Stats at 12 mths

Weight- 24.4 lbs; 74th %ile
Length- 31.5 inches; 92nd %ile
Head- 18.5 inches; 70th %ile

At 12 mths., Charlie still just has 7 teeth... although his 8th is moving in. He is full-on walking. He has become very attached to his luvie and has to have one or both in his hands at all times. On one hand he is very independant and likes to explore the house on his own. On the other hand, he has become dependant on both Patrick and I... if we leave the room, he cries. He still hasn't done this at daycare, so that is good. Speaking of daycare, Charlie gets moved up next week to a new classroom. In this classroom, the kids are expected to walk to and from the cafeteria in a line and eat at a "big kid" table. Charlie will still get a 30 min. nap in the morning, but they will try to drop that as quick as possible because the older kids in the class will still be having play time during his nap time. He'll continue to get a 2 hr. nap in the afternoon. Also in this new class, he will not be able to have his bottle at all. They have been practicing this all week in his current class and he has done great! Lots of changes are in store for our little man next week... we'll see how he does!

My Little Love...

is a 1 YEAR OLD!!! A year ago today I had endured a "high risk pregnancy" with high blood pressure, a short hospital stay at 34 weeks, weekly ultrasounds with a "high risk" doctor, weekly visits with my OBGYN, 5 weeks of bedrest, 24 hrs. of labor, and a c-section to meet our little man:
All of it was COMPLETELY worth it!! Today, we have a walking, babbling toddler who lights up our hearts every morning, makes us laugh everyday, and makes our life as a family much more special. We love you little Charlie and are so thankful to have you in our lives. Happy 1st Birthday!

Happy Birthday!!

We want to send out a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my mom, Nana, and Patrick's dad, Pops!! Patrick will be celebrating with his dad tonight at dinner while I host book club at our house. Unfortunately, my mom is celebrating from her hospital bed in Shreveport. She's having problems with her Crohn's and they are doing all sorts of tests to figure out where to go from here. Please keep her in your prayers. The Allen house is gearing up for Charlie's 1st birthday, which is just 2 short days away.

Walking Perfected....Almost

Some More Snow Pics

Record snowfall in Dallas. 9.8 inches recorded. I swear there was a foot of it our house.

Snow Day

Charlie took a snow day from daycare today. Here he is seeing snow for the first time this morning:

We went outside to play:

Charlie especially liked to eat the snow:

We went to Kindermusik this morning and are now cooped up for the remainder of the day. In store after nap time? Having a sensory scavenger hunt. (Recommended by our Kindermusik teacher). We will play with different textures such as silk, corderoy, wool, etc. I'll let you know how Charlie likes it!

Other little recommendations that our teacher gave us: To keep your kids interested in toys... hide them for a while and bring them out again or/and switch the rooms that the toys are in. Keeps them on their toes!

Walking- Take 3

Bless his heart.... he tries so hard!

Walking- Take 2

Happy Birthday Nathan!

This weekend we went to a birthday party for our good friend, Nathan. Here are some fun pics from the party:

Happy Birthday Nathan!

All the boys shooting hoops

Sweet Sam

Silly Jack

Charlie loved playing with the balls and didn't mind wearing the birthday hat!

Sam gives Charlie a kiss good-bye.

Charlie loved the balloon he got from the party.

The mind of an 11 month old

The other day we were playing in the office and all of a sudden Charlie stopped, looked around and started "crawling ass" to his room. He went straight to his crib, stood up, pulled out his luvie and headed back to the office to play some more.


A couple of days later we were getting ready for bath time and Charlie "crawled ass" out of the bathroom, down the hall, into the living room, grabbed one of his stacking rings and came back to the bathroom with it.


It's like he stops and thinks, "Wait. Wait. Mom, I REALLY need to go get this one thing before we can do anything else." So funny!

Teedle Toddle

10 steps.... count 'em! (Sorry it's sideways.., I can't figure out how to turn it on my computer)

Focus on the positive... a little banged head from falling down after he walked 10 steps just means he needs a more practice! Charlie walked 4 steps earlier today while playing and then he walked 8 steps after bath time. I hurried and grabbed the camera so that I could hopefully catch it... 10 steps!!! I'm so impressed with the little man. I can't wait for Patrick to see it with his own eyes.

Countertops?

Charlie helps me decide!