Hellobee

I think the past month has really been the turning point for me as a mom.  The entire first year was pretty damn tough.  I still don’t love babies, and being a mom of a baby is not my forte.  But as a toddler, Charlie has become so much fun in the past month, it has become a little easier.  It’s still exhausting — don’t get me wrong — but I find myself thinking everything he does is adorable lately.  He learns so much every single day and it’s just fascinating to watch him grow into his own little person.  No wonder every parent thinks their kid is the cutest kid in the whole wide world.  (For the record I don’t think that, and I will never think that. Charlie is pretty cute to me since I’m his mom, but he’s certainly not the cutest in the world, or New York, or Park Slope.)

Charlie can entertain himself for longer stretches of time because he can walk everywhere, and he’s just become a lot more independent. He loves to do things himself, like put on his socks and shoes (he can’t do it but he loves to try). The moms that told me that it starts getting really fun around 14 months were right. It’s only going to get so much more fun from here!

Charlie can say three words — mama, ball, and bubble. He’s obsessed with bubbles and asks us to blow bubbles daily by handing us his bubble bottle. He particularly likes the Gymboree bubbles they use in his music class because they don’t pop. Charlie starts screeching as soon as he sees someone reaching for the Gymboree bubble bottle, and gets everyone around him excited in the process. His music teacher said in all her years of teaching, she’s never met a baby that liked bubbles as much as Charlie.

(This video was taken in LA, PB (pre-bowl cut), and is not indicative of just how much Charlie loves bubbles.)

The only real struggle we have when it comes to Charlie is how little interest he has in eating. He loves boreecha (barley tea), Cheerios and goldfish crackers, but other than that he’s extremely picky. He’ll like something one day and hate it the next. And even if he likes something, he won’t eat very much of it. Some things he likes most of the time include bagels, beef porridge, yobaby yogurt in the exotic flavors, and cheese. Some days he doesn’t want almost any solids and we have to trick him into eating by sticking a spoonful of food in his mouth any time he opens it. There are many picky eaters on my side of the family… I hope he didn’t inherit that trait and grows out of this pickiness!

And even though Mr. Bee is way more fun to play with, I’m still Charlie’s favoritest person in the whole wide world. He started going through a little mama’s boy phase again recently and cries if I leave the room. He loves to run up to me and hug my leg. He loves to blow kisses. He loves to snuggle. Having a baby really is like having a dog that eventually learns how to speak. Even though Charlie sees me every single day, he still gets so excited whenever he sees me! I mean who loves you like that other than your child and your dog?