Happy birthday, sweet girl

One year ago today, our little family grew by one. This year has been everything we ever hoped for and more.



Happy birthday, sweet girl. We love you more than you know.

More about all of today's birthday excitement later. We're pooped and need to go to bed!

Early birthday celebration at Pancho's Trivia Night

Charlie Jo has been going to Pancho's for Trivia Night every Monday since she was 3 weeks old. She went while she was in utero, too! Tonight was no exception. Here she is, about 4 milliseconds before throwing that chip on the ground.



In honor of her birthday tomorrow, we asked for the usual Pancho's birthday celebration -- lackluster funeral-like singing by the waiters ("Happy BIRTHday Panchita..."), free flan, and of course a photo op with the big obnoxious sombrero. Charlotte has seen it done many times, but wasn't so sure what was going on when it actually happened to her.



"Get this thing OFF me!"



I have no idea what Dawn was so excited about.



"Please help me Daddy!"



It doesn't look like it, but CJ was actually having a good time that night (even though the Marshalls had to miss it because Alicia thinks pneumonia is a good excuse for ditching the team).



I fed her some of the whipped cream off the top of the flan and she really liked it. Until she threw a fit and spat a bunch of it down her shirt, that is.



We won first place thanks to our knowledge of original Crayola crayon colors, the direction the jet stream runs, and the name of the talking dog in "Men In Black".

Tomorrow at 6:09 a.m., Charlotte JoAnn turns a whopping ONE YEAR OLD!

More fun times in the gymnasium

I wasn't going to post this because it has such terrible audio (complete with me screeching about Zoey walking), but it's too cute not to share. Charlotte is doing her patented "wave-your-arms-around-wildly-and-hop-forward-on-your-knees-while-making-monkey-sounds" move and Zoey is toddling about. At the end, you can see Charlotte the klepto snaking one of Zoey's toys from her stroller. Gotta love it. And I know I gotta stop taking these terrible videos on my cell phone. It's just too hard to resist.

Future power forward and center of the basketball team

Charlie Jo and her buddy, Zoey, got a hold of a basketball at the end of Stroller Strides (aka get-your-wiggly-kids-out-of-the-stroller-and-let-them-roam-free-in-the-big-empty-gym-while-the-moms-attempt-to-do-sit-ups-and-stretch-time). They were both beating on it happily and I attempted to capture the moment with the crappy camera on my phone. I know it's not a great photo, but you can tell they are both having an excellent time.



Too bad Joslyne has already decreed that Zoey will be a star soccer player and I have high hopes for Charlotte as a volleyball and/or softball player. I suppose it wouldn't break my heart too much if Charlotte showed aptitude for shooting hoops. Corey wants to buy her a Michigan State football outfit (complete with jersey, pants and helmet) for the fall, but I'm drawing the line there. Too many injuries in football, and I would like CJ to play a sport where I can actually tell which one she is on the field/court.

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.