"Last post: June 1st"

Is this what happens? You get so busy that you stop taking pictures, videos, and just generally get used to the cute faces and outfits your sweet little daughter wears?

Seems like I've got lots of video and pictures over the last month, but I just haven't made any time to compile them and put them into a montage or video.

Rest assured though. Charlie has been as active as ever. Since I last blogged here, there have been a TON of changes. Crawling, kneeling, and even a tooth!! That is an exclusive by the way. That is the first public mention of Charlie's first tooth... and what a tooth it is!

Since her weekend with Grandma and Grandpa D, her crawling has gone from tireless efforts to make a half inch lung, to her pulling herself across the room to get something she wants 20 feet away... All in about 3 weeks.

I have lots of video, I just have to edit it and make it neatly into a 4-minute movie to post. Such a hard job selecting "the best" video to post. I love it all.

Speaking of video... I showed a buddy of mine some video of my nieces the other day. He came over to help me with my computer problems and mentioned a theater show he really liked. I just HAD to show him some video of my niece Emma in the Pirates of Penzance (she's a natural).

Then I got to thinking about taking videos of Charlie, playing, singing, acting, dancing, doing gymnastics, and whatever else. Seems really fun to think that she can be WHATEVER she wants to be with just some love and encouragement.

I'm so proud of her NOW. I can't imagine how proud I'll be when she says her first word, or ties her shoes, or rides a bike for the first time. Man there's a lot ahead!!

Her Brain Just Works and Works

I sit here typing, but I'm watching Charlie in her jumperoo too. She is staring at a stuffed animal that makes music when you squeeze it. She's just figured that out. She keeps squeezing it when the music stops, and she smiles and giggles a little when she gets it to start again.

Even more impressive is how she's figured out how to pull the stuff animal back up to her hands when she's dropped it. It's hooked on to the jumperoo with a ring. She's pulling the ring up close to her with one hand, and using the other hand to grasp the stuff animal and pull it to her mouth.

It's amazing to watch her at the exact moment she figures something out like that. You can see the look in her eye when she "gets it". Just amazing to watch her.