Charlie Update

I haven't done an update on Charlie in awhile and he has just been learning so much and I absolutely love the little boy he is becoming.

He is learning at an incredible rate. He definitely took his time to start speaking and he still doesn't string too many words together when communicating but he does communicate. His vocabulary grows everyday. He seems to learn words quick too. I can't always understand him but he finds other ways of communicating with me until I catch on. Some of my favorite things he says are "so funny" after he's been laughing really hard. or the serious face he gets when he nods his head and says "yeah" This is his typical answer to us asking anything from if he wants fruit snacks or a baby brother or sister. I love the way he says "animal" and makes monkey noises. I love when he says "oh man" "oh my" or "whoa!" with as much expression as he can muster. I love that he always sings the clean up song that he learned at church when we are picking up his toys. I love that when he whines he knows my glare means he needs to change his attitude and say please. And he will immediately stop whining to kindly ask for what he wants.

I love when he takes my hand to show me something or when he requests that I sit next to him whether he's sitting on the bottom step or on the floor with his toys. Today while making the long trek to the mailbox he held my hand and walked with me the whole time. I loved it. In the past he usually ran ahead or ran off in another direction.

Charlie has become a better listener and will follow my directions much better. He's not perfect nor would I ever expect him to be but he seems to listen when I ask him to help clean up his toys, follow me, stop running etc. This more than anything has brought me so much joy in the last couple of months...seeing that he understands and naturally wants to be obedient really makes being a mom much more enjoyable.

I'm realizing that Charlie is at a very teachable age. This is so fun for me but also reminds me of my great responsibilities as his mother. We discuss the pictures in books we read, we make up new games, we explore different objects in nature, I give him opportunities to be my helper. I also like to step back and watch him, he is a very creative boy on his own so it is also fun to see his ideas come out.

Charlie is a happy child. That dimple of his can melt my heart. He wakes up happy and falls asleep happy. He gets over things quickly because I think he realizes that tantrums get in the way of playing.

He has already started the "mine" stage a little bit. I don't think this will be my favorite but so far even if he says "mine" about something...he really isn't that adamant about it.

Some updates include that Charlie has officially moved into a toddler bed. I was not even going to consider this transition until Charlie turned two but one morning just over a week ago I went into his room and before I picked him up out of his pack 'n play I put his clean laundry in his drawers. When I turned to go pick him up, he was straddling one of the edges of the bed. It could have easily tipped. He has been in a pack 'n play ever since he was about  2 months old and he was definitely growing out of it, it was also getting worn out from all his jumping and playing. The transition to a toddler bed could not have been better. He loves his bed, I think he likes all the space. The bed has railings that he can climb over but I think when it's dark he rather just stay in his bed because it's the newest and most exciting thing in his room. That's not to say that he has never climbed out at night...he definitely has, but for the most part he stays in bed. One night he fell out of his bed, I'm not really sure how it happened unless he was climbing out in his sleep because I'm pretty sure you can't roll out of that bed with the railings. Anyway, we are just pleased that the transition was much easier than we hoped and Charlie seems to be pleased. He's just becoming such a big boy.

Charlie is a very solid little guy. He was standing on his toes the other day and I could see his rippling calves...there isn't much baby chub left on him. He is a strong boy. He can now jump high with both feet of the ground and he also has some pretty great dance moves.

I don't know what else to say about him, he is my favorite little boy! I can't believe he is almost two...and a big brother!

And here are some phone pictures capturing my little explorer

Playing in his box!

He likes to move all his toys and sit in this little cubby.

OMSI..we just renewed our membership and will soon be able to bring guests! Who wants to come with us?

He turned his box into a slide all by himself and had a blast!

Box fun with his friend Madeleine

Checking out the fire truck!

He always likes to try and do what daddy does! Working on the plumbing here!

Waking up happy.

Puddle Stomping

Playing in his new bed

Exercising with Mommy

This was him trying to do a push-up

Playing doctor. 

Practicing on his potty...no successes yet...I think it will still be quite awhile!

Baby #2

So I have already alluded to this in previous posts and it has already become "facebook official" so I really am just putting it on here as a formality!

We are excited to welcome another little one into our family next Spring. As of now, my due date is March 31st so we are just planning on an April baby seeing how Charlie took his sweet time to come out.

I was planning on waiting to tell family until around twelve weeks but then my belly popped out around 7 weeks and I knew at least my mom would notice. I had been working too hard with Insanity to let people think that I was just getting a belly again so after our first ultrasound at 8 weeks, we decided to tell family. We made this video and sent it to them. We tried for awhile to get pictures of Charlie holding the ultrasound picture but he pretty much threw it on the ground whenever we handed it to him. He usually has no time to pose for pictures...he feels he has other important things to explore. After locking him in his high chair we were able to get a little video.

My first trimester officially ends on Sunday! Pretty excited for that. Luckily I haven't thrown up, I've felt close a couple of times but usually as long as I kept food in my belly I was alright. The fatigue is what's killed me though...My house is still quite messy. I feel good if I get a workout in, do the dishes before going to bed and keep my Charlie fed and happy. I'm hoping the second trimester energy hits me really soon. I also have always had low blood pressure so, especially during pregnancy, I black out every time I stand up quick or I feel completely drained after a warm shower. These are funny little symptoms I forgot about until they happened again. Other than that, things have been pretty uneventful which is a good sign. We have had two ultrasounds. The second ultrasound was at 11 weeks and we got to see baby dancing and kicking his/her legs around. It made me pretty excited. 

We will genuinely be happy with a boy or a girl. I've always thought I would want more boys than girls. In my mind that would be less drama but in reality I'm sure it's just a different kind of drama so either option is going to be just fine, obviously we will love our child unconditionally no matter what. It would be fun to experience having a girl. I would love to see Max with a little girl...braiding her hair and what not. Max already treats me like a queen and studies show that that is one of the best things you can do to set an example for your daughters. Anyway...I'm kind of just rambling but I figured I would answer all the 1st trimester questions that people ask me...   

Weekend in Prineville

The afternoon of the triathlon we were going to drive about three hours to spend the night at Max's brother's new house in Prineville Oregon. Brent and Lisa were having a housewarming party and wanted to invite the whole family. We were excited to finally make a trip out there to visit them. We've been wanting to do that for awhile and just hadn't made the time. We ended up taking naps when we got home for the triathlon because we all desperately needed them. We then had a brief opportunity to meet with my most wonderful friend Melissa who was in town. We couldn't miss that chance. That being said, we didn't end up leaving for Prineville until 7pm. Later than we hoped but still alright. 

We arrived around 10 pm. Once Charlie saw his cousins he had no interest in going to sleep. He wanted to play and dance. It was a party house and Charlie was not one to poop out of a party. We played for a little  bit while Max set up the beds. Eventually we put Charlie in bed, he was exhausted and didn't take long to fall asleep. Max and I got a tour of their new house. We absolutely love it. It is such a fun and spacious house for their family.  We then went to bed seeing as we were both exhausted from a busy, active, day. 

The next morning was Sunday so we got up a little early and got ready to go to the local LDS church. I was kind of excited to go and see the "country folk." Before leaving for church, Brent and Lisa had prepared us an amazing Omelette breakfast...talk about hospitality...Maybe they should start a Bed and Breakfast once their boys all grow up and move out. Yum! We enjoyed Sacrament meeting then headed back to the house to have some fun family time. 

I didn't pull out my camera once on this trip but luckily Lisa has a great camera and I stole a whole bunch of pictures from her! 

We had a hay-day with the slip 'n slide. 

My body was sore all over so I didn't participate but Charlie and Max seemed to love getting wet.

Mitchel doing some tricks

Go Mitch

Charlie getting wet the best way he knows how. 

Who's the male model...oh wait..that's my husband!

Haha

Lisa...making a splash!

Perfect form Brent!

Max trying some tricks

And the race is on!

The ultimate and fearless Slip 'n sliders!
(isn't it funny that Max is the tall one in his family?)

After a delicious lunch, Charlie went down for a nap and we went out side to play some basketball. Ok..mostly the boys played...I was an excellent observer and Ref. 

Mitch and Max were on a team so they were having a little pep talk.

Then I tried a little basketball. In my Sunday-Best

Mitch was coaching me! 

After Basketball it was time to ride bikes in the street. Brent and Lisa and the Boys have the coolest toys. 

Charlie was obsessed with riding this bike with his daddy. He kind of threw a fit when it wasn't his turn...

And then I gave it a go in a skirt. 

There was lots of Climb on Uncle Max time!

That evening, Brent and Lisa's Mortgage guy wanted to make dinner for the housewarming party. He made delicious BBQ and corn on the cob and potatoes. Yum. We all thoroughly enjoyed and stuffed ourselves. 

It turns out that Charlie is a corn on the cob fan. 

Shortly after dinner we realized it was almost time to head back home. It seemed like such a short trip and we would have loved to stay longer. Sometimes it's hard being an adult and having grown up responsibilities like work...

Thank you Brent and Lisa for having us in your brand new home. We love your house and we love you guys. We can't wait for another visit!

1st annual Tualatin Stake Women's Triathlon!

Just over a month ago my mom let me know that Tualatin Stake (LDS church in that district) was putting on a Triathlon for women and asked if I was interested in participating with her. At this time I had just found out I was pregnant and I wasn't ready to tell anyone until I had an ultrasound with a confirmed heart beat. I agreed to do it without telling my mom that my pregnancy could possibly change my mind.. I had been running 3+ miles regularly since being pregnant. Swimming should be low impact and biking couldn't be that hard right? Since I was being so active I figured that I could manage a triathlon while being pregnant. This specific triathlon was perfect for me. It was a triathlon sprint which means there was a 1/4 mile swim, a 10 mile bike ride, and a 3.1 mile run. The main goal was to get women active. There was no competitiveness in it. Nobody was keeping score or times. It was only $10 to join and that included an awesome t-shirt and a large lunch. I got my doctor's permission and proceeded to somewhat train. I was terrified of the swimming portion. I had never swam a quarter mile. I attempted to swim during the rafting trip but felt stressed out when being away from the shore, even in a life jacket. I went on one bike ride before the triathlon. That didn't seem too bad although I wasn't sure how far I'd traveled and I had to borrow my brother's bike because Max's was too big. The running wasn't a big deal because I could always practice on our treadmill when I couldn't get out of the house with Charlie. 

Anyway, I felt ill-prepared in the swimming but other than that I felt pretty confident. In some of my training I started to feel pretty nauseous and needed to take a rest. I was praying that this would not happen on race day.

So, we started the swim. In total it was 18 lengths of the pool or 9 full laps. Nothing I've ever felt the need to do. It turned out that it wasn't so bad. I was able to rest if I needed to when I got to the wall, I took it slow and steady. Charlie and Max were at one end of the pool cheering and clapping. I could also see through Max's expressions that he was bragging to the others about his pregnant wife doing a triathlon. This motivated me to keep going. I made it with energy to spare!

My mom waving to Charlie!

And that's me!

Thankful my boys were there to cheer me on!

 After the swim, while I was waiting for my mom I took an applesauce break. I still have to eat constantly to keep the nausea at bay.

Charlie was wondering why I was eating his food and was a little mad I didn't share with him. 

After the swim getting ready for the bike ride. 

I liked the scripture...at this point I just hoped I could finish the course. Finishing the swim gave me more hope.

The biking ended up being much harder than I thought. The bike I was using was pretty heavy and unfamiliar and there were some pesky hills on the course. I made it though, I didn't even have to walk my bike up any of the steep hills. My mom cruised right on through with her speedy road bike. This was her best event!

When we got to the place to start the run I called Max to come meet me so he and Charlie could run with me. It took him awhile to get there so my mom started out on her run. She thought she would end up walking a lot of it anyway. I was able to take a somewhat long break while I waited. When he got there we started on our run. It was fun to have him with me. I was amazed at how tired my legs were. I was running very slow. I ended up taking some walking breaks but feel I jogged for the majority of the race.

Here are some pictures that the professional photographer took of the runners at the finish line.

Apparently this is the face I chose as I crossed the finish line?

Max told me to run ahead when we saw the finish line as he was somewhat slowed down pushing the stroller in bark chips...that's why he and Charlie are not in the picture.

My wonderful family! They were so proud of me..and frankly, I was proud of myself! And for the record, Charlie was really grumpy in this picture because we only let him play on the playground for a couple minutes then we had to take this picture and leave. 

More family. Proud of my mom too! 

We will definitely want to do this again next year! Hopefully there will be one for men too. Max and I would like to do a whole triathlon together!

FYI...I'm on a blogging record so if you've missed other recent posts...keep scrolling!