Six Months Old!

Today is Carolyn's very first Half Birthday. I would have to say that the last six months have been the fastest of my life. The days (and nights) sometimes seem to go by slowly, but what an amazing change just six months has brought to our little girl.
She loves her feet- seems happiest when she is holding on to one or both of them- and the closer to naked she is, the happier she is! When lying on her back, she often raises her feet high into the air and then crashes them down on the ground- she finds this especially fun in the bathtub. :)
One of the things I love best about Carolyn is her pure, unadulterated joy. When she's happy, she just exudes such light and life and happiness- she laughs and smiles with complete abandon and inspires to me to do the same as I delight in her.
Carolyn's biggest motor skill accomplishment this month has been learning to sit up by herself. She started doing it about two weeks ago and now she can't seem to get enough of it- she has been gaining strength and stability daily and seems to really enjoy this new perspective on the world.
We're still not a big fan of Tummy Time- it's quite frustrating to be on one's tummy with nowhere to go since she hasn't quite figured out how to maneuver herself from one place to another- though no doubt, this is coming soon. She has grown quite strong and will soon be dragging herself from one side of the room to the other.
Last week we started introducing cereal as part of the daily meal routine. Each evening along with her milk, she gets a tablespoon or two of cereal- we tried rice first, now we're on to oatmeal. Carolyn seems to really enjoy the new tastes and textures and eating like a big girl. It was hard for me to let her go so she could take this step toward independence, but it sure is fun to watch her enjoy and experience new things.

One thing I cannot capture for you in pictures is the vast array of sounds that now fill our house. Carolyn is constantly experimenting with different noises and her chatter is one of my favorite things about this "stage." She seems to choose a particular sound and practice it over and over. This week, it's been a sort of hissing sound. I think she's enjoying using her tongue to push on her new tooth that is making its way through the gum- and she likes the sound she makes this way. Tooth #2 is on its way- and then maybe we'll have a little reprieve from teething for awhile. :)

In other news, Carolyn slept all the way through the night for the first time in more than two months on Thursday night. She had a tough time over the holidays, but we've returned to a strict sleeping and eating schedule since we've been home and it is to be hoped that this, along with some "tough love" when she wakens in the night, will help her stabilize and begin to make night sleeping a regular occurrence. Although she did wake up several times last night, on our visits to comfort her and let her know that we were there, we helped her learn to find her pacifier on her own and she was able on several occasions last night (and with no assistance at all this afternoon during naptime) to find the pacifier, put it in her mouth the correct way, and put herself back to sleep. She is learning! I'm hopeful that this necessary period of "sleep training" will be short and as comfortable as possible for us all.

Auntie Chandra Visits

My college roommate, Chandra, came to visit yesterday. It was so much fun to watch them get to know one another, and I enjoyed catching up with my dear friend. :) Plus, we got a few great pictures.

Balancing on Daddy's hand. :)

After Christmas Shopping

Although I felt that the after Christmas sales left something to be desired (namely, prices that were actually lower than everyday prices), we still had a fun shopping excursion.Carolyn has been into giving kisses lately- big, open-mouthed, slobbery kisses. :)

I doubt very much that this expensive leather couch in the Pottery Barn has ever had so jubilant an occupant. :)

The day's activities have worn poor Carolyn out, and she turns in for a little naplet.

Visiting

Carolyn's little friend Leah came to visit (along with her parents, Charlie and Rachel) from Minneapolis. Charlie and Rachel are friends of ours from Phoenix, who moved to MN around the same time we moved to MI- and Leah was born just 9 days before Carolyn so our girlies are growing up together. They have family in Michigan and stopped by to see us between the other things we all had going on over the holidays.
It's hard to believe how quickly they grow! The last time we saw C and R, Leah and Carolyn were really too small to notice each other much. Now I think they could be good pals if we lived close enough to see each other more often!

A nice smile for Grans. :)
Thursday morning we met up with one of my old friends, Lindsey, who was one of my apartment mates in college- but we hadn't seen eeach other in several years. It was great to have a chance to catch up- and Lindsey and Carolyn were fast friends- Carolyn responded to her with an enthusiasm I rarely see in her interactions with strangers. :)

PJ Time

Carolyn and I got matching PJs for Christmas this year. Not only are they cute, but they're maybe the comfiest PJs I've ever had! :)

Little Red Sweetheart

My cousins Matt and Shannon sent this cute red Christmas outfit for Carolyn to wear and (of course) we had to snap about a dozen pictures of her in it. :) You only get to have one "First Christmas."
Carolyn loves dogs! Our dog, Baggins, is highly suspicious of her and tends to run away anytime she comes anywhere near him... but Grammy's dog, Lucy, is much friendlier and would happily have accepted the kisses Carolyn offered her- had we not been there to prevent the exchange. :)


Carolyn and Grans.

Christmas with the Bartons

My grandmother (my dad's mom), Grans, came from Texas to stay with the family and meet little Carolyn for Christmas. Here is the whole family after a delicious Day After Christmas roast beast. :)
Grammy got some nice stainless steel serving pieces for Christmas- Carolyn wished someone had thought to put some of those in her stocking! :)
A new favorite toy! Grammy and Papa Craig gave Carolyn this fun mirror that can attach to her crib. She was fascinated by looking at the baby in the mirror- and giving the baby kisses. :)

Merry Christmas, Daddy!

We brought Daddy a full Christmas dinner after he was finished delivering his Christmas baby. Incidentally, the mama of this baby is one of my good friends, so it was neat for Brad to be able to be there for the arrival of her son. She conveniently delivered around 530, so Brad was free around dinnertime to enjoy his turkey, etc. and a few sweet moments with his own little girl. :)

Giddy Up

Anybody who knows Carolyn's Grandma knows that she's kind of a nut about anything horse-y! This year "Santa" brought her a new rocking horse to match the one she got last year (so that both girls can ride simultaneously), so the girls dressed up in their cowgirl gear and we plopped them in the saddle for a few cute pictures. :)
Afterwards, we had some more floor time together.

Carolyn practiced her sitting up.
Emily showed us how determined an 8-month-old can be. She was intent on gaining access to this wire and every time her mama pulled her back and tried to distract her with something else, she just kept on shooting across the room for the wire! A nice preview of coming attractions. :)

Family Fun

We discovered on Christmas morning that Carolyn shares Grandpa's morning "do" (this unique hairstyle has been the source of much playful banter over the years and Grandpa was only too pleased to share the stage with LMC)

Uncle Doug "two fisting it" with both girls
Loving Uncle Kerry's kisses

Christmas with the Irvings

I certainly hope this works because I have been trying to update my blog for more than an hour now and it just isn't working... grrr!

Anyway, we spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with the Irvings this year and we had a great time! Brad had to stay close to home because he worked the 23rd and the 25th (now that he's paid the piper, he shouldn't have to do Christmas again while he's a resident... of course, that says nothing for our future of holiday workdays because of this line of work... but we're off the hook for a couple years anyway. :)) We pretty much moved in to his parents' house for several days to maximize our time with family (especially Doug and Katy and Emily who were up for about a week from North Carolina) and (we hoped) minimize the disruption to Carolyn (sadly, she got pretty mixed up over the holidays and we're hoping to resolve her discombobulation soon. :))

Here she is enjoying Christmas presents- especially anything she could get into her mouth. :)

Poor Car0lyn pooped out before the presents were done and insisted on a nap in Grandpa's arms... he quite fiercely guarded his prize from any other would-be arm nap stealers. :)

Teeth and Towels

I am pleased to report that Carolyn's very first tooth has broken the gum! The teething process combined with all the crazy comings and goings of the holidays has pretty much annihilated whatever was left of her "schedule," so we have not been sleeping much the past couple weeks and LMC has been sleeping when it suits her (which is rarely for extended periods at night)... and every once in awhile she falls asleep in my arms and just soak in the moment. :)

She also wanted everyone to see how adorable she looks in her pink bathrobe towel. A diaper malfunction necessitated a quick bath and this was the first thing I grabbed out of the cabinet to dry her with and I thought she looked so cute I had to take (several) pictures. :)