Los Porchs

Time moves so quickly.  The worst thing about a week of vacation is that by the time your brain processes that you're on vacation and don't have to worry about work stuff, it's time to pack it all up and get back to the grind.  In the spirit of enjoying the day, I'm going to dump our photos here &  get busy watching Pitch Perfect 2 while stuffing my face with pad thai for dinner. We enjoyed 1 day on the beach.  All of the others were SUPER windy and chilly. And rainy. We did a lot of walking and this sleepy face was a common occurrence. Porch was testing the abilities of my camera. He wins. Charlotte discovered her love for ice cubes on this trip. As I packed to come back, Charlotte kept crawling into my suitcase. Our peanut is such an awesome traveler!  She did great on the planes; we used our Tula Toddler Carrier for the first time and it was a game-changer.  She could see everything and was nea...

O N E Being a one-year old looks a lot like you walking from one room to the next, shouting at us, waving to puppies, and giggling at your toys. Eats You are still nursing a few times a day but have the rest of your milk in a sippy cup or bottle and water from your sippy cup.  You tend to have about 12 oz while you're at school and then nurse a time or three at home.  You're growing perfectly though, so I have no concerns about your intake.  You enjoy food.  It's mostly a sensory experience but some of it occasionally makes it into your mouth.  You enjoy ham, chicken, cheese, and scrambled eggs.  Fruits: strawberry is still your favorite, but you like banana-flavored puffs and cookies  Vegetables: we tend to sneak veggies to you via veggie burger or pouches with the veggies mixed in.  You eat around the veggies, you sneaky girl!  I keep offering the veggies and maybe someday you'll be more into the idea.   Hey, you licked a brussel...

I've heard that you will know when your family is complete... that your heart will feel content and you will just... know . My history as an infertile leaves me feeling super uneasy about this. We know we want to have a sibling for Charlotte but we're not sure how that might look for us. I feel conflicted having such woeful feelings when I am so incredibly lucky to be watching Charlotte grow and change. I am that sweet girl's Mamamamamama and for that I am forever thankful. But I want more. And I know that when we're ready, it's likely to require medical intervention. The feelings of jealousy creep up when others post their pregnancy announcement or bump updates, even though I was that girl not too long ago. It feels selfish to feel this way, you know? I'm happy for my friends but there's that nagging feeling already. I'm going to be 32 this year and the clock is ticking. I can barely get my bum off the floor when I'm down there playing with Charlo...

Just like that, my little Charlie Bug turned one.  And then?  Started walking.  It was an emotional time for me and I'd love to tell you that's the reason I haven't posted her one year stuff yet, but the truth is that I've been chasing her around start to finish of all of our free time and by the time that girl lays her head down at night, I am exhausted and trying to get some of my work done.  My house is a mess, my desk is a shit show, and overall, I'm really just trying to make it through the week without getting fired or having a nervous breakdown. So there's that. And the fact that we've been busy busy busy over here!  Last weekend, Charlotte had her first overnight trip to stay with my parents so Porch and I could have some kid-free fun.  First, we casually strolled through e v e r y aisle at Target with Starbucks in hand.  Nothing went into our cart that we didn't put there and no one had a tantrum about not being able to hold something. ...

Listen.  I am TOTALLY aware that time doesn't move fast or slow, it just moves.  But somehow, the past 11 months have passed in the blink of an eye (a non-sleeping, bags underneath eye).  I cannot believe that in just a few short days, I will have a 1-year-old.  SERIOUSLY?!  I couldn't love this kid more and I am so enjoying watching her develop her sense of self and an awareness of how the world works around her. Teeth:  2 bottom teeth and 2 top front teeth... we're waiting patiently as she's been a little fussier than usual lately and I suspect teeth are the culprit. Charlotte likes... ... dancing (girl can move) ... standing by herself ... babbling ... clapping ... playing peek-a-boo ... eating what Mama and Daddy are eating ... people-watching ... going for walks in the neighborhood ... puppies (girlfriend lets a SQUEAL like you wouldn't believe whenever we encounter a puppy on our walks) ... carrying her lunchbox into the classroom every morning ...

I have a very talented friend who 'dabbles' at many crafts and ends up doing amazing things (see this adorable hat , for example).  I complimented her on this unique ability and her response was that her talents do not extend to housekeeping.  Okay.  Listen.  Housekeeping is not a talent.  It's just something we do (maybe this is just me) to keep from being judged by visitors. Amiright?!  Sure, I also do it because our infant daughter is like a mini Roomba who moves from room to room in search of whatever pieces of food and non-food items she can find.  But really, it's because I don't want to be considered a slob. Which I am.  That feels so good to say.  My name is Danie and I am a slob.  I go through phases with cleaning.  I am super gungho about it and keep things nice and as time goes on, I give up. I suspect I give up because I feel defeated.  My living room is OWNED by infant and toddler toys and push toys. Sure I put the...

I cannot even begin to describe how quickly the past 10 months have flown past. I say this every month. It took me 10 extra days to get my poop in a group to squeeze those cheeks into a white onesie and slap that sticker on her! If it wasn't for my strong desire to collect all 12 shots, I probably would have let this month pass by unceremoniously. Life is busy. Super busy. Walking around hunched over, holding little hands busy. This was a month in which Charlotte took off. Literally. She is always on the go. She mastered crawling & now wants nothing to do with sitting. This revelation makes bathing a new Mama Olympics event... an event in which I am not even close to being medalist. She loves to eat, but you probably knew that by glancing at those cheeks, right? We really didn't do Baby Lead Weaning like I had such high ambitions of doing. We have been doing purees and adding new textures as we progree. We skipped rice cereal. We are currently doing the Lil Bit...