Make Believe

Caroline is in the very early stages of make-believe play. She carries her stuffed animals around the house all the time. Each has a name: "Bah (bear - there are two of these)," "Bee-Bah (Pink Bear)," "Boo-Bah (Pooh Bear)," "Me (Piglet)," "Bah... Dee (Bear from Uncle Stephen)," and "Dah (Cat)" are among her favorites.
I thought it was just too cute when she started sharing her snack with "Bah" in this photo! She also lays her animals down and says they are "Eeee (sleeping)." What fun it will be when she can pretend even more and make them talk!

I made a plain frozen yogurt popsicle for Caroline on day. It was really hot, and I had to do some things in the kitchen. I was hoping that this would keep her occupied for a while... and she loved it! I made it in one of those Tupperware "Ice Tups" molds. She made quite a mess of herself and the floor, but most of it ended up in her mouth. I gated her in so she wouldn't leave the kitchen and drip anything on the carpet. I will be sure to do this more often on hot summer days. I only hope she will always think that plain frozen yogurt is what a popsicle is supposed to taste like! if not, I'll have to add some pureed fruit to it to make it sweeter! 

Laundry Baby

No, we did not dry the baby in the dryer along with the diapers! There is a photo of Caroline's Daddy in the dryer when he was a baby, so he suggested that we take a similar picture of Caroline. She thought it was a very interesting place to be... she was particularly interested in the light that comes on when the dryer door is open. I took several pictures of her pointing at the light with an inquisitive look on her face.

She is very helpful with the laundry, too! she likes to push the laundry baskets from the kitchen into the den, and she knows exactly where I dump the laundry... on the couch. She will often go and point out the spot on the couch when we have a basket of unfolded laundry, as if to say, "Get to work, Mommy!" She likes to hand me laundry to fold, and will pick up a piece and hold it up in the air, looking at me, so I will come and get it from her. I typically stand behind the couch and she hands stuff to me from in front of the couch... that way, I can keep the folded things on top of the couch back, out of Caroline's reach!

We went to the La Leche League conference in Atlanta this past weekend. it was great! The speakers and topics were wonderful - lots of good information about parenting in general. There were so many fun things to buy - cloth diapers, various carriers, toys... I managed to only spend $28! The conference was at a hotel downtown and lasted two days. On the second day, Caroline wore a shirt displaying the message: "Breastmilk - the real comfort proteins." We rode MARTA both days to get there to avoid the gas money and outrageous parking fees (that's what we're doing in the photo). Caroline LOVED the MARTA train! When we said, "We're going to ride the train!" she would respond with, "Eeeeeee!" That translates to "Wheeeeee!" Sorry the pic is out of focus... I guess that's just how fast those MARTA trains go! 

Finally - A Tooth!

Caroline got her first tooth at almost 13 months of age. Here is a photo of it about a week after it broke through the gum. It broke through on April 17, but we'd been able to see that it was just under the surface for a couple weeks.

I know the photo isn't very flattering, but it's the best way we could get a clear shot of the tooth! So now we expect that she'll have several more teeth in the next few months, and soon she'll be able to bite and chew a variety of foods. 

First Easter Worth Noting

This is really Caroline's second Easter, but the first wasn't good for photo ops since she was only six days old. We went to Gramma and Granpa's house in Atlanta and went to Mass. Then Caroline walked around the yard, carrying her basket of eggs, dropping them occasionally, putting them back in... not really hunting for eggs, but it's as close as we could get this year. next year, I'm sure she'll enjoy actually searching for them!

She is wearing the dress and bonnet I wore on my first Easter - my mom made it herself! The basket also belonged to first my mother, then me and was used throughout my childhood Easters. Caroline will carry on the tradition and maybe pass the basket and dress on to her own daughter one day!

Caroline's First Birthday

Caroline turned one on March 21st, but we celebrated with family on March 19th. I made Caroline her own special applesauce cake for her to destroy. It was made from two little 4 inch cake pans. She only tasted a couple bites, and she smushed the rest of it and dropped it on the floor!

Caroline had lots of guests for her special day. Gramma and Grampa came from Atlanta and brought Uncle Mike and Uncle Stephen with them. Uncle Stephen brought Dutch, Caroline's favorite dog! Uncle Tim had a play, so he couldn't come. Gran and Grandad came the day before from Nashville, and then Gran stayed with us a few more days to visit more with her favorite grandbaby! Aunt Sara and Uncle John wanted to come, but Aunt Sara was sick :(

Caroline enjoyed all the attention and excitement. She happily roamed the den as we ate, going up to her guests and showing off her new skills - she is walking quite well now, and she's fast! She especially liked hanging around Uncle Stephen - maybe because he brought the dog! Caroline also had lots of fun opening her presents. She got the Fridge Farm magnets from Mommy and Daddy, a wooden farm puzzle and The Very Hungry Caterpillar book from Gran and Grandad, and two outfits and college fund money from Gramma and Grampa. What a lucky girl!

She's growing up so fast... one year old already!!!

Walking!

She's walking! Caroline took her first unassisted step in mid-February, just before she was 11 months old. By the time she was 11 months, she was taking a few steps at a time when we encouraged her... maybe up to five steps before falling down.
About a week later, Caroline could take several steps at a time - around ten or so - when we encouraged her. And now she will take steps unprompted.... for example, if she's pulled herself to a stand by the couch, she might take a few steps from there to the coffee table all on her own, without us prompting her. Occassionally she will walk partway across the room, just because she was standing when she decided that she wanted to go somewhere. So, she is still using crawling as her primary means of transportation because it is still faster for her, but she clearly enjoys walking and is pretty pleased with herself about doing it!

About to Walk...

Caroline is getting ready to walk. She's been able to stand on her own (not stand up from a seated position, but pull to a stand and then let go) for a couple months now. But lately she's actually remained standing for more than just a few seconds, and so I was able to get this photo of her standing the other day. Before, she would sit down so quickly that I never had the chance to snap a shot!
A week ago, Caroline took two steps and then grabbed onto my leg while we were at a La Leche League meeting. I was so excited! Since then, she's taken a few more steps here and there. Over the weekend, Chris and I were encouraging her strongly, and she took FIVE STEPS IN A ROW! And then she fell backwards, startled by my maniac-sounding laughter and other delighted sounds. We got a few steps on video.
So our little crawler will soon be a walker! I am now watching EBay for soft-soled shoes! 

Dishwasher Obsession

Caroline LOVES the dishwasher! Whenever she sees it opening or hears us putting dishes in, she shrieks with delight and races across the kitchen. Once she has reached the dishwasher, she will pull up on it, examine the Jet Dry dispenser, pull the bottom rack out and then push it in and out (repeatedly), taste the rubber gasket, walk around the open door, and practice opening and closing the dishwasher door. All the while, she is squealing excitedly, a big smile on her face. She acts like we've given her the greatest gift ever - o wondrous dishwasher, love of her life! And when we have to close it, she cries until we've distracted her with something else. What a weird kid - but hey, she is my daughter, after all.