Days 8-10

Obviously I'm doing a little catch-up today. Kind of sad that I only made it 7 consecutive days of blogging. I was thankful for things each of day but fell asleep early and didn't get to blog them.

Day 8: I am thankful for getting off work an hour early. This is a common occurrence on Fridays, and I love it. I am very blessed with my job.

Day 9: I am thankful for Charlotte's friends at daycare. One of her friends had a party at FunZone, a bouncy house place in town, and Charlotte had the best time. It was cute to see her interact with her pals from daycare.

Day 10: I am thankful that Charlotte successfully made it through the night in her toddler bed. We decided to convert her crib yesterday, kind of on a whim, and it has gone really well so far. She slept there for nap time yesterday and today, and also made it all of last night without getting out of bed. We will see how it goes tonight, but I am hopeful. I can't believe how big she is getting! 

This high-quality photo courtesy of my iPhone.

I hope you all have had a great weekend!

Day 4: My Girl

Even though she woke up at 5:20 this morning and didn't go back to bed. Even though she pitched a screaming fit the whole way home from daycare. Even though she is the pickiest eater on the planet.

I can't help but love this girl.

She gives the sweetest hugs and kisses, has the best giggle, and lights up a room with her smile. I am so blessed that I get to be her mom.

An Interview with Charlotte

I know I win the prize for lamest blogger ever, but how about a cute video of my kid? We "interviewed" her a few weeks ago, and here is the result:


 A few notes:
1. When she says her full name, it sounds like she's saying "Sorry Mount." Love it. 
2. I promise I didn't tell her to pick purple as her favorite color.
3. We filmed this video while she was eating dinner because then she can't go anywhere. :) Hence, the pretzels (which she was dipping in ketchup).
4. I filmed this with my iPhone, thus the tiny screen width.
5. Hearing her sing "Jesus Loves Me" melts my heart. Man, she is so cute. I know, I'm biased. :)


I am going to try to do these little interviews every so often so we can see how her answers change as she gets older. I can't believe she is already 2.5 years old!

Sit 5 Minutes

About 4-6 weeks ago, Charlotte decided she was through with her easy bedtime routine. Before that, we would feed her dinner, give her a bath, get her into her pjs, and then we would read a few stories, sing a few songs, and end with a prayer. We would put her in her crib, kiss her goodnight, and off to dreamland she'd go, usually by 6:30. It was blessedly easy. Then, all of a sudden, she decided bedtime wasn't so great after all, and she started coming up with what can only be described as stalling techniques. She'd ask for milk, water, a towel (yes, a towel), a doll, hair bows--you name it, she probably asked for it. Then she'd whine and cry for many more minutes before finally giving up and going to sleep.

I'm not sure how it began, but one night I sat with her in her rocking chair after she refused to go to sleep, and she asked me to sing. I couldn't refuse such a request, so sing I did: "Jesus Loves Me," "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands," "My God Is So Big," etc. I enjoyed the extra snuggle time, and she calmed down and went to sleep when I finished. Then she asked again the next night, and I told her I would but only for 5 minutes. It didn't take long for her to start asking to "sit 5 minutes" with me before bed. It didn't put an end to the litany of requests, but it did shorten it, and she usually goes to bed more willingly. I never intended to start singing and rocking as part of our regular routine, but every night after we've finished our books and said our prayers, Charlotte kisses her daddy good night and then turns to me with that infectious smile of hers and asks, "Sit 5 minutes?"

Those 5 minutes have become one of the favorite parts of my day. Maybe that's why sometimes it's more like 10 minutes. :) I confess that initially I was a little annoyed that something else had been added to our bedtime routine, but I quickly realized how precious this time is--this sacred shared time between mother and daughter. During those 5 minutes, I soak in her presence, memorize the feel of her skin, the adorable curve of her nose, the curl of her chubby little toes. And I clung to her a little tighter last night after hearing the heartbreaking news coming out of Oklahoma. Each day is a gift, and I want to savor it. I know one day she'll be too big to sit in my lap. One day she'll tire of my company. One day instead of wanting to hear me sing, she'll want me to just leave her alone. But today is not that day, and so I sang and prayed to God with gratitude for my sweet girl.

One day, I'll be the one saying to her, "Sit 5 minutes?" I hope she will always say yes in reply.

My Third Mother's Day

This weekend was my third time to celebrate Mother's Day, and it was a wonderful weekend. We spent Saturday at the zoo, and we couldn't have asked for more perfect weather. It was Charlotte's first time at the zoo, and though we got off to a rocky start due to some monkeys scaring her while we were eating lunch, she ended up having a great time! She especially loved watching the sea lions and polar bears and also liked the elephants and hippo. She also got excited every time we saw a bird or a squirrel, even though we have no shortage of those in our own backyard. :) We purchased a family membership, so I foresee many more zoo trips in our future!

This one's my favorite

Snack time with Pops. Her mouth is full of food, but at least she's smiling!

This was the best family pic we could get.

Sunday we went to my parents' church, and Charlotte ended up coming to the service with us. She did NOT want to get dropped off in the nursery, and they were a little unorganized at first, trying to figure out which classroom she would be in, so we just took her with us. She was wriggly and not the quietest, but overall she did pretty well. Stephen did end up taking her out in the hallway near the end of the service, but she did pretty great for a toddler. After church we tried to take pictures, but Charlotte has a personal objection to posed pictures and often makes it difficult to get a good picture of her. We managed to get a few, and though they didn't turn out perfect, I know when I look at them years later I'll remember her sassy, spunky personality.

Happy girl. I love love love pigtails.

My mom and me. At least we can take a decent picture. :)

I finished off the day with a 2.22 mile run around our neighborhood. It was around dusk, and the temperature had cooled off, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I ran last Mother's Day as well, and I think it's going to be a new tradition.

I hope all of you who are moms had a wonderful Mother's Day, or those who aren't at least were able to celebrate their moms. To those for whom the day is painful, know that I prayed for you as well.

How was your weekend?

A Matter of Perspective

Have you all seen the new Dove ad campaign? If not, here's the video (I highly recommend watching it):



I actually teared up the first time I saw this video. You can see how the faces of the women change as they look at the two portraits side by side. You can see the women realize how their view of themselves is vastly different from that of an outsider. What a powerful example of how distorted our image of ourselves is! I am sure had I been apart of this experiment, I would have described myself in far more negative terms than a stranger would have. I have struggled for years with seeing myself in a negative light, and of course I realize that it has affected how I carry myself and how I interact with others and even how I let others into my world, but this video led me to examine my perspective once again.

As I watched it a second time, I kept thinking about how I want Charlotte to grow up with a healthy body image, how I want her to be carefree and unencumbered by concerns of what others think of her. My daughter is beautiful, and there are few things that light up my soul like seeing her beaming face looking at mine, and I want her to always have that joy. I have no idea how to ensure that those hopes become reality. I can't pinpoint the exact moment in my own history when I decided I wasn't pretty, but I pray that that moment never comes for Charlotte.

I know that I am going to pray regularly that God will help me protect the heart of my sweet girl, and I will pray that He will give me the wisdom needed to guide her as she grows older. And I will pray that she knows the truth that she is beautiful and beloved by the King, regardless of what the mirror may tell her.

Five Minute Friday: Remember (To Charlotte)

It's time for another Five Minute Friday! I fully intended to blog more this week, but it didn't happen. And how I wanted to edit this week, friends! But here it is, my five minutes on the word of the week: remember.

GO

Sweet child of mine, now that you are two I find myself looking back, remembering those early days with you. The memories already aren't as clear as they once were, and so I must commit them to permanence with these feeble words. When I held you in my arms that first time, in the early morning hours of March 4, your tiny body felt light, almost nothing, and yet the weight of what I was becoming—mother--was heavy upon me. Though I had longed to be your mother, waited years and those anxious nine months, that moment when I held you surprised me. I did not feel immediately transformed. I did not feel suddenly graced with wisdom. But oh, how I felt love! How I felt amazed at the wonder and love of God, smiling down on me through your little face.

In the weeks that would come, weeks of little sleep and lots of crying (on both our parts!), I spent more time questioning than trusting, more time worried than at peace, and I wish I could take it all back and do it all over. I would tell myself to soak in those early moments, frustrating and difficult and exhausting as they were, and I would tell myself that it does get better. That even though motherhood did not come to me all at once in a blaze of glory, it has come in quieter ways, in quieter moments: in the stillness of having your head snuggled up near mine, of hearing your breath mingle with mine, of feeling your hands lovingly touch mine. Being your mother has been the hardest thing I have ever done, but oh, how thankful I am for the hard things, for in them I find out who I truly am. WHOSE I truly am. And when you are older and welcoming your first little one, I pray that knowledge finds you as well. 

STOP

Charlotte Turns Two

Charlotte turned two on March 4, and we had a party the weekend before to celebrate! Charlotte loves Elmo, so I decided to do a Sesame Street theme. I got all of the supplies at Walmart and kept it pretty simple, decorating our kitchen table and hanging some balloons and a banner. 

I also decided to keep the guest list small, so we just invited family. My parents, my grandmother, and my brother, sister-in-law, niece and nephew made up the guest list, and in our smallish house, that was plenty of people! Charlotte gets overwhelmed with a lot of people surrounding her at once, so she was pretty clingy and shy at the beginning, but that didn't stop her from sporting her Elmo hat!

She is not too sure about what is going on.

After I started blowing bubbles and she was able to interact with her cousin Erika, who is six months younger than Charlotte, she started to warm up.

Instead of a birthday cake, I decided to go with a less conventional approach after having some yummy petit fours at my mom's birthday celebration just a few weeks ago. My parents generously offered to provide the dessert, and the bakery was even able to put Elmo on the little cakes. I loved how they turned out!

For the food, we again opted for the simple (okay, lazy) route and ordered Pizza Hut pizza. While we waited for it to arrive, Charlotte started opening her presents. She got a ton of cute spring clothes from my brother and sister-in-law, along with coloring books and board books.

After the pizza, it was time for cake! Charlotte was a fan.

Digging in!

I tried unsuccessfully to get a good picture with Charlotte, but this is the best I got. We have such a hard time getting her to smile for pictures. She pretty much turns on the frowns when a camera comes out.

 My parents were also unsuccessful in their attempts to get a picture with her.

The party was a little bit chaotic with two toddlers running around, and I was glad that I had decided not to invite a few other kids closer to her age. I think I will save the bigger parties for when she is older and can really enjoy them.

On Charlotte's actual birthday last Monday, we treated her to one of her favorite things, a donut:

And of course there were a few more presents! We got her a ladybug lunch bag and backpack to use at daycare, which she loved. She also opened presents from Stephen's parents, some fun blocks and an alphabet computer-type toy.

We also went in with my parents and got her a playhouse for outside. I really wanted to get her a swingset, but the nicer sets are SO expensive! I am happy with this little house, though, and she had a blast playing in it this weekend after her sweet daddy spent some quality time putting it together.

She loved pushing the little doorbell and opening and closing the door.

There's that sweet smile! Happy girl.

It's hard to believe that she is already two years old. She is changing so much every day, and even though this is a somewhat turbulent age, I am loving it. It's so fun now that she is able to talk to us more clearly and express herself, and she cracks us up with the little phrases she says. She is little Miss Independent, and I love seeing her take pride in being able to do things on her own. The days can sometimes be long, but the years are short. I pray that I cherish every moment with her, even the ones that are stressful, for I know that before I know it, she will be grown. We love you, Charlotte Marie! 

Charlotte at 23 Months

I can't believe my last Charlotte update was 4 months ago! I also can't believe we've had the privilege of seeing this sweet face for 23 whole months:

Charlotte is a busy girl these days. She loves roaming around the house, exploring and getting into everything she's not supposed to. Her favorite things to play with are basically things that are not actually toys, such as pens, paper clips, my contact case, our phones, remotes, etc. She also loves to color, although most of the time it seems that she enjoys putting the crayons in and out of the bag and watching Stephen or me draw more than she enjoys drawing herself. A few weeks ago I saw a picture that someone had posted on facebook of their child using finger paints in the tub, which I thought was a great way to contain a pretty messy activity, so that very week I got out the finger paints we bought Charlotte for Christmas and let her paint the bathtub. She had a blast, and it's now a weekly activity. The paint is washable, so it comes off very easily, and Charlotte loves to mix all the colors together.

One of the cutest things about this age is how much Charlotte loves to talk. It seems as though overnight Charlotte's vocabulary exploded, and she can now form 2- and 3-word sentences, her favorite of which is "I did it." She's very proud of anything she is able to do on her own and often says, "I do it" or "I got it" to let us know that she wants to try something. Some mornings when we go into her room, she starts talking before we even pick her up, and she continues to chatter away as we change her diaper and get her ready for the day. It's easier to understand her than it was a few months ago, but we still find ourselves saying to each other, "What is she saying?" fairly often. We're teaching her how to say "please" and "thank you," and while most of the time we have to prompt her to say these, she has said "thank you" to me spontaneously several times recently and in the right context, which gives me hope that she is learning what the words actually mean.

Music is still one of Charlotte's favorite things, and she can sometimes be very selective about what music she wants to hear. Depending on her mood, not just any song will do, and she will keep saying "no" until we find the song she wants to her. Some of her favorites include "My God Is So Big," "The Lord's Army," and "Somebody That I Used to Know" (yes, the one by Gotye). She also has started singing along to some songs, like "Jesus Loves Me" and "God Is So Good," and she came home from daycare one day recently singing "Happy Birthday" because one of her classmates had a birthday that day.That night at bedtime she wanted to sing "Happy Birthday" to herself, to Bailey, to Stephen, and to me.  I love hearing her little voice and hope that she grows up wanting to sing in choirs at church.

Playing at the park

Speaking of bedtime, Charlotte continues to be a rock star when it comes to sleeping (with the exception of last night, when she woke up crying around 8:00-something and didn't go back to sleep until after 10:00). Most nights she is in bed by 6:30, if not a little earlier, and she rarely puts up a fight. She usually sleeps until 6:30 or 7:00 and will nap for 1.5 to 2 hours at daycare during the day , but we hardly ever get her to nap that much for us on the weekends.

We had been dreading weaning Charlotte of her pacifier but were determined to try when she turned 2, but she weaned herself! One night about three weeks ago Stephen asked her if she wanted to throw her paci away (thinking she had no real desire or intention of doing so), and she said "Yes" and marched right over to the trash can and threw it away! We were completely flabbergasted and thought for sure she would want it back at bedtime, but bedtime came and she went down fine without. We decided then and there that there was no going back and that even if she got upset and asked for it again, we weren't going back. I just knew we'd be facing some long nights over the next few days, but Charlotte proved us completely wrong and has done a FABULOUS job of sleeping without her pacifier. She didn't have a single bad night after she gave up the pacifier, and we are so incredibly grateful and are also completely aware of the fact that we really had nothing to do with this success, haha.

Having a toddler in the house is never dull, and we are so blessed by our sweet girl. She makes us laugh on a daily basis, and even though she has her share of tantrums and bad moods, we wouldn't trade her for anything. We love you to the moon and back, Charlotte!

I love how she is looking at Stephen in this picture. She is such a Daddy's girl!

Daddy makes the best jungle gym.

Five Minute Friday: Cherished

 

I'm joining up with Lisa-Jo Baker's Five Minute Friday, and this week's word is "cherished." 

Here goes...

Dear Charlotte,

The other morning when I was getting ready for work, you came marching into my closet in that happy, clumsy way of yours, arms swinging and face alight with a smile. Then you picked up the scale that sits in my closet and set it carefully on the bathroom floor. Surprised, I watched to see what you would do, and to my amazement you stepped right on the scale, as you must have seen me do before (more times than I care to admit). You looked down at the scale, not sure what to expect, then smiled when the display showed a number--your weight.  You were delighted and clapped your hands with excitement.  I was struck by this sight: you with your precious grin that makes my heart squeeze tight with love, on the scale, instrument that I love to hate. I have felt many things while standing on that scale, but rarely has the scale made me smile, but you don't know any of those feelings yet. To you, the scale is just a toy, something fun to play with. You have not yet experienced the agony that comes with seeing a number that is anything but smile-inducing. You have not yet experienced the hurt of an unkind word or mean glance.

Sweet daughter of mine, I pray that as you grow older and the world's opinions of beauty start to creep in, you keep that smile on your face and know that you are cherished, loved by your mommy and loved by the Father.  

Charlotte at 19 Months

Let's ignore the fact that Charlotte turned 19 months over a week ago, shall we? On most days, Charlotte is a little whirlwind, zipping about from place to place, usually with a smile on her a face. She constantly wants to explore and roam around and is rarely content to simply sit still, unless she is coloring or playing with stickers. Then, she'll sit for a few minutes before moving on to the next activity.

Until the last month or so, Charlotte really wasn't a big fan of books. When she was much, much younger, I would read to her every day, and while she was too young to show her enjoyment, she at least didn't put up a fuss. However, as she got more mobile, she grew less fond of sitting still for a story, and before long she would just push books away if we tried to read to her, which broke this poor book-loving mama's heart! I'm not sure what changed, but now she will latch on to a certain book and become obsessed with it, wanting to look at it over and over again. She especially loves to look at pictures of animals and can now imitate the sounds that dogs, cats, cows, and ducks make.

Charlotte started walking right around her first birthday, and she gets faster and faster on those little feet every day, it seems. I wouldn't be surprised if she broke out into a full-fledged run soon. She also has become quite the climber, surprising me one day by climbing right up into her high chair without assistance. She now practices this skill on a daily basis and beams proudly when she is seated in the chair.

It's blurry, but she was so proud to be climbing up in her chair.

Along with climbing, she also is fixated on buckles right now and spends a lot of time trying to buckle the harness on her high chair and her little toddler rocker. She has learned how to buckle these things but can't get them unbuckled, so she gets really frustrated when she can't unfasten things. In general, she gets really frustrated when she can't figure something out and in her frustration will sometimes just throw down whatever it is she's working on. I hope she'll learn to keep on trying something instead of giving up so quickly. 

She is definitely all toddler, as she can go from laughing to crying in about two seconds flat. The smallest things can set her off. For example, this morning I had her try on the winter coat I bought for her, and she loved it. What she didn't love was me taking it off, and she started screaming and crying and was inconsolable for several minutes, right about when it was time to leave for daycare, of course. It is challenging when she starts throwing a tantrum, and we're not sure yet what the best response is, but we mostly ignore her or try and hold her and get her to calm down.


Charlotte's vocabulary is growing, and her favorite word right now is our dog's name, Bailey. She will say her name over and over again, and she loves to follow Bailey around and gets excited when she sees her. Sometimes in the morning when she first wakes up she's more excited to see Bailey than she is us, which we try not to be offended by.

Never one to turn down food, Char has a healthy appetite and loves to snack on fruits and puffs and graham crackers. Her favorite foods right now are bananas, waffles, and crackers of any kind.

Mmm, spaghetti!

For some reason, however, she has gone a vegetable strike. She used to eat vegetables like a champ, but the past few months she has decided she doesn't like them. We'll try to get her to eat them, but she just shakes her head no and swats them away. She will eat them if they're pureed, but it seems kind of crazy to keep giving her purees when she's 19 months old! Still, we do give her veggies that way a few times a week just so she's getting some, but that's not a long term solution. She's too young to really reason with, so I'm not sure what to do. Any suggestions on how to get her to eat more vegetables?

Here are a few more pictures of my sweet girl. She makes us so happy and proud, and I can't wait to see the girl she becomes!

 

Charlotte at 18 months

At 18 months, Charlotte is a bundle of energy. And emotions. She goes from smiling to crying in two seconds flat and then back to smiling a few minutes later. If she doesn't get what she wants when she wants, or if we tell her no to something, she starts stomping her feet and wailing and putting on quite the show. I was shocked the first time she did it because she has always been so sweet, but her temper has definitely come to light! What's funny to me is that even though she may be crying because of something we said or did to make her mad, she will come running to us with her arms outstretched. She still needs us to make her feel better and help calm her down. There is nothing I love more than feeling her little arms tight around my neck and having that sweet head of hers nestled into the crook of my neck.

Smiling at Daddy while wearing his shoes

Speaking of her head, Charlotte continues her trend of having a head circumference in the 90th  percentile. Her head has been large since the beginning, and as I said yesterday on Twitter and Facebook, it's because she has a giant genius brain. How could she not, with such brilliant parents? (Says the woman who just the other day was looking for her sunglasses only to realize they were ON HER HEAD.)

Charlotte's current stats:

Weight: 25 lbs (slightly above the 50th percentile)
Height:  33 inches (75th percentile) She grew 2.5 inches in 3 months!
Head:   48 cm (90th percentile)

Of course, the minute we got back to the doctor's area yesterday, Charlotte started crying. She's no fool. She knows where the pain happens. Even when the nurse was trying to weigh and measure her, she was crying. Poor baby. I am so glad that we don't have to go back for another checkup for 6 more months! She only had one shot this time, too, which was nice for a change. I hate the way she cries and looks up at me as though I've willfully caused her pain. (And I guess in a way I have, since I brought her to the doctor. Oops.)

These days Charlotte babbles all the time, and she's starting to talk more. I've been a little bit worried about her language development because she's not saying a ton of words, but she knows over 10 words, so the pediatrician wasn't worried at all.

Charlotte's favorites:
1. Our dog Bailey. She wants so badly to be friends with Bailey, but Bailey's having none of it and keeps her distance whenever possible. Charlotte brings her toys and even feeds her food, but still I'm pretty sure if Charlotte were gone tomorrow Bailey would throw a party. I hope they'll be friends when Charlotte gets a little older and learns to be more gentle. Right now her idea of petting is to swat at her.
2.  Snacks. The girl could snack all day long (hmm, wonder where she got that?). She loves puffs and veggie straws and goldfish and bananas and grapes.

Fascinated by the macaroni and cheese

3.  Outside. She loves to go outside and asks every day when we get home if she can go outside. Today when I told her we couldn't because it was too hot and wet, she threw herself on the ground and thrashed about as though her life were ending. I can't imagine where she got such a dramatic streak.
4.  Her paci. We primarily give it to her only for naps and nighttime sleep, but she is SO attached to it. Her face lights up when we give it to her, and she has to sleep with one in her mouth and one in her hand. For a while she was doing a good job of willingly giving them up when she woke up, but lately we've had to wait until we can distract her with food before getting it away from her. Man oh man, are we going to have a time when we wean her off the pacifier!
5. Music. Charlotte has loved music for a long time, and that hasn't changed one bit. She will start dancing the minute she hears music, and on our rides home from daycare I often catch her bobbing her head along with the music. It cracks me up to see her bustin' a move. I hope she grows up loving to sing and listen to music. 

Charlotte's dislikes:
1. Getting into the car seat. She has started fighting this with a vengeance. Last week I spent literally 20 minutes (and I do mean literally) trying to wrestle her into the seat. She was screaming and kicking and then she would giggle like she was playing some hysterical game. Mommy was not amused. She still puts up a fight, but I've gotten better about getting her strapped in. The kid is strong!
2.  Diaper and clothing changes. I don't know why she hates these things, but it's rare for Charlotte not to get upset while we're trying to change her diaper or change her clothes. We've had some success with changing her on the floor instead of the changing table, but even then she sometimes tries to roll away naked. She's free-spirited, I guess.
3.  Baths. She's gotten better the last few baths she's had, but for a while now Charlotte has cried and screamed when we try to give her a bath. A few times we resorted to just sponging her off in the sink, she was so hysterical. It's incredibly stressful, and sometimes not even toys or her paci will calm her down. I'm hoping she grows out of this phase soon!
4.  Vegetables in solid form. This is really weird, but lately we've hardly had any luck getting Charlotte to eat vegetables UNLESS they're pureed. Has anyone else experienced this? We can try to give her some carrots cut up, and she won't eat them, but then she'll gobble up a baby food jar of carrots! That makes no sense to me!
5.  Saying goodbye to us. It's hard to drop her off in the morning for daycare and at church on Sundays. She gets very clingy and starts to cry and doesn't want us to leave. It breaks my heart! She's getting better at this, though.

I look back at where Charlotte was just 6 months ago and am amazed at how much she's grown and changed. I know that by the time she's 2 so much more will have happened. I hope I can savor and cherish every minute!

Our little diva