Charlie-July

I wrote this awhile ago but haven't gotten around to getting the pictures off of my camera so I'll have to add them later!

This month flew by, just like all of the others. Here's a little bit about what Charlie is up to.
Potty: He still doesn't have much interest in actually sitting on the potty but he defenitely is aware of when he needs to go. We have been getting up a lot to change him during the nights & he often wants to be changed as soon as he goes during the day. We have gotten him to sit on the potty a few times for more than 10 seconds.

We did the swimming lessons for 2 weeks, maybe that is why the month went so fast. It really made our nights short but Charlie loved it. The last night he went down a bigger tunnel slide they have quite a few times & they set up gym mats from one end to the other so the kids could walk on water.

Erik has taken care of most of the drop off AND pick up from daycare this month and it was a huge stress relief for me. I do miss picking them up and getting to talk to her about their days. At the moment, Charlie is not being difficult with going. He tells me a lot that "Macy took Levi's nuk" He & his buddy Jackson have also been having to take some breathers for getting too rowdy but Cheri says when she splits them up they just sit there and giggle at each other. Oh boy!

For the most part he continues to be cooperative but he still has his moments where he is throwing himself on the ground with obnoxious whining about who knows what. During this time I remind myself he's 2. He continues to have excellent manners too.  He is obsessed with macaroni or ack-a-ronni.  He also loves pizza. He has been a bit more picky with his food but we just offer whatever we're eating & if he's not interested...well, he'll figure it out eventually. He still likes his fruit though. We are also into making smoothies in the mornings. I had to buy him some cups with lids & straws because I was sick of him sharing with me & getting his toddler spit in my smoothie. He thinks we're having ice cream so if you hear him talk about it, no, i'm not actually giving him ice cream for breakfast.

He loves singing songs and the ABCs. Counting he will get to 13 and then just 16 over and over again. It's funny how his bedtime routine will change just a little but at the same time he's so particular about doing things a certain way. More than once he has woken up in the middle of the night screaming because we forgot to read a book. Read to him and he passes right back out. Despite the high temps he has also recently decided he needs to be covered up with a quilt & pulls it over his head...this is the kid who has always refused to be covered up.

We cancelled our directtv service last month so we are watching much less TV and have only had to redirect him from wanting to watch Caillou a few times. Can't say I miss that weird, whining child. The only time he usually asks is when we want to brush his teeth because that was our bribe for awhile.

I try not to be one who thinks my child is the smartest kid in the world but I am absolutely amazed at Charlie's puzzle skills. He has a big puzzle that is probably 24 pieces and he puts it together all by himself. I can't get over it & am shocked every time. It's fun watching him be so methodical about it. We tried recording him the other night but since it takes him awhile it's not all that entertaining to watch.

He loves laughing at Levi & when he talks to him will repeat many of the same things I say. He'll say, "Hi, handsome" or "hi, little brother" or "Whatchya doin big boy?" It's too funny.  When we drop them off at daycare he always tells Cheri to bring Levi into the toy room.

We always wonder where he comes up with some things. His memory is pretty good so we can't get away with lies any more either. The other night coming home by the bus shed he said, "mom, buses help people!" I'm still not sure where that came from but whever I ask him what a bus does he will say that.