Week 67 and Week 19

Charlotte is saying words - so many words.  Ok, not so many, but some words, and it is cute.  She sometimes says words you don't expect her too - like parroting "mop" which is funny, but she has yet to say "dog" or "thank you" (and we want her to say both even though she signs both).  So she says no, apple, up, one, two (and sometimes three), mama, mamaye (same as mama), dada, Imee, more, mop (though she doesn't know what that means) and the aforementioned oh my gosh (all with pregnant pauses in between the words.  Usher would be so proud she doesn't said the Lord's name in vain).  Charlotte also knows where her eyes and her belly are.

We went to the doctor for a wellness check - she is 32" tall and 25 pounds (11.7 kg).  The doctor asks if she can do all of these things like know where her eyes are and of course she won't do anything in front of the doctor because she is an artist and her art cannot be forced!  I mean, she is probably just shy sometimes.

I have eaten like total crap over the last few days (a harrowing number of consecutive meals that included french fries) and as of tonight we are in our new house!  Miraculous I survived as I am just a horrendous mover - I don't know why I continue to be traumatized by it but I do.  At least all of our stuff is in one place.  Charlotte was on a day long play date today because there was no where to sleep and we could concentrate on moving instead of moving around to find her.

Pregnancy wise - no new news.  Just cooking along this week (good because I was so distracted by moving!).

Sorry this is going to be a lazyish post - I will post more later this week I promise.  Here are some long overdue photos of our professional photo shoot from Charlotte's first birthday.

Charlotte getting her hanbok on with her daddy's help:

Charlotte has mastered that Korean photo-stoicism in this family portrait:

Charlotte getting the hang of walking in that dress!

Charlotte eats:

And shows off her funny face:

Mommy attempting to put her in a second hanbok:

Moving

I am sitting in front of my dying Mac (dying due to a lack of power) trying to capture the sadness of leaving our house.  I have never before been so attached to a house - we did get married here (and unexpectedly board some 6 friends and family here post wedding) and our dear Charlotte was born on the stairs here.  But it is a house and not a person or being I suppose - and we must leave it as we desire to have a house that is easier to maintain and cheaper - as I am not working as I was in flush mid 2008.  It is a beautiful house - with many parts that we never even took full advantage of (all of the decks and balconies upstairs).  I had asked Matt to come home from work today to offer me moral support as I am sad to see all our stuff being packed up from our beautiful home.  But I suppose it is a beautiful home - but not ours anymore.  I am sitting among boxes and plastic wrap and am wistful for a more comfortable place to sit than this dining chair - but alas plastic wrap has engulfed all of our cushier seats.  Tonight is the last night in our house - and tomorrow we will be in our new house to spend at least two more years of adventures with our expanding family.  Why am I so emotional about this?  I guess I can blame it on the hormones...

Week 66 and Week 18 - OMG

We are back in Singapore and Char and I are TIRED.  I have various tips for long haul air travel if anyone is interested (e.g. it is good to let the baby cry it out - a brief inconvenience for better sleep for everyone).

Charlotte has begun to say oh my gosh from that OMG song and it is so cute.  Unfortunately she doesn't do it when you ask her to.

I am also 18 weeks pregnant (and finally out on this blog about it).  I will do a further update at a later time but it is very different (and more difficult) that with dear Charlotte.

We are moving!  Domestic insane summer.  Sorry for the lame July posts.  I promise to be better once things are settled.  I hate moving....

Charlotte's last photo in Madison.  She kind of drinks out of juice bottles (and kind of spits some of it out):

Charlotte looking pensive:

My new favorite photo of Charlotte this week - she cannot be bothered:

Charlotte at Chris's playing with the exersaucer:

Gang and Connor at Chris's:

Charlotte rocks Olivia:

Week 65

We are leaving tomorrow to head back to Singapore and I am so late to post!  Sorry sorry - lots to do and many wonderful people to see and I am a bit spent at the moment.

No separate commentary - just pictures with an update of our week...

Lovely friends visit:

Lovely family visits...

Grandpa introduces Charlotte to corn - which we start and stop all in one weekend (too many poopy diapers):

Charlotte finishing Breaking Dawn - a feat mommy could not:

In her car from Xmas:

New shoes:

Lovely cousins visiting. Matt taught them how to water ski for the first time:

Here is a video of Charlotte dancing to her new favorite song, OMG by Usher, in front of her extended Drake family:

And Charlotte, in her own manic genius, putting on her first slide+concert a la Elton John:

Week 64 - Happy 4th

A day late and a dollar short.  Yadayadayada.  I know - Thursday is the blogging day for me in America - I don't know why but Wednesdays are no good.  O well.

On Friday we went to Matt's great aunt's 50th wedding anniversary in Wisconsin Rapids- and met a slew of relatives I didn't even know existed!  The highlight of the night was Charlotte discovering the lounge singers at the bar next to the event's meeting room.  She was MESMERIZED.  She kept walking and finding her way back to stare at the singers!  Charlotte has music in her blood, that is for sure.

We celebrated the 4th of July 'up north' and it was great fun to hang out with Matt's family at his Grandma's cottage on Lake Nokomis.  I got a bit of sunburned but luckily Charlotte didn't (and she has a very subtle and cute sandal tan on her feet).  I think she likes the water after some initial trepidation. 

We also visited Kris T - my old boss from DL!  I know she is always home for the 4th and it is great to see her in her own big family, parallel crazy universe in Tomahawk.

On the development front she is pointing (I suppose she should have been doing this at one year), and she has said 'bird' and 'boat'.  She isn't a stellar copycatter - she often has this look of 'I am not your parrot, Mom' but it is fun when she plays along.  She is also drinking out of a glass - out of sheer will I think.

Also - she is getting her upper molars - FUN.  Many days she can sleep through (especially if we tucker her out with her share of running around) but some nights (like, I dunno, last night) she just wails for a while inconsolably.  She slept well up north (Grandma's room must be a masterful baby sleep den) and must have found all of her hamminess (dancing for the extended family on many, many occasions) to be, well, exhausting.

Ok, on with the onslaught of photos!

Charlotte with Grandma Shirley enjoying some ice cream at Wisc Rapids:

Char with great uncle Randy - she is not so sure of this whole floaty situation:

Family up north:

July birthday girls:

Crazy hair!

Charlotte visiting Kris in Tomahawk:

Charlotte at the Burk trailer up (more) north:

Charlotte experiences water!

Charlotte back in Madison at dusk:

Charlotte and Brooks play ball with Uncle Dan's help:

Week 63 - Enjoying our Wisconsin Summer

Sorry for the late post - it is hard to stay on top of blogging when you are living life I guess :).

This week was filled with many fun events and outings it is hard to keep up as we often do, well, nothing in Singapore.  Charlotte did have her first night here without waking up (yeah!) which I think was the result of playing with other kids till she was tuckered.  She is also apparently counting to three and saying 'pretty' but I haven't heard either of each.

We are at a point in the house where we cannot do so much but it is substantially done on the inside anyway except transitions in the floors and a wooden topper for our handrails and other stuff I cannot remember.

We went to DB's birthday mini-golf (sans Char) hosted our first BBQ at the house and went to the local free zoo and took Charlotte on her first boat ride on Lake Mendota and went to concert on the first concert on the square of the season.

The weather has been blissful - hard to believe it was 60 degrees two weeks ago (and I insisted we turn the fireplace on!).

On with the photos (many this week!):

Here is Matt jumping on our dumpster:

Matt and the birthday boy and some random sock monkey:

Brooks and Char playing on the slide at our first bbq:

Testing out the new lens (85mm f1.8):

Matt and friends chillin' and grillin' in our backyard:

Charlotte enjoying the zoo:

Charlotte enjoys her first Babcock ice cream:

Charlotte and her aunties in the big Union chair:

Charlotte's first boat ride:

Here is Charlotte intently playing with her plastic cups on the season's first Concert on the Square: