Uh Oh!

So I think we can officially mention Charlie's first word right here on old Tummy Time!

On Tuesday when we dropped Charlie off at daycare, one of the other babies was walking around and dropped her bottle and said "Uh oh." That evening when we fed Charlie he said "Uh oh" everytime one of us dropped something. Okay, it's very primitive sounding at this point but you can definitely hear the short u and the long O and his mouth makes a perfect O which is so unbelieveably cute.

He says it a lot after we say it. Someone drops something and says "Uh Oh, " and then he says it and looks for the object.

He also says MAma and Dada but with no real connections. Although I think he has figured out that Rob is Dada.

Enjoy the picture--little man loves carbs just like his mama!

Festival time

Here we are at the Old Town School of Music Folk and Roots Fest in Welles Park. We went on sunday after Church to meet with friends and eat and hear music.
The pics above are:
First balloon--a big hit!
Charlie and Claire--drinking out of each other's sippy cups and chewing)
Baby Eddie chilling in his Graco
Rob and Charlie looking adorable

What fun! We met up with Amy and baby Claire for a picnic and then with Peter and Julie and baby Eddie at the Wiggleworms tent for music. When we got there it was kid dance time so I enjoyed a little blast from my past. I was glad to sit back and relax and watch someone else teach the tiny dancers. She was very good.

Summer has been fun but the busy times are kicking in with me back at work this month. I'm teaching dance to teens at a musical theatre camp downtown and these kids are great! Funny, hardworking, talented, nice kids. they are humoring me and my musical tastes--I think they rather enjoy the Stevie wonder and the Michael Jackson and the Bossa Nova.

Math class has taken a bit of a back seat to being prepared for work (as evidenced in too recently returned homeworks--arghhhhhhhhh). Not to worry, though, this mama will get her groove back.

Also new in my world is boot camp. That's right, that 3 day a week--wake up at the crack of dawn--go outside and do push ups and squat thrusts kind of exercise program. I am trying to pair my tendency to snack with aggressive exercise that I would never attempt on my own time. I'm hoping it will result in, well, results. I'll let you know. BY the way, I heart pizza.

Charlie is doing new things all the time!!!!

There's aquababies......floating and splashing and kicking.

And holding the sippy cup on his own, almost.

and eating spaghetti

and Swedish pancakes (that's our little Viking)


Still as cute as can be!

Still busting out of his clothes, Hulk-style

Still crawling on that belly, super fast


He's our tiny genius.

Before I go:

Welcome Baby Max!

Happy Belated Birthdays to Oscar and Sam!!

One other thing!

Oh I forgot to add to today's post: a new top tooth poking through. Barely visible but definitely there. Should be fully in by December, just in time for Swedish meatballs.

Pincer

I am a busy mommy these days and so very far behind in writing. Must keep up because the baby book is way way behind.

New things:

Charlie seems to have this pincer grasp stuff down. Well, he's not an expert but he does it. I'd say we started to see him pick things up and feed himself about two weeks ago. It is so cool. So each meal he gets a few bite-sized snacks: cheerios, cheese, bread, fruit, pasta, etc.

Today is the 4th of July and we celebrated with a whole day of all three of us together. An early afternoon attempt to go to the lakefront with the other 299 million Chicago residents was thwarted by parking issues and Osco needs. We will try again on another, not so busy day.

Instead we had lunch on our deck! with Charlie! It was lovely and relaxing to eat together as a family. So....we did it again for dinner. Rob and I are so used to eating after Charlie's nighttime dinner-bath-bed routine. It is so nice when we get to enjoy dinner at the same time. So we had hot dogs and cole slaw and corn and Charlie snacked on hot dog bun and leftover chicken (very tiny pieces!) from last night.

It was a great, beautiful, easy day. I have to learn that holidays don't always have to involve outings. I worry so much that I don't take Charlie out to see the world enough. But actually, he sees and does a lot.

A great new thing in our life is aquababies at the gym.Charlie and I put on our swimsuits and get in the pool with about 25 other families. I hold him while he kicks and splashes and laughs and cries and drinks pool water when I'm not paying attention. (He's fast!) It's a scene! All these babies in tiny little swimsuits, draped over foam noodles and splashing and laughing. Lots of fun.

We love it. We have to eat after because we are so hungry and then we have to take a serious Saturday nap!

So, in a nutshell:
pincer grasp!
swimming!
babyproofing (Rob is the MAN at this)
friends

Me: I'm back in dance class (jazz) or, as a fellow dancer put it: "on the comeback trail"; still taking college math, still logging WW points, and gearing up to go back to work next week (a four week theatre camp).


got to go.......probability theory awaits!

What A Lot Of Livin To Do

Do you know that song? It's one of my favorite downloads and I sing it to Charlie all the time. It's an oldie, but maybe you remember it if you were a lowly chorus girl in a high school production of Bye Bye Birdie. Who needs to know how to sing when you can dance?

Little Man is getting bigger every day. Went to the doctor on Monday for nine month check up and shots. Asthma is as of yet, undetermined. Doc didn't hear any wheezing and said to use the meds only if he needs it. Good news, I thought.

Our boy is 29 inches and 21 pounds. He giggles and claps for Dr. M. and does this "twisting" thing. Dr. M. is very amused and says, "Where did he learn how to dance?"

Ummm...maybe in the womb when he went to about 3000 dance classes.

Charlie is fast! He sweeps the floor with his Buddha belly, crawling with elbows and toes like he's at boot camp. He wriggles up to the cd tower and pulls out all the cds only to stop and stare at Johnny Cash. so all this Queen and the Who and Van Halen I have been playing results in his becoming a cowboy after all, just like daddy. Of course.

Yes, I play Rob's cds, too.

And Philadelphia Chickens. I think I need to get more baby music. But what baby doesn't love "Magic Bus"?????? Who cares what the wipers do if the bus is magic???!!!!

Today I rewarded myself with a shopping spree at Forever 21 after my math test. I had a gift card but still...........why am I shopping at stores with deejays? I'm getting a little (dare I say it) mature for that scene. I pretend that I am hip enough to buy a Hello Kitty t-shirt that says something about "My boyfriend" on it. No one can sense that I have a purse filled with pampers, or a belly covered with scribbly marks.

So to balance that out I went to Sears and tried on "miracle swim suits."

Now that's mature.

More later.

Social Butterfly

That's Charlie with his friend C.J., who is a few days older (maybe weeks?). We got to spend time with C.J. and family on Memorial day, soaking up sun in their nice green backyard.

Sorry for the delay in tummytime, there, readers! I have been so busy--the end of the school year rolled right into summer Math class (yes, you read that right) and social activities galore--retirements and graduations and showers and stuff. That's cool, though. The Victorson and Lentz gang likes a party.

Charlie is nine months old and bursting with fruit flavor. He is a sweet, grinning chubster who is busting out of his clothes Hulk-Style. He sits and watches and checks people out, prompting lots of people to assess him as "quiet" and "chill." All true. However, he has moments of gigglemania where he can be tickled by a loose eyelash. And moments of impressive, monosyllabic soliloquies. He is a tiny wonder.

This week our dance card has been really full! Monday swings and park time with Noah (a crawler--he is so fun to watch), Wednesday park time again with the Wednesday gang--Jordan, Claire, and Silas, and today: playgroup and a retirement party. Right now he is in his crib, and feeling very reluctant about this early nap. yes, I am trying to manipulate his schedule a little. He'll be glad when he gets to see the gang!

So no crawling for our guy yet. He sure does get around, though. he moves like an inchworm, pushing his feet and squirming towards toys, books on shelves, dustbunnies, loose electrical cords. He gets faster everyday. It's so fun to watch him grow.

more from us later. Mommy needs naptime too.

Swedes in the City

Not much time to post right now. Little bear sleeps and I must grab a shower so we can head out for a day of adventures..........one potluck grad school party in the burbs comin' up!
What a nice week we had! Momala the super grandmother (well, one of two!!) swooped into town to take care of the three of us, have some Charlie love time, and help me get through a stressful week. Well, my star tiny dancers at John J. Wonderful Elementary School put on a lively show and I got through the rehearsals and prop making and sound checking with my kitchen intact and my closet filled with all 3 of my current outfits, clean! Thanks Momala.
Another nice thing about Momala's visit is that she was here on mother's day. We had a great day. Rob made a yummy brunch that included Pilsbury Cinnamon Rolls, and then we went to church. we had an easy day followed by dinner at one of our favorite places, Andies in Andersonville. It was fun to walk through my old hood and soak up all the Scando-mania. Of course we took a picture with the giant Dala horse! I'm dying to find out if it's okay to actually put baby ON the horse. I did not take any chances on Mother's Day however.
So my first Mother's Day was sweet and relaxing and full of goodness. On top of being surrounded by the people I love, I also got a very nice gift that I think is worth mentioning. Rob placed a beautiful, Kay Jeweler's-sized box in front of me, covered with a picture of Charlie in my favorite p.j.s. I was so sure he had gone to Jared, but he surprised me with an Ipod shuffle. Wow! I don't think I have received a "toy" from the electronics/wireless department since the days when they were called Walkmans and featured a radio AND cassette player. It is very cool, was a huge surprise, and will be lots of fun given my hobby of downloading music. Here's a sample playlist:

Kickstart My Heart
Bicycle Race
Turn it On
I Don't Feel Like Dancin'
Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys (rob put this one on--it's Charlie's favorite lullaby)