There were ten in the bed, and the little one said

Charles rolled over yesterday, and he also giggled real, true baby giggles in response to some of my goofy faces. But he hasn't done it since, so that might take awhile to develop. I called Tony and then my dad to put the giggles on speakerphone, which I think totally made their days.

Charles seems to think that getting a shirt put over his head is license to put any and all fabric he can grab onto into his mouth!

This makes getting dressed a bit difficult, but fun.

And, everyone is happy at the end!

Since my last post, I have also decided that we should be able to turn dog poop into fuel for cars. In fact, my idea has been developed to include a central waste plant in town, where I would gather up all my trash and take it in and the refinery would give me gas credits for making fuel off of my trash. Then again, maybe Skagit County's waste center is already doing this.

Well, it's Saturday, so I am thinking about going for another run, but I have a headache and am tired. Little mister eats so much that I am pretty exhausted all the time. Not to mention that we have been running around a lot lately. This next week I will volunteer at my old office because one of our visitor center folks was recently diagnosed with some pretty nasty lung and tonsil cancer and is out for awhile. Add that to the increasing work load at Goodwinds (not a complaint, believe me... we would love to be twice as busy) and my 4 hours a week at the Chamber, and I am a busy gal! I take Charles everywhere with me, which is a distraction and makes me less efficient, but, you know, where would I leave him? We have looked into daycare for a couple of days a week and I am honestly amazed at how expensive it is. That's a decision that has yet to be made.

Tony is hanging with Charles right now before he goes back to work, so I'm off to play with the family. Cheers!

Fat Tuesday

We like to celebrate in these parts...

I've been thinking.

What if cars could run on baby vomit? Will someone figure out how to do this? Because, seriously, we would never have to buy gas again.


Wait, another good idea: What if cars could run on diapers? I'm thinking that our so-called "energy crisis" could be instantly solved.

Ooh! Ooh! I know! Drool! Will someone figure out how to make cars run on drool?


Untapped resources abound, it seems. Though collection of all but the diapers might be an issue.

How come no one consults me on these things?

Hand in Mouth Disease

Alternate title: Whoa-oh, here he comes... he's a hand-eater

And, some tidbits from the land of T&A:

For all you doubters who thought that my goal to fit into my fat jeans by February (in this case, the end of February) was ambitious (clearly codespeak for "that fatty thinks she'll shrink that fast? Ha, she'll be large for life after irresponsibly gaining too much weight during pregnancy."), well, suck it. I fit into my fat jeans, they snap and everything. I still won't be wearing them in public for the muffin-top they give me, but hell, they fit. I realize that all you people who did pregnancy and motherhood better than me fit into your fat jeans within one month and not four, but hey, I'm doing my best.

We took the jogging stroller out yesterday, I didn't get any photos, but I will try to next time... I think Charles found it tolerable. Buster, on the other hand, found it awesome. And not a few people on the Padilla trail found it humorous to see a woman huffing and puffing over two miles with a jogging stroller and a crazy dog.

Tony continues to work very hard - it's comforting and makes me very proud, on one hand, to know that he is so smart and good at his job that he gets lots of work and is very busy. On the other hand, we miss him around here, and can't wait for tax season to be over.

Finally, this is what Charles looked like when I told him about his Grandpa's cancer:

Dad, Charles thinks you should get lots of exercise and eat really well so that you can beat this thing forever!

Life in these parts

Some fun fotos for the day...

I CAN HAS A STIK FER CHUWING?

MOM SED CHEK OUT I CAN HAS A CHEEZBURGER.

Strong Boy

Naked tummy time is the best. Look how strong he's getting, holding himself up with his arms now!

Fireside Chat with Charles DeHaven Cook, The Only

Hi, everyone! My mama thought it was time you heard from me again, and I wanted to let you know how happy I am! Life is pretty darn good. I have a dog to look at, toys to play with, and my mom reads me a story at least once a day.

My dad is gone an awful lot, but I get to see him in the evening for a bit and then I get to sleep with him every night. His chest is much flatter than mama's - much better for sleeping. Lately, I have been sleeping for five hours straight, which is a huge help to mama and daddy. They seem much happier when they get plenty of sleep.

Recently, both my grandmas and both my grandpas were in town. I got lots of loves from them, and lots of playtime, too. My favorite thing is to blow raspberries. Hours of enjoyment, you should try it sometime.

I am getting so big that I can't fit in my infant carseat anymore. Mama is really good at subtraction, and she weighed herself holding me and then herself alone and figured out that I weigh eighteen pounds! That's right, I have doubled my birthweight and am now in 9 month clothing. Sometimes, people ask mama what she is feeding me. She often answers, "Twinkies, candy bars, Doritos, butter, and cookies," but what she really feeds me is breastmilk. I haven't even had a drop of formula! I would say I am getting bored of the fare around here, but it's just not true. Check out my chubby legs:

Lately, I have been working a lot. I go to the Chamber with mama, and also Goodwinds. I also see my uncle Leland often. He makes me smile and he makes mama happy because she gets lonely when daddy is at work. Uncle Leland makes dinner and lots of brownies. I like hanging out with the adults. Here are some other things I like: overalls, because the bib frequently rides up and I can suck on it; walks to the park; my swing; dancing to music with mama; standing and sitting up (with help, of course); sticking my tongue out; making faces; playing with my spider toy; bathtime; looking out the car window; and reading stories.

Gosh, writing makes me tired. It's naptime. See you later!

Love,

Charles

True story

Charlie is undeniably the cutest kid ever. Evidence:

No baby laughter yet, but lots of big smiles and coos> Oh, and by the way, I am just a terribke writer, not depressed and bored. Sure, I miss the ability to run an errand without a half-hour of preparaion coupled with the fear of erupting screams at ANY MOMENT (seriously, babies are ticking time bombs of cranky), but I also am enjoying my time loving Charles each and every day. But, I don't have a happy, funny writing style, just a factual, academic style. Plus, I'm kinda guessing that you all find hearing about our days incredibly boring- I could tell you about Charles poopy diapers and his bathing schedule, but really, it's nothing when I can't accurately describe the shock and awe that spreads across my son's face when he pushes out a giant poo or the glee he registers when I tickle him in the bathtub. Do I want to go back to work? Yes, but only because I want to contribute to our family and learn to speak like an adult again. I have lost a good part of my vocabulary conversing solely in "baby" for most of each day. Otherwise, I am content to spend my days playing with the light of my life :-) Come visit us, you won't be disappointed at the level of cuteness in person.