7, 8, 9,10, and 11... A sweet, sweet gift from heaven!!!

I've let too many things get in the way of my blogging time lately and I've totally neglected blogging about our sweet Caroline.  I know....I know..... I'm awful!!  But here it goes, I'm going to do months 7-11 in this post (which I've been working on for months!), and devote another post or two to her birthday and birthday party.  I promise not to let this happen again!!!! 

7 months

Month seven was a busy month (December) and didn't lend itself to many changes.  She drooled an awful lot, and we knew teeth were on the way.  She couldn't even wear an outfit without it getting drenched in drool!  In our Christmas card picture, her dress is soaking wet with drool!!!!

Caroline thoroughly enjoyed her first Christmas, even though she really didn't know what was going on.  She enjoyed boxes, wrapping paper, and bows.  I enjoyed dressing her in Christmas dresses and outfits.  Cousin Lauren says I had one for everyday in December (I really didn't). 

In the picture below she's dressed in a dress that my Aunt Ginger, who lives in Auburn, made.  She made it about 15 years ago for her granddaughter.  I think it's pretty neat that she let Caroline borrow it to wear at Christmas!  This is just one of the many Christmas dresses/outfits that Caroline wore.

She weighed 16 pounds and 12 ounces and wore size 3 diapers.  She also ate stage 2 baby food and wore 6-9 month clothes.  She loved drinking out of her sippy cup, but still couldn't hold it yet.

8 months

In January, Caroline turned eight months.  On January 22nd, we noticed her first tooth.  It was one of her bottom ones.  About a week later, she got another bottom one.  You can't see them in the picture below. 

Caroline weighed about 17 pounds.  She wore 6-9 month clothes and size 3 diapers.  She still ate stage 2 baby food.  She also started holding her own sippy cup. 

Caroline would also get up on her hands and knees and rock back and forth like she was going to crawl.  But she didn't.....  She would just fall on her belly and lay there and kick her feet. 

She finally started doing the "GI Jane crawl".  I don't have a picture of this, but it was too cute.  She would lie on her belly and pull herself where she wanted to go on her elbows (like they do on the Army commercials).  She was so stinking cute when she did this.

It also snowed during this month of her life.  She didn't get to enjoy it because she was sick (double ear infections and an awful runny nose).  But we took a family picture.  It probably won't snow again until she's 17 years old.....

9 months

This was her picture that I put on our Valentine's card that I sent to family.  You still can't see her teeth, but she got another one (which makes a total of 3).  This one was on the top. 

We also walked into her room one morning before school and saw this........

She had pulled up onto her knees in her crib.  Needless to say, her crib was moved down within the next few days!

She is such a happy baby in the morning.  She wakes up smiling and laughing.  It just makes our day!

At her nine month check up, she weighed 19 pounds and 3 ounces and was 28 3/4 inches long.  She was such a trooper.  She got just one shot, but did not cry a single tear!  I couldn't believe it.

She started eating stage 3 baby food.  Continues to love juice in her sippy cup and doesn't love her paci that much.  She would rather suck on her finger.  You can tell when she's getting sleepy--her finger goes straight to her mouth.

She wore 9 month clothes and started wearing size 4 diapers.  They were big on her but it was so much easier just buying one size of diapers for daycare (yes, she and Connor wore the same size). 

She also started crawling.  One night we went to sleep and she was doing the GI Jane crawl and the next day she was "really" crawling.  She followed brother everywhere! 

She also could go from a crawling position

to a sitting position.

She even enjoyed her first wagon ride.  She really enjoyed it, and Connor loved her riding with him, too!

10 months

 At ten months, Caroline weighed about 20 pounds.  She wore 9 month clothes and some 12 month clothes.  She wore a size 4 diaper. 

 

She also decided that she didn't like baby food anymore.  We started feeding her table food.  She tried mashed potatoes and gravy, french fries, green beans, peas, creamed corn, grits, and bread.  (within reason, she pretty much tried whatever we ate.  This girl loves to eat!!!!)

She also started pulling up to a standing position and cruising the furniture.

Caroline said her first word at 10 months.  Like most children, she said "dada" first.  I tried my best to teach her how to say momma, but little did I know, her daddy was trying just as hard, too!  He won!

She attended her first Rattlesnake Rodeo (wearing an outfit that I made for her!).  She absolutely loves music and to dance, so this was right up her alley.  She slept some too!!

 

She also enjoyed getting dressed up at Easter.  She didn't understand why we got together and ate and hunted eggs, but she loved it.  My mom and I made her two Easter outfits.

11 months

Caroline weighed 20 pounds and 11 ounces.  She was wearing mostly 12 month clothes and a few 18 month outfits.  She was still wearing a size 4 diaper and was totally on table food.  She ate whatever we ate and lots of it!  She has a better appetite than her brother!

The week she turned 11 months, Jed went out of town for a week on a business trip.  This was his first time away from his sweet baby girl.  They missed each other a lot...  At this point she was becoming a daddy's girl!

Caroline's vocabulary had really picked up.  She was saying the following words: dada, momma, uh oh, hey, and bye-bye.  She also would wave goodbye.

She also moved into her big girl car seat.  I know it was a month early but she already weighed 20 pounds, and I felt like we were torturing her by putting her in her other car seat!  She absolutely loved it!!!!

Caroline also went to the zoo for the first time.  She enjoyed riding in the double stroller and seeing all the animals.  She really didn't understand too much, but she was very good anyway!

She and Connor were supposed to be in their matching Kelly's Kids outfits, but she pooped on her outfit in the car on the ride up.  So she ruined that!  Luckily I had packed both of them an extra outfit.

Out of the stroller and looking at an exhibit....

Smiling pretty on the train ride....

Sweet baby girl....We love you so very much!  You are growing so much everyday, and we are so thankful that God allows us to watch you grow and mature!!!!  You never seize to amaze us!