Charlotte and her friends at daycare--Noah, Mica, Charlotte and Alexa.



The gang posing with Mommy C. She is awesome!!!



Charlotte and Dad at James' company picnic.



Although she's not quit able to sit without being propped up, she has starting playing in her exersaucer. Yeah, we finally have our arms back...sometimes.



Does this really need a caption?



Sitting in the Bumbo. This is also a very cool gizmo that allows us to have our arms back for a few minutes...



Fttt...Fttt...Happy Halloween!!!



Arrrggg, Charlotte the pirate wench.



Yo ho ho, and a bottle of rum?



Thar be squalls ahead.

It has been a month already! Bad blogger. Well, we have had good reasons for slacking off--namely we are flippin' busy and flippin' tired. But, it's a good tired and we are enjoying (almost) every minute of our family time together. :) Charlotte turned four months a few days ago, and recently went for her four month check up. She weighs 15 1/2 pounds, is 25 inches long, and is in very good health! The doctor has recommended we get her used to putting herself to sleep (what?) and that we start on rice cereal (already?).

A lot of you have asked how daycare is going and I have to say that it is going wonderfully. I could not ask for more. She is in a warm, safe, loving home everyday. I have included a couple of pictures of the daycare posse. She's a happy camper at Mommy C's.

Charlotte has been doing some other "new" things as well. Her neck is becoming very strong and she can sit in her bumbo or excersaucer and play for short periods of time. It is like heavan for us because we can start to load the dishwasher, start dinner, or start eating. When she is stronger and can sit longer, we'll be able to start and finish these activities. That will be great!
And of course, it was just Halloween. James had no less than three fog machines and we got dressed up and handed out candy. Doesn't Charlotte make a great pirate wench? Until next time...

Palm Springs

I returned to work a little over a week ago, but luckily we were able to squeeze in a long weekend in Palm Springs right before. James and I go annually and enjoy the pool, rounds of golf (or in my case, hitting a bucket or two), eating restaurant food, and catching a movie. In fact, last year we hit the local zoo, went horseback riding, and went out for our anniversary. Although we were not able to do a lot of excursions, we were able to enjoy our Palm Springs weekend for the first time with baby Charlotte. AND, it gave us an opportunity to learn some of the ropes of traveling with a baby. James is a pro and putting up the pack-n-play now and I can change a diaper anywhere.

We spent most of our time at the resort with Charlotte and occasionally one of us would sneak out for a round of golf or a trip to Micheal's craft store. You can guess who did what. It was a very relaxing weekend and Charlotte did very well! I think she only lost her marbles once, but she is a baby after all. :) Here are some of the highlights...

Charlotte has begun "talking" which is somewhat closer to "barking" at this early stage.

Charlotte and I on the balcony. See the pool?

A view from the balcony, sans Charlotte and me.

Hanging out with Daddy. She is getting so long!

Under the palms and a beautiful full moon.

Napping. Something we ALL enjoyed.

The Third Month...

Well, Charlotte is almost three months old. CRAZY. Time has been flying yet standing still...I don't know how else to describe it. Though I did return to work briefly in late August, I have been able to spend most of Charlotte's first three months at home with her. OK, well with her and Piper, Moosie, and that jerk Caesar (dog, cat, and cat respectively). Being a stay at home mom has been amazing. I am exhausted for sure, but I'm so grateful that I could stay home this long. I feel ambivalent about returning to work--I look forward to teaching my students and working with my colleagues, yet who wouldn't want to stay home with their kid? I'm glad I like my job, or returning to work would be a lot more painful. We found a wonderful daycare provider, Mommy C, and Charlotte will be in excellent hands while we are on the job.

The latest, you ask? Well, she has been awake more during the day and sleeping through the night (5-6 hours usually) which has been WONDERFUL. She is really into her Baby Einstein light up toy that plays classical music and she also likes her Puppy Tunes toy (a stuffed dog toy with musical legs--squeeze and they play a note). She is also cooing big time. The other night I came into the house to find James and Charlotte howling like coyotes. As James went, "Ow-ooooooh..." Charlotte responded with, "Ah-ohhhhhh..." Precious. She is also laughing and smiling which makes makes my day everyday. Below I have included some pictures of her hanging out, playing, and practicing polite conversation.

James using Charlotte's burp cloth as a nun's hat.

Talking with Charlotte (as Puppy Tunes looks on).

Talking face number one...

Talking face number two, trying to use the tongue...

Talking face number three, the howl...

Charlotte and Puppy Tunes.

Charlotte punching her Puppy Tunes. Bad doggie.

Staying Home

The first six weeks of Charlotte's life I was able to stay home from work and spend all my time with her. I had asked James not to leave my side before my mom came to visit, but once she had gone back to New Mexico, I was truly on my own with Charlotte. I thought I would be overwhelmed and exhausted and freaked out--but it came pretty naturally. That's not to say that I didn't have a few melt-downs, but they were short lived and we all survived! That's better than I had hoped for! One reason it seemed easier than I anticipated, is that Charlotte slept a great deal of the time. That notion that you sleep when the baby sleeps is BS however. I cleaned, did laundry, stared at her, took care of bills, made phone calls, stared at her...

By four weeks something changed overnight. She developed COLIC. Oh my God. It came on like thunder and we are still dealing with the nightly "mini-nervous breakdown" as my pediatrician puts it. Amazingly, we have become conditioned to the crying and it's not nearly as aggravating as one would expect. Hmmm...That and when it really gets bad we walk outside with her and inevitably one of the neighbor ladies volunteers to hold her. (THANK YOU)

Here are some favorite pics of our time together at home--and some of Daddy too.

Sleepy baby, happy Mommy.

Happy Daddy too.

We call her "The Conductor" because she loves to flail her arms around like she's leading a grand orchestra.

This musical toy appealed to Charlotte--but if I hear "Oh, Susannah," or "Rag Time Gal," one more flippin' time I'm going to lose it.

Daddy's eye view.

Notice the "Angel" onsie?

Bath time. This was literally the day that she turned colicky. Everything seems calm ...

This is the first smile caught on camera and one of the first she did for me. She had smiled for Daddy and our neighbor already.

She loves her quilt! She has begun talking with it on a regular basis.

Posing before we go to the neighborhood baby shower. She stayed asleep the whole time!

Grandma Linda's Visit and Piper Poses

My mom was "on-call" to come see Charlotte since we first learned about her! When she was born, my mom was finally able to come from Taos, NM to our little corner of the world. We had a very nice visit and in addition to Mom getting to know Charlotte and vice versa, I was able to shower every day. It was fabulous. Below are some pics we took with Grandma Linda (my mom if you couldn't figure that out already) and James and Piper sharing some love. Piper has adjusted very well to Charlotte and contrary to what I was told, she has remained a huge part of our lives. We play and snuggle as often as possible, and try to let her know that she's our baby too...who's spoiled?

Now, come on--isn't she the cutest doggie in the world?

First photos with Grandma Linda.

So pretty.

James and the Pip...we love you Pip.

My friend Michelle brings her daughter Kendyl to visit. Kendyl shares a birthday with Grandma Linda, May 6.

My little cutie tootie.

Charlotte Comes Home--the first few weeks...

Hi everyone,

Here are some new pics to catch you up Charlotte's first weeks. It goes without saying that we were thrilled BEYOND words to be present at her birth and to be able to bring her home from the hospital. We felt (and still feel) an enormous amount of gratitude towards our birthmother and towards the heavens for Charlotte.

She has been a very quiet and calm baby from the start (more gratitude), which calmed and comforted us as we began to realize that we were solely responsible for this little being. After only 30 hours or so, we left the hospital and went straight to Grammy the Great's home (my grandma). She was also thrilled beyond words! After a brief photoshoot, a nap, and a bottle, James and I made the four hour drive back home with Charlotte. I of course, had to sit in the back seat and make sure she was breathing. At one point, I realized she was cold and called my friend Mindy to ask what I should do. She said that I should put a blanket on her. :)

Again we were blessed with no traffic and we arrived home safe and sound. James spent the next few days at home with Charlotte and I and we were initiated into the new and clueless parent club. I don't think we did so bad though! Her first few days were typical: sleep, eat every two hours, potty, and occasionally she opened her eyes. We had many visitors those first few days, and to those of you who brought presents, food, and good company, THANK YOU. We were so happy to show off our little miracle! Many of you also helped answer stupid new parent questions, and again THANK YOU.

On a personal note, I want to mention how well James adapted to the role of Dad. The night following her birth, he stayed in the hospital's nursery with baby Charlotte all by himself (and the nurse!) while I rested at Grandma's. On the night we brought her home, he slept on the floor of her room wrapped in a sheet, just to make sure he could hear her if she cried. And since then he has been there to feed, bathe, and comfort Charlotte when she needs it. Awwww....so sweet.

We were able to leave the hospital after only a day and we headed straight to Grammy the Great's home to visit. I don't know who is happier.

Snug as a bug.

Back home, Daddy gives Charlotte one of her first baths.

A few days later, Charlotte gets another bath and is ready for her close up. (Never mind the nightgown--it was my basic attire for about a month.)

Our good friend Mindy has come to meet Charlotte--only five days old. And, of course later she needs a another nap.

Doing what newborns do--enjoying a passie and looking at "things."