Vomit In My Hair

Admittedly, this is not the first time I've had puke in my hair. But it is the first time I've had puke in my hair that is not my own.

As you can see, I was trying to give C-line a ride on my shoulders. Typically, she likes this but tonight, it must've been too wild a ride. I guess she's not yet ready for the "Shockwave" at Kings Dominion.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy 1st Valentine's Day.

We love you, Caroline!

xoxo,

Mommy & Daddy

(and Luci, too)

Tummy, Back, Sitting up... and Teething?

Recently, it seems like playtime is all about changing positions. Caroline is moving and lunging all over the place, never content to stay put in one spot for too long. Here are some pics of playtime from this past week.

What I used to call "torture time," tummy time has now become one of Caroline's favorite activities of the day. She has developed quite a bit of strength, if I may brag a little, and looks like she's about to start crawling. She moves her legs and kicks but can't seem to get them to propel her forward yet. She's figuring it out, slowly but surely, and it's so fun to watch.

She's about to roll over in this shot.

Taking a breather on her back. Being in the push-up position is tiring, Mom!

Look at me, sitting up. Well, almost. For a few seconds at a time. But it's hard to sit up-- or do anything, really--when you constantly need something in your mouth.

Whether it's a few fingers...

a teething ring...

or even a foot...

something is always in this girl's mouth.

I swear, Caroline is going to cut a tooth any day now. Every morning at breakfast, I pry open her mouth, pull back her lips and do a "tooth check." Corey thinks I'm nuts, but I just know she's gonna have some chompers soon!

Solid Food Debut

February 8, 2009-- Caroline eats rice cereal!

At Caroline's 4-month well check, I was advised by nurse Robin to start to introduce solid foods as part of Caroline's daily diet within the next several weeks.

When I got back from the pediatrician's office, I ran upstairs to the attic to search for the spoons and bowls I'd been given so long ago. I remember thinking to myself that I was being silly for registering for all this feeding paraphernalia, thinking that it would be forever before I'd actually get to use it.
Well, forever has officially arrived!

Day 1 on rice cereal went okay. I think Caroline got more on her face and bib than in her mouth, but feedings improved tremendously as the week went by.

After another week or so and I see that she's getting the hang of it, we've got the green light to move on to oatmeal with fruits and veggies. First up, PRUNES!!

Lil' Wahoo Baby

February, 1, 2009--UVA v. Duke, first hairbow

As some of you may know, Corey has applied and been accepted to the Duke Executive MBA Program (congrats Cor!).

Many people, upon hearing this news, ask with utter disdain, "Does that mean you're going to cheer for Duke now??"

Well... maybe... sort of. I mean, it would be nice to actually be a fan of a team who wins every now and then. But I promise we won't be going over to the dark side completely. When Duke plays UVA, we'll always cheer for our beloved, though freakin' terrible, 'Hoos from Cville. Besides, Caroline looks fantastic in orange and already knows a Virginia cheer!

" U "

" V "

" A "

" GO 'HOOS GO! "

My Baby's Got Sauce

January, 2009--First time 'saucin

On a visit with our friends, Julia and Holden, Caroline tried exersaucing for the first time. While Holden is still a bit young to 'sauce, Caroline, being 2 months older, tested it out and loved it. Though her toes could barely touch the bottom and she wobbled a bit back and forth, she loved the new gizmo and was enthralled with all the fun gadgets displayed in close range. I immediately came home, found our exersaucer in the attic and assembled it for play time.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with what an exersaucer is exactly, I describe it as a "baby power seat." The kid sits in this little bucket-seat and they are surrounded by all kinds of crazy things to spark their interest. Pretty cool. This is especially cool for me and Corey because Caroline has started to play the game called "grab toy, drop toy, cry or grunt for toy, Mom and Dad pick up toy and hand back to baby, and Repeat." No toys can be dropped from the exersaucer--gotcha Caroline!

Other Firsts I Forgot to Mention...

December 30, 2008--Caroline's first experience with a babysitter

We have been very lucky that though neither set of grandparents lives locally in Richmond, both have made lots of visits to see their angel. And while in town hanging with C-line, they've given Corey and me the opportunity to go out and maintain some sort of social life. But the charity won't go on forever, we realized, so we began our search for a babysitter.

We decided to go with an agency recommended to us by friends that recently had twins. WeeCare pre-screens all their "childcare technicians" and all are required to have some basic medical knowledge including infant CPR and first aid, in addition to strong references and several years of experience. Especially with C-line's heart issue, we thought it a prudent choice for these months when she's so young. With all the paperwork and interviews complete, we hired Miss Tina to come and care for our baby so we could have a bowling night out with friends.

A word of advice for all of you new parents or parents-to-be who will eventually be ready to leave your precious bundles with a stranger: Make sure whatever you are doing that night involves some sort of activity. Bowling was the perfect choice because I was forced to release the cell phone from my hand at least 10 times during the evening.

I was a nervous mess all night but I couldn't help it. As soon as Miss Tina came in, C-line put on her best "princess pout" and just started crying. It was awful to watch. I melt when she puts on that pout. Her beautiful bottom lip sticks way out and those eyes just scream, "I'm really mad at you, Mommy, how could you?!?" Oh, the guilt!

I tried to stick around for a good half an hour once Tina got there to see if Caroline would calm down and understand that everything was going to be okay, but the crying and pouting would not stop. Corey, thank goodness, grabbed my arm and just said, "We're going." If he hadn't, I don't think I would have left.

We came back about 4 hrs later to hear from Tina that it was a little rough but that Caroline finally stopped crying when she fed her. (Note to self: child will accept food bribes in the future.) Other than that, Tina just held her and rocked her until she fell asleep.

It was a hard thing leaving my sweet baby so upset, but the time had to come sooner or later. Now, I am pleased to report that C-line didn't cry or pout one bit when I left her at the gym's childcare center last week. Nor did she put up any fuss when Miss Jessica came to watch her last Thursday. Hopefully, I won't have to see that pout again until the teen years!

you can kinda see the Princess Pout in this picture with Gramps...

January 9, 2009-- Caroline's first "poop-up-the-back"

When Caroline arrived, many veteran parents took great interest in telling me what I could expect in the world of dirty diapers. Green poop, yellow-seedy poop, poop that smelled sweet, poop that didn't. And as a fan of potty humor, none of this grossed me out. In fact, I asked for more. People love talking about poop, and with a little probing I learned which kid in the neighborhood was known for reaching in their diapers and smearing the poop on the wall, and that when kids are toddlers, they will deny having pooped despite the smell coming from their bottoms and refuse to be changed. While these poop stories were about older kids, I was warned that even though Caroline was just a couple months old, girlfriend was still capable of performing pooping feats of strength, the most common being the ol' classic "poop-up-the-back."

Caroline has managed more than a few stinkers in her short time on this earth but never had I seen a poop up the back. She had pooped up the front, so high that I found poop in her belly button once, but that was about as crazy a diaper dilemma I'd experienced until this January day.

Of course I had Caroline dressed in a new outfit, one given to her by my friend, Laura, that I had been dying for her to wear. Finally, Caroline fit into the adorable striped, knit pants and onesie combo from Talbots kids when she took it upon herself to achieve this pooping milestone. And when I say "pooping-up-the-back," I do not mean just above the rim of the diaper but all the way up to the shoulder blades! It was incredible! It defied gravity! As you can imagine, it took about 30 wipes to clean plus a bath. Wow!

Lucky for you, I didn't take a picture.

I'm Back, Baby!

I haven't logged on and blogged in what feels like ages. Many of my faithful readers have been a little disappointed with me and are always asking when I'm going to quit being lazy and get back on the horse. Well... I believe the time has come.

I won't be blogging in the same way, but I intend to use this blog simply as a journal so that I can remember stuff. That whole concept of "pregnancy brain" stays with you even after baby arrives (that, as well as the need to pee often). And I never got one of those baby books to record all of Caroline's milestones, so I thought I would resurrect the blog and use this in its place.

Caroline is now 4 1/2 months old and so much happens every single day that I just don't want to forget all the little funny things she does and how rapidly she changes. So without further ado....

Here's what Caroline has been up to the past 4 1/2 months:

Three days old and not exactly being the sweetheart her onesie claims she is.

Two weeks old. I loved that she always slept with her little hand to her cheek. Doesn't do that anymore. And man, do I look tired. All of you who told me I looked great are such liars!

Three weeks old. Professional shot by Mel of Worthington Photography.

About 6 weeks old. Now we're starting to have some fun... at least in the fashion department. Thank you Ryan and Jeremy!

Baby's first Halloween. BOO!

This is a couple weeks after Halloween. Caroline is wearing silly cow pjs that were loaned to her from her friend Sydney (check out Laura's blog for more on Syd.)

Mid-November in Duck, NC with friends Claire Kapinos and Brayden VandeSand. Her first trip across state lines!


First headband. Even at 4 1/2 months, sistah still doesn't have enough hair for a bow. But headbands, we love!


After postnatal yoga sporting her funny "I Stroll New York" onesie. Thank you Miss Noa!

Playing with Gramps the day before Thanksgiving.


More Thanksgiving pics


Playing with Gramps on his visit to Richmond.

Caroline letting us know she no longer needs her sleep-positioner.

Wearing ridiculous tights for her first Christmas.


Caroline's first trip to Charlottesville, posing on the steps of the Rotunda with Mimi and Poppi. Will our little girl be a 'hoo???


Pictures from earlier this week!



December 12, 2009-- Caroline rolls over!

We were at the cardiologist for Caroline's check-up and as we were getting her undressed, she rolled over (tummy to back) for the first time! Corey and I were both shocked. We'd been seeing her twist and contort herself for weeks, getting almost over but never quite making it to her back. And then, like it was no biggie, she rolled right over... twice!

January 21, 2009--Caroline laughs... unprompted!

Caroline has been smiling and laughing for some time, yet we always have to do silly things to get her to do it. Today, though, she found something funny, all on her own, and let loose that adorable chuckle that is just music to my ears.

Caroline was sitting in her Bumbo seat in her room while I was cleaning up her toys and getting her room ready for bedtime when Luci the dog entered. Luci is not really allowed in Caroline's room, nor is she allowed to lick or get too close to Caroline-- sorry, but I'm a little neurotic when it comes to contact with the dog. But Luci wormed her way in and right in front of Caroline, proceeded to do her "doggie breakdancing" routine where she wiggles and rolls all over the place, belly up, I think in an effort to scratch her back, but who really knows. Caroline found this absolutely hysterical! Girl could not stop laughing. Even I was in hysterics just watching the whole scene unfold. Hopefully, Luci will have an itchy back again real soon.

January 22, 2009--Being a Mom Rocks!

Caroline, my sweet Caroline! Also known as The Bird, Chicken, Boo, Chicken-boo, Chicky-Booby, Boobs, Buddha, Bubba, Bubba-cakes, C-line. We're probably going to have some issues with this child recognizing her name. She'll likely respond to Buddha before Caroline. Just the beginning of my screwing her up...

At 4 and 1/2 months, I can say without a doubt that I am truly in love with Caroline. I love spending my days just watching Caroline grow and discover the world. Everyday, it seems, Caroline notices something new and reaches that perfect little hand towards it--the phone, the fake plant on our console table, my blue spatula. It's all so cool. Wonder what it will be today??

I love being a mom. In fact, I think I scare Corey a little when I tell him that I want lots of kids. What exactly do you mean by "lots?" he always asks me. "Two, three... MORE than three???"

And I'm pretty surprised. Babies were never my thing. I never wanted to hold someone's baby or made a fuss over a baby. They were just bald blobs that did nothing but made unwanted noise and bad smells. But now that I have a baby of my own, my whole world has changed.

Example...I went to get my nails done today and this woman had her infant with her, who happened to be fussing as soon as I walked in. Mind you, a year ago, I would have been pissed that someone had the nerve to take their crying brat into a place whose sole purpose is for pampering, tranquility, relaxation and beautification. How on earth can I enjoy my mani with all that racket?!

But today, I ignored the little Asian woman who was desperate for me to "pick my color" so she could get on with the long line of customers, and instead went over to the new mom and asked if there was anything I could do. I wasn't in a rush and I wouldn't have minded holding and rocking her little boy if it meant she could actually enjoy her foot massage, I told her. She shook her head and gave me the look I know all too well. The look that says, "Oh, no. He's just a little fussy. It's totally normal. And I have it all together. This is no big deal." Despite the brush off, you could tell she was beginning to get a little embarrassed at the increasingly loud cries. So, I stuck my head in the infant carrier and made goofy faces, danced a little and cooed at him for a few minutes, and he settled right down. When I stood up, she thanked me and I just winked.

HELLO!?! Was that really me?? My mom... now that's something she would have done. Maybe I am just turning into Lois. But no, really, when I stop and think about it, it's something any mom would do. The world is just different now.

Like any new job, it takes a while to get the hang of things, to get into a routine and to feel like you know what you're doing. Same goes for mommyhood. I used to dread the morning feedings, but now I so look forward to being the first person Caroline sees in the morning. Poop doesn't faze me anymore either, and sistah has some blow-outs. Now I find myself cheering when she does a "good poopy!"

So yes, I am severely deranged but I love this child more than I thought I could love anything. It's unexplainable. Just wonderful.

I realized I completely reverted back to the old me. I ignored what I just said about how I was going to use this new phase of my blog, and instead, unleashed my inner-monologue yet again. I'll do my best to keep things rather short and sweet and all about Caroline in the future. But hopefully, you all enjoyed the recap on everything. I look forward to updating you on our next adventure! Ciao for now!