Six months and change

CJ turned six months old on April 6. Spring has sprung here in Atlanta -- its nearly summer - and the wonderful weather has brightened everyone's mood and energy. We've busted out some adorable summer dresses and her cute little arms and thighs make her extra squeezable!

Caroline weighs 18 pounds now, and is 27 1/2 inches long. That's the 95th percentile for height -- she's a big girl! The doctor commented on her "advanced" sitting skills and suggests that may foreshadow some early crawling. She is increasingly mobile. When placed on her belly, she'll "commando crawl" on her elbows and sorta-knees. She's better at going backwards than forward, which is a source of significant frustration when she puts the toy she's going after even farther out of reach! She will roll from front to back and back to front. And she can spin herself in circles -- when I go into her room in the morning, I never really know which way she'll be facing! (A new favorite seems to be perpendicular in the bed with her feet up on the slats of the crib).

Nonna and Big Pop came to visit for Easter. Given how sick she was on their last visit, I think they were impressed with her development indeed -- the three of them had a great time while we got some free time to work (ok, and play a little too). She was a very good girl for her N & BP, and she showed them around Atlanta -- Botanical Gardens, Carter Center, even the Publix. It was a great weekend of sitting on the deck and talking and playing. The easter bunny brought Caroline socks and bunny ears.

Caroline is a happy little girl who is increasingly able to explore and interact with her world. She's found her voice and will babble like crazy -- but more often, she yells -- loudly. She's got a lot to say. She's quick to laugh and smile and equally quick to voice her displeasure. She changes visibly every day -- physically, emotionally, and certainly cognitively. Her new ability to sit up has opened up a whole new world for her -- because she can sit in a high chair, she can now see better what's going on at the Waffle House on breakfast Thursdays or out to dinner Monday nights. She can sit up to play, so she and I can face each other to interact over toys. She can join us at the breakfast and dinner tables. And she has BOTH hands free to grab whatever catches her eye -- napkins, food, computers, drinks, glasses, jewelry. She is my curious little girl.

Next update coming soon on our trip to DC!

5 months old

Time is flying here in Caroline's world! She turned five months old on March 6th and she's growing like a weed -- both physically and cognitively. My favorite time of the day with CJ is bathtime. She loves to look at herself in the mirror and play in the water. She's taking a bath in the big tub now, and can sit up to play with her toys. Then she gets a big lotion rub down and its time for bed.


She's also playing like crazy. Her skills at grasping and reaching keep improving and she tries to grab everything within arms-length (and sometimes farther) -- toys, certainly, but also my dinner, the newspaper, hair, jewelry, blankets, clothes -- you name it. We spend a lot of time naming all the things she puts in her mouth and describing their textures.

Caroline's personality sharpens everyday. She's a strong willed little girl. She likes what she likes, and she lets us know it right away if its pleasing to her. The utter joy she demonstrates with her whole body when we show her her bottle or Madge the Ladybug toy is completely adorable. Likewise, she is darn clear about what she DOESN'T like. She doesn't transition easily, but can be a good sport in a new situation, once she gets used to it. She always wants to be right in the thick of things -- sitting in her chair or buggy watching the action isn't good enough, either -- she wants to be held so she's at people height to see all the goings on.

She's very expressive. Both sad ...

And happy....

The two most common things Caroline hears are the sounds of kissing in her ear (from ALL members of the family, all the time) and "Patience, Caroline, patience".

She's drinking up to 36oz of milk a day, and in April we'll start cereal. She's no longer swaddled at night (that was a harder habit for mama to break than CJ). She's making all sorts of noises -- lots of yells, but also "bwah bwah bwah" and the untypeable sound of bubbles being blown. Caroline is just amazing. She changes every day, and every day is a treat.

Emerging from the germs

Well THAT was sure an adventure! Most of February was a blur of busy-ness and sickness. I got the swine flu and spread it to Miss Caroline (which stunk), but we all came out OK in the end, and I have new skills in baby temperature taking, vaporizer filling (one handed!), and pediatrician calling. While we were sick, a lot of things happened, though, that we didn't particularly appreciate at the time ... but are important to record for posterity!

CJ turned four months old.... she's 15 lbs now, and long long long -- in the 87th percentile for height!

Nonna and Big Pop braved the Hazmat zone and came to visit ... and we had a great time! They were a huge help and didn't seem to mind that our only excitement was eating pizza on the couch and watching the Olympics.

It snowed right here in Dixie (thank goodness it melted soon thereafter!)

Caroline is refining her skills with reaching and grabbing. She loves to spend time in her exersaucer playing with all the toys. She lifts her bum up to help with diaper changes now, and is giggling more regularly -- especially when I kiss her belly.

Here's to a healthier and warmer March!

Caroline's brush with fame

So the Fonz told Caroline she was a beautiful baby this weekend. How cool is THAT? I think I was more impressed than she was.

Caroline can play!

Here's an assortment of videos for you to see. Caroline has grown by leaps and bounds the past few weeks. Not only is she bigger, she has developed two new skills and preferences that are helping her interact with the world in all new ways! First, she's learned how to reach and grab things -- and of course they go right into her mouth. What she lacks in accuracy and precision, she makes up for in gusto! She also demonstrates a strong preference to sit up. Her head and neck are very strong and she likes to sit in her exer-saucer, bouncy swing (or on someone's lap) and explore the world.

Check out the videos --

100 days

Yesterday marked my 100th day on the planet. Look how far I've come!

This week started "Baby Bootcamp" when I went back to work full time. All told, Caroline dealt very well with her change in feeding (learning how to take a bottle), her change in schedule (longer naps in the morning), and increased activity (she's got a full schedule of fun developmental games!) She was, however, more crabby this week than I've ever seen her -- I guess that's what happens when a baby doesn't get quite enough sleep or enough to eat!

Yesterday was the breakthrough day though -- she mastered the bottle and will take six ounces in a sitting (and keep it all down!). It helped matters significantly, too, that the cold snap finally broke and we were able to get outside and play and play.

A new skill ...

And a hard-won skill to boot!