12 Weeks

My dad says it's time for an update... apparently, the grandparents need a "Charlie fix." Damn junkies. :-)

Playing on his tummy time mat

Charles turned 12 weeks old yesterday, and will turn 3 months old next week (yes, some months have more than 4 weeks... this is why pregnancy is 9 months but usually 40 weeks). He smiles all the time, charming anyone in his path. He also screams loudly, giving me a headache at least once per day. I have been trying to head off the "too tired" screaming by anticipating when he will get sleepy (after about 2 hours of awake time), but this is difficult when I try to have a life at the same time - he sleeps in the car, disrupting the so-called "schedule." However, I have been successfully putting him down IN HIS CRIB for two naps a day, and tonight I am going for gold with the overnight in the crib (or as long as possible). Tony is playing poker with the boys, so it's just me, Charlie, and my resolve to get my bed back.

Sleeping in the crib

We thought Charles might have a tooth coming in because he was inconsolable for a few days, but it appears to have gone back into hiding. I didn't know teeth could a) show up as early as 3 months and b) appear and recede, potentially causing months of pain. What fun! Charlie continues to gain weight and grow, though I have no idea exactly how large he is now. I do know that he is firmly in 6 month or 9 month clothing, depending on the brand. He seems to have a long enough torso to be in 9 month clothes, but his legs and arms aren't quite there yet. He babbles pretty constantly now, which is tons of fun.

Aren't I cute?

The rest of us are hanging in there. Buster is bored, but we go play with other dogs in the park at least once a day. Sometimes we get two walks per day, which is great for him!

Getting ready for a walk in the bear suit

But it's cold, so it is a big process to get us all out the door. I am still quite fat, and I am exhausted, so for the first time since I was cleared for exercise, I did not make it to the gym at all this week. Nope, no exercise since I ran 2 or 3 miles with the dog this weekend. It is just soooo hard to get up at 6 am when I feel like I am going going going all day long. You see, tax season has begun, so Tony comes home from work around 7, has dinner, and then goes back to work. Or, sometimes we take dinner to him. Which makes me primary diaper changer, head book reader, playtime leader, laundress, maid, cook, and more. "Fun" things like going grocery shopping have become a race to get in and out of the store before Charles begins screaming because he hates his carseat/carrier. I can't wait until he can sit up on his own so I don't have to haul him around in that heavy thing! He will be much happier when he is not permanently buckled in to go everywhere, and can instead chill in the sit-up stroller or the shopping cart. Anyhow, all this adds up to fatigue me to no end, and that's when I really miss my husband, and all the help he gives me around here when it's not tax season.

Playtime!

Well, there you have it. I sometimes wish I was more interesting than this, but really, my life is pretty boring.

Smelly

I have reached that point where just about everything smells like baby poop. Betcha didn't know there was a point like that. Not so appetizing.

Cue gratuitous baby photos:

Whistler!

Tony's job has its perks - namely, that his firm pays for Continuing Professional Education, which is frequently held in some exotic location, like Delaware.

While we haven't made it to Delaware, yet, we did go to Whistler from the 15th through the 17th and stayed at the Fairmont Chateau, a ridiculously lavish hotel. Tony got to ski one day, and we all went on the Peak 2 Peak gondola that was created for the 2010 Olympics. It was a great little vacation, and we had a ton of fun :-)

Charles thought that the view from the Peak 2 Peak was awesome.

Squish Face!

Hmm, what's this?

NOM NOM NOM... Hands taste good.

Let's see if I can get that whole thing in here...

These wiggly things make this an interesting dish

Wait! Where did that hand go?

Is it over there?

DID YOU TAKE IT?

.

.

.

Conserving energy for another day of hand-chomping.

Will you look at those cheeks?! It's a wonder I don't fall over dead from their cuteness.

Steve Perry Psych Out

Charles loves to dance to music (especially Journey) on the radio:

The Tale of the Boy Who Wouldn't Sleep

Charles slept for most of yesterday, and didn't eat very much (compared to the near-continual chomping on my boob he has done for the past 9 weeks). I thought maybe he had decided to spend a day growing and would sleep all night, too. But no.

I tried to wake him during the day and keep him active, I really did. But have you ever tried to keep a sleepy infant awake? It really isn't too possible. You end up with one of two outcomes: crying or sleeping. You start to play with them, you put them in the crib they hate, and they wake up crying. You walk around with them in what must be uncomfortable positions for their little bodies, and they still sleep. Fruitless.

Charles woke up around 8 pm and decided to stay up until midnight. But at midnight, he would not really sleep.

Not in his crib.

Not on Tony's chest.

Not in our bed.

Not on my chest (can't be that comfortable, what with the jutty collarbone and the mountainous breasts).

Not in the rocker.

Not curled up with me on the couch.

Where would he sleep?

Over my shoulder, as I bounced and walked up and down the stairs. You try keeping that up all night.

On top of which, Buster scared the bejesus out of himself and us at around 4 am, when he knocked over the Christmas tree that we hadn't yet gotten around to taking down. Fortunately, I had stripped it of its ornaments a week ago.

This morning, an angel in disguise, my friend Rachael, brought us a motorized swing, once rejected by her own son. Charlie loves it.

I think we might get some sleep tonight, if only because he will sleep in this swing.

Charlie answered the phone.

It's for you.