Wow! Long time, no post. Mama has been busy. So much to report about our little man:

tummy time.....getting so much better! Now he stays there and stays and stays. Only problem is he wants to roll so he pushes himself off to oneside (and sometimes bonks his head). What a champ!

Food--the verdict is in on carrots--no allergy but man are they gross. I don't love them cooked either, but I'll eat them. Plenty of time for that tiny and sophisticated pallette (no I can't spell that) to develop.

Sweet potatoes are okay! That's good since mommy and daddy both heart sweet potatoes!!


Sitting up--almost. Not there like his birthday buddy, Noah, but almost. He does the tripod thing and we still have to support him. Such a big guy.

Friends--where do we start? Well there's Wednesday group with mommy's waterobics buddies and their babies; And there's once a month mommy/daddy/baby group with the show kids (friends from shows and the theatre crowd). And can't forget daycare with babies and big kid toddlers who take great care of Charlie! Then there's Devyn who we had a playdate with on Saturday--an older gal, 14 months--pretty and blond. And, finally, the occasional Friday yoga class at the Sweet Peas Studio.

Charlie loves to laugh and play and pick things up and splash in the tubby! He is the sweetest little guy. Here are some of his nicknames:

Butters
Nugget
Tiny Man
Charlito
Tubby Buns
Bunny tubs

More to come!
Charlito

Family Day at the Nature Museum

Daddy had a rare Saturday off and scored a free family pass to the Nature Museum. So...we had a lovely afternoon there, warm and cozy in the Butterfly haven on a cold February day. Rob carried Charlie in the Bjorn and he seems to love it. He just loves to move those little legs. Here he is studying a butterfly.

Solids

New things for Charlito this week! The biggest news of all is that he has started to eat rice cereal. From a spoon! At first he made a raisin face and wouldn't open his lips. Next day he opened up but didn't know what to do next. And on the third day he opened up for bites, swallowed and opened up again. Of course he made raisin faces in between bites!

Well, as of today, Charlie eats an entire dish of rice cereal, with minimal "this is yucky" faces. We are adding a morning meal. Big doins for our little guy.

He sits in his yellow Bumbo chair for meals (thank you Elizabeth for passing it on to us!) and sometimes on laps. What a big boy!

Go Momala!

Momala (that's my mom and Charlie's grandma) officially retires today. They are having a party for her at the Schuyler Center and today is her last day of work. Momala, like lots of working moms out there (including myself) has held not one, but several jobs over the years, including stay at home mom. She has also enjoyed several careers in the theatre, education, non-profit and television worlds. I tagged along with her to a number of these workplaces as a kid. I know that my sister, brother and I all loved running around the theatres of Utica College and Syracuse University while mom taught, directed, rehearse. We all have fond memories of her banging out her master's thesis on a tired and rusty Smith Corona on the second floor of the Utica house while a small hill of cigarette butts smoked in that old, gold leaf ashtray.

We remember sifting through the membership premiums at Channel 17 and answering the many nasty crank calls coming through on the phone lines. Not everyone believes in public television.

We also remember meeting mom's high school students at Turner Carroll and loving that they loved her as much as we did.

And I am especially proud (as Dad, Gitta and Brendo are) of Mom's work in the Winning Beginnings campaign (hope all my titles are accurate there) and the New York State early learning initiatives that she has been a part of. I'm also glad to know her retirement party will happen at a place where she has many treasured friends.

Congratulations, Momala! I hope the post-retirement years bring relaxation, exotic travels, and more trips to Chicago. Charlie anxiously awaits your visits.

Lots of love!