A wise woman told me to always do a dry run with a Halloween costume. :) Good idea; as soon as I got the thing on, she spit up all over it and promptly started crying because her little face doesn't quite fit right into the even smaller opening... she's not a big fan of having anything on her head (except bows :)) But a few good raspberries in her face, and I had her smiling. Doesn't she look cute??! Wish I didn't have to work tonight- she's going with Daddy to the hospital to meet the other residents and their kiddies. I'm hoping she'll have time for a little trick or treat at the pharmacy, too. :) I love this look! She looks like she's directing an orchestra or something. :)
The cool thing about this costume is that the other peas in the pod come off for holding fun. :)
Carolyn and the pumpkin (again :)) 

When was the last time we took a picture that didn't have Carolyn in it? Tonight we had a little impromptu "date." We had dinner together at a table that was actually wiped clean and set (as opposed to just shoving the junk out of the way), complete with the homemade bread I used to make all the time. After LMC went to bed, we carved our pumpkin and roasted the yummy seeds.

I received some criticism of my knife-holding technique from Dr. Brad... guess it's a good thing he's the surgeon, not me! :)

Here's our friendly little guy
Mommy and Daddy, yes, but husband and wife first! I was glad for this little reminder of how much fun it is to be together, just us. :) How lucky I am to be married to my very best friend. :) 

Today I am four months old!!! I'm such a big girl now. I love to smile- often with my whole body- legs kicking, arms waving, with a happy shriek thrown in for good measure. Almost every morning I wake up with a big grin on my face when Mommy comes in to get me out of bed.
I still love my animals and I love to kick my legs. I'm so much more coordinated now- I can actually hit the animals with my legs and hands, and even successfully reach out and grasp what I want now.
Anything I get in my hands must inevitably make its way to my mouth. I'm thinking about teething, I think- just sort of toying with the idea; no fever, red gums, or serious discomfort- really I'm just into biting everything I can get into my mouth.
This month, I've decided I like diaper changes. I used to hate them, but now they're some of my favorite times of the day- especially when Daddy tickles me with his scratchy face and makes growly sounds on my tummy. He makes me laugh! 

Carolyn dressed up in a beautiful black and white dress for church on Sunday and was just tickled to look so pretty! You might notice the conspicuous lack of black shiny patent leather shoes- Carolyn did indeed have a pair of her very own... for about 2 hours. Alas, one of the shoes was lost at church- one shoe looks a little awkward for pictures; hence, the lack of shoes. :) But she still looks cute (despite the missing shoe and the big spitup mark on the beautiful dress... thank goodness kids' things wash! :))

Grammy and Papa Craig fixed up a whole room for little Carolyn- SO nice when we're coming from out of town to not have to cart all her stuff with us (Grandma and Grandpa Irving here in town also have a crib and a nice selection of baby stuff so we're covered all around!) :) At Grammy and Papa Craig's house this weekend, Carolyn met Pooh for the first time. Like any truly amazing 4-month-old, her first move was to try to bite off his nose. :)
Last night at a baby shower for someone I work with, Carolyn had a chance to get to know another person about her size- Brooklyn is 10 weeks older than Carolyn (and quite a bit more coordinated), but it seemed that both girls enjoyed trying to grab at one another. :) 

Carolyn seemed to "find her voice" this weekend when we went to visit Grammy and Papa Craig. She's started getting really loud!!! Every time the adults started to talk to each other, she'd pipe up with a nice, loud, aaaaeeeeoooooaaaaaeeeaaaa! She seemed to be experimenting with different inflections, volumes, and even pitches. It's so funny to listen to her yammer to herself. I love it! Here's a little clip of her chatting with Auntie Em this weekend.

Such a funny moment! I was getting ready to feed Carolyn yesterday and she just couldn't wait- she latched right on to my cheekbone and sucked and slobbered away. I laughed so hard- Brad took a little video, but sadly you can't post videos on blogs.

Tried on a new outfit yesterday and she looked so cute we had to get (another few) pictures. :)

Daddy and his little girl. 

Perhaps Carolyn's favorite part of the day was the lunch break we took in a crowded Starbucks- that girl will eat anywhere! :)

You might notice our "1094" shirts- that was my dad's number in the race. We had such a fun time being there to support him.
Carolyn enjoyed a chance to kick her legs on a nice comfy chair in the Starbucks.


This must have been Dad's favorite part of the day- he finished!!! I've rarely seen him so jubilant. Way to go Dad!!! 

This weekend we went to Chicago to watch Papa Craig run the Chicago Marathon. It was cold!!! Car0lyn was nice and cozy all curled up in her sling and under my windbreaker with this adorable hat on her head!



 

It's October 23 today. One year ago today we found out that we were expecting! I remember how unreal it felt to think that someone very tiny was growing inside me. I had no idea who she'd turn out to be (and I hope someday she forgives me for constantly referring to her as "he" while I was pregnant) but right from that very first moment I knew that I loved her. I loved knowing that God had designed me especially for carrying her and nurturing her, at that time, with every breath I took and every beat of my own heart. When I look at her now, it's hard to believe that God put that whole complete, wonderful person together from just a tiny cell- that everything she'd be was determined right from the very start- but she's here and He did!

Brad thought this picture was silly- but I felt it needed to be taken to document such an important, momentous occasion. I threw away the pregnancy tests after this. :) 

The air was quite crisp and a bit chilly- after such an intensive photo shoot, the little starlet was a little cold! She enjoyed snuggling back down among the blankets in her chariot. :)



 

Our latest family pictures. :) I think some of these turned out quite nicely. The first one is my favorite. :)


 

Kicking her legs in the leaves- makes a fun crunching sound
I'm afraid she doesn't like tummy time any better even in the leaves...
Daddy's trick.