Make Room for Daddy

Hello. This is dad's first post on here. I'm only temporarily serving as the poster boy because I have had Charlie this week. Angie will resume regular posting duties next week. I didn't post the first week I had Charlie because, as you may have heard, there was an eyepoking incident at our house that week and the scratching of the cornea made it hard to tolerate light, let alone look at a computer screen and write about anything. But I'm all better now.

Charlie has had a pretty good week, I guess. On Sunday, we went to church (or I did -- Charlie went to the nursery). When I was ready to head home, they had moved Charlie to the 18-24 month old room even though he is only 17 months. They were a little shorthanded in the 12-18 month old room, and they said he walks and eats and talks and everything well enough and was big enough that he was their best candidate to move over. So he got a sneak preview of "the big kids" room that he'll be moving to next month.

On Monday I got him registered at the Swim Ranch. It is a high demand thing around these parts, but we snuck him in. So at 11am on Saturdays this July - August, Charlie will be learning about swimming with other 12 to 30 month olds. Then next summer he'll be old enough to move up to the 3-4 year old class. Monday night he went to church with his Aunt Jenny, who substitute taught on Paul's letters to Timothy and Titus at our Bible Study class for Angie and me while I had to go to meetings that night. But I got home in time to see him get to bed and tell him goodnight.

Otherwise this week, he has been cooped up in the house with Tess or me because it was sort of cold here this week -- 40's at night and upper 50's in the daytime. Yesterday afternoon it finally warmed enough for him to play out in the backyard with Tess and his mamaw, who came over to visit him. He also has talked to his mama a lot on the phone this week, and yesterday he got to talk on the phone to his papaw, too.

Today is pretty warm, so he will hopefully get to go outside some -- I may take him to the park for a little while after work if it doesn't get too cool or rain. He got to wear a short sleeved shirt to school today for the first time since last fall. Tomorrow, he gets to go see his mama again. He has been asking for her constantly, so he'll be very happy.

His sleep has been all messed up. He is teething again (he still only has 7 teeth -- 4 in front on the bottom, two in front on the top and a top molar), and he has grown about a half inch in the last 2 weeks, as well as gaining another pound in the past month. I'm sure the teething and the rapid growing aren't helping him sleep. He is also very close but not quite there yet on changing from two naps to one nap. But being in between on that is tough -- because he gets up around 6:30am and gets tired around 11:30. He wakes up from that nap by 2pm, and its a long stretch from there to bedtime at 8pm. Sometimes he gets very tired around 6 - 7pm, but if you put him to bed then, he's up at 5:30am instead of 6:30. If he can ever get to where he can make it until noon before taking his nap, he'll have it made. He's just not quite there, which just keeps him tired in the late afternoon/early evening.

He has still been eating like a horse. Again, all the growing I guess. Yesterday for instance: breakfast was a waffle, a piece of sausage, a bowl of oatmeal with peaches stirred in, and a banana; lunch was six chicken fries, a container of peas, and a container of mixed fruit; he snacked on goldfish, 3 saltines and a banana; and for dinner had 4 fish nuggets, a container of green beans and a container of apple sauce. He also drank 16 oz of milk and 16 oz of juice/water. Can we really afford another one who might eat like this?? I've heard about how expensive it is to feed teenagers, but not babies -- so we are REALLY in trouble with Charlie!

He also fell in love with an empty milk bottle this week. He wants it with him (and the lid -- you can't leave the lid anywhere) everywhere!! Inside, outside, in the bath, in the car and so on. I won't let him take it to bed with him, which has caused a fit each night at bedtime. He just puts the lid on, takes the lid off, puts it on, takes it off. And the fit thing is defintely starting now. If things don't go his way, he hits the object causing his consternation and throws it down or slams it down, then he goes after other objects in the vicinity, throwing them and slamming them too. I have to bite my tongue not to laugh, because it is funny to watch even though I know we will eventually have to work on it when he understands a little better. No timeouts this week though -- he has minded very well for the most part and he also has fewer things in our house that aren't already childproofed or out of his reach, so he can't get himself in as much trouble here even if he wanted to. So its probably been a good break for him -- he hasn't had to be told no a lot, and not very many corrective actions have taken place.

That's about it for this week. No photos -- mom has the camera. So you'll just have to imagine what Charlie has been up to this week, and I'm sure new photos will be up next week. And I KNOW new photos will be up the week after that, when Charlie's little brother arrives -- 13 days to go!

Take care, and God bless!