Charlotte's first birthday was last Monday. We didn't have any huge celebrations since she wouldn't know any better anyway. Audrey was pretty excited about Charlotte's birthday because it meant she got to have cake. Can't blame her for that! And Audrey helped make the cupcakes.
It seems like a lot has happened since my last post. November was the rainiest month *ever* in Seattle. It seemed like it would never end. And then at the end of the month we had a little sun, then a snowstorm that paralyzed the city. It only snowed about 3 inches, but it then turned icy and cold for a few days so the ice wouldn't melt. I couldn't commute by bike for most of a week. Downtown Seattle is close to sea level but most of the neighborhoods are on hills or require going over hills to get to or from. So it was interesting to have a struggle to get out of one's neighborhood only to get downtown and be unable to tell that snow had even fallen.
Charlotte continues to improve her walking skills. She's also become quite chatty lately. And a couple of days ago she started making gestures that mean something: she'll now point at something and then at herself and speak. We're pretty sure she's saying "Please give that thing over there to me." The only problem is that we never quite know which object has caught her eye. We can give her the item we think she's pointing at, but then she'll just point in the same general direction again.
The snowstorm we had was the first one we've had since Audrey was born, I think. It was definitely the first one she ever went out and played in. She loved it. She didn't like touching the snow, though. Neighbor boys were throwing snowballs and she thought she'd join in. But as soon as her hand (bare, because she refused to wear mittens) touched the snow she had had enough of that.
Audrey has recently taken another cognitive step. We can't ever put our finger on exactly what has changed, but we've seen this many times. All of sudden something is just different about her. The night it was snowing she was up late. Carol sneaked her out of her room conspiratorially and opened the front door so Audrey could watch it snow by the streetlight. Audrey said it was beautiful. Earlier, when I asked if she wanted to go for a walk in the snow, she said "Oh, that would be perfect!" Yesterday while driving I criticized another driver. From the back seat we heard, "Daddy, that not very fair."
Immediately behind our house is Schmitz Park, a wooded city park that mainly consists of a ravine draining from our neighborhood at the top of the West Seattle ridge all the way down to Alki Beach. It's about a 15 minute walk from here to the beach via trails. Today it was cold but sunny, so we put the girls in their backpack carriers and took the walk. Then we walked along the seawall for a bit and took the bus back up the hill. Audrey declared it a "good adventure." We don't take advantage of the park nearly enough - that's only the second time we've done it in the 14 months we've lived here.
Months ago some friends turned us on to a woman who works as a part-time nanny on a flexible basis. Last week Carol called her and had her come over for an initial visit. Her name is Jessica and she's a retired Head Start teacher. She works for many families on as as-needed basis. The girls loved her, so now we're getting set up to have her come for half a day once a week. That will be a welcome break for Carol.
We've made plans to visit my parents in Palm Desert, CA in early March. We haven't taken a trip in two years, so we're really looking forward to it. If all goes as planned and Charlotte is weaned by then, Carol and I will get to go to Las Vegas for a couple of nights while the girls stay with Grandma and Grandpa.
Carol and I are constantly in awe of our good fortune. It's exhausting having two kids this young, but oh so rewarding and fun.
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