Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours...

buggy business

Now that Charlie can sit up fairly well, I've started putting him in the seat part of the buggy during our weekly trips through Wal-Mart. He does well unless he gets tired. I strap him in pretty tight so he can't wobble from side to side. He seems to really like being able to see everything going on around him rather than hanging in a papoose facing me or lying in his carrier watching the lights on the ceiling go by. I took a picture today just to remember the occasion...

Charlie and Santa

Yesterday, Charlie got to meet Santa Claus for the first time. We had breakfast with Santa at the church building. I was surprised at how well Charlie did. Santa always comes to visit Piedmont Rd. church of Christ around this time of year. He takes time away from making toys in the workshop just to visit us. Therefore, he's not dressed in his usual red suit. He's in his toy making clothes. The suit is being saved for the big night and his reindeer are resting up for their long journey on Christmas Eve. Here are our pictures from the big event...

Charlie really liked Santa's beard...

7 months old!

Charlie turned 7 months old yesterday. He's sitting up much better, as you can see from the pictures. He's still wobbly and can't sit up by himself very long but it's progress. He's alot more alert. He doesn't miss a thing. Charlie loves to blow raspberries. He's gotten quite good at it. He also loves music. If you lay him down and turn on his learning center that plays music, he just grins and giggles. He maintains a schedule well. Here's a normal day for us...up around 8:00 am. Nurses. Eats breakfast (fruit) around 9:00. Nap is at 10:00. It lasts until around 11:00 or 11:30. Nurses around 12:00. Eats lunch (cereal and veggies) at 1:00. Nap is between 2:00 and 2:30 and lasts for about an hour. Nurses around 4:00 or 5:00. Dinner (cereal and veggies) is around 6:00 or 6:30. Nurses at 7:30 (it's a struggle to keep him awake at this point). Bath is at 8:00. Bedtime is around 8:30. He'll sleep through the night then we'll start the next day with the same routine. It changes somewhat at night due to church, etc. All the times in between he's normally just as happy and content as can be, unless he has a dirty diaper. He just plays with his toys or with me. We have lots of fun during the day, tickling and giggling and singing, etc.

Charlie loves Khaki and Lucy. I'm not sure what enthrals him about them but he loves to touch and reach for them. Lucy (the cat) has learned to tolerate him. He grabs and pulls at her. Most of the time, she walks away. Occasionally, she will lay down by him. I think she likes the attention. Khaki, on the other hand, relishes in his enthusiasm for her. She licks and licks and licks. Did I mention she likes to lick him? Charlie just giggles most of the time. Here are some pictures of their encounter the other day...

Charlie has a favorite toy already. It's a book that is all cloth with pages that look like animals - cow, chick, lamb, pig. The ears of the cow crinkles, which he likes, but his favorite part is the chick's little tuft of stringy hair. I don't know why. My guess is it's the same reason he loves my hair. You can hide it under all the other pages but he will find it. That book is now a must-have in the diaper bag. Here are pictures of it...