5 Months!

Caroline's little life has seemed like a whirlwind. It has definitely flown by way faster that SG's, or so it seems that way. I LOVE this age. We're beginning to really she her little personality blossom and it is so FUN! I'm so thankful this little angel is in our lives!

Stats:

Weight: 18 lbs 13 oz (95%)

Height: 27 1/4 inches (98%)

***What can I say I make BIG HEALTHY babies! :)

I've been working on my sitting up skills....but I'm still pretty shaky!

 Mommy has to watch me really closely so I don't topple over when I'm sitting up!

 I'm a pretty curious thing. I LOVE seeing what's going on and where all that noise is coming from! 

 I can't get enough of my hands! Mommy thinks I'm teething because I've been drooling quite a bit!

 Hey there!

 I can be a sweet little angel that's for sure- but I do have my moments where I let my mommy and daddy have it if I'm not happy!

 I really like investing my hands and playing with my TOES. They keep me entertained!

Overall, I'm a pretty happy baby!

Eating:
Mostly 5 bottles a day every 3-4 hours starting at 7ish AM
Baby food: twice a day (about an oz per time)
She's only had rice and oatmeal cereal, sweet potatoes, and green beans so far
***Poor baby has been constipated because of solids :(. So, we started giving her Karo syrup (1 tsp per 4 oz in bottle) and prune juice (1-2 oz a day in bottle). It didn't do much good so I've had to give her enemas (1/2 Pedia Lax suppository) and 1/4 cap full Miralax +2 oz water to help relieve her constipation. She HATES drinking the water/Miralax so we are going to try to give her a little Milk of Magnesia (1 tsp. mixed in with baby food). We'll see if that works! I know that maybe TMI but I'm recording this down for future babies (SEVERAL years from now) we have just in case they are ever constipated :).

Sleeping:
We've been putting her down around 7ish and she sleeps 11-12 hours now :). YAY!
Naps: 3-4 (Lasting 45 min.-3 hours) She usually has two short naps (45 minutes-1 hour) and one long nap (2-3 hours) each day

Development:
*Lots of smiling, laughing, cooing, and gurgling...She's also making this crazy grunting noise right now that is hilarious! I love watching her smile because she holds her mouth open like a little bird when she does it. Her little cackle is also funny. She mainly laughs when I hide behind her feet and then open them quickly while saying "Boo!"
*Rolled from tummy to back (like twice maybe) and hasn't rolled from back to tummy yet
*Grabs her little toes! It's so darn cute!
*She also is very good at grabbing and playing with toys that are in her sight and reach
*Can hold a mini push up while laying on tummy
*She's practicing her sitting up skills and getting stronger and stronger! I think she'll be sitting up in the next few weeks for longer periods of time!

2 Years Old, Already!

Have 2 years come and gone already? How bittersweet it feels to look down at my little girl and see that she is growing rapidly in so many ways right before my very eyes. I am so thankful for her little life and all the joy it has brought and continues to bring to Trey and me as her parents. Below, I've included some pictures of my big girl along with some details I want to remember about this special time in her life:

 My sweet girl!

 Oh, how I love her!

 There are so many sweet moments and I love being apart of them!

 SG and I have been doing "school" while Caroline naps during the morning. We've been learning our ABC's and doing lots of arts and crafts!

 She loves reading, especially with someone special, like daddy!

 She's becoming more of a little helper! Mommy likes that!

 I can't wait to see their love for each other grow over the years and they get a little older!

Our cup sure does run over with our love for this little girl and all she brings to our life!

Stats:

W: 31 lbs 13 oz (93%)

H: 35 inches long (83%)

Eating and Sleeping:

12 oz milk a day with three meals + water (SG is an extremely thirsty child)

Sleeping 11-12 hours + one 2-3 hour nap

We've had a hard time with naps with this growing girl- Sometimes she takes them, and sometimes she doesn't- either way, she has 2 hours of rest time, at least, a day where she is in her crib whether she takes a nap or not

Development:

*I've lost count of the amount of words she can say because they are too numerous to count- She talks A LOT and loves to imitate what we or others say...Needless to say, we've had to be more careful about what we say around this little word sponge 

*She says two and three word combinations such as: "Hi ______, bye _______, all done, hold you, whoa   birds (or something that she sees that excites her), we did it ( heard on Dora), no, no, no mommy (not my favorite), etc. 

*She can count to five if you say count my fingers

* She can recognize and say some of her ABC's

* She shows signs of readiness for potty training, but I'm waiting until we move to do this because I don't want her to regress with all the change that will take place

*Gross motor: she can....run, jump, climb stairs (up and down), and climb up on chairs and our couch

Favorites:

*Mommy- Yes, I'm a favorite right now. She loves her mommy. When I think of this little stage she is in the song..."Kid Sister, kid sister, wherever I go she's gonna go...Kid Sister, kid sister, kid sister and me" comes in my mind because SG is my little buddy right now. She loves doing everything mommy is doing. It's sweet...but it can get a little exhausting at times. However, I'm glad she loves me like she does because it does melt my heart!

*Being OUTSIDE- SG would live outside if I let her, that's how much she loves it!

*BUBBLES- This kid LOVES bubbles and wants to blow them every time we go outside

*Jumping- she loves to jump on her bed- Little monkey!

*Swinging- I think we have a dare devil on our hands because she loves swinging extra high!

*Cookies and candy- We give her SOME sweets and try to make sure it's a limited amount

*Hearing a song at bed time- After we've read a story, had a little milk, and said our prayers, I usually sing "Sanctuary" and "I Love You Lord" to SG. I didn't really think she paid me much attention until, one night, Trey tucked her in and she said "song, song" to her daddy. I'm glad I get to share this special part of her bedtime routine with her most nights and I'm thankful she looks forward to it, also.

*Digging in the dirt- Now, this girl is a PRISS POT, but that doesn't mean she minds getting dirty. She loves playing in the dirt, that's for sure!

*Watching Dora, Elmo, and Yo Gabba Gabba are her favorites!

*Making us say "1, 2, 3....Go!" She loves running right after we say this!

*Bath time- She loves taking a bath with her Sissy!

*Eating fruit (especially grapes). She does like some veggies but they are a hit or miss (mainly peas and green beans)

Despises:

*Getting a spanking or being put in time out- but, we've gotta teach this little girl it's not okay to disobey or act like a drama queen at times :)

*Coming inside from playing

*Mommy and Daddy saying "No" when she wants to do something....especially, when it comes to watching Elmo on T.V.

SG's 2nd Birthday!

We recently had Susannah Grace's birthday party to celebrate her 2nd birthday! This year we based the theme of her party on Dora the Explorer, since it is her favorite show! I'm not the biggest fan of themed party supplies, so we used a lot of the bright colors coupled with a few dora accessories as decorations for her party. I think it was a hit, and most importantly I think she really had a blast! Here are a couple of pictures! I'll be back soon with a 2 year old update!

We had the party at her Meme and Poppie's house. Meme had the mailbox decorated especially for her!

We chose to have taco salad to go along with the Dora theme! 

It's hard to tell but I really love the way the chandelier turned out! We used tissue paper balls and Meme's raffia ribbon! 

SG sure does LOVE mexican!

 

We decorated the fireplace with SG's birthday banner and polka dot balloons!

I made this banner out of scrapbook paper, ribbon, and precut letters. I got the idea for the banner from etsy. I think it turned out cute!

Thank you Cynthia for letting us borrow your beautiful cupcake display!

Putting this number 2 candle on her cupcake made me sad :(. She's growing up too fast!

The pull string Dora pinata was a favorite for sure! Every time I turned around SG had a new sucker in her hand!

 SG had a fun with close friends and family!

 This girl definitely knows how to open presents now!

It was crazy how fast she was opening them! I couldn't keep up!

Singing happy birthday- She loved this part!

 

 And, she blew out her candle all by herself. I was so proud!

Caroline was excited about all of the festivities too!

***Thank you Meme and Poppie for opening up your home for this big girl's birthday, and all your help with some of the food. Also, thank you Nana for your help with the cupcakes and some of the food. We all had a blast!