Mr. Pants is 9 months!

Today was Charlie's 9 month appointment today, and he didn't have to get any shots! Hurray! Since we checked his height and weight at the appointment, I thought this would be an appropriate time for an update.  I apologize in advance for not having any recent photos of him. Most of these photos are from a few weeks ago.  Here it goes. 

Charlie is 20 lbs 8.5 oz, and is 2' 6" tall. He is still not crawling, but he gets around in his own little way. He talks all of the time, and occasionally sings. His favorite things to say right now are: momma, dadda, yeah, bubba, and bob. He also tries to say puff, cup, and quack.

Charlie has six teeth, and loves to use them to chew up little pieces of food. Speaking of which his favorites right now are nectarines and turkey.  Every time we put him in his high chair he looks over at the fruit bowl to see if there are any nectarines.  Right now Charlie loves games, especially peek-a-boo, catch (rolling the ball back and forth), and trying to copy fun sounds that Matt and I make for Charlie. He has also started to do the motions to the Itsy Bitsy Spider, and clap his hands. And sometimes he does the sign for milk.

So that is our update on the little guy for now, but we will do it again in three months. Hopefully most of you can get the update in person at his birthday party! I can't believe he is going to be 1 in three months!

The War on Terror

As our Presidents War on Terror continues day after day I am embarrassed and ashamed to admit some days I don't think about it (not once). Other things come up, and I find myself consumed with me and the immediate things around me. I know I am not the only one who does this, but it doesn't make it okay. 

Today I thought about gladiator sandals (at least five times), hypothesized the physiological process of how panting cools dogs off, thought about when to put in the AC, and many other inconsequential things. Not once did I think about the sacrifice other women and men are making, and that I myself am too coward to make.  That is until my brother called.

Nathan just relocated to Whidbey Island (he reported for duty on Monday), and today he called to tell me that tomorrow he leaves for Afghanistan. I felt like such a jerk. Here I am wondering what I would wear with my gladiator sandal, while my brother spent the whole day trying to find his uniform in storage, pack all of his stuff, make sure he can leave his stuff in storage for the five months he will be gone, call everybody, get somebody to pick up his truck from base, order new tags (because he lost his), get all of his flight information together, etc.  

This was a big slap in the face for me. I am ashamed to admit that I let myself cloud what should not be clouded. 

I am sorry Nathan. Try not to let the sand, the heat, and everything else you know to expect get you down. I love you and I'll email you pictures of Charlie! 

Wii

I have always known Matt to be a gamer. When we first met, him and his friend Joe would play video games, or go to the local arcade when they would get together. And our first year dating I bought him an Atari. I on the other hand have never been a gamer. As a kid I could never master Donkey Kong, barley made it past the first level of Mario Brothers, and maybe shot two ducks in the many times I attempted to play Duck Hunt.  In college, people laughed at me as I attempted to steer a car in Gran Tourismo, and knock my opponent. My friends gathered to watch me as I moved my whole body trying to get my car, character, etc to do just what it needed to do. It was a miracle if I made it five minutes in a game. That was until this weekend.

Joe suggested Matt and I borrow his Wii because he has been busy and has not had time to play. So this weekend Matt, Mollie, Joe (yes, Joe came to our house to play with his game), and I plugged in the Wii, and didn't unplug it for six hours! Yes, six hours. I loved it, every minute of it, and I was actually decent at it, AND I knew what I was doing.  There was no pushing of all the buttons hoping for a miracle. I actually knew how to play the game, was successful at it (sometimes), and was actually enjoying myself. In one night I became a gamer.

So if you haven't had the opportunity to check out a Wii, I suggest you do so. Even if video games are not your thing, I promise you will enjoy yourself. But as a cautionary, if you are like me and you play video games with your whole body give yourself and the others around you lots of room. Ask Mollie, I'm sure she'll tell you it's not pleasant when your opponent smacks you in the arm while attempting a back hand at tennis. I blame it on the vertigo and medication, but really, sorry Mollie.

Lucille II

For those of you that are/were fans of the show Arrested Development, you know its brilliance is mastered by a combination of witty writing/acting, genius plotting, and making everyday family life as manic and dysfunctional as possible.  I still enjoy this show, and Matt and I do watch the dvds on occasion. But what I sometimes find disturbing is when events, quotes, or other show details become parallel with my own life.  Fortunately I have not lost a hand to a seal, my father is not imprisoned, I am not in love with my cousin, and I am not always fighting with my brothers for the affection/attention of my father.

Unfortunately though for me, I can identify with Lucille II. I recently had a case of vertigo and was topsy turvy for about a day. Unlike Lucille, I did not have to check into a vertigo rehabilitation center, but I did have to check into the hospital for a few hours. A few IVs of anti-nausea medication and Valium, and I was well on my way (to sleep). I am getting back to normal slowly by doing my realignment exercises, but have decided not to take anymore Valium. 

Hopefully this experience will be my first and last, which is likely as I will not be going on any rides with Michael in his convertible at any point in the future.