More Photography Work...

Road Trip to See Baby Jake

Today we took a road trip south to meet L's Baby, Jake, he's so cute! Thank goodness GSSS aka Tia Arantxa came with us because Charlie was into everything that didn't belong to him. He was a good boy for MOST of the trip though :-)

Charlie & Tia Arantxa in front of L's cool window

Taking a break from scooting with the "imagine" prop

Loved sitting with new Dad, John

Working on Photography

Charlie's 9 Month Photos

Yesterday Jose came home from work and swept us off to the park for Charlie's 1st time at the playground :-) Here he is on the swing....

Is anyone else getting on this thing?

Charlie's Update

6.3.09

Age: 9 months!

Weight 18 lb 15 oz.

Length 28 inches

Head Circumference 46.2

Sooooo we saw Chan Sizzle on Wednesday and yet again Charlie surprised her with how active he really is....using her hands to stand up she started laughing. His rate of growth (all according to the curve she draws in her chart) has dropped off significantly for this last appointment but she says that happens when kids hit a really active stage sometimes. We're monitoring his food intake a little more closely but you've seen this boy right? No one is starving here!

Finger Foods:

We're expanding our finger food choices and so far he's tried blueberries (+), yogurt melts (-), shredded chicken (-), tortilla bites (+), so I feel like it's going pretty well. I'm hoping to incorporate more and more of what Jose and I are eating and less of the purees as we go along.

Constipation?

That's right, you read it all here. Poor boy cries with #2, it's as though I never have to guess because his little face announces it.  No real issue according to Chan, hopefully  Charlie learns to deal with it like his pedos previously.

Eczema/Baths:

CC has a new breakout on his back and neck and we're trying to find the right treatment combination....I'll keep you posted. Chan says everyone's skin is different and what works for some people doesn't work for others :-( I wish there was a cure all - we're trying to keep it under control before he has to go on benadryl or steriods.

MMR:

The dreaded vaccine....Merck has stopped producing the vaccine separately which is what we were planning to do (as opposed to the compound shot you could do 3 separate shots, Measles, Mumps, Ruebella, sp?) The vaccine is traditionally given at 15 months but it's also a time where health care officials are specifically looking for signs of autism. Chan says if we're not traveling internationally she recommends waiting until 2 or 2.5  years when we "know" that our child doesn't have autism. She says that it has been widely reported (but she hasn't had a case) that there is one form of autism that causes severe regression, but more typically past a certain stage there is limited further development. I'm definitely onboard with vaccinating and we're up to date, this is just my achilles heel on the issue...I'm leaning towards delaying until 2  yrs.

Wandering Eye?

Maybe you've seen it in his pictures but Charlie sometimes displays what looks like a "wandering eye" or "lazy eye". Chan says that it's normal at this stage as kids are still learning to focus their vision especially with objects up close or at funny angles. My concern is more around the fact that two of my siblings have severe issues with this - my brother had to patch his good eye as a baby to avoid going blind and my sister has uber potent glasses to correct her eye. Chan did refer us out early to an eye specialist to get a baseline eye exam (which all kids should have before 3 yrs).

Lot's o' questions.... 

Hoping to get some 9 month pics done this week, stay tuned!

I know I've been procrastinating

BUT I have been seriously working! Researching the new home thang is exhausting. It's different where we grew up - we knew the communities and all the neighborhoods (and pockets there of) where we could live or not live. We knew the schools, their reputations, all/most of the teachers or people with first hand experience with them. Here every 5 miles the city changes with new taxes, rec programs, schools, family amenities....TGFG (Thank God For Google :-)

My Birthday

Birthday Dinner with the boys :-)

6 am walk by the water with Charlie...

I'm writing a review on the Monterrey Bay aquarium and clement hotel so I decided to line it up with my bday for a little get away treat...it's definitely what this family's been needing.

Love the kelty kids pack! Charlie can see everything he wants to see and no crying to get out.

So excited in the aquarium that he later passed out.

My lunch date (he's only half the cute factor!)

Happy 9 months today Charlie :-) We head back to see Dr. Chan tomorrow so I'll update you on his stats soon  :-)

And...the sweetest gift, little Haley Janae Miller (hope I spelled that correctly Mist) was born on my birthday. Nothing like sharing your birthday with your girlfriends 1st baby. Love you girls.