12 and 13 months

So I’m a month late for your birthday post, which seems to be the norm these days. LATE! Anyway, you had a blast at your birthday party, loved your cake and presents. You are definitely your father’s child, a social butterfly. Now-a-days you are walking so fast it’s almost considered running, talking up a storm and copying everything. Your favorite words are ball, dog, up, and uh-oh (you can thank you Aunt Ashley for that one). Your favorite game is throwing things, especially food, on the floor. You always give us a cute smile and an uh-oh before you throw. We hold back the smiles and laughs in the hope you’ll stop but you never do. You love the outdoors and playing chase. It amazes me the stuff you learn just by watching other people. I have no idea how you figured out that the door knob open doors. All I can say is “Welcome to Toddlerhood!”

11 Months

Wow 11 months…you have such the little personality now. For the most part or I should say as long as you’re not tired; you are outgoing and love to show off in front of people. You yell and wave your hands in excitement. Speaking of excitement, you love to dance and listen to music. Each morning the three of us hang out in bed even if it’s just for 5 minutes before we have to get ready for work. You finish your bottle and immediately climb over daddy and point to the iPod. Once the music starts to play, you shake you booty, twist and rock back and forth. This has to be my favorite moment each day.

Other stuff you’re doing…

•Taking 3 steps, walking with assistants
•You like to look out the window while driving; I don’t know why I find this interesting. It may be the fact that it’s just proof you’re growing up.
•You throw little tantrums where you arch your back and push yourself backwards. Most of the time I laugh and ask you what you’re doing. I have a feeling these “little tantrums” will be BIG tantrums sooner then I think.
•You like to pick up stuff and hand it to whoever is closes. You hand things to complete strangers!
•Blow kisses
•Not into stuffed animals but into anything with buttons, knobs or plays music.
•When we’re in the car and I roll the windows down you flap your arms in the wind.
•Kinda, sometimes you repeat animal noises.
•Playing in the cabinets is one of your favorite things to do.

10 Months

Hey you! You hit double digits YAY. Your personality is really starting to show.

One of favorite things to do is point at objects and then I tell you what they are. You could do that for hours if we let you. Another new thing going on this month is your teeth. Girlfriend you have EIGHT! One morning you woke up and had sprouted another two up top and two on the bottom. For this reason, you have moved on the more adult food, like grill cheese and whole crackers. You get this “oh my goodness, you’re going to give that WHOLE thing!” face when I hand you something big to eat. Very cute.

Yum! Refried beans (of course they're vegetarian)

Oh how could I forget? You said mama for the first time a few days ago. I know you have no idea what that word means but I love hearing it come out of your mouth. Each time you say it you get hugs and crackers, just kidding. Only a couple more months until the big day! And to get you ready your Great-Mama bought you a cake that teaches you to blow out the candles. Really, you just like pushing the buttons and rocking back and forth to the music.


Just one of your many "what are you doing to me?" faces. I get these a lot.

Can’t wait to see what next month brings. Walking?

9 Months and a couple of weeks

While you’re napping, I thought I would start on your 9 month post. While technically, it’s your 9-and a couple of weeks post but who’s counting, right? You are growing at a pace I can’t even begin to explain. You have mastered crawling and are now moving on to more fancy things like creeping sideways along tables and even letting go to come into my lap. You are now giving wet, open mouth kisses (which I absolutely love) to books, pictures, toys, just about anything. Babbling non-stop, eating anything we put in front of you, including goat cheese, black beans and blueberries, splashing during bath time are just some of the things you are doing this month.

One of your favorite things is to crawl up to a door stop and whack it so it makes that really loud sound. You continue to swat at it until the rubber stopper comes off. At first I thought it was cute but now, I must say it’s becoming annoying. However, because you love doing it, I don’t dare stop you. Yes, you are spoiled.

You had your first plane ride a few weeks ago. I’ll be honest and say that both dad and I were nervous but you did great. You loved looking at the emergency pamphlet and pulling everything out of the seat pocket and watch it fall to the floor.

That's it for now, next month you hit double digits! Scary.

Love,
Mom

“There’s a cheerio in my spaghetti!”

One night last week, Caroline was testing her crawling skills in kitchen (I was getting dinner ready) and ended up under the kitchen table. As I was continued with dinner, I would casually glance her way just to see what she was up to. When I saw she was chewing on something, I took a quick look around on the floor to see if there was anything she could have picked up. There was nothing, so I did what any mom would do…I stuck my finger in her mouth to find out what was in there, yep, it was a cheerio. Funny! I thought no big deal, she was playing nicely by herself leaving me time to finish dinner, which I continued to do. Then I glanced over at her again and guess what, she had another cheerio in her mouth. I thought, “Man, where does she find these things?” By that time Andy was walking through door and my spaghetti dinner was on the table. The next day (Andy brought leftovers for lunch into work), I receive an e-mail from him around lunch time with the subject line “There’s a Cheerio in my spaghetti!” Since then I have found cheerios in her crib, on her bedroom floor, in our bathroom and in the family room. I wonder where I’ll find the next one...

7 & 8 Months

I know I say this every month but where did the time go? It’s like I blinked and you are seven months. Maybe it was the holiday, who knows, but man this month went by fast. Speaking of the holiday, you loved opening your Christmas presents. Tissue paper was your absolute favorite.


You are really starting to figure out the world around you. You love peek-a-boo and have recently started to pull yourself up one anything close by. You started crawling and now there is no stopping you.


You got your first cold, which really stinks. I feel so helpless, there is nothing I can do to make you feel better. I can't wait for spring when cold season is over. You have two bottom teeth and are eating like a champ. There isn't anything you don't like. Can't wait to see what next month brings...

6 Months

So here we are, 6 months old. I can’t believe it. It’s crazy to imagine that in the next 6 months you will learn to crawl, walk, and even say our first word!

As always you continue to amaze us. You have been eating solids for about a month now and absolutely love your veggies, even peas. When we put you in the high chair you immediately open your mouth like a little bird waiting for the first bite. Once those peas or some other not-so-good food touches your lips, you sometimes gag; make a funny face before you swallow them all. Very cute.

You have mastered sitting with ease but now hate tummy time unless you're sleeping. Which by the way, you are finally sleeping through the night (most nights). Dad and I are having a blast watching you grow, we can't wait for the next 6 months.

4 & 5 Months

Ok so again I’m late posting but I have a good excuse, boat show! I have been crazy busy with work, anyway… our little lady will be 5 months old next week and is just about 15lbs. A few weeks ago she amazed us all by rolling over for the first time. We were beginning to think she would never do it. She is also starting to show signs of teething. This weekend was no fun. The poor girl has not been her self.



We're (I’m) looking forward to Halloween next weekend. We still haven’t figured out what costume to put her in, Andy is thinking a pumpkin; I’m thinking maybe a hotdog. I had this cute idea that I would but her in a brown onesie with the word hotdog ironed on. Then Andy and I would be the ketchup and mustard, each wearing either a yellow or red shirt with the words ironed on. Cute idea, right? Andy doesn’t think so. Who knows what she’ll be.

3 Months

Another month has flown by. Pretty soon she’ll be asking for the car keys. It’s been a busy month, first boat ride with Pop, first football game (it counts, even if it’s only pre-season), first look at hands and feet, first encounter with a farm animal. It’s hard being a baby.



New things she loves this month
Her Bumbo chair
Bouncer – No she can’t bounce in it yet but she loves to look at the lights
Her hands
After dinner walks around the neighborhood

Not much to report on for new dislikes. The little lady is happy as long as she has a full belly and a clean diaper.

Side Note...

Well our computer is officially gone. The IT person tells me that the motherboard had a fatal error; whatever that means. I just hope he can recover all my photos not to mention iTunes. Technology! Can’t live with it, can’t live without it. Therefore, I’ve only have the last two weeks worth of photos. I'll post more once I reterive everthing.

2 Months

So I’m a week late on the monthly birthday post, sorry! I’ll do better next time, I promise.

This past month has been a blast. She is smiling and talking(coo'ing) more than ever. The best time is in the morning before we get out of bed. She recently had her 2 month check up and the girl weighted in at 11 lbs and 14 oz! Needless to say, she is growing like a weed and getting cuter by the minute. We absolutely adore her.

This month she likes…
While sucking on things is still at the top of her list, she has moved on to the pacifier, thank goodness.
Car rides
Watching Andy and I make funny faces
Talking
Her swing with lullabies playing
Mirrors
Being outside

Things she hates this month...
Getting dressed and undressed
Car seat – yes I know, she loves the car but hates her car seat.
Waking up – it takes her an hour or so to actually wake up from a nap.

Welcome to Parenthood

Andy and I are sitting down to dinner with Caroline in her bouncy seat right next to us. Half way into dinner, I hear a choking sound under the table, yep that’s Zoe, our cat, throwing up. Wonderful! As Andy gets up to assess the damage, Caroline decides to start screaming. So, I’m dealing with the baby, Andy is on his hands and knees under the table cleaning up cat throw and then the phone rings. Andy and I stop what we’re doing, look at each other, smile, and start laughing.

One Month

One month, already? I have a feeling I will be saying that a lot. These past weeks have gone by so fast; it’s amazing how much she has grown. At her one month appointment she had already gained 2 lbs and grew 3 inches. It truly amazes me that just a few weeks ago she was still inside me, kicking away and now she’s here, in our arms. Andy and I are truly blessed that she’s are in our life.

Things she loves

Sucking –she loves our pinkies. I think she would suck on our fingers all day long if we let her.
Tummy time
Smiling (on purpose) No it’s not gas. She actually smiles when she sees us. This has to be my favorite thing she is doing right now
She found her voice – she is a grunter and a screamer, no cooing here.
Bath time – she looks so relaxed sitting in the sin

Things she hates
Pacifiers
Changing her clothes
Waking up

I guess there’s not much she doesn’t like these days, I’m sure that will change though.

Happy One Month Birthday Pretty Lady! (aka Daddy’s little burrito)

Birth Story

Memorial Day weekend begin like any other weekend with the exception of a little nausea. Didn’t think too much of it, just one of many pregnancy symptoms. Sunday morning, Andy was away at work and I decide to have breakfast with my sister, Ashley, (who by the way is also prego), at Cheesecake Factory. Well it wasn’t much of breakfast because I was afraid to stick anything in my mouth with the fear it would come back up. Not to mention that the waitress wouldn’t let me order the kids french toast. The nerve! So I stole bits and pieces of Ashley’s Eggs Benedict. Sooo good! Anyway, back to the reason why I’m writing this post. After breakfast, I ran a couple of errands and headed home. While sitting in traffic, I notice I’m having strong contractions and decide to time them. Well wouldn’t you know it they were 7 – 8 minutes apart. I picked up the phone and called Ashley, “I think I’m in labor!” is the first thing out of my mouth. She calms me down and tells me to call the doctor when I get home. Which I do and he tells me to call back when they are 5 minutes apart. I then call Andy and update him on “the situation,” as my dad likes to call it. I decide to take my mind off of the contractions and work on a nursery project that needed to finished. After an hour or so, the contractions gone; I had my first taste of false labor. Not fun. Talk about getting your hopes up and then nothing.

The next few days were completely normal, no symptoms what so ever. I was beginning to think this baby was never going to come. We all know that’s not going to happen, Miss Caroline was just patiently waiting to make her debut.

Early Wednesday morning, and I mean early, we’re talking 2:45 am, I woke up with contractions. I was thinking no big deal, this happens quite often. For whatever reason, I decide to start timing them. Lo and behold, they were 7-8 minutes apart. I told myself if I still had them at 4:15, I would wake Andy and then take a shower. Why a shower? I don’t know, it just sounded like the right thing to do. Really, I wanted to do something out of the ordinary, to get my mind off the contractions. I was afraid I was experiencing false labor and didn’t want to get my hopes up. Anyway, after the shower wouldn’t you know it; the contractions were still there and getting stronger. We decide to call the doctor around 5 am and were told to come in. We were excited, I remember thinking “This could be it, we are having a baby!” Andy and I quickly, jumped out of bed and starting gathering all our stuff. I would have loved to be a fly on the wall watching two never-before-parents running around the house trying not to forget anything. We finally made it to the hospital around 6ish and were placed in triage. After being hooked me up to the machine that measured my contractions and the baby’s heart rate, the nurse checked to see how far along I was. I thought for sure, I was at least 3 or 4 cm along. Nope, I was wrong. The nurse said, in a very flat even toned voice “1 cm and 95% effaced.” What! That can’t be right, something is wrong. I’m having painful contractions!” She went on to say, “Since you’re not 39 weeks, we can’t help you. You will have to labor on your own.” I immediately looked at Andy and then back at the nurse. With tears forming in my eyes, I said “I don’t understand; you can’t help me?” She explained that they don’t help woman with their labor before 39 weeks and since I was 38 weeks and 7 days, there was nothing they could do. I would have to show them I was in true labor. She suggested that we walk the halls for an hour and then come back for more monitoring.

After about an hour of mindless walking, I entered the triage room with the thought of “they are going to send me home.” There was no way I could show enough improvement in an hour for them to admit me. The nurse came, checked me and said, with a smile on her face, “You’re 4cm.” Yay, I get to stay, we are having a baby!

After receiving the epidural, I was comfortable and relaxed. Around 5 pm, the doctor broke my water in the hope to speed things up a bit (I was stuck at 7 cm). That did the trick. By 7:40 pm, I had begun to push. The nurse had told me earlier that day, that first time mom’s usually push for 2 hours but since I was in good shape (all that running and walking paid off) she thought the process would go faster than that. So when the hour and half mark came around and no baby, I was getting frustrated. The doctor came in around that time to check my progress. He starts rambling about an old practice of using forceps and maybe the possibility of c-section. I looked at him and said, “I don’t understand, what you are saying?” I suddenly felt the urge to push and before I knew it, the doctor had disappeared. What doctor does that? He just left without telling me what was going on. I looked to the nurse for an explanation. She said he was worried about the baby because the heartbeat would dip with each contraction and that they would be wheeling me into the OR. Either the forceps would work or I was having a c-section. Before I could even think about what was going on, Andy was dressed in scrubs and I was being detached from machines. The rest is really a blur; it felt like a million people were surrounding me as I lay on a skinny board with my arms stretched straight out. I remember seeing the end of the forceps and then a nurse telling me to stop pushing. Seconds later, Caroline, is lying on my chest and Andy is leaning over me kissing my forehead. We’re now a family of three.

Stats:
7 lbs 2 oz
19 inches

Little Things

I was on my way to work this morning and the thought of Andy cutting the grass came to mind (stay with me!). I know you wondering why this random thought, well, as you know we have an actual house now with brand new grass, oooh ahhhh (they laid sod about a week ago). Andy has been excited to actually cut the lawn and purchase all those manly yard toys, like a weed eater. This made me think that its really the small things in life the matter the most. Like this past weekend, I was working long hours at work, no day off… anyway, Andy had to play house wife and go grocery shopping. He surprised me with watermelon and raisinets when I got home. I was so happy, it not only made my day but it reminded me that I am married to the best husband in the world. I’m sure everyone can relate to a similar situation. The little things in life reminds us what really matters.

Eggstravaganza!

Andy and I decided to have some Easter fun a few weeks ago. Of course we dyed eggs but we also went a step further and painted my belly like an Easter egg. Yes I know what you are thinking, “who does this?” Nerds like us! So after many requests, here are the photos from our eggstravaganza!

Before


After




Andy did such a great job didn't he?

3D Ultrasound

On Saturday, Andy and I had our 3D ultrasound, where we caught a glimpse of our little girl. The pictures are amazing. You tell me but I see fat lips and chubby cheeks. Too cute!

I can't believe that in 9 short weeks she'll be here. I feel like Andy and I have so much work to do. We are hoping to have the nursery paint this week and the all the furniture in its place. I promise I'll post pictures soon.

Hello Third Trimester!

As Andy and I enter into the last three months of this pregnancy things are really starting to seem real. The nursery is almost complete (I’ll post pictures soon) and the baby shower is planned, baby is Fuller is on her way. It’s hard to believe that just 7 months ago she was a size of a poppy seed and is now she is the size of a head of cauliflower, weighing 2lbs!

People say that the second trimester is often called the best time during pregnancy. Relief from nausea, more energy and less mood swings are just some of the perks of the second trimester; however, the third trimester brings the complete opposite and I am starting to feel the effects. Poor Andy, is all I’ve got to say! I’m truly blessed to have him in my life; I have no idea what I would do without him. Especially when it’s late at night and I need my cookie fix :)

Sean's Dad

Here is the link to Vernon Moore's blog. Please keep him in you thoughts and prayers.

http://www.papavern.blogspot.com

Snow...Snow...and More Snow!

These past few weeks we have had more snow than Buffalo, NY. I think the official total was 80 plus inches for the 2009 – 2010 season. The snow mounds around the mall are crazy; they must be 30 feet in the air. I’m thinking the piles won’t melt until spring. Although we were house bound, the snow was a blessing in disguise. We had just moved in the weekend before, so we were able to use the extra time to unpack boxes and get settled in.

I should mention they are calling for another 5 inches tomorrow. When well it end?

We're Pregnant

Like Andy said, we are expecting a little girl in June. We are both excited and scared at the same time. I'm 23 weeks along and getting use to feeling her moving around. I must say that seeing her kick from the outside is amazing. It's hard to believe there is a human being in there. So far I’ve had an easy pregnancy with few side effects, just the normal fatigue and mild morning sickness. Which, by the way, I don't understand why they call it "morning" sickness when it lasts all day?? We'll see what the third trimester brings.