Aunt Helen is funny! 
She loves her swing mobile 
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Monday, November 26, 2007
Caroline has redeemed herself from the car ride home from Florida. We went to Tullahoma for Thanksgiving and she did great in the car. Granted, it's only and hour and 15 minutes or so but it is still progress. Both of our Thanksgiving gatherings were fun and Caroline got to meet lots of new family members.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Chris was reading the paper today and on the inside of the front page was a story about the song "Sweet Caroline". I found a link to it on the comcast homepage as well. Just a little more trivia for fun.
http://www6.comcast.net/entertainment/articles/2007/11/20/People.Neil.Diamond/
Incidentally, our Caroline (before she was named Caroline) was given a book of poetry compiled by Caroline Kennedy as a baby shower gift from a former coach and mentor of mine from Baylor.
Chris's dad (Papa) came to visit yesterday. Caroline was kind enough to wake up for about 30 mintes while he was here. Long enough for her to get to sit in his lap and show off how she can sit up and hold up her head. We also got a chance to take a few pictures.
Caroline seems to have fallen into a little bit of a "schedule" on her own over the past few days. More consistent with wake-up times, lengths of naps and bed time. We'll see how long it lasts but it has been kind of nice. Today, we went for a really nice walk in the jog stroller-- about and hour and a half.
We are going to Tullahoma tomorrow to visit with Chris's mom's side of the family. Then we will have Turkey Day with my family on Saturday. Happy Thanksgiving!
http://www6.comcast.net/entertainment/articles/2007/11/20/People.Neil.Diamond/
Incidentally, our Caroline (before she was named Caroline) was given a book of poetry compiled by Caroline Kennedy as a baby shower gift from a former coach and mentor of mine from Baylor.
Chris's dad (Papa) came to visit yesterday. Caroline was kind enough to wake up for about 30 mintes while he was here. Long enough for her to get to sit in his lap and show off how she can sit up and hold up her head. We also got a chance to take a few pictures.
Caroline seems to have fallen into a little bit of a "schedule" on her own over the past few days. More consistent with wake-up times, lengths of naps and bed time. We'll see how long it lasts but it has been kind of nice. Today, we went for a really nice walk in the jog stroller-- about and hour and a half.
We are going to Tullahoma tomorrow to visit with Chris's mom's side of the family. Then we will have Turkey Day with my family on Saturday. Happy Thanksgiving!
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Happy 3 month birthday Caroline!!!
Caroline is 3 months old today! Where has the time gone?
She is a big girl now and sitting in her Bebe POD like a champ. These were shots from yesterday.
She must be going through a growth spurt becasue she is sleeping a lot lately. Last night, she went to sleep about 7:30, woke up at 11:00 to nurse, went back to sleep, woke up at 4:45 am to nurse, went back to sleep, woke up at 8:30 am to nurse, stayed up until 9:15 am and she's still alseep now at 11:15. Good for baby and mom!
Other Sweet Carolines
So, this isn't much of an update on Caroline. Just some fun stuff.
Apparently, there is a plant called Sweet Caroline. A kind of hibiscus, if I remember correctly. Thanks to Aunt Helen for finding that.
Also, a bit of trivia about the namesake of the blog-- the song Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond. (I have been trying to figure out how to put a link to the song on the blog since I started writing it but haven't quite figured it out yet.) Anyway, I was searching on the internet and found an NPR story on the song. Apparently, at Fenway Park during the Red Sox games, they play Sweet Caroline in the middle of the 8th inning as a crowd sing-a-long. Cool! I guess we're going to have to take her to a Sox game in a few years so she can hear thousands of people sing to her.
But don't tell her. She's the only Sweet Caroline as far as she knows.
Apparently, there is a plant called Sweet Caroline. A kind of hibiscus, if I remember correctly. Thanks to Aunt Helen for finding that.
Also, a bit of trivia about the namesake of the blog-- the song Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond. (I have been trying to figure out how to put a link to the song on the blog since I started writing it but haven't quite figured it out yet.) Anyway, I was searching on the internet and found an NPR story on the song. Apparently, at Fenway Park during the Red Sox games, they play Sweet Caroline in the middle of the 8th inning as a crowd sing-a-long. Cool! I guess we're going to have to take her to a Sox game in a few years so she can hear thousands of people sing to her.
But don't tell her. She's the only Sweet Caroline as far as she knows.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Caroline goes to Babies R Us
Saturday was a fun day. Caroline hung out with Chris for a an hour or so in the morning before he went to play golf and she took a nap right after he left, so I worked on getting her birth announcements in the mail (be on the lookout). When she woke up from her nap, she seemed very content, so I took her out of her swaddle sack and left her in her crib. She just kind of rolled around and talked to me as I worked in the nursery a little bit. I put one of her soft snuggly animal blankets in with her and she hugged on it and tried to put it in her mouth.
Caroline and I went out in the jog stroller around noon for a long walk. It was a beautiful fall day and the perfect temperature. She snoozed for about 45 minutes and then just happily rode along for another 30 minutes. It was a good walk!
The three of us decided to go to Babies R Us last night. This was Caroline's first trip to any kind of store. I have to say I was a little apprehensive, not knowing how she would do. It's a 20 minute car ride out there and she did great. She just sat in her carseat and looked out the window at the lights. She was awake the whole time in Babies R Us and just looked around and even talked a little bit. We picked up a Bebe Pod seat for her because ALL she wants to do these days is sit up (a Bebe Pod is like a Bumbo chair). We also got a new bathtub-- one with a sling to hold her up out of the water. The other tub we have is slippery and it takes 2 people to bathe her.
We decided to order Chinese takeout from our favorite place. We had to wait a little bit for the food, so Chris went in to Best Buy and I stayed in the car with Caroline. I knew we were about to reach breaking point on her awake time. I got her out of her carseat and held her. She did start to fuss but I just rocked her and she fell asleep. About that time, Chris came out with our food. We put her in her carseat and she went right back to sleep and slept the whole way home, pacifier in her mouth the whole time.
We did test out the Bebe Pod before she went to bed. It works pretty well for her to sit up. She was tired so it was a quick test run. Caroline was asleep in her crib at 9:00 pm . She woke up to nurse at 3:30 am and then slept until 7:30 am. I could hear her on the monitor when she woke up. Normally, she grunts and squeaks a little and then cries to say "come get me". But this morning, she just laid in her crib and cooed and talked for about 15 minutes before I couldn't stand my curiosity and went in to see what she was doing. She was just hanging out, looking around, happy as a clam. I picked her up and she smiled a big ole gummy smile. What a great way to be greeted in the morning!
Today, we are going to play in the Bebe Pod chair and take a bath in the new bathtub.
Caroline and I went out in the jog stroller around noon for a long walk. It was a beautiful fall day and the perfect temperature. She snoozed for about 45 minutes and then just happily rode along for another 30 minutes. It was a good walk!
The three of us decided to go to Babies R Us last night. This was Caroline's first trip to any kind of store. I have to say I was a little apprehensive, not knowing how she would do. It's a 20 minute car ride out there and she did great. She just sat in her carseat and looked out the window at the lights. She was awake the whole time in Babies R Us and just looked around and even talked a little bit. We picked up a Bebe Pod seat for her because ALL she wants to do these days is sit up (a Bebe Pod is like a Bumbo chair). We also got a new bathtub-- one with a sling to hold her up out of the water. The other tub we have is slippery and it takes 2 people to bathe her.
We decided to order Chinese takeout from our favorite place. We had to wait a little bit for the food, so Chris went in to Best Buy and I stayed in the car with Caroline. I knew we were about to reach breaking point on her awake time. I got her out of her carseat and held her. She did start to fuss but I just rocked her and she fell asleep. About that time, Chris came out with our food. We put her in her carseat and she went right back to sleep and slept the whole way home, pacifier in her mouth the whole time.
We did test out the Bebe Pod before she went to bed. It works pretty well for her to sit up. She was tired so it was a quick test run. Caroline was asleep in her crib at 9:00 pm . She woke up to nurse at 3:30 am and then slept until 7:30 am. I could hear her on the monitor when she woke up. Normally, she grunts and squeaks a little and then cries to say "come get me". But this morning, she just laid in her crib and cooed and talked for about 15 minutes before I couldn't stand my curiosity and went in to see what she was doing. She was just hanging out, looking around, happy as a clam. I picked her up and she smiled a big ole gummy smile. What a great way to be greeted in the morning!
Today, we are going to play in the Bebe Pod chair and take a bath in the new bathtub.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Caroline's hat trick
Last night, I decided to take Caroline out in the jog stroller just before it got dark for a couple of laps around the loop where we live. It was chilly already and would be dark soon so I dressed her warmly and put a hat on her. Off we went. She fussed a little for the first couple of laps and I was thinking it was going to be a quick walk. Chris called to say he was home and I chatted with him for a few minutes while walking. Caroline began to get quieter. Then, my friend from PT school called and I talked to her as I walked a few more laps. Caroline had gotten completely quiet so I knew she had gone to sleep. I decided I might as well keep on walking since she was sleeping, so I called Chris and he came out to walk with us. At this point it was pretty dark out. As Chris joined us, I opened the canopy to check on Caroline and there she was, sound asleep..... with her little hat down over her eyes. Chris and I got a good laugh out of it. It was one of the cutest things I have ever seen. We joked that we had been going about the sleep strategy all wrong. Forget the towels over the window-- who knew all we needed to do was put a hat over her eyes.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Caroline goes to....... her room????
OK-- not because she got in trouble. She is sleeping in her crib now!
Caroline seems to be very sensitive to light during her daytime naps-- the more light, the less she sleeps. So, over the weekend, we put some towels over the window in the nursery (behind the plantation shutters) to make the room dark during the day. She started with naps during the day in her crib over the weekend and has slowly gotten used to it. Yesterday, she took 2 really good 2 hour naps and a short 30 minute nap. She still usually wakes up at some point during her 2 hour naps and I have to help her go back to sleep. But, this is so much better than when she was sleeping in our bedroom during the day and it was 15 minutes here and there and all I did was try to get her to go to sleep. I really think our bedroom is just too bright for her.
She was still sleeping in the bassinet in our bedroom at night-- but just not very well. I won't mentions any names, but a male member of our household snores at night and I think was waking her up. So, last night I put her in her crib, and I slept in one of the upstairs bedrooms. I just still have a hard time thinking of her upstairs all alone at night. Anyway, she slept from 10:15 until 4:45 without much of a peep. This is huge progress!!! Hopefully, she will keep on sleeping well in her crib.
One of the most fun changes in Caroline is how much she is smiling now. As long as she isn't too hungry or tired, she will return my smiling at her with a huge gummy grin and sometimes she even blesses me with a little giggle. It is so fun to interact with her now. She also smiles when she sees lights and shadows that she likes and, of course, the flashing star that I mentioned before.
Caroline seems to be very sensitive to light during her daytime naps-- the more light, the less she sleeps. So, over the weekend, we put some towels over the window in the nursery (behind the plantation shutters) to make the room dark during the day. She started with naps during the day in her crib over the weekend and has slowly gotten used to it. Yesterday, she took 2 really good 2 hour naps and a short 30 minute nap. She still usually wakes up at some point during her 2 hour naps and I have to help her go back to sleep. But, this is so much better than when she was sleeping in our bedroom during the day and it was 15 minutes here and there and all I did was try to get her to go to sleep. I really think our bedroom is just too bright for her.
She was still sleeping in the bassinet in our bedroom at night-- but just not very well. I won't mentions any names, but a male member of our household snores at night and I think was waking her up. So, last night I put her in her crib, and I slept in one of the upstairs bedrooms. I just still have a hard time thinking of her upstairs all alone at night. Anyway, she slept from 10:15 until 4:45 without much of a peep. This is huge progress!!! Hopefully, she will keep on sleeping well in her crib.
One of the most fun changes in Caroline is how much she is smiling now. As long as she isn't too hungry or tired, she will return my smiling at her with a huge gummy grin and sometimes she even blesses me with a little giggle. It is so fun to interact with her now. She also smiles when she sees lights and shadows that she likes and, of course, the flashing star that I mentioned before.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Sunday, November 11, 2007
These are a few of my favortie things.....
Here are some things that Caroline really likes right now:
1) The star on her Baby Einstein gym. It has lots of bright colors and a big smiley face. Her favorite part is the flashing lights. She smiles really big smiles whenever the lights flash-- every time.
2) Light. Any kind of light. Windows, ceiling lights, lamps, TV. All of it. She just stares at them and is totally fascinated.
3) Pulling up. Chris started doing this with her when she was 7 weeks old (there are pictures). Now, she wants to do it all the time. If she gets a hold of our hands while she is lying on the floor or in our lap, she will try to pull up. If she starts in our lap, she can almost do it entirely herself and can hold her head up and look around for maybe a minute or two. Sometimes, she will try to pull up without our help. She puts her hands together in front of her chest and brings her chin to her chest, trying to sit up by herself. Very funny!
4) The mirror and mobile on her swing. She will sit in her swing without it moving and stare at the mirror or we can turn on the mobile and she just watches it go around.
5) Having her nose suctioned with the bulb syringe. OK-- maybe it's a stretch to call it a favorite. But, she smiles every time I do it.
6) Having her diaper changed. She seems to like lying in the changing station on the Pack n play. She and Nana had lots of talks when she had her diaper changed while we were in Florida.
1) The star on her Baby Einstein gym. It has lots of bright colors and a big smiley face. Her favorite part is the flashing lights. She smiles really big smiles whenever the lights flash-- every time.
2) Light. Any kind of light. Windows, ceiling lights, lamps, TV. All of it. She just stares at them and is totally fascinated.
3) Pulling up. Chris started doing this with her when she was 7 weeks old (there are pictures). Now, she wants to do it all the time. If she gets a hold of our hands while she is lying on the floor or in our lap, she will try to pull up. If she starts in our lap, she can almost do it entirely herself and can hold her head up and look around for maybe a minute or two. Sometimes, she will try to pull up without our help. She puts her hands together in front of her chest and brings her chin to her chest, trying to sit up by herself. Very funny!
4) The mirror and mobile on her swing. She will sit in her swing without it moving and stare at the mirror or we can turn on the mobile and she just watches it go around.
5) Having her nose suctioned with the bulb syringe. OK-- maybe it's a stretch to call it a favorite. But, she smiles every time I do it.
6) Having her diaper changed. She seems to like lying in the changing station on the Pack n play. She and Nana had lots of talks when she had her diaper changed while we were in Florida.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Caroline Goes to Florida
We left for Destin last Thursday morning. A normal drive there takes 6 to 7 hours. It took us 9 hours. Caroline did great until the last stretch of the trip and what normally takes 2 hours took us about 4. She cried quite a bit, so we kept stopping to clam her down. We had a great trip. My mom drove down on Saturday and Chris left early Tuesday morning to travel for work. We went to the beach for a very short time on Monday-- really just enough time to take a few pictures before Caroline was tired and ready to go home for a nap. The weather was beautiful the whole time. A little chilly at the end of the trip though. Other than the short beach trip, we pretty much stayed close to home
The trip home on Thursday was a different story entirely. First of all, mom and I had a heck of a time packing up. We took a lot of stuff-- a Pack n Play, swing, jog stroller, bikes and 2 dogs. plus their crate. And of course all of the stuff has to be broken down and taken apart to get it in the car. Once we finally left, things just continued to go downhill. We got about 45 minutes of driving under our belt before we had to stop to feed Caroline. After that, we could drive about 30 minutes before she would start crying. We let her cry for a bit every time and would pull over when we felt like she had had enough. Between stops for crying and stops for nursing-- it took 6 and a half hours to get to Brimingham. Normally, a 4 hour trip. After Birmingham, I decided that we were going to have to let her cry. Even stopping to calm her down wasn't working. We would stop and get her out of the car seat and she would stop crying and fall asleep. But the second I went to put her back in the seat, she just started crying again. So, I let her cry for an hour before I couldn't stand it anymore. It felt like an eternity and I just felt horribly guilty for letting her cry and not being able to hold her. But--- we had to make some progress to get home. Anyway, the whole trip home took 10 and a half hours. UGH!!! We were all exhausted.
The only good thing about it was that Caroline slept the entire night without waking up. Not surprising since she spent all but about 2 hours of the day crying. She definitely needed the rest (and mom did too!). So, lesson learned. The trip to Florida was a bit ambitious at this age. We definitely won't be taking any long trips in the car in the near future.
The trip home on Thursday was a different story entirely. First of all, mom and I had a heck of a time packing up. We took a lot of stuff-- a Pack n Play, swing, jog stroller, bikes and 2 dogs. plus their crate. And of course all of the stuff has to be broken down and taken apart to get it in the car. Once we finally left, things just continued to go downhill. We got about 45 minutes of driving under our belt before we had to stop to feed Caroline. After that, we could drive about 30 minutes before she would start crying. We let her cry for a bit every time and would pull over when we felt like she had had enough. Between stops for crying and stops for nursing-- it took 6 and a half hours to get to Brimingham. Normally, a 4 hour trip. After Birmingham, I decided that we were going to have to let her cry. Even stopping to calm her down wasn't working. We would stop and get her out of the car seat and she would stop crying and fall asleep. But the second I went to put her back in the seat, she just started crying again. So, I let her cry for an hour before I couldn't stand it anymore. It felt like an eternity and I just felt horribly guilty for letting her cry and not being able to hold her. But--- we had to make some progress to get home. Anyway, the whole trip home took 10 and a half hours. UGH!!! We were all exhausted.
The only good thing about it was that Caroline slept the entire night without waking up. Not surprising since she spent all but about 2 hours of the day crying. She definitely needed the rest (and mom did too!). So, lesson learned. The trip to Florida was a bit ambitious at this age. We definitely won't be taking any long trips in the car in the near future.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
