The Nakayoshi House

We hadn't been in Michigan long (only long enough to eat lunch) when Charlie Jo discovered her new favorite toy. NanaB & Granddad won this little playhouse at a luncheon they attend every year put on by a local Japanese business council of some sort. According to Uncle Don and his amazing Googling skills, "Nakayoshi" means "friendship".



CJ wasted no time climbing in and flinging the balls (they came with the house) all over the place.



Later, Aunt Lisa, Uncle Dave, Ellie, Granny, & Grandpa came over for dinner and CJ had some new visitors in the Nakayoshi house!



That evening after CJ got ready for bed, another intruder showed up. (That's Granddad's hindquarters!)



Oh well - if you can't beat 'em, might as well join 'em!

Gone, baby, gone

Bright and early tomorrow morning, Corey, CJ and I are flying to the Motor City for Easter with the Stringers. While we are still recovering from our chocolate comas on Monday morning, Corey will fly back to Nashvegas while CJ and I continue on to Chicago to meet up with CJ's Grandma Jo and Grandpa Spike, who will be visiting Erin and Andrew. We should be back in Tennessee by Wednesday (with Jo & Spike in tow). Expect lots of photos of CJ toddling all over the midwest with a piece of candy grasped tightly in each fist.

Can you FEEL the excitement?

Off-roading

It's tough for one who has been walking for only about a month to walk downhill in grass while holding a sippy cup. She also picks up an abandoned shoe at one point. And then she tells you ALL about it!

I know there's an inappropriate joke in there somewhere...

Charlotte likes to hide (and find!) her own Easter eggs.

Motherhood Tip #42

After you have fished a vanilla wafer out of the bathtub, make sure you don't throw it away in an empty trash can or else it will CEMENT ITSELF to the bottom of said trash can. Scrubbing a trash can is not how I prefer to spend my afternoon.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

Now I think Uncle Jerry's just making fun of me... ; ) (click on the image to make it larger)



Let's just hope he didn't read the post about Charlotte as Nick Nolte...

More Easter egg hunt cuteness

Another mom, Karyn, took these great shots at the Easter egg hunt playdate last week. Before we went outside, the kids played inside for a while. Charlie Jo parked herself in the little ball pit and apparently decided THOSE were the eggs to find. When Karyn's daughter, Hailey, joined her, they happily passed the balls back and forth for a while.




CJ took a little break in the middle of the hunt and Karyn captured this rare quiet moment.



Great shots, Karyn!

Adventures with toys and the hamper

CJ loves her story times with NanaB!

This week's selection: a book with peek-a-boo flaps and the Peter Rabbit characters!

Someone's ready for spring.

Sunny Weekend

This weekend was the calm before the storm. Next weekend we are headed to Detroit, then Niki and Charlie will travel onto Chicago to visit Erin and Andrew. After that, the two of them will head to Indiana with Grandma Jo and Grandpa Spike, stay with the Lowes, and then come down to Nashville.

So, what did we do on our quiet weekend?

We bought Charlotte some sandals.

We went to the park.

We cheered the Spartans on to victory.

We played around the house.

We had Demetri over for dinner.

We had a great weekend, but only took pictures at the park . . .

The end of an era

As of Tuesday morning, Charlotte is now fully weaned. I can't believe I actually made it an entire year nursing her, but when it was time to wean her I did go through a little bit of mourning. Now she drinks cow's milk like a champ from just about any sippy cup you put in front of her, so technically speaking, I could be away from her for unlimited periods of time.

But I don't want to be. Why not? Why am I not clamoring for a week to myself somewhere on an island? I'm not entirely sure. The thought of even being away from her for a weekend terrifies me. It's certainly not because I think that somehow I am the only one in the world capable of caring for her. Quite the opposite, in fact.

It's nice to know that we're not linked solely by nursing anymore. I know I used her need to nurse (and abject refusal to drink formula or expressed breast milk from a bottle or sippy cup past the age of six weeks old) as a little bit of an excuse never to be away from her for very long, but really it was also my emotional need to be with her getting in the way. Yes, she frustrates me sometimes and pushes me to the breaking point occasionally, but we're a pretty good team.

It's going to be hard learning to be away from her (if I ever have the need to do it!!).



P.S. Bye bye stupid nursing bras!!!!!!!!!