Busy Days / Restful Nights

It feels like forever since we last posted, just staying busy with our weekly routine. Everyone will be happy to know that CR has been sleeping successfully in his crib for 2 full weeks now, and we are all sleeping so much better at night. (Yes, just like everyone said we would.) I know I have not written too much about it on here but were were trapped in a pretty vicious cycle of co-sleeping for way (waaaaay) too long, but now CR has adapted to his crib and is no longer convinced it is an instrument of terror. So, yea for that, and big giant yea for sleeping well.

In other news, in my New Year's resolution to widen our range of cooking beyond Bertolli two to three times a week, I have (again, finally heeding everyone's advice) embraced crock pot cooking and, quite simply, it rocks. The best so far was a recipe with chicken, soy sauce, lemon juice, and some cayenne pepper, we put it on steamed rice and broccoli - it was a hit all the way around, even with CR (I was really light with the cayenne) - the craziest thing was when we had it for left overs it was better and better each successive day. Also, found a great site to help along: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/. And of course I welcome any of your tried and true quick family size recipes (crock pot or not) hint, hint...

A new word category has developed for CR in addition to giraffe in the last post (that one has stuck), now all fruit is apple ('a-pull') or banana ('nanna'). Particularly noted in the grocery the other day, as I wheeled him around in the cart he was holding (clutching) a grapefruit and saying (yelling) AAAH-PULLL. He can say Mommy when he is in just exactly the right mood - but generally everything including himself is still Daddy ('daa-dee'). Every so often he will come out with the random phonics he throws together and says consistanly, and Charlie and I struggle to decipher, which has become kind of a fun game. And of course still Elmo - 'emmo' which for a long time applied to many, many things. Before he started up with the apple and banana above, he was eating some strawberries and throughout called them Elmo - funny, but also gruesome.

Hope everyone is having a good, safe and warm winter and for those of you up North that you are surviving the wild weather!

Oh My! It's nap time, that must be a sweet dream CR!

Good night our Main Man Charlie Ross!

A CR bedtime favorite: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lv38j4lPzd0&feature=related

Happy New Year (Part 2)

Just wanted to post some pictures from on and around Christmas, CR's grandparents all came in town - and we had a good time. We went to the Houston Zoo on New Year's Day and CR enjoyed seeing the animals - so did we. And he likes to say giraffe now (sounds like 'rraffe'), he knows the giraffe by sight, but now all other animals (except dogs) are 'rraffe' too.

Happy New Year!

Hello everyone I hope your Holidays were wonderful, and that you are having a Happy New Year. Will post pics and holiday stories soon - Dad took lots of great pics when he was here visiting.

Just saw this fun fact - Charlie is the 86th most popular name for 2008. (In Britain it was the 7th most popular last year.) It is fun to read through the list, I know kids with almost all of these names (and I know some of you do too!).

http://www.babycenter.com/top-baby-names-2008

Snow in Houston

It snowed in Houston last night which is a sight we have not seen since our first (white) Christmas here in 2004. It really made me smile walking downtown to my car with so much snow blowing all around, and in particular it was fun to watch it fall in the backyard lights when I got home. Saffron and Zoe were not as impressed as they came in with a light snow cover after their outside time last night! Today it is COLD but sunny, all the snow is gone - but it makes me think if it is snowing in early December it might be a very cold winter here this year.



CR got to wear his winter coat - I did not think we would be getting that out of the closet till next month, but they did not go outside yesterday because it was too wet. I bet they do today - he has really taken to the outdoors both at home out back on the patio, and at daycare the first thing they mention is how much he enjoys his outside time.

He has (finally) adjusted to the toddler room, and is back to smiling, greeting his friends, and running (quick toddling?) to play in the morning, instead of crying - which was difficult for you-know-who (me!). His transition to this room was the first teary drop off(s) I had experienced - probably not the last - and even though at the end of the day I heard about how much he enjoyed the new room/activities/bigger kids/outside play - I still have not felt 100% at ease till now.

He is babbling up a storm now, and Big Charlie chuckles when I encourage CR to talk to us in his 'Little-ese'. His first two clear as a bell words are still 'Da-vid!' (which he likes to yell, with a huge smile on his face when his cousin David is nearby) and 'No' which he says to me, Charlie the dogs and anyone else - emphasizing with his little pointy finger - why this one word had to catch on I don't know, I promise we say lots of other things to him besides that. : ) He has his own language for other things - like Saffron, comes out like daa-daa, which may be dog-dog but since he knows her by name I think he is trying to say the two syllables - however they come out.

I hope everyone is doing well and having a Happy Holiday season! - and that I will be able to finish up putting Christmas together at the house shortly so we can post some Holiday pics. : )

Anniversary, Birthday, Thanksgiving...

November has been a big month with our 5 year anniversary, then CR's first birthday the next day, and Thanksgiving in New Orleans. In between we were all brought down hard by a virus, but we are back in action now!

Below are some pictures from the month: our anniversary trip to Las Vegas (we loved riding the ATVs in the desert!), CR's FIRST birthday (thank you Maw Maw, Paw Paw and Grammy for coming into town for the big event!), and Thanksgiving (visiting our family the New Orleans Russos, and our friends - we enjoyed seeing you all! - the pics are CR's first time in the rain - he thoroughly enjoyed it).

Dad's Home

Guess what tomorrow is? End of Daylight Savings Time - yea! Why is that a big deal? - because Charlie gets off of work at 6PM (as opposed to 7PM) - this helps with the after-work juggle quite a bit. And the fact is I love coming home in the winter to lights on, dinner on (usually), and family in!

But so far we have enjoyed making a big fuss over when Dad comes home, it has become a part of the nightly routine. The rest of the routine is typically a nap on the way home (car seat + warm car = nap within two stop lights), cranky wake up time, play, Dad's home, dinner, Backyardigans song and Elmo on You Tube, quiet play, books and then...sleep. Though on occasion CR has an extra hard play day with one short early morning nap - which extends the ride home nap to an all nighter.

Cranky...Cranky...Hey, is that Dad's car?

Dad's Home!!!!

The two Charlie Russos

Pre-Bed Playtime...

Happy Halloween 2008

"Luke, I am your father... "

I got ready with Mom, Aunt Gigi and David. It got kind of hot here in Houston after a cool week, so my costume was a little less comfortable than Mom anticipated, but I was a good sport about it. I took a few pictures...

then started to get a little grumpy...

we waited for Dad to get home from work to give candy to the Trick or Treaters...

but it was too late...I surrendered to sleepy time....

Next year - watch out !

...so we are spending Halloween in, cousin David is helping us give out candy to all the cute goblins and ghosts (and ballerinas, and fairies, and Indiana Jones, and Spidermans...).

We hope you all had a wonderful Halloween!

PS: If you come visit us please leave comments, we love to hear from our family and friends!

Walking (A Video in Four Parts)

Other Than Ike...

So other than the Ike news September has been a pretty big month. It actually started out with another hurricane, Gustav, which brought Charlie's parents and Pete, Kissy and Katie here to Houston from New Orleans. Sadly Katie had to postpone her third birthday party because of Gustav - but I hope the substitute party was OK - and that she had a great 'make up' party this weekend! Although the circumstances for their visit were not so good, it turned out to be a fantastic Labor Day weekend and we really enjoyed their visit, and Gustav did bring some amazing and unseasonably nice weather to Houston on Labor Day, to make it even better.

Don't have too much time to write tonight so I will just post pictures instead.

Happy Birthday Katie!

We love that Birthday Girl!

The shirt (a gift) says 'Chicks Dig Me' with a picture of a baby chick - I thought it was totally cute, but I should not have been surprised that it attracted LOTS of attention when out in public. Whoever is selling these shirts is probably making a killing.

Dinner with the Diluzio's (CR is verrry close to bedtime)

Before I get any comments : ) - I moved the fan (which does not work at all) - and all other bookcase objects - permanently after this picture, I just had to show the look on his face here - 'when you say 'no' are you talking to me specifically momma?'. (He pushed the gate pictured to arrive at this location.)

Finally, on Thursday I picked up CR from daycare and was met at the door with him walking to me. I was stunned, I still am - I would like to upload some good video of it but when he does it I am still just trying to look out and make sure he does not fall over on his noggin. He is walking on his own at home today, but when he feels like it - as crawling is still a much faster way to get around.