Long overdue

I know, I know. 

We have been very busy here at Agnew Central and things like blog posts (and laundry and dishes *ahem*) tend to take a back seat. 

October came and went in a flurry.  Charlotte was very popular and had several events to attend all of which required a costume.  So, of course, I couldn't buy one, I had to make one.

Our little ladybug loved her wings (I loved them too). 

We went to a birthday party for a friend, and we had her school festival and parade, AND we went to the annual Memorial Hermann NICU patient caregiver reunion at the zoo.  It was such a good time and we even got to see our favorite nurse and her two sons, which was wonderful.  Aaron and I were both surprised that she remembered us and our ordeal and relayed it to her kids without prompting from us (almost two years later).  I guess we made an impression.  I only regret that I didn't thrust Charlotte at her and demand a photo.  Next time *fingers crossed*.

And just in case any of you need a reminder, we are one week and one day from her 2nd birthday.  When she looked at me and smiled and said "Hapffy" today for the first time, I thought yes, yes I am very happy.

I promise to blog about her birthday....at some point :)
Katie

P.S. I heard this blog inspired and helped.  I am so very happy Charlotte, Aaron and I were able to help and even more glad to hear you have a healthy little one at home. Strength in numbers really applies in a variety of places :)

School Days

Charlotte started Mother's Day out last week.  She goes twice a week and so far, she has been doing really well.  She has gotten great reports from her teachers.  She is a great "sharer" and plays well with the other kids.  On the first day, Ms. Jan told me that she was so sweet to a little girl that was very upset after her Mom left.  Charlotte was patting her back and saying "It's ok, it's ok baby". Now if we can just get her to eat her snack and lunch all would be perfect!

Charlotte and I are starting a Mommy and Me music class next week.  I am pretty excited about it and I think Charlotte will really enjoy it.

I hope "back to school" was a breeze for all of you.

Cheers,
Katie

Charlotte's First Day

Thumb and Jelly Toast

Earning her keep

Dance Party

This is what 20 months looks like around here.



Charlotte is quite the dancer. I have to be pretty sneaky with the camera. I think you see why.

19 months going on 16

The tantrums have started. You know the kind. The yelling, screaming, fall to the ground, won't stand up tantrums. It is all I can do sometimes not to have my own. Along with the tantrums, the sassing has really cranked up. I mean, the kid can't even really talk, but boy you know when she is sassing you. I have taken counting to 10 to an art form these days.

To be fair, I should let you know that it is far from being all bad. Most of the time Charlotte is loving and sweet and downright hilarious. She loves to read books, especially if she can climb in your lap to do it. She loves to play outside and ride in her wagon. Her all time favorite thing to do is dance. If there is music on, she is dancing. She will pull me into her room and point to her radio and say her version of on (which sounds a lot like up). All good stuff.

Our little weight project seems to be helping. I can tell she is filling out a bit and I am sure we will impress our docs when we go back for her weight check up at the end of July.

We hope you are all enjoying your summer.
Team Agnew

I know, I know. It has been too long.

But to be fair, Charlotte is no longer the "stay where I put you" kiddo. She LOVES to get into things, climb on things, jump off of things, and cause mischief and mayhem wherever she goes. Aaron and I were joking that if she isn't supposed to do it, she is doing it. Sound familiar? I am sure more than a few of you can relate.

Charlotte is 18 months old now. 18 months! Developmentally, she is doing really well. Walking, running, talking, etc. Unfortunately, we did not get a good report on her growth chart at her check up yesterday. Declining growth charts are no fun. The doctor would like her to see a GI specialist and a dietitian and I really, really don't want to get caught up in that circle again. We agreed to give her a couple of months before taking that step. We have an appointment at the end of July so until then, we are on Operation Gain Weight around here. Initially, I was pretty disappointed with the report. Feeling like a bit of failure, I guess. I quickly realized how silly that was and turned my frown upside down. I mean really, things could be so much worse and I have nothing to complain about. She is small, it isn't the end of the world, and we can fix it.

We signed her up for a Mother's Day Out class that starts in September. I think it will be really good for her and I know it will be good for me.


Perhaps I will have time to actually clean up all the messes she makes :)

It's April?

Where does the time go? Really, where? March was a busy month with a lot of traveling, hosting guests, planting the garden, etc, etc. I blinked and the month was over.

Our little ray of sunshine is now 16 months old and doing very well. She was recently evaluated by ECI (Early Childhood Intervention) and passed all of their tests with flying colors. She tested at 16 or 17 months for everything except fine motor skills and that range was 14.5 -16 months. So really, not a deficiency. I was most surprised to hear that she was "scattering" up to 24 months in some areas, mostly her gross motor skills and problem solving.

With all of the traveling and hosting, she was able to have some play time with most of her cousins, including her Swiss cousin, Joshua. It was a lot of fun to watch them all interact. I think I will be seeking out more opportunities to socialize her now that RSV/cold/flu season is over and she seems to be eager to play with other little ones. We were at the park last night and a group of older kids were hanging around (Side Note: Were we ever that annoying? Surely not). They had no interest in entertaining Charlotte and she was not very happy about that. It will probably be good for her to be around people that don't live and die by her smiles and eyelash batting :)

Helping Dad plant tomatoes

Messy Eater

Curly

Terrible Twos at 15 months?

She isn't quite there yet, but boy do we have a boundary pusher. Telling her not to do something is like an invitation for her to figure out a way to do just that, without getting caught. *Face palm*

Now that she is walking and climbing, we have been diligent teaching her how to get down from things and how to navigate stairs. She does pretty well, even "repelling" off our bed, which is too high for her to slide off of easily, using the bed sheets.

She says Momma and Daddy regularly, but even funnier, most of the time she just says Mom. I don't know why that makes me laugh. I guess she seems too young or small to have already gone from Momma to Mom. She also says duck, quack, and yes with clarity. She has other "words" that I understand, like kiki for monkey, but as Aaron says, I have my baby gibberish ears on.

She is still under 18 pounds, but we are getting there. We have her 15 month check up next week and I am hopeful that the doctor will agree that it is time to change her over to whole milk. We have already started giving it to her at times and she seems to like it and tolerate it well.

Now I must run along to stop Charlotte from swan diving off the couch....

One Year

A year ago today marks one of the happiest days of my entire life. On February 6, 2010, we were finally able to bring our sweet little girl home from the hospital. It seems so long ago and just like yesterday, all at the same time. Time flies and stands still? Curious.

We are very proud of her and are loving watching her grow and develop. Walking, talking, and yes, sassing. She definitely keeps us on our toes.

14 Months. An update in pictures.

Charlotte eats big girl food and loves it.


She holds her own bottle. Finally.


She can be a REAL stinker.......


although, she is a sweetheart most of the time.


Wait, who is this guy?

He would be my genius little brother that asked Kate to marry him and he was lucky enough that she said yes! Congrats little brother.

Big changes around here :)

Happy New Year!