More Toys That Aren't Toys

 Charlotte has the cutest little imagination. Who needs toys when you can make your own fun with everyday household items?

Book Basket

Charlotte loves a good pile of rocks

Bowl Hat

Centerpiece - perfect way to learn about size sorting!

Hamper Horsey

Of all of the awesome stuff at Best Buy, she wanted to look at fridges

Managing the canned goods

Broom = favorite toy that's not a toy

Lightning Speed

Charlotte is growing and learning at lightning speed. Every day, every hour, I see her wheels turning, light bulbs twinkling behind her gorgeous blue eyes. From the way she picks up language (can you believe she says "awesome") to the way she is learning to solve simple puzzles... every day I am amazed at how fast she is growing up. Today shape sorters, tomorrow Harvard! :o)

Thankful

We have too many blessings to count. The 3 of us, our families, our friends, our health, our pets, the food we eat, the home we live in, the jobs we have, modern conveniences, freedom.... We are blessed beyond measure. I'm so thrilled that we're here in IL this holiday season - that we can enjoy so much time with our families without all of the stress of tying up loose ends at work, working over the holiday (at least I don't have to worry about that :o) ), packing, traveling, leaving our kitties. What a relief!!

I had the pleasure of joining my father-in-law's side of the family for their Thanksgiving last weekend. Unfortunately, Ben was busy with the BRMM and then later played a gig with the ISO in Springfield, but Charlotte and I felt so welcome and loved by the family. We were also missing Ben's cousin James, who is serving our country overseas in the USMC, his cousin Kate, her husband Steve, and their little girl Isabella in NV, and his Uncle Tim who was under the weather. I got a little teary-eyed as we all gathered in his Aunt Terry's kitchen, joined hands before eating dinner, and heard blessings by Ben's cousin TJ and then his Aunt Peggy and her grandson Drayson. I think I counted 29 people. It was a large gathering - full of love and joy. I'm so honored to be a part of the family.

I'm looking forward to spending Thursday with Ben, Charlotte, and my mother-in-law's family, and Sunday we'll share a feast with my family. Again, we'll all hold hands, and say Thanks for all that we have, and for the time that we have together. Those who cannot join us will certainly be on our minds, but then again, they always are.

I can't write a Thanksgiving post without including Charlotte. This little girl... words could never explain how thankful we are to have such a healthy, happy, sweet little girl.

From my family to yours - I hope you're all able to enjoy a good meal with good friends or family this week. I hope you all have lengthy lists of gratitude.

Sweetheart

Charlotte has a great big heart. She loves to give hugs and kisses, help in the kitchen, is kind to animals, and is just generally a happy baby. Sure, she has her cranky moments, but I thought I'd share some of her sweetest moments from the last week or so. I can't believe my baby is 15 months old already!! 

Coloring with Grandma

Petting her dear friend Lucy (Luc')

Bringing me a bunch of flowers

Making sure her bear is buckled in safely

Rocking in her chair

Enjoying a good pile of rocks

Coloring

Helping sweep the garage

Having a ball at the park

Giving her "way-oo" a big hug

and a kiss! 

We love you, Charlotte! You're precious!

Chicken Pox, Pig Tails & Potty Training

This has been a huge week for us. The title of the post pretty much sums it up, but this is just in case you're interested in details. Again, keep in mind that I use this blog as a baby book (more like a family book), so a lot of Charlotte's milestones and triumphs are written here.

Last Friday, I spent the morning at my friend Joy's house with a few other moms and their kids. Charlotte promptly fell asleep in the car on the way home, and continued napping once we got home. She woke up earlier than usual though, very unhappily. When I went to get her, she felt very warm and had several spots on her face. Throughout the day, the spots kept creeping up all over her. And by Saturday morning, we had a full-blown case of chicken pox!

Not feeling great

Getting ready to carve pumpkins 

pox!

Running out of energy

The sweet girl was a trooper through it all and it wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been. The doctor I saw on Saturday morning said that since she had the chicken pox vaccine in mid-September, it would probably be a "mild" case. I'm glad about that, because they never blistered or popped or scabbed over. Today, Wednesday, you can barely notice any signs of them. She was happy to get out of the house on walks a couple of times, or just to play in the yard. We're skipping Musikgarten tomorrow, just to be on the safe side, since she's the only child over one year who has received the vaccine.

The next piece of big news is that Charlotte's hair can now fit in pig tails!! Oh my goodness how cute is she?? She was unsure of them at first, but after getting some oohs and ahhs from Daddy and checking her cute self out in the mirror, she kept them in all day!

Finally, perhaps you remember me writing about the beginning stages of potty training here. We've been taking it really slow, making sure she's comfortable, kind of a no-pressure approach. After all, she is only 14.5 months old. I even heard some moms at the park this morning saying how their 2- and 3-year olds were having difficulty with it, and how the moms didn't want to spend 6 months or even 6 days potty training, and that as long as the kid went to kindergarten without diapers, they'd be fine. Maybe my head is in the clouds - I really have no idea what I'm doing here - just kind of winging it. But, my friends, Charlotte went pee in her potty yesterday!!! This is not the actual event (although I did text Ben a picture of the real deal), but I love how comfortable and confident she looks in this photo!! We're so proud of her!! 

Piggy Bank

I'll fill you all in on a little secret... Ben and I are not millionaires. Not even close. Sure, we live a glamourous life filled with famous musicians (that you've probably never heard of), tour buses (filled with marching bands), and stadiums full of cheering fans (insisting the band play one more round of "Holla Back Girl"), but we're not exactly sitting in the lap of luxury over here.

My husband works extremely hard to allow me to stay home and raise our darling baby girl. He got to spend 6 months at home with her while I was working earlier this year and they have such a strong bond. He misses her while he's at work and she wanders around the house calling for him some days. And it really tugs at my heartstrings when she cries at the door when he leaves for work.

I am so incredibly grateful for this gift - to be able to "stay home" (we're really not here all day) with Charlotte. To teach her, watch her grow, help her figure out this crazy world, soothe her bumps and bruises, comfort her when she's sad, scared, or tired. Our days aren't glamourous, either - more like a fabulous blur of giggles, tantrums, food, diapers, libraries, groceries, grandparents, cleaning, music class, dress up, naps, walks, and chasing kitties. There is nowhere I'd rather be. I get to witness all of these amazing little moments in this little girl's life. I get to see the wonder in her eyes day in and day out. I get to cheer her on - even when she's already cheering for herself. :o)




Thank you, Ben. Thank you for all that you do for our family. Thank you for being so understanding and committed to my desire to stay home and raise Charlotte. All of the penny-pinching, scrimping, saving, and sacrificing (no cable?! no walk-in closet?! no luxurious steak dinners?!) we've had to do and will have to do are so worth it! I love you!

Bath Time Learning

Charlotte is at an age where EVERYTHING is a learning experience. It really is true what they say about young children being sponges. She just soaks up information!! From Day One everyone has mentioned how she just kind of sits back and observes. We've also joked that she seems so smart because she has several extra wakeful hours to practice skills - while other babies spend that time sleeping. 

I tried to count how many words she says consistently and with meaning and ended up somewhere over 60!?!? How can this be?? She's my little baby!! While the amount of words she's saying surprises us, what's even more incredible is how much she understands. She may not be able to verbalize as she wishes just yet, but she is soaking it all in...

Dressed in Layers

It was 40* this morning when I decided to take Charlotte to watch the ISU Big Red Marching Machine play at the pre-game pep rally.

Neither of us slept well last night - some neighbors on our alley had a huge, loud party, and Charlotte has been busy cutting her first two bottom molars (both have broken the surface now!!). She has really been uncomfortable with these molars, and I hate using Tylenol & Advil so frequently. I think we'll all be happy when this teething business is done... only about one more year, right?!

As you can see, it was kind of a struggle to get her dressed warm enough for this chilly autumn morning.  She got a little more upset with each layer.

These ladybug tights seemed like a warm, Redbird base

Then we added a white, long-sleeved onesie

Next, an ISU-red turtleneck to keep her neck warm

Finally, jeans, socks, and her new sneakers

 Today, I'm glad Charlotte is still in diapers. It would have been a big bummer to get her into all of those clothes just in time for "Mommy, I have to go potty!" She also wore a hat, her owl hoodie, and mittens.

Trying to figure out how to get her snacks out with mittens on!

 Her attitude changed as soon as Great-Grandma showed up. They had a great time watching all of the fans, Reggie Redbird, and the BRMM play! Charlotte was adorable mimicking the drum majors as they conducted & clapping along with her little mittened hands!

Of course the highlight of the adventure was getting a hug from Daddy after the performance! It's always so sweet to watch her eyes scanning the crowd, trying to spot him. Those two have a very special bond!! 

Story Time

Charlotte & I have spent the last two Monday mornings at the Normal Public Library. They have a great children's section - complete with a play room! The story teller is amazing. You can tell she loves what she does, and that the 'regulars' love her just as much. She keeps things lively, interesting, fast-paced, engaging, and she smiles ear-to-ear the whole time. This morning we sang probably 6 or 7 songs - interactive ones like "If You're Happy & You Know It, " or "5 Little Monkeys," read 3 books, played games, and at the end, she brings out a bubble machine that blows bubbles all over the kiddos. It's so lovely watching the looks of excitement, surprise, and wonder on all of their little faces. 

(Sorry I don't have pictures of the actual story time - I'm too busy singing along, dancing, and clapping, of course!)

Playing with a train

Bouncing on this foam step

Trying to catch bubbles

Soooo excited for bubbles!

I need a velcro wall at our house!

Playing Peek-A-Boo in the play house

Happy Girl!! 

Daddy's #1 Fan

I shot this the other night before supper. Charlotte was having a ball watching Ben mow the grass. They'd giggle and wave at each other each time he passed her favorite window. When he moved to the side yard and she was having difficulty spotting him, I moved her piano over to the other window so she could see him still. I was cooking dinner in the kitchen and heard her cheering him on, "Go, go, go, go, go!!!!" I am so glad she kept it up while I recorded!!

Adventures in Potty Training

I read this week that the average age for potty training in the 1950s was between 12 and 18 months. Today, it is closer to 30-36 months. Read more interesting facts here.

Mothers potty trained earlier out of convenience. Cloth diapers were the norm then, and before the mid-50s, everyone had to rinse them out by hand & hang dry by the fireplace. The sooner the kids learned to use the toilet (or chamber pots), the sooner mom could quit hanging soiled diapers all over the house!  Today, we have modern conveniences like laundry machines (for the 5-10% who cloth diaper still) and disposable diapers. Out of sight, out of mind... right?

Maybe I gave up on cloth diapers, but my hope is that I can potty train Charlotte a little earlier than the new norm so that we can quit filling landfills with disposables. A girl can dream, right??

This week, she got familiar with the potty...

She's not too young for chores!! Haha! Just kidding! We bought this brush when we first moved into the house & Charlotte started playing with it before we even unwrapped it from the packaging. She drags it around & bangs it on the floor. So this is her "toy" brush & we bought another one to use for cleaning. I think it says a little something about her ability to mimic what she sees, since she knows what those brushes are for!!! :o) Yes, we're the weirdos who let their child have a toy toilet brush. Does that really surprise you?? hahahaha