Category Archives: Toddler

Brushing them teeth 

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I just had to share this pic. Hubby caught a sweet moment I was having with my little bunny… Just two gals maintaining good oral hygiene together. 

By the way, how cool is C’s toothbrush? It’s a specially designed toothbrush for toddlers so they don’t choke on it or jam it down their tiny throats. We got ours for free from our pediatrician, but here’s one that looks the same.

And yes, that’s a giant bowl of candy in our bathroom. The candy has become a solid distraction for Charlotte. She doesn’t necessarily know it’s edible, but she loves to take pieces out, put them somewhere else, put them back in the bucket, try to rip the wrapping off, etc. So yeah, we moved it to the bathroom to help ease the morning “getting ready struggle”…

My Favorite Visitor!

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This weekend my absolute most favorite house guest came to see us. My sweet (and quirky, hilarious, sometimes clamy) cousin, Stef. Our Cali girl.

She flew in on Friday and I sadly dropped her at the airport this morning. Those 4 days were filled with a lot of family time and a lot of fun! Or as my husband would say, “adventuring.”

On Friday, I picked her up at the airport and drove her directly to dinner with my parents. The restaurant had live music, which was hilarious… not because the music was funny or bad – it was great – but because Charlotte was OBSESSED. Immediately upon hearing the end of any song, she would start signing “more” and making hollering noises. Oy. Can’t take that child anywhere.

Also, Stef gave C the BEST gift ever. I’m not even going to mention anything more because they deserve their own post.

  
On Saturday, we went to the Children’s Museum (SO FUN!!)! It was a blast, as always. Man does Charlotte love that place.

   
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
 Saturday evening, we had the entire fam over (my grandpa, parents, sis and her fam, and bro and his girlfriend) to hand out candy to the trick-or-treaters, get together and celebrate three birthdays (mom’s 62nd, Grandpa’s 90th!!, and Gabby’s 4th). We decorated amazing skull cookies that I made using this recipe and these cookie cutters. I must add that we didn’t end up taking Charlie out for trick or treating. We had planned to, but it was so rainy and cold, that we just let her hand out the candy.

   
    
    
    
     

  
On Sunday, we had my niece’s 4th birthday party! It was a blast!

   
    
    
    
   
Sunday evening, we picked up some delicious Vietnamese food and had dinner at my parents’ house.

Then yesterday, Stef and I took C for a walk and then left her with my Milly (mother in law) so we could go explore the city. I took her to the Milwaukee Public Market, we walked around the third ward, sampled some Milwaukee-famous Purple Door Ice Cream, and played around. That evening, we had a nice leftovers for dinner meal and went to visit Grandpa! All in all, SO much fun.

We all got very used to her being around… I’m thinking we should probably head to LA to capture her.

15 Month Check Up

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On Friday, we took Charlotte to her 15-month check up. To no surprise, she checked out wonderfully! Although, I do think it’s a bit weird, but supposedly, she didn’t grow at all. I think her weight went up a little… she weighed in at 21.5 lbs, but her height stayed the same at 31 inches. They said it was likely just a measuring error either last check up or this check up, but of course, I’m a little put off by it. BUT, I’m following the advice of my husband, which is to ignore it.

Our doctor told us to work on words. Charlotte can learn a sign in 5 minutes flat, but isn’t all that verbal. She has some words, but sometimes I feel like she calls everything ma or some form of it. I don’t know. Again, I’m not going to be overly concerned, because the doctor said her comprehension is just great!

I should remember this, althoughI’m sure I’m going to forget, but she had three shots (poor babes)… flu shot, tdap booster and Hep A I think… Now I’m thinking maybe there were 4?

Regardless, Charlotte was a champ. She bawled her mini eyes out, but still managed to wave goodbye to the nurse after she administered the shots. So polite 🙂

All in all, a successful visit.

Our little tough girl after her appointment (shots and all)!

Our Little Swimmer

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Charlotte started her very first swim class on Wednesday! And not to be that mom (but I am…), she did SUCH a good job! And by that, I mean that she happily participated, had fun, didn’t cry when the teacher held her and didn’t cry even after being DUNKED under water.

The class is 30 minutes and is intended to teach young tots basic water safety, including, how to exit the pool, the importance of waiting for an “okay” before entering the pool, how to flip to your back instead of panicking, and so on. And the best part, you get to end with a speedy slip down the water slide!

Mark took C and gave her a good old fashion whiplash on the way into the pool… but our little champ didn’t seem to mind too much.

 

 
First swim class = success!

The Daycare Search Begins

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We have been so incredibly lucky that I have been able to bring my sweet Charlotte to work with me and thus, have avoided sending Charlotte to day care. That luck was taken to the next level in recent months, as my Milly (Mother-in-law) has been watching Charlotte in the mornings and then I take her in the afternoon (just in time for nap time!).

With that said, we’ve decided that Charlotte is getting to the age where she needs more interaction with kiddies her age, a bit more stimulation than we can manage in our house, and some more opportunities to grow, learn and be challenged.

Starting the search for daycare is overwhelming to say the least. I literally went through and wrote a list of all the centers in our area, then sought out reviews, perused websites, made calls and started eliminating some. Ultimately, I narrowed it down to three, which is now narrowed down to two.

I eliminated the most recent (one of my top threes) because the program did not accept children under two and honestly, I had a bad feeling. I read two reviews online… one was totally glowing, one was the opposite.

Anyway, the two left both seem to be pretty great options. We went for a tour of one last Friday and really fell in love with it. The program uses the Reggio Emilio Approach, which focuses on a child’s ability and desire to learn. The school seems to really empower children to become a part of the community, to be helpful little beings, to explore not only items and materials, but also concepts. Instead of telling the children what to do, they help them to uncover options and let the kiddies choose. Sounds pretty cool, right? The kids (yes, even the tiny 2 year olds), help to serve lunch and set the table! YES!! Let’s teach the little one to contribute!

We both have a really good feeling about the school, but have one more tour scheduled for next week before we’ll make up our mind.

Once enrolled, Charlotte will likely start at a couple of mornings a week and then transition to 4-5 mornings a week over the next several months. I’m excited. I think this will be really great for C… but I can’t help feel sad/apprehensive/nervous… this will be Charlotte’s first time having a life that’s independent of mommy and daddy. I mean, obviously Nana and her Grandparents babysit her or take her for overnights, but that’s still very much within the realm of mommy and daddy. This is different. Charlotte will have her own friends and her own activities. It’s SO, SO good for her and SO exciting, but it makes it REALLY feel like my little baby girl is growing up.

Weekend Update

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We he such a fun weekend! I’m going to do a full post on Charlie’s Halloween costume because it was so dang cute, but for now, just pictures.

Friday we went to a Halloween party at the place where we were married with my parents, sister and her family. It was hilarious. They had everything “Spookified” and there was a DJ, dance floor and literally more neon lights than Charlotte has ever seen. From the moment we arrived, she was pumped. Probably 50% because she was so weirdly excited by her costume and the other 50% because of the severe stimulation. 

The second her mini feet hit the ground, she was strutting her little stuff on the dance floor, walking up to strangers, dancing and being goofy. It was hilarious. 

How cute was our little Jane Fonda??

   
    
    
 

     
    
    
    
    
    
   
On Saturday, Mark and Charlie had a daddy daughter day while I went shopping with a friend and went to my sweet little friend’s baby shower. It was a costume shower… Please not my adult version of the Jane Fonda.

   
 On Sunday, we went to a little 2 and under play group called “Bagels, Books & Babies”… We were pretty grateful, because the mini one woke up in serious need of entertainment. 

   
 
After BB&B, we went home for nap time, and then it was time to celebrate Mark’s father’s bday. We went to the Betty Brinn Children’s Museum, which is just about the coolest place for littles. I’ve talked about it before, but everything there is tiny and set up as a little city. There is a grocery store where the kids can shop and work. I can’t even explain it… It’s amazing.

Charlotte has been once before, but it’s her first time as a walker. She absolutely loved it. Everywhere she turned, there was another adventure to be had, another exhibit to explore. She was all smiles.

   
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
 
All in all, it was another great weekend! 

Overnight Babysitter Kind of Saturday

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This past Saturday, my parents took Charlotte for an overnight so that Mark and I could attend a wedding. We got all dressed up and headed to the reception at around 4.The wedding was for more of a distant friend, but it was fun catching up with others who we haven’t seen in awhile.

But here’s where things get pathetic…

By 7:30, pretty much right after dinner, I was feeling too tired to keep up small talk. I started hinting to the hubs that we should bolt and try to catch a movie or something. Finally, around 8:30… which is about the time the dancing started… Mark and I snuck out through the coat room. We sat in the car for a few minutes looking up movies to go see, but nothing started until 10 and we didn’t really feel like waiting around… AKA we’re old and were already exhausted.

So alas, we went home and WENT TO BED! Oy. I feel old.  

It’s not too often that we have an overnight babysitter and how do us old as parents spend it? Snoozing by 9pm. I guess that’s what happens when you have a non-stop toddler running around… or at least that’s my story!

Happy 15 Months!

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Wow does time just whiz on by. I can’t believe our tiny litle love is already 15 giant months old. The past month has been pretty huge in terms of development.

  • Miss thang walks when she wants to! Charlotte is now officially a walker. Now, don’t be confused, that does not mean that she is walking full-time, but it does mean that the tops and bottoms of her feet have equal opportunity to be coated with dirt by the end of the day (YES! My hard wood floors need a deep clean.)      
  • Miss Chatty Pants has many words: this “dis”, that “dat”, Maaaam – a – mom mom mom, DAAAAAD, BAMPA (or something like that… which translates to grandpa), doutdide (Outside), Nana, Yah (yes)
  • Little one has many tricks:
    • What does the puppy/dog/Toby say? “WOOF” which sounds a little bit like “Oooof”
    • What does the kitty/Ollie say: “Meeeeeeow”
    • What does the elephant say: “EEeeee” (any little noise) as she throws her arm (aka her trunk) in the air
    • What does the monkey say? “Ooo Ooooo Ooo” as she puts her little hands to her armpits
    • She can sign: more, water, milk, eat, help, thank you, hello/goodbye
    • She blows kisses, smooches on command and hugs on command
    • She fetches!! “Charlotte, can you pick that up for mommy and bring it back to mommy?” SO helpful!
    • My favorite is anytime I end a sentence/question with “Right?” Charlotte shakes her head dramatically to say, “YUP!” For example, “Charlie, Mommy is your favorite person in the world, right?” It’s such a sharp head nod. I need to remember to take a video.
    • She can climb up stairs/ledges/anything she can reach and knows to climb down by turning around and reaching one little foot back, then the other.
    • She high fives.
    • She polices herself. When Charlotte touches something she isn’t supposed to touch or does something she isn’t supposed to do, she simultaneously shakes her head “no” to let you know she’s doing something wrong.
    • “Ear muffs!” She doesn’t quite get it, but randomly or when she hears a noise, she’ll do ear “muff”… Singular… Only one muff.  
       
    • That’s all that I can remember for now…
  • Her schedule has been pretty regular, although I think I’m going to adjust it a bit in the coming days.
    •  Current:
      • 7ish wake up
      • 9:45/10 “rest time” for one hour, unless she falls asleep and then we let her sleep an hour from whenever she falls asleep
      • 12 lunch
      • 2-4/5 naptime
      • 7 bedtime
    • New that I’m going to try:
      • 7ish wake up
      • 9:45/10 “rest time” for 30 minutes
      • 11:45 lunch
      • 1-4 naptime
      • 630/7 bedtime
  • Favorite foods: FRUIT (berries… she can literally eat a pint in a sitting with no problem, grapes, peaches, mmm fruit for days), bread, pasta, tomatoes, veggie shakes, applesauce  
  • Favorite toys:
    • The Fischer Price TV Radio… omg how I wish this thing played more than just the Farmer-in-the-Dell. This damn thing is nonstop singing. She loves it.
      tv radio
    •  Her Sugar Bowl from the Play Circle Dishes Wishes Dinnerwear. I swear, she is contantly carrying this little toy around. Open. Close. Open. Close. So goofy. Out of all the toys out there…  
    • The Cozy Coupe – if she could play in this all day, every day, she’d be happy forever.  
  • Other “passions”: destroying the house, emptying out the cupboards, trying to type on mommy’s computer, trying to turn off mommy’s computer, shutting the refridgerator, shutting any and all doors/cabinets, going outside, throwing food, pulling the cat’s tail, petting/harrassing the dog, reaching things she shouldn’t be touching, using the car key remote, pushing anything and everything around the house, emptying containers and filling them back up, putting her hands in the pets’ bowls, knee walking, laughing, causing trouble, being my sweet little babes.