Three Girls and a Daddy

Snow Day!

2009-03-01T20:13:00.004-05:00

Snow in Atlanta is rare, but snow in Atlanta in March is even more rare! Sarah Anne didn't really know what to think about it...she wasn't very excited to have large flakes of wet snow stick to her eyelashes (price she must pay for having those long beautiful lashes! Lucky girl!). Caroline loved it, and could have played outside all day. Needless to say she let us know her dissatisfaction when we made her come inside for lunch and nap time. :) It was a beautiful and rare treat!

Ballerinas and Hats

2009-02-17T15:50:00.003-05:00

One of my neighbors is a professional photographer. She asked if she could photograph our girls (and some of the other neighborhood girls!) for a few of her vendors that is doing some work for. One of the vendors makes ballerina tutus, one makes hats and the other makes headbands for little girls. In return, she gave us copies of some of the pictures. Here are a few of my favorites. :) The pictures are actually in three posts b/c I couldn't upload them all to just one post...so you'll have to scroll down the blog to see all of them. :)

Ballerinas and Hats - Caroline

2009-02-17T15:49:00.000-05:00

Ballerinas and Hats - SarahAnne

2009-02-17T15:34:00.002-05:00

Caroline's Preschool Christmas Party

2008-12-16T16:33:00.002-05:00

Sarah Anne helping Caroline with her Christmas craft.

Sarah Anne and Caroline

Caroline

Baby Bjorn

2008-11-21T22:07:00.012-05:00

Last weekend Ben was carrying Sarah Anne around in the Baby Bjorn. Caroline, wanting to do EVERYTHING her sister does (to include, but not limited to, chewing on teething rings, giving herself tummy time, sucking on a passie...you get the idea), insisted that Ben put her in the Baby Bjorn. Ben and I actually thought it would be pretty funny to see Caroline in it because she is getting so tall! Here are the pictures....you be the judge as to whether or not Sassy enjoyed it!

Don't worry....I took these quick pictures, and then we took her out...she wasn't in it for long at all! Just long enough to let us know she didn't like it after all. I wonder if two is too young to learn the lesson "becareful what you ask for"?!

Sweet little Sarah Anne just watched while her sister was being tortured with the Baby Bjorn. :) Ben thought it would be funny to "torture" Sarah Anne by putting her pants on her head. :)

Halloween 2008

2008-10-31T21:49:00.003-04:00

We had a great Halloween! Caroline was Dorothy and Sarah Anne was Toto from the Wizard of Oz. This afternoon the girls and I went to the square in downtown Woodstock for a Kids Halloween Festival. We went with some friends and their children. This evening Ben and I took Caroline trick-or-treating. She loved it! We thought we would hit some houses on our street and be done, but Caroline had other ideas! She wanted to keep going. :) She walked part of the time, and part of the time she rode in her wagon (with a big comfy blanket to help keep her warm!).

XYZ....Examine Your Zipper

2008-10-30T12:46:00.002-04:00

I would just like to take this opportunity to thank the woman in the voting line this morning who so kindly pointed out that my zipper was down. :) Thank goodness I was behind the stroller. Somedays....most days....I worry about myself! lol

9 out of 10 dentists do NOT recommend this!

2008-10-29T20:29:00.005-04:00

Caroline likes to sit on the bathroom counter in the mornings while Ben gets ready for work. She likes to pretend she is brushing her teeth...a great habit to start now! This morning Ben had his cup of coffee sitting on the counter. Caroline took her toothbrush, dipped it in Ben's coffee, then proceeded to brush her teeth. The taste was shocking to her....although I'm not sure why b/c she drank Ben's coffee last weekend (see earlier post). :)

We have a DVD player in our car for the girls. It was originally going to be for long car rides ONLY, however, we have kept it in the car despite our original intentions. Caroline started getting dizzy and car sick in the car. I think a lot of it has to do with her equilibrium problems that she has had associated with her ears. I noticed that when she would look out of the window, then look back in the car, she would get really dizzy and upset. The DVD player has solved that problem b/c she only looks forward now. I don't always turn it on, but I do use it when I know we will be in the car for a while. I definitely think kids should not be "attached" to tv's, dvd players, etc. In this case, it seems to help Caroline. With all of this said, I have been playing the the Charlie Brown Great Pumpkin DVD for the girls. The show came on tv last night, and although Caroline has seen it a million and one times, we let her watch it before bed. I was upstairs with Sarah Anne, Ben was on the computer, and Caroline was sitting like a big girl in her big pink chair watching the Charlie Brown special. After about 10 min, Caroline went to get Ben and kept saying "Daddy fix, Daddy fix". At first Ben didn't realize what she wanted. He went to investigate and found that her Charlie Brown movie had been interrupted by commercials. :) All she knew was that when she watched the movie in the car, there were no commercials, therefore something must be wrong! Ben convinced her the movie was fine and that they were only commercials.:)

Sarah Anne has been having trouble eating and sleeping. She hasn't had a fever, but I am going to take her to the doctor tomorrow (after Caroline's Halloween party at school!)to see if it may be her ears. The girls are going to my parent's house next week (I'm going to do some painting downstairs), and I don't want her to be sick while she is gone. She is sitting up by herself for short periods of time, and she is getting better about pushing up on her arms. She really doesn't like to be on her tummy and always rolls over. Overall she is doing great!

Pumpkin Patch 2008

2008-10-26T20:39:00.002-04:00

Morning Coffee

2008-10-25T08:28:00.003-04:00

This morning Ben left his coffee in the middle of the kitchen table. Apparently, while Ben was cooking breakfast, Caroline climbed into a chair, grabbed his coffee mug and took a drink. Thankfully the coffee was not hot! We realized what had happened when we noticed coffee all over the newspater that was sitting by the mug and from the coffee all over Caroline's hands. :) As I've said before, monkey see, monkey do!

Mommy's Helper

2008-10-24T13:09:00.005-04:00

Caroline loves to help....with everything! She helps me load and unload the washer and dryer, she helps me load and unload the dishwasher, she dusts, she sweeps, she throws things away, she finds my shoes for me, picks out my clothes, and loves to help with anything to do with Sarah Anne. What a sweetheart! Last night she was helping me give Sarah Anne a bath. When we were finished I took SA into her room to get her ready for bed. I asked Caroline to take SA's wet towel into the bathroom. Later, when I was giving Caroline her bath, I opened the cabinet to take out a clean towel for her. There, on top of all of the clean towels, was SA's towel from her bath. Caroline had put it away in the cabinet! Although I didn't mean for her to put it in the cabinet, I did think that she was really clever to put it in the cabinet. :) She is so observant. I wonder how many more years she will enjoy helping? I figure before she turns 10 the novelty will wear off. :)

Green Means Go

2008-10-15T13:06:00.003-04:00

Today while running errands with the girls, we were playing a children's cd in the car. There is one song in particular that is very up beat, and Caroline loves dancing to it! We stopped a red light just as the song came on, so I looked back at Caroline and "danced" (as much as you can driving the car!) with her. She was pointing towards the front seat, and I thought she was just excited about the song. So, trying to show her I was enjoying the song as much as she was, I continued to "dance". Finally I realized that she was pointing to the traffic light...which had turned green. Cars were passing us on the left, and cars were impatiently waiting for me to go behind us. :) Oopps! There's nothing like taking driving directions from a 2 year old. Who knew they could be backseat drivers so young!

Youth Day Parade -Sat. Oct. 11, 2008

2008-10-12T20:33:00.006-04:00

We took the girls to the 58th annual Roswell Youth Parade. We all had a great time! Caroline was nicely accessorized with her Tennesee purse. :) It came in handy for collecting candy thrown from the floats....just what a sassy two year old needs...sugar! Sarah Anne was as good as gold....as usual!

A post....finally!

2008-10-08T21:12:00.003-04:00

I know, I know.....I have been a blog slacker. By the time I have a peaceful moment to reflect on the day, I am exhausted! We are busy with preschool (Caroline), physical therapy (Sarah Anne), Bible Studies (me!),volunteering at Caroline's school/our church, and playdates. Everyone is doing well, and I promise to blog more later....I'm too tired right now! :)

Our Little Patriots

2008-09-12T15:16:00.004-04:00

We will never forget September 11, 2001 ,and our girls will always know what it means to love,respect and support their country......at all times.

Twas the Night Before Sunday

2008-08-24T07:10:00.015-04:00

Twas the night before Sunday and all through the house,
Sarah Anne was sleeping as quite as a mouse.
The stockings were being washed in the washer with care,
In hopes that clean clothes soon would be there.

Sarah Anne was nestled all snug in her bed,
While visions of bottles danced in her head.
And Daddy in the bedroom, and I wearing a cap,
Had just settled down for a mid-morning nap.

When out on the stairs there rose such a clatter,
I sprang from my seat to see what was the matter.
Away to the stairs I flew like a flash,
I ran up the stairs like the 100 meter dash.

The light on the stairs of the freshly spilled joe,
Gave lustre of mid-day to two people below.
When what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature Ben, and a Daddy full of fear.

With a little old Mommy so frightened and quick,
I knew in a moment it was more than a nick.
More rapid than eagles his horrified wife came,
And he groaned and he moaned, and called out my name.

Now Kristin! Now Caroline! Now hurry and listen!
On me! On the floor! The step I was missin'.
From the top of the stairs! To the bottom by the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Down the stairs I did fall.

Kristin sprang to the stairs, to her family gave a whistle.
And away she swept Caroline like a quick firing missile.
But I heard Ben exclaim, as I ran out of sight,
I think we're ok,but it gave me a fright!

In case you wondering what this poem is all about, Ben and Caroline fell down the stairs together on Saturday. His heel slipped off of the first step as be began to come down the stairs, and the two tumbled to the first landing. Ben was carrying a cup of coffee which went everywhere. When he realized they were falling, Ben grabbed on tightly to Caroline and forced himself backwards. As a result, Ben fell hard on his back. Caroline was not hurt at all, just scared. Ben managed to hold her, and she landed on top of him. We were worried for a while that he may have bruised his kidney (that's where he landed, and that's how it felt to him), but as the day progressed, he realized it was probably just a really bad bruise. It was a horrifying sound as they tumbled down the stairs. I just remember hearing Ben screaming a few "choice words", and the next then I knew I was sweeping Caroline up into my arms. I was sure we were going to need an ambulance...I have never seen Ben in that kind of pain. I thought he had broken his right leg. He got up and went to the bathroom because he thought he was going to be sick. In the end, they are both ok. Ben is still in a good amount of pain. Caroline is fine, but she refuses to walk on the landing where the coffee spilled. :) Thank goodness neither of them were seriously hurt!

Shhhhh....

2008-08-20T08:46:00.005-04:00

Caroline is getting much better about being quiet when Sarah Anne is asleep. She is even starting to whisper. :) When she sees SA sleeping, it goes something like this:

She puts her finger to her nose....not over her mouth,but she points it up as she would if she were saying Shhhhh, and says "Baby Sissy nigh nigh". Then she walks around with her finger to her nose. She's getting the idea. :)

Sarah Anne is very smiley and giggly lately. In the morning (after sleeping for 12 straight hours I might add!) she will lay in her bed smiling and giggling until I go in to get her. She is always so happy in the mornings! She is the first thing Caroline wants to see when she wakes up each day! Sarah Anne is getting so long (not fat...just long and muscular)that I have started putting her in some 12 mo. pajamas that Caroline was wearing last Dec. Perhaps she is a future Olympian with her little athletic build!

Right now I'm watching Caroline walk around with one of my old purses over her shoulder, a pair of my old sunglasses on her head (which she put there by herself!)and the phone in one hand. She's almost 2 going on 16....yikes!

Shaving

2008-08-12T16:16:00.002-04:00

This morning Caroline was in the bathroom with Ben while he was getting ready for work. He felt Caroline doing something to his leg, and when he looked down she was shaving his leg with my razor! I guess she found it in the cabinet under my sink....the child-proof latch is broken on that side.

Yesterday I was changing Sarah Anne in her room when I heard a banging on her door. I peeked around the corner to see Caroline hitting the door with a butter knife....a butter knife? Where in the world did she find that upstairs?!?!? I have no idea how she gets into the things she does sometimes. Maybe she hijacked it from the dishwasher as I was loading it, and then hid it away for future use. Sound improbable for an almost 2 year old....not for her!

Sarah Anne's physical therapy is going really well. She has made a lot of progress, and we now only have to go every other week!

Beach 2008

2008-08-10T13:01:00.001-04:00

More Hilton Head Pictures

2008-08-10T12:58:00.000-04:00

More Beach Pictures

2008-08-10T12:55:00.000-04:00

Hilton Head

2008-08-10T12:52:00.001-04:00

Beach Pictures

2008-08-10T12:38:00.001-04:00

Beach Fun

2008-08-06T22:06:00.000-04:00

We are having a great time in Hilton Head. We've spent a lot of time at the beach with the girls. Caroline loves the sand and waves, and Sarah Anne has been so good hanging out in her beach tent. Caroline has even been good about resting on her towel or in the beach tent around her nap time. It was around 100 degrees today so Ben stayed in with Sarah Anne while Caroline and I went to the beach (we're staying in a condo on the beach so it's a very short walk!). We went to the pool yesterday and although the girls did well for a while, they both began to have meltdowns. I took the girls inside so Ben could have some time at the pool. :) He met some really nice guys who were there with their wives and children. They spent the afternoon talking about college football. Ben was in heaven! :)

Sarah Anne started sleeping through the night 2 days before we left for the beach. She has been sleeping all night (8:00 pm to 7:00 am!!!!)since we have been here. Now that is what I call a VACATION!!! It's been great to wake up every morning to the sound of the ocean - I say sound because a couple of mornings Caroline has woken up so early that it is still dark outside. You can't see a thing on the beach until the sun starts to rise!

I will post pictures when we get home. We forgot the usb cord. :)

Sisters

2008-07-28T20:14:00.001-04:00

Caroline and Sarah Anne having sissy time!

Excited about the Beach!

2008-07-27T19:54:00.001-04:00

Sarah Anne got very excited when I told her we were going to the beach next week!

She decided she better see if her sunglasses would fit. :)

Even a Princess Likes the Dirt

2008-07-27T19:44:00.000-04:00

The pictures are self-explanatory. :) At least she is good at entertaining herself!

New Pictures

2008-07-25T17:04:00.000-04:00

What's a blog without pictures? Here are some new ones. :)

Caroline playing our new-old piano. My parents gave us their old piano so the girls can take lessons when they are a little older! What you can't see is that she is soaking wet (which is why she is sitting on a towel). She was playing in her water and sand table before this picture was taken.

Caroline playing in her water and sand table.

Caroline insisted on wearing Ben's socks. If you look closely, it looks like she is wearing high heels...but it is really just the sock!

We often find Caroline "working" on the computer. We try to keep the chair pushed in, however, sometimes we forget. This is how we have found her. On this day Daddy dressed her in her TN FLANNEL jumper....never mind that it is July and 95 degrees...just right for flannel! ha ha I love that he put her in oragne!!

The Problem with Balls

2008-07-25T10:41:00.001-04:00

One of Caroline's favorite things to do right now is play with balls....big balls, little balls, colorful balls, squishy balls and balls that are not really balls at all. For example, this morning Ben was sitting outside drinking coffee and reading the newspaper. Caroline was outside with him playing in the yard. As Ben and I were talking we heard her saying "Ball, ball, ball....". Ben looked up and yelled "Noooooo! Don't touch that!" My mind began to race....what had we left outside that she shouldn't touch? It turns out it wasn't anything WE had left outside, it was what a rabbit had left outside...rabbit pellets....YUCK!! She was picking up each "ball" one at a time and had a nice collection in her hand by the time Ben got to her. Ben whisked her inside so that she could be scrubbed down. Poor Caroline, she was so confused.

The next problem with balls is one that I wasn't going to post, but decided I would anyway. After all, this is a blog about stories relating to the girls. It really is a funny and very innocent story. It is also really a bit of a problem right now! Recently while walking through the grocery store Caroline began saying (and being quite loud I might add) "Ball, ball, ball.....Mommmy, ball...". I thought that there must be a ball display somewhere. I wasn't really paying attention and continued reading down my grocery list - broccoli, milk, bananas, breast....wait...breast??!?! What is going on here? Caroline continues yelling "ball, ball..." while grabbing my breasts and pointing to them. Ahhhhhhhh! "No baby, these aren't balls" I try to explain while I turn ten shades of red, and try to ignore the stares from a grumpy looking old man (why is he looking at my "balls" anyway?). I shoved a box of Cheerios at Caroline and asked her to hold it for me. Anything to occupy her little hands at that point.

Two other things that Caroline is saying lately are "Wow" and "I see". :) We love our Chatty Cathy!!

I feel like I don't say enough about Sarah Anne. She is so sweet and cuddly, and beginning to interact more. There should be plenty of S.A stories soon!!

New Words

2008-07-24T18:43:00.000-04:00

Caroline is saying new words almost daily...and she is jabbering a lot as if she is having a conversation with you. I wish I knew what she was really saying and thinking!

Here are a few of Caroline's favorite new words and expressions:
"Ummmm" - used to describe something she is enjoying eating.

"I know" - although she says this one a lot, even when I'm not sure what she means, she has used it on more than one occassion when someone has told her she is cute....the sassy factor is off the charts with this one. :)

"Ewwww Mommy" - used appropriately to describe anything that is yucky to her. The other day I was putting her hair in pigtails and had one of the rubber bands in my mouth while I was gathering up the pony tail. Caroline looked up at me in disgust and said "Ewww Mommy". Um, that's too much sass from a 1 year old! lol

"Oh no!" - used anytime there might be the slightest thing wrong.

Caroline is also an absolute fanatic when it comes to turning off lights, tvs, radios, baby monitors, etc. Anything that is on and she doesn't feel should be on, must be turned off immediately! If a door, cabintet, drawer, etc. is open and Caroline feels it shouldn't be, it must be closed immediately! These are usually times when "Oh no!" comes in to play. :)

Sarah Anne is as sweet as ever. For those of you that don't know, Sarah Anne is going through physical therapy for a condition called Tortocolis. Basically what has happened is she experienced some trauma to the left side of her neck when she was being delievered (her left shoulder got caught in the birth canal). This has caused her neck to lean left. It is kind of like a pulled/strained muscle. There are stretches that I do with her 5-6x daily, and there are certain positions that we have to hold her and lay her in. She also has a special neck support for her carrier. She will probably be in therapy for 3-4 months....hopefully not much longer. :) Sarah Anne is seeing the same physical therapist that Caroline saw when she was having problems walking.

The girls are both happy and healthy! Caroline LOVES Sarah Anne, and Sarah Anne is beginning to recognize and respond to Caroline with big smiles. Sarah Anne is only waking up once in the night to eat which has been great for me! Ben is taking the 5 a.m feeding (since he is an early bird anyway) which is a huge help to me since I don't sleep very well. I feel like I'm falling asleep around 4-4:30 am, so being able to stay asleep when S.A wants to eat around 5:00 is helpful. :)

We're off to the beach in about a week! We go to Hilton Head each summer. This will be Caroline's 2nd visit, and obviously Sarah Anne's first. We have a great condo on the beach with plenty of room for us to spread out and keep both girls comfortable.

New Post

2008-07-20T19:34:00.000-04:00

I know I haven't posted in a while...I promise to give you updates soon! Everyone is doing well. :) Sarah Anne is drooling everywhere and Caroline is saving the world one light bulb at a time...more soon!

Name that Baby!

2008-07-06T20:53:00.000-04:00

Can you tell which baby is Caroline and which baby is Sarah Anne?!? Or is it the same baby?!

Summer Fun

2008-07-02T12:29:00.000-04:00

Here are some pictures of our trip to visit my parents. Becki and Hayden were there too, and Nicole was able to come for a day. :)

Summer Vacation

2008-06-20T00:51:00.000-04:00

The girls and I left on Tues. for a two week visit with Mimi and Papaw (my parents). Mom flew down on Mon. and we drove to their house on Tues. Becki and Sweet Haydey are coming tomorrow! Ben flew in tonight for the weekend!! Mom and Dad are actually getting ready to move back to Memphis in mid-July. The girls did great on the 13+hour trip. I am so blessed to have two wonderfully sweet and precious girls. I will post new pictures soon....as soon as I figure out how to do that from Papaw's computer!

Toilet Paper and Mannequins

2008-06-09T21:49:00.000-04:00

It has definitely been a challenge to accomplish anything around the house. If one of the girls is sleeping, the other is awake and needs something. It's as if they have radar and sense that I am going to start something like dishes or the laundry...and BAM....someone needs me. :) I'm not complaining, just trying to figure out how or if this will change. Lately Sarah Anne has cried if she is awake and isn't being held. I carry her around in the sling, but sometimes she doesn't like even that. Today I decided I would just have to let her cry it out a bit while I threw in a load of laundry and got dressed. Caroline was following me around "helping" start the laundry. So with Sarah Anne crying in her swing I started the laundry. About half way into what I was doing I realized my helper (Caroline) was gone. I was sure she had gone in to see Sarah Anne (Sissy, My Sissy, My Baby...all names Caroline calls her). She loves to watch over and help her. When I came out of the laundry room there, down the hall in the bathroom, stood Caroline with a huge smile on her sweet little face. In one hand she had an empty roll of toilet paper and in the other hand she had soggy toilet paper that she had put in and pulled out of the toilet. She was very proud of herself! She helped me clean everything up (she loves to clean anything) and I shut the door behind us. What is the fascination that draws kids to the toilet? It's time I bought Caroline a water table for outside. :)

Today we went to the mall. It was just too hot to go to the pool or do anything outside. Caroline waved and blew kisses to every mannequin we passed. :) She was also friends with half of Macys by the time we left. She is not shy to say the least!

Bucket Head

2008-06-06T08:55:00.000-04:00

Here is our sweet,smart Caroline walking around with her Easter bucket on her head. Why, you may ask? I have no idea, but it is hilarious! She walks around with it over her eyes until she runs into something (probably not the safest activity...but I'm watching her carefully!). She is sooooooooo sassy and funny!

Pictures

2008-06-05T21:58:00.000-04:00

Here are a few pictures of the girls taken this week. Sarah Anne is 6 weeks old and doing well.... as long as she can burp! When she can't get it out, we all hurt. :) The picture of Caroline shows her playing with Ben's Budweiser pitcher that he used to water the flowers on the patio...no beer was involved. :) The last one is how Ben and I found Caroline sleeping the other night. We thought it was funny that she was hugging her bumper pad (yes, we are the bad parents that actually left the bumper pad in her crib although the experts say not to). :)

Reading the newspaper

2008-05-29T15:07:00.000-04:00

Here is a picture of what happens when Daddy lets Caroline "read" the newspaper. Look closely....you can see where she went back to her tray after breakfast to get her milk. Can you see where she pulled herself up to the tray?!?!

One Month, Flash Dance,and Sunglasses

2008-05-27T20:20:00.000-04:00

Sarah Anne was one month old last Thursday! It's hard to believe...time is flying. She is trying to smile, and has smiled a couple of times. She is giving a kind of half smile every now and then. She is a really good and precious baby.

I wear a handband sometimes in the shower and when I put on my make-up. Caroline loves to "help" me put on my make-up. She also likes to put it on herself (I just give her a make-up brush and she brushes the brush all over her face....no actual make-up is involved!). This morning as I was getting ready for the day, she dug out one of my headbands and wanted me to put it on her. She wouldn't let me put it on as a headband, so instead it looks more like a sweatband. If she had a leotard and leg warmers, she would be ready for Flash Dance or Fame! lol Here is what this all looked like. She wore the headband all morning until it was time to get dressed. :)

Later in the day, after Caroline gave up the Flash Dancer look, she dug out a pair of my old sunglasses from her toy basket. She has loved to play with our sunglasses since she was about six months old. As I've said before (and as all children do) she immitates what she sees us doing. Ben and I both wear our sunglasses on our heads, so guess what Caroline has been doing, on her own, with the sunglasses?!?

Here are some other pictures of the girls. :)

Zoo Atlanta

2008-05-17T21:34:00.000-04:00

Today Caroline and I went to the zoo. Since she is having a hard time sharing me with Sarah Anne, I have been trying to spend as much one-on-one time Caroline as possible. Ben and his Dad went to the AT&T Classic golf tournament, so his Mom came to our house and stayed with Sarah Anne. Caroline and I had a great time! Her favorite part was running around the reptile house (mind you she wasn't looking at any of the animals...just running!) and roaring back at the lion. :)

A Little Bit of Everything

2008-05-14T20:36:00.000-04:00

Daddy, Caroline and now Sarah Anne all have the same hair. Take a look at Sarah Anne's onesie that Nicole bought for Caroline...which is also now appropriate for Sarah Anne!

I am going to try and be better about keeping the blog more current. Right now it is a little challenging. :) Here is what we have been up to lately!

Nicole was in town for five days! We had a great time with her (as always) and she was a HUGE help to me! Caroline loves her Aunt Cole, although she wasn't very good about showing it.....this has to do more with me - more on that in a minute. Sarah Anne loved cuddling with Cole! We're sad her visit was so short, but she is starting nursing school on Monday!! There is always the chance that she may end up working in ATL after graduation....it's a small chance, but I'll take it!

For Mother's Day Daddy and the girls gave me a beautiful pair of Gucci sunglasses...real ones. :) I'm almost afraid to wear them! I also got two beautiful bouquets of flowers from my sweet, sweet girls. Ben's parents came over for breakfast that morning. Nicole made a wonderful brunch bake and fruit, and Ben's mom brought blueberry muffins. Nicole and I went later in the day for a pedi and a mani....it was soooo relaxing! That night we went to a Japanese steak house for dinner. Caroline was very intrigued by the cooking on the table, the knives, fire, etc. I was worried she would freak out, but instead she ate and observed everything the entire time we were there. She loved the chicken teriyaki and ice cream with sprinkles the best. :)

Caroline and Sarah Anne are doing well. Caroline still seems to be "upset" with me for having a baby. She LOVES her sister, but is still having issues with me. She tells me "No!" a lot, and has even hit me. She has NEVER hit anyone before now. We even checked with her daycare to make sure it wasn't happening there. No, it's only me she seems to want to hit (although she did hit Nicole while we were in the grocery store the other day....that made me very sad). I am trying to spend as much one-on-one time with her as I can, but I am stretched thin having a newborn. I know it's a phase, but it's a sad one for me. Caroline is truly very sweet and loving. I've turned her little world upside down. We will eventually move past all of this, I know.

Playing in the Rain

2008-05-07T11:32:00.000-04:00

Ben let Caroline play in the rain a couple of weekends ago. It was the first weekend we were home with Sarah Anne. Did I really think it was a good idea to let my 18 mo. old play in the rain? Not really, but I was far too tired at that point to worry about it. :) She had a great time....and so did her Daddy!

Caroline has recently learned to love drinking through a straw. Now she wants to drink out of my water mug all of the time!

Sweet Sarah Anne is becoming more alert, and she is having more awake periods. She is back up to her birth weight and doing great! Caroline loves her Sissy, and she is a very good helper. :)

Updates

2008-05-04T21:35:00.000-04:00

I'm sure most everyone knows by now that Sarah Anne came 2.5 weeks early. :) She was born Tues. April 22nd at 5:52 p.m My water broke around 7:15 that morning but Sarah Anne took her time getting here after that. She was 8 lbs. 6 oz and 21.25" long....not exactly a small baby! Everyone is doing great. Caroline LOVES her sister and Sarah Anne is a great baby (everyone knock on wood...quick! We hope it stays that way!). Caroline has even warmed back up to me - that was hard for me. We had actually made a trip to the hospital the Friday before Sarah Anne was born. I was horribly sick with a stomach virus (at the time we thought I might be in labor). I stayed overnight so that they could hydrate me. My doctor suspects that the virus may have thrown me into labor. The timing turned out well in the end b/c my parents came down on Sun. to help us out since I was so sick. They were here when Sarah Anne was born. So, to make a long story short, I wasn't able to spend much time with Caroline in the days right before the baby was born. That combined with all of the change threw Caroline off. We are back on track for the most part now!

Caroline finally got her first haircut Sat. night at 19 mo. old. I knew she would never "allow" anyone else to cut her hair so I did it myself. Ben worked hard to distract her, but she really did not like having her hair trimmed. I say trimmed, but I actually butchered my poor babies hair into a bob. :( It's uneven and needs to be shaped up a bit more. Hopefully it will make her hair thick, and I hope it grows long sooner than later!

Ben worked all day in the yard. He is trying to get our backyard in shape after the dogs destroyed it. We had to give Brutus and Knox away b/c Caroline is allergic to dogs...and we needed to reclaim our backyard so the girls will have a place to play. It is going to take some time to get things in order with the backyard, but Ben and his Dad have done a lot to get that process started.

Here are some pictures!

Caroline's World

2008-04-18T13:12:00.000-04:00

Caroline is definitely a girl with a mind of her own! She knows what she wants and she knows how to get it! Here are a few pictures of her. :)

After a long,hard morning at the doctor's office, Caroline enjoyed some Oreos...or is she trying to grow a foo-man-choo?!

Caroline has decided that she should play in her exersaucer again. Do you think she senses Baby Sarah Anne's arrival? Will the Princess finally have to share her "throne"?

Caroline found Daddy's socks on the floor and decided she should wear them. Ben put them on her and pulled them up over her pants. She enjoyed wearing them while she took her bear for a walk in the shopping cart! Notice the bear is head down in the cart. :)

Daddy's Birthday

2008-04-18T13:03:00.000-04:00

Ben's birthday was last Friday. Here are some pictures from his birthday. I made a scarlet and gray Ohio State birthday cake with strawberries in the middle. It is far from professional...I just used what I could find in the grocery story. Maybe next year when I'm not 9 months pregnant I will make a nicer looking cake for him!

Tubes

2008-04-15T21:09:00.000-04:00

Caroline is having her tubes put in her ears tomorrow morning at 8:45. We have to be there by 7:00 am, which in Atlanta time means we need to leave by 6:00. That isn't even the hard part! The hard part is going to be not giving Caroline her milk and banana when she wakes up. She LOVES and DEMANDS her milk and banana when she wakes up in the morning. She can have clear liquids up to 4:30 am and nothing beyond that. She has actually been waking up at 4 am the last couple of days, so if she wakes up before 4:30 tomorrow, I have some apple juice in a sippy cup ready for her. I'll put her in bed with me and let her watch Sesame Street on Sprout (yes, Sesame Street is on that early....I've found that out the hard way!) and drink her juice. Hopefully she will fall back asleep until we have to go. I have a bag packed with her favorite books (reading books is her favorite thing to do)to help distract her when we get there. We are still afraid that we are going to have a grumpy little bear on our hands in the morning. The procedure will only take about 20 min. once they start. I will get to go back with her until she falls asleep. I know she'll be fine, but it still makes me kind of sad to think about her being put to sleep. :(

We have some recent pictures of Caroline to post. I'm really exhausted and uncomfortable lately, and I'm not getting as much done as I should. I do, however, have almost everything ready for Sarah Anne, bags packed for Caroline, Mommy and Daddy, as well as gifts for Caroline and Sarah Anne ready (for them to give each other!). After being unexpecetedly sent to the hospital with Caroline, I wanted to be more prepared this time. I am a planner, and not being completely planned and organized last time drove me crazy! In the end it all turned out well, so I guess I shouldn't stress about it too much. I will do my best to get the new pictures posted soon. Stay tuned for pictures of an Oreo mouthed Caroline, Caroline wearing Daddy's black dress socks, and Caroline wearing shoes and socks but no pants! She definitely has a mind of her own! She reminds me a lot of her Aunt Cole!

Mmmmm, cornstarch

2008-04-15T21:04:00.001-04:00

Sometimes if the pantry door is left open, Caroline likes to play inside. She is great at rearranging whatever she finds. :) Today, she walked out of the pantry carrying a can of cornstarch. She was adiment that I open it and show her what was inside. Trying to nurture her sense of wonder and exploration, I opened the can and explained what it was (as if she really understood!). Before I knew it, she had stuck her entire right hand in the can, pulled it out, and licked her fingers. Needless to say, she was very upset by what she found! I did my best to wipe it out of her mouth and off of her hands. I quickly gave her some milk and Daddy came to the rescue with a grape...one of her favorite foods. I don't think that she will be pulling the cornstarch out of the pantry anytime soon!

Future Vols

2008-04-08T21:40:00.000-04:00

Here is a picture of Caroline with her friend Tully, my friend Allison's little boy. Allison and her husband Jason went to Tennessee!

Caroline Isabella

Tubes

2008-04-07T20:38:00.000-04:00

Caroline is going to have tubes put in her ears next week. We are hopeful that this will help with chronic ear infections as well as her walking. :)

Oh no, not NO!!!

2008-04-05T19:46:00.000-04:00

We were wondering when Caroline would learn the magic word "No". Wonder no more, it's here! She doesn't use it in the correct context...as of now. She just goes around saying "Nooooooo" - it's kind of an exaggerated long drawn out "No". When she woke up from her morning nap this morning I could hear her laying in her crib saying "Noooo, Nooo, Noooo" over and over. Then she would giggle. :) She also likes to walk around saying it. We try not to use the word often, but it is inevitable that she will learn how to use it in the correct context.

Caroline has recently started walking around with her hands folded together and behind her back. It's like she is pacing the room and contemplating life or world affairs. I've never noticed that Ben or I walk around this way, so I'm not sure where she picked this up. Daycare? How deep can an 18 mo. olds thinking really be?!?

Sick Baby

2008-04-01T16:43:00.000-04:00

Poor Caroline has a double ear infection...again. Her pediatrician, allergist, pulmonologist and physical therapist all agree that she should see an ENT (which I have wanted for a while now). She has an appointment on Monday, and she may be headed for tubes. Her physical therapist decided about a month ago that her delay in walking is due to vestibular issues which means the fluid in her ears causes major equilibrium problems for Caroline. Although she is walking great now, her balance is still really off. She is still pretty unsteady at times. Hopefully once her ears are better, everything from her respiratory problems to her walking will improve! For now she is a pitiful sweet mess with a really high fever. :( She should be feeling much better by this time tomorrow!

A Girl's Best Friend...Her Fleece

2008-03-29T12:20:00.000-04:00

Caroline has been insisting lately on wearing her fleece. She will bring it to us and stick out her arm, ready for you to help her put it on. The other night she was at home playing and only wearing a onesie. This is what her ensemble looked like.

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You also might like to see how much Caroline loves eating pasta!

Licking Ketchup

2008-03-28T20:30:00.000-04:00

Tonight at dinner Ben was showing Caroline how to dip french fries in ketchup before eating them. She did a great job dipping, however, she decided that licking the ketchup off of the french fry was much tastier than actually eating the french fry. :) You can only imagine how soggy the french fry was by the time she was done with the ketchup!

Caroline has really gotten into immitating us. Lately when she stands in her little easy chair I have been motioning my pointer finger in a downward fashion as I tell her to sit on her bottom. She has managed to turn this into a game of sorts. Now when she stands in the chair she immediately looks at me and does the exact same finger motion as I have used with her. As a matter of fact, she won't sit on her bottom until she sees me motion her with my finger to sit down. I guess my request to sit doesn't matter unless I literally show her with my finger that she is to sit down!

Monkey See, Monkey Do

2008-03-26T16:54:00.000-04:00

We are really beginning to notice what a little sponge Caroline is. She is so observant for a 17 month old. She also uses her imagination really well. For example, she was just playing in her play kitchen, pretending to cook, when she walked over to the sink, "turned on" the water, and pretended to wash her hands. :) She also loves to take her tea pot, bring a cup over to you, and pour tea. The cutest part of this is when she makes a "shhhh" noise as she pours, just like the sound of someone actually pouring something. I started doing this when she got her kitchen from Santa, and she has imitated it ever since!

Sometimes I'll look over at her and she'll have a sock or a dish towel she's pulled off of the oven handle and she will be on her hands and knees scrubbing the floor! Other times she'll dust a table or wipe off a chair. She also loves to hand us the dishes when we unload the dishwasher. I know at 17 mo. you would think she would break everything, but she is really gentle....and it is especially helpful to me now that I am 8 mo. pregnant. It's great to not have to bend over!

Since Caroline is always fighting a cold of some kind, I've tried showing her how to blow and wipe her nose. My intention was for her to do it as I held the tissue, however, she will actually do it herself. The not so great side of this is that she has been known to blow her nose into a sock (she won't keep socks on her feet so you can always find a sock on the floor somewhere) or into her own shirt! Now I am POSITIVE she didn't learn that from me...but I think I do know who she learned that from...no names mentioned of course. :) One day she was rummaging through a basket of clean clothes, pulled our a dryer sheet, and blew her nose into the dryer sheet. We will have to keep working on using a tissue!

With Sarah Anne arriving in about six more weeks (although I'm hoping it will be a teeny tiny earlier than that!) I have been using some of her baby dolls to show her how to handle being around a newborn. I hold the doll the way I will hold Sarah Anne, feed her a bottle, burp her, show Caroline how to be gentle, etc. She is great with the dolls, and I feel certain she is going to be a great big sister (I'm sure there will be moments). Lately she has been picking up her dolls and holding them so sweetly. Yesterday she sat for about 5 min. and just rocked Baby Darla (her doll that cries, laughs, calls for Mama). She was really gentle and just loved on her. :)
All of this has reminded me how much she is always looking and watching, listening and imitating. Just as I've learned from being a teacher, actions really do speak louder than words. :)

Happy Easter

2008-03-23T22:22:00.000-04:00

We had a great Easter despite it being chilly outside. Caroline woke up and found that the Easter Bunny had hidden eggs in our dining room (because it was too cold to go outside), and he filled her Easter basket with books, bubbles, and a stuffed bunny. She loved finding her Easter eggs which were filled with either M&M's or jellybeans. We went to church where Caroline added flowers to the cross, and Ben's parents then came over for Easter lunch. Caroline was worn out by this time and didn't get to have lunch with us. She more than made up for it when she woke up from her nap! For a picky eater, she ate everything today! We found out that she likes deviled eggs (sliders) which surprised us because she has never liked eggs of any kind. Throughout the day (Caroline grazes...she never eats very much at any one time) she ate ham, green beans, grapes, cantaloupe, rolls, deviled eggs, scalloped potatoes and strawberry cake. She must be going through a growth spurt. Her little belly was rock hard and full by the end of the day. :) Everytime she would put something in her mouth she immediately, with her mouth stuffed full of food, asked for "more"...which she says when she wants more of anything...inclucing her Singulair tablets that she takes for her asthma! At least she isn't picky about taking her medicine. :)

Our Growing Family

2008-03-19T15:49:00.000-04:00

I finally decided it was time to start our blog. With Sarah Anne's due date approaching (May 9th), and Caroline constantly entertaining, us I realized that this would be the best and easisest way to share the latest news and pictures with everyone. :) I'll post some more recent pictures soon! Here are a few for now. :)