A day at the salon

Charlie Jo got her first haircut! It took only about 10 minutes total, but I swear I held my breath the entire time. Grandma Jo Jo and I were prepared for all sorts of screaming and histrionics, so we came armed with an Elmo doll, books, and (most importantly) a bag of Skittles.



We went to Grandma Jo Jo's regular stylist, Angela. She didn't seem daunted at all by the prospect of a screaming sixteen-month-old in her chair. She plopped a booster seat down and snapped a full-size smock on CJ before CJ even knew what was happening. We skipped the whole hair-washing step (and didn't even wet it down, actually) since CJ only has about half a dozen hairs on her little head.



Our fears were completely unfounded! We started popping Skittles into CJ's mouth as soon as the haircut began, but she never made a peep. Elmo and the books stayed in my bag as we watched CJ gaze at herself in the mirror (one of her favorite pastimes) and clap her hands happily underneath the drape.



The results were great! We didn't want to cut bangs, but Angela helped trim off the stragglers to clean up CJ's act while we wait for the front of her hair to catch up with the back. She also evened up the back of CJ's hair without taking off too much length.



I'm so glad CJ looks a little less like a ragamuffin! Now if we could only do something about the scabby knees and bruised shins from all of her "adventures"...

Halfway there!

Today I am officially 20 weeks pregnant, thus marking the halfway point of the pregnancy. Now that we know the baby is a boy and have hit the 20-week mark, the screws are beginning to tighten. We need to prepare Charlie Jo's "big girl" room, start collecting masculine and gender-neutral infant clothes, and PICK A NAME! I'm afraid we still haven't hit on the right one.

I am really starting to show, and luckily I'm getting past that point where it just looks like I had a big lunch, have bad posture, and need to quit eating so much ice cream. I'm filling out maternity clothes and starting to groan a lot when I stand up. I'm going to need to stop carrying CJ around so much, because her squirmy 23 or 24 pound bulk is starting to get a little difficult to manage. She also doesn't understand the concept that her baby brother is inside of me. I'm going to need to tape a drawing of a baby to my tummy and remind her to be "GENTLE!" when we're playing. Otherwise, I'm going to need to design a suit of armor to protect the little guy.

When people told me the second pregnancy could be very different from the first one, they weren't kidding! I haven't had any heartburn yet (by this time with CJ, I was gulping Tums like they were going out of style), I have had more nausea (which seems to be continuing in the form of car sickness -- nothing like yakking by the side of a mountain road in front of your parents, daughter, and husband), and I don't have the time or luxury of obsessing over every tiny ache or pain (or the baby's tiny kicks). I practically forget I'm pregnant sometimes, in sharp contrast to spending every waking thought contemplating the meaning of my pregnancy (as I did with CJ). This time I recognize the Braxton-Hicks contractions and shrug off other twinges that used to send me running to my pregnancy "bible" (What to Expect When You're Expecting) for reassurance.

We've got 20 weeks, and then ready or not, here he comes!

Grandma Jo Jo, tell me again about the time I was almost kidnapped by a gorilla...

Grandma Jo Jo and Grandpa Spike took Charlie Jo on her first trip to the Santa Barbara Zoo. We rented a stroller, but mostly used it to hold the back pack and camera bag. Based on the other kidless strollers we saw, we weren't the only ones.



The little zoologist was fascinated by the flamingos.



She could have watched those elephants all day.



Having recently learned to thump her chest just like a gorilla, CJ was excited to finally meet some real ones.



Who is that in the monkey/ape family tree?



CJ and I crouched down in the viewing enclosure to check out the gorillas and...



... then this guy (gal?) galloped by the glass and punched it right at my face! Our theory is that he/she thought CJ was his/her long lost daughter and came to reclaim her. I screamed like a ninny and CJ jumped a little. She still likes to thump her chest like a gorilla though, so she doesn't APPEAR to be scarred for life. Yet.

Somebody call Baywatch!!

I'm too pooped to write explanations for these photos, but suffice it to say we met a lifeguard at the beach after he watched in alarm as we were nearly swept out to sea... Or something like that...

Doing our part to keep the grass green and the trash cans empty

Compared to Tennessee, it's barely warm enough here (Thousand Oaks, CA) to wear shorts let alone run around in the sprinklers. Did that stop Charlie Jo? Heck no! Grandma Jo found a crispy spot in the front lawn that needed some watering and set up a sprinkler with a CJ-size spray.



Whew! Time to take a break on a little step stool Grandpa Spike made in junior high. We think the wood might be petrified by now.



SMOOCH! Thank you for the sprinkler time, Grandma Jo Jo!



Yes, that IS the world's cleanest garage. It's amazing what an empty nest (and hence a lot more time on their hands) can do for a couple. Lemmetellya, that thing was NEVER that clean when I lived at home. I'm also pretty sure that my parents are having a contest to see who can be quirkiest as they move into grandparenthood. My father (the first in our family to have a cell phone ages and ages ago) keeps his cell phone off 99% of the time, and my mother can't STAND having trash in the inside trash cans (to the point where she takes the trash out several times a day). But they will do anything to entertain little Charlie Jo, so CJ thinks they are terrific. We miss Corey, but are grateful to be able to spend a few weeks with my parents so CJ can get to know them. We may not get to visit California as often as we would like, so we're trying to make this trip count!

Happy 80th Birthday Grandma Jane!

My parents and my aunts and uncle threw a terrific surprise 80th birthday party for my Grandma Jane (the reason for our trip to Arizona). Isn't she a cute octogenarian? My brother, Jordan, and I think we both look a lot like her.



My mom was in hog heaven with both of her granddaughters together in the same place. We played "pass the potato" with Sonia all weekend long.



I loved having both my paternal AND maternal grandparents in the same place.



Charlie Jo copied everything her 2nd cousin Emma (age 4) did.



Sosi grew some hair! Okay, maybe not.



Do Jordan and Jessica still count as newlyweds even though they already celebrated their first anniversary?



Inexplicably, Jordan and Andrew held a crab-walking exhibition. Charlie Jo thought it was HILARIOUS.



Grandma Jane and Aunt Mary Jane met the newest member of the family.



Sosi has a sweet little grin!



Cuddle time with Grandma Jo Jo.



My cousin, Audrey, just turned one year old. She followed Charlie Jo around and climbed all over everything. In the years to come, Emma, Audrey, Charlie Jo, and Sonia are going to be one scary herd of little girls to reckon with!

Deadbeat mommy blogger

We're all still alive - I promise! After a fun-filled weekend in Prescott, AZ for my Grandma Jane's surprise 80th birthday celebration, Charlotte and I have made our way successfully to Thousand Oaks, CA to stay with my mom and dad until the end of the month (and Corey is back in TN working).

I will post AZ pics in a bit because I'm too wiped out to do it tonight. I took my dad out for his birthday to see the new Harry Potter movie (loved it!) while Grandma Jo Jo wrangled the little one. We have been shopping, running around in sprinklers, watching the new french doors to the courtyard be installed, swinging at the playground, and practicing all of the animal movements in Eric Carle's From Head to Toe. Charlie Jo can do a mean buffalo.

Other highlights of our California trip have been playing with the dolls my sister and I got when we were only 4 or 5 years old and gawking in amazement when my mother pulled out all of my old baby teeth that she had squirreled away from her days as the Tooth Fairy. And she's NOT a hoarder! We're planning on visiting Corey's Aunt Sibyl, heading up to San Luis Obispo to see my aunt, uncle, and cousins, and hitting the beach in addition to some other things. More photos to come!

On the road again (or some other road trip cliche)

Because we seem to have a complete inability to sit still for very long, we are heading out for the next couple of weeks on another vacation. Well, poor Corey has to return on Monday, but Charlie Jo and I won't be home again until the very end of the month.

The BIG news is that we found out today the gender of the one we have thus referred to as "Baby Stringer." It's a boy! Unfortunately, we have yet to decide on a name, so for now he will have to be called "Baby Boy Stringer." Not much better, I know, but we're getting there. There are some good candidates, but no decision has been reached. We have 22 more weeks to ponder, but that time is going to fly right by!

Time to start planning Charlie Jo's move to her big girl bed in her new bedroom (the nursery is staying as is since it was intentionally decorated gender-neutrally). She won't make the physical move until probably November, but in the meantime we need to repaint and redecorate what until now was one of my favorite rooms. Though I will mourn the loss of my "California Room", I'm excited to design a fun room for CJ to enjoy and grown with!

Another useful new skill emerges.

Charlotte was playing with the home phone receiver yesterday afternoon, which is not all that unusual. I walked by her and thought I heard that voice that says "if you would like to make a call, please hang up and dial again" or whatever that is. I took the phone from her and hung it up. CJ threw a fit, of course, but got over it pretty fast.

A few moments later, the phone rang. I figured it was the pediatric dentist returning the message I left about making CJ's first dental appointment. NOPE. It was a 9-1-1 operator. Apparently, that voice I heard on the other line was the operator trying to figure out if CJ's "hah-low" and "mah-mah" babbles really meant anything or not. Somehow my 16-month-old called 9-1-1 just to chat.

I apologized profusely and promised never to let her play with the phone again. The operator verified my address and wished me luck. No police cruiser had to come out or anything. I glared at CJ but she just grinned and scampered away.

I'm still trying to figure out how she did it. There's no one-touch emergency call button like on some phones. I guess she just happened to press the right combination of numbers. Good job, Booger!

Time to call pest control...

... because look what little creatures are growing in our bath tub!!!




Scary, huh?

Actually, this was just step 1 in the great "Put Pigtails in Zozo's Hair" adventure. I am refraining from stealing Joslyne's thunder and thus will not post photos of the extremely cute results. The two girls had fun in the tub together and behaved very well throughout the fumbling beauty shop experiment. No lives were lost and there was very little actual screaming. All in all, it was a great success.

Last day in Michigan and the trip home

We spent the last day of our trip driving to the "thumb" of Michigan to bury Grandpa Stringer in the cemetery with his wife and other relatives. The thumb is full of beautiful farms that were homesteaded just a few generations ago. On the way home, we drove by the old Roth farm, where Grandpa Stringer's wife, Marjorie, grew up. Though it's still in the family, the fields are farmed by a company and a family rents the house and outbuildings.



After we got home from the "thumb", NanaB and Granddad watched Charlie Jo for us (feeding her dinner and putting her to bed!) while we met up with Corey's college roommate and his wife for dinner in downtown Detroit. The new riverwalk that was recently built is fun to walk along -- especially after you have just eaten your weight in lasagna and need a little break before getting back into the car. Trust me. Apparently Charlie Jo was a model toddler the whole evening. We're pretty sure NanaB and Granddad may have accidentally confused her with a kid from down the street, because I have never known CJ to eat lettuce or voluntarily lie down to have her diaper changed! Either that, or NanaB has some secrets she's not sharing about toddler-wrangling.

On our way home the next day, we stopped a lot to break up the nine-hour drive. At one rest stop, CJ was delighted to find little pine cones. She would like to share one with you.



We didn't see much of the elusive Sleeping Toddler and instead spent much more time with Whining Toddler (and Whining Pregnant Mommy, to tell you the truth), but here is one shot Corey caught of an elusive glimpse of the former.

Day 3 of Michigan trip

Dance Party U.S.A.

Charlie Jo Jo and her Aunt Stephanie had a wild dance party in Michigan. If you watch closely, you can actually SEE the little wheels turning in CJ's head...

In case you wondered if Don was really Quinn's dad... (vol. 2)

NOTE TO SELF: Do not expect any more Christmas or birthday presents from Don.

Day 2 of Michigan trip - Happy 4th of July!

Quinn can smile AND chomp on toys at the same time!



Tandem diaper change.



Swimming at the Brookwood pool was surreal for Corey & his sister, Stephanie. They swam in that pool as kids and never dreamed of taking their own kids there!



Quinn did not like the cold water. He would prefer a nice warm bath, thankyouverymuch.



All Charlie Jo wanted to do was snuggle with her Great Granny Taylor.



The cousins wore matching 4th of July outfits courtesy of NanaB and Granddad.



Bath time for Quinn! Notice how he looks much happier in this water.



Charlie Jo only requested that Granddad read this book to her about 847 times.



I had nothing to do with Charlie Jo in the fountain. That was ALL Corey.



CJ led an informal female conga line around the house after dinner.



NanaB and Granddad's newly-added family room worked great! We sure put it to good use on that trip.

It's never too late.

I have been delayed in posting photos from our recent trip to Michigan for the simple reason that I was not sure what to call it. A vacation? That doesn't seem appropriate for driving there to attend a viewing, funeral, and burial of a dearly departed relative. But we sure did have a lot of fun and see a ton of relatives. It's silly how I get hung up on little details like these, but sometimes it's enough to paralyze me and prevent me from posting. Instead of doing my blogging duty, we spent the last few days catching up with Joslyne and Zozo. More on those adventures later!

Anyway, the weekend in Michigan went how Grandpa Stringer probably would have wanted it (yes I know that sounds like SUCH a cliche) -- we all got together and enjoyed each other's company while remembering him. Here are some photos of the fun times we had on the first day we got there (since we arrived at 12:01 a.m., this is technically true):

Charlotte ran all over NanaB & Granddad's yard and made sure to explore every inch.



Then, she performed the time-honored tradition of helping the older generation figure out new technologies.



Corey picked up CJ's cousin Quinn, Aunt Stephanie, and Uncle Don from the airport (it was Quinn's first airplane ride!) and Quinn showed off how he is learning to sit on his own. Corey, ever the doting uncle, proclaimed that Quinn must have learned to sit from his dog, Kayla. Nice, Uncle CoCo.



Quinn took a turn in the Nakayoshi House once CJ finally vacated the premises.



We had a quick dinner...



... and then the relatives started showing up! First, Quinn got to meet his Great Aunt Sibyl.



Next, all of the Taylors from Pennsylvania, New York, and Washington D.C. arrived with Granny & Grandpa Taylor in tow.



Erin and Granny T. decided the babies shouldn't have all the fun in the Nakayoshi House.

New Skill

Charlie has a new skill. She can unscrew the tops from jars.

We are now out of tarragon.

Oddly enough, she did this while listening to Sabotage by the Beastie Boys.

This photo just says it all, doesn't it?

Great Grandfather George P. Stringer

We're up in Michigan right now not on the sailing weekend originally planned for the holiday but to mourn the loss of Corey's beloved Grandpa Stringer. Though Charlotte and I only knew him a short time, we loved his gentle nature and sweet smile. One thing we will always treasure is the letter he wrote to Charlotte not long after she was born. We'll miss you, Grandpa Stringer!

Bring it!

Due to dubious taste in movies on their mothers' parts, Charlotte and Zoey were exposed to a viewing of "Bring It On: All or Nothing" this afternoon while they played. Perhaps inspired by the sheer goofiness of the film, Joslyne and I adorned the girls with beads, a tutu, and a flowered headband. Next time, we will show the girls some feminist movie of female empowerment and will eschew shallow frivolity. The photos probably won't be as fun though. Here are the girls rocking out as their mothers watched quality cinema.

Luxury

Zoey's grandparents have an indoor pool in their complex, and we were lucky enough to score an invite yesterday afternoon! The girls had the whole place all to themselves. It was so luxurious to swim without sunblock or the scorching sun beating down on our heads. We're going to start bribing Zozo's grandparents to make sure we get invited back again!

Picnic in the park

On Tuesday we had a picnic in the park with the Marshalls. Charlotte loves to dip things into condiments, so I got her some mozzarella sticks and spaghetti sauce. She took dipping to a whole new level -- basically she dove in head first.



The wind kicked up a bit and Charlotte froze with a goofy look on her face while her hair blew in the breeze. It was hysterical.



Alicia made me promise to post this photo. Please do yourself a favor and click on it to view it larger.



Faithy taught CJ to play the bongo drums.



If it hadn't felt like 400 degrees outside, we could have stayed there all day!