Charlie is wonderful

My baby Charlie is 19 months old. He is becoming more of a little boy than a baby these days. I love that little boy. I really did bond to him in a wonderful way with breastfeeding him for 14 months. It was the best experience ever. I wish I would have stuck it out with Sam, but you know, its the one thing I had with Charlie that was just with him. Our own little thing. He doesn't even take a bottle anymore, but he is still so much my little baby when I'm putting him to bed at night. I sing a couple songs, usually the alphabet song and the I See You song I learned at Gymboree when I used to take Sam. Charlie tries to sing both songs. He can sing up to J in the alphabet song. This kid has my heart.

Charlie is starting to say things. He loves putting on his shoes and always says Shoo whenever I mention that we are going anywhere or its time to get ready. I say, lets get ready and he runs to his room and opens up the sock drawer grabs a pair, then says shoo over and over and gets his shoes, then heads to the rocking chair where I always sit with him and dress him.

This kid LOVES to brush his teeth. We brush teeth anywhere from 1-4 times a day. He says, bra tee for brush teeth. He insists on it all the time. I put toothpaste on the brush and I brush his teeth first, then hand it to him to finish off the job. He is such a cutie.

Charlie loves to pretend. He loves the phone and if he doesn't have a real phone, he will use a baby monitor, or remote or any other small electronic item he can get his hands onto. Then he cradles it between his cheek and shoulders and walks around, pretending to talk on the phone, complete with whole sentences of baby talk babbling.

He is also a climber. Sam was not a climber at all, so I had no idea what tiny kids were capable of. Many times I will be cooking, or on the computer or just walking in from another room and find him standing on the kitchen table. Or up on my desk, playing with the phone. He pulls a chair around from the other side of the table to his high chair, then uses it to climb up into his highchair. He grabs the tray off the counter and slams it down on his high chair table, then bangs on it when he is hungry and wants a meal or snack. He has already mastered the ladders on the swing set. Ive also recently found him on top of the washer and dryer, playing with the buttons. I am also humiliated to admit that twice now, Ive found him on our view deck, up on the roof! We try to keep that staircase fenced off, outside, but sometimes Carl and I go up there and night to enjoy the view and its been left open and he always finds it. I thought I was going to have a mini heart attack when I found him up there, all bright eyed and smiley. WOW

This next pic is one of Charlie with his little blankie that he LOVES, draping it over Dude (one of our dogs), the good sport of a dog. Any time he sees it, he immediately sticks his thumb in his mouth and runs toward it. He loves to lay on his back and cross his legs, then whip the blankie back and forth over his head and back over his feet. He loves to drape the blankie over anything, including Dude then just hang there and suck his thumb. Poor Dude just takes it and stands there, never snapping or getting annoyed. Our other dog Scottie, would be a different story.

I love my little Charlie. I thought Sam was a handful, but Charlie REALLY keeps me on my toes. I love his happy personality and how feisty he is. He is loud and he lets you know exactly what he wants. My mom tells me lots of crazy stories of things I did when I was little and she says that Charlie is a lot like me. I'm getting my payback now, that's for sure ;)

After all the feistyness and spunk that keeps us on our toes constantly...he sleeps so good for me. He goes to bed at 7:30 every night without a fuss. He usually lays in there playing and talking before falling asleep. I don't have to go into his room to get him most mornings until 7am. If Sam wakes up, he just comes into our room and climbs into the bed with us. This momma gets to stay in bed all night most nights! That is so great after several years of having to get out of bed more than once in a night.

Charlie my little cuddle bunny. I love you so much.