Milestones and Then Some

Lots of goings-on around here!

Over the last eleven months, Charlotte has gone from a sweet, adorable 2.75 year old to a 21 year old who knows everything. She's still sweet and adorable, though. And what a pistol!

Milestones reached:
-Big girl bed! No more floor bed.
-Pre-school three mornings a week
-Made Jiffy corn muffins start to finish all by herself (I did measure the milk)
-Carved her first pumpkin
-Went trick-or-treating with kid friends
-Draws stick figure families
-Practically self-sufficient in most daily tasks
-Shot up several inches over the summer and now stands as tall as my waist
... and I'm sure plenty of other things that have escaped my memory.

Charlotte LOVES her baby sis. She would spend hours a day holding her, if only the baby would just stop crying.

Introductions are in order!

Appearing for the first time, Miss Julia Ruth!

After an uneventful but very hot and sweaty pregnancy (North Carolina summer for the third trimester - what was I thinking?!), this crazy-haired little girl joined our family September 10th. 

Now seven weeks, she's proving herself a wonderful addition to the family.

Birth story and plenty of pictures and updates to follow!

What I'll miss.

I'm staring down the end of my time as a New Yorker (at least for now; never say never!), and it is so bittersweet. I'm going to miss the great community of friends I have here, no doubt about it. It's been a good time!

 Other things I'll miss:

Charlotte exploring a snowy field. Not yet mud season, but the snow wasn't too deep.

 Snowshoeing with a sleepy kiddo on my back.

 Comically misshapen Christmas trees, full of charm, and found at a friends' house.

The view from our driveway.

I will not miss these thermometer readings, however.

On letting go

I've realized that it's different, trying to deal with day-to-day stuff, parent, and take care of myself without a partner in the house. Not impossible by any means, but certainly different. And so my approach to things has changed a bit, too. I'm finding, though, that I feel better about making choices that generally align with what I consider to be my core values: wholesome foods, imaginative play, plenty of outside time. Sometimes, I simply haven't got the energy to make those the priority, and that's ok too. Boxed mac n cheese eaten in front of an episode of Curious George is not going to kill my child. Ultimately, she is fed, clean, and loved, and isn't that what really counts?

It's sometimes hard for me to let go of the notion that I have to be, if not perfect, then close. It's funny because I never thought I was a perfectionist... evidently I was wrong.

2014 is shaping up to be a year of change and acceptance. I find myself thinking of the serenity prayer often, and its importance in the 12-step world aside, I think it's a really lovely, peaceful mantra to invoke in times of need.

Not a lot to this week's post, as I've got about fifteen different irons in three different fires, but I didn't want you to think I'd forgotten you.

Moving on up

We're leaving.

Our house, my garden, our village, our jobs, Charlotte's daycare, (most of) our friends, our state, even our geographical region.

I'm 90% excited, 5% terrified, and 5% neutral. That 5% terror, though, is hiding, and it only pops out in the darkness. Come daytime, excitement rules.

So, let's back up a minute and I'll explain how we got here: Matt accepted a very exciting job offer in North Carolina back in November, and he moved down in early December. He's got a small apartment and is planning on spending a week back here every 4-6 weeks until we can get the house sold.

We needed some sort of change, no doubt, and this definitely qualifies as a change.

Other changes:
Charlotte talks, a lot.

Things that remain the same:
I'm running.
I'm dreaming about gardening (even though I know this will have to be a year of rest in that arena).
I'm active on Instagram: http://instagram.com/joie_12

Stay tuned! Mellow Your Soul is getting a makeover and a little more pep in its step this year. Everything else is changing, why shouldn't the blog?

The State of Charlotte, October 2013

It's been a while, and Charlotte is doing so much more, that I figured I'd just do a quick list with a few photos and call it a day.

Her vocabulary has exploded recently, but it's hard to understand what she's saying. Still, I'm so glad to see that she's making a concerted effort to talk.

She loves singing. Row row row (your boat) is popular, as is She'll be coming round the mountain.

She's still a mama's girl. I don't mind.

She enjoys walking on the curbs in parking lots, along the edge of the deck, on yard sticks laid on the floor. Balancing is fun!

She says"please" and "thank you" without prompting.

She loves animals. She stared down this rooster and eventually petted him. She also tried to climb into the llama paddock. Mr. Llama was not impressed.

She goes "vroom vroom" with hand motions when she sees a motorcycle.

She continues to amaze with the things she'll eat. We went to a garlic festival and she ate slices of raw garlic. She ate chicken Caesar salad last night for dinner. Like anyone, she loves sweet/fatty foods, but she's great about eating healthy. Just don't get between her and a cider donut.

We went to a revolutionary war re-enactment and she had a ball playing with they toys. Rolling marbles down a board was a big hit. Hello, cheap Christmas present!

She discovered pockets this past weekend. Now there's leaves in all of her clothes.

The Itsy Bitsy Spider

Must be she learned this at daycare, because I think I've only sung this song twice to her. I was completely surprised to turn my head and see her doing the hand motions!

Video here if the embed doesn't work for you.