Attached at the hip...

I haven't had a man this clingy since his father & I were dating...
Seriously, Charlie has an unhealthy attachment to his momma. He has learned to scream and cry when he sees me in another room & can't get to me. He is also learning to put his arms up when he wants me to pick him up. One afternoon, he was siting on Chris' lap while I vacuumed the living room & every time I pulled the vacuum back in his direction he put his arms up in the air. It's very cute & I'm flattered he loves me so much, but sometimes I just want to do the dishes in peace & quiet.

Choo Choo!

Well, we managed to make it through the holiday season without being buried in snow. However, I'm still trying to dig us out from the mountain of toys that has seemed to accumulate in my living room. We got toys that flash lights, toys that read books, toys that move, toys that make lots of LOUD noises, and toys that hurt when you step on them. We're pretty much set.. well until the end of eternity. Here are a few photos of our season, though I managed to make it 3 days at the farm and not take one photo of the kids. Thank goodness Kim has become the family photographer, and if she sends me the digital pics my kids will actually have evidence that we DID celebrate the season. I did manage to take photos of Mom & Dad's house while the kids were napping. Nothing feels like home more than their house at Christmas.



The Farm:

There's been a lot happening around the house this past month. I've gotten my product into several boutiques both here and in Minnesota. It's very exciting but Olive and Maude kept me way to busy over the holidays. I decided to close my shop for January to release stress and catch up on a few things, including sleep. I LOVE selling my creations but when it turns more into a second job than a hobby, I need to take a break.

Charlie grows bigger every day. He's sitting up by himself and becoming quite mobile, rolling for anything he wants. He's completely weaned from mommy now which was a sad event. The clinic continues to praise me for nursing him for 7 months, but I cant help but feel let down. We both enjoyed the bonding time but it became increasingly frustrating when I could no long fill up his belly. When he switched to 100% formula, Chris & I had one of the parental freak out moments. His stool was black as tar and we were worried that maybe he was bleeding in his intestines, which would explain the refusal of solid foods and the night time fussiness. After blood tests and stool samples we concluded one thing. I'm delusional, he hates baby food and doesn't like to sleep alone. Everything was fine, he just happen to have an ear infection... and normally black poo. They say nobody cares more about poo than mothers and nurses. I think mothers care a bit more than nurses. Good thing is he's eating more solids. We are skipping the bland foods and moving straight to the good stuff. Strained peas today, bacon tomorrow.

Perhaps the biggest news is with Maudie. SHE'S ON THE POTTY TRAIN! (as she declares)! That's right, all you skeptics, she's has went more than 2 weeks with only one accident in the first couple of days. For the last week she has even been waking from naps and nighttime dry. We are so proud of her. The only down side is that I just spent $35 dollars on a jumbo box of diapers. Oh well, I also spent $20 on new undies. The other night during one of her trips to the loo she remembered our promise to her. She came running from the bathroom yelling, MOM! NOW I GET TO GO TO BALLERINA LESSONS! I told her we could sign her up after her birthday when she's 3. Now, several times a day she tries to convince us that it's her birthday today. All this growing up with the potty training has gone to her head. Today over dinner she stops and says to me, "Mom, I had a really long day at work at Kristeens today."