Propped Up

Daddy makes a scary face...

Here we go loopdy lie...

...all on a Saturday night.

Big Purty

This is Pa John's new nick name for Charlie.  He says he can use it as his pro wrestling name later in life.  But as far as descriptive nick names go, "Big Purty" is perfect.  Charlie is big.  And he is really pretty - or as we say in Texas, "purty".  Today, Charlie showed more signs of recovery from his lung infection with lots of alert and smiley play time.  Here he is with Daddy checking out this crazy colorful toy. 

Stander-Rander

When Walker was a baby, he would spend hours standing in our laps while we supported his weight.  We loved the feeling of being eye to eye with us.  Grammie Betsy termed this move "stander-rander".  Charlie, as you all know, has been marching to his own drum and because of his stroke, has larger hurdles to leap than most kiddos.  But today, after over two weeks of being sick and bogged down with a lung infection, he reenacted Walker's move.  He is planting both legs firmly in our laps and popping up into an upright position.  His head is up and supported, his spine is aligned and he's using his left leg as much as he is using his right.  We were also able to hold him by the waist instead of under the armpits because his core strength has improved.  As Pa John pointed out, Charlie is really pleased with himself because he smiled and chortled all through his stander-rander performance, which he repeated over and over again.  In fact, we were all smiles.  This is another big moment for Charlie Fighting Bear!  On a separate note, here are some photos from our day:

More Photos of Christmas Eve...

...from our good friend Alison Power!  Thank you Power Family for a festive eve, good food and spectacular company.  xoxo 

Walker's house is on the far left.

...but the gingerbread house creations didn't hold his attention as much as this car.

Walker the builder.

Charlie is 5 months old!

Today Charlie is 5 months old, 20 pounds and almost 28 inches long.  He's wearing clothing with tags that say 12 months and wearing a pair of leather booties that Walker wore at 18 months.  Besides having been quite sick for the past two weeks with a lung infection, Charlie seems to be doing well.  His illness has set him back with his physical therapy and chiropractic care, but all in all, his spirits are up.  He smiles, he coos, he kicks, he laughs.  Here are some photos I snapped today.  You might be wondering why Charlie is wearing a Halloween jumper.  Well, its one of three jumpers that fits him right now and the other two are dirty.  So Happy Halloween and Happy five months to Charlie Fighting Bear!

And of course, big brother Walker playing nearby and watching over Charlie.

Attachment Parenting

Charlie is still feeling sick and we're doing our best to keep him comfortable and oxygenated.  Today he spent almost three hours - most of it sleeping - in daddy's sling.  What a way to get around, eh?  Lucky kid.

This evening, Jack and Dad took in the Rose Bowl via the internet.  We don't have broadcast TV, so Jack has to get creative sometimes.  So, we set up a little TV room in my office for optimum viewing and ordered Mexican take out.  What a great way to spend the first day of the year!  (Notice Charlie on the couch next to Jack.)