Flash Cards

Oh Charlotte..she is just growing and changing so much every day. We continue to be amazed by her. Today, as we were going through her flash cards, I remembered something so funny..and I said, I have to blog about this. Both Kevin and I have been working on her picture flash cards. She is so good at them! She has a ton of them: animals, foods, abc's, colors, etc. She knows almost 80% of them..she is so smart. When she doesn't know one, she tries really hard and it's so funny. We came across the "Ostrich" card and she didn't know it. So she looked at me and said, "Spencer's Meatball." It took me a minute of just thinking.."What???" And then it occurred to me...on an episode of iCarly, Spencer asked his magic meatball (iCarly's version of a magic 8 ball) if he should buy an ostrich...and it said yes. So, there was an ostrich in the rest of the episode! How incredibly smart of her. She didn't know the word she wanted, but she found something related to let me know that she knew what it was! So, ever since then..she says, "Ostrich! Spencer's Meatball!!!"

Another thing she did tonight... those of you who know me well may notice that I like to clean..I like things where they belong. If YOU choose to use the word Neat Freak or OCD..that's your decision.. Anyway, tonight, Kevin said, "Charlotte, do you want to go upstairs and get your bottle and watch iCarly and go to bed?" She said yes and started walking to the stairs. But, she suddenly turned around and started picking up all of her books and said, "I put books away" and put them all in the spot where we keep the books. I am NOT exaggerating when I say that I had tears in my eyes. She also likes to clean. If I spray windex on the table and start wiping it off, I have to give her a piece of paper towel so she can help. She IS my child after all!!!

Nate has started having a little cereal and fruits about once a day. He loves it. He likes pears, apples and peaches. Feeding him is like a wrestling match, though. I have to hold his hands down while I feed him because he really wants to grab the spoon from me and make a huge mess!

Charlotte Dancing and Nate Bouncing

Those "Classy" Clinnins

My sister-in-law, Mary, texted me this morning telling me that on the morning radio show, Eric and Kathy, they were talking about the classiest names. And...Charlotte was #1 for girls! Here is the breakdown from their website. Guess we should have listened to Aunt Liz and named Nathan Henry... I have no idea where this "poll" came from or how legitimate it is, but I'll take it!

If you want people to think you're classy, you should name your daughter Charlotte and your son Henry.

The five classiest names you can give your baby GIRL are:
1. Charlotte
2. Seraphina
3. Olivia
4. Elizabeth
5. Lucy

And the five classiest names you can give your baby BOY are:
1. Henry
2. Finn
3. Oliver
4. James
5. Asher

My Loves Hanging Out, Watching Diego

Jumperoo, I love you!

Well...it seems like Nathan discussed his "sleep strike" with his local Union rep and has decided to give in to management (me). He was much better last night and tonight looks promising. Earlier in the week, I ordered Nathan a Jumperoo. If you haven't had a baby in the last 5 or so years, you may be unfamiliar with the Jumperoo...and for that, I feel bad for you. It is literally the best thing since sliced bread (for a weary mom anyway). It's kind of like an exersaucer (which is kind of like a stationary walker). Except, the jumperoo has a bungee-like aspect that allows them to jump...not just a clever name! (By the way, special thanks to Grandpa for assembling the Godsend jumper). Nathan is soo active and always wants to stand and jump while I am holding him, so this seemed like a great idea for him. Also, our exersaucer was long buried in our storage unit...boo. He LOVES it..and I knew he would. It's like a whole new world to him! He likes being vertical! He was getting so bored laying on his little mat and wanted me to hold him constantly, which was really impairing my ability to do anything else during the day. The only slight problem I have seen so far is that Charlotte likes to "bounce" Nate in the jumperoo. Only, she doesn't just lightly bounce him, she tries to launch him into a different orbit. I said to her, "Charlotte..if I have to take him to the hospital for Shaken Baby Syndrome, you are both going to be in foster care...and there is no 'nastics or fruit snacks there!!!" Despite this aspect of their brother/sister relationship..Charlotte really LOVES Nate. She was in her crib tonight crying because she didn't want to go down. So, Kevin and I went in to see if she was okay and she looked and me and said, "Nate?" To which , I responded, "Nate is okay, he's downstairs." To which she said, "I want to see him...I want to check him." Kevin and I started laughing in response and couldn't help but oblige her.

It's Wednesday night...what does that mean? Nastics! Only today was no ordinary Nastics....today, Liz, Emily, Mike, Grandma and Grandpa came with! The fact that I had a few extra hands on deck allowed me a couple of minutes before class to talk to her teacher, Miss Liz. Since I had not seen "the bulldozer" (See Feb 17th post for a recap) in class since the event that made me upset, I asked her what happened. Apparently, I was not the only parent upset. She got a few calls from other parents. She had to call Bulldozer's parents...which did not go well. She said that she was trying to be very nice, asking the parents what she and them could do together to solve this and keep the other kids safe. The father did not take it well and screamed at Miss Liz and eventually pulled their son out. He also mentioned that his son was mildly autistic...so, maybe this class wasn't the right venue for him. Anyway, I am glad that I don't have to worry about him being back, I am relieved. I actually feel bad that I didn't call and complain since Charlotte took the brunt of his aggressiveness...other parents did. Does that make me a bad mom? I was planning on talking to the teacher if it happened again..he just never came back. But, hearing that other parents complained also lets me know that I wasn't crazy or overprotective..that this child's actions were definitely out of line. I am trying to find a balance between being a "helicopter parent" and a parent who lets their child run loose like a wild dog. Anyway, during class, Miss Liz asked me who "Charlotte's Entourage" was. Hilarious! I simply said, "She's the first grandchild/niece on both sides..." I was also so proud of Charlotte today because at the beginning of class the kids are asked to introduce themselves and introduce who brought them. Miss Liz will say, "Who brought you today?" To which all the kids say, "Mommy or Daddy" and then Miss Liz will say, "Does Mommy/Daddy have a different name?" Charlotte just doesn't quite understand this. But today, she said, "Gina!!" I think it is so important for her to know my name in case we ever get lost or separated. I was so proud of her!

Nathan's on a "Sleep Strike"

Oh what an awful week this has been already! Nathan has decided that he no longer wants to sleep....at all. He is getting up every 30-45 minutes and it is really starting to wear on mommy. I am going on about 36 hours with no substantial sleep. Yesterday, he woke up for good at 6:00, after getting up all night long. All morning, I kept trying to get him to go back to sleep..I would nurse him and get him to the point where I could lay him down and then one of the following would happen: 1. Charlotte would start screaming because she thinks it's funny to do it because it wakes him up and gets me mad, 2. The phone would ring, 3. He would just decide that he wasn't going to sleep if he wasn't being held or nursed. So, he pretty much got no sleep all day long. Then last night he refused to go down at all. Finally about 1:00 in the morning..I put him in the car and drove around for an hour...we drove down to Lake Shore Drive, down to the Loop, around Michigan Avenue and back home. I was pretty much at the verge of tears at this point in the night..I was so frustrated and overtired. Then, I got some perspective as we drove down Fullerton past Children's Memorial Hospital. I guess in the grand scheme of things..if a teething unhappy baby is the worst of my problems, that's pretty good. He was passed out and I brought him inside and he stayed asleep for an hour and a half until 3:30 when we repeated the entire process all over again.

Today has been pretty much the same. He just doesn't want to sleep. He took a half hour nap this morning and that's it. I decided once Charlotte woke up from her nap, I would take them for a walk in the stroller. Nathan always sleeps in his stroller. And..he did. We walked to Barnes and Noble to grab a few new books. It was cold out and they both have runny noses, so I wrapped them both in blankets in the stroller. On the way home, Nate woke up, but he was pleasant. Once back in the yard, Kevin came out to help me get everything back inside...I looked at him and said, "Did you already bring in Charlotte's blanket?" To which he replied, "No!" Fantastic... We lost the blanket sometime on our walk. How could I not notice the blanket fall out of the stroller? Lack of sleep? I was automatically pushed into panic mode. This was not just some blanket..it was her blanket. The one her Great Grandma Joan hand knit for her that she has been sleeping with every night since birth. Kevin took Nathan inside and I threw Char back into the stroller to quickly retrace our steps. Had someone already stolen it? Did it fall out at a busy intersection and has it been run over by 30 cars and dragged? Did it fall out at Barnes and Noble? All of these thoughts were rushing through my head. I began actually running with the stroller. So, it was the first time I ran with the jogging stroller. The farther and farther we got from home, the more my heart pounded and the more I was starting to lose hope that I would find it in one piece. We neared St. Josephat Church and I saw something on the sidewalk...was it a bag, was it a newspaper, was it the blanket?? It WAS the blanket! Thank God! Perhaps St. Josephat looked after it for us! So, we threw it in the stroller and made the trek back. This was much more exercise than I planned for today. Attached are a few pictures of Charlotte reunited with her blankie and also putting it in the laundry to be washed after it's sidewalk adventures.

Over the past few weeks, I have started learning how to navigate Lincoln Park in a double stroller. It's not as easy as you would think. I am learning which establishments are double stroller friendly. For instance, Jewel-Osco...fantastic!!! Automatic doors, wide aisles. If only I had more storage room on the stroller for groceries. It's a good place to go to pick up a few needed things though. Barnes and Noble...pretty good. It's just a hassle to get through the door. The streetwise guy looked at me and said, "sorry they don't want me holding doors for people." Hmm..then no dollar from me, buddy! Walgreens...excellent. Pretty much any place with automatic doors is doable. McDonald's was the worst. We were pretty much trapped in the vestibule until a nice worker helped us out. I think the next time Charlotte wants a treat on our walk, we will have to go through the drive thru...is that even legal?

Here's hoping tonight goes better. Kevin is at the Blackhawks game, so I am dealing with it all myself on limited sleep. Wonderful. At least I also don't have to deal with a meltdown from Charlotte because she doesn't have her blankie! I mean, this kid has to just crash at some point, right???

Dancing with the Stars

Since tonight was the season premiere of "Dancing with the Stars," Charlotte decided to don her ballerina pajamas and join in the fun (Okay, I decided she would don her pajamas). She was dancing along with all of the songs having a blast. She is an early fan of Evan Lysacek but thinks that he has an unfair advantage given his training and overall physical fitness, complex thoughts for a two year old.

Where are my doggies?

Nathan's Four Month Doctor's Appt

Today was Nathan's four month checkup. He is doing GREAT! First, the vital statistics: 15 lbs, 4 oz (50-75%), 26 in (90%), and 11 5/8 head circumference (50%). I was not surprised by the 90% for height...I had been noticing his shirt sleeves and pant legs were starting to get a little short in his 3-6 month clothes..already!! Anyway, he is doing so well, the doctor called him the perfect baby. She told me, "Be careful...these are the ones that fool you into thinking that a 3rd baby won't be a problem at all :)" His appointment went well, just the usual questions and exams. He had to get several vaccines; one oral vaccine (rotovirus) and two shots: Pentacel (DTaP, HiB, Polio) and Prevnar (Pneumococcal Disease). I know no one really cares about that...this was strictly for my dad. He is always asking me what vaccines he got and I can never remember which ones without looking at the paperwork. He did pretty well with the shots, he didn't cry at all for the first one, but did not like the second. The "shot nurses" are really good and they do it so quickly. He cried for a few minutes, but fell asleep in the car on the way home. The doctor said that we could start rice cereal and fruits/veggies if we want. But, she said that it isn't nutritionally necessary at this point. He is getting everything he needs from nursing. She said some moms choose to do it and some wait a little longer. Maybe we'll try a little cereal and see how it goes. Here are a few pics from his appt today. There is one that is super cute that I really wanted to post. He is laying on his tummy on the exam table buck naked. So, you can see his little butt. But with all of the crazy things that have happened to parents with innocent photos these days, I will refrain from posting...but I definitely want the grandparents to see...he's adorable!!!

Nathan on the scale being weighed (note the strategically placed legs)

Nathan half dressed waiting for the shot nurse to come assault his chubby thighs

Nathan after the shot nurse's visit

As for Miss Charlotte...I have to say, I am more and more amazed by her language skills every day. There were two instances today where I stopped in my tracks and said, "How does she know that???" The first was this morning when I was getting ready to take Nathan to the doctor. I was in the bathroom putting my makeup on and she looked at my little wedged makeup sponge and she said, "triangle." First of all..I had no idea she knew the word triangle and secondly, I had no idea that she could find an object that had three sides and know it was a triangle. The only place I can imagine that she picked it up is at Grandma and Grandpa's house. They bought her one of those Tupperware shape things where you have to put all of the shapes through the correct holes. She loves to do that thing over and over with Grandpa and he always says the name of the shape..maybe it just stuck?? The second time was this evening when I was cleaning Kevin's bathroom. She looked at the counter and pointed to the jug of bleach and said, "bleach." How would she know that?? I mean, let's be honest...she is my daughter, so the likelihood of her knowing the names of various cleaning products is very high. But, I don't usually have the bleach out...I only use it when I am washing the white sheets or when I need to do some heavy duty bathroom cleaning. Amazing what they pick up!

A Quick "Comment" about "Comments"

The company that creates books from blogs allows me the option of printing comments with each post. Please help me create great memories for Charlotte and Nathan by commenting whenever you would like on a post! Were you at the event that is talked about in the post?? Talk about how much fun you had with the kids... Is there a picture that you love and want them to know? Please tell us! Are you just a casual observer that enjoys reading about their antics?? Let us know! I think it will make their books even more special to have little notes from Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and Friends. Thanks so much for your help and THANKS for continuing to check in on us!

Irish Babies!

Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone!! Because today is Kevin's self-proclaimed national holiday, we needed to do something to celebrate. We decided to head down to Lansing to Shannon's for a lunch with the family. We dressed the kids up in their Irish gear once again and packed them in the car for the 45 minute trip. It was a great afternoon!! Both Grandma's were there, Grandpa, Aunt Colleen and Uncle Andy and Aunt Mary...and many other friends! They were serving a limited lunch menu..mostly corned beef and cabbage and ruebens, but they were kind enough to throw together a grilled cheese for Charlotte. The best part of the afternoon was when the bagpipers showed up..they were great! Charlotte and Nathan both didn't know quite what to think about it, but neither got upset. I think they were more intrigued. We couldn't stay too long because 1) they were starting to get tired and crabby and 2) Charlotte had gymnastics at 6:30. It was a great day and it was really special that Kevin got to spend Nathan's first St. Patrick's Day at Shannon's, the place where him and his dad spent many St. Patrick's days together.

Happy St.Paddy's Day....Early!

Today, we went to Chief O'Neill's Pub for their St. Paddy's Day brunch to celebrate Lila's (Our friends Mark and Jill's daughter) birthday. She is a St. Paddy's Day baby! Kevin and I were nervous about how the day was going to go..we had two showings today, one at 2:30 and one at 3:00. We wanted to get to Chief O'Neill's around 10:00 to get seats. So, we got up around 7:00 to put the "finishing touches" on the house, made the beds, showered, etc.. We finally got everyone dressed and ready to head out by 10:20...not our original timeframe, but not too bad. Charlotte had a great time playing with Lila..there were tons of kids there!! Charlotte also got to meet her Birthday Twin, Tyler. Mark's brother and his wife had their son, Tyler on May 15th, 2008 at Northwestern Hospital! I will always remember how Kevin, Mark and Mark's brother, Mike all went out for a few drinks at a bar near the hospital that night to celebrate the new arrivals!

As the morning wore on, Charlotte was in desperate need of a nap, and Kevin and I were exhausted from taking turns chasing her around from the tent back into the bar... So, around 1:00, we decided to leave and bring her back home for a quick 45 minute nap before we would have to head out for the showings. We had several strangers stop us to tell us how cute Charlotte is..but, they were all drinking Bloody Mary's and Guinness, so we are trying to not let all of the compliments to our heads too much :)

As we were leaving the house in the morning, I told Kevin to throw the Baby Bjorn (a baby carrier you wear) into the car in case we needed it. Thank God I did!! Nathan spent most of the day strapped to my chest just watching everyone. He was so happy...but around the same time as Charlotte started showing signs of fatigue, so did he. They both passed out in the car on the way home. We have another showing tomorrow...up until this weekend, we have had three showings total. This week, I buried a St. Joseph's statue out front...then we had three showings this weekend! So, who knows... Enjoy the pics of Charlotte all decked out in her Irish regalia!

Nathan Enjoying being in his Baby Bjorn

Charlotte and Lila

Charlotte and Lila checking out each other's Irish wear

Daddy and Charlotte

Charlotte sporting her new pink Converse

Charlotte eating a cupcake...shocker!

Charlotte

Daddy and Nathan enjoying their first St. Paddy's weekend together

Our Irish Baby Girl

Bye Bye Winter...Hopefully!

Well, finally!!!! A day nice enough for us to go our for a walk and break in our new fantastic double stroller. We have had the stroller since January, but have only used it a few times. But today, we went for a nice long walk! I have to tell you, I am in love with it!! The kids seem to love it too. Charlotte really likes that she can look over and see Nate...which reaffirms my decision to get the side by side stroller and not one where Nate would be in back of her or vice versa. After lunch, we headed out to get some fresh air and get out of the house. As you can see from the pictures, Charlotte insisted on bringing one of her St. Patrick's Day necklaces that I got for her to wear this weekend. They both had fun strolling around the neighborhood, Nate fell asleep shortly after our departure and Charlotte was chilling out and pointing out all of the doggies we saw.

You might notice that I have been posting more often. Something occurred to me, like a light bulb over my head...or a much needed smack to the face. I had originally started this blog for other people to see what was going on in our lives. But, I see there is a "higher purpose" or "dual purpose." I am literally creating a journal of their childhood that I hope they will enjoy reading someday. I know it seems so obvious to everyone else, but it really didn't occur to me until now...duh! I found a company that prints and binds your blog postings into books. So, I ordered one for 2008-2009 and I will order one at the end of this year. I want to see how it turns out first. Of course, after I ordered it I realized I should have ordered two..one for each of them. So, I will probably order another one after I receive the first. So, anyway...my point of telling you this is that I hope to do more journaling. You might see longer posts and the posts may include a lot of stories and things that may not be of interest to you..but just keep in mind that it's for Charlotte and Nathan. So, I hope you will stick with us and keep following us, just feel free to skip all of my blabbing if you want :)

After Nap Snack

Charlotte's favorite snack....FRUIT! She likes all three in different piles...she also likes it served on her Sesame Street plate, which actually used to be mommy's when she was little! And yes...mommy is letting her sit somewhere she shouldn't be sitting. Don't tell daddy.
And...then mommy goes to the bathroom (after taking her out of her perched snacking spot) and comes back to find this...literally 20 seconds later. Well, at least the floor is clean, fruit salad anyone??

ABC's

Video Tip - sometimes, after you click play, you need to click once on the little box that moves along the progress bar. It's a little box with a point at the bottom. Sometimes that helps to get it moving.

Fenway loves the babies!!

Here are a few pictures from this morning's bonding session between Nathan and Fenway. To give you an idea of the setting: Nathan and I went in to get Charlotte this morning when she woke up only to find Daddy already in there trying to figure out why the room smelled like pee. Seems Daddy forgot to put a overnight diaper on someone when she went to bed.... When I am getting Charlotte's bottle in the morning, I usually put Nathan in Charlotte's crib, but since I had to strip the linens to put them in the wash, I laid down the first thing I could find onto the hardwood (in this case, Charlotte's hooded towel) and laid Nathan on it. I turned around to take the sheets off and when I turned back, I found Fenway all curled up next to Nathan, covering him with kisses. She is so "motherly" and always looks out for the kids.

What was Charlotte up to during all of this...her usual morning routine; sitting in her chair, drinking her bottle and watching Sesame Street.

Bubbles, Bubbles Everywhere!!

One of Charlotte's favorite parts of gymnastics class is when they break out the bubbles. Charlotte (and most of the kids) starts screaming, "Bubbles, Bubbles, Bubbles!!!!" The bubble solution and blower that they use are not your average .89 cent bubbles that you get at Walgreen's. They have this cool blower that makes dozens and dozens of little bubbles and it gets the kids all worked up. Plus, the solution that they use is long lasting and really thick...so, I went online and bought the same ones so that we could do it at home every once in a while. We tried them out tonight and Charlotte was in heaven! Even little Nate was enjoying the show! She was screaming..."Make a big one, make a big one!!!" Also, "I catch them! I catch them!" So cute! It's a good little rainy day activity we can add to our repertoire.

You can also see from a few of the pictures that we had to move her little kitchen up to the next level. Check out the pics from May 2009 when she got the little kitchen from the Ott's and the Smith's for her first birthday. It was only one level..now that she is a big girl, we slid the top up and added the refrigerator and dishwasher at the bottom. It's the kitchen that "grows with you!"

Look at those dimples!!!! He's gonna be a lady killer!

Chillin' in my papasan, watching the bubble show!

Charlotte loves to talk on the phone. In fact, she demands that we call Grandma and Grandpa on a daily basis (Gamma and Gampa). She always talks about the same stuff to them...bubbles, balls, nastics, shakers...iCarly...(mostly iCarly) She most often wants to talk if she's in trouble...like Gamma is going to save her. So, after a time out she will go get the phone, hand it to me and say, "Call Gamma." Yesterday, she wanted to call them, but I knew they were out to eat at the weekly Friday Fish Fry..so I said, "Grandma is out eating fish." Then, today, she wanted to call again..so, I called and there was no answer, so I said, "Grandma must be in the shower." So, all day today, all I heard was, "Gamma eat fish, Gamma in shower..."

We were at "Gamma and Gampa's" on Friday afternoon for a little visit. When we got there, Grandma was out at the store and when she came home, she had a little surprise for Charlotte...a happy meal. But, not just ANY happy meal, McDonald's happens to be featuring iCarly toys in their happy meals right now!! It was like Charlotte's two favorite worlds collided: fries and iCarly. So, she's been walking around with Spencer's magic meatball (iCarly's version of the magic 8 ball that answers questions that you ask it) ever since. She is quite a site...her jammies, her rainboots (that she still refuses to take off) and her magic meatball.

Nate is still chugging along, the perfect baby. He's laughing and cooing up a storm. He loves his mommy and isn't afraid to show his displeasure if I'm not around. He loves when I kiss his cheeks...which I am more than happy to do several hundred times a day! In addition to rolling from tummy to back, he has also rolled from back to tummy a few times (a much harder task). I think he is starting to teethe or something, he constantly has his hands in his mouth. Charlotte cut her first tooth at 5 months, he is 4..so, we'll see. He is very strong and very big...sometimes, I can't believe he is only 4 months. I can't wait until his checkup to see where he stands with height and weight!