All about Charlotte

My little Charlotte is just a month away from her first birthday! Can you believe it? Here are a few of the cute things she does:

~Signs: all done, baby, come here, thank you, bye-bye. (OK, so all done and bye look the same, as does come here and thank you!)

~Snuggles us in bed.

~Giggles like crazy over the antics of her sister.

~Puts up with her sister climbing on her, pulling her down, and pushing her around (but for how much longer?)

~Has discovered the art of tantrums.

~Says "bup" sometimes, when she wants you to pick her up (we're working on replacing "up" with whining to be held!)

~Plays with toys for long periods of time. I am actually amazed at her attention span!

~Dances like a crazy lady. What a doll!

~Climbs any set of stairs she lays her eyes on. Her favorite are the concrete stairs leading to our upstairs neighbor! Scary!

~Stands on her own for about 10 seconds.

~Has taken her first steps, so she may be walking by the time she's 1...in ONE month!!

Charlotte has taught me so much about enjoying the little moments and remembering that my children will only be little for so long. Because of her sleeping situation, I have come to realize that a "good" baby doesn't mean one who sleeps 10 hours straight by the time they are 12 weeks old. I feel like I have a happy, good baby. I also don't feel (anymore) like I'm digging myself a pit by letting her sleep with me, and I certainly don't feel that not letting her "cry it out" means that I'm giving in to her. I don't necessarily think letting your baby cry it out will cause irreparable damage or anything, but it just isn't for Charlotte at this point in her life. :)

Also, I'm starting to get over the type of parenting where you can't wait for the next nap, or for bedtime. I'm developing a good relationship with my little ones, and while I need a break once in a while, I don't feel like I'm going crazy (which is HUGE for me!) If I suffer from mommy burnout, I will have to re-evaluate my stratgies, but for now, I love all the time I get to spend with my little ones!

*I started this post right after my last post about Alana. I finally got around to finishing it!