Friends

Caroline had a play date today with her friend Isabella (12 mo). We went to IHOP and then to her house to play with toys. They mostly just hand each other toys and then get mad when the other actually takes it...but I enjoy hanging out with Isabellas mom while they play. Caroline is really starting to voice her opinion. She did not want to sit in the high chair at IHOP and she let me know!!! She tried so hard to get out and when I told her "no, you have to stay in the chair", she started kicking and screaming!! Oh well, guess we won't be eating out much anymore. I guess it will save me some money and some weight!

Compassion

Caroline just did the cutest thing--it made me so happy!

She was crawling away from me towards her room...so I pretended to cry. She looked at me and came right back. She gave me a hug and 4 licky kisses!!! This from the girl who will NEVER give me a kiss when I ask for it! Ahhhh...Such a sweet girl. I'm so happy she has developed compassion for others at such a young age...I hope it sticks.

10 Months! (updated)

My little girl is now 10 months! She goes to the dr in a couple weeks, so I don't actually know how much she weighs...I'm guessing about 17 lbs-ish?!

**We went to see Dr. Tara today (6/10) and Caroline is...

Weight: 17lbs 9 oz (10-25 percentile)
Height: 28 inches (25-50 percentile)
Head: 17 1/4 inches (25-50 percentile)

Caroline has changed so much this month! *She is crawling around like crazy, walks around while holding onto something, and stands up on her own. She seems like she is going to walk any day now. *She babbles things like she is talking in sentences. So cute! *She says hi dad...I don't know if she knows what she is saying...but she says it. She says momma, babba, dadda, and shhh...same stuff as usual. *She claps, waves. *She has 8 teeth. She actually had 8 teeth last month, but I forgot to write it. *She enjoys looking at her books and playing with her toys. *She pretty much only eats table foods now. She really doesn't like it when I feed her, unless of course I have something really yummy like ice cream! *She is getting a little more clingy with me...she doesn't like it if I am not 2 ft from her and playing with her. *She likes to go on walks in her stroller with our friends...she has lots of new little friends in the neighborhood that are her age. That's about it!

I recently met a lady from Michigan who was looking for a nanny! She has a little girl named Jolina that is 5 months old. Starting July 1st she is going to be spending 4 days a week with us! I'm excited to have a little friend for Caroline to play with and some extra money. Plus, it's pretty convenient that she doesn't mind me watching her in my home. I wish I had found something like this a long time ago!

Here are some pictures from the last month.


I often find her sitting here looking at her books and clapping :-)





She loves spaghetti and carrots!

Daddy is her best friend!



Caroline and her little cousin Giorgia.

Swimming!

We finally went and bought a hose and filled up the little pool. It was a big hit! She spent over 1/2 an hour just playing in the water with toys. She probably would have played longer if she hadn't been hungry.

I love this picture! You can see all 8 of her cute little teeth!

Playing in the Tub

Caroline really likes to swim...so I let her play in the bathtub every day. Today was actually warm enough to get out the kiddy pool, but then I realized I don't have a hose!

Her hand isn't actually missing...she was just waving at the camera really fast.

Finished!

I finished making the little quilt for Caroline! It's so much fun...I need people to have babies now so I have an excuse to make more! :-)

Thanks Andrew and Sarah

We're back! Thanks for the great trip Andrew and Sarah!

"Walking"

Today I got out the push toys for Caroline. She seems like she wants to walk so I decided to give it a try. She loves them! She hasn't quite figured out how to steer around doors and walls...so she screams until I come help her. Pretty soon she'll be walking...ahh!

Crafting Away

After the kids go to bed at night, my sister in-law Sarah and I have been working on some crafts. Last night I decorated my diaper wipes case (idea from Make it and Love it). Silly if you are a man, but cute if you are a mom wanting to add a little fashion statement to poopy diapers. I want to make the diaper holder too sometime. Here's a picture...



Tonight I cut out pieces of fabric to make Caroline a little quilt (pictures to come).

I love crafting! We went to JoAnns today...I wish I had A LOT of money...I would buy the store! It's probably easier to just buy half the things I make, but it's fun trying to learn new things and making something pretty...."it's a girl thing" as I tell Tom.

I am running out of titles for all my blog posts....

You know me...I like to take pictures of Caroline. She's always doing something cute that makes me want to pull out the camera. The sad thing is, she always stops whatever she is doing when she sees the camera. Oh well...here are a couple random pictures I've taken over the last couple days.

This is what a lot of my baby pictures look like...I didn't usually smile, haha.


Caroline and her cousin, Andie


She really likes to crawl and get to whatever she is not supposed to have :)

Feeding the Ducks

Yesterday we took a stroll to the water so Allen could feed the ducks...really we ended up feeding seagulls because there were no ducks. But, it was fun none the less.

Caroline all bundled up...it's so cold here!


Cousins: Caroline, Andie and Allen


Me and my Sweet Caroline

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mothers Day to all the mothers who are in my life or ever have been in my life!

Mothers Day for the past few years has been a little sad...not so much because I didn't have a baby (I've always felt like a mother since I have been taking care of other people's kids for years....I was blessed with a mothering heart, just as most women are)...more because I didn't have my mom with me anymore. I miss her.

But, this year was awesome! I got to take care of my sick baby all day! I just love her and can't even remember life without her. Even though she's been a bit fussy these past few days (poor baby was puking yesterday and runny nose and slight fever) I couldn't think of anything I would rather be doing then taking care of her.

Plus, today I got a really sweet E-Card from Tom and Caroline. It was the best and most thoughtful gift...I loved it. Yesterday my sister in-law, Sarah, and I got pedicures which was also wonderful...nothing like freshly painted toes and a foot massage!

Thank you Caroline for making me the happiest mother in the world! I'm so happy I am your mother!


Oh, and just for laughs (I stole this from my friend Brittany)
-Whoever said "there's no point crying over spilt milk" obviously never pumped 4 oz of milk from their boob and then spilled the bottle.

This afternoon we went swimming at the YWCA here with the kids. It was fun. Caroline sure loves the water!
She actually took two naps today! Swimming made her so tired that she fell asleep on the way home and I was able to transport her from the car to bed without a peep from her. :-) Now lets hope she sleeps tonight!
Here are a few more pictures for you Tom. The video should be on facebook in a few minutes. I'll tag you!

Hi Daddy!!

Tom wanted a video every day that we are gone...but, sadly, it's not uploading! I will try again late, sorry. Here's a picture though! Hope you have a great day...and just fyi Tom, your child is not sleeping and I need a whole entire day (well, maybe just until 12) off to sleep when I get home. That's what I want for my late Mother's Day preasent :-) Love you and miss you!

Here she is with her cousins Allen and Andie.

My New Life

I know this is pretty much going around on EVERYONE'S blog...but I love Stephanie...I first heard about her on the Today show last year and have been reading her blog ever since. She has such an amazing outlook on life despite the tole this accident has had on her life. She's amazing...I don't think I could ever be that positive in her situation. She has something to teach all of us. This video is a great tribute to her.
Now, back to packing. I just needed a little break. Caroline and I are leaving to Wisconsin for a week tomorrow morning to see my brother and his family. :)

9 Months!

My little cutie is 9 Months old now. I can't believe how big she's getting!

Today we went to see Dr. Tara and Caroline is now:

Weight: 16 lbs 7 oz (5-10 percentile)
Height: 27 1/4 in (25-50 percentile)
Head: 17 in (25 percentile)

She did great gaining weight this past month. I think I discovered the problem...not only was she not eating very much, but I apparently was only making about an oz of milk for her :(. Now she is on formula which I am kinda bummed about. I wanted to nurse her for at least a year...but I didn't have much of a choice. Now she is on that yucky powder expensive stuff and she LOVES it! She gets so excited for her bottle. Not only that, but everything has gotten better since doing that. She sleeps better through the night and is happier during the day...not that she was unhappy before, but she is just happier now.

This month she seems to have grown up so much! *She started to pull herself up on everything. She likes to pull herself up in her bed. This means she doesn't like to sleep! I mean, really, who wants to sleep when they can play? She also pulls herself up and throws her pacifier out of her bed in hopes that I will come get it. I have been going to get it until today...which means she is in her bed screaming right now. Breaks my heart, but I need her to learn to sleep and not to do that. *She started crawling yesterday! She has been trying so hard to do it for a while. I put her on the floor yesterday and she crawled right over to her toy and pulled herself up on it. I was so proud! But, now I am in trouble because I'm sure it's only a matter of time before she discovers all the things she can get into. *She has started to say momma when she is happy instead of when she is sad. Now, when I am the one making her cry (like by getting her dressed) she cries for dadda and when Tom is making her cry she says momma. Smart girl! We're going to be in so much trouble when she is older! *She started waving "hi" and "bye". *She whines A LOT! It was so funny at the Dr today she was getting her temperature taken, head measured, ears checked, etc....the regular stuff, and she just whined and whined and whined until she was done. She kept saying momma and reaching for me. What a ham! I love her. *She is stubborn. When something happens that she doesn't like she fights you! She straitens her legs, throws her arms, and her face turns bright red. She demonstrated this for Dr. Tara today too. She asked if she takes after Tom or I...I think both of us are equally stubborn. *She plays peek-a-boo. *She screams...ALL the time! We decided to make a video so we can show her when she's older. Hopefully it actually uploads this time! *The days of taking her places and her sleeping are gone! If there are people around, she's not going to sleep. She gets really hyper and wiggly when she is tired--just like her mom who talks a lot when she is tired. We went out last week for Toms brothers birthday and she stayed up until 11 PM! The next morning she was up at 6:30 just as usual. She basically sleeps every night 7:30pm-6:30am.

So, that's 9 months! We love you so much Caroline and can't wait to see what you do in your 10th month of life!


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Dinner in Bed

Caroline has discovered that she can stand up in her bed and play and jump. When nap time came this afternoon she refused to sleep. She played in her bed for an hour and a half. This is what happened when I tried to feed her dinner.

Now I am a little worried that I might not sleep tonight since she didn't eat or drink anything. I guess I will try to wake her in a few hours for a bottle...I did transfer her to the crib somewhat successfully. Sweet dreams little girl!

Here and There

Here are some random pics and videos I had on my camera from the past couple weeks.

Caroline playing the piano. She loves to just sit and play (more like bang) on the piano. I didn't get out the camera till the end, so she is getting a little cranky...but you get the idea. I really hope she shares my love for music (I think she already might). She has the most beautiful long piano playing fingers.


Mommy! Take me outside! She likes to go outside and to go on walks.



I was trying to catch her sleeping with her bum up in the air (it's so cute), but she woke up right as I snapped the picture. Maybe next time!

COUSINS:
Christopher is such a sweetie. He always wants to be by Caroline and get stuff for her.
This is about as close as Anthony will get. He's still warming up to us...we'll get there. I got him to ALMOST give me a hug. That's great progress!

I've yet to get Nicholas to take a picture with her. Maybe next time. Sometime we have to get a picture with ALL the Gounaris cousins!

Peek-A-Boo

Today is going to be a long day! Tom is home sick! Poor guy has been throwing up since 1 o'clock this morning. Hope he gets better real soon! He thinks it is food poisoning, so hopefully Caroline and I don't get it.
Caroline has started to play Peek-a-boo! It's so cute! She learned it from the song they sing at her Gymboree class.
The other videos are of Caroline and her cousin Christopher. He is so adorable! Caroline loves to see all her cousins and they are so sweet with her!

My Cutie!


The Gounaris girls...this is Carolines first girl cousin on the Gounaris side.


Peek-A-Boo!

Summer Weather in Spring!

Last week we had some pretty warm days. Wednesday was 90 degrees so I took Caroline to the beach! After Tom got off work he brought a picnic and we ate and then walked on the boardwalk. It was so nice! I love warm weather and can't wait to get my beach pass and go very day this summer!



Eating some vegetables in her tent.

There were a lot of seagulls out that day trying to find food.