Things that have happened since Charley has been born: November - January

November
I cant even believe Charley is 6 months! Wow this has flown!

• We started food! First with peas, then apples.  As of 11/6 she isn't that into it, which is shocking.  
• She started sitting up!  She can sit up on her own for a few seconds at a time.
• She rolled over from back to front on the play mat in her bedroom - it was so exciting!
• Charley is sick again.....boooooo.  
• She loves Mangos.  
• Sneak peek of our Christmas card!
• Charley went on the bus! Twice!  The armitage bus from day care.
• Charley experienced snow for the first time on 11/21/15
• Allergies: peas and possible green beans. This sucks because she loves them. Tonight Charley broke out in massive and scary hives after eating peas....ugh.
• Did I mention Im sick again?  Oy. Miserable.  Charley is doing better and Bill is fine of course! 
• She is waking up every 2-3 hours now...what gives? We need to move her crib to the other side of the room.  

December

• Charley weighs 16lbs, 12oz!  7 months old! 
• She is sleeping better, but I am an enabler, so she sleeps in bed with us a lot. 
• She cut her first tooth on 12/8/15 - which explains a lot of crabbiness of her behalf!
• We had dinner as Russell's with Mackie and her family the day after Thanksgiving!  She met Levi, and they had a great time.
• Cicily, Alec, Avery and Alistair came over while they were in town from Austin - Charley and Alistair had a great time! 
• Charley sat in a high chair at a restaurant for the first time! 
• Charley went to Goldyburgers for the first time too!
• We had Christmas and Charley got lots of toys! Her favorite are the blocks and the piano.  Everyone was so generous!
• We have had a lot of people to see this week: Molly and her girls, Amy and Joshie, Erica,  Denise and Colleen, Frankie and Emily, and Erin!
• Her first new years eve was spent sleeping as mom and dad had beef tenderloin and Angies stuffing. 
• Here is to a great 2016!!!!

January

I got a new job! That is big news for January - I am the new Academic Coordinator for the Harold Ramis Film School at The Second City.  I have been so freaked out, but while I leave a job with amazing health insurance and benefits, wonderful co-workers and friends, and stability, I have decided to take a major risk to take on a new job with a new for-profit school that hasn't even been announced yet.  If anything. I think that it shows Charley that you can't stay comfortable - you have to take risks and challenge yourself.  

This month Charley discovered broccoli, and feeding herself little pieces. She is amazing and almost crawling!  

She has two bottom teeth, and is rolling rolling rolling! So close to crawling but not yet!  

Game night at Mary-Frances's

Photo of the Family

Carrots!

Bundled up for the walk to daycare!

Fun dinner at Jeremy + Shirleys, visiting friends Ferris + Paloma!

Morning Hair!!!

Charley little cowlick. So cute.

Things that have happened since Charley has been born: first 6 months edition.

Things That have happened since Charley blessed our lives. The first 6 months. 

Charley was born to the music of Courtney Barnett at 4:01pm on 5.1.15.

May

• President is Barak Obama: first black president
• Zoe's graduation - Charley slept through the whole thing.
• I went with Colleen to see "Pitch Perfect 2" (my first time out alone)
• I threw Bill a surprise 40th birthday party (my second time out!) on our wedding anniversary, so that still needs to be celebrated!
• My first Mothers Day: went to Adams and Sons, walked around Humboldt Park. It was cold that day. 

June

• The 606 opened and we went on opening day!
• First meal out: Potbellys with amy and the boys after walking on the 606
• At one month Charley was sleeping so much I thought there was something wrong!
• Dining out: Breakfast Club with Mackie and Darren, Nordstrom Cafe with Mackie, Parsons with Erica.

July

• At 2 months Charley started smiling
• I went to the Grateful Dead show with Jeff
• Cafe BabaReeba with Marie-Elena and her friends
• Mom skipped Pitchfork for the first time ever

August 

I look around the bedroom and everyone is asleep : Bill, Charley, Lenny and Olive.  I sit up stressing out. Tonight its about her 3mo shots, the doctors office says we don't go in until 4mo but thats not right. Before this stress i would lay awake thinking about daycare,  crying myself to sleep about it. 

Charley is sleeping through the night. That means i have to pump. Waking up with a wet teeshirt sucks, but it just shows how much she has grown. 8.4.15. Also, she wakes up so happy and smiling.  I sing "Good Morning Starshine" to her every day. I just love her so much. 

• at 3 months Charley loves being sung to, being held as much as possible, giggling at daddy and smiling all the time.
• "American Pie" is our song :)
• Mackie, Adira, Katie, Mary-Frances and Amy have babysat for us.
• Christine Rosa moved to Austin, TX
• We bought a new car
• I sold my Civic - sniff sniff
• Kanye said he was running for president
• We had lunch at Publican Quality Meats with Nancy + Mackie
• We went to Sheri's rehearsal dinner at Chief O'Neils
• Charley went to her first nail salon (for sheri's wedding party)
• We made bouquets for Sheri's wedding
• Sheri got married!
• Charley started daycare at Marisol's  - Tu-Fri.

September

• Charley turned 4 months old!  She is still sleeping through the night!
• She is thriving in daycare, but we think we might switch to an in-home daycare that is closer to our house. The driving is stressing me out.  And I am dreading winter.
• She is laughing and smiling and overall adorable. She drools a lot - I think she is pre-teething or something. 
• We had our first ER experience, she fell out of the infant lounger onto thr floor from the island...poor Bill he was a wreck. We went to the ER, all was well thank goodness, but we did miss our date night!
• Charley started waking up toward the end of the month, they call it sleep regression, but she usually falls asleep again quickly. 
• She went to Cozy Corner for the first time, the Ravenswood Art Walk with her friend Evelyn,  the rooftop of Fountainhead  with Erica, and visited me at work for the first time!

October

• Charley's first cold!  Ugh, and Bill has it too. 
• Charley met Bob and Rachael, after she ran the marathon!
• Rachel and James are moving to San Francisco
• Charley started a new daycare down the street! I walk her there in the Ergo everyday. Bill picks her up when he opens, too.
• I also got the cold....for 3 weeks.
• We left Charley for the first time to go to Shipwreks wedding in Kansas City. We were away from her from Friday afternoon through early Sunday evening. It was so weird. I missed her so much, and I felt like a piece of me was missing. But it was also nice to be able to do whatever. It was weird. I had to pump a lot.
• Amy watched Charley which was awesome. It made it much easier to leave her.
• We ate at Cozy Corner again. And Meatheads. And she came with me and Nana to Apple Villa. 
• Our first home project: we got new concrete steps!  Wooooo!
• I made my first halloween costume! Kristin helped me! Charley was a pineapple!
• I took Charley to see Zoe and Mary-Frances on Halloween. 
• She wakes up more during the night, usually because of a coughing fit. Stupid daycare colds. 

Charley at the Beach

Charley had her first trip to the beach in Beverly Shores, Indiana on June 20th!  Her first sleepover, too - we were at Lex's dad's house.

Look at those little pink feet sticking out!

Olive LOVES rolling over and over in the sand!

Lenny and Olive had a great time, too!  I haven't seen them that happy - well - ever!

City dogs need to be reminded to take their flea and tick medication. We found one on Olive a week later, and I found a HUGE tick on her just 2 days ago!  Whoops!

Its been almost a year since my last post!

And I have a baby!  I think I was so overwhelmed on August 17, 2014 when I found out I was pregnant, that I kind of abandoned my usual things which involve this blog.  But because of Colleen Holland and her awesome blog about her new adventure teaching in China, I am inspired.

So hey readers, meet Charley Nettie.  She's pretty awesome.  She was born on May 1, 2015 is now two months old, and Bill and I are learning the ropes. I am so lucky, she is such a great baby. Yesterday she slept from 8:30 - 12:30, (she went 6 hours since I fed her too which is nuts), then from 1:00 - 3:45, then 4:00 - 7am. Pretty easy breezy.

I love co-sleeping with her, but I only do it after her last feeding b/c I'm scared I will roll over on her or that she will suffocate or something.  Other crazy fears: Forgetting her in the car, forgetting her in the shopping cart, etc. I'm scared I will hit her head on a door frame, spill a hot liquid on her, drop her, that she will fall off something, fall off the changing table, etc.  She had a dr appointment today, and I'm scared they gave her the wrong vaccines.  We're following the Dr. Sears Alternate Vaccine Schedule,  and the nurse sounded confused.  So now I'm scared.  Its all those things.

I started back at work yesterday after having 8 weeks off.  Its hard. I didn't think I would feel the feelings I feel but I do. I can't believe how much I love her and miss her and she is just the best.