Summertime to Fall....

Thanks to my in-laws and co-workers for pressing me to put up some additional photos. They all think Caroline is still 9 months old. Not much going on except watching her grow like a weed - she crawls like the dickens and has taken her first few tentative steps, can stand on her own when she wants to, displays an affinity for cheese (she takes after the women in her life), has all her teeth coming in seemingly at once, still sleeps fitfully, and pretty much displays the strong-willed stubborness that her mom and dad probably gave her.

Here are some pics of the wonder-child - blood relative to her cute cousin Nathan DeSanto in New York (congrats Angelique and Bill).

Caroline is now a year old - happy, healthy, smiling - and full of the will to test mama and dadda at every turn.

At the lake...

Low ridin'...

Waterpark with Mama and Dadda

Bathtime!

Girl with her hat on

Leapin' Lizards - AWESOME indoor playground

Standing on her own

First time at the beach (Flagler Beach, Fl.)

Down at Nanna and Poppi's house

First chopped veggies

First Carolina game...future Gamecock cheerleader

Exploring all the places she knows are off-limits

Caught in the act

Birthday girl

Birthday with Aunt Marcie

Another birthday pick

Cake on the face...mmmm-mmmmmmm

First swing ride in the park

She's loving it

Eating the smash cake

Tot Trade picture

9 Months! ...and counting

Lot's happening, no time to write it all down though. I wish I could remember all the cool moments and funny things our 18 lb. little person does every day, but we accept it's enough to remember what we can, take pictures often, and just roll with the punches. There are a lot of punches to roll with.

What's the wonder child been up to since the last post (waaaay back in May)? Since then we've...

Sold our house and moved into an apartment

Had tubes put in her ears (no ear infections since!)

Lived through her hand/foot/mouth illness (high fever, some barfing, and runny poopies) which she considerately passed to her mom

Enjoyed watching a virulent stomach bug get passed along from her to her dad, both her grandmothers, Chris, Aunt Marcie, and lord knows who else - her mom and grandfathers seem to be immune

Watched her crawl all over the place and start trying to pull herself up to a standing position; her dad has put outlet protectors on all the outlets

Got her pointing at the fan when you ask her where it is

Lived through another teething bout (her top rabbit teeth are coming in)

Had mom visit Angelique in NY (for her baby shower...they're expecting in August!) and left dad in charge for a weekend (the horror! the horror!)

Watched her win a popularity contest that allows her picture to be in a brochure for a children's consignment sale expo

Started giving her finger food (Gerber Graduates Banana Puffs - thanks Michelle!)

Had her Christening - on Father's Day no less - making my first a special one

Watched her class at Trenholm Road take part in its "Spring Fling" extravaganza

Begun weaning her - her world changed Friday, June 27 when her mom and dad began allowing her to cry herself out (first night: nearly an hour beginning at around 3 AM; second night: 7 minutes beginning around 4 AM ;since then, it's hit/miss but nothing too long). We've discovered she is now testing us, trying to "game the system" and get her way...for example, last night we gave her the bottle then Jessica nursed her to sleep. Tonight she refused the bottle, in anticipation of Jessica nursing her. So, she's asleep in Jessica's arms, refusing to nurse any more, yet the moment Jessica moves to put her in the crib she starts crying. Fortunately she's also aware we now mean business and she only bawls for 5 minutes or so. Yes, we are enjoying our sleep better, thanks!

Donned her waterproof pampers and bathing suit and introduced her to the pool. Have lots of video and some pictures (see below). As much as she loves bath time, we think she loves the pool as much or more

Enough with my ceaseless prattering! On with the pictures...

Last days at Keenan Drive - a future Terrier to the core:

Hanging out with Poppa at Keenan Drive...ask him how sore his knees got that day:

Getting better with the sippy cup at the apartment:

With goofy dad, I'm sure I will embarrass her multiple times when she gets older, and probably will enjoy every second of it:

All wrapped up in the purple towel:

Hanging out with Auntie Marcie:

Like Mimi, like baby:

Ahhh, a nice, comforting pillow of belly fat to lay upon:

Poppy and his chin feathers keeping her attention:

Spring Fling at Trenholm (Blake is to her immediate left):

Getting ready for the christening - cute outfit:

Almost ready!:

On the steps of the church:

The family on the church steps for the christening:

Reverend Horne walking Caroline up the aisle:

Up at the altar:

Nana, Mimi, and Caroline at the restaurant on a rainy day:

Playing in the pool - AWESOME!:

Can NOT get enough of the pool...she has ceaselessly been asking us to take her back:

Check out that new chopper on the upper right...:

...makes it a lot easier to chew her Gerber Graduates with:

All gone! (almost!):

Baby Development & Mother's Day Mayhem

Well, not exactly "mayhem", though I've always loved that word, but a whole lotta fun going on. The past week or so has been pretty dang incredible for Caroline. Apart from [another] ear infection and a catching a nasty little virus last week that caused and continues to cause her waking up at all/any hours of the night, she has been developing at a frightfully delightful pace.

She's not quite crawling, but she is "skootching" along the floor in an effort to move forward. Her little legs twitch and shake as she gamely tries pulling herself foward, and if she wants the toy bad enough she'll work her way to it. We're predicting full crawling is perhaps within the next couple weeks.

She has gone from being Miss Proper Manners to Miss Grabby. Why just today at Carrabba's she snaked her hand out faster than I could respond, grabbing a fistful of lasagna. Methinks we have some serious adapting to do - she is a complete dynamo, bouncing with her legs and always reaching for things and leaning this way and that.

She gamely tries waving at you (hello or goodbye, at this stage it doesn't matter). Occasionally you get it from her, but as often as not she just gives you a blank stare. The other day she did what I remember my nephew Max would do as a little boy, when you'd wave at him he'd hold his hand up with his palm facing inward (makes sense, that's what he saw). Caroline did something similar.

She has gone from teething on the lid to now drinking from a sippy cup. She'll drink a little at a time, but considering just ten days ago she didn't know what to do, we're happy for her. Interestingly, she also likes drinking from a regular cup - although we normally don't do this yet. She can just about grasp and hold the sippy cup now.

For Mother's Day we ate a late lunch out, then hopped over to the zoo for a couple hours. She slept through half of it but awoke by the time we got to the aquarium, which she found highly entertaining. Mom and baby (and Dad too) were pooped by the time 6:00 rolled around, so we high-tailed it home and are now praying she stays asleep until the morning.

Our house is under contract and the home inspection is set for Tuesday morning. We all know that if anything can derail a home sale, it's the inspection. Hopefully things will go well, we'll fix up a few minor items, and on 5/30 we'll sell the house. We're moving into an apartment while we look for a new house. And it's all caused by a 16 lb. little girl. Who'd a-thunk it?

Top of the world, Ma!:

Mimi feeding a tired but hungry Caroline:

One of Caroline's "boudoir" pictures:

Another "boudoir" picture...Caroline lookin' good:

In Mummy's lap on Mother's Day:

With Daddy at the Zoo:

Like Mummy, like daughter:

With Daddy in front of the fish tank:

With Mummy in front of the seals:

With Daddy in front of the seals:

CUTIE!

No time to write anything large up - but here are the latest pictures of Caroline. My folks and sister came by last weekend and spent some time playing with her; she is over her latest ear infection, and tubes are likely in her future.

With warm weather here, and the work on the house completed (or at least under control) I aim to get more pictures of her out and about.

Hurry up, Angelique...this is what's awaiting you and Bill!

On very positive notes, she is sitting up on her own without assistance. She is playing the piano, enjoys knocking down her blocks (when she's not cramming them in her mouth), is oh-so-close to crawling, and basically is changing daily, it's incredible...don't blink. We bought her a high-chair, which she loves; it has an attachment that goes on her tray which you use to keep her occupied whilst her food is being prepped.

We love her.

Ear Infections, big hair, and playing with blocks...oh my!

Like other babies the world over, the wonder child is not immune to ear infections, succumbing to her second one in the past month or so. So, it's back to the twice-daily threat of her throwing up after giving her antibiotics.

Her hair is really coming in now - it's not much longer before we will be able to put in bows. Ye gods.

Earlier today she was laying on the floor, playing w/ blocks and stackable rings we bought recently, and I watched her while she grabbed them, shaking them around and working to figure out just what they were and what they "did." It's amazing stuff to see.

She's got this thing going on with her head and neck - like she's doing the funky chicken in rhythm to some beat only she hears. It's pretty dang funny, I have to get it on video for it to be appreciated. Jessica was mimicking it and Caroline was giving it right back to her.

She's also pushing dad's buttons when I change her diaper - I have to get her arm bent and pointed away from her body to extract it out of her duds; so of course she is bending it, but now she's pointing it across her body and holding her hand with the other so I can't get it out, and all the while she's saying "da da da da...." over and over and smiling at me. Of course, laughing only encourages her...

Last, I spent a few minutes putting the order in for dinner and then got up to get the keys and drive over to the restaurant. As I walked out of the dining room toward the kitchen I happened to glance over at Caroline, propped up on her elbows on the play mat while Jessica ran her bath. Up to then, for at least 2-3 minutes, she'd been as quiet as a mouse, apparently just watching me...until I locked eyes with her. At that point, her lower lip started pursing out, her eyes squinted, and the bawling began. As I told Jessica, "her" daughter is a little manipulator.

Here is a clip from earlier today of her laughing - she is pretty much a happy baby: