We took Charlotte's 6 month pictures today at Sears Portrait Studio. We have a stand alone Sears appliance center here in town. It was quite odd to walk past the t.v.'s and lawn mowers and into the portrait studio, but once there, we found it quite pleasant. Our photographer, Carmen, was great with Charlotte and patient with all of my demands. We had a lot of ideas that she really took time to incorporate. It wasn't at all like the wham, bam, thank you 'mam we got at JCPenney. And, just in case we weren't impressed enough by her, she tried to single handedly stop a burglar from making off with a Bravia t.v. We were looking over the order and she casually stated "Excuse me for a moment." She came back minutes later shaking, hyperventilating and crying. She noticed a suspicious man walking out with a t.v. When she tried to stop him, he almost ran over her with his mini van. Yikes!
We're very pleased with the pictures and were even more pleased that with our package, we received all of the photos on cd. Now we can get extra prints made at any commercial developer. Who wants a 5x7??

Here are a few of our favorites.

This one reminds me of the 1920s with her cloche hat.












My personal favorite, inspired by a photo of Martha and Alexis we saw at Martha Stewart's studio in April. I copied it right down to the pearl earrings.

I asked Charlotte today to comment on her feelings about the current state of the economy in Michigan. This is what she told me.



Or maybe it was just her opinion about carrots for dinner.

Charlotte has been challenging me this week, but not to say I adore her any less. She seems to come home from daycare so very tired, but also hungry...a bad mix. Then to top it off, she came down with a new cold this week. So now we have a tired, hungry, booger-nosed baby. Fantastic. Oh, and don't forgot I weaned her last week. Who could forget that?
Despite this perfect storm of unhappiness, I have survived the week and now we are packing for a weekend in Detroit. We will be attending Kim and Gary's son's baptism and meet up with Brian's brothers and wives as well. We are looking forward to a fun-filled weekend.

Some of my favorite pics as of lately.

Charlotte at her first "rock" concert at FMG.



I can do it all by myself!



Two Nappy Pappys

Milk Shake

This isn't new, but it's new to me and it's been making me laugh all afternoon.

Charlotte has grown so much in 6 months and has a few tricks she'd like to show you.

She is getting ever so good at sitting up on her own. However, I can't leave her side for long as she has been known to take a face plant every few minutes. That wipes the smile right off of her face.


Who needs a thumb? I've got my big toes.


She's now eating carrots, sweet potatoes and peas...although peas tend to make her gag. She is making several consonant sounds, b, g, m and y. No "mama" or "dada" yet. She is also making a good effort to hold her own bottle. Such an independent lady! Now if she would only change her own diaper.

After the horrendous thunder storms we had in June, Brian and I made the decision to cut down our large 1/2 dead maple tree.



Brian has wanted to do this for a couple of years, but I always fought it since it is our one source of shade and I see this major expense as doing nothing to bring up the resale value of our house. "Charlotte will get a sunburn!" I said. "Let it fall on our house, then we can get a new kitchen!" But then I heard a story of a friend of a friend who's tree fell on her house, spearing her husband's side of the bed. The next week, we got some estimates.
The tree removal company underestimated the work ahead of them. They expected to spend 4 hours at our house, but spent a solid 11 and didn't even get to the stump removal in that time. Here is the slideshow of pictures from the day. Since then, the stump has been ground up (along with the power line to our garage :( ), so we have a lot of clean up work ahead of us. The tree ordeal was the excitement about the block that day. We should've charged the neighbors for babysitting services, because all the children did was sit at the windows and stare at the spidermen crawling through our tree limbs with chainsaws. Goodbye ole' tree. I won't miss you come this fall!

Back on the grid

We just got back from a really nice 4 days in Traverse City. My family was camping at Leelanau Pines in Cedar, MI. With Charlotte's addition to the family this year, we knew it would be difficult to do our traditional tent camping for the summer, so we let my parents do the hard work of setting up camp and stayed with them for a few days. The National Cherry Festival was in T.C. for the past week, so we took advantage of several festival activities. Brian ran the 5K race with Meagan and my parents (Meagan beat him - but don't tell him I told you so). We visited many a winery and came home with almost 1 1/2 cases. My absolute favorite wine was the ice wine at Brys Estate on Mission Peninsula. The wine tasting comes with a small slice of cheese cake. Together, they are breathtakingly delicious - the wine becomes like a caramel syrup after tasting the cream cheese. I will remember that taste for a long time. Alas, it will only be a memory because the ice wine goes for $70 per bottle!

Charlotte did just fine with camping, albeit "fake" camping since we were in a travel trailer. She did manage to wake up a few times each night, but she was always easy to quiet. I can't wait to take her on more trips as she grows older and more interested.

Here are a few of my favorite pics from the weekend.

"Double fisted"


America's High Five


Outside Old Peninsula Cellars


Our little sailor in "Fishtown"


She was dressed in cherries from head to toe - and snuggled in her Aunt Meagan's arms


The whole crew


And lastly - I have to say happy 6 month 1/2 birthday to my little Charlotte. Look at her - she is getting "SO BIG!"

Today was one of those simply nice days. Charlotte and I enjoyed the morning together and then did our grocery shopping. She slept nicely through the store, and when she did awaken, she just smiled and kicked her feet out for me to kiss. Elderly shoppers stopped in the aisles to give her a "hello" and smile. We came home for lunch. More carrots ended up on the bib then in her mouth. Then we took Maggie out for her long Wednesday walk. The sun was out and the temperature was ever so comfortable. We stopped at a nearby diner so I could pick up an iced hazelnut latte. Two little boys entertained Maggie while she was tied to the dog post outside. A man stopped on his walk to ask us if we were going hunting. (Oldest beagle joke in the book.) Now Charlotte is taking her last afternoon nap in her crib, Maggie is barking in her sleep on the couch, and I am catching up on some odds and ends. I thank God for how lucky I am to get to have days like these.

I never got around to posting any pictures from the holiday, but here is my absolute favorite picture. Aunt Julie took this one.

I am in love with this commercial. Brian hates my cyborg impression.

I think I can see the resemblance

and apparently I didn't have hair either!

Pulled an insect out of a patient's ear this morning. That's not even what she came in for. It might have been in there since last fall. I think it was a sandfly. Gave me the heebies and the jeebies.

Weekend in review

As many know, our basement was flooded in the crazy storms this weekend. Brian's weak attempt at playing weather man gives an accurate summary:



As we prepared for sleep at midnight, we heard a car driving through the lake typically known as our street. My heart sank when I looked out the window, knowing that our basement must be in trouble. It sort of made it funny that I had scolded Brian for not mopping up a small puddle he had found in the basement earlier that evening. All four rooms of our daylight basement were covered in about 2" of water at that time. The water had backed up through our grey water drainage in the floor, and did the same to all of our neighbors. We waded through and picked everything up and out of the water of value (mattresses, children's toys, dresser, tools, camping equipment, chest freezer, etc.) By the grace of God, we weren't electrocuted. Overnight, the water level increased to about 4". Saturday AM, in true day after Thanksgiving style, Brian busted down the door to Menard's and bought the last of the shop vacs with a water pump. We spent the day sucking up water, moving all of our stuff out to the garage, and drying out boxes and carpet. It was no fun, but now we've redesigned our set-up to make our next flood much easier to clean up.

These pics don't really do it justice - just looks like a mess!


I was too cheap to throw out all of our moving boxes - so they got to sunbathe until they dried out.


We really were quite lucky compared to other horror stories I heard - tree limbs crashing through ceilings and spearing a bed, 5' of water in the basement, and sewage backing up in a basement and ruining wedding photos. I'm counting my blessings, and planning on getting an estimate to cut our dying tree down before it not only damages our house, but hurts one of us.

Sunday we enjoyed Brian's first Father's Day up at the cottage. Charlotte got to swim in Whitefish Lake and play in her own personal pool. Quite a spoiled baby!

Charlotte and Grandpa


She's almost sitting up!

We're not making much progress on "ma ma." If only my name was "Aah."

Ask and ye shall receive

My SIL, Jacqueline, asked where is her weekly dose of Charlotte photos. Yes, I am a bit of a slacker on my blog lately. Perhaps because, as many have, I have become addicted to Facebook. I hope it's just a phase.

Last weekend we finally made it out to Lisle, IL to check out Carrie and Matt's house (which they moved in last September). Better late than never. They have a great thing going for them in Lisle. Their house is elegant, roomy, and didn't require any fixing up. I'm so jealous! And - most importantly - plenty of room for a family :)

While there, we visited the Morton Arboretum. Even if it was raining/misting, we just sucked it up and sat on towels to enjoy our little picnic. By the time we left, the sun was shining, giving us more time to check out their maze and children's garden.

Charlotte loves the new Pepsi Throwback. Mmm, real sugar.




I'm so big!


Last visit to Camp KickAss. "I want to go to there."

The Nursed-Baby Diet

Many would think that the reason why a woman can lose weight so easily while nursing is due to the extra calorie expenditure. Over the last 5 months, I've realized that there is so much more to the algorithm.

* When the baby ain't happy, ain't nobody happy. Which means all of her meals are a priority over mine and I'm on call 24/7.

* When the baby is content by herself, I feel I must use that valued time for such items as showering, paying bills, laundry, sweeping, watering the vegetable garden, facebook, organizing coupons....you get the idea. It seems that everything else is so much more important than feeding myself.

* Grocery shopping trips must be short and sweet so that I don't come face to face with a hungry baby and am still in the dairy aisle. (One might realize the humor in that, but I would beg to differ.) So, faster shopping means I skipped the cookie aisle.

* Meals are small and simple since meal prep is an afterthought. So, no three course meals or dessert to fatten up on. In fact, I would go for PB&J sandwiches most nights if this didn't disappoint my husband.

* And once the day is through, baby is nursed for that last "top off" of the night, and off to dreamland, there is no energy left to fix a late night snack. Forget having your husband wait on you when you're pregnant, this is when you need it most!

Of course - weight loss doesn't equal muscle tone. But I'll take it one baby step at a time :)

Writer's Block

I haven't felt creative for blogging lately and have been a bit absorbed in Facebook (now that I've finally given into the peer pressure). So what do mommies do when they have writer's block? Why, write about their kids of course!

Charlotte is almost 5 months now. It took her about 4 weeks, but she has finally grasped the concept of eating cereal. Now that she understands how good her belly feels with cereal, she loves to finish the whole bowl. And I love it because she now (sometimes) goes to bed for Daddy and doesn't want that last bedtime snack. I know I'll miss those last little cuddles someday, but for now I'm grateful for a little time to myself.



She continue to grow more playful and talkative. She is learning to hold objects, trade them hand to hand, suck on her thumb (and toes!). She will look to you when you call to her and is always willing to give a smile.

Here is one of her new garage sale finds - very cool toy.




As you can see, she is our constant source of entertainment. Can anyone place Brian's quote?

Tis' the season

Forget the Christmas bargains, the time to get great deals is summer garage sales! Unfortunately I am working this morning, and this is the day that the upper class neighborhoods are selling their "junk" (my treasures). But we did sneak into a "preview" sale last night and found many toys for Charlotte.
At one stop we managed to get 5 great light up/noise making/balls through tubes toys and a foam bumper for the coffee table for a grand price of $5. Even if Charlotte is still entertained by her current toys, I'm bored by them, so I'm glad to have more stuff to play with. A friend of mine is a garage sale guru/addict and taught me toys and baby clothes are the best deal at sales. I hesitate to buy too many clothes right now as it is already hard to rotate her through all of the outfits she currently owns. But I'm willing to shop for my friends if they give me the thumbs-up on used clothing.

Happy Birthday Maggie!

Maggie turns 2 today. Supposedly she is still supposed to be a naughty and hyper puppy at this age, demonstrating her teenage rebellion. Quite the contrary. Maggie is a calm and dear puppy. She has been an angel since Charlotte came home. She has been more subdued, sleeps a lot, but is always eager for a walk. I would love to say she doesn't destroy things anymore, but to prove me wrong, she ate my sunglasses yesterday. (In her defense, I did leave them on the floor.) I still see the puppy in her once in a while, like after her bath when she runs laps around the house at top speed (baths are like crack to her) or when she spots a squirrel. And she hasn't met a pile of cat poop that she wouldn't like to roll in. But her good qualities overshadow her bad any day. Isn't that how everyone feels about their "children?"
Someday I would like to bring home another puppy playmate for Maggie, but we're going to need a fenced in backyard before I do that. For now she's my one and only furry friend. Happy Birthday pups.

(Maggie when we first got her - I'll never stop loving those floppy ears.)

Inside Joke

San Diego

Here are a few of my favorite pics from the week. I wasn't around for most of the photo opportunities, but I still found a few that make me smile.

Charlotte was the first to try out our king size bed - she said it was heavenly.


She and Daddy went to the Cubs-Padres game. She was mad that the Cubbies were losing.


San Diego Zoo was a must-see. We got up close and personal with the pandas...and elephants...and giraffes...and polar bears.




Although the weather was chill, the pool was heated. Charlotte is quite a little tadpole.

Weekend chores

We're glad to be back in the comfort of our home and enjoying this beautiful weather, which oddly, is warmer than it was in California! Meagan is in town this week for a wedding and finally got to meet Charlotte. Charlotte seems to like her and probably wonders who this strange lady is who looks so much like her mommy. I just realized I didn't get any pics of the two of them, which upsets me. I'll have to try harder next time...when we get a next time.

I am trying to get my garden in order. We tore out a bunch of irises yesterday because flowering weeds had invaded all of the free space creating a jungle in the garden. Now I'm trying to think of something large to plant in the big void. I already have daisies. I'm contemplating some daylilies, although they aren't my favorite since the flowers decay so quickly. Anyone have a suggestion for a favorite perennial?

Otherwise, I'm working in urgent care this morning. I'm crossing my fingers for an easy day so I can get out of here and back to work in the yard.

It's a good thing...

That breast milk is so good for babies because it is the only thing keeping me from tearing out my hair as I sit in a public restroom stall and pump numerous times this week. Forget labor, this takes away your dignity

I hope everyone had a nice Memorial Day. I am learning so much at the conference. I went to a 4 1/2 hour training session on joint sessions - I'm ready to go back and stick some needles in some knees and shoulders!! Anyone want to be my first subject?

Brian and Charlotte are staying busy. He took her to the Cubs game Sunday. She wasn't such a fan of all that noise during her naptime. Yesterday they went exploring in Old Town and took a tour at the aircraft carrier. Then we all went swimming in the pool together when they returned. She is hilarious in the water - she kicks like a little baby frog. I wasn't brave enough to let her go under for fear of her inhaling all of that nasty chlorinated water.

Well - back to the conference for more!

Day 1

We're safe and sound on San Diego, just feeling a little jet-lagged. Charlotte was an angel on all 3 flights- slept and played. No poop or tears! Brian is taking her to the Cubs game tomorrow while I practice joint injections. Yeah for both of us!

Time's UP

Our May budget contest comes to an end as Brian and I prepare our bags for our San Diego trip. Hopefully some of you played along in spirit. I think we did well, although I know we could have done better. It's hard to really stick to your guns when you know you have some wiggle room.

Here is our tally:
Restaurant: $66
Entertainment: $72 (not quite sure what we spent that on!)
Groceries: $231
Angie allowance (aka blow fund): $100
Brian allowance: $100
Hair Salon: $37 (for Brian)
House: $100 (gardening supplies and layaway payments on patio furniture)
Misc: $45
TOTAL: $751

Of course I'm not counting utilities/bills or fuel, just the things that we have more control over. I'm proud of us - this is about half what we spent last month on the same items. So Mom, how do we measure up?

My civic duty

When I returned to work after 8 weeks maternity leave, I received a notice that I had been drawn for jury duty selection. What this meant is that I had to reserve two mornings, one month apart, to go in and be processed for possible jury duty. They try to make it as inconvenient as possible by telling you to call the night before to see if you still have to report the next morning. So, I have to go to the trouble of blocking my patient schedule, which is not only problematic for the patients, but loses money for my office. But then I call, and they tell me I don't have to report. Last night, however, they made it even worse by telling me that I didn't need to report in the morning, but I should call at 10:30 am to see if I should report in the afternoon. Huh? What? That was never part of the bargain! And WTF - why can't you just tell me now if I have to be there in the afternoon? Why don't you know?!
Thankfully, they didn't need me (for the third time), so I'm at work and preparing for my afternoon of patients. I entirely agree that I have a civic duty to serve on a jury if need be, but why can't they get a better system?

Bubbles!

I'm 4 months old now, and although I'm not so great at eating from a spoon, I rock at making bubbles!

Brian has fallen in love with a nest of baby bunnies he found in our lawn while mowing. Luckily we have a reel mower, or a few baby bunnies would already be hamburger meat. He watches over them each night as mom shows up to nurse them. Then when mom runs away, he takes care to make sure they are placed delicately back in their nest. (Of course he wears gloves, so as not to give them human stink.)
I'm not that in to the bunnies. I suppose I have my own baby "bunny" I have to nurse and nest. Plus Maggie drives me completely bonkers as she barks and howls all hours of the evening trying to get out and harass/play with them. And then today as I planted my vegetable garden I realized what the biggest threat to those bunnies is...me, when they start chomping on my lettuce!

Charlotte's Baptism Photos

See all of Matt's great work here. Thank you so much Matt!!

Dave and Mark are visiting this weekend. They are so much fun. Charlotte is thoroughly enjoying them. Best quotes of the weekend so far.

Mark: "So, have you ever gotten drunk, pumped your milk, drank the milk and got even more drunk?"

Dave: "Your P and V make a great B."

Aah, never a boring moment with these guys.

I had a cup of coffee far too late this evening, but Grey's is almost over and I'm so glad I didn't miss it! So good!!!!

Thank you Linda!

I received a belated birthday package from Linda on Tuesday. Anytime I receive something from Linda, I know I am in for a special treat. Whether it be a felted coffee cup cozy, felted slippers, knitted ornaments, homemade caramels....or in this instance - matching baby and mommy bracelets! They're appropriately made with rose colored beads and designed with crosses and a tiny flower in the middle of Charlotte's. So sweet.



And the fun didn't stop there. She also sent me some cinnamon hot chocolate and a chocolate espresso bar from my favorite Kalamazoo coffee shop - Water Street Coffee Joint. Thanks Linda - I don't deserve a friend as great as you!

And to brighten everyone's day, here is one of my favorite pics from yesterday. She is one happy babe.

Reminder!!

Our Martha episode airs tomorrow, May 14th. Let me know if you see us!

It's a nice rainy day for cleaning, clipping coupons and shopping. Charlotte is fast asleep and too cute in her "C is for Cupcake" onesie. I just got off the phone with Amber, who is 13 hours ahead of me in Japan and settling down to sleep while I am just getting started.

Food glorious food

On Saturday I teamed up with friends Jessie and Montelle for a cooking extravaganza. We each brought along two recipes for meals that can be frozen and stored, along with enough ingredients for each of us to take home a dish. So, we each were supposed to walk out with 6 dinners, but really ended up with about 10 due to the quantity. We made sausage penne, Mexican lasagna, chicken pot pie, chili, cheesy chicken enchiladas, and stuffed shells. It took about 5 hours with all the clean-up...not bad. It really was a lot of fun and I hope to do it again soon.

Happy Mother's Day to all of the hard-working and devoted mother's out there. It's a difficult job we have, but more important than any other. Every day I know I'm doing something to make this world a better place by raising this intelligent little girl.
Today I am celebrating by relaxing and hopefully spinning a little yarn. Brian made me breakfast and is responsible for the chores today. We had some fun feeding Charlotte rice cereal for the first time. She fell asleep right afterwards, as though she had a turkey dinner.

I'm ready to eat!


I think there is more going out than in!

My sentiments exactly.

Many people ask me if I'm going to pierce Charlotte's ears. I am a definite "no" on this, at least until she's old enough to take care of them herself. Besides my concerns of infection and her ripping the earring out accidentally, there is a feeling I have about the image of piercing a babies' ears (courtesy of Indexed).


hattip Brian

Don't you just love Venn diagrams?

The novelty of Tulip Time must have worn off a bit over the couple years I've lived in Holland, because I just realized I haven't posted a single picture of a tulip, much less me eating a corn dog!

So, to keep in the spirit, a tulip up close and personal.


An obligatory wooden shoe.


Boy I am not that inspired when blogging lately.

On a funny note, I heard a radio d.j. call American Idol "Two and a Half Men." Get it? I had to laugh out loud, even if it's cruel.

Watching Bristol Palin on GMA. She's just as bad as her mom in interviews. Chris Cuomo: "How do you promote abstinence when you weren't?". Bristol: "I just say it's the best choice."
Right. That will make all the difference.

Yesterday Charlotte was baptized - and as Gary would say, she is no longer a heathen. We couldn't have had better weather if we had designed it ourselves. We had a wonderful turnout and plenty to eat. I must admit I felt a bit scattered as I tried to greet each guest, but also tried to make sure the "guest of honor" was on her best behavior. But many stepped in to help me and Brian out so that I kept my sanity.
Thanks to all that came! And thank you for so many wonderful gifts for Charlotte. 



And Charlotte in her Dutch costume!