Mini Road Trip - Brevard Zoo

Joseph & I have a certain love for the zoo. We've been going to different zoos in different cities since we first started dating- it's kind of a thing.

 We now have a new member of the fam that we can interest in going to the zoo too! #heckyes

Saturday morning, she woke up, was happy & chatty and ready to go!

We road tripped it this last weekend over to Brevard County on the coast to the Brevard Zoo. The occasion? Caroline's 1st zoo adventure :)

Granted- she is only 4 months old, so there is only so much that she can appreciate. But, she surprised us with how much interest she showed.

Sunscreen, a portable misting fan, sunglasses and a hat- our girl was prepared. And thank goodness for that because it was a hot one. We went in the morning so we didn't get the heat too bad.. (ha, too bad).. it's Central Florida, it was still pretty hot. Didn't stop us though.

The macaws and the giraffes are what we think to be her favorites. It could have had something to do with their colors, shapes and patterns... just a hunch. With both of the animals she couldn't take her eyes off of them. I really enjoyed watching her face as she was looking at them #mommoment

She wanted to be carried the whole time so she wouldn't miss anything, but if she was in her stroller she was staring at the bright green trees as they would pass by.

It was a good time and a great memory. & she even got a souvenir- her very own meerkat.

 

Caroline's first zoo trip = success.

(PS. can I please make note of that last picture ^^above^^.... Joseph's twin, am I right?!)

Sun Princess

A trip to the Florida Panhandle during the summer months wouldn't be complete without a little water fun. Caroline had her 1st water & boat experience. She was made for it.

We had a morning full of fun in the sun (don't freak out, there was lots of shade involved for our little fair skinned, baby soft & sensitive girl).

Lathered up in baby sunscreen, face & body, her UV ray protective swim suit & her sun hat this little princess with ready & set for her first day in the water.

 Looking extra adorable in her infant life vest, she was immediately put to sleep by the vibrations & rocking of the boat.  I think she really enjoyed the breeze through her lite hair as we cruised around the bay and the bayous. She just laid there, basking in the sun (completely covered by the shade from her hat and the Bimini top on the boat).
When she was ready to wake up, she was lathered up again with sunscreen (for the sake of sounding repetitive, let me just go ahead and tell you this girl was smothered and covered with sunscreen.. no way our baby was getting burnt!) We then made our first attempt at making Caroline a water child.

Dipping her toes in the water didn't turn out as well as we had hoped. I think she was shocked. It was much cooler than her bath water usually is, obviously. After a little shriek and then calming down, we decided that dipping wasn't the best way to go about it. Mommy & Daddy then proceeded to sit down on the shore with the little babe on our lap and show what fun it was to play in the water. Kicking her feet in the waves and looking around at the scenery, she got used to it. Thank goodness. She started to enjoy it I think :)

What Caroline didn't like, was a wave that splashed up and hit her in the face. I think we all can relate. That was the end of that. 

We posted her up under a big beach umbrella on a towel for some down time. And then, another nap was taken. She was precious & SO easy.

She was smiley the whole time, playing with her Nonnie and Opa and taking in the new experience. She's definitely a boat baby- no better way to nap!

Needless to say, we will have a lot more boating and water fun in our future together. This Florida mom is so glad she liked it!

After a long morning on the water, it was only right that I get out of the shower to find this.....

& I smile.
I love my family.

Another Month Of Growth

Caroline Ann is now Four Months Old. 

She's growing like a weed. She is on the verge of being double in size since she was born.

 

We decided to have her 4 month check up when we got back from a vacation so she wouldn't be miserable on our drive. (another round of shots makes for a pitiful baby)

• Caroline is now in the 42 percentile for her weight. (which at 2 months old, was in the 8 percentile).
• She is in the 50 percentile for her length. (smack dab in the middle)
• Her head? 97 percentile. (we always joked about her having a big head, haha- like her daddy :) it's okay though, she rocks it well- it fits her proportionately.)

She is growing so good. Becoming such a big girl. She is so full of life and personality.

Every day I look at her with such joy & hope. She is a constant reminder to me that miracles do happen and that God is so good. He listens and watches. He makes you wait patiently for the right timing and then he blesses you with such wonderful gifts, i.e. Caroline.

Fun Facts About Caroline:

• she weighs 13 pounds & 14 ounces
• 24 1/2 inches long
• her eyes are changing colors now- Blue, Gray & Green. beautiful.
• she loves her bouncer
• nap time now takes place in her crib in her nursery & she doesn't mind it
• loves taking showers (still enjoys baths, but showers make her laugh)
• slowly figuring out how to laugh, its hilarious
• has discovered her voice & will carry on a conversation with you
• she is enjoying toys now, and holding them
• she smiles all the time
• loves being sang to, any song & by any tone deaf person
• really enjoys car rides & looking out the window
• still such a daddy's girl- he lights up her world
• silences when her prayer doll prays with her at night
• loves slamming her feet on whatever surface she is laying on

I find it amazing just how much has changed in the past few months, even just from last month. The little changes and growing progress that she makes every day is so cool to watch (could just be that I'm so amazed because I'm her mom).

We are starting solids this week. Rice cereal here we come. Apparently we should have started it already. Our little girl loves to eat and is probably on the verge of overeating each day. I'm actually really excited to start solids. After we get past the week of rice cereal, I get to be Caroline's chef & we will figure out which veggies and which fruit she enjoys the most!

I'm looking forward to the fun, frustrating, mess that I have ahead of me :)





Pardon me for Slackin'

Ok, so I haven't been very good at posting lately.

 I don't think I can blame it on being busy either. Don't get me wrong, I've been doing a lot -being in and out of the house-, but in my down time, I've really grown on the idea of doing nothing. Would this be an appropriate place to hash tag: sorry I'm not sorry? Yeah, but I won't.

I think every mom reserves the right to do absolutely nothing every now and again. I'm not being lazy. It's called: I've gotten everything I planned on getting done for that day out of the way already. I've completed my daily tasks. Do more? No. That's for tomorrow. Caroline is ready to relax? Ok. So what do I do? I lay Caroline on my chest, we lay on the couch & we watch Netflix. Current show, Desperate Housewives.

So let me catch you up..

Besides my daily chores, I've been working on revamping our house décor. Adding some color in some places, some twine in others, adding chalkboards and picture collages as well as new items to the table tops AND I'm currently saving up for new furniture purchases. #woohoo

Joseph and I have also been working on our yard. Spring is so beautiful, we wanted our yard to show it off. We are growing new grass in some spots, a flower bed in the front and in the back, we planted seeds in some pots for the porch, we have hanging flowers and wind chimes, as well as a hummingbird feeder and a regular bird feeder. My garden flag has been ordered and I'm anxiously awaiting its arrival. Joseph is going to love it ;)

Did I mention I turned 24? Gosh I feel like I'm getting old. Not really, but I'm having trouble comprehending that I am 24 now. Next year I'll be 25, which is rounded up to 30. Oh gosh. It was a mild birthday. I spent the day with my wonderful daughter and then when Joseph got off work, the 3 of us went out to dinner. I did drink almost a whole bottle of Pinot Noir by myself though... cheers to that!

Besides that, these last couple weeks we have spent a couple weekends at Lake Martin. Thank goodness Caroline likes (doesn't mind) traveling.

The first weekend we went up to Alabama was for Easter. Caroline's first Easter! We hadn't seen the Turner family since March so it was nice to spend this special weekend with them. It was a rather relaxed one, we all really enjoyed it. We spent Easter Sunday at Church of the Pines. It was a beautiful day to remember and celebrate our Lord and Savior.

 

The next weekend we went up was for a very eventful weekend. We saw my sister-in-law graduate with her Masters Degree from Auburn, we went cruising around on the boat - the dogs got to play on Jake island and we went to Talladega! I got to practice up on my Corn Hole game, which is not nearly as good as it was "back in the day."

Talk about a fun weekend... from one thing to another. Some much needed rest was caught up on after all that.

Now we get a relaxing two weeks before we are off on another adventure. This time to Niceville for Memorial day weekend with the Robb family.

Real talk... I think we have a trip planned every 2 weeks until the end of August. #ontheroadagain or in some cases, in the air. Caroline takes her 1st flight in June!

Baby C is 3 Months Old, Already!

Where is the time going?

Our little Caroline is Three Months Old!

 Everyday is a delight with this little babe. I'm so lucky to be able to stay home with her and watch her grow. (Thank you, Joseph, for making that possible).

She is so happy, all the time. Rarely does she cry. If she cries there is a reason behind it & she just can't wait anymore so she's letting you know.

You can tell how much she loves her daddy. The way she stares at him is precious. She lights up when she hears is voice and looks around until she finds him. What do I think her favorite time of day is? When Daddy comes home from work and she sees him for the first time. It makes my heart sing to see the bond they have. She is such a daddy's girl.

Fun Facts About Caroline:

• weighs 12 pounds, give or take a few ounces
• 23 1/4 inches long
• aware of what a camera is & will freeze when a camera or a phone is pointed at her
• pushes up on her hands during tummy time
• fits in 3 month clothing now but wears 3-6 month pants
• "talks" constantly
• puts her entire hand in her mouth to soothe herself
• sleeps in extremely awkward positions (crooked neck in her swing or sideways, arched back, in a ball in the corner of her co-sleeper) no matter how many times you fix her she gets right back where she wants to be
• loves her bottle & hates when it's taken away for burping or when she has finished
• pushes up with her legs into a standing position while being held
• turns her head from side to side to follow things
• can sleep for an entire 6 hour car ride during the day
• will sleep for 8-9 hours at night if we let her (has to be woken up in the morning to eat)
• kicks off all covers.. guaranteed
  
  I cannot believe that in just one months time all of these changes have taken place, physically and developmentally.
  
  
  
  
  
   I'm completely in love. (typical mom line)

PS: Have you looked at her eyes lately? #gorgeous