Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Good Morning.

What do YOU do at 2:48 in the morning when you'd like to be sleeping but are up with a baby that thinks it is time to get up for the morning? Apparently, I blog.

Wednesday, assuming we get the all clear that the ear infection is gone, we begin cry it out. Because as much as I love my girl, I love my sleep too. :)

Friday, January 27, 2012

Preschool

Doesn't she look so grown up? At least, I always think so until I see how short she is next to the other kids. Then she remains my lil gal.Gwen was soooooo excited for her first day of preschool. We could hardly get her to hold still for any photos at all! and when I went to pick her up to come home, she bawled!

It has been exciting having our girl bring home "school" work. Today (I am writing this on Wednesday, even though it won't get posted til Friday) she brought home a pretty craft project-- some cottonball and cupcake liner flowers in a 2-D pot-- but the best part was her paper explaining her version of "what is that smell?". She drew a scribbly mess which the teacher labeled for her: "trash can". LOL. If it had been an assignment in our house it probably would have read "diaper".

I am excited for Gwen. She is loving this new stage of learning and socialization and that is exactly what we wanted for her.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Thank You Little Foot

I'll forever be grateful for a little dinosaur that could convince a very stubborn picky eater--
who cried and refused anything with even a speck of green
(I had to pick off EVERY SINGLE piece of herb from her meal or she'd turn it down flat)...
into a toddler who willingly and without a fuss consumed a pile of raw spinach with raspberry 'juice' (aka vinaigrette) for 3 consecutive dinners in a row because they were "tree stars".

Yes. Thank you Little Foot.
You did in one movie what we could not do in a year of persuading.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

20 lb loss, hooray!

Well, folks, I am excited to report that I have successfully lost 20 lbs since I started trying (gym and eating healthy) in late June (6 months ago)!

I am thrilled to have reached my pre-pregnancy weight! I've noticed, though, that even achieving my pre-prego weight has not gotten me back to my pre-prego figure. Apparently, I'm going to have to keep going. In fact, based upon the improvements I've seen over the past 20 lbs and the way I WANT to eventually look, I think I'm going to have to modify my goal weight (which is still 10 lbs away) down another 10 lbs. Which means, if you do the math, that I've reached the half way point! I am happy about it and super motivated to keep working because I'm feeling great and looking great too! My ultimate goal is more ubiquitous, rather than arriving at a specific weight: I want to be back in my favorite jeans from when I was engaged (size 6) and be trim and strong in general. I can't wait to be HOT by summer! (and I'll look awesome in all those graduation pics!)

So even though I'm only half way there, I'm stoked about a 20 lb milestone and looking for a non-food way to celebrate. Trouble is, we don't have any money. Hmmmm.... any ideas?

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Crystal Bridges

I love art. I'm passionate about it, even, though not enough to memorize all kinds of facts. And I'm very particular about what I like, though I have studied enough to be able to appreciate even the stuff I don't really like. I mean, I can see why it is famous or groundbreaking or whatever even if I don't particularly enjoy it. That said, I really loved this art museum we visited with my sister in NW Arkansas called Crystal Bridges.

I LOVE architecture and three dimensional art, and the buildings really drew me in right away with how unique the shapes are, the curving roof lines and mixing of metal and stone materials, the way the water reflects to create shimmering gold affects... really, it was stunning. I want to go back in the spring/summer when there are leaves on the trees. My pictures don't do it justice, but think of this as a teaser...



I really enjoyed seeing how much Gwen loved the sculptures too. She was only mildly interested in the paintings, but these large pieces drew her attention and kept it there. Reminds me of me.


and they had an awesome children's play area!




Tuesday, January 17, 2012

9 Months

I can hardly believe my baby is 9 months. Though she reached this milestone a week ago, and I loathe going back to retroactively post things (I think I'm going to rebel and NOT post all those December photos...unless I find I just have to share something). But it would be a shame to not document her progress.
Caroline is a happy girl, quick to laugh, smile, and make noise in general. She is reaching the 'into-everything' stage and keeps us on our toes. Everything goes in her mouth and everything makes her gag, and therefore everything makes her throw up too (this girl has a powerful gag reflex. She found a teeny piece of leaf at church this week and threw up in Relief Society-- don't worry folks, just a gag not a flu) . She has found every teeny piece of paper or lint or beads or leaf things that might have escaped our vacuum scrutiny. She finally started taking a bottle and is getting really good at it, but she still prefers to nurse when she is really tired.
Speaking of tired, Caroline's sleeping habits have gotten worse. Poor girl, she has been sick again this month (family visits share more than just love and memories---all the bugs go around too). She has digressed in her nightly sleeping, getting up at least twice for feedings. Her naps are unpredictable too. Some days she only gets a one hour nap total. You'd think those days would have her begging for an early bed time, but she still refuses to go down earlier than 10 every night. Oh, believe me, we've tried putting her down earlier. EVERY SINGLE TIME she ends up throwing up in her bed from crying and then we've got a tired grouchy baby AND a mess. She ends up falling asleep at random times. Like this.
or just looking tired and grouchy like this.
We are all eager for her to stop horsin around and get better sleep. Because she is much nicer when she is well rested. And everyone knows that MOM is much nicer well rested too!

Caroline has 4 teeth and is finally starting to do more with solids. Still not a ton, but she rarely gags on the pureed food now. Yes, we're still at puree. Can't even think about more substantial food yet since she still gags like crazy if it isn't ground up nice and fine. But at least she is enjoying food more these days. She had pizza puree last night and gobbled it right up!

My favorite is seeing her personality come out more and more. She LOVES music and making sounds. I have mentioned before that she loves percussion, well, that has increased. She figured out clapping and is thrilled to clap even when there is no music on. She loves to experiment with hitting different toys together to achieve different sounds. And if you are holding her, you can expect her to slap at you to see what you 'sound' like. She loves the sound of her own voice and babbles constantly when she is happy. Sometimes she experiments with various growls, lip smacks, raspberries, etc. She will find one she likes and do it for 1/2 an hour straight. Her favorite sounds are "geuh-geuh-geuh-geuh" (very gutteral and emphatic, like you just got punched in the belly) and "mahmahmahmah" (which is her chant for food). She ADORES Gwen and follows her around everywhere trying to grab her hair. She also figured out how to pull herself up to standing and attempts to cruise along the couch.

She's growing up so fast and I can hardly believe it! We sure to do love this gal!

Some short video clips for your viewing pleasure. Nothing spectacular, but I know certain grandparents who will like them anyway. :)