Charlie and Aiden

Well, we finally had a little time off after Intern year so we jumped ship and headed off to Colorado to see my sister's new baby Aiden. He was already a month old so we were feeling a little behind in our bonding and needed some catch up time. It was interesting to watch Charlie interact with little Aiden, and I do mean "little" Aiden. Was Charlie ever that little cause now all I can remember is him always being big and giving my arm cramps from holding him? The first thing Charlie did was offer Aiden a graham cracker which Aiden politely passed on, I think he was afraid it would ruin his dinner. He also tried to pat Aiden on the head but to me it looked like he was trying to smack him upside the head. Charlie is working on his "gentleness". I know we're only year old parents but seeing how little Aiden was makes you remember how little your kid/s used to be and all the things they do when they are so tiny i.e. smile for the first time, coo, laugh, roll over, sleep in your arms, hold their head up, and finally, finally sleep all through the night. Ah, the good ole times says the dad with only a 1 year old. Anyway, it was great seeing my little sis as a new mom and all the "cool" and also "not so cool" moments that come with parenthood. She will be and is a great mom!!

Charlie had a great time with his girl cousins and being around grandpa/grandma and his uncles and aunts. Anybody get tired of chasing him up the stairs? Grandpa as always was sneaking him stuff he's never had before like brownies and m&m's so I'm sure Charlie was thinking that his parents have been holding out on him. Oh well, he could use a little more baby weight....hmmm, not really. Thanks everybody for the great trip and wish our Okie family could have been there.

Congrats Doctor ANIKA!!

Well, after four years of beyond hard work Anika graduated from medical school on June 7th. Luckily, our schedules worked out and I was able to go along with all her family to California and help celebrate her accomplishment. In fact, her dad was able to do the "hooding" portion of the ceremony which was pretty cool. It was pretty fun being on the opposite side this time and watching her cross the stage and knowing how much hard work she had put in the last couple years. Pretty proud moment!
Way to go wife-y!!

It was fun being back in California. Felt a little bit like an oasis although, Philly is pretty tropical. I mean where else can you get a "water ice" and "philly cheese steak" within a couple minutes of each other. Isn't that the epitome of an oasis? Anyway, we hit San Francisco, rode down the winding street of Lombard with our heads out the windows screaming like it was a roller coaster (pretty un-doctorly like but hey it was fun), went to the piers and saw the sea lions, toured Napa Valley, and ate like hogs or at least Charlie and I did. Anyways, it was a great trip and fun to see family. To top it off Anika and Charlie were able to head to Hawaii with family to do a little work while I went back to Philly to get some relaxation...or is that backwards....?

The NEW PICS

So we have been plotting and strategizing the latest family pictures almost as if we were going to war. First, its the location of where this will all go down and then its the proper colors to bring on the attack and whether we should match or just try and accentuate each other and then its the actual poses that will awe the masses. Oh, and dont forget the hours of preparation for the picture battle (Charlie spends hours in the bathroom already preppin) and then if you're a Carlson its keeping your eyes open long enough to snap the photo. So in conclusion, my wife dominated this blitz-krieg and family photo day was a great success. Also, thanks to the great photographer Danica Nelson (you make us look good girl-thats hard work at least in my case)

Gotta love baby bouncers!!

So my next goal in life is to meet the man/woman/genius who invented the baby bouncer. This thing is amazing. It not only bounces your kid around while exposing him to 360 degrees of toys and things to bite and chew on but it babysits him, and sometimes for more than an hour. Charlie loves this thing. He will literally sit and bounce himself for 30-45 minutes straight without stopping then take a lunch break to chew on one of the toys then back to work and bounce for another 30 minutes. Now if it wasn't for the fact that I'm wondering what all this bouncing is doing to my little guy's brain, I would recommend this thing to every parent I know-wholeheartedly!

My wife, the Shrink

Well a BIG day for Anika and the rest of us happened a little bit ago. As many of you know our lives have been up in the air over the last year or so as we have waited to see what would happen with Anika's residency match and just recently it finally all ended happily ever after. Anika had applied to Psychiatry with the intention to go into Child Psychiatry. She ended up applying to only Philly programs and one in Jersey (Albert Einstein, Jefferson, Penn, UMDNJ, Hahnnemann, etc) for the upcoming year and...(drum roll) she MATCHED at Albert Einstein Medical Center for Pscyhiatry. NICE JOB ANIKA!! So, now we have our own little shrink to add to the fam which in my mind could be useful later for when Charlie is a teenager, and in my wife's mind will come in handy for the rest of her life she spends with me. So now all that's left is for her to start and for me to be psychoanalyzed secretly. Whoohooooo!!

Speaking of psychoanalyze: What do you see here?

Charlie the Red-nosed Reindeer??

Just when you thought you knew the song, turns out there was a typo. I guess they meant "you know dasher and dancer and prancing-charlie and vixen". So...Prancer was actually just prancing and his real name was Charles but that sounded awkward for a reindeer so they just kept it as Charlie. Who knew??!  Luckily, the paparazzi snapped an actual picture of "Prancing Charlie" with Santa even, and we had some connections so we got a copy. Turns out the picture was taken at Bass Pro Shop, I guess not only do they sell hunting and fishing gear but Santa hangs out there pretty often. Funny thing is, is that Prancing Charlie looks an awful lot like our Charlie. Huh...Weird. 

Well Christmas was outstanding. Luckily Anika, Charlie and I had time off so off to Oklahoma we went. Like at any grandparents house, Charlie was completely spoiled and held almost 24/7. We had to pack almost an entire suit case full of just Charlie's presents that both his grandparents and all his aunts and uncles and friends sent him. That little guy will be entertained for months and months so, thanks everybody. 

Well hope everyone had a great Christmas and a Happy New Year! 

"Glow Baby, Glow"

I don't know what it is about babies but parents (mostly moms) suddenly develop this obsession with dressing their kids "cute". This quest for "cuteness" in every outfit I think sometimes gets lost in translation to some dads or at least me. I have no problem dressing myself but little guy cuteness escapes me. So far I have dressed my little guy in his overalls backwords, mismatched socks that "definitely didnt go with his outfit" and I will be the first to admit all those buttons on the "onsies" get me every time- i typically end up with a few extra buttons every time. Anyway, getting to the point. We met a mom from the ward who is a photographer and agree'd to take some pictures of Charlie for us when he was about 2 months old. This is when "cute" has to be at its utmost pinnacle. Well Nik did a great job with "dress up" and I will admit Charlie did look cute. We'll just share a couple of his more "Charlie-esque" snapshots. Anika and I really like the little "glow worm" shot. This little guy sure is fun. Anika daily reminds me of how much she loves him and to be honest I don't mind Charlie coming in first, he's soo dang "cute"!