Charlie's Best Friend

Bone gave Charlie this special little puppy dog for Christmas.  It's cute, but I guarantee he had no idea how much his grandson would love it.  He screams for joy when the puppy walks to him, or better yet, barks at him.  And man, does that kid love to bounce to the rhythm of that barking.  This is a typical reaction.  It cracks me up everytime. 

Say what?!

"Mommy/Daddy, poo poo, potty, chocolate milk." 

When Beau pee pees or poo poos on the potty he gets a treat; his favorite treat is chocolate milk.  And I bet your mind was thinking something yucky...

"Charlie, this is elephant.  Elephant says, "Pfffff..."

Beau has taken it upon himself to teach Charlie animals and the sounds they make.  Next up, A, B, C's...

"Ma ma, ba ba." 

Not to be left out, Charlie can now ask for a bottle. 

"No, Mommy!  I want Daddy's truck." 

Apparently Billy's truck is a lot cooler than Mommy's.  At least that's what Beau told me when I picked him up from school earlier this week as he threw a temper tantrum in the driveway.  Awesome.  I had to throw him over my shoulder and literally toss him in the Suburban. 

It's Game Day!

By the Numbers - The 2011 Edition

It's that time of year again.  It's time to reflect over the past year and to sum it up with a few choice digits!
 

Beau has actually only had to be woken up 6 times in the morning. 

However, this has occurred 0 times on a weekend. 

During those colicky months I walked approximately 240 miles trying to "walk" Charlie back to sleep - remember he refused to rock...  (Calculation - 60 days, on average 4 times a night, for 20 minutes each time, walking a slow 20 minute mile...)  Oh and this is JUST what I walked at night!!!

Charlie broke 2 pieces off of his exersaucer within the first week he was in it.

It took Charlie 8 months to go from zero to crawling.

It took Charlie 6 days to go from crawling to cruising on the furniture!

I started 2011 with 4 gray hairs.

I now have 8. 

Beau has gotten in trouble 1 time for kissing a girl at school.  And I think that is 1 time too many!!  (Good Lord, I am NOT ready for this.) 

To date Charlie still has 0 teeth, but that doesn't stop him from eating finger foods already!

Just to make sure we're all clear, 240 miles is almost 10 marathons.  Why am I not in better shape?

Oh well!  Here's to 2012 - may it bring more restful nights and fewer gray hairs! 



Merry and Bright!

Christmas 2011 has come and gone, and I swear we are still all recooperating from it.  This was the first Christmas where Beau really "got it."  And it was so much fun!  I can't wait until next year when, hopefully, Charlie is a little more aware too! 

Hooray Christmas!

What?!  Santa's coming?  Shut your mouth!



"Mommy, the cookies are gone."  **  "Wait, who wrote this?"  **  "Oh my goodness, Santa was here!!" 



Santa is very polite and leaves thank you notes for good boys and girls. 

Beau thought daddy's feet could use some sticker decor. 

Apparently so could Paw Paw's face. 

Snacking on "reindeer food." 

Say what?!

"Mommy, sit.  Rub my back." 

Beau has become quite demanding in his bedtime routine...

"Cars run fast." 

Run.  Drive.  It's all the same, right?

"No, Charlie.  My Mommy."  "No, Daddy.  My Mommy."  "No, Paw Paw.  My Mommy." 

And jealousy has reared its ugly head at the Brian residence. 

Dear Santa...

Beau's class wrote letters to Santa asking him for their hearts' desires.  Beau's requests were pretty predictable.  He has a new obessession with cars and yes, the whole horsie wish is still around. 

Well, turns out one of Beau's classmates has a very special desire. 

Yes, in case you didn't catch that...

Sheesh.  I thought I had more time to prepare myself for this! 

Reindeer food!

I needed a quick, inexpensive, and above all, adorable gift idea for Beau's classmates.  After searching the internet for about ten minutes I saw this.  Oh how sweet!  I think it came out just precious and Beau was OBESSESSED with making, "Reindeer food, Mommy!!"

It was super easy.  I just used items I already had around the house. We mixed Cheerio's with granola and then added the "magic" ingredient - green and red colored sugar! 

It's sure to be a hit among the other two year olds.  Merry Christmas!!

Morning sunshine!

And so it begins...THIS is how I found Charlie this morning when I went to get him out of bed.  Guess it's time to lower the crib. 

PS - Sorry for the poor quality photo; I took it with my phone...

He's making a list...

The boys, along with cousin Marc, took a visit to the North Pole (ok, maybe it was just Lakeside Mall) to visit Santa.  Beau was super excited and Charlie was just fascinated with Santa. I can't believe that we got a good picture of them both with Santa because Charlie seriously could not take his eyes off of the big man!  But, I think it came out pretty cute. 

And, if Santa was listening, Beau might just get those Elmo stickers and trucks he asked for.  And Charlie, well that sit and stand activity walker might be even more appropro given the recent week's events! 

Eight months!

So what is our favorite eight month old up to? 

*  We officially have a crawler on our hands.  Last Sunday Charlie decided to ditch his own method of transportation and opted for a more conventional crawl.  And, he's pretty good at it.  He can make it from one end of the room to the other in no time flat.  Guess it's time to get those gates back out.

*  Inspired by his recent mobility milestone he has decided not to stop there.  Oh no, he is now pulling himself to standing.  And Sunday he actually "cruised" a bit holding on to the sofa!  *GASP*  I'm excited for him, but not ready for two mobile little boys!

*  Maybe because his new activity has increased his metabolism Charlie is now eating some finger food. Mum mums, puffs, or as Beau calls them, "Baby treats!"  He loves them all.  And, don't bother feeding them to him, he wants to take control.  He even began feeding himself puffs last night, one little puff at a time.  He hasn't perfected his "pincher" grasp, but he's pretty good at "raking" them up and shoving them in. 

He takes what he wants

Allow me to introduce you to our own little Honey Badger.  Although Charlie has officially begun crawling (the real deal - belly off the ground and all) there was a time when he had developed a very efficient, albeit, unorthodox mode of transportation.  A combination of rolling, army crawling, scooting, and dragging, he could get around the floor faster than you might expect. 

Of course, video of the "real" crawling is forthcoming...that is, if I had time to video him before he gets into something! 

I LOVE handprint art

I do, I really love it.  However, it's kind of hard to get a toddler to sit still long enough to dip his hand in paint and then purposefully place it anywhere other than his shirt, the table, his hair, or his brother.  And don't get me started on Charlie.  If it's in/on his hand, it's in/on his mouth. 

But a friend sent me this link that was so cute I just had to try it for myself.  Well, "Bravo!" I say.  I think they turned out pretty darn cute. 

A Little MORE Off the Top

Before

So Beau has had several haircuts in the last two years, but this month he got his first "Big Boy" haircut.  It was FAR more emotional for Mommy than for Beau.  But we both made it through it unscathed.  In fact, Beau LOVED his new haircut. 

And After

Loving his new look

Seven Months!

And just like that, Charlie is seven months!  He's getting so big and strong and it's been such a pleasure to watch him grow.  Of course, no well check this month, so no official measurements.  However, I can tell you this - he's bigger than Beau was.  How do I know this?  This morning I dressed him in an outfit that Beau wore LAST Christmas. You know, when he was nearly 14 months old...

Anyway, what else is this little bugger up to these days? 

*  He still hasn't officially crawled, but good Lord, is he close!  I think the problem is that he's become so efficient as his own mode of transportation that crawling just doesn't seem that necessary. 

*  He still hates to be rocked.  Yep, every night now for seven months, when I put him to sleep I have had to walk the room with him.  I wonder how many miles that is by now...

*  He LOVES his big brother.  It's so funny to watch them play together.  They actually wrestle and yes, Charlie can hold his own already. 

*  The Bumbo has been retired.  While we struggle taking him out of it because of his chubby little thighs, he has no problem stretching and twisting and getting out of it himself.  Oh well...

Better Luck Next Time

We spent Thanksgiving in Texas with Dee Dee and Bone this year.  Well, we knew things were going to be a little different, what with Dee Dee having knee replacement surgery the Monday before Thanksgiving.  What we didn't realize was HOW different things would be.  I present to you our Thanksgiving feast...

Yep, you're not seeing things.  That's a big pot of spaghetti and meatsauce.  Hey at least we had plenty of good bread and wine to go with it. 

Dee Dee was discharged a day later than originally planned so we thought we'd celebrate Thanksgiving on Friday.  This would have been a great plan except when I retrieved the turkey to place in the oven Friday morning  IT WAS STILL FROZEN.  Ok, maybe it wasn't totally frozen, but that turkey had not thawed out.  Feeling delirious from sleep deprivation (thanks to Charlie and his mysterious fever I got approximately three hours of non-consecutive sleep the night before) I slapped some salt and olive oil on the bird and threw it in the oven. Alas, the turkey came out dry (I forgot to check the exact weight of the bird before I threw it in the oven...not to mention we left the house to pick up Dee Dee and I simply lost track of time).  It's ok, because in our discombobulated state we failed to make any side dishes.  So, instead of our belated feast, we had leftover Mexican. 

Hey, at least the margaritas were good!

This experience has not left us jaded or worse for wear; we consider it a trial run for Christmas.  Afterall, Dee Dee gets her second new knee the week before Christmas and we get to do the whole holiday feast all over again.  Of course this time, we're doing a little better planning ahead. 

Oh and if you're wondering, "Where are all the pictures you took of the boys for Thanksgiving?"  Are you kidding me?  We were the people at the grocery store at 1:45 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day...do you really think we had the ability to photograph the whole crazy experience?  This is the single shot I got of the boys.  It was taken at one of our MANY pitstops on the car ride. 

Don't worry...I'll do better at Christmas.

Say What?!

"I tried to reason with him."

Aunt Izzy learned quickly last week that there is no "reasoning" with a two year old who doesn't want to take his nap.  In fact, there is no "reasoning" with a two year old for much of anything. 

Happy Birthday Daddy!

While we didn't rent a bounce house or invite all his closest buddies for a party, we did have a nice little birthday celebration with Billy on Monday night. 

Earlier that morning Beau didn't seem very inclined to pass on any well wishes to his dad. 

Mommy:  "Beau, it's Daddy's birthday!"

Beau:  "No, Beau's birthday."

Mommy:  "No, sweetie.  Today is Daddy's birthday."

Beau:  "No, Mommy.  Beau's birthday.  No, Mommy.  Not nice." 

That evening when he realized that there was cake involved he soon changed his tune. 

Happy Birthday Billy!  We love you!!

Happy Halloween!!

La, La, La, La...La, La, La, La..Beau's Elmo!

This was Charlie's first Halloween and Beau's first real experience Trick-or-Treating.  All went well.  The only minor problem we had was trying to stop Beau from just waltzing into peoples' homes when they answered the door.  The kid knows no strangers!!

Mommy and her little Lion

 Anyway, we only actually made it to five houses before Beau started rubbing his eyes and asking for the "Star Turtle."  (It's a gift that Core gave Beau for his birthday and which he just LOVES.) 

Once again, THIS is the closest I came to a picture with the boys. 

So, two little boys, two cute costumes, five houses, and one and a half pieces of candy later, the Brian family said, "Good night."  Maybe we'll have a rowdier time next year...but I doubt it. 

Beau and Mr. Tommy's gigantic pumpkin.  He was fascinated. 

Odds and Ends

Charlie is THIS CLOSE to crawling.  However, despite the fact he has not begun to truly crawl, the kid can get around.  He has developed his own method of transportation which includes a combination of rolling, scooching, and thrusting himself forward.  Well, he's nothing if not resourceful. 

Beau has learned his ABC's.  Well, Beau has learned to sing the Alphabet song.  Ok, Beau has learned to sing most of the Alphabet song.  He very loudly and clearly goes from A through V and then sings, "double Y, me, me, me."  Apparently he has something against W, X, and Z. 

At his six month appointment we found out that Charlie is in the 75th percentile for height and 50th percentile for weight.  However, when I informed the doctor of just how much he eats in a day, her eyes got wide and she said, "Well, then we can assume he has a very high metabolism."  So, once again we had confirmed something that Beau and Charlie have in common - healthy appetites.  And, once again I have confirmed the validity of my fears of future grocery bills.  (I thought about starting my own garden, but maybe I should invest in a couple of chickens and a cow too...for some reason I think our neighborhood has covenants against raising farm animals.) 

Which reminds me, Beau still wants a horsie. 

Charlie is becoming more and more of an independent baby.  He now contently plays by himself for ten minutes increments (I know, it doesn't seem like much, but you'd be surprised how much I can get done in ten minutes).  Also, and this one I'm not too excited about, he no longer likes to be rocked to sleep.  Sure, he'll let me hold him a bit and maybe even sit down in the rocker for a minute or two, but when he's really ready to sleep he squirms and grunts as if to say, "Woman, put me down in my own bed."  Once in his crib, he grabs a hold of his blanket, turns on his left side, sighs, and passes out.  Alas, I guess he doesn't need me as much any more. 

Lately Beau has decided to mimic me most of all.  And what does he mimic?  My terms of endearment.  One day on the ride to school when Charlie was crying, Beau turned to him and said, "Honey, don't cry, don't cry."  It took everything I had not to bust out laughing.  But, it didn't stop there.  Later that week when I was walking him up the stairs, he put his arm around my neck and said, "Night, night, Mommy.  Night, night, sweetheart."  And it continues...in addition to, "Honey," and "Sweetheart," he now calls us "Darling," and "Cutie."  Hey, there could be alot worse things coming out of his mouth, right?