42 weeks

Don't you just love those piggy tails! :0)

We have had an interesting week to say the least. Coming off of vacation, Caroline has been playing catch up on her sleep. She hasn't been the happiest kiddo but she has taken at least 2 hour naps in the morning and the afternoon. Hopefully by the end of the week, she will be back on track... Amongst all this, she has really allowed her personality to show in so many ways.

Look how long my baby girl is, she is getting so BIG!

All cozy in her crib for her afternoon nap! I wish I could stuggle up with her!

Wrapping up beach stuff-she had a ball. She loved playing in the sand and eating it by the handfuls. Just in case you are wondering, it all comes out exactly how it goes in! :-0) She loved waving bye bye to everyone before leaving the room or before going to bed each night. She had totally gotten it down pat. She will even wave hi if we really work with her. She gets the biggest smile on her face as she waves bye bye. It's so sweet.

She has become extremely chatty. She loves chatting while riding in the car, the stroller or playing by herself in baby jail. We have some fun CD's that we listen to in the car and while we are playing around the house. She loves the music. We are trying to teach her to dance, but so far we have only got the hands moving. However, when we are in the car, she likes to sing along. Of course it sounds like baby babble but it's so precious! She often gets tickled when she's playing by herself. She will break out in the funniest giggle. Once she gets really tickled, she will squeal. That makes her giggle more and the cycle repeats itself... It's amazing the amount of personality that she has at such a young age.

At least every other week we mention her video monitor in her room. She ripped it from the crib, so we put it on the wall. She soon found it and it brought it down again. So we moved it once more thinking we had it outside of the crib area, outside of her reach. WRONG! 4 nails holes later, her monitor s safety mounted above her door frame. She now of course can not reach it and it actually gives us a better view of her in the crib. So we are happy.

Sunday, I was cooking dinner and had Caroline sitting in her high chair eating some cheerio's and drinking some apple juice. All of a sudden the light went out. I turned around to find her turned around in her chair playing with the switch. So after telling her no several times, she decided she didn't want to play with it any more. Crazy what that kid finds... My mom said I was a busy child and I think my baby girl is following in my footsteps...

As a teacher, I am a HUGE fan of reading. I love our sweet moments when she is sitting in my lap reading. It's a great time for us. We have been working on turning the pages-thanks to my cousin Jaime working with Lila. Caroline totally picked up on it and likes to turn the pages now. Of course, I lift the page and she turns it. So yesterday we were reading Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See? We always point to each animal and then turn the page to see the new animal. Yesterday as I would finish the sentence, she was attempting to turn the page without my helpl. Almost like she knew it was time for the next page. I think we have a genious on our hands! (At least her mommy thinks so!!)

Our weekly pictures are becomming extremly difficult to take. She is so curious about everything around her, getting her to look at me can be a major undertaking. I hope that you enjoy.

I DON'T WANT TO LOOK AT YOU, I WANT MY TOY BACK!!!!!!!!!!

Have a great week! :0)

Caroline's First Official Beach Vacation

Caroline's first official beach vacation was PERFECT! We had a wonderful week. The weather was amazing, the food was yummy and the fellowship was great! We didn't have a lot of humidity so we were able to enjoy long days on the beach. We usually went out each morning around 10:30 and stayed until around 3:30 or so. Caroline had lunch on the beach and usually took a nap around 1 or 1:30. We had a great tent that I could pull my chair under and she slept on my chest. It was such a sweet time! (I actually got to read a couple pages in my book while she was sleeping. When she wasn't sleeping, she was wide open. We had a small pool that she played in for a little while. She loved to crawl out of it and all over the sand. The sand didn't bother her one bit. She ate the sand by the handfuls and enjoyed every handful she got.

She pretty much stayed on her schedule and went down around 6:30. She played at least 30 minutes before going to sleep. Everyone enjoyed watching her on the monitor. It was nice because once she went to sleep we were able to enjoy playing games with everyone or just sitting around catching up. It was a great time to relax and enjoy our family! The pictures pretty much describe our week, I hope you enjoy! We had a ball!

Our place for the week

the view from our back porch

one of God's beautiful gifts-a sunrise

crawling all over the beach-having a ball

Andy and Caroline spent lots of time walking

one day Andy, Caroline, Greg and myself walked 5 miles before 9am

if you look really closely you will see Andy and Caroline walking in the distance
we tried to get a 4th of July picture but Caroline wanted to crawl around and dig in the sand verses looking at Mommy!

Caroline and Peep

Caroline and Mommy swimming

Mema, Caroline and Jay playing in baby jail

Jack and Grace-watching the bunny below

Grace named him BunBun and Jack named him Matthew

Friend Day was Tuesday-Heather, Robert and Ethan Jay came to visit. We had a great time on the beach.

Caroline really wanted Ethan Jay's watermelon

Heather, Ethan Jay, Caroline and Mommy

Caroline enjoying her own watermelon

Katy, Ansley Kate, Caroline and Mommy-Peep bought the girls matching outfits

the QUIET beach

Thanks Tomi Jean and Greg for an amazing week! We all had a blast! :0)

41 weeks

We are on vacation and having a ball! Caroline loves the beach! She especially loves the sand-she likes to eat it and is crawling all over it. We didn't bring the bear so I thought I would include a picture that sums up our baby girl on her 41st week birthday...

Here's a sneak peak into our vacation-hope ya'll are enjoying the week as much as we are.

digging in the sand and eventually getting it into her mouth

enjoying her first taste of cheese grits-a vacation tradition

playing in her pool on the beach

sleeping on mommy's chest (on the beach inside our tent) after a long day on the beach


Have a great week!

I call him sweetie, Caroline calls him Daddy!

Today is a double wammy special day for Andy! It's our anniversary and it's his first Father's Day with sweet baby girl Caroline! Six years ago today, we were married at First Presbyterian Church on the prettiest day in June. Everything about the day was perfect! Our friends and family were there, the weather was great and the food was amazing! When we got engaged, we knew that we wanted to be married in OUR church-a church that meant something to us. A church where we would continue to grow in our marriage and our relationship with the Lord. Not too many Sunday's go by that I don't sit in our Church and remember every little moment from our big day-the music, the flowers, our attendants, our parents, etc. But now I have another moment to add-Caroline's Baptism. I love how over the last 8 years our lives have changed and yet one thing has remained the same-our Church. A place where we have grown so much as a couple and hope to continue to grow as parents and a family.

I knew that when I married Andy, I married a great man. He is compassionate, sensitive and very thoughtful! He provides for us financially, spiritually and emotionally. He has supported me in so many situations, he has been my biggest fan. He knows when I need a little pick me up and when I need some quiet time. He sees my faults everyday and loves me anyway. He is the same way with Caroline. He knows when she needs some extra lovin and is always willing and ready to give it. He always puts our needs before his own. I have always loved him but watching him as a father makes me love him even more! We found the perfect Father's Day gift for Andy. A friend recommended a book "Because Daddy Loves You." It talks about a father who always goes above and beyond for his son and that's how I feel Andy treats Caroline.

For our anniversary, Andy's parents offered to keep Caroline for us to go out. We enjoyed a quiet evening shopping at the Hammock Shops and then enjoyed a YUMMY dinner at Frank's Outback. Thanks Pop and Peep! :-)

I hope that today was a special day for him! I hope that he knows how much we love him and appreciate all that he does for us as a family!

Sweet moments with Caroline

This week Caroline has started waking up at least once a night almost every other night. Tonight, I went to open her door before bed only to find her awake in her crib. Of course when she saw me, she got upset. So I went in, got lovey and her paci, turned on her music and tried rocking her for 5 minutes-thats the rule. As we were rocking, she was yawning but managed to keep her paci in. However, one time when she yawned, it fell out. She started "spitting" and licking her lips. Then she started "chatting." I tried my best to ignore it but it was so sweet. She had her head buried on my shoulder and had her arms wrapped around me. I was loving it! Once I giggled, she started "acting" a little more. So finally I had to put her down and now Daddy is trying to get her down. It was such a sweet moment!! I love these sweet little surprises... She is rotten but boy we love it and love her! :-)

40 weeks...

Only 12 more weeks and my sweet baby girl will be a year old! That is so hard for me to comprehend!! :-)

We have had a busy, fun, crazy week. We think that Caroline is teething because she is drooling a lot and hasn't quite been herself. She has had some ROUGH diapers and has been waking up at night. I forgot just how bad teething was a few months ago.

This is what I find most mornings when I go in to get her... Standing up, peeking over, wondering how can I get out of here!!!

My mom and I kept my brother Bob and his wife Jessica's 3 kids this week. Alston is 6, Jake and Emma are 3. Andy kept Caroline Friday night. Caroline got her first nightgown for the pajama party. (per daddy's request) They had a great time. Mom and I brought the kids back home with us Saturday. After lunch, we headed outside for some fun in their waterpark. It was a large inflatable pool with a sliding board and a tree for shade. They all had a ball. Caroline wasn't scared one little bit. She crawled around the pool and kicked and splashed! I can't wait to see her at the beach. I have a small pool that I am planning to take and fill with beach water to see how she does. It might be a flop, who knows... We shall see.

The kids enjoying their splash pad, Caroline was done and napping by this time.

Granny getting some lovin from Caroline before her nap.

Everybody say SUMMER!

Speaking of vacation, we leave Friday for the beach. We are super excited and can't wait to see how Caroline does. It will be her first official family vacation at the beach. She has walked on the beach and felt the sand but this will be her first time playing in all of it. I plan to take lots of pictures and post them.

Soaking up some summer sun in Aunt Tomi Jean and Uncle Greg's pool, getting ready for vacation!

I am loving being on vacation with Caroline. She is a lot of fun but also very busy. We spend our days eating and playing, reading and napping, and chasing a little girl crawling everywhere! We are working on playing independently, which she does really well after she wakes up. However, when she gets sleepy, she isn't as excited about playing by herself. We enjoy morning walks-they seem to help her during her sleepy time. (Mommy needs the exercise too!) She has gotten the sippy cup down pat and loves drinking her juice and eating cherrios. We are slowing adding more water than juice and she seems to be adjusting well.

This is what happens when Caroline wakes up before Mommy is ready... As you can see, she had a great time entertaining herself.

It's so nice having the time to juggle all the things that motherhood brings-grocery shopping, house cleaning, paying bills, balancing the budget, washing clothes and most importantly SPENDING TIME WITH MY FAMILY! I plan to cherish this time as I know it will pass all too quickly!

9 month check up

Today Caroline had her 9 month check up with Dr. E. She did really well. When I made her appointment I was thinking of myself. I got an early morning 9:30 appointment not thinking about the fact that Caroline takes a nap between 9 and 10. Oh well... Once we got called to the back I had to undress her. I put her on the table to undress and immediately she found the tissue paper covering and then the "gadgets" on the wall. She weighed in at 20.5 pounds and is in the 75th percentile. She was 30 inches long and is no longer on the charts. Dr. E said he thinks we are going to have a TALL girl! :-) Everything else looked great and he is happy with her development. We are going to keep her on the same eating and sleeping schedule. It's hard to believe the next time we see Dr. E, Caroline will be a YEAR OLD!

I'll always be a daddy's girl...

3 years ago today, Daddy lost his battle to cancer. While it breaks my heart that he isn't here, I know that he is in a better place. My dad was one of the strongest men I know. He fought a good fight and never complained. He taught us that life isn't always fair but God is so good! God can help us through anything that we go through.


I wish Daddy was here to see Caroline. I wish he could see her crawl and get into everything. I wish that he could hear her laugh. I wish he was here to give me advice on how to be a better parent. However, I know that that won't happen and I have accepted that. Although he isn't here, I know that he watches over us. I know that Daddy watches Caroline and gets some good laughs. Like when she pulled her monitor down or when I thought she had swallowed her bow and needed to poop it out... just to name a few. She gives me a run for my money sometimes (ok a lot of times) and I am sure he gets a kick out of it.

In all of this I have learned that no matter what, I always want to share one more milestone with my Daddy. I wish Daddy could have been here for just one more thing... the list could go on forever. However, that wasn't part of God's plan for us. So I have to cherish the moments we shared. I have to remember the good times and make sure the Caroline knows what an amazing man her Pops was.

No matter how old I get or what happens, I'll always be daddy's little girl...

39 weeks

It's official, we are on summer vacation! How sweet it is to be at home with Caroline!! :-) Sunday and Monday were pretty tough days because Caroline didn't know what she wanted to do. She didn't want to be held, she didn't want to be put down. She just wasn't herself... However, today was a much better day. (I have some amazing women praying for me!!-Thanks ladies)

Caroline started daycare yesterday. We were very excited to find someone who keeps children in her home and only keeps 6 kids. (mostly teachers kids) Caroline did really well. She got down and crawled over to where the big kids were and joined right in. She thought she was as big as they were!! It made me so happy to know that my baby girl was happy! We decided (me, Andy and Mrs. Jerri) that it would be good for Caroline to go a couple of days each week to get use to Mrs. Jerri so that when I leave her in August, she doesn't totally freak out! It's nice for me because I can schedule appointments or run errands for a couple of hours and not have to worry about getting C in and out of the car. It's also nice to just have a few minutes to myself!! (I know, that's a little selfish...)

Caroline checking everything out at Mrs. Jerri's

Caroline playing with Mrs. Jerri

I am attending a bible study at Church on Tuesday mornings. I am very excited! The title is "Esther: It's tough being a women!" Amen to that!! C goes to the nursery at Church during the bible study. She loved crawling around and being with the 'big' kids. After Bible Study, we went to lunch with the family, which I love doing during the summer!!! As we were packing up to come home, we realized that C had a major blowout, which came through her clothes. I put a towel in her seat and thought it would be easier to clean at home, which it was... As I was cleaning her bottom, I discovered a LONG STRING! It looked very much like the white hairbow that went missing last week. I remainded calm but very concerned. I called TJ who called Uncle Greg and he thought it would be good to come in and get checked out. Now I am beginning to freak, does he really think thats what it is? Andy's out of town with work, do I call and "warn" him? What if she has to have it surgically removed? No wonder she was so fussy the last two days, she is trying to pass a metal bow! OH I am such a horrible mom!! So we get to the hospital, head to the back, get suited up and I put her on the table for her first X-ray. At first she wasn't too excited, but Uncle Greg started moving the machine and talking with her and she was amazed! Praise report, no bow in her tummy! So who knows where the string came from but at least we are not worried about passing a hair bow! Whats interesting and crazy about the whole thing is that nothing else mattered at that moment. I didn't worry about the laundry I hadn't done or the meal I hadn't fixed, just my baby and her health. It really helped to put things in perspective as we start our first summer together!!

Poor kid is loosing all the "toys" in her crib. We moved the monitor out of her reach and now her mobile is gone as well. She was in her crib the other day and wasn't ready to go to sleep. However, she wasn't fussing... I heard something hit against the wall and went in to check on her. It was her mobile. Somehow she had got a hold on it and it was on it's side. So... bye bye mobile...

Caroline, Grace and Jack before Sunday brunch at the Club

It should be an interesting week! We shall see how it goes! :-) Have a great week!

38 weeks

Another week has come and gone... By the end of the week, I will be finished with school and officially on summer vacation!! :-) Every week there is at least one new "first" happening in Caroline's life. This week Caroline attended her first baby shower. She did pretty well for the most part. Of course she wasn't too excited about having to sit in the high chair the whole time but she did enjoy some puffs during the party.

Caroline has become extremely mobile! She can get anywhere she wants and she is pretty quick. We installed "baby jail" this week. It's official name is a play yard. It has 6 sides that are connected and it keeps her in one place. We put all of her toys inside, hung a few on the sides and she will play for 20 or 30 minutes depending on the day. (Sometimes she doesn't spend 2 minutes in there, just depends...) Andy and I love it because we can actually use the bathroom or cook dinner and know where she is. Now that she's crawling, she crawls from one end of her crib to the other until she gets sleepy or comfortable. She plays with her lovey or the mirror on her crib. Well this week she decided to play with her bumper pads. She untied several bows on several of the ties. When we walked in to check on her, she dropped her paci and smiled! Like opps I've been caught...

Caroline enjoyed having Wyatt and Walker play with her in baby jail. At first she wasn't so sure about having "visitors..."

Caroline has spent the last two days with Aunt Tomi Jean and the kiddos. So far she has had a great week! She had her first "official" experience in an outdoor pool. At first she wasn't too sure about it, but eventually she seemed to relax and enjoy it. Today they decided to give Caroline her first set of piggy tails! They were so cute! She is absolutely adorable.

Caroline is doing really well with her sippy cup and juice/water mix. At first she would put it in her mouth but then she would take one sip and pull it out. While we eat dinner or work in the kitchen, we sit Caroline in her highchair with some Cheerios (whole ones now) and juice. She loves it! She does really well with hand and eye coordination. ANYTHING that goes in her hand, goes in her MOUTH! Cheerios, watermelon, grass, hair bows, rubber bands, etc. It's pretty scary when you get out of the car and can't find a hair bow or rubber band... She doesn't pull stuff out of her hair as much when she isn't in the car, not sure if she sees it in the mirror or what.

Everyday we learn something new. Our baby girl is growing up way too quickly... It's crazy how quickly the times goes and how much she changes each day. Have a great week! :-)