Charlotte has been sick again, poor thing. She's had a fever since Friday, and a bumpy rash all over her body, making her poor face one blotchy mess. This is the most sick she's been since she was seven months. However, she's been in pretty good spirits. Even being a blotchy mess, Charlotte was still waving and flirting with the old men at the grocery store.
We went to the doctor's today and Dr. M. confirmed roseola again, along with an ear infection in her right ear. Because he believes it's virus-related, Dr. M. didn't prescribe antibiotics, only more Benadryl for the itchy rash.
So this is probably only interesting to me, but they measured and weighed her at today's appointment. And? She weighs 22 lbs, which is what she weighed at the allergist's office six weeks ago and hasn't grown at all since her 12 month appointment three months ago (29.75 inches). Nothing's wrong with this at all except that now Charlotte is between the 25th and 50th percentile for both height and weight. She started out being a huge baby, and now she's a wee little thing! I guess this shouldn't be too much of a surprise considering she has such tiny feet. She's now only barely a toddler size 4, which is tiny, more like the average 6-12 month size feet. The 12-24 month size socks she has are so big on her that the heels go half way up her calf.
Anyway, more rambling. It's almost September, which I find completely mind blowing. Where did the summer go? A week from Thursday, I'm going on my first work trip away from Charlotte. Heading to Dallas for three full days. I wish that if I had to go somewhere it would at least be more exciting than Dallas!
I guess Charlotte's up from her nap, so I'd best sign off.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Friday, August 20, 2010
14 Months is FUN!
Dear Charlotte,
You turned 14 months old yesterday. So many fun things have happened this month. This month, you perfected walking. You started toddling while we were in Maui. Each day, Mimi would call G. Meme and report on the number of steps you took that day. "She took four steps before falling down." "Six steps today!" And then "seven" and "nine!" Four weeks later, we've stopped counting. You walk around the family room, picking up toys and pieces of paper, circling the couches over and over again. You still fall all the time, but you always stand right back up. Falling rarely fazes you, but sometimes, you take a serious tumble. Bruises are not an uncommon occurrence these days, even the ones you get on your face from bumping into the corner of the wall, but even these rarely detract from your infectious smile.
You've become more clingy this month, more affectionate. You cling to my legs or Daddy's legs when we drop you off at daycare, or when you're faced with a new place. Luckily it doesn't last very long before you toddle off to explore and play. Sometimes (not often, thankfully), you wake up in the middle of the night crying and nothing can console you but lying on me or Daddy. It's as though you wake up needing a little reassurance that we're there. You hug a lot more, lying your sweet face on my shoulder, or burying your face into a stuffed animal. It just tugs at my heartstrings.
There have been some frustrations as well. You, my little Goose, who used to be such a great eater, have turned into a picky one, refusing foods you used to love. I worry about this somewhat, worrying that maybe cheese quesadillas don't have all the nutritional value you should get in one day. Luckily, you do like fresh fruit. So that helps. You also get frustrated when eating and you throw food and your sippy cup off the high chair. And my tellling you "No!" only elicits a grin and a "ha, ha, ha" from you.
Daddy and I have also been somewhat worried by your lack of talking, but just like everything else, you show us that we can't force these things. You've never been one to mimic us -- it's just not your style -- but you listen and you absorb and you understand.
Just yesterday, you surprised us by saying and signing "all done!" (although it might be "all gone" we're not really sure). Daddy says you did this other day whne he went to get you out of your careseat. You threw your toy keys and your little pumpkin off to the side, threw up your arms and said "all gone!" Too cute! And not even a week after getting the baby signing DVD from the library, you're signing "flower" and saying "ball." So yes, you're getting there, but you do things your way and at your pace.
So my cute, independent, and funny girl, you keep doing your thing, and we'll keep enjoying the ride. Because every day is an adventure and is more fun than the one before it.
Love always and forever,
Mommy
You turned 14 months old yesterday. So many fun things have happened this month. This month, you perfected walking. You started toddling while we were in Maui. Each day, Mimi would call G. Meme and report on the number of steps you took that day. "She took four steps before falling down." "Six steps today!" And then "seven" and "nine!" Four weeks later, we've stopped counting. You walk around the family room, picking up toys and pieces of paper, circling the couches over and over again. You still fall all the time, but you always stand right back up. Falling rarely fazes you, but sometimes, you take a serious tumble. Bruises are not an uncommon occurrence these days, even the ones you get on your face from bumping into the corner of the wall, but even these rarely detract from your infectious smile.
You've become more clingy this month, more affectionate. You cling to my legs or Daddy's legs when we drop you off at daycare, or when you're faced with a new place. Luckily it doesn't last very long before you toddle off to explore and play. Sometimes (not often, thankfully), you wake up in the middle of the night crying and nothing can console you but lying on me or Daddy. It's as though you wake up needing a little reassurance that we're there. You hug a lot more, lying your sweet face on my shoulder, or burying your face into a stuffed animal. It just tugs at my heartstrings.
There have been some frustrations as well. You, my little Goose, who used to be such a great eater, have turned into a picky one, refusing foods you used to love. I worry about this somewhat, worrying that maybe cheese quesadillas don't have all the nutritional value you should get in one day. Luckily, you do like fresh fruit. So that helps. You also get frustrated when eating and you throw food and your sippy cup off the high chair. And my tellling you "No!" only elicits a grin and a "ha, ha, ha" from you.
Daddy and I have also been somewhat worried by your lack of talking, but just like everything else, you show us that we can't force these things. You've never been one to mimic us -- it's just not your style -- but you listen and you absorb and you understand.
Just yesterday, you surprised us by saying and signing "all done!" (although it might be "all gone" we're not really sure). Daddy says you did this other day whne he went to get you out of your careseat. You threw your toy keys and your little pumpkin off to the side, threw up your arms and said "all gone!" Too cute! And not even a week after getting the baby signing DVD from the library, you're signing "flower" and saying "ball." So yes, you're getting there, but you do things your way and at your pace.
So my cute, independent, and funny girl, you keep doing your thing, and we'll keep enjoying the ride. Because every day is an adventure and is more fun than the one before it.
Love always and forever,
Mommy
There she goes!
Monday, August 16, 2010
Weekend Leftovers
- Thursday was our fourth wedding anniversary. Chris and I celebrated on Friday by taking advantage of Charlotte's daycare's Parents' Night Out. We met friends for Happy Hour and then hightailed it to Biba's for another delicious meal. Just as we sat down at our table, Chris' phone rang. It was Charlotte's daycare. We both immediately thought that they were calling because she had a fever and needed to be picked up. Thankfully, they were just calling to make sure she could have pizza for dinner.
- Saturday, we decided to check out the Folsom Zoo Sanctuary. We'd never been, but had heard great things about it. It's a place where wild animals are rescued after being pets. They had bears, raccoons, tigers, bobcats, wolves, feral cats, and more. Can you imagine people thinking that tigers would make good pets? This was Charlotte's first zoo since she started walking. It was so cute to watch her walk after the peacocks that just roam around the zoo. As you can see below, she was fascinated by the little cutout of the bear. The littlest bear was just her size!
- After the zoo, we checked out the public library for the first time. It has a great selection of children's books and children's DVDs. We checked out a DVD on more baby signing; Charlotte was in awe when we watched it later. The sheer repetition ought to help with her signing and language development.
- My grandparents stayed over Saturday afternoon. It was so good to see them! They live in South Carolina, so we don't get to see them very often. They haven't seen Charlotte for an entire year, so I know they had fun watching Charlotte toddle around. We're all heading there at New Year's to celebrate their 80th birthdays and 60th anniversary. And somehow, I didn't take any pictures! What was I thinking?!
- On Sunday, Charlotte had some major fussing fits around food. She's throwing her food left and right, even refusing food I know she likes. Maybe it's because she has a bad cold and isn't that hungry? I don't know, but it's so frustrating!
Monday, August 2, 2010
Maui Wowie
Here are my tips for an amazing trip to Maui with a 13 month old.
1. Go to Maui.
Seems obvious enough. It's paradise. It just might be my favorite Hawaiian island, and I really liked Kauai.
2. Buy a seat for your baby.
Seriously. Worth every single penny (it also helps that we got an amazing deal for Charlotte's ticket and we booked frequent flier miles for our seats, but still. Worth it!). We had a 6AM flight the day we left. Charlotte was awake from the time we left our house until we boarded the plane to Los Angeles. And then she zonked out and slept the entire flight because she was in her car seat. We had a pretty short layover in L.A., and then we were on our way. Although we didn't get three seats entirely together (because United sucks and are completely unaccommodating -- the lady at the front desk in L.A. wouldn't even check to see if Chris could get a seat nearby), we did manage to trade with a guy who had one seat in the middle row one row in front of Charlotte and me. Anyway, shortly after take off, Charlotte fell asleep and slept for a good three hours. The remaining two were spent playing and eating lunch/snacks. On the way back, same thing. Even though we had a red eye and the flight didn't leave until well after Charlotte's bedtime, she did not fall asleep until she was in her car seat and we'd taken off. And she slept the entire time.
3. If you follow tip 2, buy this thing, the Traveling Toddler Car Seat Accessory:
Basically, it's a strap that attaches your rolling carry-on to any LATCH-compatible car seat. Then it turns into a makeshift stroller, but way more comfortable. I read about it on the Advice Smackdown several months ago and had to get it. Chris was skeptical when we got it in the mail (it costs about $15, but probably was only $0.50 to make), but it worked great. Charlotte loved it, and you would not imagine the number of people who made comments about how ingenious it was. Truly. We checked Charlotte's stroller, and this thing was all we needed.
4. Make sure the grandparents come along (or in our case, make sure they let you tag along with them).
Vacations with a baby are generally not what you call "vacations." They're more like every other day with a baby, just in a different location. But having grandparents along (or anyone willing to give you a break) made the trip to Maui definitely shift over to "vacation." Chris and I got to go scuba diving in Molokini, where we saw a spotted eagle ray and a dozen sea turtles; we went snorkeling together while my parents watched Charlotte play in the sand; we went to a spectacular dinner together (see the first picture above); and we did an all day trip on the Road to Hana (if/when I get a chance, I plan to write on each of those adventures at our travel website because they deserve further detail, even if only for me to remember always). We would never have been able to do a single one of those things without their help. Thank you so much, Mimi and Papi. I know Charlotte misses you already.
5. Baby Gear Rental
We stayed in a two bedroom timeshare while we were on Maui. I'm a planner. For months before our trip I started thinking about Charlotte's bedding situation. Where would she sleep? What would she sleep in? I called the timeshare staff and asked about whether I could rent a portable crib. I could, but it would cost me. $12 a day. For 9 days. Insane. That's more than the cost of checking the Pack N Play. So that was my plan until I somehow decided to Google search for baby gear rental. Turns out, baby gear rental companies are thriving businesses on Maui. No fewer than seven showed up. Anyway, long story short. For about $60, I rented a Pack N Play, a high chair/booster seat, and a sun tent for the entire week. The rental gear company set it up before we got there and picked it up after we left. Easy! And having a Pack N Play proved even more useful, because we could set it up on the tennis courts, put Charlotte in there with a bunch of toys and her sippy cup, and the four of us could play doubles! Moreover, we'd put Charlotte in our room each night, and then when it was time for us to sleep, we'd move her and the Pack N Play into the living room.
6. Timeshare/Condo
Babies are picky eaters. Maui is expensive. Having a timeshare/condo where you can make your own food is absolutely critical. We bought all Charlotte's normal food the day we arrived, so we were stocked with whole milk, Eggos, tortillas, fruit, etc. I don't know what people do who stay in a hotel the whole time. Spend a lot of money or rent a mini-fridge, I guess. We were also lucky in that previous guests left a bunch of sand toys that we used and left for future guests. Charlotte loved playing in the sand.
7. Final Tip? Bring Your Cute Baby.
1. Go to Maui.
Seems obvious enough. It's paradise. It just might be my favorite Hawaiian island, and I really liked Kauai.
2. Buy a seat for your baby.
Seriously. Worth every single penny (it also helps that we got an amazing deal for Charlotte's ticket and we booked frequent flier miles for our seats, but still. Worth it!). We had a 6AM flight the day we left. Charlotte was awake from the time we left our house until we boarded the plane to Los Angeles. And then she zonked out and slept the entire flight because she was in her car seat. We had a pretty short layover in L.A., and then we were on our way. Although we didn't get three seats entirely together (because United sucks and are completely unaccommodating -- the lady at the front desk in L.A. wouldn't even check to see if Chris could get a seat nearby), we did manage to trade with a guy who had one seat in the middle row one row in front of Charlotte and me. Anyway, shortly after take off, Charlotte fell asleep and slept for a good three hours. The remaining two were spent playing and eating lunch/snacks. On the way back, same thing. Even though we had a red eye and the flight didn't leave until well after Charlotte's bedtime, she did not fall asleep until she was in her car seat and we'd taken off. And she slept the entire time.
3. If you follow tip 2, buy this thing, the Traveling Toddler Car Seat Accessory:
4. Make sure the grandparents come along (or in our case, make sure they let you tag along with them).
Vacations with a baby are generally not what you call "vacations." They're more like every other day with a baby, just in a different location. But having grandparents along (or anyone willing to give you a break) made the trip to Maui definitely shift over to "vacation." Chris and I got to go scuba diving in Molokini, where we saw a spotted eagle ray and a dozen sea turtles; we went snorkeling together while my parents watched Charlotte play in the sand; we went to a spectacular dinner together (see the first picture above); and we did an all day trip on the Road to Hana (if/when I get a chance, I plan to write on each of those adventures at our travel website because they deserve further detail, even if only for me to remember always). We would never have been able to do a single one of those things without their help. Thank you so much, Mimi and Papi. I know Charlotte misses you already.
5. Baby Gear Rental
We stayed in a two bedroom timeshare while we were on Maui. I'm a planner. For months before our trip I started thinking about Charlotte's bedding situation. Where would she sleep? What would she sleep in? I called the timeshare staff and asked about whether I could rent a portable crib. I could, but it would cost me. $12 a day. For 9 days. Insane. That's more than the cost of checking the Pack N Play. So that was my plan until I somehow decided to Google search for baby gear rental. Turns out, baby gear rental companies are thriving businesses on Maui. No fewer than seven showed up. Anyway, long story short. For about $60, I rented a Pack N Play, a high chair/booster seat, and a sun tent for the entire week. The rental gear company set it up before we got there and picked it up after we left. Easy! And having a Pack N Play proved even more useful, because we could set it up on the tennis courts, put Charlotte in there with a bunch of toys and her sippy cup, and the four of us could play doubles! Moreover, we'd put Charlotte in our room each night, and then when it was time for us to sleep, we'd move her and the Pack N Play into the living room.
6. Timeshare/Condo
Babies are picky eaters. Maui is expensive. Having a timeshare/condo where you can make your own food is absolutely critical. We bought all Charlotte's normal food the day we arrived, so we were stocked with whole milk, Eggos, tortillas, fruit, etc. I don't know what people do who stay in a hotel the whole time. Spend a lot of money or rent a mini-fridge, I guess. We were also lucky in that previous guests left a bunch of sand toys that we used and left for future guests. Charlotte loved playing in the sand.
7. Final Tip? Bring Your Cute Baby.
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