Charlotte is getting big

Charlotte rolled over from her back to her stomach last Thursday and then didn't do it again until Wednesday. That day she did it five times while playing on this baby gym. She never does it when I'm with her. She waits until I leave the room and then I will hear her grunting and making unhappy noises so I go to check on her and she is on her stomach. She also has gotten really good at standing with very little help. We will barely hold her around her chest (just for her balance) and she will stand for about 30 seconds and sometimes more before her legs give out. When she is sitting (also with a little help) she will try to push up to get into a standing position. I can't believe how big she is getting. She also always has a thumb in her mouth...it's so cute. I was a thumb sucker until I was fourteen so we knows where she gets it from. She has also become quite the little talker and laughs a lot. I love it :)

I actually got to make some stuff

I got a good picture of Charlotte yesterday which is not really that easy. I took it without the flash and most of them turned out blurry but this one isn't too bad. I was trying to get a good one to put on the card for her Grandpa's birthday.
I've been having fun doing some swaps on swap-bot. I made these bookmarks for a handmade bookmark swap. The corner one I made using a corner off a junk mail envelope. I hope she likes them.
I made this necklace/earring set for my mother-in-laws birthday. I saw the necklace in a beading magazine last year and loved it. I was really pleased with how good the earrings came out. I'm usually not very good at my wire wrapping but I didn't really have any nicks and the shapes came out good.

Well I'm a slacker and haven't taken down the Christmas tree so I better go get started on that while Charlotte is asleep.

Late Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

I was meaning to wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year but just couldn't find the time. I even started to write this on the 5th but just finally finished it.

We had a great Christmas. Richie's mom came and spent it with us and we put up our 1st Christmas tree. Charlotte looked cute in her many outfits.

Charlotte somehow got salmonella. We are thinking from the grocery store. Richie and I treat poultry and raw eggs like toxic waste and constantly wash our hands so it's really strange she got it. She is also breastfed. Both of our hands are cracked and bleeding because now we are even more obsessive about washing our hands than we were before. The Friday night after Christmas Charlotte had mucus and blood in her green poop. Saturday morning she hadn't urinated in over 6 hours so I took her to the ER. Poor Charlotte got a lot of blood taken, a catheter for a urine test, and a shot of medicine. She was very good through it all. We were in the ER for the whole day and sent home with a follow up appointment the next day with a doctor from her pediatrician group. That night her fever shot up to 103.6 and I was able to bring it down to 101 with some Tylenol and a sponge bath. The doctor the next day had us admitted to the hospital to get her fluids up and in case her fever shot up again. Poor girl ended up having lots more blood taken and an iv for fluids. We were there for two nights and able to go home on that Tuesday. The medicine we had to give her was really upsetting her stomach. She had to end up taking it for 15 days. She still isn't right and the doctor said she could still have this for another month. I can't wait for this to be over and her feeling great.

This month she is trying to talk, laughing, holding her head up, sitting in her Bumbo seat , following movement with her eyes, splashing in her bath, and grabbing everything she can (including my hair and jewelry).