Charlie is 15 months!

I've been trying to figure out just how to keep up with Charlie's life updates.  My good friend, Vanessa, had the cutest picture of her daughter with some fun words and loves over her last month and I just loved that.  A quick and easy way to capture the last month - or months in my case.  So I'm giving you all the credit, Vanessa!  Thanks for letting me borrow doing this!

So in addition to October 31 being Halloween - it also marked another month of your life, Charlie.  I cannot believe we have a 15 month old.  So many fun things, new tricks and new loves!!  However, I have not been so good at keeping up on monthly updates.  I cannot find time to sit down and document this between work, school and survival (aka - eating, sleeping, taking care of the house and you).  The last "Charlie" update I've done was on your birthday a full 3 months ago.  Shame on me.

What's even more crazy to me is just how much you have changed in the last 3 months.  And grown!!! Here are your latest stats from your 15 month appt:

Height: 32 inches (75 percentile)

Weight: 24 lbs and 12 oz (60 percentile)

Clothing Size: 12 month pants (although quickly getting too short) and 18 month shirts

Shoe Size: 5

Number of Teeth: 12 (think that 13 and 14 are coming in!)

From 12 months to 15 months you have fully emerged into a toddler.  You were walking then, but now you are so much more confident and can go up AND down the stairs pretty well now.  And you run.  Everywhere.  You keep your mom and dad on our feet for sure!  

Now this emersion into toddlerhood has been fun and challenging at the same time.  You are starting to communicate a lot - you tell us when you are done eating, you say "no" (hmmm...), you say "night-night dad", and are sure to let us know when you want something.  Some challenging things?  If we don't react fast enough to you telling us "done" with a meal...you literally take your hand and run it all over the high chair tray until all the food goes on the floor.  The dogs like it, but us, not so much. You also really like to throw your sippy cup on the ground when you are done drinking.  Why can you not just set it on the table?!  

Frustrating or not - you are pretty hilarious.  You like to point to your nose, my nose, dad's nose. You LOVE the dogs.  They don't LOVE you back, but somewhat let you mess around with them.  You really like the park and being outside.  We went to the common area of our neighborhood one day this past month and you just ran around and found sand.  Yep, loved that too.  We are going to have to try Monkey Buziness as the weather gets colder to keep you entertained I'm sure!  You also LOVE the petting zoo and corn pit.  We went to a fall festival and you were in love with those.  We also visited Deanna Rose Farmstead and what a place.  We'll be going there again!!!!

You are doing great at your new school.  You started there on September 3.  It was quite the rough first couple of weeks.  Screaming and crying every morning at drop off.  It was terrible.  I literally almost just went in and got you and took you home at least 2 times.  I would always call later that day and your teachers always said you quickly calmed down and had a great day.  And just like magic, one day you started not crying and waving to us and saying bye-bye when we left.  So much better.  

Sleeping has been interesting this month.  If you aren't sick or getting teeth you are a great sleeper.  At minimum 10.5 hours a night and sometimes 12.  But if something is up (which this is the season for being sick AND you seem to get all your teeth at once), you like to wake up REALLY early.  Like for a week straight you were up at 5:15AM.  Sheesh kid!!  I have to get ready for work at some point.  But luckily, like everything, it seems that stuff is just a phase that we go in and out of and as of today, we're out of it.  You take one nap a day around noon and sleep for 1.5-2.5 hours.  There are some days where all you want to do is go back to sleep at like 9AM (I feel ya kid!), but your teachers or us (if it's the weekend) do everything to keep you entertained and awake until official nap time.  You still have an early bed time (around 7:15 or 7:30).  We've tried to push it back a bit, but you still wake up around 6:30 or 7.  We are all learning together and we'll get it figured out.

Overall - I love love love this stage.  We can do so many fun things and we like to dance together and be silly.  Hearing your laugh might be my favorite thing in the world.  I love watching you play with your friends and cousins and see you interact with them.  You are turning into such a cute kid and still are so sweet to your mom.  You still like to snuggle with me at night.  One thing that also happened in this three month "no-Charlie-updates" was that we stopped nursing.  Done at 14 months and you adapted so quickly.  Mom, not so much - but I made it.  More emotional then anything!!

We are looking so forward to the holidays with you and so many fun family memories to be made!!!

Love you Charlie bear,

Mom and Dad

Here is a cute pic I posted on Instagram of him eating his ice cream cone after being a brave boy for his 3 shots at his doctor appointment!

Ice cream and bubbles = happy kid!

Happy Happy Halloween!!! (blast from the past)

Well, let me be the first to tell you:

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

I will say this holiday sure is different having a 15 month old little man - and it sure is fun!  We have some big plans for today/tonight.  Complete with mom attending a school Halloween party, a neighborhood costume parade, hitting up just a few of the neighbors houses (just to meet them - good excuse being new to the neighborhood!) and handing out candy - all with my sweet little Charlie Brown.

While I haven't had the time to get into the decorating (too much) for the season - we do have some decor and pumpkins of the porch, so that counts, I do count this as a "card" holiday.  Even though I work for Hallmark, I think you should too!  If not now, but next year.  It sure is a fun way to send love to some family and friends and show off your kid(s) cute costume(s).

And we have had a Halloween card now for the last 4 years.  Yep - even though this is only Charlie's second Halloween...my friends, I sent out cards with just my dogs.  I'm that lady.  At least you know I loved something else a lot before my sweet boy.  

So the 2013 cards and coordinating costumes?

Charlie Brown and his gang 

(Snoopy - kind of, Schroeder and Lucy Van Pelt)

However, the picture this year was darn near impossible with so many little beings in it that wanted to move everywhere.  So after a few attempts - mom and dad had to jump in to corral the bunch.

Luckily Jimmy and I had showered, right?  I was happy!

It's not the best picture, but it sure is the darn truth at what our family looks like these days!  And I love it.  I know that my grandma loved getting it too!  (see, people like cards!)  I do limit this list to about 30 people so it's not super expensive to send out - and I think it's totally worth it!

I was disappointed when looking back at 2012 to pull a link to my blog post with that card, but now I realized I literally had gone back to work after maternity leave about 4 days before Halloween - hence why there was no official blog post.  So here you go: the Carter family Halloween card recap over the years:

2012: Charlie was 3 months old and our house really was a ZOO!!!!

2011 - Toby's costume was my favorite.  And I was learning how to use Hallmark's print on demand - hence the weird card.  But still cute.

 

2010 (dog post, people post): We had been married for 6 months.  Essentially I went to Target and bought these costumes for the dogs and they hated every minute of it.  And I just printed these off as pictures and sent them.  I really like the quality of the postcards better!

2009: I purchased this amazing costume for Willy.  No one else "got" to dress up.  This is still my favorite. 

2008: this blog didn't exist and I had just had my dogs for about a month and a half, so I wasn't quite yet crazy dog lady.  Just took a few more months for that!!

The best part of the 2013 pictures?  The outtakes of course.

My parents were over because we were on our way to Charlie's school trick or treat that night, so since he had his costume on, I figured it was the perfect time.  Well thank goodness they were there.  Because I'm not sure if we would have ever gotten ANY decent shot with the dogs.

Milly's costume/dress I got at a consignment sale and is a baby girl 0-3 month; Jimmy found it in Charlie's laundry and thought I had something to tell him.  Willy's is an 18 month shirt that you will likely see Charlie sporting this winter.  Yes, my toddler and wiener dog are the same size.  Toby/Snoopy.  Well that was a disaster.  I thought in my head I would just throw a white undershirt on him and then get a white beanie hat for cheap - cut holes in it and then put Jimmy's black dress socks in the holes as ears.  Welp - that didn't work because apparently I forgot to realize that Toby's head is not quite shaped like a human's.  So after I went to 2 Wal-Mart's looking for a hat and then sent my parents looking - it didn't even work.  #fail  And he looks nothing like Snoopy but oh well - at least I didn't waste $50 on a Snoopy head.  I really wanted to though!

 

My parents were trying to get everyone nice and in place...

Charlie is just holding his pumpkin as good as can be...

Then he starts to escape and my dad stops him...

Then it was time for mom and dad to jump in and wrangle everyone {attempt to}

Nope - very little compromise.  These kids.

This was the one we used.  Notice Jimmy's tight grip!!

And he's over the whole thing. 

 

See?  I told you

And off to explore...

And hang with Nana.

And swing the beach ball that is in our yard from his first bday party!

But then Charlie Brown decided to give Shroeder some loving...

As usual, not reciprocated.

So we just sprint...

And finally give mom a smile.

Happy Halloween everyone!!  Here's to a great rest of 2013!!