Caroline, you are 13 months old...

Caroline, you have grown up so much in the last month! The biggest development is that you are walking like a pro now. You took your first real, independent steps on October 20th and then really started cruising a few days later. The look on your face when you're walking is absolutely priceless, you're so proud of yourself - as you should be! Right now you're walking with an adorable waddle that makes everyone smile. Daddy said that we should've gotten you a penguin costume for Halloween.

Speaking of Halloween, you ended up having 2 different costumes -- I told you mommy & daddy were indecisive. We went to "Boo at the Zoo" at Mesker Zoo a couple week before Halloween and you were an adorable little bumble bee! But your wings broke that night - and without the wings the costume really didn't look like a bee anymore - so on Halloween you were a giraffe! Mommy had a dentist appointment that morning and everyone in the office went crazy over you! You are the biggest charmer I've ever seen in my life. Halloween was much more fun for you this year because you actually got some candy! :) Oh and next year will be so much fun -- I'm sure we'll take you trick-or-treating for real then. And you'll actually have an opinion about your costume.. why do I have a feeling you'll be Elmo? :)

Over the past month you have started giving hugs, holding up your index finger when someone asks you how old you are, holding your head when asked where you head is, and waving while saying "bye bye." I may be a little biased, but I think you are an incredibly smart little girl. Destined for big things in your life...

We recently started going to library story time together and you absolutely love it! The session we go to on Wednesday mornings is for 1-2 year olds. There actually isn't a story that's read - they understand you guys don't have the longest attention span yet - but there are lots of fun songs and age appropriate activities. You love playing with kids your own age, especially now that you're walking and can keep up with them! It's definitely something we'll be going to every week. :)

Your current favorite things: your new car seat, "helping" mommy fold laundry, going to Weight Watchers meetings with mommy & daddy (everyone there LOVES you), Cheetos, Abby Cadabby from Sesame Street, root beer (you had a few sips of daddy's last week and the reaction was amazing!), your new Stride to Ride dinosaur, spending time outside, pineapple, Sid the Science Kid on PBS, trips to Fresh Market with mommy, and playing with daddy's belts and hats.

We have a big month coming up! Next week we'll be traveling down to Owensboro, KY to see Sesame Street Live. We bought meet & greet passes so you can hopefully meet your beloved Elmo! We also have front row seats for the show, so the whole gang will literally be right in front of you. Mommy and daddy are really excited about seeing your reaction to everything that night!

Then we have Thanksgiving, which we'll spend in New Harmony with Grandma Arlene. You absolutely love her house because there's so much room for you to walk/explore there! And you are very curious about her two cats, Revco and Lily.

We'll be traveling up to Bloomington on the Saturday after Thanksgiving for the big IU/Purdue football game! I love our trips up to Bloomington with you, Caroline. Mommy and daddy have so many memories there and we really treasure making some with you now. Seeing you decked out in IU gear makes me so proud -- maybe someday we'll be coming up to Bloomington to visit you in school. :)

Should be a fun/exciting month, munchkin! We love you! Here are some recent pictures from the past month:
















































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Caroline, you are 12 months old...

I'm going to try to do these posts once a month -- hopefully with a few random posts in between -- to keep up with Caroline's developments and likes/dislikes. Every month will be different but each will include a set of new pictures of our little munchkin.

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Caroline, you are 12 months old...

You went to the pediatrician and she was so happy with your development! You are 23 lb., 13 oz and 29.5" long. She loves when you come in for your appointments and always goes to show you off to the nurses. You did have to get 2 shots this time... ouch! You were very brave though.

You currently have 2 Halloween costumes for this year and it's still almost 2 weeks away! Mommy and daddy are very indecisive.

You finally have another tooth coming in! You got your first eight teeth very early (around 6-7 months) and haven't gotten any since then. Luckily, you take it like a champ & we haven't had any teething issues with you... *knock on wood*...

You aren't walking yet. The first question I get after I tell someone how old you are is "Is she walking yet?" And to tell you the truth, I'm not rushing it or trying to push you into it. It'll happen when it happens. You can fly across the room in seconds by crawling, so why mess with success?

Your closet is chock full of adorable fall/winter clothes. This is such a fun age for dressing you up! You have your first Northface jacket, your first pair of Uggs, a billion sweaters and snuggly fleece sleepers. I may not be the most stylish mom, but you are most definitely the most stylish baby around!

You love: playing with/eating Avon brochures, tomato soup, Reese's Cups (this may be your very favorite thing in the world), riding in shopping carts and smiling at strangers, going to IU football games (you clapped for the first time at one!), Elmo, ice water, Goldfish, bath time as long as you have some toys, going for walks at the zoo, sauerkraut (we were shocked, must be those German roots shining through), frozen waffles, playing with Mommy's iPhone (thank god for Otterboxes), and getting your teeth brushed.

Here are some recent pictures -- someone new tells me how beautiful you are everyday. I always have to agree. :)

A party fit for a monkey!

We celebrated Caroline's first birthday with family and friends on October 2nd and everyone had a great time! It was monkey-themed -- we call Caroline our little monkey because she's always climbing on everything and getting into stuff!



















I ordered a monkey birthday t-shirt for her on Etsy, a website that gets WAY too much of my money! It turned out perfectly and helped with the party theme. We also bought a small inflatable pool (hooray for summer clearance sections!) and made it a ball pit for all the kiddos that attended. It was definitely a hit!






We served assorted sandwiches, Ramen noodle Cole slaw, chips, pumpkin fluff dip with vanilla wafers, a veggie tray -- and most importantly, a banana-flavored monkey cake from our favorite bakery. They did a great job it and I was so in love with Caroline's smash cake! And as you'll be able to tell from the pictures, so was she..... :)














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Location:N Kentucky Ave,Evansville,United States

11 month update!

Eleven months old? Seriously? I'm not even going to elaborate on how incredibly weird that sounds to me.



Caroline is all over the place at this age! I can hardly change her diaper without her attempting to be a little escape artist. Her crawling is a LOT faster now. She can zoom across the room in seconds -- especially if she sees something she wants (a favorite toy, string cheese, a bottle).

And speaking of bottles I'm currently attempting to transition her to a sippy cup. The process has been a little frustrating so far. When she was about 7 or 8 months old, I bought some small sippy cups with handles - she doesn't like those. A couple months later I bought some Elmo-themed larger sippy cups - she doesn't like those. Today I bought the Nuk sippy cups with the soft spout, the kind that's more similar to a bottle. I've tried giving it to her and few times today and she screams bloody murder. Not sure what's going on with that, but we're definitely not going to give up! It's time for her to give up her bottles and be a big girl. *sniff sniff*

She only has a few more weeks of formula and then we'll start her on whole milk. She's still eating very well -- eating pretty much any table food she can get get hands on! She's also loving fresh fruit this summer -- watermelon, cantaloupe, apples, bananas. Big fan of fruit!

One thing I am VERY proud of is the fact that Caroline hasn't used a pacifier in approximately a month! Pacis were always a take it or leave it kind of thing for her, so we just phased them out - no big deal. She's so awesome. :)

Birthday party planning is still underway -- invitations have been sent, cake has been ordered, and now I'm working on all the fun details! I know she'll never remember her first birthday, but I definitely want it to be a special day. She is the best thing that ever happened to me & it's the perfect day to celebrate that! :)

Here are some new pictures of my little munchkin.....





























































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