Happy Birthday Emma

Today Charlotte and I attended a birthday party for her friend Emma.

Emma’s mom, Hillary, and I met at the Mom Baby Tea when the girls were just about five weeks old. It truly is amazing to have watched Emma grow over the last year and see all the neat things she has learned. The party was so much fun but a little hectic for me as Charlotte is getting around on her own and I was just trying to keep up most of the time. I was able to get fun pictures of some of Charlotte’s friends playing in the back yard during the party. Emma was a champ with her cake – no hesitation just dug right in! We had a great afternoon, thanks for inviting us girls! Great Job Hillary and Happy Birthday Emma!

DJ Charlotte

Here is a video of Charlotte playing with two of her toys DJ Style…so cute! She can’t get enough of music and likes to dance, to her own tune - or nothing at all. Poor thing, clearly she doesn’t have enough toys…. :)

12 Month Stat Charts

Here are Charlotte’s twelve month stat charts. I love being able to illustrate this info for everyone, thanks again for the idea and link Maite!

With this chart it is easier to see that for weight Charlotte was born in the 94th percentile but at nine months she dropped (again, a little) and is now in the 66th percentile. In length she has gone from the 77th percentile at birth to the 97th+ percentile at twelve months. She continues to be a very tall and skinny little girl. As always, you can double click on the images to see them a little larger and with more detail.

12 Month Doctor’s Appointment

Wayne and I took Charlotte to her twelve month “well” visit today. Dr. Fisk said that she looked great and seemed pleased with all the new skills she has learned. She had her eyes and hearing examined today AND the poor thing received three shots. Charlotte did squirm and cry briefly during her shots but luckily (since I had to hold her down this time) the crying did not last very long! Her height to weight ratio has quite a gap and once we could see the numbers charted we were concerned Charlotte might not be eating enough. Dr. Fisk was not concerned and said that she is well proportioned and healthy. Apparently it’s now time to transition her from formula to whole milk and from a bottle to a Sippy cup – wish us luck!

We don’t go back for another “well” visit until her fifteen month appointment in May – seems so far away. Charlotte has learned so many things just in the last few weeks – we can’t even imagine what new tricks she will have learned by May.

Weight: 21 pounds, 14 ounces (66th percentile)
Height: 31 1/4 inches (97th percentile)
Head Circumference: 17 7/8 inches (65th percentile)

Charlotte's New Car Seat

Today during our family celebration of Charlotte ‘s first birthday Wayne and I took her to get her new car seat! Here is a picture of her getting comfortable in her new ride.

Happy 1st Birthday Charlotte

Well, this year has gone by so fast and now I find myself posting Charlotte’s last monthly photo. In fairness this green onesie has ONLY been used for her monthly photo shoots and, so, has not been washed. I suspect that at this point, once I wash this 12 month size onesie, she will be too big for it. I will put together a slide show to illustrate how much she has grown over all these months – keep your eyes on the blog for updates!

TRYING To Do A 12 Month Photo Shoot

This is the new and improved twelve month old Charlotte. Getting ONE good "monthly" picture took thirity minutes this time because she has turned into such a wiggle bug!

Visiting with the Mullins Family

Today Charlotte and I visited with my friend Christy and her two boys Caden and Chase. I always have a great time with Christie, who I have known since elementary school. Today’s visit was special because we were meeting baby Chase for the first time. He was so sweet and it was amazing to me how tiny he seemed even thought he is actually a pretty big baby. The kid’s ages are Chase: one month, Charlotte: one year and Caden: two years –the visit was especially neat for me to see where Charlotte came from in tiny Chase and where she will be in another year with Caden. Thanks guys for a fun day – hope we can do it again soon!

Sunday Morning With Daddy

Birthday Gift from Uncle Tyler and Uncle Cameron

Here is a video of Charlotte playing with her birthday gift from her uncles Tyler and Cameron. Sorry the video is so dark – who knew I needed every light on in the house for proper video lighting?!? Anyway, Charlotte is so cute playing with her toy and bopping her head to the music. She was literally being filmed by two cameras and two video phones while she did this – no pressure! :)

Charlotte's 1st Birthday Party: Pictures

Here are pictures of all the fun we had at Charlotte’s 1st Birthday Party. So MANY of you were able to join us – even traveling from faraway places – thanks for making Charlotte’s big day extra special.

"Happy 1st Birthday To Charlotte"

Here is the video of Charlotte’s Happy Birthday song and birthday cake extravaganza.

Special super duper thanks to Justin and Holly Kraft for getting this on film and to my mom, Sheila, for making Charlotte’s bunny cake! My favorite part is toward the end – the video is a little long, cuz she is such a lady and took her time – where she “pats the bunny”. It’s just like the book GranLeigh gave her for Christmas! So sweet!

Charlotte’s 1st Birthday Party: Decorations

Here are some pictures of the party decorations for Charlotte’s 1st Birthday Party. This will give you an idea of how all of the “projects” looked together. I think they really added to the festive mood of the day and I know we were pleased with the results. I LOVE to do this kind of thing and wish I could figure out how to make a living planning fun events.

Wayne and I MUST thank so many people for their contributions to the decorations, from creative advice, creations and set up. My mom was so instrumental in the whole process in her advice, help and especially making the ADORABLE 3-D bunny cake for Charlotte. Her cake was the centerpiece of the whole party. She helped with so many of the projects you see but most especially she made sure Charlotte got a good nap, bath and lunch before her big party. That allowed Wayne and I to finish up last minute projects and decorate the park – barely – before the party started. Sonia, Gwen, Rosie and Brandon brought drinks AND helped set up. Holly and Justin came through ONCE AGAIN by helping us to load the cars, make fruit kabobs, transport everything to and from the party and set up (oh yah, bringing Wayne and I Mt. Dew to get us going – they know us SO WELL). Marcie, Ryan, Tyler and Cameron also allowed themselves to be bossed around about the “proper” location of every party decoration AND helped with a SMILE. Sancha and Erik brought their ball house, tunnel and even some cheese balls to share – I am sure every parent will agree that those three things were the hit of the party for the kids. Kevin entertained Charlotte and Grace, helped bring all the fun gifts home AND unloaded two cars full of supplies. So you can see, things could not have happened without the selfless support of our family and friends. Once again I am reminded of (our Wedding, anyone?) how lucky our little family is. How fortunate Charlotte is especially to have family and friends who love her and are so willing to lend a hand to make her special day even more amazing.

THANK YOU!

Baking: Birthday Party Cupcakes

Tonight I decorated the four dozen+ cupcakes I made last night for Charlotte's party. Since the decorations for the cupcakes (see previous post on cupcake toppers) will be so “heavy” I decided to go with a simple white cake and white/vanilla icing with pink and orange sprinkles – polka dots, get it? Anyway, I think they turned out really cute and since Wayne and I HAD to sample them for quality – know they are pretty yummy, If I say so myself. I will post more pictures with the toppers after the party as those have to go in right before party time! Wish us luck – unfortunately, the weather may not be on our side tomorrow! :(

Happy Valentine’s Day

Here is a picture of Charlotte and her Nanny on Valentine’s Day morning and a profile of Charlotte on her changing table. Happy Valentine’s Day!!!

Crafting: Birthday Party Goodie Bags Part III

Here are the completed goodie bags for Charlotte’s Birthday Party. These are filled with favors and topped with ribbon and the “thank you” tags I made earlier in the week. Thankfully tonight my mother-in-law offered to come by and help me assemble all the goodies. We had a lot of fun together trying to separate the gifts into age appropriate-ish categories. All of the cute bows on the gift tags are her handiwork! I am really happy with the final project and especially like to see the vibrant colors come together. I hope our littlest guests will enjoy their gifts and the party as well.

Welcome Home Daddy

A little video of Charlotte playing - watch what she does when Wayne comes home!

Crafting: Candy Display

Tonight I whipped up a quick project for Charlotte’s Party, a candy display. These are old candle holders that I cleaned out as the candles died and most recently have been using for vases. Tonight I used Mod Podge, paper and ribbon to decorate the outside and turn them into something new. I have an assortment of orange and pink candies that will fill these for the party and thought this presentation might be a little more interesting. It was a quick and very rewarding project! Now I just need to clean off my fingerprints!

Norah & Jacob’s Mad Hatter Birthday Party

This afternoon Wayne, Charlotte and I were able to attend a joint birthday party for our nephew, Jacob (3), and family friend, Devon (5). Jen (Devon’s Mom) and Sancha (Jake’s Mom) planned this great party around the Alice in Wonderland Mad Hatter Tea Party. All the kids came dressed up, Charlotte was the lion from the book, and had so much fun. The girls also arranged a tent full of costumes that the kids just dove into and one minute you would see a mermaid run by, the next a unicorn, the next a horse, the next Wolverine and so on. It was so fun to watch all the kids screaming with excitement in the HUGE bounce house, complete with a SLIDE, which I understand is MAJOR in “older kid world”. Devon even gave me a special performance complete with dancing AND singing. We all had a great time visiting with so many of our friends and family. Charlotte even surprised us with her interest in balloons, glow sticks and oranges. Happy Birthday Devon & Jake!!!

Happy Baby

Yummy Dinner A La Wayne

This is the yummy-ness I came home to tonight, besides Wayne and Charlotte. Wayne making yellow rice, black beans and jerk seasoned pork chops. These were as delicious as they look and the best pork chops I’ve ever had. Thanks honey!

Bath Time

Almost time to take the water wings off, Big Girl!

Peek A Boo, I See Outside My Window

Let’s Play “Where Did Mommy Stash My Toys"

Crafting: Cupcake Tree Part II

Finally, the finished cupcake tree! This is the one project so far that has thrown me for a bit of a creative loop. If you read the first post you know that I have not been particularly happy with the covers for the cake boards themselves. I racked my brain and really never came up with a good retrofit solution – I have plenty of ideas on how to do this better the next time, but nothing to make what I have now better. I decided to just let that imperfection go, all based on keeping my sanity and getting onto the other projects on my plate. Anyway the next problem involved the trim for the boards. After the ribbon suggestion from the web tutorial failed, I decided to use crape paper fringe. Only, when I went back to the store to buy it – no one could find it. This solution, I believe, would have really been adorable and gets added to list of things to do next time. But never fail, I came up with something else, wired marabou trim. It’s a little more fru fru (and, yes I do LOVE that band) than I was intending but it does the job and looks super cute.

The plan for this is to put cupcakes on the bottom and middle tiers and then put Charlotte’s tiny bunny cake on top. The cupcakes will be adorned with pink and orange sprinkles and circle toppers (see previous post) I created last month as well as letter candles to say “Happy 1st Birthday”. I am hoping this will be a great decorative/eatable centerpiece for the party and not be TOO MUCH – only time will tell. My Mom has offered to make Charlotte’s 3D bunny, thank God, and my friend Marcie and I will bake cupcakes on Friday and decorate them on the Saturday before the party. This is in an attempt to minimize last minute projects (read: STRESS) on Sunday.

Will post pictures of the whole shebang after the party – let me know what you think!

Sixty Seconds With An 11 Month Old Girl

Yep, these pictures were taken less than sixty seconds apart – we have one sassy baby on our hands! Check out the fist on the hips, wonder what that was all about? We don’t know either, just attitude!

Bunny & Nanny