Nature vs. Nurture

I'm seeing more and more of Charlie's personality take shape as we play, talk, and just enjoy time with him. A couple of nights ago I started blowing "raspberries" on Charlie's face. This is something I've done since his birth. Every now and again he'd accidentally blow a raspberry himself, typically drooling everywhere! But on this particular night, he got the hang of it. And this tickled him to no end. Boy did we get big smiles! I would blow one and he would do it in response. All the fun sure makes it difficult to put him down for sleep! He happened to wake up that night a little upset and while Mark was holding him and trying to work a burp out Charlie again began to blow raspberries and laugh! Mark did his best not to laugh as I've instilled a "no fun interactions during the night" policy. :)

This got me thinking about a conversation we had with some friends last week about the personalities of our babies. Charlie is definitely "into" people. He is quick to smile, coo, flirt...And, now that he's gaining more dexterity, he's kind of a show off! Grabbing toys, toes, fingers (yours or his)...we believe he is a big E on the Myers-Briggs (E for Extroversion). And, if you are doubting me, please see previous post and picture. It's crazy to see in just four short months how much of "Charlie" has taken shape! I know he will have years of interactions and experiences that continue to grow and shape him but it's really wild to already see that he is so comfortable in his own skin!

Everyone imagines what their child might grow up to be and I wonder all the time! Charlie's got a pretty great grasp with his left hand and amazing hand-eye coordination (anyone have an infant baseball glove?). But he also has the most expressive face, particularly his eyebrows and mouth (Broadway, Hollywood?). Everyone tells us, "he's such a cute baby" and boy does he have charisma (President?, CEO?). I know, I'm just a blathering mom! But he is pretty amazing and I continue to enjoy this journey on which we've embarked!

Caught on film

This is strangely one of the first of a few smiles caught on film of Charlie.  We used to take the camera out when he was smiling, but he'd immediately stare at the camera in wonder and amazement (and hence lose the smile).  Today I was able to snag a few pic's - and it seems that he's following in his more photogenic footsteps of his mother.   I wasn't sure if he intended to smile for this photo or think about what office he'd like to run for?

Growing...

So the big C is about 16 pounds and seems to be getting thighs almost too large to fit in the "bumbo" that he's sitting in, which we got as a loaner from a friend. We figured he likes to look, he can't really sit - so he checks it out from time to time. He's really not partial to any position and in fact is rather content on his back, stomach, side, in the swing (doesn't have to be moving), or just out in the middle of the floor. The only position I've really seem him irritated is when I'm holding him with one arm and he starts to slide down and then I realize his head is about at my hip level. This is actually rather irritating to both of us to be quite honest.

What's that black box of soil you ask? Why that's our starter garden... we hope. Dani planted some seed tomatoes (Big Boys?-- I forget), cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, and some jalapenos. The cherry tomatoes are the first to sprout. I also started digging out a back flower bed near the garage that looks to get good sun. I went over 3 feet deep in an area about 4 x 3 feet. OK, I admit it, I was digging for some treasure! I kept hoping for a diamond, ruby, or some old box with gold coins, but no luck. All I found was the electrical line that runs from the house to the garage. I was careful to dig around that. However, that was more digging than I expected and the hole was well, it looked like we had a burial site beside our garage. We had two 45 gallon trashcans of compost we got free from the local city leaf drop-off place (no one knows what to call it really), and that didn't go far. I poured the first can in the hole and filled about 15% of it in. Dani didn't say anything other than asking how I intended to mix the dirt with it now that I had a 3 foot hole with compost on the bottom. I shrugged and did the best I could while layering the other barrel which worked much better. It looked pretty good until it rained the other day and lowered the level about 3 inches. Oh well - I need to pick up more compost for the rest of the area anyhow. Oh, the proposed garden area is about 12 x 3 feet... so I've got another few digs to go... which will likely be 1-2 feet deep unless I get eager again for treasure, but I'm not getting any high hopes. I did find some good use for the extra dirt though - I've placed it around the bottom of our backyard fence where rabbits are sneaking in. That's another issue we'll have to face down the road.

So, we'll wait to see how the garden goes and if Charlie's thighs balloon all the way up and he floats away.

Back at Work

I returned to work a few weeks ago (March 30)...I feel like I should have a lot to say about it but I don't really. While I was on maternity leave I accepted a new position within my company. I am now the Community Relations Coordinator. I still manage the activity department (employees, planning, paperwork) for 20 hours of the week and I am doing marketing the other 20 hours of the week. So far it's keeping me really busy which is great! I like getting to work, getting things done, and getting home.

The first couple of days I cried when I left, mostly because I fell like I will miss out on so much of Charlie's "fun" times of the day. But I am lucky that when I'm sad it's only because I don't get to be the one taking care of him not because I'm worried about the care he's receiving or if he'll be ok. Since Mark runs his own business from home, he's keeping Charlie during the day. It's been a tricky transition but they're both doing amazing and I am truly a blessed Mama! And with this beautiful weather I'm becoming more and more jealous!