Pillows!

Seeing as I have an unhealthy love of throw pillows, I decided to gather some up and have Charlotte play in them! She loves anything fluffy she can bounce around in. Little did I know that she would have so much fun doing so! On these cold winter days, there is nothing more fun than a little baby photo shoot!

Snow Day!

My snowy arborvitaes

Snow covered ivy, growing up my favorite antique ladder made from an old mill in CT, and japanese holly (above) and my boxwoods (below)

Perhaps I have become oblivious to the impending snow storms and have paid little attention to the weather reports...because I was surprised and delighted by today's storm. Ben and I had a lazy day planned and the snow was a great reason to stay in our jammies and have some good fun in the snow! Granted, our time in the snow was only about fifteen minutes but it was so beautiful out, we had to go! So far, I think this has been the prettiest snowfall this year. It was slow, peaceful and lasted all day long.
Charlotte has since expanded her vocabulary to include "jack" and "sit"...admittedly, "sit" comes out sounds a bit like...well...you can imagine. She is a big fan of "la la" and "da da" but we still have yet to get a solid "ma ma". When I ask her, she simply says "ma" and then goes into a long series of "la la la".
In pregnancy news, I passed the sixteen week mark and feel much livelier these days. I can just barely feel movements if I am laying very still and really focusing on feeling things. We will (hopefully) know March 3rd (also our wedding anniversary) if it is a boy or girl....all I can say is that I am having a VERY hard time picking out boy names! There are so many I love, but dislike the nick names that they can turn into. Help!

Joie de Deux

For the first time in Charlotte's fifteen months, she has muttered out what we are finally considering her first, true word, "two." While small and not so significant, it bears importance to us.

Charlotte's favorite word game is when I count from one to five and always do something silly when we reach five. Not only is this teaching her numbers, she has learned to hold her pointer finger up in the "one" position when we ask her how old she is. Despite the motion, she never tried saying the word. However, we were playing the game yesterday and she looked at us with intense concentration and said "two." She did it repeatedly and learned to do it after we said "one." Perhaps she is sensing she will soon be one of two.

Which leads me to the second, and more exciting, reason that the number two bears great importance. Baby number two has started their journey in this world (well, with me) and is due to join us this summer. There is something so amazing about having your first baby; it is a whole new world of unknowns. There is something to me a bit more profound about planning for number two. I know these waters, I know what to expect...but it is a journey on which I am taking Charlotte with me, and that brings a whole new level joy and love.

Later last night I opened a fortune cookie that read,
"Do not let great ambitions overshadow small success."
Perfect for my baby and her "two."

Lazy Wednesday Morning

Good morning! Charlotte and I were enjoying a lazy Wednesday morning breakfast and Charlotte was having a ball. Enjoy her faces!

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to all of our friends and family! 2010 is greeted with excitement and hope for a number of different reasons. 2009 was Charlottes first full year and was filled with joy and pride. Having Charlotte in our lives made all of the trials and tribulations of the year seem so much lighter. We are looking forward to all of the wonders and surprises a new year brings.
This morning, a lazy, snowy weekend morning...Charlotte was in her pajamas and decided to thrill me with all of her different silly faces. These are the unplanned moments that make each day so special. May you all have special moments and a wonderful year!

Christmas 2009

What a wonderful weekend filled with various Christmas celebrations. Ben and I had so much fun shopping for Charlotte, and were most excited about the glockenspiel we bought for her...we were so tempted to give it to her every night before Christmas! Alas, we waited until the real day and she has so much fun playing it! Charlotte's favorite toys all seem to be the "musical" ones where she can make her own sounds.
She didn't quite understand "presents" and how to open them yet, but she had a lot of fun romping around in the wrappings on the floor. It is amazing to watch her grow and develop as the days go on. She is walking like a pro now and babbling constantly. There is something new she does every day and we watch her in amazement. We constantly wonder how it is possible to be so adorable.
We broke down this weekend and bought a Nintendo Wii....so it is time to join the rest of the world and have one in our family...and I admit, Super Mario is addicting! Ben and I also competed in a round of golf, and I won :)
We hope everyone had an amazing Holiday!

Saturday Morning Antics

With a snowstorm pending, we have decided that we need to entertain ourselves for the duration of the weekend. Charlotte's new favorite thing (and Ben's) is "scaring" Charlotte and saying "I'm going to get you!" while she is playing. Charlotte hoots and laughs and enjoys the whole game. Not having started our day yet, I decided to capture some of these moments. She is walking everywhere and babbling all day long. She can say "la la la" when you ask her to sing and she bops along when you ask her to dance. She is always on her tippy toes...perhaps a future ballet dancer?

Westport Fire Children's Christmas

Today we went to the firehouse for the children's holiday party. It was a lot of fun, Santa came to the children in a firetruck with all the lights on! It was a bit chilly, so we stayed inside and watched from the windows. Charlotte had a great time...she mostly enjoyed watching some children play Hungry, Hungry Hippo. She was the youngest one there and of course, everyone ate her up!