Happy birthday, Charlie!

I can't believe it, but Charlie is one year old! It has gone by way too fast, even faster than it did with Jacob. It seems like yesterday I was in the hospital, watching Alex tape him and looking at those perfect little lips, toes and belly while he got his first bath. And yesterday, I was taking video of Charlie, sitting in his bath by himself, splashing and laughing and talking up a storm.

It's been a year of change for our family. Alex started his career as a full-time writer and caregiver, I changed jobs, Jake left toddlerhood behind and seems to want to skip being a preschooler altogether. Charlie changed most of all, of course. It's amazing how much babies change from the helpless little bundles they are born as, to the mobile, thinking, interactive creatures they become in just 12 months.

We are so blessed with Charlie. You could not ask for a sweeter, more easy going little boy. He entertains himself for long stretches, content to bring treasures over to share with you then toddle off to explore more. He's very curious and smart; I can't believe some of the things he figures out. He's very into sorting shapes and likes to play with balls and cups and blocks. He can even work the remote control car (something his brother didn't figure out until he was almost two).

That's one thing that has really surprised me, how different Charlie is from Jake. They say each child is different, and it's so true! They each have such different strengths and talents. Charlie is physically very confident--he started cruising at seven months and walking at nine months. He loves to climb and dance. His dancing is so funny! He likes to bend over a bit, then sway back and forth, or sort of shift his weight from foot to foot while shaking his head.

Charlie likes routine, like Jacob did. He's just now starting to think about shifting to one nap from two. He sleeps 11 or 12 hours a night, waking only once, if at all. After refusing to eat anything with texture for 11 months, he suddenly decide that he wants to eat "real" food and feed himself. Now, we're lucky if he lets us feed him at all! The shift was so sudden, I have jars and jars of baby food in the cupboard he'll probably never eat.

For a while, Charlie was very into talking. He has several words: "Hi!", "Ba" (ball), "Li" (light), "Tee" (tree), "MaMa", "Da" (that/there, give me! , or what? depending on the inflection). He doesn't use many now, preferring multisyllabic babbeling and his signs. He clearly understands what we say and can follow simple directions. He is the master of communicating through facial expressions. His face is so mobile and expressive, it's amazing how you can follow his entire thought process just watching his face change.

I can't tell you how lucky and blessed we feel to have such a sweet, adorable little boy. Happy birthday my lovey boy.


We have a flexible gate we use to create "Baby Land." Charlie decided he had had enough of being in Baby Land and made his big escape, so he could see what was going on over in the dining room that involved cake!



The birthday boy in his chair. Jake helped decorate, atlhough he was very disappointed that the blowers didn't have noisemakers in them.



Charlie with his "I'm One" hat and button. The hat lasted about 30 seconds before he pulled it off.


Cake! Charlie has eaten nothing but organic, healthy food since he was born. At least the cake was carrot, so it was somewhat healthy (and his Poppy's and brother's favorite). I picked out all of the raisins, but Charie just went to town!



Mmmm...I like this thing you call "cake."


Much as Charlie liked his cake, he still shared with his Poppy.


My boys celebrating. Jake and Charlie were both dancing and being silly.


Charlie laughing at his brother.


Charlie got a Pottery Barn Anywhere chair, just like his brother has. He loves Jake's so we thought he'd like his own. To date, he still likes Jake's best...


Matching chairs, matching smiles...

Charlie's First Christmas

Charlie just loved Christmas. Although really, he liked everything associated with the season, rather than the day--the tree, the lights, the music. He was completely fascinated by the tree and in fact, added that as a new word: "Tee!" He rarely tried to touch the ornaments, but he would stand just out of reach, sort of swaying and watching the lights. Every so often he'd reach out and say "Tee!"

We have a lot of ornaments that make sound or light up, and every morning he'd want Poppy to take him on an "ornament tour" of the tree. Alex would point out each ornament and make it do whatever it does. His favorite seemed to be the "Christmas Story" ornament that is the leg lamp in a crate, that quotes lines from the movie. Not sure why.

Charlie really, really loved the colored, sparkling lights. "Li" (light) is one of his favorite words and he'd often let me know he wanted the lights on by putting his hand out, turning it palm up, and declaring "Li!" The little hand twist is his way of letting me know that he understand you have to turn the knob to turn on the lights.

I bought the boys matching red long johns with their names for their Christmas pjs and they both looked so adorable! We have a Christmas Eve tradition of opening one present. Charlie really had no clue what was going on, but he was very excited by the paper and ribbons and how excited his brother was.





Christmas Day was so fun. As soon as we heard the boys, we went in to wish them Merry Christmas. Jake was slow to wake up as always, and Charlie was in his usual sunny mood. We got Charlie changed and Jake was very good about waiting until we could all go downstairs together.

Of course, Charlie had no idea why his brother was so excited, but the excitement was contagious. Santa had come and eaten cookies, the reindeer ate their carrots, and presents were left. Charlie got a really cool playhouse sort of thing from Santa. It was a good choice and he's gotten hours of fun from it.

Charlie even got a stocking, although it didn't have any candy. But for him, a new container of Puffs is just as good!


Charlie enjoying his new Puffs, with his "My First Christmas" bib.


After a certain point, Charlie had just about enough Christmas fun...we kept to his regular schedule of naps and eating, and that helped. But it was still a pretty busy day, even if we never got out of our pjs!


Charlie didn't quite understand opening presents, but Jake was good about helping. Mommy and Poppy bought him a Vtech tree house, with talking animals. He likes it mostly because it plays music (so he can dance) and for the shape sorter. He LOVES to sort shapes.


My two adorable boys, having fun and celebrating together.

Charlie Pics

Here are a few pictures from late 2008:


Here's Charlie at Christmas time with Mommy and Jake. We had just finished decorating the tree, but neither boy felt much like smiling for some reason. Maybe it was because I made them wear matching sweaters?



We took Charlie to visit his Gram in Tennessee before Thanksgiving. She hadn't really seen him since he was born (as our last trip was cut so short) so it was great for her to see him, especially when he was so mobile and talkative. That was the weekend he started saying "Mama"--although of course, he stopped soon after and rarely brings it out now! Gram and Charlie had a good time together.


Charlie won't ever know his Uncle (Charles) Stuart, one of the people he's named for. Gram told us stories of how sweet and wonderful Stuart was with Alex (who was 15 or so years younger than his big brother).


Charlie's grandfather died when Alex was in college, so he won't know him except through stories and pictures. We visited a memorial cross dedicated to Charlie's grandpa at the church Alex's family attends.


Bathtime for the boys! They don't usually take baths together, as Charlie goes to bed so much earlier than Jake, but when they do, they have lots of fun splashing and pouring water out of the bath toy cups.



Charlie loves to play with Jake's old LeapFrog Refrigerator Magnet Alphabet. It's so fun to pull the magnetic letters on and off the fridge, then put them on the player and hear the letter sound! He likes to push the button and make the alphabet song play, although he nevers lets it get past "H" before he starts it over.



Charlie and Jake love to play together. Of course, Jake doesn't know his own strength and Charlie has no fear, so it's a little nervewracking, but they do crack each other up.