the past week. . .

Charlie

This past week has once again been filled with firsts. I love seeing you achieve these little milestones which are in fact so HUGE.

Monday- Last Monday we did your 18 mos check-up with your doctor here in town. We began the process of getting you caught up on your vaccines. When you first joined the family, you didn't cry with tears, unless you were in extreme pain. (I really think you only cried once from our Gotcha Day until we had been home a month.) Well, we saw tears after the four shots. I shouldn't write this, but you are so cute when you cry. You scrunch up your little nose, open your mouth, and let the tears fall. You have learned to cry when you are uncomfortable. You have learned to whine. I know it is weird, but previously there was no point to these skills. What is so great about your crying, as soon as we walked into the waiting room from the back, you wiped your tears and started to smile. Yep. By the time we were at the car, you were laughing at Dada.

Papa and Grammie came and took us to lunch on Monday. While at Avanti's, you ate a grilled cheese sandwich (itty bitty pieces) and apple sauce avec red crayon. Apparently apple sauce tastes better with crayon dipped in it. Even more importantly. . . You sat in their Mustang. Here I like to think you are saying, "Keys please, Papa!" It is important you learn about cars Charlie. L watches MotorWeek with Papa, so you are gonna have to learn as well. Granted, you and Papa were making excellent car noises together while playing with your Little People. I am also thinking Chuggington will only get you so far with Papa's love of trains. 

Tuesday- You will finally walk while holding onto only one hand. This finally happened while we walked the waiting room of the car place while waiting on an oil change and tire rotation. Luckily this place has a HUGE waiting room, since we walked the whole time.

Wednesday- You decided it was time to start holding your own bottle as well as finally getting food into your own mouth. This last one isn't consistent, plus you tend to need a hand-to-wrist prompt, but it is a step.

Thursday- You bit into a cracker!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! During feeding therapy you bit into a cracker with Miss Abbey. She was very impressed. The mohawk picture is from Thursday's bath.

Friday- We had family pictures taken. You got to play with your drums from Ethiopia for the first time. I can't wait to see some of the pictures because you decided to play them at the same time. Following pictures, we got your hair cut. It looks awesome. We weren't sure how it would go, so we decided to wait until after the pictures. Terry did a very nice job.

Precut. . . I am really hoping your hair looks better in the pictures we had taken. . .

Post haircut we decided to get out your cymbals.

Saturday- For the very first time, you had Ethiopian. Weird to think about the whole time you lived in Ethiopia you didn't have any traditional food, outside of rice cereal and the potato/carrot food, but that's what happened. So we went to Ethiopian Diamond for you to have Ethiopian. You seemed to enjoy it!!!! Plus, whenever someone walked by the window or into the restaurant, you would smile, wave, and say "hi."

Eating sambussa

I am not sure what you are eating here. It is either kik alicha (peas with onion, garlic, ginger) or dinich alicha (potato and carrots with onion, garlic, ginger). You had some injera as well.  We didn't give you any of the doro watt or zil zil tibs.

Sunday- Was your Dada's first Father's Day!!!! We had dinner at Aunt Meg's for Father's Day and Grammie's birthday.  

Driving to Aunt Meg's house

With Dada

Playing in L's splash table

I can't wait for all of the "firsts" that will happen this week!!! 

Love,

Mama