Just in case you ever wondered what happens to a non-swimmy diaper when it gets wet…

Charlie got a ton of use out of her swimwear this weekend. On Saturday we spent the morning over at the Jernigan’s and she had her first taste of a nectarine and a frozen yogurt ice pop. Good thing she finally got in the kiddie pool after Ethan and Henry started splashing around!! I realize that I have to check my cleanliness issues at the door during the summer…meaning that she’s going to get dirty, and I just have to suck it up. I cringed when she got watermelon down the front of her Old Navy swimsuit, so you know I have a problem with messiness. Ah well…just have to get over it, right??

After we returned home and dried off, Auntie Em stayed for an afternoon of gossip mags and relaxing. No one left the apartment until dinnertime, when Emily, Vann, and Charlie scouted out a true Parisian-style dinner in honor of Mimi and Poppy’s trip to France. Did I mention they left on Thursday for a MONTH?? Too bad they didn’t stay here with Charlie and let us go, ha! 😉

Oh my, dinner was AMAZING. A stop at Provenance, this quaint little wine/cheese shop right in our ‘hood produced such delicious munchies as crusty bread, grapes, goat cheese, black forest ham, the most amazing bucheron cheese (another type of goat cheese) you’ve ever put in your mouth, olives dipped in herbs, and finally, some chocolate gelato. We decided that even if we couldn’t fly to France (or Italy for that matter), we’d bring it to us. I forsee a Parisian dinner in our home once a week, it was that good!!

Thank you, Auntie Em, for spending the day with us, we love you!! And Congrats, Daddy, for your awesome accomplishment!! We are so proud of you!!

Yesterday Vann “graduated” with his Masters of Science in Communication from Northwestern University…well…almost, as he still has about six weeks of classes to complete!! For some reason, NU only has one ceremony, and yesterday was the day. It started out beautifully, and Auntie Em (my BFF who you frequently see on this blog) accompanied us to join in the celebration. Unfortunately, Charlie is going through a major Daddy phase and wasn’t happy unless Daddy was holding her. This wouldn’t have been a problem if Mommy was graduating…but luckily, Auntie Em took Charlie outside and played with her for most of the ceremony.

Although we certainly hadn’t recruited Emily as the babysitter, it did give the two of them the chance to spend a little time together and Mommy was able to catch all the speeches that Charlie wouldn’t have been able to sit through. They snuck in at the end, and it was so cute to see Charlie sitting in an auditorium seat like a big girl, although when she saw Vann walk across the stage and yelled, “Daddy, Daddy!!” at the top of her lungs, we knew it was time to go. At that point, it had really started to rain, and if you were in Chicago yesterday, you know what kind of rain I’m talking about. Let’s just say that we saw a lot of women with ruined shoes!! The School of Communications hosted this wonderful champagne brunch afterwards, but because of the monsoon, it was a muddy mess and all of that delicious food went to waste…we managed to down a couple slices of bagel and lox but were deterred by the huge puddles of mud that were collecting on the ground. Instead, we drove over to the Dixie Kitchen and had an amazing N’awlins-style brunch.

On Thursday Charlie and I spent the morning with Emilyn and Olivia, and their Mommies, Ms. Kim and Ms. Alisha. What started out as an impromptu playdate turned into a full-fledged summer extravaganza out on Ms. Kim’s new deck! We stayed outside as long as we could stand it, but it got really hot and we were worried the girls were going to roast. It would have been a PERFECT day for the pool!! The three of them had a ball, though, and couldn’t have been happier.

Everybody knows I have been dreaming about Charlie’s “Big Girl Room” for months now. As soon as a home of our own became a closer reality, I have been brainstorming paint colors, themes, and all kinds of kooky accessories. The bottom line is that Charlie’s BGR is where she will, as a preschooler, kindergartner, etc., dream all of her big dreams. It will be her room until she’s a teenager and has her own opinion about decor…which better not happen before she hits puberty (ha!). I want it to be a festival of colors, textures, and pure fun.

I admit it, it’s pretty fun for me, too. The worry is that I’ll get attached to something and then change my mind when the BGR is a tomorrow reality. So, in order to keep things fresh, I am making a list of my must-have’s:

1. Super-colorful bedding
2. A jewelbox chandelier
3. A shaggy rug
4. Blue and pink walls separated with a white chair rail (blue on top, pink on bottom)
5. An ornate but antiquey mirror I can spray paint a kooky color

That’s it so far. I’ve been thinking about this bedding now for a little while, and it might be time to pull the trigger. It really is…just perfect.

Poor Charlie. Mommy had the best of intentions this morning. I found out that our neighborhood pool opened on Friday morning, and had it on my calendar to go at 11 am (during the Mom & Tot Swim hour) and show this little gal a great time in the water.

What I wasn’t prepared for, was how COLD the water would be. Call me crazy, I thought it might be heated…I mean, pools in Texas are heated, aren’t they?? At any rate, I did get in as far as my waist but Charlie would not go past her ankles. We stayed in the water for about 15 minutes, so with parking, changing, waiting, etc…a lot of effort for Charlie to dip her feet in the water and cling to me for dear life. I purposely didn’t sign her up for another round of Aquababies at my gym this summer because I wanted something a little less scheduled, but they at least have a lovely, heated pool. I’m starting to have second thoughts about that decision.

Looks like this may be an activity best saved for those 90 degree days…which at this point, don’t seem to be happening anytime soon.

Charlie is wearing the cute swimsuit I bought her in Hawaii. Good thing Mimi suggested pulling it out now…it’s a 2T and she’s got NO room to grown in it!! Never fear though, you know she has a stockpile of swimsuits just waiting to be worn. Guess we’d better figure this pool thing out!!