clean up, clean up...

      ♬ ... everybody, everywhere. Clean up, clean up... everybody do your share!  ♬


So they tell Charlotte at baby class and daycare.

And she happily complies, always waddling with an excited smile to the toy bin -- to drop off whatever she played with. That sense of orderly acquiescence must be a German trait.

Although, Charlotte is not that neat when it comes to eating.

 

Learning to use a spoon and fork is just too much fun to let all the food simply disappear in your mouth ;-) 

But luckily, there's always a doggie who's happy to clean up that part. 

A round of applause for Penny!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

sunday brunch

These shots are from a few weeks back (actually the weekend when Charlotte really took off walking) but show nicely how fun it is to have a lazy Sunday breakfast out at a local cafe with a dog- and kid-friendly patio (more space to roam around and have Mama or Daddy chasing after you ;-) and on the way to our beloved farmers' market.









While Penny was snoozing below the table, Charlotte was excited for our food to come...













...waving the "we-have-ordered" card to our waiter and everyone else in the restaurant.














Breakfast, please!

in control

 

 

Troy and I have long given up any illusions... we know who runs our life and family: dear Charlotte & Penny.

Fittingly, the remote is one of Charlotte's favorite 'toys' -- the real one, of course! She pretty quickly noticed that the other one Daddy put into her toy drawer is out of batteries and does not control anything!!  Pushing blinking buttons to switch on (and off, and on, and off, and on...) the TV and music is just too much fun ;-)

geräuschkulisse

Charlotte liebt ihr Buch der Töne und Geräusche:

Einige ihrer neuen Lieblingsgeräusche sind der jaulende Wolf, der knallende Kracher und der tropfende Wassertropfen - die werden jedes Mal beim Durchblättern energisch und wiederholt mit dem Zeigefinger angezeigt und wenn Mama sie dann herzhaft imitiert gibt's dazu ein grosses Babygrinsen!

Wir können es jetzt kaum noch abwarten bis Charlotte selbst lautstark jaulend, krachend und tröpfelnd durch's Haus rennt...

waiting for daddy

One of those melt-your-heart pictures...

Charlotte (and Penny) love to head out and wait for Daddy when they hear him pull into the driveway at the end of the day.

first day of 'school'

Charlotte has been busy over the past two weeks visiting a new stomping ground: daycare!

She's happily made new friends there,  discovered all the fun toys and play areas they have, and found it interesting to eat at a mini table on mini chairs (before washing her hands at a mini sink! "Hey, why don't we have everything my size at home?!!")

She even managed to nap there - of course, in the comforting company of dear Rosa.

And on Monday, the big day was there:
Charlotte started daycare full time.

Mama was probably more nervous about the drop off than her -
after all, that's where all the other kids go too ;-)

And remember, I'm a big girl now!

circus coming to town

 As mentioned, Charlotte loves her morning walks with Penny... and friends!







 
The other day, she insisted on taking dear friend Rosa AND
new pal Leo along
for the ride.





Together with Penny, our circus was complete to go through town ;-)

this big!

Two weeks ago Penny attended her second Dog Days of Summer at the Padres. (It was our third straight year since we unknowingly stumbled upon the festivities when Penny was just a pup at home in a crate back in 2010.) The event is filled with dogs, babies, blankets, dogs and picnics. Just like last year, Penny got to walk around on the ballfield in a procession that was broadcast on the stadium scoreboards.

A year of seasoning proved beneficial as she took in the stroll, posing for cameras (not just ours), receiving treats, and getting petted by spectators in the stands.

But the real highlight for Penny was the Padres dugout, her Shangri-La. They had the biggest chewing sticks she's ever seen: 34 inches of pure wood, just behind her, waiting to be devoured. To prove that she was up to the challenge, she even demonstrated for the fans how big she'd have to open her mouth. 

 

little angel

Charlotte is a busy bee - but once in a while, we manage to capture the beauty and quiet of a moment's pause in her explorations!

Here is one of those favorite 'angelic' shots that make Mama's heart melt (and laugh, when noticing the booger on Charlotte's nose...)

so charlotte

Alright, we are having too much summer fun - high time to give an update again! 

The first shot is just so Charlotte - she is a little clown... (Must have inherited that from Daddy ;-)
 



In other news: Just within a week of starting to walk on her own, first timid and exploring - covering short distances at a time, between Mama & Daddy or from one favorite toy to the next - Charlotte has become a pro and likes to walk everywhere...











... through the room/house, along the beach, and even in the water.

a good return on investment

This shot is a from while back but too good to leave lost in the pictures folder! Excuse the quality: For successful industrial espionage, our reporter had to sneak up on the customer with a small and quiet, low resolution mini-camera...

When we were choosing a crib for Charlotte, our current house featured heavily into the decision making. Small on space, we settled on the only mini crib on the market that actually fits through our original narrow doorways (the crib was originally designed for NYC apartments, no surprise). The company proudly advertises that it will fit a child up to two years. Looking at the dimensions, we knew that they could not be talking about an average child. But we thought we would still get enough use out of it within the first year - since it doubled up as Charlotte's co-sleeper next to our bed from newborn to infant age, and we can easily wheel the crib everywhere in the house for naps and sleeping.

Little did we know at the time of purchase that Charlotte would not only be a petite child but also a sleeper that prefers the comfort of horizontally squeezing into a cuddly corner* over the luxury of stretching out lengthwise across the "full" size of her bed...

At this rate, we'll easily get another 2-3 years of good return on our investment! ;-)

* After all, we are speaking about a generous 20 inches (~50 cm) in width here! 

me and mini-me

 

Charlotte loves her morning walks with Penny - she always has. But in the past weeks, they have become even more fun: Instead of hanging out with Mama in the carrier or sitting in a boring stroller, Charlotte 'rides' her own tricycle! 

Daddy added a snazzy blue bell so that Charlotte can (loudly and repeatedly...) announce to the whole neighborhood that she is coming.

Also: the (other) baby has to join the excursion, of course - and wear a hat too!! And for that, she even gets a kiss. Because we all know: wearing hats isn't cool... but gets at least rewarded with a Mama kiss ;-)

 

 

 

  

 

a new friend

As if he had known Charlotte's love for corduroy, a good friend brought her the perfect new pal for Rosa:

Meet Leo!

snapshot

 

 

first steps

Charlotte's hard training over the past months has paid off:
pulling up into a stand, doing squats, pushing wagons, chairs, boxes through the house, and proudly walking on one hand only... 

In the past two weeks, Charlotte polished her skills quickly and took the final -- or better, FIRST (!) -- steps towards full walking. On June 30, she started standing all by herself without holding on to anything. Just a week later, on July 7, she took her first 2-3 timid steps forward before plopping down to safe ground again. And this past week, on July 12, Charlotte properly walked (ok, ok.... waddled ;-) along for a good
10 seconds plus!

Luckily, Daddy had his cell phone camera handy to capture the moment.

Way to go Charlotte!!!

(And Penny: Watch out... ;-)

before and after

 

Charlotte and Penny agreed: It was time for a doggie summer haircut!

Both of our girls are more tomboys that like the scruffy look and LOVE to romp around the beach... but sometimes you gotta get dolled up ;-)

still life

Charlotte's first art installation ;-)
June 25, 2012

from the artist

The piece is entitled Yesteryear and it harkens back to the simplicity of days long gone. I struggled with the composition for several weeks before settling on this arrangement. The horse faces west, evoking a time when man's expansion was westward along the Earth instead of upward from it. It was deliberately left in an unadulterated state, free from the synthetic chemicals that make up the bulk of modern paints and stains. The natural wood grain on the head produces a horse that appears blinded to what the future holds. The teacup and spoon was a late addition. Early settlers didn't have much beyond the basic necessities, yet they managed fine. Property was carried in one's saddles, not socked away in safe-deposit boxes or litigated in obscure jurisdictions. Resolutions were sacred promises not standards like 1080p, a quad-core processor was no more than four sets of hands, Apples were fruits and Windows were glass. Yesteryear is meant as a reminder of the way things were. 

 

kletteraffe

 

Daddy hat ja schon angedeutet wie aktiv und abenteuerlustig unser kleiner Kletteraffe ist...

...zuhause und in der grossen weiten Welt!





  


Sofas sind besonders gut zum besteigen geeignet -



- vor allem, wenn man davon so schön an's Fenster rankommt, um zu klopfen und zu winken!

 

weeeeeeeee!!!!

Charlotte is beginning to cause Mama and Daddy trouble at the playground. Other parents see Charlotte and clutch their children a little tighter. They huddle in small groups, whispering about the little daredevil. Amidst the clamor of "careful," "slow," and "wait for mommy," Charlotte screeches with joy as she veers ever closer to pulling off the long-imagined but never seen loop on the swingset. Slides, as is clear, are also her forte.

[If you cannot see the video below, here's a link to the source.] 

 

 [Another (different) video is here.]

and for my next trick...

Charlotte made a banana disappear during her afternoon at the playground. The performance was a little light on theatrics [Ed. note: Really? This is Charlotte we're talking about. She's all about theatrics.] and the timing could certainly use more polishing, but the gist of the trick is there.

In the first act Charlotte takes far too large of a banana piece. She inspects it carefully, studying its shape to see the best orientation for insertion.










In the second act Charlotte then proceeds to stick the entire piece in her mouth. Sometimes a little force is applied, but not enough to change the shape of the object.

Once complete, Charlotte removes her hand to reveal the banana buried inside.










Finally the piece de resistance: the banana disappears slowly and methodically, almost as if immersed in quicksand.

And voilà!

Overall, this reviewer awards the performance three-and-a-half stars. But with a little more practice, and perhaps the addition of a dance number or faux choking, it could easily be four-plus.

independence day(s)

 

Just two quick snapshots from our 4th of July... with Charlotte 'helping' prep the BBQ in the kitchen.


 




Since we often jump between older and new pictures in telling our stories and giving you updates, we figured it's fun for everyone to see Charlotte's latest lo(o)(c)ks ;-)


Our little 'baby' has certainly become independent!

Climbing all over the place is by far her favorite activity - up on the couch and into her wagon especially.
 
And Charlotte continues to work hard on her walking skills: As a big girl, she's only wanted to walk on one hand for weeks now. Last Saturday, she started standing all by herself, free-handed for longer periods of time. This Saturday, she has begun to take first steps without holding on to anything. It seems it's just a matter of time now that Charlotte will race Penny down the street...

enter sandman

Mama is better than Daddy at just about everything when it comes to Charlotte: coaxing her to eat, changing her diaper (certainly worthy of a post of its own), getting her dressed. Just about, but not quite, everything. Daddy is the current king of putting Charlotte to sleep. This is quite the reversal from previous months when the arrival of Daddy signified playtime to Charlotte. Now, in walks Daddy and down goes Charlotte. She's out within minutes, always without a fight and sometimes without even a peep.

If I didn't know better, I would suspect Mama was washing Daddy's shirts in chloroform to get out of the nightshift.

rampage

 

This post is a little belated... the fun and novelty of this activity have already mostly worn off so that doggie life is safe again in our home:















Charlotte loves to push her wagon through the house... and when Penny is a "target" it's even more fun to speed up! ;-)










Luckily, four doggie legs are still faster than two baby legs plus wheels.