Hodgepodge

Here's a little hodgepodge of pictures from this weekend. :) It was a nice, quiet weekend without any major excitement, but we had fun.Carolyn is beginning to enjoy "helping" Mommy. She likes to wipe the counter after me and put the socks in the washer and dryer. :) She is still mortally afraid of the vacuum cleaner. :)
Carolyn has discovered her teeth ("eeth") in the past couple weeks due mainly to her great attachment to her toothbrush- she frequently walks through the house, calling out "bush! bush! bush!" ("bush" rhymes with "rush"). Whenever you ask her to show her teeth, she shows only the bottom ones like the picture above. :)
I think the coat I bought for this winter is going to be a bit big! I got it at the end of the winter when Carolyn had been through a big growth spurt and I thought she was going to turn out to be a Big kid... maybe this coat will fit next year. :)
But THIS fits now! And it's maybe my most favorite fall thing I have for Carolyn- I love the sweater dress with the brown leggings! Pink and brown is SO "in" this season... and I am loving it! It's great having a little girl to dress (though sometimes I wonder vaguely if I would have mor pocket money if I had a little boy instead- but I wouldn't trade for ALL the world. :))
Today we discovered a new playground... Carolyn is now big enough to climb up on some of the play structures all by herself and she had such fun today crawling through this tunnel she found and peeking out the holes at us. Isn't she cute?!
Carolyn is fifteen months old today! Can you believe it?! She is such a delight!

Fall Day at the Zoo

On Friday our little playgroup went to the zoo. It's not the most spectacular zoo and many of the animals have already migrated south because Winter will be here before we know it... but we enjoyed ourselves and some of the animals that were there (like the bears) were more active than I've typically seen in zoos. :) We all enjoyed the frolicking of these big bears.Trying for a picture... can't get everyone to look AND smile at the same time. :) Rachel couldn't be with us due to a last minute conflict, but we missed her!
Although we paid $6 to see the animals, Carolyn's favorite part was crunching in the leaves under some of the trees! I was so bummed that my camera's battery died and Christi's was on the wrong mode so most of the pictures didn't come out... but she was so cute playing in the leaves! In some ways I think I actually enjoyed it more because I wasn't taking pictures, but just watching her play. :)
This would have been much better had the light been right, but BOTH Aidan and Carolyn were smiling real smiles and thoroughly enjoying themselves... Caimon had to leave before the leaves... but we had fun.

Carolyn and the Sock

Carolyn had me laughing last night. She found one of my socks on the floor ("gock! gock!"), then proceeded to carry it around all night. The funny thing was, she didn't want to use her hands to carry it- she wanted to carry it under her chin! Whenever it fell out, she'd bend down, pick it up, and replace it neatly under her chin. I thought it was so funny! :)

Last Day of Summer

So yesterday was the last day of summer... and very un-Michigan-like. It felt like a perfect June or July day, so we went to the beach for what might be our last trip for the year. Carolyn had a blast! It's supposed to be unseasonably warm for the rest of the week, so we may get a chance to get out again one more time... maybe... we'll see...She loved playing with the sand- and didn't even eat it this time!
We tried to get a family picture, but Carolyn had very little (well, NO) interest in the camera; she absolutely refused to look when Auntie Laura tried to snap a picture of us in our beautifully coordinating clothes (specially chosen for this occasion...) oh well... we learned something- if we do want to get some good family photos, we'll have to bring along another person to entertain Carolyn so she'll actually look at the camera.
We had a great time anyway, and grabbed a couple cute shots of her when she wasn't expecting it. She is a much steadier walker than she was the last time we were here (in August) and seemed to really enjoy the challenge of walking on the sand.
She also liked crawling around in the dune grass.
And trying to slide backward down the dune. Sand got EVERYWHERE!
Here she contemplates the waves while imbibing a beverage from her very own Straw Cup. :)
Mmmmm... "jsss!" (juice!) There are only two types of beverages: gook (milk) and jsss (juice). Juice typically gets the most favorable reception. :)
Time to go home and get a nap. I love watching Brad with her; he's such a good daddy and it's obvious that he an Carolyn are developing such a special bond. When daddy comes home is typically the highlight of our day!
Hey! We got one! A family picture! :)

Bye Bye Game

It's been awhile since I've posted any videos. We were laughing so hard last night we just had to capture it on video. I love how Carolyn seems to become more interactive every day. She's into this new "door" game, where she goes into her room, shuts the door, and waits for me to knock to come in- then when I open the door, she giggles, closes it and says "bye-bye." Check out the video. She's really cute. :)

A Few Of My Favorite Things

A careful observer will note that my blog posts seem to take a steep drop-off about once every four weeks! You can blame my Employer (the one I get paid by anyway) for that! I work one weekend out of four and I also regularly work Monday nights, so this past weekend, I worked Saturday, Sunday, and Monday for a total of something like 26 hours in 3 days, and for someone who is not used to that kind of schedule anymore, it's tough!

But even though I've been absent from cyberspace, I've still been taking pictures. :) Here is a little medley of pictures I call A Few Of My Favorite Things... by Carolyn

1. Apple Orchards! Rachel was out of town and Caimon was sick, so Aidan and I (and our mommies) went to the orchard for lunch and some play time by ourselves. There was a big apple there and I was very excited to see it. "Appo! Appo!" I shouted. Aidan and I swang on the big swing and ate Teddy Grahams together.
2. Slides. I love slides now, especially climbing up the ladder to get there and turning around to go down by myself. And I am also loving wearing long sleeves. Last week the weather was quite Fallish, so Mommy got out my fun leggings and long sleeve shirts and my favorite jacket from springtime and we were both happy it still fit. :)
3. Mommy and Daddy's Big Bed. I like to go into their room, yell "Up!" and be tossed onto the soft, bouncy covers. I immediately then scramble to the edge of the bed and slide down. Sometimes I land on my feet. Sometimes not. It's almost always fun. :) Daddy is the best at bouncing on the bed. He's the funnest! Yesterday I was playing with Mommy on the big bed and kept saying "Dadda! Dadda!" Mommy just doesn't cut it as a pal when it comes to Bounce Time!
4. Lessons in Self-Feeding. Mommy has been helping me learn to use a spoon. She helps me scoop up some yogurt into the spoon and then my job is to get it into my mouth. I'm a little messy, but I can now get the spoon from the bowl into my mouth without spilling more than about half the contents of the spoon. However, when I really want to eat, I just grab handfulls of whatever's on my tray and stuff into my mouth.
5. Rocks. I call them "ock" I am irresistibly drawn to anywhere they are. I like to clap them together to listen to the sound they make. I also like to bring them to my Mommy so she can enjoy them, too. Sometimes I just try to taste as many rocks as I can. Mommy doesn't like that.
6. Swings! I squeal with delight whenever I get to go in the swing and I kick my little legs in anger whenever it is time to get out. We need to have a swingset at our house. I'm appealing to the management of this place to get one for next summer.
7. Fun with Laundry. Mommy threw the sheet over both of us and tackled me in a pile of giggles under the sheet. I learned a new word as a result of this experience- "out!" Later we played Peekaboo, one of my all-time favorite games. :)
8. Kisses. I will give anyone and anything kisses and love, especially my Mommy and my Daddy and my baby dolly and Baggins the dog if he will get anywhere close. :) Tonight I was in nursery at church and Mommy laughed when she came to pick me up because I absorbed in a kissing moment with a little boy who was contained in an Exersaucer and couldn't escape me. :)
9. Mommy-the-Horsey. I might not care for the rocking horses at Grandma's house, but I sure do like it when Mommy "giddyups" with me on her back! Grandma will be pleased to learn that I now know the sound that a horse makes: "aaaay!" :)

That's the end of our favorite things for today. Stay tuned for more Favorites with Carolyn.

Growing Up

I've had a lot of comments lately that Carolyn just doesn't even look like the same baby anymore, so I thought I'd do a little comparison just to see if they're really right. :) I loved her outfit so much this morning that I had to take a picture of her in it (even though she wouldn't smile), and then I'm posting a few of my favorite pictures from about a year ago so you can take a little trip with me down memory lane... sigh... they grow too, too fast! :) She really doesn't look like the same child anymore- she is definitely all little girl now! But I can still see "her" even in her little baby pictures. :)

Fun Times

Dinner with Dad while Mommy's working... SOOO fun! Carolyn is into "offering" her food to Mom and Dad while she is eating. She frequently holds out a tempting (or not-so-tempting) morsel while opening her mouth and saying "aaaah!"
Yesterday we went to the Meijer Gardens with Kelly and Isaiah. Since it was only in the 60s and all the big kids are in school, we almost had the children's garden to ourselves! The bigger Carolyn gets, the more I am enjoying this fun place! I think we will have to get a membership soon- $12 a pop is starting to add up! :)
We had a bit more success with the sand this time. She didn't eat as much of it. :)
My favorite part of the trip this time was discovering the children's sensory garden. All the plants are there especially for kids to touch and explore and experience. There is even an herb garden where they are invited to taste some of the plants! It is obvious that the people at the Gardens have taken great care to create a place that is really "for" the kids. Isaiah and Carolyn loved it!

And I love this picture of them, just strolling along together. :) I think the best part for them was just being someplace without all the limitations of being "inside." They could toddle around to their heart's content. What, oh WHAT will we do this winter?!

Update on Jesse

Hello friends of Jesse. Just a quick update on how he is doing. Jesse is recovering very well at home. He is growing stronger by the day, and per his grandfather, has already rolled over even though he is only about 5 weeks old now! Amazing! Although one of his vocal cords is paralyzed, the doctors believe that this will resolve in time and at this point, his swallowing is doing fine! As soon as he is able to suck well enough to take an entire feeding from a bottle, his feeding tube will be removed. So all in all, he's doing great!

Odds and Ends

Well, so ends another busy weekend! It was a fun one, full of friends and family and an ever-growing little girl. She is developing such a personality and saying more and more words every day. I love watching her see the world and being able to understand some of her comments about it. :) She loves to try and name everything she sees.

This is "Bot," Carolyn's blanket. She frequently asks for it by name and loves to give love and kisses to "Bot." She makes a real smacking sound now when she gives kisses and one thing I love so much about Carolyn at this age is that she has started to demonstrate affection without being prompted- she'll often walk up to me and give me a hug and a smack, which warms my heart! I love this little girl.
Hi Mom! You're taking a picture! Can I be in it? Wait, can I take up the WHOLE frame? Perhaps I could hold the camera!
Carolyn asked for the "ball" on the table yesterday. She wasn't so keen on the the taste of raw tomato! Reminds me of a picture my mom took of me about this age having my first bite into a tomato- but this was long before the digital age (you know, just after electricity and running water), so I can't post it. :)



Today we went to Lansing to meet up with Grammy and Papa, who were actually going to drive out 2 1/2 hours each way just to see us... we decided meeting halfway would be more practical! And we had a great time!
Carolyn got a glimpse of Papa and immediately started saying "papa, papa!" She calls her other Grandpa "papa" also, but she'll differentiate someday. :) Grammy was also pleased that Carolyn clearly referred to her as "Ammy." :)
We had lunch at Potbelly's, a favorite of our family- we are so sad that there isn't one where we live!
Since this was to be a day "about" Carolyn, we didn't linger long over lunch, but made straight for a park where Carolyn climbed and swung (feels like it should be "swang" or "swinged") to her heart's content- well at least until she got too tired and fussy to continue without a nap. :)
My good friend Lisa lives in Lansing and we made a pit stop at her house for Carolyn to grab a nap (in the upcoming Baby Meny's Pack n Play while Lisa and I got all caught up. She's one of those great friends that you can pick right up with no matter how long it's been since you've seen each other. We have fond memories of our first day as pharmacists together- we'd both just passed our boards and were working at the same store at the same time and we were both trying to be so scrupulously careful that together we could check prescriptions about as fast as either of us can do it now alone. :) I was so glad she was there to get me over those first day jitters and we got to be good friends as she did a special residency program out of our store and I got bigger and bigger with Baby Carolyn. And now she's going to be a mommy any day! It was great to see her. :)
After all the fun and dirt and grime of the day (plus spaghetti dinner), Carolyn needed a bath! We've finally given in and allowed Carolyn to start standing up in the bathtub. She's such a steadier stander now and there just seemed to be no preventing it. She seems to just revel in bathtime now- up, down, up, down. She loves it! Tonight she was playing peekaboo with me behind the shower curtain. :)

It was a great weekend, and maybe my favorite thing that has come out of it is THIS- my NEW living room! My sister Michelle came up from Chicago yesterday and I knew I'd have fun seeing her, but I had no idea that I'd get a living room rearrangement out of the deal! We had to move the couch because it was up next to the railing of the stairwell and a safety hazard for climbing toddlers... but I never expected it to turn out this nice. I love how open the room feels now and also how much easier it is to watch tv. :)
Well, for it being a really rather ordinary weekend, this sure did turn out to be a long post! :) Oh well, it's my blog... and I'll post what I want! :)