Don't Mind Me, I'm Shopping

The BIG Backyard

Our final stop before lunch was "The BIG Backyard" which allowed Charlie and Emilyn to walk (or crawl) through fields of butterflies and life-sized flowers. After all that activity, I'm happy to report that Charlie has been asleep in dreamland for the past 3 hours.

Maybe we should do this everyday!! Check it out:

http://www.chicagochildrensmuseum.org/

No, this isn't Agrabah...it's Navy Pier

Our favorite stop of the day was the "Repurpose and Play" room. It's a project the museum is doing that allows kids to express themselves in a controlled environment. They have all different forms of media and "stations" that encourage creativity and free play.

At first, I wasn't sure if it was ok for Charlie to pull every straw out of the canister (pictured above), but as it turns out, they ENCOURAGE it. And after every session, they "reset" the space. So, basically, Charlie and Emilyn got to do what they do at home all day, a.k.a. DESTROY, but it's encouraged and someone else gets to clean it all up....

Um, did I just rub a lamp and gain access to a magic genie??

Future City Dwellers

Today was so much fun! Charlie spent the day out at Navy Pier at the Chicago Children's Museum with her very good friend Emilyn. We got there when they opened (which allowed for free reign over all the toddler areas) so the girls went hog wild. Here they are in the "city" playlot, which boasted an actual bus (that played "The Wheels on the Bus...") and a general store!

Yogini

So cool...Last night, while playing in the nursery, Charlie had her first taste of gravity. That's right, she stood up, in the middle of the floor, and took one step. She's been doing a "downward dog" pose for a few days (no, she didn't learn it from me--that's a tough one!) and last night she simply pulled up to standing, in the middle of the floor, holding onto nothing. It was awesome!!

In that suspended moment of animation, we both froze and then I started clapping and screaming, which caused her to break into a huge grin and do the same. Needless to say, she was pretty darn proud of herself. After that, she fell on her butt, but then pulled back up three more times.

What a fantastic moment for our little girlie!!

My Little Artiste

Aunt Janet got Charlie some awesome "TaDoodles" for Christmas. They are little round crayons/markers that fit in the palm of your hand, so they are super-easy for toddlers to hold onto. For her first go-round, Charlie did pretty well keeping the color on the paper!