Ba ba ba - Baby!

As if growing hair and eating solids for the first time last month wasn't enough for Baby Charlotte, it seems Fall is the season for wee toads to start forming syllables. You should hear the conversations she has with her Mum after the breakfast bottle; it's all,

"Ba ba baa" and "La la laa"...

Who knows what they're raving about all morning, honestly? One can only imagine Mum is schooling up her daughter on the best deals to find at Calvin Klein when you're looking for some Banana Republic diaper shirts or a two-for-one deal on hair bands at Lululemon... you have to see it to believe it guys, seriously!

Hit Play and check it out for yourselves, Will.

Stars'n Stripes and Sweet Potatoes

"Hey. It's me, Tiggy!

It’s been a busy couple of weeks so Mum and Dad haven't had much time to take dictation to update everyone on what’s been going on, and mum wouldn't let me do it on my own because she says I drool on the keyboard.

To start with, I have been going to daycare.  I wasn't sure what it was all about at first - we went to this lady’s house and she had a few little people playing and I thought we were just there for a visit like the last time we visited, but then Mum and Dad left me!  I cried and cried but they didn't come back, and I was really upset and finally, after 2 hours the lady named Kari called Mum and said she should come and pick me up.  It was a really hard day and I was really quite exhausted when Mum finally showed up.  We went back again the next day though and it wasn't so bad.

There was a little girl there named Tess and she made faces at me which made me laugh and I got to play with toys I don't have at home, so that's kind of fun.  When I went back again this week, Tess had to be reminded that my name isn’t ‘Chocolate’, its Charlotte!  Mum and Dad tell me that I will be going to play there for 2 days each week.

I also had my first trip to another country; we went to the USA!  Dad needed to cross the border for his immigration, whatever that is, and Mum was excited because she was going shopping.  I am not sure why she was so excited, she’s always taking me shopping!  Dad says it’s great because now he’s working he can afford beer and drink from a bottle, just like me.

Our first stop along the way was a visit with my big cousins Lily and Gregory at my Auntie Joanna’s house.  Gregory and Lily let me play with their toys and I got to show everyone how well I can sit up on my own.  I still fall over every now and then, but its more of a big deal to Mum and Dad when it happens, it doesn't bother me, I just tuck and roll.

We went to all sorts of stores in Freeport, Maine and we discovered that Mum can shop a lot longer than me or Dad. Most of the stores were really boring big people stores but we did go to one for little people with a small table I could play at and Lego blocks that I chewed on when Dad wasn't looking, and then another store called Cabela’s that had big fish behind glass swimming around and everything else was camo - apparently its Gumpy’s favourite store.

There was also a store with a giant boot outside that had lots of camping stuff and Dad tried to convince Mum that she might like camping if she gave it a try.  I don't think she is convinced just yet.  Maybe if he told there would be stores in the woods, she might go...

The other big thing that happened is that I turned 7 months old! A few things I have learned lately, (and am still working on) are:

• Chewing on paper, especially price tags in stores is frowned upon - especially when the clerk can’t see what the price is of what we are buying because I have chewed it off, like on the lunch bag we got from L.L.Bean for me for daycare.
• My toes taste even better than my fingers, even when I am wearing shoes.
• Sitting up is the best! (Now I can grab at even more stuff!)
• Eating big people food is really good - like beets, sweet potato (Dad calls it Kumara though), beans, peas and prunes, and kiwifruit.  Some aren't as good though- like avocado, it just makes me want to screw my face all up and spit it out. (Dad says Dan in NZ won’t be happy about hearing that), and
• Flipping over on to my tummy is a lot easier than flipping back over, especially at 3am when I can’t figure out exactly what I’ve done - I’m still working on that one.
• I’ve grown a bit more hair on my head. It’s not much longer, but there is definitely a bit more there.  Dad thinks it’s because I have been eating cereal, but Mum doesn’t care why, she is just waiting for there to be enough of it so that she can put in pretty little hair clips.

Well, I have to get to bed - I have some more growing to do!

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xo Tiggy”

Tig-gy Phone Home!

Stunned Mullets at Cabela's in Freeport, Maine

Chillin' out in our Hotel room in Freeport, Maine.

Later gators...

Sit Baby, Sit!

Yesterday morning I was woken 'early' by the dreaded alarm clock on my Blackberry... You know those mornings. You turn the alarm off five times and still don't feel like getting up. Mashing the keypad for the sixth time the wife warned me to get up, or I'll be late.

I groaned, but as much as I wanted to curl back into my pillow, I knew that she was right. Half asleep, I dragged myself under a long hot shower and tried drowning myself awake.

After nearly slipping in the bathtub, I realised I probably should have stayed in bed. Too tired to dry myself off properly, I stood for a while in front of the fan in the baby's room and tried not to evaporate.

Noticing the kid was missing from the crib, I fumbled for some clothes in the laundry basket, (that I'd left in the hallway the night before), and was only half dressed before flopping back down on the bed with wife, plus giggling child. I knew I was going to miss the bus that morning, but I was totally zonked and didn't care. Boy, I was tired. I could hardly muster the energy to put my socks on, let alone hold down meaningful conversation with my daughter and make baby sounds at my wife... (you get the idea).

Anyway; there they both were, wide awake and having fun with one another. Michelle laying on her side, beautiful as ever, and Charlotte cooing and making happy baby noises. It was painfully clear that no amount of resetting my alarm was going to make the day start any later.

I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and the moment I started thinking about breakfast and coffee; my child performed her first miracle for the day... SITTING UP ON HER OWN!!!

Haha, well-done baby - well done...

Things were obviously a little shaky at the outset for Tiggy, (especially when she realised she was doing it by herself without any help from Mum or Dad); but as soon as she had her audience you've never seen a kid sit up so straight.

We were so excited - but not as excited as Charlotte was I can tell you. She was so stoked! Sitting up for the first time was like walking on the Moon.

Too funny!

You could feel how impressed she was with herself. Mum was cracking up laughing while Dad was grinning at her from ear to ear, and she squealed at us and waved her arms around as if she had been doing it all her little life.

Man, these changes happen so quickly. If you're not careful and you sleep in, then you'll miss them. I've only been heading into the Office for the past six weeks or so, but that wee girl is changing so quickly I'm worried that if I stay at work late one day, I'll miss out on it all. Before I know it, Charlotte will be introducing me to her Rocker boyfriend Chaz and will be asking to borrow the car keys to the wagon.

It's so amazing how fast she is growing up. What frightens me most is how quickly we forget. I mean, every milestone she has achieved so far, is so quickly eclipsed in our minds by her latest magic feat.

We must continually remind ourselves that just seven days ago she was eating solids from a spoon for the first time, and then sprouting a head of hair. Just think about it, now she's done it, she will never have another first like that again.

Nice one baby - I guess crawling is next on the list of things to do.

Perhaps it's time we warned the dog and baby proofed the house.

Love you kid, you're doing so well!

A+ from your Dad, xx