Easter ended up being a beautiful day! We had breakfast with Tom's mom in the morning and then went to his Uncle and Aunts home for dinner. Caroline loved all the attention she got, but was really tired by the end of the day.
Looking around the sofa to see daddy!
I should just rename this "Caroline's Blog"...it's pretty much all about her! I just love her so much, and she is the most exciting thing in my life right now!
Friday, daddy got off work early for the holidays. We went to Hoyt Farms and played on the swings and walked around. She's still too little to do much, but she enjoyed watching the other children run around and play. She is always so happy. She even skipped her nap and STILL was happy.
This afternoon there was finally a little sun after days and days of rain! We took advantage of the opportunity to go outside.
Of course we had to have a little photo shoot.
"MOM! Get me off this stupid bench! I want to stand up and play!!
"Thank you!"
We went inside after about 10 minutes. It's not so exciting when there are no toys outside. Hopefully we can fix that problem soon.
This is ALL Caroline wants to do lately! She screams and straitens her legs if I try to get her to sit. You would think she would get tired after a while...no!
I just have to show you all how cute Caroline is! I was going to wait to put these up till after I sent them to our family...but, I can't wait. Sorry. If you are related to us...sometime in the next couple weeks (hopefully) I will get you a copy or 2. :)
Caroline had her 8 month checkup today. Here are the stats:
Weight: 14 lbs 11 oz (below 5th percentile)
Height: 27 in (25-50 percentile)
Head: 17 in (25-50 percentile)
My 8 month old is only 14 lbs 11 oz!!! Yikes! She lost 7 oz since her 6 month checkup. The dr. says she just needs to eat more food. She said I should start feeding her more things that we eat and just keep feeding her until she refuses to eat anymore. I didn't realize I was starving her...she always seemed satisfied and was never fussy. We go back in 1 month to check her weight. She said cognitively she is very bright...her fine motor skills are great...and her gross motor skills (such as crawling and rolling around) are within range, but will develop more as she gains some weight. So, my goal this month is to fatten her up!
*She is turning into such a big girl. She says Dadda ALL the time. Whenever she is happy she just repeats it over and over and squeals. Whenever she actually sees Daddy she gets very excited and opens her mouth wide with a smile. As for her saying Mamma....she says it ONLY when she is crying because she is hungry, tired, or hurt. I'm glad she knows I am her comforter. It's so cute! *She pulls herself up to stand now. She is VERY stubborn. Sometimes she will go the whole day and actually REFUSE to sit....she only wants to stand. I try to get her to sit and she straitens her legs and arches her back and whines. It's quite funny, but can be annoying because I have to stand behind her in case she decides to let go. She definitely rules are household. I wonder what is going to happen when she can talk back to us. I'm sure lots of sassy things will come out of her mouth. *She has started to sleep better (except for last night). She goes to bed around 7 and wakes up at about 4 or 5 to nurse...then back to sleep till around 7am. I'm hoping now that she is going to be eating more she will make it through the night!
We love her so much! Happy 8 months Caroline!
We made it home....burnt and covered in sand. We had a blast!! Caroline was very well behaved and everyone loved her...she was known as the baby with the flower headbands. She was so happy pretty much the entire time. Best part....the trip was 100% FREE...well, except that Aruba charges you a tax of $12 for infants to leave the country...not a bad trip for $12! I hope Tom does well this next year so we can go again next March! If anyone is looking for a good vacation with kids...Aruba is the place! It's very family friendly.
I'm on a roll with these cheap trips. In May Caroline and I are going to WI to visit my brother and his family...total cost $8 plus tax! So excited!
Here are some pictures from our last 2 days there...
We are all sunburned! Caroline isn't too bad, but she's still a little crisp on her shoulders and arms. It seems you need spf 1000 here in Aruba...and to put it on 10 times a day!! We put sun block (spf 50) on every time we went in the water...but it didn't quite work.
Anyway, we had a lot of fun today. Caroline is amazing. She has been so good. So far I don't at all regret bringing her....except that I don't get to go to the fancy dinner on Saturday night because no children are allowed. Bummer!
At first she wasn't so sure about the ocean...but she warmed up to it when she realized she could splash. She loved to play with her toys in her tent. Such a good girl!
She is so tired from all this ruff vacationing. ;)
A little preview as to what we have been doing so far:
We left at 4 am yesterday...I had a pretty bad cold (feeling better today) and Caroline wouldn't sleep...so I went off 3 hours of sleep. Not fun...I was a little cranky. Caroline was an ANGEL on the airplane. They let us bring the car seat and she just slept except to nurse when we took off and landed.
We took her in the pool. She LOVED it! She was all smiles and would not stop splashing. I can't wait to take her back as soon as she wakes up.
Yesterday was kind of a funky day since I wasn't feeling well and we were tired...but I plan to get LOTS of pictures today.
Caroline and daddy!
The view from our room!
The passports are ready...
In about 12 hours from now we will all be on a plane headed to ARUBA!!!!!!!
If you need to get a hold of us before Monday send us an email or call the Hyatt!
PS: The move went great! It was really rainy that day which really stunk, but other than that it was good! We are already unpacked!
Caroline is 7 months...as of a week ago.
She's getting so big! She likes to "talk" these days. Her favorite is "dadadada" and "babababa" and "Blablabla". She screams! A VERY high pitched scream that actually really hurts my ears. She just loves to hear herself. She can also fake cough. She will do it for real, then she likes the sound, so she just keeps doing it. Very cute. No crawling...I'm thinking she might just skip this milestone (I'm not complaining...makes life easier for me). She can stand up while holding on to something. She is very proud of herself when she does this. I can tell because she gets this cute little look in her eyes. She went to a Gymboree music class for the first time on Saturday. To say she loved it would be an understatement. We had a gift certificate (thanks Lisa) so we signed up for 6 more classes! I can't wait. She had her first cold. I'm not even sure if she actually had it or if I was just paranoid because her nose was running and I was sick. Whatever it was, it only last 2 days for both of us.
Caroline (and us of course) will be moving to a new house this week. We are very excited to have a bigger place and a yard. Caroline LOVES children. So...I am going to attempt to find one or two little rascals to watch in our house since we will have a little more room. I'm excited for her to hopefully have a friend or two to play with every day or maybe just a couple days a week. I know she will love it.
Here are some pictures of her at 7 months. I can't get her to look at the camera so much anymore because the light irritates her.
My brother in-law, Nick, just opened up a steakhouse in Lindenhurst, NY. It is a pretty amazing place right on the water. If you live in NY you should go!
Cattlemens Steakhouse
