Call 911!

Charlie Kate turned 9 months old, had her 1^st Christmas, and celebrated her 1^st New Year!

Our baby is vastly becoming a toddler!  I know my title is a bit corny, but I feel as though we are in a state of emergency!  We have to find a way to keep her small and immobile!  Of course I’m kidding, but I will miss this “little” age.  I do look forward to the milestones ahead.  I’m especially excited to hear her speaking words to explain what she is thinking.  I just know that she has hilarious jokes and profound thoughts that can only be expressed through silly facial expressions, noises, and squeals. 

Look at my top teeth!

Charlie Kate Loves Patty-Cake

This last month and a half she has began to stand for long periods of time without props!  She is playing patty cake ALL of the time!  She challenges herself to stand without help and clap.  She will clap and clap until she loses balance.  She has two of the cutest little top teeth now, so that makes four teeth total.  She loves knocking down towers we build with blocks or cups… She laughs and scrunches up waiting to be tickledJ.  We are trying all kinds of food, and have experienced some enormously stinky diapers, yucky!  She is giving really slobbery kisses and patting my back when she hugs me…Sweetest thing ever!  We are just now transitioning to 12 month clothes.  She naps twice a day and plays so hard the rest of the day. 

Alex and Charlie Kate love the dresses Grandma made them!

Charlie Kate Loves Wrapping Paper

        Charlie Kate’s first Christmas was such fun!  We had several Christmas’s to attend with our extended family. It started in Birmingham with my dad’s side of the family.  Charlie Kate slept through Santa, but woke in time to play with Trip.  We travelled back home to have Christmas with Nana and Poppa’s crew.  On Christmas Eve we had family time at home that morning and went to Jon’s Maw Maw’s. Christmas morning Jon manned our new Christmas camera as Charlie Kate watched me open her gifts.  She finally got into it when she figured out that it was okay to rip the paper.  We were off to Katy’s for brunch for my immediate family Christmas.  Grandma helped Charlie Kate open gifts, and again she was all about the paper!  The rest of the day she carried wrapping paper and Christmas bows around :).     

"I LOVE SANTA!"

"Christmas makes me tired"

\

Silly

She wants to put everything in her mouth

:)

Christmas Challenge

Several of our friends have gotten together on the issue of competing with all of the HUGE Christmas’s that kids have.  We, for one, can’t afford it financially, but also can’t afford it consciously.  We are going to try very hard to stick to getting Charlie Kate reasonable gifts, and really include her in the giving of gifts.  We would like to hear from you if you have a neat way of doing Christmas with your kids to ensure that they don’t develop a high expectation or sense of entitlement. 

She loves her daddy

Trip just kissed her! Sweet!

Ava is her buddy

Nana loving on Charlie Kate at Maw Maw's

Big Mama and Charlie Kate

Love this face

Christmas morning

She likes the bows the best

Grandma helping Charlie Kate open presents

This is what happens when Nahoko watches Charlie Kate!  So funny!

Happy 2013!

        We had a blast with Lee, Magen, and baby Sam Medley; Adam, Ashley, and Gracie Rutledge; and Eric, Melissa, and baby Molly Morris.  Lee and Magen hosted a spend-the- night party!  “Who says adult can’t have sleep overs?” was Lee’s argument.  So we did, and it was great! The kids played and played until it was bed time.  Then we all put them to sleep in our pack-n-plays.  The adults stayed up, talked, snacked, and played games to bring in the New Year.  It was so much fun! 

We are starting our 2013 celebrating our gifts from God, and are striving to better ourselves as we live by His example.  We wish you a great 2013!

 “Yeah, I can Stand!”

 

Charlie Kate is Eight Months Old

I’m not sure if this is supposed to work like this?!  Is she suppose to be this big?  I know I am always saying that, but seriously, I’m not loving this “speed of light” infancy!  Anyway…

We have been remodeling our house for over a year now, and feel that the end is near, but not there yet.  I have to say, Charlie Kate has been a trooper through all of it!  She was in my belly for most of it, but for the bit that she has been out here with all of us has been pretty great.  She has had to give up her nap once or twice due to drilling and loud noise, or had to stay off the floors due to dust and yucky”ness” being traipsed in the house. 

In the midst of the chaos she has: had her first bump on the head, which left a knot for a day (She cried pretty hard for a couple of minutes and I had some unexplained moisture in my eyes?!?  Ha!); began to pull up and walk around holding on to sturdy furniture; given her first “I don’t like you” look; started growing more teeth, Boo; started feeding yourself; stopped wanting to drink all of her bottle in one sitting; had her first ear infection, bless; began waving and saying “hey” (in her own way); started to wear nine month clothing; grown a lot (weighs 18.5 lbs.; skinny but super long); continued to amaze us!

We had a blast parading around on Halloween!  We went to see Jon at work.  We went to church, where we saw Grandma and Granddad and all of her little friends.  We had great intentions to go visit Matt, Whit, Dan, and Leann, but had to end the night at Nana and Papa’s.  Charlie Kate wore her owl costume, and of course, she was super sweet!

I don’t get how no matter what Charlie Kate is wearing or how many ways I emphasize that she is a female, people call her a “he”.  “He sure is cute!”, “He sure does smile big!”  I think it’s kind of like that view I had as a child about cats and dogs.  I thought cats were girls and dogs were boys.  Maybe some people just view all babies as male.  Ha!

So to sum it up, being a parent is smelly, dirty, confusing, and hilarious!  Charlie Kate Rocks our world and is so wonderful!!!

 

Visiting Daddy at work on Halloween

What?

I love nature

Grandad, Big Mama, and Me

EVERYTHING goes in my mouth

First boyfriend- Jeffrey better watch it!

First horse ride with daddy

Serious play mode

Me and Laney just palying ball

Molly and Me in class

Guntersville Retreat with AU buds (Lilly, me, and Jeffrey)

Boating buds (Gracie and Me)

Sam, Nora, me, Evvy

Grandma trying to get my attention from the ceiling

Aunt Katy making me laugh



Aunt Leann snuggling

Feeding myself!!

First bump



Charlie Kate and cousin Nora


 

 

Charlie Kate,  

We love you forever and ever, to the moon and back, with chocolate sauce, whip topping, sprinkles, and cherries on top!

 

Our Family Novemeber 2012

 

 

Month 7 of Many, Many, More!

 

Dear Charlie Kate,

This is such a fun time in your life!  God has such a great sense of humor, and you are proof of that!  Daddy and I are having such a fun time with you at this stage, we laugh a lot.  Every day you amaze us with the silly expressions, physical techniques, and your overall cuteness!  Your personality is so great!

The crazy, awesome things you are doing/ we are finding out:  Responding to your name, crawling more confidently, pulling up on stationary things to a standing position, saying dada (first words), and many sound slurs, your two bottom teeth have come in and are super sharp!!!, eating tons of new veggie’s, eating puffs broken into three parts, resisting diaper changesJ, we found out that you are ticklish under your arms and on your ribs,  you LOVE fruit (all kinds), you refuse to hold your bottle, and you are super astounded by shoes.

We have had to start giving you baths as a team because you are trying to stand up in the bath tub, but you are such a trooper at bath time.  We got your ears pierced!  They are so cute!  You love your class on Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings.  You play with Molly, Sam, Laney, and Gracie… well, I call it play.  You all look at each other while putting your hand, or whatever is in it, in your mouth.  There was a special day to present all of the babies born in 2012 with a Bible.  So you have your very first pink engraved Bible, and it’s just the right size for you!

Our days consist of eating, playing in the floor, napping, playing in the play-yard, swinging, strolling outside, swinging outside, jumping in the jumper, reading books (you love to pat them), and snuggling on the couch.  Grandma (Linda) or Papa (Travis) gets to keep you during the day when I get to work and daddy is working too.  I miss you so much when I go, but you have such a great time with them, and it is so special.  We feel blessed that I don’t work every day right now, and that daddy has entire days off to spend with us.  We usually try to plan something fun for us to do.  We went to McGee Farm and played with the chickens, goats, and pigs.  We walked around to see all of the different pumpkins, and mums that they grow, and you were nuts over Everything there!  We got each of us a pumpkin, and yours was just the right size for you!  It is almost Halloween, and we are looking forward to your very first Harvest Festival and Trunk-or-Treat! 

We pray for you every night.  We pray that we teach you the right way to act and treat others.  We pray that you meet a man to marry, whom you will respect, that respects you, and that will be your team-mate to get to Heaven.  We pray for the friends you will have (their parnets too), that they are good examples to you, and you to them.  We know that this world can be cruel, and we pray that you don’t conform to it.  God is Awesome and loves you even more than we do! We can’t fathom a love deeper than ours for you, but it’s true!  We pray that you are fruitful, and that you are a light to others.  We have started recently praying for a specific “fruit of the spirit” a day.  We hope that we can be the good example to you, that we should be, by becoming more intentional on a daily basis.  You have changed our lives for the better!  We are so glad that God gave you to us, and are just excited to see what this next month brings! 

Until then..

We LOVE you to the moon and back,

Mommy and Daddy

Just Us!

 

Loves her Aunt Katy

Sitting in Jackson's lap

Love to Swing

First two teeth!

Grandad hugs

Visiting Daddy at work

2012 Baby Recognition at Cross Point

Always moving my hands

Cosin Nora and I love to suck on our hands!

This is how we stroll!

We got your ears pierced!  Yay!

Sadie giving kisses.. yuck!

Mommy and Me

"Yup, this tastes like a toy!"

Happy Fall Y'all!

Sweetness

Love



Happy Half Birthday Charlie Kate!

Charlie “Cake” (in the words of Sam Burgess),

            Today you are Six months and three days old.  We were just starting to feel like we were figuring things out with you when, “BAM!” you started teething, got a stomach virus, a horrible diaper burn from the virus, and your sleep/ eating schedule went out the door for 2 weeks!  It was so awful to see you so pitiful.  We tried every single thing to make you feel better and to get you to eat.  It turns out that we all made it through and you are still the sweetest most content little girl.  You seem to still like us, even after all of the forced Pedialight.   

We went to Oklahoma to Amber’s wedding last weekend.  We traveled at night which worked out great for you!   You slept the whole way there.  Daddy and I took turns sleeping.  The trip back, however, was a very different story!  You were awake for most of the twelve hours, and very frustrated that you couldn’t get out of your seat.  We will NEVER drive twelve hours again! 

You are so active!  I’m excited, but nervous about your upcoming months.   You will definitely be crawling soon, and putting more non-toys in your mouth… so we’re probably going to do some décor changes in the very near future.  You get up on all fours like you are revving up your engine, about to go!  For now you just roll over, or take a lunge with one of your legs and lose your balance because you don’t move your arms yet.  I think it’s hilarious when you roll over next to the couch and you get super mad because it stops you from rolling further! 

Two sweet little teeth have broken through your bottom gums at the same time, and are the cutest!  You do not allow us to look at them, so when we see them it’s a definite treat.  When you eat with the rubber spoon, you bite down really hard on it now.  I think you have wanted to do that for a while, and now you are making up for the time that you couldn’t grab the spoon with your teeth.  I was cleaning your gums the night we got back from Oklahoma when I felt them.  You bit down super hard on my finger as if to say, “Look what I got!”  

We got your ears pierced for your half birthday!  You did so well, and barley cried.  You definitely hesitated to cry at all, and then decided that you better express your dismay for at least ten seconds.  They look very sweet on you.  We got your birthstone, so they bring out the blue in your eyes.  We thought your eyes would turn completely green, but so far they only have a green ring around the middle.  Your hair is growing and seems to have a gold tint to it. 

You are beautiful inside, outside, up, down, and all around.  We love to hold you, and snuggle with you, but I think those days that you let us are numbered.  Boo!   We love you way so much! 

-Mommy and Daddy

Sweet Feet

Looks Like Daddy

  

Charlie Kate Loves Her Bath

Watching Daddy and Sam play a game

On our way to Oklahoma in my jammies

I'm a Drooler!

Grandma with all of the Grandkids