Nine months old!!

Charlie Jo had her 9-month checkup appointment today, and she's doing great! She weighs 19 pounds, 9 ounces (in the 50th percentile) and measures 28 1/2 inches long (in the 75th percentile). The doctor says Charlie looks great both physically and developmentally.

The best news was that I can start eating yogurt, and then ease into cheese and milk now that Charlie has probably grown out of her milk allergy. If she does well nursing while I eat dairy, then we can start her on yogurt! I have missed eating dairy for nearly five months now, so I ran right out and bought yogurt. I'm going to eat some tonight, because I want to get back to eating ice cream as soon as possible!

Charlotte's new Monday night gig

Tom, the usual announcer at the Trivia Night we attend, has enlisted Charlotte to be his co-host. He tried to get her to speak into the microphone, but all she wanted to do was eat it. BIG surprise. I know the photograph is horrible, but here she is charming Tom.

Charlotte's tips for a well-loaded dishwasher

"First, rinse off all of the dishes so no food gunkies are left floating in the standing water remaining behind when the old dishwasher fails to fully dry everything."



"Second, face all dishes inward so the spray thingies can reach the soiled surfaces."



Or something like that. I had to paraphrase since all she really said was "wah wah ooh boo aaaaaaaaaah".

Another naughty discovery

Whoops - looks like I need to start closing the pantry door after getting something out. Charlie Jo has discovered that the spices are down low, and the plastic spice jars are just the right size for her little hands. The cinnamon stick one is especially fun because it rattles. Charlie LOVES anything that she can rattle.

The funniest thing is when she has one in each hand and waves them around while bellowing and cheering. Here she is, preparing for her upcoming appearance on Top Chef.

Where was this place when WE were kids?

Charlotte attended her buddy Addison's second birthday party Saturday afternoon. It was held at this cool place that is essentially a big warehouse filled with giant inflatables. There was even a sweet little play area for little ones under age three, which Charlotte adored. She played nonstop for over an hour before it was time to eat pizza (Charlotte loved the little gooey bits of crust we ripped off for her) and cupcakes (poor Charlotte didn't get any of those).

Charlotte loved the rolling donut thing.



I have no idea what to call that toy!



Charlotte was crying because she bonked her head, so our neighbor, Emery, came over to cheer her up.



Emery's dad, Jay, stole a sip while Emery consoled Charlotte.



Charlotte, telling it like it is.

More dancing in the bonus room

This time, in a cute new holiday outfit from Grandma Jo!

Turtleneck for the neck-challenged

I got Charlie Jo a cute little turtleneck onesie before I realized that she doesn't really have much of a neck. Good thing she looks cute in it anyway. I snapped some shots of her while she was dancing around holding on to the gate around the TV. She really loves that for some reason.

I love my Uncle Jerry

I think Uncle Jerry must be keeping tabs on the blog, because this is way too much like Charlotte to be just a coincidence...


I'll have to ask him when I see him on Christmas!

Thigmotaxis

Last night, I was reading a cool book given to Corey 15 years ago by his late Great Aunt Betty (according to the inscription, it was a Christmas present from 1993, when Corey was a senior in high school). It's called The Moon by Whale Light and it's by Diane Ackerman. It contains essays on different animals that once appeared in "The New Yorker" in shorter form. The chapter on penguins is especially neat to read because it contains a description of some time the author spent helping out in a penguin nursery at Sea World.

Ackerman describes how one chick she was caring for nearly fell off a table when Ackerman moved away briefly to grab a fish. She wrote, "My hand caught it. Even though it couldn't stand properly yet, evolution had gifted it with thigmotaxis, an overwhelming drive to press up hard against a parent."

Now I know most of the pictures on the blog are of Charlie Jo standing or playing alone, but we spend a large chunk of the day physically together. I'm either carrying her somewhere, cuddling her, or just serving as a jungle gym as she crawls all over me. Even if she's playing a few feet away, she returns every so often to press up against me in some way. I think she is just like a baby penguin and has the instinct of thigmotaxis.

Thank goodness we're not penguins though. I don't think I could live on an iceberg.

Little Miss Busybody

Every time I turn around, Charlie Jo is getting in to something or other. Most often, it's something naughty. Here is just a sample of what she has gotten in to over the past few days.

Blinds!



High chair seat!



Dishwasher!



Fireplace!



She sure is a curious little booger.

The Lowe down

On the drive home from Michigan on Sunday, we stopped in Ft. Wayne for lunch with our family friends, the Lowes. Sue Lowe and my mom have been friends since they were very young, and our families have kept in touch and visited each other many times over the years. Greg Lowe has many embarrassing home movies of Erin, Jordan and I playing with Greg and Sue's sons, Kevin and Ryan, when we were all going through what can only be called an awkward time in fashion and puberty. Anyway, we were excited to introduce them to little Charlie Jo. Isn't Sue going to be the sweetest grandma someday?

Winding down

Our last night in Michigan, we opened a few early Christmas presents. Charlie Jo got some very cool books, a nifty rolling duck toy, and some ornaments.





Charlie had a great time with her Aunt Stephanie and Uncle Don. We can't wait to see them again in March up in Minnesota!



The dogs had a final pow-wow with Corey on Duke's new bed. The dogs provided a lot of chaos, but they were fun to have around. Thanks for letting us all invade your house, NanaB & Granddad!