Catch up

Life is flying by so fast I can hardly believe it. The month of December is a big one in our family. I just celebrated my 29th birthday! The last year of my twenties....scary! The next event is our 5 year anniversary on the 16th. That is another milestone I cannot believe has already arrived. Since my last post we have survived our first international traveling with Charlotte including a bout with diarrhea and vomiting,  celebrated Thanksgiving with 41 people for dinner including 9 kids under the age of 9, Charlotte met (and cried with) Santa and we successfully picked out and decorated Charlotte's first Christmas tree! Whew...busy!

Cancun

First I want to say how grateful we were to be able to spend a whole week together with each other as well as Kevin's mother, step-father and brother. However, we absolutely misjudged how tiring traveling with kids was going to be. But with all things there is a silver lining....

Bad:

Charlotte woke up between 3am-5am everyday

She got diarrhea about day 4

She had some sort of stomach bug one night and threw up all night

Amazingly Good

Because Charlotte got up so early....I got to see baby sea turtles migrating from their nests to the ocean!!! One of the top 10 experiences of my life...thank you Charlotte and Kevin for being on their daily beach walk:)

Got to read everyday listening to the ocean and soaking up the rays without feeling like I should be cleaning or paying bills or something else on my never ending "to do" list

Charlotte started clapping ...so cute

Got a tan in the beginning of winter which is always good!

Thanksgiving 

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It has always been a holiday that a lot of my family gathered for and this year was no exception. We had a marathon of three days everything family. We celebrated my Aunt's and cousin's birthday's on Wed, had an amazing dinner with 41 (the most I can remember) people on Thursday and enjoyed a visit to the zoo with lots of family on Friday. Being surrounded by so many of my family members that I love and it being Charlottes first Thanksgiving made this one so very special. 

Milestone Update

Perfecting her walking

Starting to "run" or just walking very fast when she knows she is doing something wrong and trying to get away from us!

Clapping

Talking more

Pointing to get her wants acknowledged 

Discovered her tongue 

Loath of the week

RAIN!!!!! It has been raining almost everyday since FOREVER!!! The only day I actually wanted it to rain was Saturday so my family and I could go to the zoo lights and scare everyone else away. However that is the one day Mother Nature did not bless us with rain therefore we did NOT get to attend the zoo lights that night:( Hoping to reschedule that outing. 

Love of the week

I had a great 29th birthday weekend. I got to spend lots of quality time with Kevin and Charlotte. Had an amazing meal and fun times with my parents and brothers and had a great night out with my favorite 6 people at Lindy's! Feel so lucky to be able to spend time with those I love the most on my birthday. 

With the fall comes change...

Well change is the name of the game around here! Charlotte is changing so quickly and learning and growing Kevin and I can hardly keep up!


Milestone update
WALKING!!! She took her first steps about a week or so ago and she is has not slowed down! She is very persistent and wants to do it herself!
She loves to make the 'S' sound with her lips...her new front teeth help her in this
Can climb up the steps all by herself with us behind her of course...not sure if we like this one:)
Eating stage 3 foods and finger foods...gotta love those puffs!


This past weekend we went on the Hocking Valley Scenic Train ride. It was so fun and a great inexpensive day trip. Charlotte was not afraid at all of the loud train whistle or the wind. It started raining about halfway through which was a bummer but we still had a great time and made great memories. 


Today Charlotte and I went to the library's lap time story hour for the first time. She had a great time and I loved to see her interacting with the other kids. I have been working on "gentle" touch at home a lot but it is so much better for her to learn with other's and not just mom and dad. 

Charlotte is going to be a ladybug for Halloween! Can not wait to see her dressed up in her super cute costume. My mom and I actually found the costume at a garage sale while I was pregnant so I have been super excited to see her in it for a long time. Photos to follow I promise!


The countdown has begun! Less then a month to go until our first big trip with Charlotte. We will be going to Cancun with Kevin's family at their timeshare. We are excited to see Charlotte at the beach and she loves the water so she will be happy to see the pools! Hoping the flight there goes smoothly and after that sun, surf, margaritas and family fun!!!!


Love of the week
Seeing Charlotte interact with the kids at story hour was so amazing. It made me very proud to be a mommy!


Loath of the week
The NBA season will probably not happen this year:( I already miss my Cavs and my playoffs...40 games in 40 nights on TNT!!! Sniff Sniff!!!

Playing in the leaves

 She is thinking..."don't take my pumpkins!"

 Congrats to Uncle Evan for running the 1/2 marathon!!!

 Group pic of the whole gang! Congrats to all the runners--Dad, Evan, Kelly and Tom!!

Waving

Charlotte waved goodbye to Kevin this morning as he was leaving for work! She has sort of done this before but this time it was definitely purposeful and so adorable. I am sure it made Kevin's day as it definitely made mine!

Fall has arrived

Well again I have been bad about updating this blog. I am trying I swear! We have been busy busy at the Phelan household. Charlotte has been doing great and growing like a weed.


Milestone Update
Crawling really fast everywhere
Standing up all on her own without holding on to anything! (scary)
Almost has a total of 4 teeth. Her two top teeth are almost broken through!
The hair on her bald spot is starting to regrow!
Eating solids three times and day and loving them;)
Really loving hand puppets :) So fun to have puppet shows with her
Babbling up a storm and yelling with excitment
Has no fear! Loves the swings...going faster and higher!

This past weekend we attended the Country Living Fair and had a great time. It is basically the pages of Country Living magazine come to life. Lots of vendors and tons of amazing finds and things to look at. I am super excited because I really want to learn to sew so I purchased two books with patterns and instructions. The first book is a book of patterns for little girl clothes and the second is a book on how to sew oilcloth. Both have a range from easy to hard so I am hoping to be able to build my skill set as I learn.

Kevin and I (mostly Kevin) have been working on our landscaping. We had my Uncle Terry come over and "consult" with us and help us develop a vision for our front yard. It is really starting to come together and we are about half done with the front for what we are going to do this fall. We have planted a red bud ornamental tree and 3 bushes so far. We have also raised and enlarged our beds which sounds so simple but is loads of work. It is really looking good and our hard work is starting to pay off.

Our trip to Cancun with Kevin's family is rapidly approaching. We are starting to get excited for Charlotte to see the beach and ocean for the first time. I am starting to make sure we have all our beach essentials :) Can't believe my baby girl has a passport already! She is so lucky and we are so lucky to have her for a daughter!


Love of the week
I would have to say a tie between the Country Living Fair and the return of the Fall TV shows:) Can't wait to watch my crime dramas with a glass of pinot after Charlotte has gone to bed:) Bliss


Loath of the week
I was searching for a new bracelet for the fall and have so far come up empty:( The search continues and I will not fail!

Lastly I want to wish a big good luck shout out to my Dad as he heads to Oklahoma City with my Mom for a triathlon event! Good luck!!!

A little bragging....

When Kevin and I decided that I would go "part/part" time at my job and stay home with Charlotte, one of my main fears involved the kitchen and cooking. Before now, Kevin has always done the majority of the cooking and I was more the cleaner;) I am proud to say I am improving and have cooked some pretty tasty things. I think I am most proud of the baby food I have been making for Charlotte. So far I have made: carrots, sweet potatoes, green beans, peaches and the most yummy roasted bananas and blueberries! It's a great way to use all this amazing produce summer brings us. Next on the menu is roasted summer squash!

Milestone update
Pulling up to stand on all surfaces she can reach
Making raspberries with her lips
Crawling everywhere
 Enjoying turning the pages of her books
Starting to get a little sassy when told "no" or something she wants is taken away ;)

Loath of the week
I attempted to take Charlotte to story time at the library and when we get there I discovered that summer session was over and fall sessions do not start till September:( Major annoyance!

Love of the week
Earlier this week I lost my phone...it was gone for 5 days but yesterday I FOUND IT!!! I had put it in my coupon sleeve and had not thought to check that. I was running errands, looking for a coupon and found my phone instead! Love of the month!!!

Shame

Well I officially am not good at keeping up with this blog! I always have every intention and then I do something else!
To catch up on Charlotte milestones...
- Not one but TWO bottom teeth have arrived :)
-CRAWLING!!!
-can push herself into the sitting position
-Trying more and more foods....she is keeping the trend of disliking all things green!  Peas/Green Beans and Avocado all make her pretty much gag and make the funniest faces!
-The month of July was packed with "firsts" for Charlotte!

• Trip to Ohio State Fair--loved the petting zoo and was fearless! I was much more apprehensive of the animals then she was!
• Loving swimming at the pool
• Trip to Chicago with us for a long weekend....we had a great time and saved some things to do the next time we visit!
• Trip to Madisonville Ky to visit the Robinson fam! It was a great visit with lots of quality time with GiGi, Great Granddaddy and Great Aunt Linda!  
• Visit from Grandma Linda and Uncle Joe! Lots of fun and giggles!
• Went to her 3rd wedding! This is one busy baby!
• Participated in her first 5K! My whole family ran/walked in a 5K to raise money to cure cystic fibrosis for a little girl my parents know. A fun time for a great cause!

As I am writing and reflecting on all the things we did this month I am seeing just how busy life can get! I would do it all over again but at times I think it is so very important to slow down and remember and celebrate the little things.


Along that line, I have been working hard to get our house organized and to simplify our lives...I am making definite progress but not quite there yet!


Loath of the Week
I have been walking with Charlotte and my mom/Kevin and have started to experience soreness in my ankles which is so very annoying! I have iced them and done some stretching so lets hope this week goes better!


Love of the Week
Kevin and I decided that since almost all major holidays in our family occur in December (my bday, our anniversary, Christmas and now Charlotte's bday) we are going to celebrate my bday in August!  I am so very very excited because this Friday we will be going out to dinner followed by sitting FRONT ROW CENTER at JOSH GROBAN!!!! I have loved his music forever and cannot wait to spend this special night with my amazing husband! My parents are gracious enough to keep Charlotte for us overnight so we can go! 

Photos of backyard landscaping as promised!

 Kevin's confirmation present from me! St. Francis of Assisi.....love him in the ferns

These are pic of our visitors we found on our back porch...needless to say we no longer keep the bird seed back there!

Frustrations

Well I have missed a couple weeks....busy busy lives. The Phelan household is experiencing some frustrations! The good part is that all the things do NOT involve Charlotte :) She is doing great....

Milestone update:
1. Sitting supported very well and unsupported at times:)
2. Can scoot herself backwards but still figuring out the forward part
3. LOVES the water at the pool and at bath time. Loves to splash splash splash and does not even care when it goes in her face
4. Has tried sweet potatoes (loves), carrots (okay) peaches( okay) and prunes ( okay). She developed a little rash and we were not sure if it was the sun or the pool or what so we have slowed down and now are doing just potatoes and carrots and cereal ( her favorite).
5. Babbling up a storm and is very interested in Asa...now if we can just get Asa to be interested in Charlotte!

We have had a busy couple weeks. Over this past weekend we traveled up to Boardman, OH for the first time since Charlotte was born to spend some time with Kevin's family and attend a wedding of our friends. Grandma Linda was in heaven because she stayed with Charlotte all Saturday while we were at the wedding. Everyone had a good time. My grandma Jo was in town for a week and got to meet her 10th great grandchild! That number will soon be 11 when my cousin Emma has her second child! We also went to the Columbus Arts Festival and got to show the artist that made the artwork we have in Charlotte's nursery the finished project. She was so happy to see her art come to life and it was a neat moment for all.

Love of the week:
I successfully baked my first homemade strawberry rhubarb pie .... it was quite tasty and I am quite proud!  Also Kevin and I have been working really hard on our landscaping in the yard...pics next week...stay tuned:)

Loath of the week:
Jobs....i wish life was simpler. I am trying very hard to simplify our life and am making progress...we shall see

                                  My Dad and Evan after participating in the "Warrior Dash"

                                      Charlotte and I supporting them in the crowd!!

                                                                
                                                                  My beautiful pie!!

                                               Great Grandma Jo and Charlotte

                                              Grandma love and crazy expression

                                                         Sitting up all by herself

                                                         Daddy and Charlotte time

Blast from the past! She is getting so big...only 171 days ago (if i counted right)

Teething

Well we think that Charlotte has started the dreaded teething phase of babyhood because this week she has decided she will no longer take a nap. Now if she was happy and playing then it would be fine but she is fussy and still needs the nap just will not sleep. She is sleeping through the night about every other time so that is good. Yesterday was a hard day. She would not take a nap at all and was completely exhausted so I ended up holding her on the couch and she slept in my arms from 12:30 to after 4 when Kevin got home...poor baby. I know that is not a good habit to get into but I was desperate. 


Enough about the debbie downer talk....Charlotte is 5 months old today! She is growing up so fast it is crazy! Kevin informed me that the word "lust" actually means something I want not something I am excited about so I will change it to "love" and "loathe" ;)


Love of the week
 Our new jogging stroller!!! I found a great deal on Amazon for a BOB revolution and we are LOVING it!! 


Loath of the week
 Charlotte "nap strike" as I am calling it. It stresses me out which stresses her out:( I know this is just a phase and everything with parenthood is ever changing...but let's just say I am ready for the next phase just in this one area! 


We have a busy Memorial Day weekend planned. Saturday we are headed up to Cleveland to attend a wedding of a friend of Kevin's from pharmacy school. Sunday will be spent at our friend's Ryan and Kat's for a cookout and Monday (weather permitting) will be Charlotte's first visit to the POOL!!!! Should be a great but busy weekend. Hope everyone has a fun and safe holiday weekend! 

Quick Milestone Update

Alright so I don't have a lot of time because Kevin and I are working on the lawn this week and Charlotte is sleeping so this will just be a quick update on milestones and I will do my loath and lust later....


1. Sleeping through the night without being swaddled about 70% of the time...not bad
2. Rolling from stomach to back AND back to stomach :)
3. Tried sweet potatoes for the first time last night and loved them! 
4. Officially teething and putting everything in her mouth...even trying to eat the grass:)
5. Still the cutest most precious thing EVER!!!! 




More to come..............

Sleep training

Yesterday marked the last day I will swaddle Charlotte to sleep! Bold statement I know. Charlotte has been through many sleeping crutches that I have discussed on this blog...swing, car seat, rocking and the dreaded SWADDLE! Now don't get me wrong, I am a huge believer in swaddling and think it provides many benefits for newborns....but after 3 months we should have stopped using it. Yesterday was rough...but the good news is that she slept from 7:10pm last night to 5ish this morning without a peep!!! Very good:) Today's naps have also gone well. Overall, I am so very pleased at how this process is going and am hoping it continues this way:)

Mother's Day

I had an amazing first Mother's Day. Kevin had to work on Sunday so we celebrated as a family on the previous Friday. We started the day with breakfast made by Kevin which is always amazing. I received the best gifts. He got me 2 new wood wick candles, 2 great books about national parks and family vacations (love them), a box of artisan chocolates in the shape of turtles:) and last but not least the always amazing blue Tiffany's box! He got me rose gold hoops and I love them! It was great. We then spend the afternoon at the zoo. We decided to buy a season pass this year and had a great first visit. The highlight was the polar bears. They were very active which is always fun. On Sunday we celebrated with my mom. Unfortunately, she was not feeling the best but enjoyed dinner ala my dad and visiting with everyone. Kevin and I had made photo books of Charlotte for our mother's and they both loved them. All in all it was  a great mother's day weekend!


Lust of the week:
RCIA is over! Since September, we have been going to RCIA classes on Thursday evenings to prepare for Kevin joining the Catholic church. Last week officially ended that commitment and now we will have our Thursday evenings free:)


Loath of the week:
The Heat are leading the series against the Celtics 3-1:( They play tonight and here's hoping they do not win!!!!!!!!




                                             Some highlights of Mother's Day

Blogging Hiatus

Well it has been FOREVER since I have published a blog post and lots has happened so I will catch everyone up!


Charlotte milestones:
1. Rolling over from belly to back :)
2. Spending a lot more time on her tummy :)
3. Babbling up a storm, smiling a lot and occasionally a giggle slips out!
4. 4 month check-up stats: 15lbs 4 oz 22 3/4 inches long and was a trooper for her shots
5. Attempted rice cereal...not a fan! We are going to attempt in a couple weeks again so we shall see




We have attempted to break her of her swaddle addiction however we have not been successful. O well when she is ready she will be ready!


The Phelan family had a huge weekend over Easter. We held our first "party" post baby to celebrate Charlotte's baptism. It was a huge success and we got to visit with lots of friends and family. The rain held off long enough for us to have a mini egg hunt for the little kids:) I am proud to say Kevin and I cooked/prepared all the food for this event....as you know this is not my greatest attribute:) I was very surprised how well the food was received and how fast it went! At Easter Vigil mass that night Charlotte was baptized and Kevin received both the sacraments of Eucharist and Confirmation. It was a long and hot night but so special and memorable for our family and friends. 


I am settling into my routine of being a stay at home mom who dabbles with part time work at Children's ;) I have worked a couple times since maternity leave and have enjoyed it very much. It is fun to see my co-workers and the families. I also enjoy the girl talk:) 


I am going to try and be better about keeping this up and I am challenging myself to publish every week! We shall see!


Lust of the week: 
 I have discovered I have Pandora radio on my nook and can play lovely folksy children's music for Charlotte during the day while she is playing. Loving this technology. 


Loath of the week:
 The rain....it is very nice on my allergies but has kept our stroller walks down from 1-2 a day to 1-2 a week:( The paper today stated this weather was going to last until JUNE! That is a long month of May!

                                          Our first attempt at spring flowers from bulbs!

        
                                                            Big smiles!

                                                   After a long day...looking beautiful!

                          Love this pic! Godmother Lynn and Godfather Evan with the Phelan clan

                                                First Easter...pooped from the night before!

                                       First attempt at rice cereal...not sure

                                  
                                                         4 months old...rocking her new hat!

                                                
                                                   Showing off her strong neck muscles