Monday, September 27, 2010

I Made It Monday with a Spiral Cutter!

 I have a new toy!  It is a great creation.  Definitely one I could have lived without, but I think it is just such a nifty thing.  It is a spiral cutter!  A friend of mine has one and uses hers all the time.  She has made me a few dishes with it and I have been keeping my eye out for one ever since.  Online they were running about $30-$35 and I just couldn't justify the cost for the product knowing it really isn't necessary.  So imagine my excitement when I found a NICE one on clearance at Marshalls for $12!!!  So far we have REALLY enjoyed it.  It is so fun and so easy.  I am only JUST discovering what all I can do with it, but for now we have used it for 2 things.  Zuchinni Noodles for spaghettii and CURLY FRIES!!!  YUM!  We love them.  We have probably had curly fries too often this week because it is just SO easy and fun with the spiral cutter.  We love the Zuchinni noodles as well.  Since I am cutting out wheat from my diet it is a great, healthy, and inexpensive alternative to spaghetti noodles.  They make brown rice or corn noodles but they can get pricey.  Plus, you can't beat the prep time!  No boiling water or watching noodles.  I was so excited to try it and actually LOVE it!

 

Thursday, September 23, 2010

11.5 HOURS!!!!

11.5 Hours is how long Charlie-Marie slept last night!!!  HALLELUJAH!!!  Yes, she woke and made some noise a few times through the night, but put herself right back to sleep.  A solitary event?  Very Probable, but I'll take it!  I've been phasing out her late night feeding because she doesn't really eat anyway so I think letting her fuss it out (she never got to a real cry...too tired)  for a few minutes a couple of nights taught her that she doesn't HAVE to wake up and eat at all the rest of the night.  
We've all seen that babylicious belly!  She certainly isn't starving! 


Now if Mommy can just teach herself...

Monday, September 20, 2010

8 Months!

Crawling, Clapping, Climbing, Curiosity, Chattering, Chewing and Control...just a several words that describe Charlie-Marie's current stage. It has been so fun to watch her become more interactive with her world over the last several months. She is a real joy in this house. She actually will play with us. Peek-a-boo, playing and passing toys back and forth, wrestling, tickling, burying herself in pillows...the possibilities of games and fun are endless to her. She is a solid baby with a big Buddha baby belly that I LOVE! I know many of you may not be very interested in all these little details, but for those of you who are here is some of the fun of 8 months.

Crawling: She is officially crawling as of 2 weeks ago. She has kind of been doing it for almost 1 1/2 months, but would always plop onto her stomach and do a sort of army crawl thing. Now she has it down on her hands and knees, but is only just starting to like it, or realize its potential, in the last few days.

Clapping: For my birthday last week Charlie decided it was time to learn to clap...with open hands that is. She has been clapping her fists for a while, but now she can do open hands and actually make a little noise. She was quite pleased with herself and looked up and gave me a huge smile after she did it the first time. She loves it and does it whenever she is happy. She also does this sort of a mimic of a "YAY!". It is so cute.  She also claps her feet which is pretty cute.  And it is really funny when she gets both hands and feet clapping at once!

Climbing: She has figured out how to crawl up onto things that are short enough and actually stand for a while. It started with her bouncy chair, then us lying on the ground, then a stool, now just about anything she can pull herself up onto she will. In fact, I just peeked in on her in her crib and she has pulled herself up holding onto the side. I still think she is too short, but I should probably lower her crib mattress now.
She also is constantly trying to crawl up into things. At church she climbed onto the bottom shelf of a TV stand. She has tried to crawl into the book shelf and the small shelf under our coffee table as well as the kitchen chairs. The other day I left her tub in the hall and looked away for a minute and she was trying to crawl into it, but it tipped over and they both went rolling. She didn't like that much. See, we have travertine stone floors in our house everywhere but the bedrooms, so a little tip, roll, or face plant is not so little around here. We have been trying to lay out blankets and rugs, but for the most part she does pretty well.

Curiosity: Charlie-Marie is curious about EVERYTHING. She doesn't miss a thing. AND you cannot hide things from her well anymore. She understands and can follow when you hide something behind your back or under something else and she will NOT be distracted if she wants to find it. She loves to play with everything - toy or not. Right now her favorites are my cell phone, boxes, her stuffed caterpillar, these plastic bathtub toys, and anything else she can get her hands on that is new or not a toy. She is becoming more interested in books everyday and will actually let me read to her now and then. There is one book that she will sometimes push across the room to me. "Moo, Baa, LaLaLa" by Sandra Boynton. Yeah, I have the thing memorized already. She has started pointing to pictures. Her favorite is still to shut the book and of course they all go to her mouth eventually, but she is definitely realizing there is more to them than a chew or stacking toy.  She loves the mobile in her crib.  Now she can stand and press the buttons to change the songs.  Every time she does she looks back to make sure you were watching and to get affirmation of what she is doing.  It is so cute to watch her explore and learn cause and effect.

Chattering: That little mouth can make some fun noises. She has DEFINITELY learned to express displeasure, frustration, and happiness. She has always been a little stingy with her laughs, but she is laughing more all the time. In the last months I have SWORN she has said some words. She has said "ama" when she seems to be calling me from her crib - but I'm still not sure if she is saying mom or not. I am quite certain she has said "up" and "dog". She was enamored by her grandparents' dogs and took notice of them whenever they were in the room. On 3 counts I can remember her looking at the dog and breathing out something sounding like a quick, "dahwk". If you asked her where the dog was she would look for them. The only word I am 100% certain she is saying and knows is "YAY".


Chewing: The little teeth still have not made their debut, but I'm not too disappointed about that. I'm not sad that we have not been through that process yet. Despite her lack of teeth, Charlie has a good chomp. She has started trying to chew her baby food...or gumming I guess. So I have started to introduce more things she can chew a little more. Bananas, cucumber, mango, biscuits, nectarines, even a little bit of Mommy and Daddy foods. She loves it. Anything we eat she loves. I don't think teething is far away, and it will be fun when she has them, but I will sure miss her toothless grin.

Control: Charlie-Marie is learning that she can manipulate certain situations. She wants to have control of where she goes, plays with, etc. She is not long content anymore to be set in her playpen. She wants more control when it comes to eating, and she is having a harder time going down for naps again. I knew this would probably come eventually. She doesn't want to miss anything and I think she realizes that once we put her in her crib that is it and means no more play and she does not like that. When I barricade her into the living room like a play area she will be content for a short time, but is always trying to escape or push the limits.

My New Do Can Do Curly Too!

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Birthday Makeovers!

Goodbye dear Clifford!  We loved you.  You will be missed.  You were good to us.  
We have many wonderful memories with you.

HELLO 2006 Honda CR-V!  We are excited to have you and all the space and possibilities.  We are still getting to know you so we don't have a name for you, so for now you are just the CR-V.  You are a spacious and safe car for our growing family.  We look forward to creating memories with you.

Goodbye LONG tangled hair with dried split ends!  In the last year I have worn you more in a ponytail than ever in my life.  You have also not been cut or trimmed in this last year.  It was time to bring you new life!

Hello new do!  It is amazing how just a little highlighting, cutting, and a little styling...ok, maybe a lot...can do.  You feel great to me!  I feel light, bright, and refreshed!  I'm a new woman!

All brought to you by a loving husband who spoils and looks after me.  Thanks Dan!  I LOVE YOU!

Learning to appreciate my modern conveniences

Well, Our AC is back on, but now our hot water heater is out!  First the dishwasher, then the AC, now the hot water heater...now if we just loose our power, that just might top it off.  :O)

Friday, September 17, 2010

Our Beach Baby!

We've been going for evening walks on the beach as a family a lot lately.  It has been a nice way to get outside when it isn't as hot and enjoy the beautiful land we live in.  It is so peaceful and Charlie LOVES it! 

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Its Getting Hot In Here!

So tonight at 5pm our air conditioner stopped blowing cool air...NOT COOL!  (Literally!)  Luckily, we had a "cooler" day compared to recent days so it has topped off inside at 84 degrees.  It's actually quite manageable.  Not pleasant, but manageable.  I've had hotter nights in WA without the AC.  It is actually cooler outside right now, but the humidity is killer.  Hopefully, the guys coming to check it out will be able to fix it right away before the heat of the day really sets in.  If not we may just take the stroller and spend the day at Walmart!  :O)

Monday, September 13, 2010

Back to the Blog

So, I've recently taken a LONG hiatus from blogging, reading blogs, thinking of blogs, I just wasn't feeling all that Bloggy I guess.  Now I am back and ready to enjoy the blogging world once again.  We've had a fun summer with a lot of sun, water, family, a wedding, a family reunion, friends, growing baby, new diet, Dan's trip to Korea, and SO Much More!  If I am able, I will do flashbacks, but I know myself and if I get too caught up in trying to catch-up it will never happen.  So, here I am today.  And I will be back tomorrow.  So I will leave you now with a few of these sweet pictures!