Easter

These pictures were actually from the weekend before Easter, but I hadn't had a chance to post them yet because the Florida pictures weren't finished. Andy's athletic club had a family Easter brunch, so we took the kids for a couple hours. Charlotte looked worried in the picture, but she at least was okay with sitting on the Easter Bunny's lap long enough for the photo shoot. Jack, however, took one look at the "scary usta bunny" and wanted no part of it. (Easter Bunny costumes actually kind of freak me out too.)

Jack at least had fun chowing down during brunch, and he got his hand painted with a cute little monkey.

The Johnstons joined us, and we got a couple good pictures of Jack and Will looking out over Congress Ave; or rather, the construction on Congress Ave.

Will giving Jack a hug--how sweet! He's grabbing Jack's butt a little, but hey, when your arm is at that height, there's not much you can do to avoid it.

Visit with the Edelmanns

Finally, the last of the Florida pictures! On our final day of vacation, we visited our good friends the Edelmanns, who happened to have recently moved near where we were staying. The last time we saw them, Jack and Amelia were still babies. They've changed just a little, don't you think? (In that picture, Jack was just about the age Charlotte is now).

We had a wonderful time catching up with Lindsey and Cliff, and it was so fun to watch Jack and Amelia play together. We also got to meet new baby Sam for the first time!

What a great picture of Jack and Amelia playing peek-a-boo!

The competition was heated in Candyland.

Can you believe all 4 kids sat quietly together and played for a little while?

While I was disappointed in Amelia's outfit choice (Florida jersey), as a Nutritionist I was impressed that she chowed down on some raw broccoli! If only she could have convinced Jack to eat some.

Yummy cupcakes!

The highlight of the day for the kids was getting to play in this awesome bouncehouse. Jack was a little nervous at first about going inside, but once he got used to it, we had a hard time getting him out! He still mentions the bouncehouse and "Mamelia" at least once a day.

I couldn't get Charlotte to take a nap all day, so by the time we were getting ready to leave she was pooped. I didn't realize she was asleep until she started swaying forward off my lap. She was able to continue her nap in the car ride to the airport, and then she slept very well on the plane. (And no, she did not continue her brother's proud tradition of airplane pooping!)

We had such a wonderful trip and enjoyed our time with the Edelmanns and all the grandparents!

Charlotte and I are actually taking another trip today, but just driving this time. It's time for the annual Illinois State Breastfeeding conference in Springfield, and I'm on the planning committee for the conference so there was no way I could not go this year. Hopefully Charlotte will be a big help in the mornings when I'm manning the registration tables :) Jack went to 2 conferences with me when he was a baby, and he did very well both times, so let's hope Charlotte will do the same.

7 Months Old

Hey there, it's me Charlotte. I'm 7 months old today! It's been an exciting month for me--I took my first airplane ride, vacationed in Florida, got my first tooth, started eating food, and also just started babbling a couple days ago.

As you can see from the picture above, I've gotten really good at sitting up by myself. (I don't know if you can see it, but I've actually got the tip of my tongue sticking out of my mouth in that picture.) I love to sit and play with an assortment of toys--especially if mom will give me an old magazine that I can crumple and tear up. Sometimes I can sneak a taste of the pages too.

Mom was trying to get a picture of my tooth when she took this picture, but as usual I did not cooperate. At least I gave her a little smile so the picture was still cute.

My tooth is on the bottom right side of my mouth. I like to feel it with my tongue and mouth, so I make bulldog faces sometimes where I'm sticking my lower jaw out.

I can sit up for a long time, but sometimes I still get too wiggly and topple over.

I enjoy being on my tummy, but only for short periods of time. I get frustrated because I try to move and crawl, but I just end up thrashing my limbs around and nothing really happens. Mom says the large amount of "junk in my trunk" seems to be holding me in place.

Tummy time is hard work.


Mom hasn't been able to capture it on video yet, but I've started making "ya-ya" and "da-da" sounds recently. Maybe I'll cooperate soon let her record me.

Another exciting development is that my reflux has improved. It hasn't totally gone away--I still throw out a few pukes every now and then just to keep everyone on their toes, but it doesn't happen nearly as often as it used to. Did you notice in the pictures that I don't even have a bib on?

Florida, part 3

Warm weather makes it much easier to discover your toes!

On our last full day at the resort, we got some good pictures of the kiddos in the water. Jack finally worked up the courage to touch the water fountains and waterfalls.

The water wheel, which he still talks about.


Charlotte had no qualms about sticking her hands in the fountains.

Jack and Charlotte playing around with Grandma and Grandpa Nold in the kiddie pool.


Most people who meet Charlotte after only seeing pictures of her are surprised at how bubbly and smiley she is, since she always shuts down when I get the camera out. Here's a little smile I was able to capture.

And she makes a great scrunchy-nose face.

Florida, Part Deux

On our first day with Grandma and Grandpa Nold, we decided to try out a free children's center and park that Andy found on the internet--and it turned out to be the most amazing municipal park we've ever seen! If anyone is ever in Boca Raton and wants to try out the Children's Explorium and Sugar Sand Park, we'd highly recommend it.

The Children's Explorium had all sorts of cool exhibits that even Charlotte enjoyed.


Of course Jack loved all the things that can spin around.



A cool train circled the room near the ceiling.


The ladies always flock to Jack.

The outdoor park was huge, and included a carousel--unfortunately Jack wasn't interested in riding on it. Here are Elif and Charlotte relaxing in the shade while Jack was busy running around.


Tired little girl on the car ride back! Jack was also worn out afterward and took a monster nap.

Florida, Part 1

We got home LATE Sunday night--actually it was early Monday morning--from Pompano Beach, Florida. Our vacation was wonderful, and we got to see Granddaddy and Grandmomma Fields, Grandpa and Grandma Nold, and even the Edelmann family. Here's the first of what will be at least 3 blog posts; I uploaded over 100 pictures, and that was after I had already weeded through and deleted many.

Charlotte has definitely gotten a lot bigger since Grandmomma and Granddaddy saw her as a newborn!


Our resort had several different pools, but we wound up spending the most time in the baby pool, since Jack was a bit skittish around the splashing fountains and deeper water in the other pools. He got braver as the week went on though; I think these pictures were taken from our first trip to the pool. Another benefit of the baby pool was that it was mostly shaded. In case you haven't noticed, our kids have blindingly fair skin, so we have to be very careful in the sun.

LOVE the faces from Granddaddy while he and Jack were splashing each other.


Charlotte spending some alone time after her sunscreen (aka "sunscream" in Jackspeak) application. She's a slippery little sucker after her 5 pounds of sunscreen are applied, so she has to sit for a while to let it soak in. We rubbed it on her head too, so she was looking pretty rough--fuzzy hair matted with white cream is not a fashion statement many can pull off.

We've decided Charlotte is going to be a future swimmer, since she loves the water. She sat for a long time in the pool splashing and wasn't afraid to get in the fountains, either. Here's Charlotte sitting pretty with Dad. Note her chewing on her arm--she's getting her first tooth, so she's always gumming something.

Sleeping beauty, all worn out after her swim. I guess I at least got one picture of myself on the blog, even if it is just of my cleavage.

Charlotte with Grandmomma and Elif.

We went out to eat several times, and with the exception of one dinner later in the week, Charlotte behaved extremely well. Here she is sitting in a high chair at a seafood restaurant. We introduced Elif to the delicacy of hush puppies...I think we got across the clarification that they are not made of dog, and the fish was not made of cat.

Elif showing Charlotte how to use her cell phone.

Saying goodbye to Grandmomma and Granddaddy. They left on Wednesday evening, as Grandma and Grandpa Nold arrived. We had a wonderful visit and look forward to seeing them again sometime this summer!