Charlotte: 15 months old

trying on the headband I got her

 It's been a while since I gave my girl her own post, so here is an update on Charlotte and all of her many achievements.

Charlotte's personality is really starting to come out.  She is silly, funny, spunky, and full of attitude.  She never got the message that she's only 1, and her brothers are almost 4, and so she is constantly trying to keep up with them and imitate them.

Milestone: 1st selfie

Charlotte is walking and running, tries to jump with 2 feet, and tries to climb up and down stairs without crawling/sitting down.  She can climb up the ladder on a small slide and slide down on her own.  Her fine motor skills are also improving- she can hold a crayon and scribble, and feeds herself with a fork and spoon (hit or miss on how much gets in her mouth, though...).

She's not talking much... for some reason she says "Dada" for everything.  Anytime I say a word and ask her to repeat, she says, "dada."  She says her version of kitty, boot, more, dada, mm hmm (mm mmm is her way), and uh oh (uh ah).  She will imitate sounds if I look her in the eye and make them, but then she laughs at me like she knows I'm being an idiot.  Her receptive language is excellent, though.  She always knows exactly what is going on, and responds to commands or questions- when I say, "Charlotte, time to eat!" she will go to her booster seat, or bring me specific objects if I ask for them.  She also gives hugs and kisses, and blows kisses, too.  So deliciously sweet.

"I wonder what the limit is on this one..."

Charlotte is social and friendly.  She will look around a room and make eye contact and smile at everyone.  If we all start laughing at something in conversation, she will join in, even if she has no idea what we were talking about.  In public, she has no problem approaching strangers and smiling and laughing with them.

Wearing her new pink boots at Target

She is stunningly beautiful (in my opinion!).  I can't get over the fact that Eric and I managed to create something so gorgeous.  Of course I feel that way about the boys, too, but I am feeling it all over again with her.  I love her almond-shaped eyes, her big smile, her solid little tush.

She is doing well with her 1 day a week at preschool.  All the teachers rave about how much they adore her, and her information sheet always says "happy and playful" at the end of the day.  She gets a little sad when I leave her there, but is always playing happily when we come to get her.  She is independent and probably loves the arts and crafts she gets to do, and eating at the table like a big girl.

Charlotte has gotten more picky about food- she won't eat every single thing I put in front of her anymore.  She loves fruit, especially blackberries and strawberries, but will eat pretty much any fruit. She's not a huge fan of bananas, though.  She also likes avocado, black beans, sweet potato, asparagus, carrots, broccoli, string beans, and peas.  Like her brothers, she is not a huge fan of meat.  We could absolutely go vegetarian in this house if it weren't for Eric.  She likes cheese, hummus, eggs, and any carb there is.  She still nurses 3-5 times a day, but I can tell my supply has dropped, and the time spent nursing is very short.  It's ok if she is ready to move on.  Eric doesn't want me to nurse her until she is 2, and I expect we'll stop before then anyway, but I am having a hard time imagining myself cutting her off.

Charlotte's most difficult trait- she is not a great sleeper.  I never got her on a good nap schedule, since she is dragged around with her brothers most days, but she STILL doesn't sleep through the night.  We have done nothing to "train" her, and I continue to nurse her in the middle of the night if she wakes up, perpetuating our problem.  Every time we say we are going to train her, she sleeps through the night, and we don't do it... and then she regresses.  I am tired everyday, but totally used to it.  I highly recommend: Trader Joe's French Roast coffee (already ground, it is a gray bag with white writing) and Bobbi Brown under-eye corrector and concealer (2 separate products).  With these things, I give a good impression of being awake and alive.

Goofy Benjamin giving the cozy coupe a detailing

Time is passing too quickly for me.  There are many day-to-day complaints in being a mom of 3 young children, but it is also so much fun.  There are so many hugs, so many kisses, so many moments of joy and pleasure.  Charlotte is our last- and I am lucky she's the one I got!  I love her, and I love being her mom.