Happy Birthday Charles!!

Post date: Nov 27, 2011 3:38:26 AM

A full year has passed since I last wrote something here. Amazing how time flies. Our baby boy is turning 1 today, and it's been an incredible year. Watching Charles grow, learn, and form a personality has been the most enjoyable thing in the past year for Dana and me. He's a fun-loving little guy who always seems to be in a good mood. I can't tell you how many people have commented on him being the "happiest baby they've ever seen."

So what is Charles like these days? Well, he's still the happy kid, running around and laughing all the time. But there's three things that stand out about Charles that really describe him today.

First and foremost, he's a guy's guy. Its obvious that he loves his mom, grandmas, aunts and cousins... but when the guys are around it's a different story. While I'm told that when I'm at work during the day, all Charles does is say "daddy, daddy, daddy," when Grandpa is around even Daddy takes a back seat. Grandpa Jim and Grandpa Mike must be his favorite people - no matter what he's doing or who he's with, when Charles sees either one of them, you can bet he'll be in their arms within seconds.

The second obvious thing about Charles is that he LOVES sports. I believe this started when he was just about two months old, and I had him on my lap while I was watching the Packers and Bears in the NFC Championship game. At some point during that game, something clicked, and he was hooked. From the second quarter on, he was mesmerized by what was happening on the screen - staring and smiling as the Pack continued their Super Bowl run. By the time the next season had started Charles loved to signal "TOUCHDOWN" every time the Badgers or Packers found the end zone (good thing for him we have a couple of high-scoring offenses!). After the Packers won the Super Bowl, it was on to basketball season. Charles liked to sit in his chair in front of the TV and watch the games... but nothing held his attention like watching baseball. On TV and in person, Charles followed the action of the Brewers and Mudhens throughout the summer. Charles went to three Brewer games at Miller Park this year, and about 20 Mudhens games around Milwaukee County. He loved watching games and hanging out with the guys afterward, high fiving and smiling the whole time. It also seems like Charles will want to be playing baseball soon too - his favorite toys are a plastic bat and ball. He carries the bat all around, and hits anything that looks like a ball.

The last, and probably most important, thing about Charles is his apparent intelligence. From stacking blocks, to sorting shapes, to repeating sounds or actions, he amazes us every day with what he knows or is able to learn. He likes to talk a lot, a trait no doubt inherited from his mother, and even though a lot of it is still gibberish, he does know a few words, and even uses them correctly! Charles usually greets me with a smile and a "Hi!" when I get home from work. Other words he uses frequently are "mommy," "daddy," and "doggy." I think he gets who Mommy and Daddy are, but we still have some work to do on what a doggy is. We went to the zoo this week, and every animal is apparently a doggy - from the lion cubs, to the hippos, to the giraffes! Within the last few days, he has also recognized himself in pictures and reflections, and when he sees himself he points and says "Charlie!"

So one full year has come and gone, and I sit here as proud as a dad can be, and as happy as I was the day my baby boy was born. I can only imagine what the next year will bring :) Charles, we still have the internet when you are older, and not something new and super awesome that I can't even fathom right now, I hope you when you read this you know how happy you've made your mom and me, how proud we are of you, and how much we love you!