May 19, 2010

On this day on year ago, our baby girl was born.  The whole entire day and the night before, I constantly thought back to last year when she was born.........

Jed and I got up early.  Well, I did.  He slept later than me.  We had to be at the hospital at 5:00 to check-in and so the nurses could prepare me for my c-section.  Here's me posing for a final tummy picture before I changed into my gown....

I was nervous but extremely excited and happy to finally be able to meet my baby girl.  I was prepared and taken back for the section.  It took them a few extra minutes to get to her because I had so much scar tissue from Connor's birth.  When Dr. Hults got in there and saw her he started singing the song "Sweet Caroline"....The other guys, nurses, and even Jed sang along.  I can remember the moment I heard her cry for the first time.... Caroline Skipper Blackwell was born at exactly 8:00 am on the dot!   

She weighed 6 pounds and 4 ounces and was 18 1/4 inches long.  She was absolutely beautiful!!!!  Everything I had imagined she would be and more!!!!!

And here she is exactly one year later.........

Can't you tell she was so thrilled to be awake and have the camera shoved in her face?  Here she was a little while later in the "1" shirt I bought for her at Target.  She wore it to daycare and all the kids sang happy birthday to her and called her a big girl. 

 We went out to eat that night before church to celebrate her birthday.  She behaved so well!  She was showered all day with birthday hugs and kisses! 


A few things about her at 12 months.........She is still not walking.  We just knew she would early, but she so just loves to crawl and has absolutely no desire to walk!  She pulls up on everything and will stand up with out holding on, but will just not take a step!  She still wears size 4 diapers and eats TONS of food!  She loves to eat anything that won't eat her first!  At her 12 month check-up, she weighed 22 pounds and 7 ounces.  She was 30 1/2 inches long.  She's our BIG girl!!!!


Her favorite word is hey!  She tells everyone she sees hey, especially during church, which gets her into lots of trouble!  She also loves to drink juice (way too much)!  She loves to give us sugar, too.  She also has started pitching fits.  If she doesn't get her way, she screams! I think we are going to be in for it.....She also fights going to sleep at night. The least little noise wakes her up.  She's spent many nights in the bed with me and her daddy lately.  I wish she would start sleeping in her own bed again, but I know this is only a stage (Connor did the same thing) and it won't last for long.  So, I'm trying to enjoy the late night snuggles!!!!

Sweet, sweet girl, you are so loved by everyone around you!  Your daddy and I can't believe that you are a year old already!  It seems like just yesterday we found out that I was pregnant with you.  We have loved watching you grow.  You are developing your own personality and we just love seeing what each day brings.  You have completed our family.....We are so blessed that God gave us you!!!!!  We love you baby girl!!!!


****Tomorrow's post will detail her birthday party!

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!

Ummm and I love you.....

Last Monday, Connor said something that just thrilled my soul and warmed my heart.  He told me that he loved me for the first time.  I've been telling him that I love him everyday for two years.  He has never said it to me or anyone else until Monday. 

We were on our way home from school and I looked back and said "Connor, I love you!"  Usually he never says anything or turns his head.  I know he does this because I want him to tell me so bad, because usually he has a smirk on his face.  Anyway.... he looks up and says "I love you Mommy". 

It was absolutely the sweetest words I've ever heard.  Now he'll say it back to all of us.  He's even got a little confused.  Today when I told him that I loved him he said "I love me" instead of " I love you".  But that's okay!  I know what he means.

He's been talking our heads off lately.  I usually have to be the translator for everyone else.  I guess because I teach little kids and am familiar to "their" language, but really I think it's because mommy's just have that special touch with their little ones.  Anyway, another one of his favorite things to say is ummm.  When I don't know where he is, I can yell "Connor, where are you?", and he'll yell "Umm in my room".  This past week, any questions we ask him he answers with ummm.

He's our little mess and we love him very much!

Up next on the blog will be a huge post about Caroline.  It's been months since I've posted about her monthly accomplishments, so I've got tons to catch you up on! Until then.....

Snow Much Fun!!!

As most people in the South did, we TOTALLY enjoyed the snow we received in February!  When we woke up about 6:30, we couldn't believe our eyes.....  Jed and I were up first; we were just like children.  We were running around from the front yard to the back yard, taking pictures, and recording on the video camera.  It hadn't done this in 17 years. I was 12 years old the last time it snowed, and Jed was 15.

We let the kids sleep.  Caroline woke up first and then she helped us wake up Connor.  We put her in his bed and they just laughed and laughed at each other.  Can't you tell they love each other? 

You can't tell it in the picture above, but Caroline was sick during the snow.  She had just gone to visit Dr. E. on Thursday; she had double ear infections.  So, she didn't get to go outside very much.  Here's Connor's first reaction to the snow......   

We ate breakfast and enjoyed watching it snow.  It took forever to find warm clothes for everyone.  We're just not use to dressing so warm.  Connor had on four layers.  First, we all went out together for a family picture.  Our sweet neighbor, Hunter, took it for us.  After the picture, Caroline went right back inside.  We left her in her walker, and she stayed at the glass front door watching us play. 

   
Connor stared and stared at the snow.  And yes, he is in purple gloves.  I could not find his other red one!  He likes to play with them; we searched the house and couldn't find it.  So...he wore his sister's.  He cried and cried.  It was that or not play in the snow at all.  His daddy didn't like it either, but we had no choice!  We couldn't not play in the snow because of one missing red glove!

I got busy making a snowman.  And just let me say, making a snowman is SO much harder than it looks.   I told Jed I was going to have to google it and find out the best way.  I didn't.... but I sure did think about it.  I actually made our snowman about three or four different times.  When I would get the head on, Connor would knock it down.  Maycee, our dog, even knocked it down once, too.  Don't laugh, it was quite pitiful!  It wasn't as big as it looks in this picture.  It actually wasn't much taller than Connor, which isn't very tall at all.

Connor loved playing in the snow and being hit by snowballs.  He would just laugh and laugh.  It was so cute!  He and Jed also made snow angels. 

 

  

We finally had to force him to go inside, dry out, thaw out, and get warm.  Boy, he didn't like that part!!!!  He screamed and screamed and cried and cried!

The next time we went out, Caroline was down for a nap.  We recorded some more and took lots more pictures.  It was so beautiful. 

Connor decided that our security sign would make a great snow shovel.  He absolutely loved shoveling the snow and throwing it on his daddy.

On Saturday when the snow started melting and the sun was out, my mom and dad came over and brought my nephew Brock.  We wanted the kids to play together in the snow.  We had a blast with them.  My mom and I teamed up and attacked my dad in a snowball fight!  I've not laughed that hard in such a long time!!!

We got out Connor's plastic rake, shovel, and hoe for them to play with.  We found Connor's other red glove, so he didn't have to wear his sister's anymore!!!  His daddy was so glad! 

We dressed Caroline up in a million layers so she could watch the boys play.  She still wasn't feeling well, so she only stayed about 10 minutes.  She posed with my mom for a picture.

The boys played and played until they were frozen.  They both cried when we had to go in.  I could have too!  It was so sad telling the snow goodbye.  I hope it doesn't wait another 17 years to do it again!  I would love to play with my children in the snow again!