The Little Adventurer

"Don't teach our baby to crawl!!" That was my mantra of the summer. I said it to my mom. I said it to one of my best friends. To me, a crawling baby meant a lot more work. No longer would I be able to just put him down with some toys. I would actually have to (gasp) PAY ATTENTION TO HIM ; )

About 2 weeks ago, it happened. Charlie put himself up onto all fours and off he went. Now, I'll be the first to admit it -- I WAS WRONG. (Seems to happen a lot ; ) ). I like watching him crawl. I like seeing what toys he chooses to play with. I like seeing him try to keep up with his brothers as they chase each other around the house. I like finding him in odd places.

In the past two weeks, I've learned a lot about Charlie. He is curious and likes people. Last week, there was a birthday party at the gazebo at the park we happened to be at. When I put Charlie down, he immediately took off to check it out. He sat about 10 feet away from the party guests and just watched the action. Similarly, a few days ago, the neighbor kids were playing on their trampoline and it caught Charlie's attention. He crawled through our back yard and half way through the neighbors yard just to get a closer look.

It's also obvious that Charlie likes music (much like TJ). Yesterday at the library, I think he would've crawled into the librarian's guitar if at all possible. He got himself just about as close as he could, sat up and danced to the music. It inspired an collective "awwww" from the other parents.

Make no doubt about it, Charlie is fearless and always appears up for an adventure. During the same trip to the library, when he decided he was done with story time, he simply crawled out of the room, even though it required him to go OVER two other moms and their kids. I apologized for his forwardness but they just laughed.

I believe that learning who your kid is makes you a better parent. Thank you, Charlie, for teaching us about you!