Getting to Know Charley

Many of you have had the opportunity to meet Charley, and maybe even hang out with her a bit in her short three years of life, but many of you have not had that chance yet. So, I thought I would write a post about our Charley so that all of you might get to know her a little better.

If you can only imagine, Charley is as close to a "mini-Danielle" as you are probably going to find out there. Although she might more closely resemble her Dad in the looks department, she definitely takes after Mom in the personality department. One time I told Brian that it was probably a good thing that Charley and I were so much alike, because if both Brian and I were as calm and laid-back as Brian is, we wouldn't know what the heck to do with a child like Charley. His response was that this was easy enough for me to say because I only had to live with one of me. He, on the other hand, had to live with two. Ah, Brian, such the comedian. :)

Charley is one of the most independent individuals you will ever meet. Since the day she entered this world, she has done everything on her terms, in her way, in her time. She wants to do everything for herself, which sometimes makes her wise beyond her years and sometimes prevents her from entering realms of this world that she needs to experience. Charley is also my cautious child. Sometimes she is scared to try new things because of the unknown, because she doesn't like to do anything without already knowing the outcome. She likes routine, predictability, and she likes things to be EXACTLY the way she wants them. And we are just automatically supposed to know what the EXACT way is. She doesn't like to have to explain things. Long before she was three years old, Charley would often complain because something "wasn't perfect" (yes, she actually used the words "not perfect"). Charley has very high expectations of the world.

One major difference between the two of us is that she has an imagination beyond anything I think I ever experienced. She loves to go on imaginary excursions with imaginary companions that all seemed to be named either "Lucy" or "Dora." And she loves to take her brother with her on all these outings, which he also thoroughly enjoys. Along similar lines, Charley is very creative and loves to express herself through singing, drawing, dancing, and listening to music. On the other hand, sometimes she just loves to veg out in front of the T.V., for hours if we would let her, watching made-up characters embarking on exciting adventures. I think she got this T.V. gene from Brian.

Charley is extremely stubborn and tenacious, which also makes her very passionate about many things. Sometimes she struggles with the realization that she is "not in charge" because truth be told, she would be the boss all the time if we would let her. Zander seems to get the brunt of her bossiness at the moment, but thankfully he doesn't see to mind (yet). When Charley has made her mind up about something, it is very difficult to get her to see another position. She tends to react emotionally before rationality kicks in. Oftentimes we have to slow her down in order for her to think through the rational side of a situation. She clearly did not get her Dad's rationality.

Charley is a very sweet child, who holds her affection for others close, saving it for special moments. She likes to display her affection, whether it be through snuggling, hugs, kisses, or hand-holding on her terms in her time, but when she does it is heart-warming and worth the wait. She particularly has an affinity for the men in her life, Brian and Zander, who both patiently wait for her affectionate moods. I, on the other hand, lack the same patience that she does, and therefore I often find myself grabbing her and kissing and hugging her whether she wants it or not. Ironically, my mother used to do the same thing to me, as I would try and wriggle out of her arms as she smothered me with her beautiful hair in a loving embrace. I learned from the best.

Charley is often impatient, becoming frustrated when things do not go as quickly and smoothly as she would like them to. Fortunately for us, her concept of time is still a little bit hazy, so if we try and put something off until "later" she is okay with this because later COULD mean very soon. While Charley may appear to give up on something very quickly if it cannot be mastered right away, she is also very tenacious, which means that once calmed down, she will not give up very easily. If you haven't guessed it already, Charley is about as strong willed as they come.

Charley loves to hang out with her friends as much as possible, although the idea of someone new sometimes makes her a little nervous. But once they get over that initial introduction period, she will be your best friend for life. She assumes different roles with different people, depending upon the personality of who she is with. Sometimes she is the bossy leader, sometimes she is the follower. Sometimes she is shy, and sometimes she is outgoing. Sometimes she is silly and runs around like a maniac, and sometimes she is reserved preferring a quiet activity. Sometimes she is the comedian, and sometimes she is very serious. Charley is oftentimes adaptable when she needs to be.

Charley possesses a huge thirst for learning, and she has an incredible memory capable of retaining a whole lot of information. Charley is our little parrot who can repeat anything at the drop of a hat (so we have to really watch what we say). Her vocabularly is pretty incredible, and even when she was two, she was often mistaken for being four or five because of her ability to communicate with adults (and she's tall).

Charley loves many things, including her pink hand-made blankie that she cannot sleep without (thanks Jen R.!), her stuffed monkey "Buddy" who goes everywhere, ice cream, salty chips and cashews, popcorn, necklaces and bracelets (or my hair ties posing as bracelets), the Noggin gang (i.e. Dora, Diego, Backyardigans, Wonder Pets, Blues Clues, etc.), the Sesame Street gang, watching movies, taking baths, playing at the beach, animals, riding her tricycle, reading books, coloring, working on craft projects, cooking with me, taking care of her huge collection of babies, going to the park, going on walks, eating in restaurants, but most of all, hanging out with her best friend, Zander. Zander is her sidekick, her Tonto, her Robin, her Clyde, her Boots, her awesome little brother.

Charley is very special to us. She is our first born, or beautiful little girl, our princess. I hope you get to hang out with her sometime.