Officially a big sister!

Congrats, Caroline... you are officially a big sister! Your little sister, Reese Elizabeth, was born at 9:07am on December 12th. You spent four days with Grammie Arlene while we were in the hospital with Reese -- which made you grow even more attached to her than you already were. <3 But your daddy and I missed you like crazy. Thankfully, Grammie brought you to the hospital a lot -- but it just wasn't the same. I missed being the one who dressed you in the morning, gave you baths & received your nighttime cuddles. As my first baby you'll always be incredibly special to me, Caroline -- it was hard for me to be away from you, even for those few short days.

Despite the fact that you were always loving Reese in my belly (giving her kisses, hugs, patting my belly and saying "Hi Reese!"), you were very reserved with her in the beginning. But since then you have warmed up to her & have definitely taken on the big sister role! First of all, you rarely call her by name.. you say "that baby" - which cracks everyone up! You say things like...

"That baby cryin'!"
"Aww, that baby cuuuuute!"
"Mama, that baby hungry!"

It's so precious, no matter what you're doing, if Reese starts fussing you'll run to her side & see what's wrong. You love giving her a pacifier & occasionally getting to feed her a bottle.

Here are some pictures of you & your new baby sister. I really hope that you guys will be close growing up -- especially since you'll be so close in age. Reese is going to look up to you so much in life & learn a lot from you. I can tell you already see yourself as her protector & that makes us so happy. You're going to be an amazing big sister, Caroline!

Halloween 2012

 

You got your first real taste of Halloween this year, Caroline! Your daddy and I took you trick-or-treating and you had an absolute blast! You held onto your candy bucket tight as we went from house to house, saying "more candy! Want more candy!" along the way. Your costume was a big hit -- everyone thought you looked so adorable. Tonight you sampled Reese's, Hershey's, Skittles, Tootsie Rolls (didn't care for that) & a Crunch bar. Even though we couldn't get you to say "trick or treat," you did say "thank you" as we were leaving most houses. You also helped me bake "Halloween cake" (aka Halloween Funfetti cupcakes) this afternoon while daddy was at work. I'm already excited for next year when we can take you and your sister around the neighborhood trick-or-treating.

Here are a few pictures... :)

 

 

2nd Birthday Party!

I wanted to make a separate post about your Mickey Mouse birthday extravaganza! About twenty people came to help us celebrate your 2nd birthday & we had so much fun! This was the first birthday party (hopefully of many!) that we were able to have at our new house -- something I've really been looking forward to. We filled the house with balloons & decorations -- complete with a 5 foot tall Mickey Mouse balloon that you absolutely loved! You got so many great gifts and everyone had fun watching you tear into the wrapping paper.

Here are some pictures from your special day! Happy 2nd birthday, munchkin! :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Caroline, you are two years old!

Caroline, you are officially in your "terrible twos" -- which have been absolutely wonderful so far! Sure, you're starting to test our patience a little more. You love to sit down in the middle of the road when we're crossing a street and you scream bloody murder when I give you a bath -- but that's all balanced out by wonderful moments. This blog post will touch on just a few of them.. I'd be blogging for days on end if I wrote about everything cute/smart/amazing you do! :)

You are absolutely in love with the moon. It's a strange obsession & I'm not exactly sure how it began, but when you spot the moon in the sky you grin from ear-to-ear. If I'm having trouble getting you dressed (you are so stubborn sometimes! "No pants, mama! No pants!"), I'll ask if you want to go outside and look for the moon. You immediately light up and want to get dressed as quickly as possible -- it's adorable. We need to get you the book "Papa, Please Get The Moon For Me" -- it was a favorite of mine when I was little & I have a feeling you'd love it, too.

Speaking of favorites, you are currently in love with a TV show on Nickelodeon called Bubble Guppies. You get so excited when you hear the theme song come on and yell out "GUPPIES!" in delight. You also currently enjoy Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Doc McStuffins & Little Einsteins.

I love the stage you are at verbally right now -- you are putting together phrases and short sentences all the time. One of your favorite things to say is "Mama/Dada/whoever you're talking to, you're awesome!" The other day you told me a piece of Swiss cheese was "broken" as your looked through the holes. Anytime anyone says "ouch!" or the equivalent, you immediately ask them "you okay? You good?" You have a genuine concern for others & that makes me so happy. You are able to tell us what you want clearly now -- saying "I want Mickey Mouse." "I want a cup." You are also super precious when you want to show someone something in another room -- you grab their hand and pull saying "Come on! Come on! Let's go! Come on!" I also love, love, LOVE when you see a picture of yourself or look in the mirror -- you say "Look! Cara-nine (Caroline)!" I'm also EXTREMELY proud of the fact that "please" and "thank you" are constant words in your vocabulary these days.. you are so polite! :)

You are so generous with your hugs and kisses lately, too! If I'm in a bad mood you'll almost always offer me a hug ("want hug, mama?") and at that point it doesn't even matter what was wrong.

You also have a newfound love for taking care of your baby doll, Gabby. She was mine when I was a little girl, so it melts my heart to see you pushing her around in your stroller, covering her up with a "blankie" or wanting to bring her with us when we run errands. On the occasions when you do drop/throw her, you immediately look concerned & say "Oh no! Gabby okay?" Pure precious. I think your big sister skills are starting to develop -- good timing!

In a little over 6 weeks you'll officially be a big sister, Caroline. I hope you have a very special bond with your sister, especially since you'll be so close on age.

Your dad and I will always treasure the two years we had together as a family of three -- you are the single greatest thing that ever happened to me. I had my life "on track" and was then thrown a curve ball when I found out I was pregnant with you with a semester left in grad school. And you know what I learned? Having YOU is what I was meant to do, not all that other stuff I had planned. I've learned more about life from you in these past two years than I did at my whole time in college. Every single day I say to you "Caroline, did you know you're my best friend?" You always smile & reply "You're my buddy!" I hope we are always this close & have a special relationship. <3

Enough sappy stuff... what's on the horizon for you? Wednesday is Halloween and you're going to be Tigger! Our #1 choice for your costume would've been Minnie Mouse, but you are completely unwilling to keep headbands/hats/bows on right now and that was a major part of the outfit. This will be your first year going trick-or-treating and I can't wait! We will also be heading up to Bloomington this weekend for a football game -- hopefully you enjoy it as much as you did last season. And hopefully your 2T cheerleader outfit still fits.. if not we'll be making a stop at the IU Bookstore before the game! ;) I will take lots of pictures this week & do my next blog post soon! This is definitely something I need to work on more. You will also have your two year checkup next Monday -- your pediatrician was out of the office all month -- so I can post your stats from that!

As you'll be able to tell from these pictures, you are a SUPER cute little girl. You continue to get compliments from strangers on a regular basis -- something I never get tired of. ;)

Location:N Green River Rd,Evansville,United States