Our First Family Vacation

Ok, so really it was just a weekend away in the hopes of seeing some sun. But it did involve some serious car time, and we were worried about how that would go with little Charlie! We headed south to Cedar City and St. George. Cedar City to see great grandma Dodge and my good friends, and then further south to see some sun.

As a testament to our food addiction, most of our big plans before we left centered upon which restaurants we would go to. Taste of Hawaii being our biggest 'must'. Along with good friends it's pretty much the only other thing I miss about Cedar City. :)

Great Grandma

Hanging out at the hotel.

We tried swimming just a tiny bit, because it was actually a little windy, and we got worried he'd get too cold, small as he is.

Getting in a hiking groove with his shades and hat.

Snow Canyon State Park

Nah, nah nah nah nah naaaaa! You're not heeerrrreee.

Overall the trip was a success, and Charlie traveled better than I thought, he even slept through our whole meal out at the hibachi, so we could just enjoy. He liked riding in his baby bjorn for a little while, but he tuckered out after a bit. We went shopping, but I refuse to buy clothes in the size I am now, so I didn't get any, but we got a few cute things for John and Charlie. So good times - we're looking forward to a 'real' vacation this July. Woot.

Little Laugher

Charlie's Blessing

John mans the fryer.

We blessed Charlie on March the 7th. He was a good boy and didn't cry or anything. John said he did stick his tongue out at him the whole time though. We had a little dinner at our house in Brigham. In all the craziness I forgot to get some of the pictures of Charlie with people I wanted... oh well. That's what happens when you throw the party, you're in the kitchen, right? My aunts brought my Grandma and Grandpa Christensen up from Orem, and many friends & family members came down from Logan. John's brother and his family came up from Provo - so Charlie had a lot of love and support there for him.

I decided that it would be a great idea to make all finger foods, since most of the people would have to eat on plates in their laps. You know how it's a pain when you're trying to cut something without a table? It was a really good idea, but I wished I could have had another oven, and a bigger kitchen, more counter space for using extra hands. It was a bit of a coordination problem - lots of things needing to go in the oven at the same time and be done at the same time. BUT it was super fun to not have to use forks - I'd recommend it for party merriment. Ha.

Great Grandpa Christensen

Great Grandma Christensen... Charlie LOVES her!

Uncle Andrew relenting and holding Charlie. He says he doesn't hold babies.

The lucky few who got table space.

Adventures at the Doctor's office.

WARNING: This post is not for the faint of heart. If you can not handle hearing about poo, do not read on.

So the pediatrician I chose is in Logan, we now live in Brigham, but that's okay. You only go every couple of months, and that's only in the first year. So for our two month visit, it just so happened that I had a funeral in Logan to attend at 11:30 and Charlie's doctor visit was at 9:30, so that worked out pretty perfectly for me - one trip for two things. We get off to the appointment on time, I have my diaper bag ready and prepped w/ everything I could ever need, nice comfy skirt and shirt on, baby slept all the way there, the day starts off well.

So I strip Charlie down to his diaper for the nurse, she does her thing, then I take him out to hall where the scale is so we can weigh him. Just as I lay him down and she says to take his diaper I literally hear him at that instant go poo. Ha! Oh well, i'm sure it's not the first time the kid's diaper has been dirty when it gets taken off... they have wipes there and everything. So I take the diaper off, wipe up his bum and they get the weight. So she suggests I wrap him in the little blue paper pad to take him back to the exam room in and I do and I take him back, I sit him on the bench and I put a new diaper from my bag on.

I'm just sitting him up when I hear him poo again. Oh sheesh, but it's not that uncommon for Charlie. I consider just leaving this diaper on till after the doctor leaves, but he goes again, and I'm worried about leakage, plus it's stinking, and it's taking a minute, so I figure I'll just do it. It's a big mess actually and i'm juggling the kid on this bench and getting the wipes, but I finally get it done and I move the blue paper thing and the diaper aside and sit the kid up on my leg. I hear more tooting and pooing and I'm just thinking 'geez kid!', but oh well I've changed many a diaper, I have more diapers. Then I look down and see that the poo is in a big stream ALL DOWN MY SKIRT, and a little on my shirt! I don't even know how he did it! I've got a funeral in an hour and at this point and no way to get back to Brigham and then back to Logan! I'm wiping myself up with wet wipes the best I can, while trying to keep Charlie on the bench, laying down all dirty with poo up his leg, trying to get that from going everywhere, and considering what my options are for the rest of my day. After getting the majority of the poo off my now wet and stained skirt, I turn to the little dirty blue thing and Charlie and begin to change his diaper again, the diaper messy on the outside, and the blue thing is a bit dirty too, so this isn't a very clean process but better that I use this then get poo on this bench, right? When I open it I find that essentially the entire poo is outside the diaper, not IN the diaper. How that's possible I don't know. I'm wiping up Charlie's leg which is what is dirty, and move the diaper to the side, WHEN>>> DUN DUN DUN.... FREE PEE FOR ALL!

For some miraculous reason the pee stream doesn't head straight for me, it goes off to my right off the bench, and also it fortunately goes OVER the diaper bag containing all mine and Charlie's stuff, which is right below us, and starts landing in a long and steady stream on the doctor's carpet. I don't know what to do, I only have one clean diaper left, so i just put the old rolled up diaper in front of the kid and it splashes on the outside of it and down around Charlie and on the bench. HA! It's good I put the paper thing down - except that it's soaking and all over Charlie now! So now I'm mopping the kid up and cleaning him up. I've just got him into a new diaper, rolled everything up in the soggy blue thing and moved it when Dr. McKenna comes in. He looks at my face which was probably all flustered and then says, "What's up?"

"Nothing. Just a Poo-tastrophe."

Charlie Is Two Months Old

I am of two minds about Charlie growing at all. I mean I do want him to grow and develop and learn as he should. I will be very thankful if he progresses 'normally'. I love seeing the new things he's done like smile and coo, but I also don't want to lose THIS stage. I don't want to move past the cooing and gurgling and the toothless smile. I already feel sad that he seems so much bigger and he's not as much the newborn anymore. However, I'm pretty sure that growing is going to happen without my consent and nobody is asking me! So with that said...


Charlie just passed 2 months old! He is 13 pounds and 1 oz, which puts him in the 80th percentile for weight. He is 23 3/4 inches long which puts him in the 75th percentile for height. The Dr. said he is growing at a good proportional weight and height increase, which is always good to hear when you're exclusively breastfeeding, as it's easy to wonder how much they're eating since you can't measure your boob, ha.

Charlie started smiling at almost exactly 6 weeks old. Wow, that melts your heart. Until YOUR own baby smiles at you it's darn near impossible to know how much joy it will bring you. I've seen a lot of babies, and it's cute when other babies smile, but you're over it about one second later. When I first saw Charlie smile, I felt like I wanted to cry or laugh or freak out or all of the above.


Charlie is very vocal now. He'll have a little chat with you if you chat with him. He coos and goos and sighs and makes all those great little noises. Then he'll listen for your response, then he'll proceed with his next thought. It never fails to crack me up. If we really get going his coos almost turn into a little giggle. It's really funny, but then he almost always gets the hiccups.

Charlie is super alert. Everyone has said it since he was born, and even the Dr. said, 'I LOVE how alert he is!' when we met with him for his two month visit (I have a whole Dr's visit story which I will relay soon, it's not to be missed - Charlie has amazing timing). He seems to really like to sit up and look around like a big boy. I sit him so he's straddling my leg, looking out and hold him around his tummy against my body and it's the way he'll stay content for the longest time. He just looks around and checks stuff out.

Charlie is a pretty good sleeper, all in all. At least it seems he understands night time and day time (although a lot of time he thinks 'day' starts at 5:30 - while some may agree with Charlie on that I'd have to disagree). At night after he's gone to sleep, he wakes up a couple times, but it's typically only because he's hungry, and after he eats his fill he nods back off fairly quickly... MOST of the time.


Charlie likes white noise. If he's screaming and crying, get out the vacuum!

Charlie HATES to be swaddled, it started not too long after he was born, but all the sudden if his arms were tied down he'd just grunt and scream till you let them out and then he would just sigh with relief. I was bummed about this, because I think he would have an easier time getting to sleep if he'd allow it. With his hands free, he just smacks himself in the face all the time.

Sometimes I call Charlie my little lizard, because he's always sticking his tongue in and out. John says he's, 'tasting the air'.


Everywhere we go people are very interested in Charlie and have to ask about him and tell us how cute he is! (We agree.) We went to Texas Roadhouse the other night and were accosted by all these people, patrons and employees asking about Charlie (don't worry mom, we didn't let them touch him or breathe on him, only look from a distance). One of the hostesses nudged the others to look at him and they were all just talking about how cute of a baby he is, and as she was taking us to our seats was saying, 'I'm sorry I'm just staring at him, he's just so cute! You must get that all the time.' Well yes lady, we do, but we don't blame any of them.

Moment of Zen & Self Motivation.

Dear Dr. Pepper, it's over between us, I swear this time, just this last one and then I'm through.

Dear Cadbury Creme Eggs, because you only come out once I year I am much too indulgent of you.

And now, the cutest thing ever for a great moment: