I can't believe it. Carolyn is nine months old today!!! Somehow in the last month, she has started to seem more and more like a little girl and less and less like a little baby! Her horizons are expanding so much with her blossoming mobility and she seems to delight so much in the world around her. I love to watch her exploring her world. She's so interactive and loves to play games with me- especially peekaboo and a loud screaming game in which we yell back and forth at each other. :) Since she is almost constantly in motion now, I think a video captures best what Carolyn is like at this age. Enjoy! It's about a minute and a half of little clips from the past couple days. :)
Friday, March 30, 2007
A New Friend
Today Carolyn made a new pal. Garrett, my friend Krysia's son, who is about 3 months old, came to stay with us for the day. We'll be hanging out with him every Friday. It was a little more complicated trying to get out the door with two little ones instead of just one, but overall, we had a great day. Carolyn was so excited when he came over this morning- she grinned so big when she saw him (he has very big, beautiful blue eyes). Garrett enjoyed sitting in my lap and we enjoyed watching Carolyn's antics together. He loved playing with some different toys than he has at home.
Together we went to Rachel's (and Heather's) house to play with Aidan and Caimon. Aidan was very interested to have another little boy around! He's been outnumbered by the girls three to one from the beginning!
Carolyn's been getting around so much more- she's very excited these days about climbing and clambering over different things- today she thought it would be fun to climb underneath the Exersaucer- until Aidan stepped on her!! :)
Together we went to Rachel's (and Heather's) house to play with Aidan and Caimon. Aidan was very interested to have another little boy around! He's been outnumbered by the girls three to one from the beginning!
Carolyn's been getting around so much more- she's very excited these days about climbing and clambering over different things- today she thought it would be fun to climb underneath the Exersaucer- until Aidan stepped on her!! :)
Monday, March 26, 2007
Grass and Swings
We flew from Austin to Chicago and by then, Carolyn was tired of being in her car seat, so we grabbed some lunch and picnicked at the park because (shockingly!) it was as warm up here today as it was down South!
Getting ready to take off...
Yum! Grass is gooooood!
Not quite sure what to think about the swing... but Mama knows she'll love it one day! :)
Getting ready to take off...
Yum! Grass is gooooood!
Not quite sure what to think about the swing... but Mama knows she'll love it one day! :)
Bluebonnets
Get ready! We took more than a hundred pictures of Carolyn in the bluebonnets... on three separate occasions, in three different locations. :) I loved it (if you don't, just scan and turn to the next page!) Bluebonnets just grow like crazy in Texas in the spring- they grew even taller and prettier during the few days we were there. Carolyn wasn't sure what to think at first, but she quickly discovered that the flowers are quite tempting for eating (though technically illegal to pick :)) The orange flowers that are in some of the pictures are called Indian Paintbrush.
Not quite sure what to think...
I love this look, with Carolyn surrounded by the beautiful flowers.
Our little family...
Had to include this one with that darling hat.
Contemplating the petals.
Mmmmm... tasty!
Considering another breach of the law...
Gotta love that blue dress in the field of blue and green!
Sweet little angel face.
Finally! A smile! We worked hard for that one!
Not quite sure what to think...
I love this look, with Carolyn surrounded by the beautiful flowers.
Our little family...
Had to include this one with that darling hat.
Contemplating the petals.
Mmmmm... tasty!
Considering another breach of the law...
Gotta love that blue dress in the field of blue and green!
Sweet little angel face.
Finally! A smile! We worked hard for that one!
On the Barton Side
Carolyn was subjected to a flurry of relatives this weekend! Saturday we went down to San Antonio to visit the Barton side (my dad's mom, brothers, and their families) for the day.
Carolyn enjoyed looking at her reflection in the plate of the new tea set that Grans gave to her. She also loved the noise the plate made as it banged on the floor.
Necklaces are soooo cool!
The whole group together (minus Grammy who was taking the picture).
Carolyn enjoyed looking at her reflection in the plate of the new tea set that Grans gave to her. She also loved the noise the plate made as it banged on the floor.
Necklaces are soooo cool!
The whole group together (minus Grammy who was taking the picture).
At Grace House
One of the major reasons we went to Texas was so that Carolyn could have a chance to meet the last of her great-grandparents- my mother's mother, my Granny. Granny and Papa live together at an assisted living facility called Grace House and on Friday afternoon we went over there along with Peyton and his mom Erica.
Here's Papa with his two great-grandbabies.
Carolyn meets Granny. She is far, far receded into the fog of Alzheimer's Disease and it was sad to see her seem so lost. It really seemed to me like she was just sort of stuck behind a tangle of something that prevented her from being able to communicate or comprehend- in many ways similar to how she was at the beginning of her illness, just at a greater severity level- at first, years ago, she seemed to "lose" herself in the middle of her thoughts- now she seems to lose the thought just a split second after catching it, so she is essentially stuck, but I really believe that somewhere in there, the Granny I knew is there. I like to think that on a deeper level, she was pleased that we came and if she could speak, she would certainly have wanted to tell Carolyn how beautiful she is and how much she loves her.
Four "Anns:" Doris Ann, Kathryn Ann, Elizabeth Ann, and Carolyn Ann. :)
Here's Papa with his two great-grandbabies.
Carolyn meets Granny. She is far, far receded into the fog of Alzheimer's Disease and it was sad to see her seem so lost. It really seemed to me like she was just sort of stuck behind a tangle of something that prevented her from being able to communicate or comprehend- in many ways similar to how she was at the beginning of her illness, just at a greater severity level- at first, years ago, she seemed to "lose" herself in the middle of her thoughts- now she seems to lose the thought just a split second after catching it, so she is essentially stuck, but I really believe that somewhere in there, the Granny I knew is there. I like to think that on a deeper level, she was pleased that we came and if she could speak, she would certainly have wanted to tell Carolyn how beautiful she is and how much she loves her.
Four "Anns:" Doris Ann, Kathryn Ann, Elizabeth Ann, and Carolyn Ann. :)
Chick Fil A
All the yummy food was one of the highlights of our trip. On Friday, we took Carolyn to Chick Fil A where we all drooled over the delicious chicken that actually tastes like chicken! 
Carolyn even tried some! She's started to eat more table food in addition to her baby food and seems to really enjoy the experience of various textures and tastes.
She thought it was sooo funny to"hide" behind the lid to her bowl and quickly discovered that her funny faces got quite a reaction from her audience (aka the paparazzi :))
Carolyn even tried some! She's started to eat more table food in addition to her baby food and seems to really enjoy the experience of various textures and tastes.
She thought it was sooo funny to"hide" behind the lid to her bowl and quickly discovered that her funny faces got quite a reaction from her audience (aka the paparazzi :))
More with Peyton
Well, we're back from Texas! We've had such a busy time the last few days that I haven't had time to put any pictures on the blog... so here they all come! We had a wonderful time with family and the sunny weather and Carolyn has really seemed to blossom the past week or so. She's learning and doing so much more!!!
AAAAA! Carolyn's been into this funny screech lately- and here she is trying real hard to get on her hands and knees- she gets up, rocks for a minute, then flops on the ground again. :)
Isn't Peyton cute?!
See these teeth?!
Tiny little hands.
AAAAA! Carolyn's been into this funny screech lately- and here she is trying real hard to get on her hands and knees- she gets up, rocks for a minute, then flops on the ground again. :)
Isn't Peyton cute?!
See these teeth?!
Tiny little hands.
Friday, March 23, 2007
Bathtime
We had a great time in the bath this morning. I've never just plopped Carolyn into the tub without the ducky or some other bath device and she absolutely loved playing with the water coming down from the faucet. I love the look of pure, unadulterated joy on her face! She makes me laugh and smile so much more than I did before she came. 
In Texas!
Well, we made it to Texas, the land of my roots! Almost my whole extended family lives here- in Austin, San Antonio, or Fort Worth and here we are to visit them! I was born in Lubbock, Texas, and lived in the great state until I was 10, when we moved to Oklahoma, followed by a stint in New Mexico and finally ending up in Michigan, where I went to most of high school and all of college, moved to Phoenix for pharmacy school and then back to Michigan where we live now. :) Today we will go to visit my mom's parents who live in a sort of long term care facility (Granny has Alzheimer's and Papa is just sort of lost without her, so they stay together). I am hoping to get some pictures of Carolyn in the bluebonnets (beautiful blue wildflowers that grow everywhere here in the spring) and visit a playground with a bucket swing for the first time since it is nice and warm here. :)
Carolyn did very well on the plane flight yesterday, though it was a long day for all of us, filled with the usual (and even some of the more unusual) delays. We flew through Chicago Midway and all the screens said our flight was delayed by more than an hour so we decided to have a more leisurely lunch than we might otherwise have had- midway through our sandwiches and soup and with all kinds of paraphernalia out on the table for Carolyn, the announcer says over the PA that they are boarding our flight- almost an hour before we expected them to! Evidently the plane came in early and they were going to try and take off as planned. So we ran! And ran and ran! And very out of breath, we made it to the gate on onto the plane… where we sat… for about 45 more minutes- waiting for other unfortunate passengers who assumed that the tv monitors had the correct departure time! Fortunately, Carolyn had many willing attendants and many fascinating things to look at and touch- like the little blower thingie that blows air down.
She loved looking out the window at everything going on on the ground. Sadly, one thing that was not happening on the ground was our luggage being loaded onto the plane (something about that last sentence doesn't seem right grammatically but I don't care...) The luggage finally arrived last night after midnight! We're just glad to have it- but we wish they'd included a voucher or something for our inconvenience! :)
Here Carolyn meets Peyton, her second cousin- about 4 months younger than she is and super, super cute!!!! I loved having a chance to chat with my cousin Erica about all the joys of mommyhood and Peyton loved staring at Carolyn and Carolyn loved trying to get at Peyton's eyes.
Another big highlight for Carolyn was Jessie, Aunt Nancy's dog, who is very friendly (unlike our dog, who most of the time won't let her in sight of him!) Jessie kept trying to lick Carolyn's face and Carolyn would shriek with delight!
Carolyn is becoming more and more mobile every day. She's getting so close to being able to crawl on all fours and has started climbing and trying to pull up on everything! She was fascinated with this table that she could climb up under and crawl across! I love to see the light of the explorer in her sweet eyes!
Carolyn did very well on the plane flight yesterday, though it was a long day for all of us, filled with the usual (and even some of the more unusual) delays. We flew through Chicago Midway and all the screens said our flight was delayed by more than an hour so we decided to have a more leisurely lunch than we might otherwise have had- midway through our sandwiches and soup and with all kinds of paraphernalia out on the table for Carolyn, the announcer says over the PA that they are boarding our flight- almost an hour before we expected them to! Evidently the plane came in early and they were going to try and take off as planned. So we ran! And ran and ran! And very out of breath, we made it to the gate on onto the plane… where we sat… for about 45 more minutes- waiting for other unfortunate passengers who assumed that the tv monitors had the correct departure time! Fortunately, Carolyn had many willing attendants and many fascinating things to look at and touch- like the little blower thingie that blows air down.
She loved looking out the window at everything going on on the ground. Sadly, one thing that was not happening on the ground was our luggage being loaded onto the plane (something about that last sentence doesn't seem right grammatically but I don't care...) The luggage finally arrived last night after midnight! We're just glad to have it- but we wish they'd included a voucher or something for our inconvenience! :)
Here Carolyn meets Peyton, her second cousin- about 4 months younger than she is and super, super cute!!!! I loved having a chance to chat with my cousin Erica about all the joys of mommyhood and Peyton loved staring at Carolyn and Carolyn loved trying to get at Peyton's eyes.
Another big highlight for Carolyn was Jessie, Aunt Nancy's dog, who is very friendly (unlike our dog, who most of the time won't let her in sight of him!) Jessie kept trying to lick Carolyn's face and Carolyn would shriek with delight!
Carolyn is becoming more and more mobile every day. She's getting so close to being able to crawl on all fours and has started climbing and trying to pull up on everything! She was fascinated with this table that she could climb up under and crawl across! I love to see the light of the explorer in her sweet eyes!
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Silly Sounds with Daddy
When I picked Carolyn up from the nursery, the worker said that she had been sitting there listening to herself make this noise for about 10 minutes! Last night she discovered that with Daddy's help, she could make the sound even louder and more fun!
Monday, March 19, 2007
Butterflies and Flowers
Today we went to the big butterfly exhibit in town with Kelly and Isaiah. We had a great time! It was 85 degrees in the butterfly room with what must have been about 90% humidity- sooo warm! Had to strip the kiddos down to keep them comfortable (while wishing we could do the same!) I think we enjoyed the pretty butterflies more than they did, but they did seem to get a kick out of the scenery and Isaiah especially seemed to really watch where the butterflies were going (Carolyn mostly wanted to try and eat all the green plants). Still, we got some cute pictures in the flowers in one of the rooms we walked through before we got to the butterflies.
Why Mom? Why? You stick me in front of these pretty plants and then tell me I can't grab the leaves and stick them in my mouth? What are you, nuts? Just get the silly picture over with- and don't even think about asking me to smile!
Hey, check it out, Carolyn- I think I saw an ant!
Really? You're super cute! Wanna see some flutterbies?
Mommy loves me; she really does.
All 4 of us. :)
Why Mom? Why? You stick me in front of these pretty plants and then tell me I can't grab the leaves and stick them in my mouth? What are you, nuts? Just get the silly picture over with- and don't even think about asking me to smile!
Hey, check it out, Carolyn- I think I saw an ant!
Really? You're super cute! Wanna see some flutterbies?
Mommy loves me; she really does.
All 4 of us. :)
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