Charlotte + babies = holy terror

I'm a little frightened to have Charlotte around any future children that we'll have. We got her this baby doll for Christmas when she was a whopping 4 weeks old. She's just started to take an interest in it which I was so excited about. Then I started taking all of these pictures and what transpired was flippin' hilarious and kind of scary.

"ohhh, my pretty dolly..."

"I wonder what would happen if I bent you backwards in half like this..."

"... and screamed in your face..."

"... and bit your bum..."

"...oh how I love my little dolly..."

Maybe she just has a crazy love for this doll...? or is already showing signs of bullying tendencies...? I'll guess we'll have to wait and see. =)

Chicago's Tall Ships

This was also back in August. We went out onto Navy Pier to view/board ships from around the world and different time periods. It was a perfect windy/hot Chicago day.

below is the same picture as above but zoomed in to see the scrumptiousness of this little girl

little happenings in August...

Charlotte and I have been on the go for the past three months and are finally home for a solid amount of time. There is a lot to post, but I'll start with randomness from August.

Charlotte...

missed her Daddy a lot...

climbed onto many things she wasn't supposed to...

learned how to distinguish the good stuff... gotta love those smurfs!

played with bubbles... =)

stood around like a stud...

walked nakey to the bathroom for her nightly bath...

out of all of those toys, she plays(-ed) with the large rubber ducky and starfish... the rest are ignored...

started watching Disney movies during lunchtime... (she lasts a whopping 15 minutes and is bored)

played lots with her Mama...

I think this was one of those days where I stayed in my pj's and played with Lotte... and loved it... and then felt gross and finally showered

went to the aquarium...

played with Canon, Kristen's baby (my roommate from college who stopped in Chicago for a visit)...

*alright, when I have the umph to work longer on my computer I'll post the many videos and pictures from Washington and Disneyworld for all to enjoy

i'm an auntie again!

Last night my sister gave birth to her fourth baby girl. It was quite the long process with her coming close to having a c-section and then pushing for 3 hours, but she's here! And she's stinkin' adorable!

They haven't quite decided on a name (as far as I know), but I think it will either be Lily or Addison... or both put together...?

Congratulations, Carrie, Dave, Emma, Claire, and Hallie!

nine months young

Time is flying by! My baby is already 9 months old! I don't even want to think about when she turns 1... boo... hoo... She is definitely our little buddy around here with such a personality! She's a bit of a menace and gets into EVERYTHING over and over and over and over again.

She...

*has TWO teeth - FINALLY

*waves hi and goodbye (without having to help her do it) as of a few days ago

*can walk while you hold just one of her hands (but super slow)

*tries to climb up onto anything - coffee table... couch... love sack

*pulls out our dvds and decorates our floor with them, sits, and stomps on them

*can stand without holding onto anything for a long time until she gets tired or feels unsure then she squats down to the floor

*does "bonka" where she gently (surprisingly gentle) bumps her forehead to yours when you say that word

*break dances... well she bobs her head and bum to music... but maybe one day...

*loves being tossed onto the love sack and to play pretty rough - but don't toss her into the air more than once or twice or she holds her breath, her eyes pop out, and she whines

*holds onto one ear when she drinks a bottle and flicks her own ears when she notices them

*loves any food that comes off of our plate, still lovin the really thick baby food (hates when it's runny or thin), has to be forced to drink enough milk in one day

*has been to: Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah, Texas, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana (Minnesota next weekend, Florida next month)

*is the most delightfully happy baby that we are quite obsessed with

the beehive state

Charlotte and I went to Utah a few weeks ago to visit Ben's family. It was nice to watch her surrounded by so much family that doesn't get to see her very often. She was a peach on the plane rides and met a few new friends that she insisted on hanging out with on their laps and not her Mama's - which was tooootally okay with me!

I stared at those mountains all week long... soaking them in.

Being cuddly and enjoying a book with Auntie Jenna.

Charlotte is pretty friendly. She always wants to be held by strangers and if they don't pay attention to her she'll hit them/stare/pull on their shirt until they do (like on the 'L' train (ew...)). This was the owner of a Thai restaurant we visited. After she was being held... she wasn't so sure she made the best decision... =) Doesn't she look a little worried?

Jumping on the trampoline.

Playing peek-a-boo and hiding in the pillows.

Pooped after a long morning of playing.

We were able to catch up with Alan and Jenny (friends/family) and meet their Maggie. Charlotte had just pinched her so she's a little upset, but is otherwise she's the most chill and contented baby.

Watching cartoons on Grandad's computer.

Okay... so I had our camera on a weird setting and couldn't figure out how to fix it... so these 'action' shots are the best I got with her and her Auntie Caitlin.

Taking naps in the cutest positions.

At the zoo with the whole family.

Sorry, I'm not one of those people that likes taking pictures of animals at a zoo. I may be one of few but really how many elephant pictures can you accumulate right? So I take pictures of people admiring the animals... =)

And the below video is of her adorable giggle while playing with Jack, their dog.

*Thank you, fam, for the visit! It was nice to have you put your lives on hold for a bit to hang out with us! Charlotte loved playing with all of you.

zoo time

I am playing major catch up with my posts. This was several weeks ago. Our neighbors have a zoo pass so Charlotte and I have gone a few times this summer with them. Of course one day we chose to go happened to be the hottest day on record. They (Theron and Charlotte... well us moms too...) were d-y-i-n-g from the heat, but they still had so much fun. After sharing some $7 water, ice cream, and popsicles we were all feeling much better.

These two are the cutest little friends. They light up when they see each other. Then steal each other's toys and tackle one another.

Yep, she's darling.

All tuckered out from the heat and fun.