Back to the Buckeye State

Charlotte would like to give a big shout out to Emily and Brian for letting us crash at their house in Columbus this past weekend. On Saturday morning, we made the long drive out to visit friends and attend a student's graduation.
Our first stop was the old house. Closing takes place today, so it is officially not our home anymore. We dropped off our keys and said good-bye.
Next we went to Ken, Andrea and McKenna's house for a barbeque. Emily, Brian, Chad, Negar and Myles were there, too. It was great to see everyone again. Charlotte had a great time playing with McKenna and all her toys. Thanks to McKenna for the photo:)



Thanks for being so nice about sharing your toys, McKenna. When you share like that, I don't look like the dirty toy thief that my Mommy says I am!





Then we went to Brian and Emily's beautiful house to stay for the night. Charlotte must have felt very comfortable thanks to her wonderful hosts - she slept really well in her pack-n-play. Normally she's not a big fan of sleeping in it, but something about Brian and Emily's house made her feel good enough to sleep like a log. While Charlotte had sweet dreams of fruit puffs and her favorite stuffed horse Barbaro, Mommy and Daddy had a great evening with Bartender Brian and Giggly Umule.




Gather 'round, Brian and Barbaro. This is the story about a dog named Sizzles...







The next day, Mommy went to the graduation and Charlotte accompanied Daddy, Brian and Emily to the best pizza shop in Ohio for a nice lunch.
Thanks for a great weekend everyone. We miss you!

Happy Birthday, Emmet Otter!

Pug hugs for Emmet - he turns two years old today!

You're my best buddy, Emmet. You let me play tug of war with you, you don't mind when I pull out your fur, and you're always happy to see me. I love you, Em!

Peek-A-Boo!!

Happy Memorial Day!

I hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!!













We had a lot of fun this weekend. We visited my Auntie Sherona on Sat. for a barbeque. I got to see my Auntie Sue, too, and I played all afternoon with Riley, Grace and Genna. I love playing with them! Thanks for inviting us, Sharon. We can't wait for you to visit our house and return the favor!











In Riley and Grace's backyard on Saturday, Daddy played on the swings with me. I love swinging back and forth feeling the wind blow through my newly grown hair. For some reason, though, Daddy wouldn't share his beverage with me. He seemed awfully protective of it.

On Sunday, I got to see my Grandma Betsy. We always have fun together. Then on Monday we visited my Auntie Michelle. It was great to see her, my new boyfriend, Phil, and my two new dog friends, Abby and Maggie. What a busy weekend!

Home Sweet Home

It's official - our family finally has a place to call home!! Well, not until June 19, but at least we know our 9 week stay in the hotel will come to an end soon!! We are SO excited about this house. It's the only house that Jed and I agreed on - I love the neighborhood, the kitchen and master bath, and Jed loves the garage and the deck and patio area. It's also only about 10 minutes from Jed's job.

We know that Charlotte loves it, too. During the showing, she crawled around the family room and kitchen like she owned the place. Now she does!!

The elementary school that Charlotte will attend is at the end of the block, so she'll be able to walk to school. It's also in the same school district that I attended from 3rd-7th grade, and where I met Charlotte's Auntie Tara.

We can't wait for everyone to visit!!

I Scream, You Scream...

...Charlotte, Trixie and Emmet all scream for Rita's custard!

Every year for Trixie and Emmet's birthdays (both falling in May), we pack up the family and head for custard. It's easier than explaining to a baker that we need a cake made with dog-friendly ingredients!! This year, a new family member joined the custard party. It seems that Charlotte is as big a fan of the frozen treat as her furry siblings.




This custard stuff sure is tasty. But why did Mommy make me use a spoon? Trix and Emmet got to put their whole face in their bowls!

Elmo, Can You See Me?

Elmo, can you hear me?












Every night at 7:40, right before bath time, the familiar "La la la la, la la la la, Elmo's World" ditty disrupts the peaceful evening playtime of Charlotte. No matter where Charlotte is when she hears that song, she drops everything and comes running (well, crawling) to the tv. She is in LOVE with Elmo. Lately, she's been so in love that she feels the need to stand up right in front of the television to get a closer look. When she has terrible eyesight in a few years from the close tv viewing, she can come back to this blog as proof of how her eyes deteriorated.

Maybe I should only let her get her Elmo fix through books...

Top 5 Ways to Entertain Yourself in a Hotel

Pretend to be a ghost to scare off the other hotel guests.

Give pedicures to anyone (or anypug) who sits still.

Go for drinks with a friend.

Practice for future profession - soda sommelier.

Sneak up on a buddy, stick your tongue out at him and try to steal his toy.

Happy Birthday, Trixie!

Did you know that today is my pug, Trixie's, 6th birthday?!

I know that you don't like to play with me that much, but I also know that you'll do anything to protect me. You're always watching out for me. I love you, Trix!

And now I will pull your fur and tug your ears. You know you love me!!

Beantown Baby

You mean a 'pub crawl' doesn't involve actual crawling?!

Charlotte visited her first bar (don't worry - it was smoke free) last weekend in Boston to attend her Aunt Janelle's 30th birthday pub crawl. While everyone else enjoyed nachos and beer, Charlotte munched on fruit puffs and formula. She had a great time until she realized she hadn't napped in about five hours. All was well when she fell asleep in Grandpa's arms on the train out of Boston.

After the party and the train nap, Charlotte finally got to meet her Aunt Jill and Uncle Emar. She had a blast crawling around their house chasing after their two pugs. She loved hanging out with her Aunt Jill and Aunt Janelle and hopes she can see them again soon!

Splendor in the Grass

On a visit to Aunt Amy and Cousin Drew's on another beautiful spring day, Charlotte had her first experience sitting and playing in grass. She seemed delighted to be sitting in Aunt Amy's yard at first. When she decided she wanted to crawl in the grass, however, Charlotte displayed her first signs of fear in all of her nine and a half months. She was terrified of putting her hands on the grass to crawl. After many attempts of getting about an inch away and then pulling back in fear, Mommy demonstrated for her that the grass doesn't hurt. It took some encouraging words from Aunt Amy and Cousin Drew (who was hanging out in the grass like he'd been doing it his whole life), but Charlotte finally took the plunge and discovered that grass was actually soft and fun to use as a crawling mat.


This green stuff looks awfully prickly...

























Wow, this is kind of soft. Mommy and Drew weren't lying!




















Looks like you'll need to buy some stain remover, Mommy!

















Mommy and Daddy need to buy a house SOON. I need a yard to practice my yoga poses.



FELIZ CINCO DE MAYO

Spring Swinging

After almost a week of feeling rotten, Charlotte is back to her old, playful self again. Because she was sick during the most beautiful week of the year, she begged me to go to the hotel playground today to make up for some lost time.
Despite her bee friends that were hanging around, we managed to get in a nice swinging session. Charlotte enjoyed it, but at times she seemed more interested in the big kids playing in the jungle gym next to her.















I'm trying to smile for the camera, but I can't even see it. Where are my shades?
















I told you I'm not sick anymore, Mommy. Can I go play with the big kids?


















Maybe I'm not quite 100% yet. Who would have thought that sitting in a seat getting pushed by your mommy could be so tiring?

Double Whammy

Stomach flu + first tooth = NO FUN FOR CHARLOTTE!!!

My tummy hurts, and now you're telling me that I'm getting my first tooth at the same time. You gotta be kiddin' me.

It's all just too much to deal with for a little girl like me.

A tummy and tooth ache won't keep me from perfecting my Miss America wave.

Luckily these ailments don't affect my cuteness.

Sick Day

Unfortunately, there are no new photos of Charlotte from the weekend. We were excited about going to Havre de Grace with Grandma Betsy to visit Great Aunt Barb on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, but Charlotte came down with her first illness. She had a fever on Friday, and was extremely lethargic and ill on both Friday and Saturday. We knew she was feeling terrible when she started cuddling - she's normally an 'on the go' kind of girl, she has no time for cuddling. All she wanted to do was lay with Mommy both days. Then on Saturday morning, we discovered that she had contracted a stomach virus. Needless to say, happy little Charlotte was not a happy little camper all weekend.
We wish we could have given her some medicine to make her feel better, but two conversations with two different pediatricians netted the same results - you just have to let the illness run its course. Grandma Betsy came down yesterday to see Charlotte, which made her feel a lot better. She still has the stomach ailment as of today, but she is acting like her normal, grab at everything-constantly moving-no time for cuddling self.
Throughout the illness, Charlotte was a trooper. Even at her sickest, she managed to give a weak smile, then wave hello and good bye to anyone who she saw. Waving is her newest trick, and she won't let a silly stomach bug keep her from showing it off. Stay tuned for photos of the Charlotte wave...

Good Morning!

If you're not a morning person, let Charlotte greet you after you wake up. She's better than the best cup of coffee.

Pass Me Some Carbs!

Charlotte had her nine month pediatrician visit today. It was her first visit to the new doctor in PA - apparently PA health care professionals are helpless against her cuteness just as the OH ones were. She was a superstar.
After waiting in the exam room for a while (I don't know how many minutes passed, but it was enough time for Charlotte to completely destroy the paper laid out on the bed,) the nurse weighed and measured her. It seems our once enormous, "your baby weighed HOW much at birth?!" child has slowed down considerably in the weight department. Charlotte weighs 18 pounds, 10 ounces - the 45th percentile. A few months ago, she was in the 95th!! And apparently we have bred a future Lady Lion basketball player - she is in the 90th percentile for height. If you ask Daddy, though, her height will serve her well as a professional tennis player, not a basketball player. Watch out Venus and Serena!
Charlotte enjoyed her visit, except for part with the mean nurse who gave her two shots. After screaming and crying so loudly about the shots that her pediatrician in Ohio could probably hear her, Charlotte somehow managed to wave goodbye to the nurse who had assaulted her. Seems she doesn't hold grudges for too long.
And no, still no teeth. The doctor couldn't feel even a blip of a tooth in her gums.







Looks like I'll be spending more time in a high chair so I can bulk up! Pass me some carbs, Mom!

Houston, We Have a Crawler

After weeks of rolling, crawling backward and scooting, Charlotte finally found first gear. She isn't the greatest crawler yet, but it will only be a matter of time until she is following Trixie and Emmet at pug speed.
This has been a busy two weeks for Charlotte. Not only did she turn nine months old, but she can now crawl forward, pull herself into a stand using the couch, and can sit up from a laying down position. No wonder she's sleeping over twelve hours a night now!



Wow. I can actually get to where I want to go without getting pug fur all over my back and belly. Who knew?!







Hey Trixie. Hey Emmet. So this is what you guys do all day up here.














That 10 Minute Abs DVD is really working!
I was laying on the floor only ten seconds
ago and now look at me - putting together
a puzzle!