Charlotte Comes Home.

Charlotte in 'Gilligan Mode'

I apologize to anyone who actually knows the Gilligan's Island theme song...

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale,
A tale of a fateful trip
That started from Boston city
Aboard a Jeep Liberty*                                             *(actually a Jeep Patriot but that wouldn't rhyme).

The mate was a mighty retailing man,
The teacher brave and sure.
Three passengers set sail that day
But the three became four, they soon became four. 

So this is the tale of the castways,
They're here for a long, long time,
They'll have to make the best of things,
It's an uphill climb.
The retailer and the teacher too,
Will do their very best,
To make the others comfortable,
In the frigid n'eastern nest.

There's Charlotte,
And Cooper too,
The retailer and his wife,
Here on Junke's Isle.


So again, I apologize if you actually know that song, or if you take offense to my poetic license. I can only claim to be under the influence of sleep deprivation and cuteness overload. Yesterday we celebrated a new year and Charlotte's two week birthday (she'll be driving before we know it:). The following will be an attempt to summarize the top 9 events that have transpired since that fateful day she was born:

9)    The world did not end on the 21st of December. Friggin' Mayans.
8)    Charlotte came home. Oh happy day!!!!!
7)    Cooper met Charlotte and he loves her. He wants to give her kisses all the time and he can't wait until she starts eating (i.e. dropping) solid foods. The biggest issue he has is discerning when our 'baby voices' are for him and when they are for Charlotte.
6)    Three Wise(wo)men visited. Sherry, Stan, and Lynn (Grandma, Grandpa, and Oma) flew in from around the country and saved the day. Not only are they indispensible founts of parenting knowledge (I mean, look at their kids!), but also are they amazing cooks, hard workers, and doting grandparents. Thank you!
5)    Charlotte went to church. Christmas Eve Candlelight Service. She was a champ too! There were a couple of moments during a 'Jesu Bambino' duet when she wanted to know what the shreiking was, but other than that she slept well. At the very end of 'Silent Night' she let out a 'hurrah!' Perfect timing.
4)    Some of us have slept through the night. Charlotte is pretty good at snoozing out. But she gets hungry and there is only one of us who can help out with that. So you can guess who sleeps the best:).
3)    Charlotte is a scientific miracle. There is a Newtonian law somewhere that says that you can't create matter. And yet Charlotte takes only a miniscule amount of milk and produces...well...way more than she takes in.
2)    John and Carrie are diaper changing pros. We will take on any NASCAR pit crew and smoke them, mostly because we deal with way worse smells than any car produces...and those cars guzzle gas, they don't blow it out.
1)    Charlotte is amazing. Here are some photos to prove it:

Working on some 'magic'.

3 Generations of Phippses.

Our family.

"If you don't warm up that baby wipe I will kung fu you in the face."

3 Generations of Junkes.

Cuteness overload...

...and she knows it!

Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers, gifts, and warm wishes! We look forward to sharing with you more of our adventures in a more timely manner now that we're sleeping a little better:). Take care!

JC3
(John, Carrie, Charlotte, and Cooper)