Charlie's first haircut

I took Charlie today to get his first haircut. He doesn't really have much hair to cut but it was getting long in the back so I decided to get it trimmed. I took him to Kids Kuts. He got this certificate and they saved a little bit of his hair. And in true toddler spirit, Charlie got juice on it.

Charlie did great. He didn't cry at all. He just sat there like a big boy while she cut his hair. Granted, it only took a couple of minutes but it was still a momentous occasion.

I've been tagged!

I've been tagged by Bethany. So here goes...

What was I doing 10 years ago?
I was in college at Auburn...probably stressing out about my upcoming deadline for my design project that semester, which meant many, many late nights at Dudley Hall and very little sleep.

5 things on my to-do list today:
1. Shower and brush my teeth (hey, that's a big accomplishment with a one year old).
2. Clean off the dining room table.
3. Go to Wal-Mart. (well, maybe that will happen tomorrow)
4. E-mail my sister concerning Charlie's birthday cake for Saturday.
5. Wash a load of laundry.

5 snacks I enjoy:
I try to keep none of these things in my house! :)
1. anything chocolate
2. Sunbelt fudge-dipped chocolate chip granola bars
3. did I mention anything chocolate...chocolate chip cookies, chocolate cake, chocolate chocolate chip muffins, etc.
4. regular granola bars
5. pringles

5 things I would do if I were a billionaire:
1. Give to the church and various charities
2. Put away for Charlie's and any other kids that come along's college
3. Design and build houses for the less fortunate
4. Just give random people money
5. Buy Daniel a new vehicle

5 bad habits:
1. Biting my fingernails (I've almost broken that habit though!)
2. Wasting time on the computer rather than doing something productive
3. Not picking up after myself
4. Not putting dishes in the dishwasher...I guess this goes along with #3.
5. Buying clothes for Charlie

5 places I have lived:
1. Elba, AL -- born and raised
2. Auburn, AL - college
3. Riga, Latvia - for 6 weeks on a mission trip
4. Montgomery, AL
5. Kennesaw, GA

5 jobs I've had or have:
1. Summer intern in various architecture firms
2. TA for General Structures classes at Auburn
3. Intern for 2WR/HolmesWilkins Architects in Montgomery, AL
4. Intern for Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood in Montgomery, AL
5. Project Manager/Architect for CDH Partners in Marietta, GA

5 people I want to know more about (you're tagged!): Melissa L., Debbie, Kisti, Dana and Becky

is that a tooth I see? - addendum

Get this...my mother-in-law told me that Branson, my nephew, lost his first tooth on Thursday - the same day Charlie cut his first tooth. AND...guess which one it was...the front left on the bottom!

is that a tooth I see?

Well, my last post for today. I had no intention of posting three times today! Anyway, the last day or so, we've noticed a "bump" on Charlie's gums where a tooth would come in. Seeing as he's almost a year old and all the other babies I know his age have like four, we've been excited! Well, I was tickling and playing with him after dinner tonight while he was still in his high chair and I noticed something white where the "bump" is. I got really excited! I looked closer then stuck my finger in his mouth to feel around. Sure enough! We have a tooth cutting through! It's Charlie's left front tooth. I immediately called Daniel over to feel around too! When you can see it better, I'll post pictures! It's funny because my sister just asked me today if Charlie had any teeth and I said, "No. He just has a bump. We're not sure if it is a tooth or not but it sure looks like it. But, we've been saying he's been teething since he was about 4 months old." Weird how things work like that.

birthday parties!

Yummm...cake!See-food!

Charlie went to his first birthday party last Saturday. It was for Leland. Leland is one of the boys at church that was born around the same time as Charlie. So Leland is now one. The party was a "down on the farm" theme. They even had a pony ride. Here is a slideshow of some of the pictures we took. The three boys are (from l to r) Leland, Charlie and Nicholas. I put a few of the three of them in because it's just so funny to look at what each of them is doing.

weaning

Well, weaning Charlie has been no problem. He had his last nursing time at night last Wednesday night. So, he's gone a whole week without an afternoon or evening feeding. He has taken well to whole milk. He drinks it right up. I give it to him at meals. I'm still nursing him when he gets up in the mornings. I was telling Daniel the other night that I think Charlie wouldn't miss that feeding either but since I've started weaning, I'm realizing how much I am going to miss that time with him. I've been holding on to the morning feeding more for me than for Charlie. I was so excited to wean him but it takes the feeling of being needed away from me. I know that's not true. I know he still needs me but it's one of those things that once he's weaned, there's no going back. I've gone almost a year giving him the nourishment he needs. I'm impressed I lasted this long. I know it has been a great thing for him. But now that the time has come, I'm going to miss it. So, I'm going to keep the morning feeding for a while. Maybe once he's a year old, I'll give that feeding up too. (or maybe not) :)

the joys of motherhood...good and bad!

Well, today was a day I knew was coming. Today was the first day I had to fish dog food out of Charlie's mouth. Up until now, he just played in the water. I try to keep him out of Khaki's bowls but he's a quick little thing and can be in it in no time. I went over to pick Charlie up so he wouldn't get just completely soaked and he had already put handfuls of food in Khaki's water (and apparently, slipped one in his mouth) and was just splashing away. I tried to get a video but every time I tried, he would just turn and grin at the camera. Camera hog. I took him to change his clothes and his diaper and noticed a couple of little brown specs around his mouth. I knew at that point exactly what is was so I went to fishing. He was trying to keep it by pushing it to the back corner but I managed to get it out. About the time I did this, he opened his fist and a piece fell out of his hand. Atleast it's just dog food and nothing poisonous! :)

Daniel and I have been putting Charlie up to the table to eat instead of putting his tray on his high chair. He looks like such a big boy! It's always a huge mess to clean up but I think Charlie enjoys it much more. Daniel and I still get a kick out of watching him eat! Here's a video I took today at lunch:

just wanted to share...

As I've mentioned before, things are changing fast in Charlie's world. Today, when I went in to get him out of his crib, he was sitting up! Crying, of course, but nonetheless, sitting up. This means he has learned to go from laying on his belly to sitting up all by himself. It's amazing how babies just learn to do these things on their own. I didn't teach him how to do this. He just figured it out on his own. He's been using his knees a little bit when pulling to a stand from his belly so I'm guessing this is just part of that process.

the ongoings at the Ward house

Many things are going on at our house lately. As of yesterday, I am now a working woman again. I am doing contract work with a friend of mine who I used to work with at CDH. He recently started his own design firm and needs some help. We've stayed in contact over the past year and he has finally gotten some work in that he needs some help with. I was so excited! Not only because of the extra money but that I get to do a little work in my field. The best part is I get to work from home! I'm only going to put in a few hours a week because that's probably all I can manage with Charlie around but, hey, that's better than nothing. The daunting part is that I have to establish my own company. Company name, company account, etc. I have to register it with the Better Business Bureau. Get my federal ID number. Keep my own books. The list goes on and on. Luckily, I have a close friend that has done all this before and she can walk me through it all. Whew! Thank goodness. The Lord definitely knows how to take care of each of us. This has always been my dream - to be a stay-at-home mom but be able to work in my field from home! I'm my own boss. I set my own hours and I get paid well to do it. Dreams do come true and prayers are answered! God has truly blessed me. Now comes the hard part...time management.

Last night, we went to the Collins' house for a movie night. This was part II of the Indiana Jones series. The three babies were all fussy so the boys watched the movie while the girls sat in the living room, taking care of the babes, and talked. We all got what we needed. Charlie had fun looking at Katelyn and Jasmine. He kept patting them. It was so cute. Here's a picture:


My parents stayed the night last night. My mom called me yesterday afternoon and said my grandmother was sick. Not sick sick. Just some inner ear problems, etc. So, my mom felt like she needed to drive up to TN to take care of her and they drove half way last night and spent the night here. They drove on up this morning.

So amongst all of this, we had a youth committee meeting here at our house at 4:00 today. We had a good meeting and got alot accomplished. There are four other couples on the committee besides us. One couple is out of town so that made 8 adults and 4 kids under the age of 6, all here at our house. We met for a while and then grilled some burgers for dinner. Everyone brought all the fixins', including lots of desserts.


The best part for me this weekend has been that I've started weaning Charlie from nursing. I was going to wait until he was a year old but we've got a camping trip coming up Memorial Day weekend and I want Charlie to be completely weaned by then. There are some other events in the meantime as well that having him weaned will make things easier (I hope!). It's only a couple of weeks shy of his first birthday.

I, of course, had no idea how to do this other than to start by skipping one feeding at a time until he's solely on milk but I didn't know how much cow's milk to give him or when, etc. I decided to start Thursday. I called the pediatrician's office and talked with one of the nurses. I needed some questions answered. The main one was since he is not a year old yet, do I need to give him formula or can I go ahead and start him on cow's milk. She was great! She answered all my questions, calmed my nerves about it, and told me everything I needed to know and more to get Charlie weaned. The only thing up to me is how long I wait before taking out the next feeding.


I decided to start with the afternoon feeding. Everything I had read said it's all a matter of distraction - milk in a cup, games, a walk, a snack, etc. The afternoon feeding has always just been "oh, well, it's been like 6 hours since he last nursed. I'll give him some milk." So, I latch him on. It was rare if he cried and whined for it. So, I'm thinking this feeding should be easy. But, of course, this day Charlie decided he was ready to nurse and was persistant. He wouldn't eat a snack. He drank some juice but he wanted milk. Nothing I did fixed it. So, we load up in the car and go to Publix for some milk. I hoping that maybe milk in a cup will suffice. We get back home with our whole milk. I put it in a cup. He takes a couple of swallows and throws the cup down. Whine. Whine. Take a sip. Throw it down. Whine. This was the process. I decided that maybe if I put it in a cup with a soft nipple, he'll think it's like a bottle and drink it. Nope. Same routine. Sip. Throw. Whine. I got tired of fighting him and latched him on. First day...what did you expect? Surely, it's not that easy.


I gave him some milk at dinner that night to try and get him used to the taste of whole milk. He drank some of it but not much. I tried again yesterday. We were out and about all day so he had lots of distractions. I packed a container of milk in a cooler with some ice packs because I had no clue how much/if he would drink it and I didn't want to waste it. I stopped for lunch at Chick-Fil-A. I put a couple ounces of milk in his cup. He drank it! Woo hoo! I put a little more in. Success! So when we finished lunch, I was headed to a meeting to get started on a job for the first time. I put some more milk in his cup and let him drink it on the way to my meeting. Sucked it down! All through my meeting, I kept putting more milk in his cup and he kept drinking it. This got him past his usual nursing time and he drank every drop of the milk I took with us! I was beside myself. He skipped his afternoon feeding again today and drank cow's milk at lunch and this afternoon. We'll see how well he does for the next few days. I hope it all goes as smoothly as this one has.


All in all, it's been a crazy, exciting, busy weekend (with one more day to go!) but so many great things have come out of it. I plan on working tomorrow afternoon. We'll see how things go for the first go round of me working from home. Next week will be the real test. Keep me in your prayers! It's going to be a bumpy ride for a while till I get all the kinks worked out. But, I know God will take care of me! He is an awesome God!

unsteady steps...

So now you've gotten to see the unsteady steps of Charlie with support. Pretty cool, huh? As I was watching this video, I couldn't help but think of Charlie as he grows up. Walking is a major milestone for any kid and this time it's my child. In my mind, I was relating this to his life. As he embarks on new things, he'll need the support of his mom and dad at first. As he grows stronger and gains experience, he'll venture out on his own and succeed. I'm just so proud to see how far he's come and I'm sure that these experiences only get better. My little baby is growing up.

Thank you Lord for blessing me with Charlie. He is just the cutest kid in the world and is such an amazing gift just like his dad. He humbles me everyday because I just feel so unworthy to be his mom. But I know that if I trust in You, You will show me how to be a great mom for him. In Jesus' name. Amen.

sunny days in Kennesaw

We've finally had some beautiful sunny days here in Kennesaw. It's like 75 degrees today. I've been trying to get Charlie outside for both our benefits. I feel so much better when I'm not cooped up in the house. I guess it's that vitamin D thing. So, Charlie and I spent some time walking around the yard and playing with prickly balls (not sure the techinical term for those, well, prickly balls that fall from our maple trees).

There is a tree in our backyard that drops a million (and I'm not exagerating) of these little green cherry looking things. Man, I'm really into these technical terms today. :) But in April every year, this tree blooms so beautifully. We have yet to figure out what kind it is. The bumble bees love it so you have to be careful when you're out there not to get stung. Below is a picture I took today. Look close and you can see the bee.

Charlie's new tricks

The past couple of days have been so much fun. Daniel and I have seen some incredible strides in Charlie's development. The other night, Charlie was eating dinner and started clapping his hands together. So, I started doing pattycake and he kept clapping with me. Daniel and I were just grinning from ear to ear. We've been trying for a while to get him to do this. We got it on video but, of course, he didn't do it near as good as without the camera rolling. He just wants to look at the camera and smile. Anyway, here's the video...

Charlie has begun to climb alot. He's been climbing on the bottom shelf of the coffee table and sliding across and crawling out the other side. It's pretty funny...

And, believe it or not, Charlie has begun walking with support. I think I mentioned this in a previous post but he's getting really good at it. I keep walking him around the house. I guess I'm just the proud mama and keep wanting to see it. We'll get a video soon because I'm sure my parents and in-laws are anxious to see him walk.

playing with Daddy

It's always fun for me to watch Daniel with Charlie. I've taken a few videos recently that I wanted to share. The first one is a bit grainy because I was too far away but it was just so cute. It's Daniel and Charlie playing with the spiral ball ramp I mentioned earlier in one of my posts. The second is the two of them playing computer. This is one of Daniel's down time activities so I was excited to see him involving Charlie.

cradle roll

Charlie moved from the nursery to the cradle roll class today at church. He was in there with one other little boy, Nicholas. There's one more named Leland that will be in the class but he was home sick today. Charlie did well through most of the class. He was entrailed with his Bible. He kept patting it, opening and closing it and turning the pages. They learned about God's creation...the sun, clouds, trees, birds, water, fish, squirrels, etc. It was fun to sit and watch them interact. One of the things used in the class is a fishbowl with water in it for the fishes to swim in. I think this was Charlie's favorite part. He got to splash in it like he does in Khaki's water bowl. Misty, Nicolas' mom, and I stayed in the class because the teacher doesn't have any help yet. Charlie kept trying to reach over and touch Nicholas. It was so cute! Below is a picture I took of them this morning. They were having their snack time...Cheerios!

11 months old

Charlie turned 11 months old on Friday. One more month and my little boy will be one year old. *tear*

He's quite mobile. He won't sit still for very long anymore. He still slides around everywhere on his belly. I don't know that he'll ever use his knees. This is also making it hard for him to pull up on anything.

Charlie loves to eat on his own now. He is getting picky though. I guess when you finally get to choose what you eat off your plate, we would all be that way. He prefers chicken and bread. Charlie will eat some veggies and some fruit but if you put a piece of chicken/meat or bread on his tray, he'll eat every bite of those before he'll eat any of the other.

Charlie is gaining balance every day. I've started trying to get him to walk with support. If you lean him forward, he naturally takes a step. He finally learned how to move his feet so we're working on it. He's come a long way just in the last week or so. Alot of the time, he'll take a few steps and then just bounce up and down, kicking his feet. Also, I've gotten him to take a couple of steps towards the coffee table. He'll pull up by the couch, then I'll get him to walk to the table to hold on there. He'll stand there for a while if he's got something to play with on the table.

Well, here are a few of my usual monthly pictures...