Feet

Carolyn's been into feet lately. :) Every time I go to change her diaper, she waves her feet in the air and tries to catch them and (of course) put them into her mouth- she hasn't quite succeeded yet, but she's getting closer. I can't believe how flexible little babies' bodies are- I certainly couldn't do that! :)



 

Fun Times

Carolyn learned how to pull the cord on her jiggling butterfly today... but instead of pulling it and letting it go, she pulled it down and used the butterfly to jam at all the other hanging animals to make them move and make music. She's so cute!

A New Experience

Our pediatrician has advised us to begin introducing Carolyn to rice cereal a few times each week (to prepare her for her eventual entrance into the variety of "solid" foods available in today's infant market beginning when she is 6 months old in January). Tonight (after yet another night of Carolyn waking up screaming at 130 am after eating at 930pm), we decided to try it. Who knows, maybe it will help her sleep at night- or maybe it won't, but it at least makes some great pictures! :)
Before... ready to try something new...
What's this goofy thing in my mouth? And what is this slop they're trying to feed me? It tastes like milk, yet not exactly... there's something else... what could it be?
I am told that the mess afterwards is an important part of the experience. :)
Fun with the spoon. It will be no time at all until she wants to start feeding herself! Ouch! She's growing up too fast! But it sure is a fun ride. :) 

Raspberries

Lest you disbelieve us that Carolyn can indeed make a "raspberry" sound, may I direct your attention to the following video (which hopefully will work!)

Giving Thanks

This Thanksgiving, I am most thankful for the wonderful little family that God has blessed us with- and especially the little girl who brings so much light, light, and laughter into our home. A year ago, when I was giving thanks for the life growing inside me, I could never have imagined the love I would come to have for this little miracle that started out as something so small- only about an inch long last November, and now grown into our beautiful, bubbly, bouncing baby girl. God is so good! :)
 

And We Ate

Carolyn listens intently to the conversation around the Thanksgiving dinner table- hands folded, as she often does. :)
Hey! That looks good! I'd like to try some of that!! :) I can already see the mess she'll be making next Thanksgiving! :)

Since it was unseasonably warm (for Michigan) on Thanksgiving, we all went out after dinner for a nice 2-mile stroll (well, more like a "roll" for Carolyn... :))- except Mom, who stayed behind to guard the baking pies. :) It was a pleasant departure from our typically sedentary post-dinner coma. :)
 

In the Kitchen

In the words of one of Carolyn's favorite books (a much-chewed-upon board book entitled "My First Thanksgiving"), "there's lots to do in the kitchen!" :)

LMC enjoyed gnawing upon her very own set of plastic measuring spoons. Yum!

Shelly creates Chocolate Dessert Delicious
Mom and I make pie crusts (for pumpkin and apple pies, respectively)
Brad samples some of the GSCs (girl scout cookies- thin mints to be specific) for the Chocolate Dessert. 

Family Fun

We spent Thanksgiving with the Barton contingent and Carolyn had a great time interacting with all the relatives- most notably her Great-Granddad (my dad's dad), who was up from North Carolina for the occasion (bottom picture).

I'm so glad that she has been able to meet three of her five living great-grandparents (number four comes this Christmas, and one of these days we will make it down to Texas to meet number five). What a blessing to have such a wonderful heritage around her. She'll never remember, but I'm thankful that she's had a chance to touch the generations that have gone before.

She always has a willing audience And one of her biggest fans is her Papa Craig :)
I think Granddad made a friend. :) 

First Kiss

On Saturday night, we went to a get-together at a friend's house and Carolyn met a special little guy there...
"Hello, my name is Keenan Sparks. I'm six months old. How old are you?"
"I'm Carolyn. I'm four and a half months old. I don't sit up quite as well as you do, but I'm learning. I like your shirt. Can I eat it?"
"How 'bout a smooch on the nose? No? Okay, I'm coming anyway!"
"Ooops... I think they saw us."

The End. 

Random Fun-ness

Carolyn's first ride in a Mini- Lisa and her husband Matt have twin (fraternal twins; they are different colors) Minis and we enjoyed cruising around on Saturday in one of them. :)
First visit to Scottsdale Fashion Square Mall- Brad and I enjoyed many happy hours there when we lived in Phoenix; it's a great place to window shop (or really shop if you have a lot of money- not exactly a bargain basement type of place)
One thing we learned about Carolyn this weekend (or maybe it's something she's just started doing) is that she loves to fold her little hands like this- especially when she is tired. She slept most of the way on the plane and she would just put her hands together like she was praying and drift off to sleep- sooo cute! Here she's having some tummy time- but doesn't want to unclasp her hands! :)
Leg Kicking time on the grass (well, on a blanket on the grass). 

Random Fun-ness

Carolyn's first ride in a Mini- Lisa and her husband Matt have twin (fraternal twins; they are different colors) Minis and we enjoyed cruising around on Saturday in one of them. :)
First visit to Scottsdale Fashion Square Mall- Brad and I enjoyed many happy hours there when we lived in Phoenix; it's a great place to window shop (or really shop if you have a lot of money- not exactly a bargain basement type of place)
One thing we learned about Carolyn this weekend (or maybe it's something she's just started doing) is that she loves to fold her little hands like this- especially when she is tired. She slept most of the way on the plane and she would just put her hands together like she was praying and drift off to sleep- sooo cute! Here she's having some tummy time- but doesn't want to unclasp her hands! :)
Leg Kicking time on the grass (well, on a blanket on the grass). 

Meeting People

We went on this whirlwind trip back to Phoenix so that LMC could meet some of our "family" out there. Our years in Phoenix were very special to us because we had a really close set of friends who were all right where we were in life at the time, and also a wonderful church body to be part of and serve in... we are so thankful for the lifelong friendships we made while we lived there and were delighted to introduce Carolyn to some of the most wonderful people she's likely ever to meet. :)
At breakfast Saturday morning with Nathan and Jodi Buckles After sleeping through church, Carolyn enjoys some time with her Auntie Lisa (one of my closest friends)
Here is Carolyn with "Grandma" Mook- this is the mother of "Carolyn Ann the First," and because Steve and Carolyn are such good friends that they feel like family, we've always felt a little bit like we were part of their families too... so we wanted the Mooks to meet the little girl who shares their daughter's name, and hopefully also their daughter's character!
One of the neatest things about being back for the weekend was going to church on Sunday night and seeing some of the kids we worked with in AWANA while we were there. This is Esther, one of my TNT girls- she and her sister Rachel were always so very special to us because we got to drive them home from AWANA and got to know them better. It was fun to introduce them to little Carolyn. 

Another New Skill!

Carolyn further shocked us this weekend with her astounding progress by learning, out of the blue, how to blow raspberries with her mouth! She was so tickled by this new skill that she kept demonstrating it for us all weekend long. We just laughed and laughed. :)



Of course, this dynamic feat does come with its own risks... mainly that of drowning in the flood of drool necessary for the best effect. :)