Month thirteen in Caroline’s life was one marked by fun and flexibility.
Turning one year old was associated with all sorts of other new rights and responsibilities at school. Now the kids are expected to eat the school’s food for morning and afternoon snacks and lunch unless they have a special exception with a note from the pediatrician. We went for the special exception, and packed her healthy lunch after healthy lunch – which Caroline literally tossed aside. After the teachers begged us to let Caroline eat the school’s food to prevent the lunch time scrums that would result from Caroline bypassing her organic blueberries and veggie burgers to take the other kids’ fish sticks and collard greens, we relented. She’s happy as a clam eating the school food for lunch, bookended by lots of fresh fruits and vegetables at home.
She naps at school on a cot now – no more crib. And of course she gets to face forward in her car seat now – she’s pretty excited to see where she’s going!
Caroline went to the pediatrician the week after her birthday. She is nearly 26 pounds and 32 inches long. That puts her in the 99th percentile on all growth charts. The pediatrician thinks she was at the top of a growth spurt when she was measured, but I swear she’s grown more since. She’s outgrown all her size 18 month clothes too.
Another big event this month was moving! The new house is wonderful – big, warm, comfortable and with a giant backyard perfect for playing. We were amazed with the degree to which Caroline took the move (and the boxes, different room, and new routines) in stride – She fell sound asleep in her crib within five minutes of being laid down on her first night in the new house, and slept like a champ that whole weekend as we unpacked around her. We love being here and her new room is warm and cozy and cheerful. There are spirited games of tag before bed at night – the jack and jill bathroom connecting the kids’ rooms is a perfect race track.
Caroline was of mixed minds on Halloween. She loved watching the other kids and seeing the hub-bub in the neighborhood. Our new street takes Halloween VERY seriously, and we got to meet many of the neighborhood kids at a pre-trick or treat party down the street. She did NOT love her costume, cute though it was. She dressed up as a shark, and kept her costume on for almost 15 minutes – the polarfleece was more suited to a WNY Halloween than an Atlanta one!
I was proud to see how well Caroline handled all the changes in her life this month. She was flexible and responsive and enthusiastic in her own Caroline way. It was a great month.
