Blue skies smiling on us

What a beautiful weekend we’ve had!  Two picture perfect fall days, with lots of time outside thanks to the temperature dip which has done away with the last of the evil “esquimos”. The end of summer was tough on poor Charlie – mosquitoes just love his sweetness, and after all the rain we had in August and September, they were as big as birds and out for blood, literally. Anyway, after keeping him inside for way too long, it was great to be out enjoying the gorgeous weather.

Saturday started with pumpkin bread baking. For the first time, I let Charlie helped – he beat the eggs (sort of) and stirred the wet and dry ingredients together (somewhat). He seemed to like it, and asked to make pumpkin bread again today. Then I made some fall soup for our lunch with Ms. Lynne and her son Jack. It was really fun to have them over – Jack is adorable, and Ms. Lynne couldn’t believe how chatty he was, and how we’ll he is speaking. Charlie started to melt down after lunch and some serious playtime, so they headed out so he could get down for a power nap. After that, we went for a run and then he and his daddy played soccer and catch in the front yard while I made pizza dough. All that fresh air, playing and running around was so good for him; he slept like a log last night.

Today the fun continued with a trip out to the Leesburg Animal Farm and Pumpkinville.  They have a completely hands on zoo all year round, but during the fall they also have lots of Halloween-themed activities – haunted hay rides, corn mazes, hay slides, etc.  I told Charlie this morning that we were having “Mommy-Daddy-Charlie Day”, and I was very happy when he proclaimed it the best day ever!

He loved to pet and hug all the animals, had a blast flying down the slides, and didn’t want the hay ride to end. Oh, and the bouncy house – he’s never liked them before when I’ve encouraged him to try, but this time, he didn’t want to get out. We all had a great time! We hope your weekend was as good as ours.

Busy, busy boy

Our little traveler enjoyed a plane flight to Atlanta last weekend to celebrate his cousin Ann’s third birthday!  Ann’s birthday conveniently coincided with the wedding of my sister’s very best friend growing up, Jessica.  Jessica lived next door to us and was like a member of our family, so it was so great to get to enjoy her wedding. Bonuses were that Katie was a bridesmaid and Ann was a flower girl!  We had a wonderful time in Atlanta spending time with family (including my parents, who were also in town for the wedding) and my good friends Molly and John, who were kind enough to host George, Charlie and me over the weekend!  I don’t get down to Atlanta nearly enough since my parents moved away, so it was a treat to spend the weekend there.

Here’s a photo of Charlie on the flight on the way down. It may look like he’s asleep, but really he was engrossed in the safety procedures. He found the pictures fascinating, and spent a good part of the trip down reviewing them.

We had a great time with Molly, John and Julia. Charlie especially loved his inflatable mattress in Julia’s room!

Here are the kiddos and their dads enjoying some early morning reading.

 

Sunday was sweet Ann’s third birthday, so a bonus of going down last weekend was the ability to celebrate with her on her big day.

 

I think she had fun!

Charlie was so tired on the way home that he fell asleep the second we were in the air, and didn’t even wake up during the very bumpy landing. What a fun weekend!

Charlie has a new habit of getting up EARLY, generally before I leave the house for work. We now have a ritual – he comes out of his bedroom and comes to watch me “Mommy blow her dry hair”, as he calls it, and then I give him a big hug and kiss and he goes to the window and blows me kisses as I get in the car and drive off. It’s pretty much the cutest thing ever. Sometimes he’ll say, “I see you soon, Mommy”. The first few times, he cried as I left which bummed me out, but now he holds it together. Last night, when I got home from work, he said, “I missed you, Mommy”.   So  sweet. On the weekends, he says, “Mommy no go to work?” when he catches onto the fact that I’m not rushing around like a crazy person. We love our weekends!

Speaking of loving weekends, Charlie’s in for a special treat this weekend. His beloved Ms. Lynne, last year’s preschool teacher, is coming for lunch on Saturday!  She has checked in with me a couple of times this year to see how Charlie’s doing, so I asked if she and her son, who is Charlie’s age, wanted to come over for lunch and some play time and she was game. I can’t wait to see his little face when he realizes Ms. Lynne is coming for a visit!

Weekend Update

Rolling around at bedtime

Getting into trouble

Goofing off

Flexing his muscles (sort of)

Cutest thing he said all weekend: I yawned tonight, and Charlie said, "I'm tired too, my dear mommy".  He's got a great memory for words and phrases from books we've ready, so who knows where he picked up "my dear mommy", but it melted me.

We're struggling with potty training - he just has no interest in sitting on the potty. George finally figured out he'd sit still if bribed with chili cheese fritos, so that's our current ploy. He looks pretty funny sitting on the potty, munching on fritos.

School is going great so far - he loves it and his teacher thinks he's very bright and personable, both of which make us happy. I love that he can tell me about his day - each kid has a "job" every day (bell ringer, line leader, etc) so Charlie likes to tell me about his own task, and then if I ask him who did the other tasks, he can generally name every kid. I don't know if he aligns them with the right tasks, but it's impressive that he remembers all of their names. He still calls poor Maddox  "Maggots", but hopefully he'll get the name down before too long!

First Day Riding the School Bus to School

I asked how he liked it, and he said, “More bus!”

More random notes on things I hope I always remember

Charlie loves Beyonce’s song Irreplaceable, and asks me to play it on my computer often – he calls it “To the left”. Last weekend when we were at my parents, Dad was playing the guitar for Charlie and asking what he wanted to hear next, and Charlie requested some Beyonce. Needless to say, Dad wasn’t able to fulfill his request.

I let Charlie listen to “To the left” last night before bed.  When I turned it off so we could go up to bed, he said, “Night night Beyonce”. 

Charlie got a pink star “magic wand” from a birthday party a few weeks ago, and he loves it. He calls it his “mag-i-wan”. The first time he couldn’t find it, he kept asking, “where my mag-i-wan?”  That thing could have been right in front of me and I still would have had no clue what he was trying to find.

We’re still working on manners at our house, and he requires pretty regular reminders though we’ve finally moved past the need for verbal reminders. He says, “I want dessert” and I just raise my eyebrows and look at him, and he shouts “Please!”  It doesn’t sound all that polite when he shouts it, but we’re getting there. His dessert of choice right now is a poor man’s s’more, a “marshyeyow and graham quackerth” as he calls them.

Tomorrow is a big day – the school bus is coming to pick Charlie up!  I wish I could be here to see him off, but it’s probably better for him that I’ll already be at work.  Hopefully he will be excited enough and not give Pamela a hard time, so that she can get some photos.

A redux

And now, just moments later, he’s “President Bomama”.  We’re going to have to work on this.

Out of the mouths of babes

Charlie’s constant chattering provides lots of amusement.  One of his current favorite books is “Acker Sander (Alexander) and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day”, and he’s been walking around today quoting parts of it, primarily “I hate kissing!” and “I hate my railroad train jamanas (pajamas)!”.

He also loves a funny book called “Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed” – but he calls in the Naked Mole Hats. In one part of the book, grandpah naked mole rat makes a proclamation, and all the little mole rats run around saying “A proclamation, a proclamation, a proclamation” – so now at the most random of times, he’ll suddenly shout out “a proclamation!”

Yesterday, we were walking home from the park and he said, “I wanna go Cyrus”. Cyrus is one of the three streets we can take home, and I’m sure I’ve said the name of the street to him before, but I don’t remember when.

Today, we’ve been watching a lot of the 9/11 coverage, and seen President Obama and others. Tonight, I told him we were going to watch Daddy’s show, and he said, “Watch President Nobama”.

He just said in an itty, bitty voice to his train, “Are you listening to me Thomas?” and then said a bit louder, “How about you, #14, are you listening to me Charles?” (#14 train is named Charlie) He’s used to hearing that himself, so I guess the trains are taking the brunt of it.

I love how his little mind works.

Cute

As Charlie has begun talking more and more, we’ve noticed he has a bit of a lisp. There’s nothing cuter than hearing him ask for his favorite snack:

“I need two prethel thtickth pwease mommy.”  Sticks is a particularly funny word coming out of his mouth!

More of the same

Tonight, I came home to a piece of paper with some circles around activities Charlie had participated in today. One of the things circled was “bell ringer”, so I asked him if he got to ring the bell in class today.  He said, “Ring bell, clean up time, Ms. Jane said”.  I feel like we’ve had a real breakthrough, and it’s so exciting to me that he can tell me about his day!  I think this is going to be such a great year for him.

Bursting

I’m so proud of my big boy today, who started his first day of preschool year 2 with NO tears, even though he was a little nervous upon realizing that Ms. Lynne wasn’t anywhere to be seen. The note home from his new teacher said “Charlie had a happy day” and also mentioned that he actually ate some of his chicken, which is an improvement upon last year’s general refusal to eat school lunch. When I got home from work tonight, he was super excited and happy, and was talking about Harper, who I gather is a new friend in his class.

I’m also so proud of his little mind and his new imaginative abilities. Tonight he was playing with “Gwaddis” (his baby Gladys) and he wanted me to put her coat on so they could go out for a walk, and then when she fell out of the stroller, he picked her up and gave her a hug and said, “Aw, Gwaddis is okay”. Of course, later he realized the sound of her head hitting a cardboard box made a really funny noise, so he bashed her around for a while too – he’s not all sweetness and light! After playtime, it was time for Gwaddis to go to bed, so he got his lovies, tucked her in with them, gave her a big kiss, and told her to “Have a good sweep”. 

We used to be so worried about what he would and wouldn’t do. Lately, it seems that every day, he wipes away another worry. What a kid!

Labor Day

Yesterday was my dad’s birthday, and George had to work today, so Charlie and I decided to hit the road to Lexington on Saturday morning so that he could help his beloved Papa Rex celebrate.  We missed George, but we had a great time seeing Gram and Papa Rex. Charlie loves his grandparents, and has just really started to understand what the word “grandparents” means (both the true definition and the spoiling and treats that go along with it) so the whole drive down, he kept saying, “We’re going to my grandparents’ house” or “We’re going to see my Papa Rex and Gram”.

I love when he uses my with all the possessiveness it implies. There’s something really comforting about watching my child fall in love with my parents. I love when he asks for one of them to do something for him instead of me, or wants to hold their hands instead of mine. He loves and trusts them, and really likes having them around. And they, of course, love to be with him too.

We’re blessed that Charlie’s such a great traveler. He plays with his blackberry, looks out the window, asks me to pass back fruit snacks and granola bars now and then, and talks a LOT. Today on the way home, he fell asleep about 10 minutes after we got on the road and slept solidly, mouth wide open, for about 90 minutes.

While I would have preferred to have George join us, I also love these Charlie-and-mommy excursions. It’s fun to talk to him on the drive, and to hear what he’s thinking about. Because we don’t get as much time as I would like during the week, I love having a whole weekend where he’s my main focus. Oh, and occasionally, he also gets to share a bed with me when we’re away, while he’s never allowed to sleep in our bed at home. This weekend, what started out as just a little snuggle time before bed turned into a sleepover in my bed, since we both fell asleep before I moved him to the pack-n-play. I love waking up to him grinning next to me, even if I do get kicked and punched a few times in the night.

I forgot to take my camera out of my purse all weekend, so I have no photos to share, but Charlie starts school tomorrow and while I won’t be here to send him off (boo), I’ve asked George to get some photos of him all dressed up and ready for the first day of year 2 of preschool. I hope he has a great time!

Growing, growing, grown!

This little face isn’t quite “grown up” yet.

 

He’s still got a mouth full of tiny, sharp baby teeth, he still says “weawoh” instead of “yellow” and asks me to “pick you up” (he still confuses me and you) and rests his head on my shoulder. He still gets scared of fireworks and other loud noises. But he is also becoming a creative, thinking, feeling boy. He tells me stories and expresses his feelings. His chubby baby fat face has become a slender little boy face.

Charlie is morphing into more than just my sweet, adorable baby. He’s my best little buddy, my friend.  The way he communicates now has really changed our relationship. As his parents, we’re negotiators and conversationalists, and sometimes still translators, but not as often as we used to be. I love that I can ask Charlie how his day was and he can really tell me. Sometimes he makes some of the events up, and other times he brings in events that happened weeks ago (“Pamela took you to Chuck E Cheese” is a regular report, and I don’t think they’ve been in weeks. Clearly it made a big impression!) – but he gets the concept of relating the events of his day and does his best to make his events good ones.

Tonight after work, I took Charlie to the park to play. He found a baby doll stroller someone had temporarily abandoned, and he was pushing it around, pretending he was going for a walk. He said, “Have a nice day, Mommy” and headed off on his way.

We had Charlie’s preschool orientation today. His beloved teacher, Ms. Lynne, isn’t back this year, but some of the other teachers he knows from last year were there. He raced into his classroom and started playing with his familiar favorites, chattering away and sometimes yelling with excitement. One of the teachers said, When did Charlie become the loud kid in the class?  They don’t know what they’re in for this year!

Battening Down the Hatches

So unless you are living in a cave in Afghanistan, you’ve probably heard that hurricane Irene  is headed for the East Coast this weekend. I have to admit that I’m not really buying the hype, but I might be jinxing myself considering our house is built on a swamp…

We don’t have big plans this weekend, other than having some friends over tomorrow night. I’m kind of looking forward to an excuse to stay in and enjoy the rain and my family. Hopefully our friends will make it too, but if not, we’ll enjoy a quiet night just the three of us. George went out last night for batteries for the CD player, ice to keep the beer and milk cold, and some granola bars – so we’ll be in good shape either way!

George called on his way home from work tonight and suggested we meet him in Old Town Alexandria for dinner. As Charlie and I approached the restaurant, only about a block from the Alexandria harbor, a big truck full of sandbags pulled up in front of us and parked, and residents started showing up to collect their allotted 5 bags. It made me appreciate where we are – we may be on low ground, but at least we’re not right up against the Potomac like some of our neighbors.

In a little over a week, Charlie will start his second year at preschool.  I think he’s ready to go back. He’s changed SO much over the summer, and I am excited to see how he handles a new year at school!

Here are some pictures of him from last week. In the first, he is modeling my new Michael Kors purse, which I picked from a list of “10 Years at FINRA” gifts. Who knew I could get a purse? So much cooler than a FINRA clock or knick-knack.  It is hard for me to believe that September marks the 10th anniversary of my move to DC. How my life has changed in those 10 years!