Road trip!

We are taking our first road trip en famille this weekend, to go visit M's family in the Finger Lakes. Gus, Charlotte, M, me, and a whole lot of stuff will be squeezing into my not-so-big hatchback for the 2.5 hour drive. Here is everything we are taking:

What's astonishing is that really, the volume of stuff is no greater than it was before Charlotte. It's just different stuff.

I will admit, I'm a little nervous about the trip. The drive itself isn't a concern - she's a champ in the car. I'm more worried about how she'll react to having 15+ people around her during her fussy time. Hopefully she'll take a good couple naps in the morning to prepare herself!

As for me, I will have to go for a run tomorrow to prepare myself. I know that the weekend will be packed full of yummy food. I know that because I am bringing this cake:

Well, ok, I'm bringing the remainder of the 9x13 pan. I had to make sure it was ok! It's an applesauce cake from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook. I love it so much that last year when I made applesauce, I froze it in the exact amounts needed to make the cake. Usually I would frost this bad boy with cream cheese frosting, but it's pretty good as a snack cake without the extra calories. And, let's be honest, I can't make cream cheese frosting because I eat half of it before it gets on the cake. So good!

gratuitous cuteness

Monica over at The Girl Who recently posted about the appeal of dressing babies like tiny adults. It is in that spirit that I present to you Charlotte, dressed in gym clothes:

Because, baby in sneakers, folks. Baby in sneakers.

"I" finished!

Funny, cuz we all know I didn't really finish this project. No, gentle reader, I sat on the couch nursing one day while M was running about suffering from a fit of motivation, and said to him "could you help me figure out how to hang the letters on the wall?" Next thing I know, he's heading upstairs, hammer, 6' straight-edge, and level in hand.

And you know, it wasn't until I took this photo that I realized - the C is wrong-side-out. Which is too bad, because it's my favorite letter, a bronze sparkly one that I picked special for Charlotte. Hopefully M will suffer from another fit of motivation soon so he can fix it.

Also, yes, I am aware that the Y, & Z look like they are falling. That was a compromise because M and I couldn't agree on the spacing. I still think my way would have worked better, but he was wielding the hammer. 

Back in the saddle again

Running. I love it. I hate it. Several weeks ago, a flyer came in the mail for a 5k run/walk commemorating the 300th anniversary of Middleburgh, NY. So I signed up. And I signed up M, too.

The last time I ran, I looked like this:

Fittingly, for that "Great Pumpkin Challenge" race, I looked like I had swallowed a pumpkin. It felt like that, too. I miss not having a floppy belly.

That race was at the beginning of November, making it about four-and-a-half months since I last ran. So let me tell you, when I went out and did a little run-walk thing with M last week, I felt it the next day. Since then, I've gone on 2 other runs, and I didn't stop once! Sure, when Gus is literally WALKING next to me as I plod up the hills, I'm a little ashamed, but already I can tell that it's getting easier.

I won't be setting any records, but I'm looking forward to giving it a shot. Because, let's face it, running a "fast and flat" 5k will be easier than unmedicated childbirth!

Playing fetch.

Gus clearly is intrigued by Charlotte. I think most of the time he sees her as an object to be licked, though. Today was the first time he's treated her like a person.

I'm pretty sure he put that there, because it was in his toy basket earlier this morning (or maybe she gave birth to a rubber chicken). Maybe he expects her to kick the squeaky toy? I'm not sure. I'm gratified to see that he treats her kindly, though. I'm sure he'll be so happy when she can throw toys for him.

Terrible Tuesday?

Maybe this will brighten your day.



It's her first documented smile.

Thanks, dad.

Two months!

How is this little chunk already two months old? At her 2 month pediatrician appointment, she weighed in at 10 lbs 5.5 oz (nearly 2 lbs up from the one month appointment!), and measured 22.5 inches (1.5 inches longer than last month).

This is her at one month:

And here she is at two months:

She likes:
standing
wubby
bath time
kisses from Gus

She dislikes:
Dada's scratchy beard
being carried in a cradle hold
being held if you're not paying attention to her
shopping