Thankful for cousins

Since I am not exactly supposed to be traveling so close to my due date, Erin, Andrew, and Sonia drove down from Illinois to cook us a gourmet Thanksgiving dinner. Charlotte and Sonia are becoming good buddies now (or at least we would like to think so), and it was really funny to see them interacting. Here are just a smattering of the ridiculously cute photos we took this weekend:

Fun with the hamper

I can't really remember why she wasn't wearing pants. I certainly have no clue as to why she felt the need to repeatedly put the hamper over her. I don't ask her why -- I just get the camera out and document.

What's better than one hat?

Two hats! It's Charlotte's version of the layered look.



And you can't really see it, but she wears her jammies like Elvis wore his jumpsuits - unzipped to the belly button. If we zip them up all the way, she gets annoyed that she can't pinch her belly button while she sucks her thumb. She even sleeps all night with the jammies unzipped like that. Maybe I need to look harder for two-piece fleece jammies that have feet.

Never say never...

I swore I wouldn't cut bangs for Charlie Jo so that she wouldn't have to grow them out when she got older. But then, CJ suffered from the same affliction I did as a kid -- fine hair that grows absolutely straight forward. I saw a little girl at the playground with the same type of hair and she didn't have bangs. Guess what? Her hair was in her face the whole time. Considering how difficult it is to get CJ to keep a barrette in her hair for more than a few minutes, I figured an epic battle was brewing that would continue until CJ started becoming interested in her appearance. Who knows when that might be?

So, I broke down and took her to a salon to get some bangs cut and the back trimmed. Once the sides actually grow in, the haircut might get a little cuter. For now, I'm still trying to get used to it. The good thing is, I can see her face!

Weekend with NanaB & Granddad

A weekend with Charlie Jo's NanaB and Granddad was just what we needed. Not only did we have a great time hanging out, but they came to help us with some projects that needed attention before Peter joins our family. NanaB cooked us a big batch of a yummy soup to freeze so we won't starve (or live off of fast food!) when life becomes considerably more complicated. Granddad helped Corey with a long list of what might sound like small projects, but each project had a few annoying steps that made it something that kept us from finishing it. The dynamic duo may have been easily distracted by things such as beer and the MSU football game, but they did get all their jobs done!

Charlie Jo loves nothing more than to read with her NanaB. CJ would have sat there until NanaB's voice gave out if we had the time.



CJ was dancing with joy while modeling her new fleece and hand-knitted hat courtesy of NanaB & Granddad.



We replaced the moon light that hung in Peter's room back when CJ slept there with this motorboat light. The moon will be moving to Charlie Jo's new room sometime soon.



Quit posing for photos and get back to work!



Charlie Jo is obsessed with "painting" with paint brushes, and NanaB had the brilliant idea of letting her "paint" outside with water. CJ loved it, but she spent half the time bossing NanaB around. It was a preview of the real toddler bossiness to come, I guess.



The grandparents also insisted that Corey and I take a date night so they could have CJ all to themselves. Apparently, she was a model citizen and went through the bedtime routines without a fuss. I'm still trying to find out what bribery method they must have used.



Mystery solved -- there is probably nothing CJ wouldn't do for a patient soul who reads books to her. Just kidding! CJ was a good girl because she loves her NanaB and Granddad.



We had a great time and are so grateful for all the help they gave us. Come back again soon!

More big sister cuteness

My mom came through with some photos of my sister and me at 23-months-old welcoming our baby brother, Jordan, home from the hospital. Somehow, Jordan survived the loving adoration of not one, but TWO eager toddlers as older siblings. I guess that probably prepared him for the wrestling team. Or something like that.

Hey Mom! What's this little squirmy thing doing in here?



My parents look like babies themselves!



Jordan was only five days old in this photo, and he already looks tired of dealing with his ornery sisters.



Don't lose your little brother in the couch cushions!!



Poor Jordan looks like he's fearing for his life here. My mom must have had a lot of confidence in our driving skills.



Suddenly I feel a lot more confident -- I only have to keep ONE pair of grubby toddler mitts off the new baby. Just to hedge our bets, please cross your fingers for little Peter and hope that Charlie Jo treats him better than the practice baby dolls we got for her.

Flash forward a month...

Actually, this is a flashback to help us picture what things will be like in about a month. When Corey's parents came to visit last weekend, they brought some super cute photos of a 20-month-old Corey meeting his baby sister, Stephanie, for the very first time. After you recover from the attack of cuteness, try to picture these same poses with Charlotte meeting baby Peter in about a month. Eeeeeek!

Here are Corey and Barb at the hospital, peeking through the nursery window at baby Stephanie. I love that Corey and Barb are sporting similar hairstyles.



Awwwww! Note the parental hand coming in from the left side, ready to rescue Steph from her adoring older brother. I think my parents had the same dishes (or something awfully similar).



If only Barb and Larry knew what the future held for those two little cuties...

Gestationally challenged

As of yesterday, I am 35 weeks pregnant. I feel like I'm 355 weeks pregnant, but it's all good. I have another ultrasound tomorrow, and I'm excited that Corey's mom is coming along to get a peek at Baby Peter. Really, she's going to have her hands full keeping Charlie Jo under control while I lie still for the scan, but hopefully she'll get a glimpse or two.

Anyway, it's been a quiet week full of sewing curtains and pillows with Joslyne and Zozo plus preparing for the upcoming weekend with Corey's parents. My blogging energy has been sucked into just making it through the day until Corey gets home, but I have big plans for a triumphant return. Until then, I leave you with a photo of the cutest scrawny pigtails ever:


Is it tacky to put Rogaine on Charlie Jo's Christmas wish list?

Helpful Jones

Charlotte is SO helpful. I tried to sweep out the garage and she DEMANDED a turn with the "brush". She even mimed brushing her hair in order to make me understand what she was asking for. She then pushed the broom around in front of her and splayed out the bristles something awful. But there's just something so cute about how little she looks next to that broom...

Just a morning in the park

The fall weather has been so beautiful this week! Joslyne and I couldn't resist taking the girls to the park to play in the leaves.





Pretending to be airplanes...




Too bad CJ was a little too cranky for us to get a similar mommy/daughter shot!

Separated at birth?

Anyone else see a resemblance between little Charlie Jo and the character Frances, from Mercer Mayer's "Little Critter" books?




I think it's the hair and the big eyes.

More of the Halloween fun

The Toddler Tantrum roadies did a sound check before the Halloween gig at the neighborhood pool.



I didn't have any idea there was a such thing as a banana-flavored Tootsie Roll Pop, but CJ sure seemed to love it.



Zozo whipped out some of her best moves at the gig.



I have no idea why we posed completely blocking the pumpkin.



First house on the band's tour!



After the girls played their gigs in Zozo's neighborhood, we packed up the whole crew (including Zozo's grandparents) and headed back to Cannonwood for some pizza before the next stop on the tour.



Backstage, the 'Tantrums ate some grub. True to the band's name, CJ threw a tantrum when I tried to put a bib on her.



After we hit a few houses in Cannonwood, the roadies made an executive decision to get the hair color washed out of the girls' hair before the band split up for the night. We were pleasantly surprised that it came out so easy.



They wouldn't be a good punk band without trashing a hotel room or two. We let them practice on CJ's room, but the most damage they did was rumpling the sheets. Oh well - there's always the reunion tour.