hello! caroline…7 months

My Dearest Sweet Caroline,
Fall is flying by, and so are your days as a tiny infant. You are growing up before my very eyes baby girl and I can’t help but turn into a big bowl of jello as I look back at pictures of when you were oh so little. I know I’ll never be able to have those moments again and it makes me a bit sad. These past few nights have been sleepless since you’ve been a bit under the weather, yet I can’t help but cherish the time I get to hold you and rock you to sleep…that’s what being a Mom is all about.
Caroline, you are a total ball of energy and you go until you pass out. At times, I know you are tired and you’ll wipe your eyes with your hands, yet you look at me like “please don’t make me take a nap Mommy”…total heartbreaker I tell you.
Everyone tells me 6-9 months has been their favorite time with their kiddos and so I am trying to soak in each and every moment from this fun/crazy/exciting stage.
Where we’re at these days…
Attachment Woes. Seriously, I know one day I will look back and say I wish this lasted longer, yet now that we’re in the middle of it, I am hoping we get through this soon…you want me ALL.DAY.EVERYDAY. If I walk away for even one minute, you start screaming at the top of your lungs. Your poor Daddy doesn’t feel the love sometimes for he can’t console the crying when you want your way. Oh Caroline, I fear that you are a total mama’s girl just like me…

The Eating Habits. This past month, we decided to try to get you to down to 5 feedings a day. You take 5 (6-7 oz) bottles and then food/oatmeal 2-3 times a day. You love any and all food, and aren’t a picky eater at all THANK THE LORD. Sweet potatoes and pears have been giving you loads of gas, so we try to take those in small doses, but your favorites seem to be squash, green beans, prunes, bananas, and apples…you have also tried avocado, sweet potatoes, strawberries, and grapes (all cut into tiny pieces). You also love Ella’s Kitchen/Plum Organic pouches and they are handy dandy for us when we’re out and about and you need a little “snack”. We have also tried vanilla yogurt and you really enjoy it…the doctor said we could start working juice into the sippy cup, yet I am staying away from sweet drinks for as long as possible.

Sleepy Time. You take 2-3 naps a day, one in the morning and then 2 shorter naps in the afternoon. I wish I could get you to nap in your crib, but as of now, we still put you in the swing, strap you in, and let the songs put you to sleep. When night time rolls around, you generally go to sleep around 9pm and sleep until 7:30am.

Time Occupiers. You love all your books…LOVE! We read daily and you love to help me flip the pages. Your favorites are Baby Bear Takes a Bath, The Great Big Pumpkin Surprise, Goodnight Moon, and Guess How Much I Love You. We just bought the Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Table and you will spend hours playing with it…it’s Mommy’s new best friend because I can plop you down in the kitchen while I cook and you keep yourself entertained.

Milestones and Such. This has been a BIG month! The week of your 6 month pictures, you decided to start sitting up on your own…we may have been practicing, but you finally took an interest and love to be independent with your toys. You also have 2 of your bottom teeth big girl! When you smile that huge grin of yours, you can’t help but see them and you’re so proud…you chew on things ALL the time and are drooling quite a bit so we’re a bit fretful that your upper 2 might be on their way soon.
We took you to the park for Daddy’s company picnic the last weekend in September and we wanted to see if you were ready for the “baby” swing at the park…Mommy was a bit weary, but as soon as we put you in, you got super excited and we knew this was going to be a hit! Of course I managed to get a few shots of you, too!

And as for another HUGE milestone, just this past week you decided it was time to crawl! It first happened the night I hosted bunco and all the girls were over. We plopped you down, put the iPhone in front of you for bait, and then let you go for it. We were all cheering and screaming and you definitely put on a show Caroline. Then on Friday evening, you decided to do it again while we were downstairs and I was fortunate enough to get it on video so we could show everyone. You are officially on the move my little one so I know we better watch out and finish babyproofing ASAP.
Your latest expression is to make a funny snarl…you crinkle your nose and sniff and it’s TOO funny to watch. Mimi says it’s the exact face I used to make as a child and you keep doing it over and over again because we all laugh at you. You also love to give kisses, pull hair, and have started to take notice in jewelry as of late…watch out friends and family.

Important Dates/Things to Remember
First Time in the Swing: September 29, 2012
First Shopping Cart Ride: October 1, 2012
First Crawl: October 11, 2012
Nicknames: CC, Tuttie, Peanut, Monkey

(By the way, sorry for MAJOR picture overload… I simply couldn’t help myself this time!)