It's already been 8 months?

I'm late...I know. Caroline turned 8 months old on the 23rd of September. What's my deal? I have been incredibly busy & Caroline was in no condition to do our monthly photo session. 

Our little was sick. Running a fever, breaking out in a rash and not eating. Poor thing, she was so pitiful. Her doctor is still undecided as to what it was that brought this on- maybe a UTI, maybe a viral infection. But, thankfully she is doing much better now. 

HOWEVER, what didn't go back to normal? Sleeping in her own bed. Hubby and I had a deal that Caroline wouldn't be sleeping in the bed with us until she was at least a year old (we've done the whole co-sleeping thing & we have gradually..bassinet, pack'n'play, then bed.. moved her out and she was finally in her own bed before she got sick). Naturally we put her in the bed with us while she wasn't feeling well. Well now that she's better.......yeah, she's still in the bed.  We will see how long it lasts.. I love my baby- but I want to be able to toss and turn like i usually do and not wake up freaking out wondering where exactly the baby has moved to. It really freaks me out. 

Any of the who....

we finally got around to taking some pictures now that the little babe is herself again.

Caroline is 8 months old, y'all :) 

It's like she grew over night. I hadn't noticed a big difference in her looks or her growth and then just one day it changed. She looks like a little person! I'm aware that's what she is, but struggle to see the little baby face that was once there. She is growing so quickly and she is maturing so fast. 

I can't believe all the things she does now. She is keeping this momma on her toes. I'm constantly catching her and stopping her from getting into things... yep- she's on the move. And she's fast. 

It's like one day everything just clicked.

 Fun Facts About Caroline:

• weighs19 pounds & 11 ounces
• is 28.25 inches long
• has now been to six different states: Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas  & South Carolina
• is crawling
• can pull up to her knees
• has now been to three weddings
• has 2 little bottom teeth
• likes to bang her hands on everything
• wiggles when music is playing
• still loves the sound of the womb (we have the sound on our phones for when it's tough for her to fall asleep)
• enjoys long baths and loves bubbles
• likes her musical books
• loves watching golf with her daddy
• tries to touch everything when she's in a shopping cart or a high chair
• reaches to be picked up

 

Cleaning out the closet.. literally.

It's no secret that babiess grow. And when they do, they outgrow their precious little baby clothes.

Well, with moving coming up in just a few short months, I'm trying to make things easier on myself by slowly packing the things that we don't need on a daily basis. Where did I start? Caroline's room- because it seemed more fun than any other room.

Probably not the best place though in hindsight , seeing as how it gets my emotions going and the fact that I just want to sit and reminisce about every little outfit & the times my baby wore it. My little is becoming so grown. It was just yesterday she was in her layettes and her little mittens. Now she is wearing her footed pajamas, ruffled rompers and there are no mittens in sight.. or shoes that fit her for that matter.

Getting back on track though.. I'm packing up Caroline's clothes and accessories that no longer fit her.

Mittens, Hats, Socks, Shoes & little baby bows....it's time to go. 
Newborn...Box it.
0-3 Months...Box it.
3-6 Months...Box it.
6-9 Months...You're not too far from being in a box.

And as I fold some of these items to put them into a Rubbermaid I realize that about half of these items of clothing she never even got to wear! It makes me sad to think that they're just going into a box. Some of these things I forgot she even had. Looking at some of this stuff brings back happy little memories of our little baby in the beginning. How tiny she was. How new she was. 

Although I feel like I'm putting so much in boxes, I turn to look at the closet and it's still incredibly full. Goodness, this child has so much clothes. A little fashionista she is.

As I'm straighten up her new, less full, closet it hits me, more concrete than it has been before- that I definitely will be wanting another little girl in the future.

I always wanted 3 babies. 2 boys and a girl. When I was younger I had it all figured out that I was going to have a boy, a girl and then another little boy. 2 boys surrounding our little princess in the middle, her protectors.

Well you know what they say:

If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans. 

I wouldn't change the way things turned out for anything. I love that we have our little girl. She's more than I could've ever asked for. God had a plan, He knew what we needed. Time for a new "plan."

I've more recently decided on wanting 5 children- I love being a mom. My husband assures me that there is no way that we will be having 5 little boys & girls running around. I think it's a great number- we will see if we can't do some negotiating. He likes even numbers, maybe we can agree on 4?  

We'll just take it one day at a time.....or one kid at a time ;)

What I'm trying to get at is that I can't imagine not seeing these little clothes again. And making more memories in them. Whether God decides to bless us with another little girl in the future, or I pass them on to a niece of mine ;) I can't wait to pull them out again!

The Princess Express

Attention! All moms, aunts, grandmothers, people that have friends with babies, and anyone who wants or needs to participate in spoiling a little baby/toddler girl...

I've got a place for you to check out. 

It's called The Princess Express.

Click Above To Check It Out. 

Everyone is always asking where we got the bows from, so let me share this little secret. My mother-in-law told me about this place. She spoils our little Caroline with little things from this website every now and then and they're just so precious that I had to check them out for myself.

They are inexpensive. They are good quality. And if you need to speak with them personally, they're super friendly and helpful. 

Caroline has at least 20 bows from this place, and I just purchased a few more (a girl can never have too many accessories.) 

I'm absolutely in love. As our little grows, I'll definitely be checking back in for more items for her. 

Did I mention they offer Free Shipping? With no $$$$ minimum $$$$.

you're welcome.

I want a re-do

As I scroll back through my blogs, I've noticed something. My original plan for this blog that I had towards the beginning has been lost. I did religiously keep up with Caroline updates and every now and then there would be a post about what has happened recently- but not as much as I wanted to.

I wanted to talk about crafts. recipes. experiences & my advice on the matter. I wanted to talk about tips and tricks that I think are useful. I wanted to vent & ask for advice. I just wanted to touch on all aspects of the things in my life that I thought others might enjoy or could help with.

I guess I got busy.

I'm going to try again though. I honestly don't know what happened..... I'll just say motherhood did.

If you'll have me, I'd like to try again. 

 

Our Baby Has Been Baptized

We had a Baptism for little Caroline this last weekend: Saturday, September 13th.

It was beautiful. We are so proud and feeling more blessed than usual.

It was a small celebration with our immediate family in Brewton. We felt so special to have everyone travel for this occasion.

It was short and sweet. We had it officiated by the same Reverend that was the officiant in Joseph & my wedding - which just made it that much more special.

We had a professional photographer and Caroline had 3 wardrobe changes before it was all over with :) We can't help it.

And it's official, Caroline has 2 wonderful Godparents. We're incredibly grateful to have them help guide her through her spiritual journey.

Such a great weekend with family & friends. We can't wait to see everyone again! 

7 Months Old!

Time doesn't stop, and it certainly hasn't slowed down any! 

It's already that time, Caroline is 7 Months Old!!

I won't bore you with my usual gawking over my sweet little. Although I could go on and on, I won't. She's growing and developing. The changes are impeccable. I look back at her last 6 months and see a tremendous difference. Where did my little baby bean go? I know she's still a baby, but she was itty bitty. Oh, time. Stop Passing So Quickly!

 Fun Facts About Caroline:

• weighs 17 pounds, 8 ounces & is 27.5 inches long
• her 1st word was Mama :) :)
• smiles back at you when you smile at her
• holds her bottle all by herself
• sits up ans splashes in the bath tub
• loves her veggies & fruit
• can push up to her hands and knees
• enjoys picture books
• loves her noisy toys
• has now been to six different states: Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee & Texas 
• she has already been on a plane two different occasions 
•  she has now been to two weddings
• laughs hysterically when she hears monkey sounds
• mimics the monkey sound
• rolls over in her bed when she is ready to get up
• the car puts her to sleep every.single.time.

keeping it short and sweet this time... just like Caroline ;)

(a little blooper photo, oh the time we're having taking these pictures now. she's all over the place with activity. see above for baby taking over monthly sticker) such a cutie, no matter how you put it.

Tennessee

We just got back from Tennessee - I haven't been  there since I was in the single digits of age (I think). Obviously, I didn't remember much from way back when.

It was Caroline's 1st time on a plane! She did extremely well (both ways). I was a proud mommy. She did not cry.. she was actually really curious about what was happening around her. She was looking at everyone and playing with all her toys. I'll say it again and again......she's such a good baby.

We were up there for a wedding. Shout out to the gorgeous new wifey, Brittney. Congratulations to the happy couple!

I had a girls day out at a Spa. Oh. My. Goodness. I think I'm going to need to schedule a massage every 2 weeks now. Heavenly is the only way I can think to describe it. (I've had a professional massage before, but now I feel like I truly appreciate them).
Let me tell you how beautiful it is there You've got the city but then you've got rolling hills. You've got your country, in the middle of no where towns, but then you have busy streets with people walking everywhere. It's a sight to see. Everything was green. It even has a certain smell to it. 

I'm very happy that we were able to spend some time with my dad and Jimmie. Living way down here in Central Florida we don't get to see our family as often as we like. But, it makes the time we do get to see them that much more exciting. I missed my daddy.

We really enjoyed it... the whole trip. We met new people, had good food, good drinks and a real good time. #makingmemories Hopefully we'll get up there again soon!

Happy 1/2 Birthday!

Happy 1/2 Birthday to our Caroline Ann :)

6 whole months. 6 months old! I'm working on wrapping my head around it. I realize that 6 comes after 5 but really? It's already been 6 months? 

Our beautiful girl has made many changes and has grown drastically over the last months.

Watching her grow has been one of the most exciting things to see. To be able to watch her daily changes is such a blessing and then to see all the changes she has made over time just blows my mind. 

She's such a bright girl. Her smile is contagious. And she is so, so smart for being so little. 

Fun Facts About Caroline:

• Weighs 16 pounds & 6 ounces
• Is 26 inches long
• Holds things in her hands and passes them between hands
• Sits up on her own
• Rolls over from back to tummy
• Pushes up on her arms while on her tummy
• Knows how to push the buttons in her books to make sound play
• Has now been to five different states: Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia & Tennessee
• Has been through security at an airport & flown on an airplane 
• Kicks her legs to music
•  Has tried a couple solid foods so far including Sweet Potatoes & Carrots
• Will smile back when you smile at her
• Talks to Mickey during Mickey's Clubhouse
• Wakes up smiling and laughing
• laughs when we sing "Sweet Caroline" to her
• is allergic to squash
• kicks her feet in the bath tub

 Something funny? Joseph and I just crack up every time. When she's laying on her belly, she will kick her legs (like she is jumping) and she will move her arms at the same time.. it looks like she's swimming.  

It won't be too long until she's crawling... we're not in a hurry though. She is going to be into everything. I know it. 

Time

Time is the scariest thing if you ask me. You have to worry about it passing by too quickly sometimes. You have to worry if there is enough of it. Then at times you dread how slow you think it's going to pass. It's not a fair "thing" if you ask me. Time scares me, mostly because of the uncertainty that goes along with it.

The future brings big changes for the Turner family. Changes that will bring growth and security for our family more quickly in the future, but for a short time period we will have a huge adjustment.

Even a short period can seem long when it comes to matters of the heart. It seems that when you're distanced from the ones you love that time has a way of dragging out each day until you're together again. This is what I'm dreading.

I don't want anything to be missed. Birthdays. Milestones. The little moments that mean so much. That's what makes me sad.

On the other hand, I'm excited. Because of the big changes that will take place because we make this sacrifice for a short period. Because of our family. And because of the opportunities.

If there is one thing I know for certain, the time we do I have, we will make the most of. Together.

Just things that are on my mind lately...

5 Months Old

Our little girl is Five Months Old now.

I think I've said it on every monthly post and I'll probably continue to say it on every one after this- time really does fly.

She's growing so quickly. She's so, so smart already. I'm loving every second of watching her grow. It's simply amazing to watch her figure out something new. You can just look at her and see the wheels in her head turning.

I feel like from 4 to 5 months has been one of the biggest growth jumps yet. She's changed so much since she was born, duh, but I (and everyone who is around her for that matter) can really see the changes.

I'd also like to mention that these pictures are becoming harder and harder to take. We only have the one picture in her "5 Months" onsie due to the fact we had a little drool mishap. AND she's a little wiggle worm- all over the place... tapping her legs up and down, putting her feet in her mouth, rolling side to side... it's eventful :)

Fun Facts About Caroline:

• she weighs roughly 16 pounds
• 25 inches long
• loves cuddling with her lovey. both the doggie & the lamb
• grabs her toys & reaches for them
• everything she grabs goes into her mouth
• eats rice cereal
• interested in the TV
• loves Baby Einstein videos & Mickey's Clubhouse
• laughs and smiles all the time
• enjoys playing with her feet and putting them in her mouth
• wakes up from naps extremely happy
• giggles and daddy when he sneezes
• focuses on what she is interested in
• in a new environment she looks around to examine everything

So blessed to be this beautiful little girl's mother. Words could never express how much I love her.