Happy Birthday, Jensen Todd

Dear Jensen,

A year ago, you were born...sweet, tiny, barely able to even open your eyes. Today, as I stood in the kitchen preparing your lunch, I looked into the living room and saw you walking across the room while holding one of your favorite books. I could hardly believe it...when did my tiny baby boy turn into a little person who walks, talks (a bit) and has favorite books? We are filled with wonder every day when we think about how much you've grown and learned...you're pretty amazing, Little Man!

Jensen, you have such a sweet, caring nature. You are very aware of the emotions of others...when we smile or laugh, you usually smile or laugh right along with us. And from the time you were just a few months old, you would look at your sister with concern when she cried. We could tell that you were worried about her and wished you could make her feel better. One of my favorite things about you is how much you love your sister. You adore Charlotte and playing with her makes you so happy. I hope that the two of you will grow from playmates into friends...and I know that you will always be a good brother to her and do your best to look out for her.

When I think about you, I think about joy...the joy that you bring to your dad and me, and the joy that radiates from within you. You are a happy little boy whose smile lights up his entire face and the faces of everyone around him. You laugh often...and loudly! Jensen, you encompass everything that's precious about a little boy: You are rowdy, rough-and-tumble, loud and wild...but you are also sweet, caring and patient. When you cry, we know something must be really wrong, because you are such a tough little guy. You love dogs, being outdoors, and books...and you are a smart little guy who is very good at figuring out how things work.

I can't find the words to describe how much your dad and I love you. The minute we saw your sweet face, it was love...and although I didn't think it was possible, our love for you has grown every single day. Your laugh is the best sound I've ever heard. I know I keep using this word, but you are truly a joy. We absolutely adore you and can't wait to see what the future holds for you...maybe you'll use your energy to play a sport. Maybe your interest in animals will lead you to a career helping them. Maybe you'll love art, or music, or something altogether different...what I'm trying to say is that the entire world is before you, and no matter what you decide to do, and who you become, your dad and I will support you...and love you. You are loved unwaveringly and unconditionally.

Love,

Mom

Jensen Todd's First Year

Happy Birthday, Charlotte Anne

Dear Charlotte,

"She is small, but so strong." That is how I described you when you were less than one week old. And now, one year later, I can't believe how true that statement remains. You've been strong since you were born...you were such a tiny little thing, but you immediately let us know that you were here and you were not happy about it. And your dad and I were amazed at how tightly your teeny, tiny hand could grasp our fingers. But let's go back even further than your birthday to the day your dad and I found out that one of our babies was going to be a girl. Most dads, even the ones who won't admit it, hope that their first child will be a boy. Not your dad. The minute we found out that you were a girl, he was beaming with joy. I wish I had a picture of the look of happiness on his face. And, throughout your first year of life, you have made him (and me) beam with pride and happiness countless times...just by being you.

I know that you have your whole life ahead of you, and we still have so much to discover about who you will become...but there are a few things we have already figured out about our Peanut. First, you are so smart...and you love to learn. I hope you will always keep your love of learning new things. Second, you are determined...and a bit stubborn. I was about to say that I know you are going to challenge me sometimes as you grow up...then I realized that you already do challenge me. But that's okay...you're a strong little girl who knows exactly what she wants. Third, you are clever and funny. You love to dance, talk, and have all eyes on you. You are dramatic, and expressive, and animated. I very rarely wonder what it is you want; you always find a way to communicate with me.

This year has not always been easy for you. You were sick with two bladder infections and had to have some very uncomfortable procedures and tests. It was terrible for your dad and me to see you in pain, but you once again amazed us with your strength. I think that time changed us in a few ways: It made us realize, once again, just how much we love you. It also made us so thankful for the fact that you are usually such a healthy little girl.

Charlotte, you are a girl who knows what she wants, what she doesn't want, what she likes, and what she doesn't like. I have no doubt that you will grow to be a strong woman, and I hope that you will always remain true to yourself and to your convictions. It's impossible to put into words how much your dad and I love you, but I'll try: Charlie, you are a miracle and an answered prayer. You are a dream come true. God knew exactly what He was doing when He made you for your dad and me...which makes you the perfect addition to our family and so very special. It is truly amazing to think about how special you are to so many people...you are a very blessed little girl to have so many people who love you so much. I guess if there's one thing about which I hope you never, ever have any doubts, it's that you are loved. More than words could ever say.

Love,

Mom

Charlotte Anne's First Year

Our Birthday with Uncle Dot

When we set the date for Charlotte and Jensen's first birthday party, we didn't realize that it was a day Uncle Dot was scheduled to work. Unfortunately, as it was a holiday weekend, he was unable to switch with anyone and he was so sad to miss his niece and nephew's party. He was, however, off on their actual birthday, so he came over on Friday morning to wish a happy birthday to the little stinkers who adore him so much. He was very excited to give Charlie and Jensen their gifts...some were your average birthday gifts:

A football for Jensen...which soon became a football for Charlie...

"Mine!"

A fire truck.

Some of the gifts were a bit less conventional:

Some light reading for Charlie-Bug.

And for Mr. Man, too.

But the best part of the gift (in my opinion) was that Uncle Dot shopped for clothes for Charlotte and Jensen! All by himself! I got quite the kick out of picturing him at the store alone, perusing the baby clothes. But he did a great job!

Dress with matching cardi...little Charlie already wore this dress, and she looked mighty cute!

A swimsuit coverup! (As you can see, this was in the midst of the fighting over the football.)

Uncle Dot also got some shorts, a swimsuit and a muscle tee for Mr. Jensen. Too funny. In other Uncle Dot news, he found out on Thursday that he passed his national registry exam (I believe that's what it's called)...which makes him an official firefighter/paramedic. It has been such a long process, and we are all so proud of him for sticking with it. Finding out such good news was a wonderful start to Charlotte and Jensen's birthday/Easter weekend! More on that to come...

Happy Birthday

Charlotte and Jensen turned one year old yesterday. Today, we celebrated their first birthday with our family and friends. I've decided to do their "monthly post" a bit differently this time, but for now I will just wish my two sweet babies a Happy First Birthday. It has been quite a year...and I still can't believe how blessed I am to have been given these two precious gifts.

4/22/10

Our first picture as a family of four.

Welcome to the world, Charlotte Anne and Jensen Todd!

4/22/11

All About Bug

I feel like Mr. Jensen has gotten quite a bit of blog press lately, what with his walking skills, fancy new haircut, and tendency to do goofy, Wordless Wednesday-worthy things. So I wanted to do a little post dedicated to some of what Charlie-Bug has been up to lately. First up, the headband...

One day, Charlotte and Jensen were crawling around my bathroom when Charlie came across one of my headbands. I explained to her what the headband was, showed her how I wear it in my hair, and then put it on her head for a second. She watched and listened intently, then went on to play with something else. Later that day, she woke up from her afternoon nap before Jensen did, so she and I were hanging out in my bedroom. She crawled into the bathroom, found the headband, and put it on her head...just like I had shown her. She was so proud of herself! She proceeded to wear the headband for the rest of the afternoon and was just pleased as punch.

She is such a funny girl, and one of my favorite things about her is how you can always tell when she's proud of herself. She is such a smart little cookie. I know I have talked and talked about how Charlie is always pointing at things, but seriously...she is always pointing at something. She's a great communicator...her latest form of communication is the "I Don't Know" shrug:

I know this one is blurry, but I couldn't resist that sweet grin.

She uses the shrug to mean "I don't know" or "Uh-oh." It's a pretty helpful communication tool...the other day she must have dropped her sippy cup off her highchair tray when I wasn't looking. So she looked at me, pointed at Jensen's sippy cup on his tray, then shrugged her shoulders as if to say, "Where's mine?" And a few days ago, I was trying to get her to shrug her shoulders so I could get a picture. Jensen had crawled into the kitchen and out of our line of vision...so I said, "Charlotte, where is Jensen?" I expected her to shrug, but instead she looked at me like I was really dumb and pointed towards the kitchen. Clever girl! I know people always say that kids and babies are like sponges, always soaking up information...but I think Charlotte is some kind of super-duper-absorbent sponge. When you explain something to her she gets a look on her face like she is really trying to concentrate and learn.

Charlotte's favorite toy these days is a ball...actually, any ball will do. She loves tennis balls and my mom recently got the babies some of those big bouncy balls that you see in bins at the toy store. She loves to roll them and chase them around. Charlie has also recently learned to bounce them and will even play a game of "catch" with you in which she bounces the ball to you and you bounce it back to her. Perhaps we have a little athlete on our hands?

Okay, so this one's a dryer ball...she loves it, too!

Charlotte sleeps in her own bedroom these days...the pack 'n' play in the guest room that we had been using for naps has become her bed for nighttime, too. She sleeps so great in there and I think it is mostly due to one thing: Her bunnies. We put two stuffed bunnies in her pack 'n' play and they seem to have become quite comforting to her. Once in awhile, she'll wake up in the night crying...when we watch her on the monitor she will pick up one of her bunnies and begin "talking" to it...like she's telling it about a bad dream or something. They're her little friends, and whenever we ask where her bunnies are, she will point upstairs towards her bedroom. We recently went to lunch at the tea room, and they had a huge display of bunnies...Charlotte was in heaven!

What else has our Bug been up to lately? Let's see, she got her first band-aid:

Just a little ouchie on her big toe (and see how she's pointing at it?). Hmmmm...what else? Oh yes...she took her first steps! When Brian and I were at the wedding reception last Saturday, I got a text from my mom that read, "Guess who jist took.a teenie.tiny step?" (Yes, I included the typos. Sorry, Mom.). So we were a bit devastated that we missed it...but she rewarded us the very next day by taking a few steps on her own for us to see. She has a little stroller that she loves to push around the living room, and every now and again she will let go and take some steps on her own...and, in true Bug form, she is so proud of herself each time she does it!

I really can't believe she's already taken her first few steps and is close to being a walker! I really thought she'd be a much later walker than this, but she has surprised me yet again. 

So that's a little bit about what our Peanut has been up to these days...she's clever and funny and sweet, and she most definitely keeps us on our toes.