http://dodoesditto.wordpress.com/

Love,

Carlye

His good buddies are helping him feel more at home.

Scout

and the Bus—which is roughly the size of his torso right now. That will be a cool way to look back and remember how tiny he was these days.

He’s even happy to see his old dishes out of storage.

Aaaaaand…Charlie’s favorite attributes:

The three ceiling fans

and our bookshelf.

Hmmm…a little Freud!

I liked the way he reorganized. Truly a revolutionary system

It’s been a bit difficult not having a car around, and being alone with me all day is making Charlie feel a little underwhelmed. So yesterday, we took the bus to meet Lara at Cahoot’s.

He was LOVING Lara. She just tickled him pink.

Last night we went to Prohibition with Christina. It’s this super swanky bar on the 27th floor of the Foshay Tower. I would show you pictures, but apparently I’ve met my upload quota for my blog… so that will have to get figured out soon.

The past 5 months with the Novaks has been perfect. I can’t imagine a better place for Charlie to have been introduced to his new state.

Moving is, of course, trying, tiring, stressful and overwhelming. In addition to that, I seem to have difficulty with change, because my last night in a place I always cry. And my first night in a new place I always cry even harder. So, to know that I’ll be in our new apartment for a minimum of 12 months is a huge relief. Especially since it’s so beautiful and spacious! I’m totally in love with our new home.

One of my favorite attributes of our new neighborhood is the trainyard. It’s close enough to provide wonderful ambient noise and a view of fun trains, without being too close. No rumbling, no horns, nothing bad. Just pleasant entertainment.

No lawnmowers or grandpas out the window, but hopefully trains (which will be easier to see when those leaves disappear) will be a semi-okay replacement for Charlie. Grandma Betty insisted we put this love-seat here so Charlie can look out, and boy, I’m glad she did.

On the nearby bridge over the yard.

We had a small army of loving people to help us move, and we’re so grateful to Grandma, Grandpa, Jim, Emily, Jack, Christina and Zach for doing heavy lifting, and Katy and Colleen for being on Charlie-duty. You all are amazing.

The next day, Christina went on thrift patrol with us, looking for shelving units, queen-sized sheets (because we bought a new bed, and we’re big people now!) and such.

She and Charlie are really bonding. We’re going to have to watch those two, because I caught them playing footsie!

One thing I must warn you of, is that we don’t have internet at our new place. And with Charlie, it’s going to be harder for me to find the time to go somewhere and blog. Gone are the days when he could just sleep in his car-seat at Cahoot’s Coffee. So I’ll do my absolute best to post at every opportunity, but even still, I know it won’t happen as often as I wish. So, apologies in advance, and as a consolation, here are two videos of what you’re missing these days at our house (besides cleaning, unpacking and organizing):

This first video, the sound is wonky until 0:55, but I personally think it’s worth it.  If you can’t handle the crinklies, just skip ahead to then.

Shake shake shake, shake shake shake, shake your boooootay!

He always has to check the bottom of everything to see what’s there (in the hopes that there are wheels, I think). Hardware is also a bonus. He even helped me install our new Minnesota license plates yesterday. It was weird to see the Colorado ones come off. In Boulder we displayed our MN plates proudly in our apartments, but now I have a feeling we’ll have our green mountainous ones up instead. It’s nuts how places just seem to stick with you, and become a part of who you are.

I know that our best souvenir from Boulder is a little blondie, who now drinks his bottles all by himself.

You’ve already seen my costume and Joe’s costume, but I have a feeling that the one you haven’t seen yet, is the only one you care about. So, without further ado, I give you:

SOPHOCLES

“I shall add a third actor to the stage! ‘Tis a tragedy not to have done so before.”

Once we bundled him up to brave the chilly night air, he didn’t look so much like Sophocles.

We could’ve said he was a still-life, what with the pumpkin on top of the ‘table cloth.’ But nobody really asked or cared. A cute baby is a cute baby, and nobody’s going to refuse giving candy to new(ish) parents. Besides, we only really stopped at 3 houses.

So, the big news is that we now have the keys to our new apartment. Now we just have to…ahem…do the moving. It will be amazing to have our own place again, although, the morning scenery, I’m sure, will be much less breathtaking.

Happy November to all. By Day 23, Sir Charles will be a whole year old. It’s bizarre that it’s been a year, but also that it’s only been a year. Kind of seems like he’s been around for always.

This year, not having a kitchen to myself and having Charlie around, I never ended up making my annual motherload of fresh pumpkin puree. But I couldn’t resist a good price on canned pumpkin at Dahl’s in Des Moines. I’d used half of the can for pumpkin enchiladas and various oatmeal breakfast mixtures, but still had roughly 15 oz. hanging out in the fridge ready to be used. Then while perusing a Martha Stewart magazine, came across a pumpkin meringue pie recipe. I had to. I just had to.

Here’s the pie before meringue went on top.

I had some trouble with my “weepy” meringue. Here’s what it was supposed to turn out like:

And here’s how mine turned out

Well, I tried. I’m no Martha; never pretended to be. But it tasted pretty good, and it added nicely to the autumnal table.

Thanks to Grandma Jan & Grandpa Mel and Phizzie & Addie for the cards!

So the weather’s getting chillier. Without Charlie’s beloved pumpkin hat, which was lost in an unfortunate baby hat theft in Vadnais Heights, we had to resort to one of Charlie’s baby baby hats. It’s not the warmest, but it’s the only one we have that fits on his enormous head these days.

But Fortune smiled on us yesterday in White Bear Lake. I’d taken Charlie up there in the hopes of visiting a certain thrift store (which turned out to be for housewares, not clothes, so needless to say, there were no leather jackets there. I’ll get to that). It was a bit chilly, so I tucked him in to an adorable sweater that his great-aunt Peg knit for her boys. The knitwear is, I assume, what triggered a random woman on the street to stop me to say, “I just have to tell you: at the Senior’s Center, they’re having a bazaar, and they have those adorable pumpkin hats! I just bought one for my grandson. Even if they’re not having the bazaar right now, just ask them about the hats, and they’ll be able to get you one.” It was like she’d seen into my soul, and knew that my heart was yearning for a replacement knit pumpkin hat for my son. I was flabbergasted, but I held it together enough to get directions to the senior center. They were wrong, but I made it there despite all, thanks to Google Text. And some wonderful women sold me my heart’s desire for a mere $3.50.

I tried it on him at the senior center, and he just got the biggest grin! And it’s perfect, because he would have outgrown the other one before his first birthday, and this one, with it’s rollability, not only fits him now, but will fit him until he’s at least 24.

But probably just until he throws it out of his stroller and someone steals it. Like with the previous one. Maybe I should go back to the senior center and stock up.

For Halloween this year, Joe and I have been tag-teaming parties. Last night, I went to a Young Macalester Alumni get together at Gluek in downtown Minneapolis. It was pleasantly awkward (awkwardly pleasant?), and just generally a very nice time. I dressed up as Fonzie, and I’m in love with the leather jacket I found for it at the thrift store.

Joe’s going to a Halloween party tonight as C. Everett Koop, the 13th Surgeon General of the United States. According to Wikipedia, he performed groundbreaking surgeries on infants and conjoined twins, and really hated tobacco.

We’re hoping we can figure out somewhere Halloweeny to take Charlie at some point, so we can show off the awesome costume we have planned for him. I’ll keep you posted.

In Charlie’s lifetime, he has definitely spent more time with men than women (excluding me, of course. But as the Mom jeans commercial puts it: I’m not a woman… I’m a Mom). Yet the only babies he’s ever met, besides Aiden–who, at 2, is not really a baby anymore!–, have been little ladies. So maybe in Charlie’s mind, big people are boys, and little people are girls. And little people definitely freak him out.

But yesterday, we went over to hang out with the twins, and another little girl named Emily. And Charlie did so much better, warming especially to Maren. He still had some tears, and this picture encapsulates about how much he tried to interact with Claire, Lilly and Emily (the babies).

But it’s progress! And as I can attest from my own childhood, there’s nothing wrong with the kid who would prefer to play by him/herself in a quiet room with the door shut.

The girls were all over the place, though. It’s so fun to see them just bopping around, doing their thing.

Plus, look at these perfect faces!!!

It was a tough morning on the little munchkin. He was tired, and his teeth are driving him CRAZY. He napped a ton, but it just wasn’t righting his mood. Books were helpful, and so was the Bus, but then the tiniest thing would set him off. So instead of sitting at home, just getting by, I chose to take action!

Joe had the car today, so I decided it would be a perfect time to take Charlie on his first bus ride.

We missed the first bus, and unfortunately, it only comes every hour, so we ate lunch along the bike trail, and Charlie got in some wheel time.

Then we went back to the stop.

He waited so patiently.

I thought he was going to die from excitement when he saw the bus approach, and he loved the ride. It was less than a half hour, but I think he could’ve stayed on forever. He tried to make friends with some fellow passengers, stared out the window, ate some foods and enjoyed the soothing movement.

Then came Downtown St Paul.

We happened upon a parking ramp that made me smile for two reasons.

1. On the side is Cyrillic graffiti! It says ‘ramp.’ Not very creative, but it made me happy since I’ve been spending my free time working on Russian grammar exercises.

2. On my first outing at Macalester, my new friends and I went on an excursion to downtown St Paul, and we ended up walking all the way up this parking ramp to the very top. Want proof?

Taken from the top.

(Forgive me, Allister and Joe)

Also up top.

On ground level inside the ramp.

Memories!

Back to the present.

Charlie and I looked for shelter from the wind, and found it in this great playground.

Charlie had a ball.

Then it was my turn to have a ball. It was getting chilly, so we headed into the nearby Black Dog Cafe for a much-needed espresso.

Joe picked us up on his way home from work, which was nice, since Charlie was getting ready for a nap. Although, a ride on the metro bus might have just lulled him right to sleep!

The wedding was for Shireen, Joe’s cousin, and it was a beautiful reception. We were sad to leave early, but a couple months ago, we got a super deal for tickets to that night’s orchestra concert. We heard Las Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas. It was composed by Astor Piazzolla, as his own version of The Four Seasons, but set instead in Buenos Aires. So it has a great tango aspect to it. Here’s what the Spring sector sounds like.

The star violinist was Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, and she came out onstage with this sparkly black slinky top and bright red velvet pants, which instantly set her apart from the backdrop of the all-black clad orchestra. Diva! And rightfully so. She was amazing.

After intermission, was Aaron Copland’s Third Symphony. The music wasn’t as experimental and interesting as the Piazzolla, but I did enjoy it more. Copland is so distinctive, and I absolutely love his music for his Billy the Kid ballet, which Joe has introduced me to. This symphony was no exception.

My favorite part was the Fanfare for the Common Man

The Minneapolis Orchestra Hall is so cool! Every other place I’ve seen an orchestra, the visual focus has definitely been on the players. Which is fair; they are the stars, after all. But here, the focus is definitely on the architecture. All of these cubes are three-D, including the ones on the backdrop. It’s not a painted set.

I think I maybe watched the players for a total of 8 minutes. The rest of the time, I was just staring absently into the ceiling, able to focus solely on the music. It was an amazing aural experience.

Post-show, Joe and I walked down Nicollet Mall in search of a place to enjoy a drink and un-wind. We passed by this wall, which we both thought looked really cool. The photo doesn’t do justice.

We ended up turning around and heading towards the Hotel Ivy’s bar, Porter & Frye. Oysters were only $5, so we got some of those in addition to our drinks. My sazerac was simply delightful.

We were able to do all of this because Katy Novak is just the sweetest! She took care of Charlie for the evening.

We got a text from her saying that he bawled through his bath, but went into his crib giggling! What a sweet way to end the day.

He adjusts quickly. But there are a few things that he’s just going to have to learn.

Sharing his space.

Sharing Mom’s attention.

Learning that other babies exist.

And figuring out all these girls, who seem to be crawling all over the place. How do they do that?!

[With Lily and Claire, who were so tolerant of him bawling in their faces]

[With Lahna at MDRC]

He spends so little time with other kids, and he just doesn’t know what to do with them. He’s used to being with TwentySomethings, and is really very content to be the only baby around. Getting lavished with attention and smiles; being the center of attention.

But someday, that’s going to change. He’s going to have to be content with being one beautiful flower among many; with not being the focus of the room.

It could be rough.

But we’ll work on it. And he’ll learn! He’s always picked up on things quicker than we’ve expected, and perhaps these life lessons, too, will come easily. We’ll simply have to try.