flight any longer...).

All in all, the trip was fun, but my disorganization made it slightly more stressful than it should have been. I took a few pictures which--not unlike the trip--are fairly underwhelming... :)

We drove around Denver to see the sights...and made a quick stop for a photo of the capitol.

My rousing dinner companion on Sunday night...

Charlie was thrilled with his huge double stroller at the mall.

And, of course, we had to test out Denver's playgrounds. Charlie found this playground as thrilling as the one we found in North Carolina. Check out his huge smiles! :)

We ate some mangoes for breakfast in the Denver airport (this is right before Charlie destroyed his outfit :).

New Year's Resolution: become a more organized traveler!

George and Charlie Conquer the Mall (but fail to conquer Santa)

Abbey and I took George and Charlie to the mall the other day to see Santa. Sadly, we were not allowed past Santa's henchmen to get to the jolly man himself. Apparently there is a lot more to it than just walking up and getting in line. We have since learned that you have to arrive at 9:00 a.m., get an early number, and return later in the day (but not during one of Santa's scheduled breaks), at which point you then get to stand in line for Santa. Charlie and I think that it might make more sense to just mail Santa our wish lists... Luckily, George and Charlie did not let the Santa fiasco get them down--we had a great time anyway. :)

We tried to get a few (iPhone) pics of them together. We had to bribe George with a sippy cup, but we were finally able to get them to sit still for a minute...

Notice the Christmas outfit Charlie wore for Santa. :(

Blythe Reads to Charlie

Charlie tagged along with us to a dinner party the other night and, much to his relief, his good friend Blythe tagged along with her parents as well. We all had so much fun watching the two of them together--Blythe is such a sweet little girl and so good with Charlie (and has even learned to say his name!), and he just adores her. I can tell they are going to be good friends! :)

Here is Charlie waiting for Blythe (Blythe is the pink blur in the background :).

Here's Charlie trying to put the moves on Blythe.

He was so excited about her book. And sweet Blythe did not get annoyed by Charlie's incessant patting and pulling.

He's in awe. :)