My First Fish Fry...it Must be Lent!!

Today was a great day, other than the fact that it was super cold out..  After a great night's sleep, Charlotte had a couple of visitors this morning. Our neighbor Susan came over with her daughter, Kim, who was visiting from D.C. Charlotte was in a great mood and was very entertaining.  She was showing off all of her new skills, standing, walking with her cart, etc. She just loves that little grocery cart.  She pushes it the entire length of our family room until she runs into the wall or the couch.  Then, she gets 

mad that she can't go any further..so, I have to go and turn her around so she can push the cart back.  She can do this for a good half hour..back and forth....   After our visit, she was getting a little cranky and due for her nap.  This was perfect, because we were leaving to go down to the suburbs to visit Grandma and Grandpa Cannata for the afternoon.  So, she took her nap in the car...in her new "big girl" car seat.  We got down to the burbs and hung out for a while...ate some turkey and squash.  Then, around 3:30 she started rubbing her eyes and getting frustrated....tell tales signs of nap time.  So, I tried to get her down...to no avail.  Sometimes, when she is not at home, she is just too interested in what's going on around her.  Then, 4:15 came and we were due to leave for the fish fry to meet my parent's friends, The Simich's.  So, I put her in the car and she fell instantly asleep.  The drive only took about 20 minutes, so I knew I would be dealing with a crabby baby..luckily I took my own car.  She actually had a good time for a while, she was eating everything in sight:  soup, bread, cottage cheese, vegetables, fish, cake!! But soon enough she was getting crabby and I knew we were minutes from a meltdown. So, I packed her up and took her back to my parents to take a nap.  She slept for a while and was her usual happy self when she woke up.  My parents came home about 5 minutes after she woke from her nap.  Then, she did something that just amazed me...she started taking steps on her own...not all out walking, but two steps at a time.  Amazing!  She is literally about a week away from walking!!  She is growing up so fast :(   I am now in the process of packing up her 6-9 month clothing!!  There was a big sale at Carter's the other day and I stocked her up on 9 and 12 month clothes.  What a big girl!!  She finally has enough hair (barely) for a little bow!  (See photo!)  

Have a great weekend everyone!!! 

Do you like my new alphabet puzzle mat!!!  I do!

Cheerios

Here is Charlotte eating one of her favorite snacks...cheerios. She makes a huge mess, but she loves it!!

I love Meatballs!!

The attached video shows Charlotte enjoying pastina and meatballs for dinner.  She IS Italian, after all!!  We crushed up a meatball, threw in some pastina and stirred it all together with Kevin's homemade sauce...what's not to love!  

Nine Months Old and Swimmin' Like a Fish

Yesterday was our big "underwater" day at swimming class!  I actually wasn't nervous or anything.  What was the worst that could happen?? She could snort up a bunch of water and never trust me again?  Well, possibly..  So, halfway through class, the time came.  We were told to kind of bounce them up and down while counting to three..then on three, we were to blow in their face and quickly submerge them for a second.  Babies have a natural reflex to close their eyes and close their mouth when you blow in their face.  Only, (and I should have realized this) when your baby is teething like a crazy person and constantly has their fingers in their mouth..that "seal" doesn't quite happen.  So, I think she swallowed a little water.  But, she didn't get upset or freak out or anything.  She has two more bottom teeth coming in.  For those keeping count..that makes 8!  I thought biting issues didn't start until they were toddlers...well, she is a crazy biter.  She will crawl around on the floor and then pull herself up on the couch just to bite me.  And...she thinks it's HILARIOUS!  She will bite anything she can get her mouth on....my fingers, my hands, my feet, my shoulder...whatever!  I have bruises everywhere.  She is surprizingly strong and sometimes it's hard to push her away without being forceful.  I have tried the stern, "NO BITE!"  But, she just laughs and does it again.  I'm gonna have to do some research on this one!  

Anyway, today was her 9 month check up.  She is in perfect health and doing great.  She was 19 lbs, 5 oz. and she is 28 1/4 inches long.  She is in the 50-75th percentile for weight and the 75th percentile for height.  Interestingly enough, she is in the 90th percentile for head circumference...I'm pretty sure that comes from Daddy.  The doctor asked me what she is eating these days and I started rattling off all of her new food adventures..and I said, "Oh, and she LOVES Yo Baby (the baby yogurt)"  and she replied, "Oh, you mean 'baby crack'??"  Apparently, Charlotte is not the only baby to love her yogurt.  I always knew that peanut butter was called "puppy crack" and now I know what "baby crack" is!  I also told the doctor that she is almost walking..how she furniture walks and walks with her grocery cart and how she can stand on her own for short periods of time.  She was really surprised!  I guess she's a little early (or advanced...I like to call it!) for walking.  I should have said, "Hey if you don't believe me, get me a laptop...I can show you a video in no time!"  Charlotte lucked out.  She was supposed to get her third Hepatitis B vaccine today.  Apparently, there is a major shortage of the vaccine right now.  So, they are saving it for the newborns..she will get it at her 12 month appointment.  Also, with Charlotte close to 20 pounds, she is near the weight cut off for her infant car seat.  It's time to buy a regular car seat.  After we left the doctor, it was around 11:00 and I thought that Charlotte might enjoy going out for brunch and getting some pancakes and eggs!  So, the two of us had a Mommy Daughter date at Original Mitchells.  I odered the same thing I always get, the "Math Plate" 2 Eggs + 2 Pancakes + 2 Bacon.  Charlotte and I shared the pancakes and eggs.  (I asked the doctor today if it was okay that she had eggs...I said that I gave her some already because she didn't have a reaction to the flu shot..which is made from eggs.  She said that she probably would have had me wait, but since she has already had some without an issue, it's okay...oops.)  She loved the pancakes..I think she had already had some pancakes from Grandma Cannata.  She kept opening her mouth and slapping the table.  It's like I couldn't shovel it in there fast enough.  Needless to say, we will definetly be taking a bath tonight because she is all sticky from the syrup.  I got as much off with baby wipes as I could, but she must have touched her hair as she has a big sticky patch of hair in the back.  

There is a store right down the street from the restaurant called, "The Right Start" that sells baby stuff, including car seats.  I thought, "well, we're already here.might as well take a look and see if they have anything I like."  When we got into the store, I noticed tons of signs everywhere informing us that The Right Start had filed for Chapter 11 yesterday.  So, I decided not to purchase a car seat from there.  It's a large purchase and they are expensive...so, I want to be able to have some recourse if it doesn't work out.  It was a blessing in disguise because I forgot that I have a 20% coupon for Babies R Us.  So, Charlotte and I will make a stop there tomorrow on our way to the suburbs.  

Happy Thursday!!

Birthdays and Late Christmas

Well, it was once again a busy weekend for us. On Friday, Charlotte and I went down to the suburbs to see Emily and Liz who came home from school for Emily's birthday. We had some Chinese food while the girls played with Charlotte...they couldn't believe how much she changed in just one month! On Saturday, Valentine's Day, we went back down to the suburbs to go out for all of the February birthdays in our family. We went to Aurelio's in Homewood. I have to give a shout out to Kevin who sent me a dozen roses with a teddy bear for Charlotte. The card was to "his two favorite girls"..so sweet! He also made me a really nice brunch since we were forgoing our usual surf and turf dinner. (I missed eating our dinner, but not the smell of a freshly boiled lobster that usually sticks around for 2 days). Aurelio's was very crowded and Charlotte became quickly overwhelmed. When she is like that, she typically wants to just be with me. But, I will tell you, she is right at home with Grandpa. They are like two peas in a pod. Attached is a short clip of the two of them at dinner. At first she was eating the olives out of his antipasto salad. But, then we gave her the gerber puffs. She had cheese pizza and ice cream too! She is so "go with the flow." She totally just wants to eat what we are eating...which is great!

Then, on Sunday, we went out to Hinsdale to my Aunt and Uncle's House to visit with them. We didn't make it out there for Christmas this year, so we actually still had some gifts to exchange. She had such a great time there! It was perfect timing, she took her nap in the car and was all smiles when we got there. It was nice and low-key..which is when she tends to thrive. Charlotte had her first popsicle....and LOVED it!!! I bet it felt good on her gums. I will definitely be buying some for the house.

I took the attached videos today. I wanted to show you how difficult it is getting to take videos of her. Once she figures out what I am doing...she comes tearing after me and crawls up my legs to get to the camera. I have like 20 minutes of video of her just chasing after me...I keep moving and she keeps coming after me, killing herself laughing. She's a riot.

By the way...I have to apologize to all of my CNA friends for all of the videos...I know "the man" blocks them at Big Red... Hopefully you can log on at home sometime and see what a cutie she is! Have a great week, everyone!!!

Rain Rain...Go Away!

Today was a rainy and gross day around here. However, our diaper level was at "critical" so we needed to make a Target run. How cute does she look in her little raincoat??? Thanks Mike and Mrs. S!!

While we were at Target, I found this toy that I have been meaning to buy her. I wanted something that is designed to help her learn how to stand on her own and eventually walk. It's a little grocery cart with wheels. After we got home, I quickly put it together. Attached are two videos of the result. These videos were taken about 15 minutes after I assembled it.

FRESH AIR!!!!!

Finally!!!  A day warm enough that we could go out for a short walk!!  After lunch (sliced turkey and yogurt), I bundled Charlotte up and strapped her in her stroller and we went down the street to pick up daddy's dry cleaning.  It was so nice to get out of the house and get some fresh air!  Even though it isn't "warm" it was a nice change of pace.  And...right next to the dry cleaner is an ice cream shop.  So, I figured we would stop in and get Charlotte some frozen yogurt.  What could feel better on those sore gums??  She loved the frozen yogurt (chocolate) and was thrilled for a change of scenery.  Now we are back home playing again.  Hopefully we will have more nice 

weather on the way.  

Yesterday, Charlotte and I went to the grocery store...she had a great time.  Except for the deli...the woman behind the deli kept smiling at her and Charlotte's little bottom lip started quivering and she started crying.  Who knows what that was about.  When we got home, I made her a grilled cheese sandwich and cut it up into little pieces...she LOVED it.  It's like a whole new world for her.  I also got her some canned organic peach slices.  I cut a few up for her to eat. They were a little slippery since they stay in that syrup, so I had to help her.  But she liked it!

Retro Video...Charlotte Meeting her Grandparents

Here's a video from the day Charlotte was born, May 15, 2008. It is the first time all of her grandparents (and her Aunt Liz) saw her. I love looking at her old videos to see how much she has changed!

Charlotte was only about 4 hours old here. When the nurse brought her into the room, I immediately said, "You can give her to Grandma." I was still recovering from general anesthesia and I was so drugged up that I was afraid to hold her. The nurse started explaining to me what to do if she got "mucousy" and I said, "Is anyone else listening to this?" Because I knew I would forget. They had me on a really high dose on the PCA pump because I had a larger incision than normal. I couldn't even keep my eyes open. I am so glad we have video of these days because they were such a blur. I am also glad that my husband didn't get me in much of this video!

I also really like my comment, "Isn't she cute??  She's not even squished or anything!!"

Swimmin' Baby

Today was our 5th swimming class. Our neighbor, Susan, came with us to class today to be our photographer. Thanks Susan!! We had such a great time...and I'll tell you, the locker room situation is SOOO much easier with an extra set of hands! Charlotte had a great time in the water today, as you can tell from the pictures. During our "free time" she lounged around in an innertube like she was lying out in the sun. I know this kid is going to live in the pool this summer!! As usual, she passed out in the car on the way home and is still sleeping in her crib as I write this.

Charlotte definitely has a tooth coming in. I think it's on the top. Everytime I stick my finger in there to feel or put Oragel on, she nearly takes the tip of my finger off...so, I'm not quite sure. She couldn't keep her fingers out of her mouth during the class today, so something's going on!!

Enjoy the pictures. Susan also took a video of us playing a game in the pool. You are supposed to throw the toy and then the babies are supposed to splash and reach for the toy while you hold them in a "swimming position." We aren't "technically" allowed to take video until the last class....but we cheated. Susan took the video with our digital camera so it looked like she was just taking pictures. Shh...no one tell on us!!! I'm not sure what the big deal is...perhaps they are concerned that I might steal all of their little nursery rhyme songs and start my own class...

By the way...sorry if it seems like all I post about lately is swimming class...but honestly, it's the most exciting thing we do around here lately!!! Spring, please come faster!!!

I also found out in today's swimming class that we will be "dunking" the babies in 2 weeks!!!  Ahhh!!!  We'll see how that goes...I guess she's gotta learn sometime!

Sick Baby Update

Just to let everyone know...Charlotte is back to normal.  She is watching the Super Bowl and eating strawberries, cooked carrots and mac and cheese (no baby food...all real chopped up food!).   Looks like whatever it was passed quickly (I still think it was teething related).