One

Charlie is one today.

I did a lot of reminiscing about his birth last weekend, when I was working at an annual garage sale fund-raiser I co-chair. Last year, I went Friday night to set up for the sale, went home, fell asleep, and woke up when my water broke. Three weeks early... setting off a funny 1 AM scramble. It was fun to think about it all as I ran around at this year's sale. What a difference a year makes, in so many ways.

Charlie has really changed in the last couple months. Maybe it's that his mobility has brought out some previously hidden aspects of his personality. He continues to be the easy-going, joyful guy he's always been (I wish I had a nickel for every time a stranger asks me "is he always that happy?") But now he's letting us know his preferences, and he is not afraid to be loud about it.

^ A few of his favorite things: his lion ("Lionel Ritchie), an apparently tasty plastic turkey leg, and his new "retro rocket."

Charlie's vocalizing is the most noticeable when it comes to food. We do not dare to put this boy in his high chair until his food is ready to go directly in his mouth. To do otherwise is to subject yourself to a very loud, insistent wail/whine/yell. I can't really describe the sound itself. Let's just say you can't miss the fact that this little guy wants his food, and he wants it NOW.

And it's not limited to food - Charlie lets you know when he wants something and is mad he can't have it. This comes up the most when he and Zach are on the floor together; he always wants whatever Zach is playing with, and will rarely take a substitution. And when Zach tries to "block" him from getting to the desired object - RAAAAHHHHH!!! I was the subject of his irritation the other day when I wouldn't let him stand up in the tub; he did the full back-arching temper tantrum-like yell. It was impressive. Fortunately we haven't seen too much of that yet, but I'll keep you posted.

^This boy loves the tub. I think the 2nd one may be my new favorite picture of Charlie. :)

Charlie has examined every inch of the first floor of our house - he's an explorer. Pulling items off shelves is particularly delightful. We've put the gate at the bottom of the stairs, since he makes a bee-line for that climb any time he can. He's actually quite good at scaling the stairs, as long as he pays attention to what he's doing. He started out trying to put his foot on the step, instead of his knee, and heave himself up that way. Now he does a combo of the two, a bit like his crawling style. And yes, he's still doing the right foot/left knee combination when he crawls. He's gotten quite fast, especially on the hardwood floors where he can slide that knee/leg.

Other than the stairs, Charlie's favorite target remains the dog. Koskie has his faults, but a lack of patience is definitely not one of them. Charlie loves to pull the hair on Koskie's tail, but mostly he likes to bury his hands in fur, get up on his knees and bounce. No idea why, but he loves it. When I'm in the kitchen and can't see him, I can always tell when he's found the dog by the noises he makes - the same happy noises he makes when he has his favorite stuffed lion.

I think it'll be a while yet before Charlie walks. He can pull himself up on anything, and cruises all over the place, using the furniture and his walker and ride-on toys; the stool in the kitchen is apparently perfect for pushing across the floor. He'll stand on his own for a few seconds until he realizes that's what's happening. So he's probably ready, but I just get the feeling he's perfectly content to crawl. He does like to walk around holding your fingers; when he has the opportunity, he makes a huffing sound, like he's exhaling little puffs through his teeth. That's his excited sound. :)

We're also seeing a mischievous side to Charlie. When he's crawling for something he knows he's not supposed to have (Koskie's dog toy, the blinds), he'll turn and look at me and give me a big grin before he goes charging after it. I see that same expression during diaper changes; he loves to escape mid-change, then turn back as he scoots away to see if I'm going to chase him.

Charlie's preferences are emerging food-wise. This baby would eat any vegetable in puree format, and loves finger food; yet does not like veggies as finger food. Go figure. He will look at the assortment on his tray and very efficiently pick around the vegetables. If it's a particularly offensive one, he'll delicately pick it up and deposit it over the side. Like his dad, Charlie loves anything bread-like: pancakes, waffles, toast, etc. The one exception is noodles. (Somehow I am surrounded by three guys who don't like pasta, not even mac 'n cheese!) Fruit is a big hit, especially bananas. He's a huge fan of pizza and ice cream. And he's already had his first cheeseburger at McDonalds!

^Those are kiwi seeds on his chin; I thought he looked pretty good with a "soul patch"!

Charlie's sense of humor is emerging, but he still thinks blowing raspberries is about the funniest thing out there. He's getting quite good at it, and loves to create big loud ones to make his brother laugh.

As far as talking goes, Charlie says a "ma ma ma" sound a lot, but not necessarily in reference to me. I often hear it in conjunction with his sign for "more," which he does by clapping (close enough, right?). That is his only sign so far; we've definitely never seen "all done" - he never seems to be done eating! He's pointing a lot more, which can help with communication. But in general he finds ways to tell us what he wants.

Charlie's mouth is now full of three, almost four teeth. He's had the bottom two for a while, then a top one came in, and it seems like he's had this funny one-tooth look for months. Fortunately the other top one is now about halfway down. He's been biting and chewing on anything he can, so I think the process has not been pain-free.

Sleep-wise, Charlie has been doing us some favors by sleeping later, closer to 6 am most days. This is a vast improvement from 4:30! I suspect it may help that he's discovered sleeping on his stomach, but who knows. I just hope it lasts. He continues to go to sleep easily; when you lay him down in his crib he always does the same thing - wiggles around a little, snuggling his arms up over his head to get comfy. So cute.

We're having a family day today, with a simple birthday celebration. We had Charlie and family portraits taken this morning, and then lunch at a favorite pizza place in our old neighborhood. Later today will come the cake... I suspect this boy will love it. More pictures to come!

Happy birthday Charlie-bug. We love you.