early bird

 

What?! I have to wait 

some 60 plus years for 
my Florida retirement??? 

I'll take another nap then...

potty time

Not that we would have attempted this with a new baby around and all the other changes this summer, but Charlotte determined herself that she wants to go potty now -- especially when seeing how much fun older friends in daycare have with this "business."

We suspected for a while that she's 'ready' to learn. Even without any prompting on our part, she is actually pretty reliable already. Secretly, we think she just likes to use it as an excuse to read more books. As evidence, Charlotte tellingly set up Leo to model the luxury of her new pot for all to see.

* Stay tuned: We've added Sesame Street sticker rewards to entice our little potty trainer even more (resulting in Charlotte splitting her business into multiple installments now) and Charlotte is starting to officially potty train in daycare tomorrow (she's already excited about wearing big girl underwear -- also Elmo themed, of course ;-)

mandelbaum, mandelbaum, mandelbaum

We're not sure if he looks more like Izzy, Izzy Jr., or Izzy Sr.? 

sleepover

Speaking of sleepless nights, which are usually only a newborn/baby phenomenon in our house: Charlotte didn't want to sleep the other night and caused enough of a fuss to merit reinforcements. All she wanted, it seems, was to read a few more books. So Mama read a German book with her before beginning a German rendition of The Cat in the Hat, which, thankfully, was cut short once Charlotte's moon light mercifully quit for the evening. (These books came after reading a book about Washington, DC, The Cat in the Hat (in English), and The Going to Bed Book with Daddy before attempting sleep the first time.) [As an aside: the only threat of punishment Charlotte seems to respond to is the possibility of no books in the evening.] 

 The evening get-together was pleasant, however, with the whole family in tow. Charlotte initially called for Mama. She then requested to visit Daddy and Noey; preferring to keep her close to home base, we came to visit her instead. Last but not least, the curious one, Penny, decided to come join the festivities. As usual, she entered with a kiss for whomever she could reach.   

happy us!

Alright, when you have children your own birthdays, schedules and activities take second rank... and to be honest, blogging about the 'critters' is just so much more fun! But once a year, we get to celebrate us:

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

At our wedding, one of the guests predicted that five years in we would have two kids and a dog...
we complied, ahead of schedule ;-)

In the last four years, we've repeatedly said YES: to each other, to a life together, and to a family. And so far -- apart from the occasional snoring and nagging, sleepless nights, tantrums, and doggie walks in the rain -- it feels pretty good.

the end of summer*

[*at least according to DC Parks and Recreation]

Labor Day marked the closing of DC's spray parks. Since it was still hot here, Charlotte and the whole family took the opportunity to splash out for the end of the season. 

sisterly love

Noah is officially part of the clan -- his big sisters have fully welcomed him.

On the very first day, Charlotte gave him a loving nickname: Baby Noey (rhymes with Zoe and Chloe). In fact, Charlotte's repertoire of Noah nicknames [aka variations] has steadily grown: Nola, Nona, Nolika, Nolina, Noney, ...

Whenever she gets a chance, Penny gives little Noah a good sniff or wet kiss.



When Charlotte hears her little brother cry, she's taken to commenting

"Baby Noey is crying. Ima gonna make him feel better."

Big sister has gone through the gauntlet of siblingdom though, and exhibited a gamut of sibling emotions over the past weeks.

On the way to her second hospital visit, Charlotte exclaimed to Daddy in the car: 

"Ima gonna hold baby Noah." [Ed. note: Pause. That's nice Charlotte. Maybe she's getting the hang of this thing after all.]

"Ima not gonna poke his eyes out." [Ed.: Umm, I wasn't concerned about that until just now. Why would that even come into your head? What other types of "interaction" have I neglected to anticipate?]

"Ima not gonna hit him." [Ed.: Sounds like daycare teachers were working hard on adding a NOT to this sentence...]

As if he had known, Noah arrived bearing gifts to appease the sisterly gods. We're not sure if it was the fancy camera 'he' gave Charlotte, or simply his sweet newborn charm... but she immediately took to him: Charlotte's favorite activities now include kissing Noah, helping him burp, kissing Noah, assisting with diaper changes, kissing Noah, singing and reading books to him, and... kissing him.


Penny, on the other hand, has been completely unfazed by the new delivery. When we had Charlotte, we had the distinct impression that Penny didn't trust us as newbie parents [she would run in our room -- tail wagging -- and stick her wet snout into whichever face she could reach when Charlotte began crying]. She's now more relaxed about how the whole operation works, letting the two-leggers tend to the situation on their own terms -- but still grabs every opportunity to snuggle up to "her baby".

All in all,
it looks like Noah can look forward
to more sisterly love from our girls.

first days (... and weeks)

Yes, we've been in Babyland over the past month -- enjoying baby bliss and living in baby blur! 

 

Having settled into our new five-some family life (and gotten used to a more erratic schedule and shorter nights again...), we're back to update you on our adventures since we've come home: from the early sleepy (yearn!) newborn days to the more lively infant-toddler-doggie discoveries to come ;-)

a chip off the old block

Nana came to visit Baby Noah this week and brought along a few mementos. First came Daddy's favorite book as a toddler: The Little Red Caboose. Daddy used to read it every day. Literally, every day. Charlotte received her own, less-worn, copy. She's proceeded to read it every day too. Twice each night. 

 

Nana also brought her book of notes from Daddy's first years. A small sampling, produced below, could be used to establish paternity of Charlotte in a court of law. 

6.5 months: Climbs steps.

15 mos.: Absolute pain; gets into everything; got into Crisco shortening; spilled vegetable oil all over floor; puts crumbs from cookies on cat's head; pulls bathroom rugs out from bathroom; climbs on chair and clears tables; sits on secretary [desk]; has smile on face continuously but is not a kisser; no one wants him in their room.

17 mos.: Sits on cat; kicks cat; bit Amy; pushes chair to kitchen counter to turn light on and off; climbs into highchair with his bib when hungry; gets on chair and puts shades up; pee-peed in hallway closet with door closed when diaper was not on.

17.5 mos.: Knows all parts of body--ear, eye, nose, teeth, hands, hair, head, belly, toes, arms, mouth; lays on living room windowsill while looking out window; dances around house.

21 mos.: Wanders all over; climbed fence and went next door into [neighbor's] screened patio and climbed on lounge chairs; dive bombs on cat; walks down stairs without holding on.

23 mos.: Calls himself "Andrew;" will not say Troy; has a mind of his own; is a real tease; has to have bandaids all over his legs and arms; is a real handful; gets into something constantly; lets cat out of house all the time.

26 mos.: Talks very well and all the time; says "I hold it" instead of "Me" or "Troy;" teases constantly; will say "Dumb Brett" or "Dodo Brett" just to tease Brett.

well, at least she has a future as a publisher

Baby Noah gave Charlotte a gift for his birthday: a camera. [Yes, Charlotte receives gifts even for other people's birthdays...]

Here's a sampling of what she photographed. She was particularly interested in her feet, the floor, and her scooter. But one picture stands out from the rest. [Maybe she was just channeling her "inner Noey."]

noah maximilian is here!

August 14, 2013 - 4:04 am
7 pounds 15 ounces (3621 g)

 21 3/4 inches (52,5 cm)

After taking his time for a bit, our little boy was all of a sudden eager and VERY quick to arrive: In a speedy delivery, Noah Maximilian was born mid last week. After a few days in the hospital, we've been settling in well at home.

Charlotte is excited about her baby brother and already gave him the loving nickname Noey. 

san diego memories

Before leaving San Diego, we did a family photo shoot on our beach -- to capture some of the memories we've collected during our Southern California life in the past years.

We've made many happy memories during this time: most importantly, starting our family.

Troy moved to San Diego first -- as a bachelor (albeit attached) -- to pursue graduate studies. In Baja California, he proposed to Sandra who joined him after two years of DC-California long distance. We planned our German wedding from San Diego, and got married. Then, we added a little doggie to our growing family: can you believe Penny Lane was 12 pounds when we got her?! Shortly after, we got pregnant and welcomed Charlotte Sophie, our (energetic!) bundle of joy. Two years on, we got pregnant, again... and are now eagerly awaiting the new family addition in DC! ;-)

Things we'll miss about our California life: the community and dear friends we've made through university, doggie and baby connections... the ocean and beach down the street, for our evening walks and for Penny & Charlotte to romp around... the weather... the pleasant climate and outdoor activities... our Sunday stroll over the Farmers' Market up the street... watching Eagles games at 10am! And so much more.

girls can play dirty too!

funny bunny

For Easter, Charlotte had fun coloring eggs, searching them with her friends, and meeting the bunny (although that encounter was initially a little suspect ;-)