The Adventures of Anne & Charlie: Better Late Than Never

"Recent" events:

Christmas - Christmas was great. I have to admit I have a terrible memory and writing this post three months late means I forget most of what happened at Christmas. Suffice it to say Anne and Charlie got a million presents. She spent most of Christmas day colouring in her new Water Wow colouring books.
Florida - In January we went to Florida to visit Gramma and Grampa G at the condo they rented. It was a lovely trip. We visited the zoo, the beach, and Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. We also got to see Aunt Lo and Uncle Rob for a couple of days. Anne enjoyed a guided tour of the golf course on a golf cart with Grandpa.
Preschool - Near the end of January Anne started going to preschool five days a week (it is only for 2.5 hours per day). She really enjoys it. Last week they painted real fish (from the grocery store) and used them as stamps.
Gymnastics - Anne started gymnastics at the start of February. She absolutely loves it (Anne seems to love almost all activities). She gets to go on the balance beam, rings, bars, trampoline, foam pit, and all sorts of small apparatuses and mats. She is getting very good at somersaults.
Potty training - On Family Day weekend we had another go at potty training Anne. We again used the 3-day cold-turkey method. She picked up on it very quickly, especially at night time. Although she still does have a few accidents here and there, she is doing very well.
Music classes - Last week Anne and Max started music classes at a local music school. They use a new instrument every week. The first week they tried the drums and the gong. She seemed to enjoy the first class.
Counting - Anne is amazing with numbers. She routinely counts to 30 and only occasionally needs a reminder of what comes next. She is also starting to learn the concepts of adding and subtracting. I'm not entirely sure she has figured it out quite yet, but we're getting there! She really enjoys Richard Scarry's Best Counting Book Ever. She can recognize all of the numbers 1 - 10.
Writing - Anne now knows all of the letters and what they look like, though she does't know what sounds they make yet. She is very good at tracing. On Thursday I saw her try to write her name by herself for the first time. She came very close to writing an A and an N before becoming frustrated and scribbling all over the page.

Charlie milestones:

Jan 2 - Rolled from tummy to back for the first time. He seems to have immediately forgotten how to do this.
Jan 5 - Turned 4 months old
Jan 6 - 4-month checkup at the doctor's. Weight 16 lbs 5 oz (70th percentile), height 66.5 cm (85th percentile), head circumference 42.5 cm (75th percentile) Also had second set of immunization shots
Jan 16 - Rolled from back to tummy for the first time. He has never been able to do this again.
Jan 28 - Rolled from tummy to back for the second time. Again, seems to have immediately forgotten how to do it.
Jan 30 - Caught some sort of virus and is sick for about 10 days. Poor guy.
Feb 5 - Turned 5 months old
Feb 6 - Sits up for a few seconds at a time without support. He usually leans his weight on his hands, but he is getting better and better at sitting up.
Mar 8 - Charlie tries solid food for the first time (pureed carrots). He likes it just fine the first time, however every time after the first time he seals his lips and refuses to eat.

Charlie is growing very quickly. He now confidently sits on his own. He still can't reliably roll over, although he does it accidentally every once in a while. We set him down on his hands and knees sometimes and he'll hang out there for a minute or two before slipping down onto his tummy. No sign yet of rocking or attempted crawling. When we hold Charlie in our arms, he likes to launch himself at any pretty object he would like to hold and stick in his mouth. Charlie has a lot of energy and will bounce amazingly high in his jolly jumper so that the spring has recoiled entirely (video to come in a future post when I download it from the video camera). He also likes to jump up and down in his exersaucer, which makes quite a racket. Charlie still takes three naps per day, although often his naps are quite short. He is currently waking up at least two times a night, which is very exhausting for his parents. Charlie is starting to play strange with unfamiliar people.

Funny things Anne does/says:

Anne, playing with our passports: "These look like laptops!"
Mommy, referring to Charlie, Anne, and Daddy: "Look at my three cuties! Where are my three cuties?" Anne then points to Charlie, herself, and her stuffed kitty.
Anne: "Soon I'm going to have boobs."
Anne, breastfeeding her stuffed kitty: "There's juice in my boobs."
Anne, blowing bubbles in her chocolate milk: "This looks like broccoli!" (Anne is a big fan of similes.)
Gramma, describing the circular coffee table in the living room, points to the curved edge of the dining room table and says, "Round, Anne, like this." Anne looks at the dining room table and says, "Actually, Gramma, this is an oval."
Anne: "I want some juice."
Mom: "You can have a little bit of juice if you pick up two toys."
Anne: "I want lots of juice if I don't pick up anything."
Mommy: "I have no shirts to wear and I have no pants that fit me."
Anne points to the closet: "There's a shirt! Here Mommy! And here are some more. And there are pants on your legs."

Aunt Lo and Charlie in December

Anne's face paint at Daddy's company Christmas party

Playing in the indoor playground at the company Christmas party

On an airplane to Florida. Charlie is naked (except for his diaper) because he decided to have a poo-splosion while the seat-belt light was still on. We had to clean him up on our laps.