Daddy, are you SURE that thing is supposed to sound like that?

Corey introduced Charlotte to his old baritone horn -- the really old one he played when he was first learning.



Charlotte was a little skeptical. Perhaps worried. Okay, she was completely perplexed.

The look on her face was priceless though. ENHANCE!!



But then she decided it wasn't too bad and tried it out herself. Her technique wasn't terrible, considering she stuck the ENTIRE mouthpiece in her mouth. I'm still holding out hope that she will choose a nice woodwind though. Perhaps the clarinet like Auntie Ernie, Mommy, and Cousin Ellie?

Niki in prehistoric times

(I love this comic strip - "Close to Home" by John McPherson. I wonder if Uncle Jerry knows him...)

Project Runway, Season 2

My second attempt at a pillowcase dress went MUCH smoother than the first. This one is for Charlie Jo's BFF, Zoey. It's not hemmed yet because I want to try it on Zozo to get the length right. Otherwise, it's ready for a summer playdate in the sun!



I'm not quite ready to throw my hat in the ring for Project Runway, but I'm pretty darn pleased at my newfound ability to sew simple dresses for babies.

Time to buy some kid-friendly spoons?

Charlotte grabbed the spoon from me this morning, so I tried and experiment and held the yogurt cup out to her. Actually, it was smooshed-up peas mixed in cherry yogurt. The peasicles have been forsaken this week and she's gotta get her veggies somehow! Anyway, she seemed to understand the concept!



But then the concept seemed to slip out of -- and the yogurt slipped into -- her grasp.

Ohhhhhh Charlotte!

I looked over in the direction of some suspicious noises as I was preparing Charlotte's breakfast this morning and saw the following scene. Charlotte was down on all fours WITH HER ENTIRE HEAD IN THE DOG'S WATER BOWL. Well, she was sort of biting or sucking on the edge of the bowl, I guess. Luckily, it's a big bowl and there wasn't much more than an inch of water left after Connie's morning slurps.

I shouted "hey!" and she jumped. The bowl jerked a little when she jumped, which made the water slosh up and splash her in the face. She looked dazed and confused for a second, but then smiled and clapped when I started laughing. Oh Charlotte. We have a lot of work to do, including teaching you the word "yucky"...

Project Runway

I love the show "Project Runway" on Bravo. Even though I know NOTHING about fashion (as anyone who has observed my wardrobe knows), it's neat to see a reality show competition where they produce something I can see and evaluate on my own. (I also adore Top Chef, but until someone invents smellavision and tasteavision, not to mention expanding my palette beyond mac 'n' cheese, I can't truly evaluate what those crazy chefs are doing.)

The last time I sewed clothing was somwhere around age 11, when my mom finally decided it was time to teach Erin and me to sew. We made some cute crop tops, but nothing after that. Mom sewed me a couple of really cool dresses for dances in high school, but otherwise I am an off-the-rack kind of girl.

My buddy, Joslyne, and I were at a kids' clothes consignment sale last week and we saw something called a "pillowcase dress" that had clearly been handmade (beautifully, actually) but priced at $28. I got all indignant and mouthed off that I could sew that for a fraction of that price. A few days and a trip to the fabric store later, I sat down with my cheapie sewing machine (that has thus far seen combat sewing only some simple drapes and a bunch of aprons, which don't officially count as clothes) and tested the theory. As usual, I just sort of winged a pattern based on some hints from a few websites. It turns out pillowcase dresses were originally designed to be made from actual pillowcases (hence the name). After a few bumps in the road, I took Tim Gunn's advice to "make it work" and ended up with a simple little frock.

I still have yet to buy the ribbon to be used for the ties for the shoulders, so that's why it's tied together with white yarn. In the photos where CJ is wearing the dress, keep in mind that it wasn't hemmed yet (which is why I was having her model it) and that she is fully dressed underneath. Plus, she really needed a nap, as you can see. The last two photos are of a happier CJ in a birthday outfit from her Auntie Ernie. I couldn't wait for warmer weather to put it on CJ, so I stuck a long-sleeved onesie underneath.

Bye bye

We had a really terrible day yesterday. Duke, the bigger of our two black labs, bit Charlotte in the face with no provocation. Charlotte is fine, but she has a small gash above her right eyebrow and scrapes on her right eyelid. Thank goodness it wasn't worse. I was sitting right there petting Duke when it happened. I guess Duke's anxiety finally reached the breaking point and his instincts took over.

We have known for some time that Duke is very nervous around Charlotte and we always vowed to watch them both closely. We tried to keep Charlotte away from him, and we are forever trying to teach her to "pet nicely" and not to touch the dog's faces. We also tried to correct Duke whenever he growled at her and we have given him love at attention both when Charlotte was around and when she was asleep. This event confirmed our worst fears - that we would need to get rid of Duke for Charlotte's safety (and for the safety of other babies who visit our house). Animal advocates might criticize me for giving up on Duke so fast without trying to train the anxiety out of him, but I can't imagine keeping Duke after knowing what happened. I wouldn't ever feel safe having my young relatives over to visit and could never have a playdate here. I certainly wouldn't take Charlotte to hang out with a dog who had bit one of her buddies in the face.

Duke was (and still is) a terrific dog for adults and older children. We love him dearly but recognize that he should be with a family that better suits his needs. Corey and I feel absolutely sick over all of this, but when it comes down to it, Charlotte comes first.

The silver lining of this whole mess is that Duke has gone back to be fostered by the family from whom we adopted Duke. They had fostered him for over a year before they gave him to us, and they watched him for us several times while we were out of town. He knows and adores them. They have a few leads on some great families without tiny kids who might be in the market for a big lovable lug like Duke. Thank you so much, Grace, Randy & Allie!

We are keeping Connie, but of course we will be extra vigilant. She has always been completely relaxed around Charlotte and doesn't even bat an eyelash if Charlotte gets a hold of her tail or climbs onto her bed with her. She certainly has never shown the fear that Duke did, and if she shows even an inkling of it we will take appropriate training measures or simply take a break from owning dogs for a while.

I feel horrible that I couldn't protect Charlotte. That's what haunts me the most.

One year ago

One year ago today (well it was actually February 29th, but that day doesn't exist this year) was my last day of work before Charlotte's birth. It's hard to know whether I knew all I was in for in the year to come. This has been both ridiculously difficult and remarkably fun. Controlling the uncontrollable is hard, but knowing that the most she usually needs is me -- simply me -- is a big stroke for my ego.

Corey took Charlotte on a daddy-daughter outing to the library and the mall today while I slept off whatever bug I seem to have come down with. (I am usually NEVER sick and only get a mild cold every other year or so, but I have been sick several times this winter. I guess that's one of the downsides of having kids!) Even though I was grateful for the break and asleep for most of it, I felt as if a part of me was missing. As soon as I heard the garage door, I ran downstairs and snatched Charlie Jo out of the car. The smile she gave me melted my heart and made me forget all my aches and pains.

SnuggleBug Club

The story time for babies 18 months and under (called the "SnuggleBug Club") at the local library is not great, but we still go each month anyway. The librarian is completely tone-deaf (every song she sings comes out sounding vaguely like "Row, Row, Row Your Boat", so we just go with it) and makes us repeat every finger play and song three times. Twice I can understand, but three times is a little much. Story time with NanaB was way more fun (and I'm not just saying that to kiss up).

This month, Charlotte had a BLAST. She was subdued for most of it until the librarian brought out the parachute. Then, it was the Charlotte show. At some points, she was the only baby under the parachute. She waved her arms wildly and shrieked with excitement. Everyone thought she was hysterical.

Fruit loop

Charlie Jo is on a fruit kick right now. She has even forsaken her beloved goldfish in favor of fruit! Her favorites are bananas, nectarines, peaches, apples, and as of a few moments ago, mandarin oranges. We tried to give her grape pieces at lunch yesterday, but she just threw them on the floor. Might have been because she was at a restaurant though, so I'm going to try those again. Too bad the dogs won't eat those when they're tossed on the floor at the end of the meal though.

Sleepy pumpkin

We skipped CJ's normal morning nap in favor of a Steak & Shake lunch date with our buddies Joslyne and Zoey after Stroller Strides this morning. Nothing like a little brownie sundae to undo all the good we did at class! Amazingly, CJ stayed in a terrific mood until 2:00 when I put her down for a nap in her crib. She woke up about 45 minutes later, but after I nursed her it was clear she needed some more sleep. She's now sleeping on my bed with her butt stuck up in the air. According to Alicia, this was Faith Carol's preferred sleep position. Hard to imagine FC (who gets her driver's license soon!) so little.



Our old buddy, Scott Hamilton (the Olympic ice skater), was at the place where we do Stroller Strides again this morning. We did our push-ups and dips by him as he put on his skates, and he waved bye bye to Charlie Jo as we all strolled back to the other side of the building. Does Charlie Jo know she was in the presence of skating (and skating announcing) royalty? Probably not. She just chewed on her toys and kicked her little legs.

All she needs is a switchblade and a pompadour

After I rolled Charlie Jo's sleeves up in a vain effort to keep marinara sauce off them during lunch, it struck me that she looked a little like a greaser extra from the set of "The Outsiders". Of course, the velvet shoes with the big bows on them spoiled the effect a little, but I'm sure the casting directors could overlook that. Our old landlord from when Corey and I lived in Hollywood was actually a casting director. Maybe I should give him a call. According to his IMDB page, he's working on a movie called "Kung Fu". Maybe if I put her in a little kimono with a black belt...





Nah - we'll just eat our leftover pasta instead.