Well, hi.

There have been so many days lately that things have happened and I've thought, "I need to blog about that." So. Here I am. Assuming I keep up with this, it'll be a place where I chronicle Charlie's craziness. And boy, does he have some.

In the last few months, Charlie has learned so much. He's a rambunctious, inquisitive, sweet, loving, vertical 15 month old. He's crazy and I love every minute of him. Well, almost every minute. Some days I want to put him outside and let Hank babysit, but I don't. I turn on Sofia the First and let her babysit him. Seriously. Kid loves him some Sofia. He's captivated her.

In the time I've been away from here, we've lost my Grandfather. Pa passed away in April, and I miss him every day. He left behind my Gma, who I think about every day. I was asked to deliver the eulogy at his funeral, and while thinking of the words to say, I realized just how amazing he was. I knew he was generous and loving and a light on his own, but I know now that I took it for granted that he'd always be around. To hear so many people tell amazing stories about how he helped them or how he made their days brighter or how he sold them their first car... it made me even more proud to be his granddaughter. I'm so happy he got to meet and know Charlie. My Charles David, named after my James David. Two special boys who will always be in my heart.

Just to give a glimpse of the personality we're dealing with... I have no idea where he gets it. Bob and I are so mild and mellow and introverted.

My Hazy.

So here we are. Getting ready for Charlie's first Christmas. It's been an emotional one for me. Being here in Hometown, knowing how excited my family is, makes me realize how excited everyone else would be too... My grandparents and aunts who are no longer here. 

Earlier this week, a cousin started a facebook thread asking for my Aunt's fudge recipe. This became a tear-filled stroll down memory lane. Then today, my Mom brought over a binder of my aunts recipes. Her favorites. She made notes and commented on which she loved, what she did differently, and how she made them. She also marked down the date she made it and who was there. There were so many "made with Rachel" recipes in there. On all of them she commented on, she signed it "Hazy." I'm the only person who called her Hazy. Only me. Looking through this binder today, which she compliled in 2004, from recipes she had dated as far back as 1985, I realized she made it just for me. I didn't even know this binder existed. So today as I sat, crying, laughing, and remembering this crazy, amazing lady of mine, I felt her love. A lady I've missed every day since 2007, I felt her. Today.  And it was incredible. 

For my teensy little boy.

So World Prematurity Day was this week. My newsfeed has been filled with pictures and stories of babies who arrived before they were expected. A lot of them were delivered at 35 weeks and even later. I see these babies, tiny, sick, undeveloped, and it amazes me that Charlie was as perfect as he was when he was born. I've questioned Doctor J so many times about whether or not his due date was accurate. Every time she tells me yes, it was right based on measurements and development.

My happy, curious, active little boy stuns me every day. He loves to learn and discover new things. He loves to watch the big kids play outside in our street. He loves Hank, and Hank loves him. One day soon, he'll love to walk!! I feel like he's within days of being upright!

Light bulb.

Sooo. I had an epiphany today. So far in Charlie's life, I've thought motherhood was fairly easy. All in all, Charlie hasn't been a difficult baby. Bob and I have rolled in to parenthood fairly seamlessly. Until last week.

Charles. Is. Mobile.

Last week, he decided to crawl, climb, and cruise. And this week, he's trying to walk. Holy balls. I spend my days chasing this kid, watching his every move, staying on edge to catch him, keeping he and Hank's toys separate so no teeth are shown. Charlie has 4 going on 7, by the way.

We have entered a whole new quarter in this ballgame. It's fun, but exhausting!

I'm back. Again.

Just how many times do you think I can make a comeback? I'll let you know someday. 

So the last few months, I have gotten involved in two different mom groups. I have gotten more involved in our neighborhood. I am leaving our bubble. And it's awesome. 

Before Charlie, there's no way I would have had the guts to walk up to a group of women I met online and introduce myself. No way, Jose. Yet here we are. With a full calendar and many, many new friends. 

For this, I owe Charlie. My sweet, giggly, happy, puppy dog-loving, boy. Every day I'm so grateful I get to stay home with him. Even when he wakes up ridiculously early, has as fussy butt day, refuses to nap, and makes a massive mess... I love my days with him. When Bob is home, he is 1000% hands on and amazing. But when he and Charlie have breakfast together and naptime or bathtime and bedtime, I miss my baby. I find this so surreal. I can be with him all day long, patience tested, hair pulled (by him and me), yet if I don't get those breakfast giggles or bedtime snuggles, I'm sad. I know it's only going to get worse rhe older the gets. And I suppose I'm okay with that. I don't want to say I didn't love him right away, because I absolutely did. But somehow I still love him more and more every day. It still just amazes me. He amazes me. 

Had enough sappy blabbling? Okay.  Here are some pics instead... 

Why, hello there.

So you may be asking yourself... what could possibly bring her out of her life-imposed blog silence after two months? The answer: EBOLA. E-freaking-bola.

In the 4th grade, I did a book report on Ebola and Bubonic Plague. Literally ever since, I've been obsessed with it. When Ebola broke out in Liberia, I knew about it before US news stations caught wind. When there was a single case of Bubonic Plague in China this summer, guess who was following it? This girl. (Btw- no one else got it besides the one guy.)

Being the wife of an airline pilot has it's own inherent risks. I've always been concerned with Bob's potential proximity to recycled germs. Now that Ebola has taken to the skies, my paranoia has taken my heart rate to stupid levels.

My husband, being the good Southern, well-mannered boy that he is, will stop and help anyone in the airport. They ask, he helps. They look lost, he helps. They're bleeding from their eyeballs and puking everywhere, he better not stop to effing help. We had to have this conversation this week.

This morning before he left for a trip to Texas (yay, better than Cleveland, I suppose), we had a frank discussion about Ebola. I'm not afraid of us getting it. I'm scared shitless of Charlie getting it. Is it unreasonable for me to be this afraid? Probably. But that's not stopping me from worrying about it. For the first time in my life, I'm responsible for someone's health other than my own. Holy crap.

Where's the beef, Mama?

If you had told me a year ago that we would be having this much fun, I'd have laughed in your face. This kid. Seriously. So. Much. Fun. Charlie is so happy and giggly and hammy. And the rolls. Dude has legit fat rolls, that I spend most of my days pinching. I'm so excited to take this ball of squish to his doctors check up tomorrow. They won't recognize this ham from the 4lb9oz fuzzball I brought in 6 months ago.

So. My boy has started eating. FOOD! So far, we've had sweet potatoes, avocado, and applesauce. I was going to do baby led weaning and still may, but for now, we're loosely eating homemade baby food. I say loosely, because he eats under 5 bites all told. Today, he fed himself with his spoon. Yep. Just under 6 months old and using a utensil.

This week, I purchased a high chair. A whopping $15 one from Ikea. I refuse to spend a shit ton of money on something that will need to be easily hosed off after every meal. $15? done. 

Playing with the drool rag that we must keep handy 24/7. This kid is a faucet. His first tooth has broken through, but it's nearly impossible to actually get a picture of it. 

 

Yesterday was our first real play date with my mom's group. Cupcakes and then the park.  Here are Benjamin and Charlie. All the kids there had great names... 

Alexander, Greyson, Graham, Benjamin, and Charlie.

There are now full out conversations with Murphy, the sheep dog.

 

And his new favorite place to chill, his chair.