Sneak preview of the birthday party extravaganza

Today was Charlotte's official birthday party. It was so terrific that we are all partied out and will write a post about it tomorrow. Here's just a little taste of things to come!

More great photos from the birthday picnic

Courtesy of a much better photographer than me!

Presents!

Charlie Jo still isn't quite sure what's going on when we try to get her to open presents. Normally, things are taken away from her when she rips at them. Suddenly, both Mom and Dad are thrusting boxes in front of her and encouraging her to tear away! She does better ripping tissue paper out of gift bags, actually. I think that reminds her of her beloved tissue boxes.

Once she gets the present open, she has an insatiable urge to taste each gift. Somehow, we managed to keep the books out of her mouth, but a couple of the cards may have some teeth marks.

Al fresco birthday lunch

We had the perfect birthday picnic at the park courtesy of Joslyne and Zoey. They brought everything, including food, dessert AND entertainment -- a cool pinwheel and fun bubbles! First, we started with lunch. Charlotte basically ate off of Zoey's tray, because Zoey's food (which was exactly the same as Charlotte's) was apparently much tastier.



After lunch, we played in the grass. Our attempts at a "BFFs" photo failed miserably.



The boo boo on CJ's forehead is looking much better!



Just four ladies enjoying a beautiful early spring day.



The girls probably could have swung for hours if we kept pushing them.



I don't know -- do you think Zoey likes it? She looks a little ambivalent.



Zozo and CJ are going to have lots of fun days at the park this spring.



Thank you so much for such a wonderful birthday picnic! What a terrific way to turn one year old!!

SOOOOOO big!

How big is Charlotte? SOOOOOO big! (imagine me saying this in a sing-songy voice, and CJ flinging her arms up in the air and grinning)

Actually, she's not all that big -- pretty average to tell you the truth. We just came from her 12-month well baby check-up at the pediatrician's office and got the official stats. She weighs 21 pounds, 2 ounces (the 55th percentile) and is 30 inches long (the 75th percentile). Her head size has consistently been in the 75th percentile at every visit. Not bad, kid!

She got three immunization shots but didn't like them ONE BIT. It probably didn't help that we skipped the morning nap today, but the rest of the appointment went fine until that point. Charlotte was putting on a show for the doctor -- talking, waving her arms, bouncing around, pointing, and generally acting like a huge goofball. And then she did her evil dramatic chipmunk tantrum routine when the doctor had to take a tongue depressor away. You would have thought Dr. Hood ripped out one of her toenails. Oh my.

We got the green light to start the weaning process as well as giving her whole milk, honey, and every kind of table food other than nuts or shellfish. Considering she found a peanut on the floor in our neighbor's garage and chewed on it for a good five minutes (before we realized it and took it away!) without a bad reaction, I think we're okay. Dr. Hood just about choked when I told her that story. Whoops. Anyway, we will be heading to the store after lunch to get the milk and some more fig newtons (Charlotte's current favorite food).

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.