I-O-W-A!!!!!

We took a trip with Charlie back to good ole Iowa. What a great place to visit in the summer, even if it is hot and humid! Charlie is so lucky to have lots of family and friends there. We took many pictures of his adventures. Enjoy...

Poppo woke up to greet Charlie, even though it was past midnight! Charlie was happy to meet him!


We celebrated Great Grandma Garvin's 87th birthday at a delicious tapas restaurant in Iowa City called Devotay. We especially enjoyed the grilled olives and the bacon wrapped dates - yum!



Ben, Ellie and Anna all loved holding baby Charlie!!



We managed to squeeze in a girls night out (GNO) and lucky for us it was 99 cent margarita night!!


Pat got to ride in a cool car.

Charlie and Poppo out at Lee's.

Four generations!!


Spent time with the Church family and their two adorable boys! Charlie can't wait to get a little bigger so they can pal around together! :)


Handsome Poppo!

Charlie loves his aunties!!
Charlie sunning himself out at Nana and Poppo's.

Baby Shower for....Kotaro Kingston Fukuda-Harrison!!

Charlie attended his first tiger-themed baby shower yesterday in Redondo Beach for Kotaro Kingston Fukuda-Harrison. Kotaro will be just a few months younger than Charlie (once he is born in August) and Charlie can't wait to hang out with him and cause all sorts of trouble. Becca and Doyle have been known to stir up a little trouble at Trader Joe's back in the day.

Hanging with Dad at Miramar Park

The Fukuda-Harrison clan (Mai, Yuko and Doyle)

Canoodling with Eleni (sorry for the closed eye shot Eleni!!)

Chilling with Uncle Jimmy (note the smile on Charlie's face)

Asleep in the car after a long day of partying

A good day was had by all. We even got a little rain on the way home which made for perfect sleeping conditions for the car ride home.

Sweet Enough to Eat!

This morning my niece Ellie woke up and said to her Mom, "Do you know what I want for breakfast?" My sister Sara guessed, "Pancakes?" And Ellie replied, "No, sweet baby Charlie!!!!" Well in just a few days, Ellie can nibble on Charlie all she wants because we are headed to Iowa! Yay!!!!!!!

Sleep Update

Wow! When he sleeps HE SLEEPS! Last night Charlie went to bed at 9 and slept until 5:45! He has been doing this pretty consistently for the past 5 nights or so. Something we could get used to! Today he even went back to sleep in his swing and is still snoring away.......

Hats and Wraps

HATS...

Charlie got this cute little hat from Vod's mom. Vod is Pat's childhood friend and they also work together. Charlie thought it was so funny when I put this hat on him!!




WRAPS...

This is one of the many baby slings we have. Okay, so we only have three, but that seems like a lot!! This one is the Moby wrap. It is great and has many different holds, but it takes a bit of practice and perseverance! We also have a Baby Bjorn which is surprisingly uncomfortable considering how popular it is. My all time fave is the Lillebaby. It is like the Ergo, BUT you can also have the baby facing out if you like. Charlie and I walk all around El Segundo in the Lillebaby. It is comfy for both mom and baby and it even has two zipper pockets for things like keys, $$$, pacifiers, smokes, etc...

Oh Charlie!

Sometimes this is what you look like after holding Charlie...

Pat you wear fatherhood so well :)

Ms. Wanda's Music Class

Today we went to our first music class. El Segundo has tons of great classes offered through their Parks and Rec program. Ms. Wanda was our teacher and we sang and danced to many songs, such as Do Re Mi, Wonderful World, and many others. Charlie had a great time and even got a compliment on what a nice shaped head he has!

Weekend with Auntie Rianne

This weekend Charlie got spoiled with lots of love and attention from his Auntie Rianne. She has been out of the country, in England and Scotland, for the past 6 weeks taking some classes for law school. We are so glad she is back so she can love on Charlie!! He got to.....

fall asleep on her shoulder




get a bottle from her


And then fall asleep on her shoulder once again :)



I love my Auntie Rianne!!!!!!!!

Bath Time Fun!

So my mom suggested giving Charlie a bath before his nap to help him settle down and relax. So today I gave him a bath then fed him and he was out! Thanks mom! He's been asleep for 20 whole minutes in his swing!! Hopefully he will rest up and realize how much he LOVES to nap!! I wonder when people start to like naps. It seems like most kids fight them, yet most adults would do anything for one! I started enjoying naps, or siestas, as an exchange student in Spain. After working out in the morning - did I say working out?? I meant going to school! Yeah, after that, I would come home and Lola would make us lunch. Then, we would all retire to our rooms and have a little snooze. I think siestas are a great idea and should be part of all cultures :)