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





Take Me Downtown

We have lived in Orlando for the past 6 months, 3 of them I was pregnant - but I am proud to say I have now been out in Downtown Orlando experiencing the city, sort of, kind of.

We are lucky enough to have people in the area that we love & trust to watch baby Caroline. It has allowed us to get out twice for a few hours and let loose. Being out on the town is a rare thing for us seeing as how we're new parents. (Mommy & Daddy deserve a little alone time every now & then).

We have made a few friends through Joseph's job, and lucky for me, they have girlfriends! Woo!

Our first night out, we went to a bar in Downtown Orlando called the Underground Public House. Bomb Dot Com food. I'm such an adult now, I go out for appetizers not just drinks. We watched the Final Four over food & drinks. It was nice mingling with other full-sized humans. Although, guilty as charged, I had to check in on my mini after an hour :) #momlife

The 2nd night was one for the books 1st NBA Game for this chick. We went to a Magic v Wizards game. It was nothing short of exciting. We met Bo Outlaw. (For those of you who aren't aware of who that is, don't feel bad, I didn't either. I quickly educated myself though. He played for the Los Angeles Clippers, the Phoenix Suns, the Memphis Grizzlies and of course, the Orlando Magic.) Kind of a big deal - super cool guy.

We had a lot of fun sitting VIP - the staff make you feel so important. That's right 1st NBA game & VIP at that. Hash tag ballin' ...... (excuse me while I chuckle to myself). I was excited though. We met some awesome people, ate and drank at the awesome VIP lounge and saw a great game. Now, the magic lost but I was more there for the experience anyway.

Now that I've been out and met some people, escaped my homebody life...maybe this city isn't so bad after all.

I wonder what else it has in store for us.

But It's NOT November

Even though it's not November I still would like to recognize something I am so very thankful for. (Because it's OK to be thankful for things & talk about it in months that don't represent thankfulness).They're something that no price can be put on. Although I'm going to try, no amount of words could fully express just how thankful I am for these two things:

Family & Friends

 

Now, the list of why I am thankful for them could go on for forever, so I'm going to speak specifically in terms of Caroline. Yes, sweet baby Caroline.

 

She is extremely lucky to be surrounded by such wonderful people. We are such a blessed family to be able to share her growing up with y'all (I would be proper and put 'you all' but when I get proper, my husband makes fun of me.. so we will skip that for now.)

 

In her two months of life she has already experienced such love and great generosity, she has already been told stories and sang to, she has been rocked to sleep by some of you, and carried around exploring by others. She has been included in conversations and cooed over for hours. Some of you have refused to give her back to her parents and gone about changing and feeding her all by yourselves (I won't complain, I'll sit back watching & smiling at you).

 

I think it is safe to say that she is a very loved baby. Joseph and I couldn't have hoped for a better support system. We cannot believe how much help y'all (you all) have been to us in terms of setting up for Caroline, volunteering to watch her, wanting to babysit her, giving us advice and showing her as much affection as she deserves.

 

I'm so happy to have all of you around as our little girl grows up.

In just a few short months she has met a great deal of people (and with my craziness for the camera she has a picture with all of you #sorryimnotsorry). I couldn't possibly post every single person she has taken a picture with, so if you aren't shown & you've met Caroline, please know we love you too.

 

While I'm spreading my thankfulness around, I would especially like to thank our parents. You have not only been there for Joseph & I since day one, but you have been there for Caroline since day one as well (not figuratively speaking, I'm talking about since Birth, people).

 

Mom (K & C) & Dad (B & J) you stayed up with her in the hospital and allowed Joseph & I to get that little bit of rest we needed. Mom K, you stayed with us for 2 weeks allowing us to get our balance. Mom C & Dad J, you helped me complete Caroline's beautiful nursery. Dad B & Jimmie, you drove all the way to Georgia to take care of Caroline and made us feel so comfortable knowing our baby girl was in good hands. Mom K, you helped me baby step my way into feeling OK about leaving Caroline for a few hours. Mom C, you stay up with Caroline every time we come to your house allowing Joseph and I to get solid rest.  

 

The list could go on & on..

You all know what you've done, and we could never forget it.

 

Please know how thankful we are for every little & big thing you all do for us. I think I say this in a lot of my blog posts but we really are so blessed to be surrounded by you great people.  

 



A Week Vacation

This last week of March = Much needed Vacation!

 

Our little family took a week long vacation from our Central Florida living.

 

We made a little road trip to a few different places during our vacation and had a blast at all stops!

 

We packed up and left Monday night for our first stop:

 

Niceville, FL

We stayed 1 day & 2 nights in good ole Niceville. We spent the afternoon out at Dockside Oyster Bar for a family lunch. Aunt Kayla joined us with her two beautiful babes.

That night we went down to Harborwalk Village to the new Margaritaville and to Crab Island Cantina.

 

It was a short stay but it was so good to see and spend time with my mom & dad. I could never have enough time with them. And I'm so glad that little Caroline was able to spend a little time with her Nonnie and Opa.

 

Ace got to spend the remainder of his vacation in Niceville with his Nonnie. He loves Nonnie's house. Lots of good food, back scratches and so much exercise to fill his days.

Next stop?

 

Brewton, AL

 

We stayed 1 1/2 days & 1 night in sweet little Brewton. We spent the first afternoon seeing her Grandparent's and her Great Gdaddy, then the boys went off for a day of golf & this momma and the babe got to take a much needed nap!

After a good home cooked meal, I was introduced to the nightlife of Brewton while Baby C spent time with her Sassy.

The next morning was spent shopping and preparing for the next leg of the trip.

 

The next leg, you say?

 

Canton, GA

 

We were Georgia bound for The Best Friend's wedding!

We made a pit stop along the way to see our family in Sharpsburg, GA. We just had to :) They had to meet Caroline and it was the perfect opportunity!

After getting into Canton, let the wedding festivities begin! For us anyway! We went to the Bride & Grooms house (or as my sister-in-law says, the B & the G). We spent the night, catching up with good people, making new memories. There was a fire, Lannomade & a lot of laughs.

Friday was the rehearsal day & Saturday was the wedding. We experienced the painted pig and sidelines and we ate so much good food both nights. The wedding was beautiful and the couple couldn't have been anymore perfect for each other. It was a beautiful occasion.

Caroline stayed with her Opa & Jimmie the whole weekend. They were so sweet to come all the way up to Georgia to watch the little girl while we did wedding festivities. They stayed right down the hall from us at the same hotel so we could come see her whenever we wanted. Which was a lot, including odd hours of the night. #sorryimnotsorry #lovemybaby

Blessed beyond words to have such great people in our life. Caroline had a wonderful weekend, being loved on all around. She was a happy baby.

Sunday after brunch at Brad & Maria's, we set out for out 12 hour road trip home. 12 hours? But it's only 6 from Atlanta to Orlando. Yeah, we know. But, we love our dog. So we drove 6 hours, stopped in Niceville to pick Ace up from his Nonnie's house then continued the 6 hours from there to Orlando.

It was a long day, but hey, Family bonding time.

 

We had all day Monday to recover from our trip. Joseph had the day off which was wonderful. I don't now if he would have been able to make it through the work day. We were all pretty tired.

 

Now we're getting back in the swing of things. Slowly, but surely. So....... I'm ready for the next vacation already :)