Big girl bed.

We finally decided to take Charlie out of her crib.  She still sleeps well at night but likes to crawl on top of the drawers that are attached to the crib and scream during her naptime.  We got a new railing for the side of her crib. She was very excited to jump and play in the bed the first day, but once we put her down the first night she was pretty scared.  We have to sit with her, rub her back, and reassure her that we are still in the room. She has tried to pull me into bed with her many times, and I have finally learned that is impossible to get up without waking her. Charlie takes about 10 minutes to fall asleep and then we try to sneak quietly out of her room without waking her.

Every night this week she has woken up in the middle of the night.  She opens her door, walks down the hallway with her blanket, and says, "Hi Mama" or "Hi Papa".  We walk her back to her bed to start over again.  It has been a very long time since we have been woken up in the middle of the night, and we definitely aren't used to her walking around our house without us. Overall, it hasn't been too bad and we hope it continues.  

Flipz.

We try to make it to Flipz each Friday morning.  They have a 2 hour open gym for toddlers.   It has become one of our favorite things to do.  Charlie has gotten a lot more adventurous and likes to walk on the balance beam, swing on the bars, and jump into the pit.  

Phoenix.

Paul, Charlie and I went to Phoenix with Julie and Steve this week.  We stayed downtown and loved being able to be outside all week.  We walked around quite a bit, finding new restaurants and checking out museums.  In the afternoons we got to spend time at the pool, soaking up every bit of sunshine that we could find.  We went to the Science Center, the Children's Museum and Zoolights.  Charlie had a blast running around and tried everything she could get her hands on.  

One night we drove up to Peoria to visit Aunt Sandy and Bob.  They made us a homemade meal and we got to catch up.  It is fun to see homes in Arizona and how they differ from the Midwest.  Friday night Paul and I had a date night.  We went out for sushi, a comedy show, and late night beer and nachos.  It was great having some time to ourselves.  We met up with cousins on Saturday night at the Phoenix Zoo for Zoolights.  There were lights all over in animal shapes and a light show every 15 minutes.  Charlie's favorite things were the big bag of popcorn, ducks, and the stuffed animal lion that we got from the gift shop.  Overall, it was a great trip full of sunshine, escalators, peanuts, swimming, puzzles, and Grandma and Grandpa time.  

Charlie loved having Paul around on our trip.  Today was tough with just Charlie and me.  She woke up saying, "Papa", and questioned where he was throughout the day.  She got used to having tons of attention, with no errands to run or having to go to the gym for hours each morning.