{5 months & 2 weeks}

Charlotte Mae, you are a world traveler. Okay, maybe not world, but you have been more places in your 5 months of existence than a lot of people do in their entire lives. At the beginning of October, when you were just 2.5 months old, you and I traveled to San Antonio, TX to visit your granny and grandpa and the rest of the Hultgren family. Your Texas grandparents were so excited to see how much you'd grown and your great grammy and papa were tickled by the way you told stories and jib jabbered away. Your great papa's hands swallowed you up, just like they used to me when I was a baby.

Then, the week prior to Thanksgiving, we flew to San Francisco, CA for your daddy to attend the annual Society of Biblical Literature conference. Your nana and papa flew in from Phoenix, AZ to play with us while your dad went to boring lectures. We had a great time walking all over town - Fisherman's Warf, the Golden Gate Bridge, Union Square.

We are thankful that you are such an easy little traveler, because with all your family living so far away, we have a lot of long distances to cover.

Your eyes have settled on a shade of dark brown. They are always wide open and so expressive! People frequently comment on how alert you are. Your eyes get especially big when you reach for one of your toys or you see your daddy walk into the room.

We love your plump cheeks. With the winter wind and constant smooches from your parents, your cheeks have turned a permanen shade of peachy pink.

On Nov. 26, 2011, you rolled from your back to your tummy for the first time! Way to go, Charlie Bug! Your dad and I were excited and you were just kind of like, "Eh, whatevs."

You love your buddy, Kate Epperson. When we are at Kate's house, you two usually get into a pretty serious staring contest. Lacy and I like to put you side by side on the floor and watch you goo and gaa and smack eachother in the face with your flailing arms.



You've always enjoyed sitting in your daddy's lap while he reads to you, but now you've really started taking in picture books. You pat the pages (almost as much as you try and eat them). You really like your "touch & feel" puppy book.

College basketball season has begun and you went to your first division 1 basketball game and boy was it a good one! Illinois VS Gonzaga. We get offered the occassional ticket from friends from church and we were so thankful for the opportunity to take you to a Saturday afternoon game. You slept through the first half on your daddy's lap and cheered loud for Meyers Leonard with your mom for the second half.

EVERYTHING goes in your mouth - blankets, burp clothes, stuffed animals, blocks, books, teething rings and even feet! But your favorite item to chew on is your hand. You know right where to find it and it's always within reach. We'd been wondering if you were cutting teeth, because you were gnawing on everything. And sure enough, your first tooth broke through your gums on Tuesday (Dec. 27th). As you can tell by the photo below, you are not a very big fan of the whole teething process.



You continue to amaze us with your sleeping habits. You're down to one big nap in the morning and then a couple half hour naps in the afternoon. For the past 3 weeks, you've been going to bed between 7 and 8 p.m. and sleeping until 6:30 a.m. Victory! We're so proud of you, Charlotte Mae and we are truly grateful for this gift of sleep.

You are doing a great job identifying the things you want and then reaching for them. However, you get awfully frustrated when you can't grab what you want. You whine and whine until you either topple forward or I help you out by moving the toy or scooting you closer to it. So impatient. Like me. Your most favorite thing to reach for is the cat. Oh dear. Callie is not amused.

Bath time has become one of your favorite times. We do a bath about and hour before bedtime so you are nice and cozy clean and warm. Your dad and I carry on the tradition my folks did for me - we stick a towel in the dryer and then take it out to catch you straight out of the tub. Your little body goes limp in the warmth and fuzz of the big bath towel. You love this!

Your dad and I love you so. What a wonderful year 2011 has been! The Lord has done great things for us and we are filled with joy.