Mom's Visit, Clarkesville, & B'ham

I guess I just ate my words. Obviously, the blog is working now. I knew that would happen as soon as I posted that is wasn't working. Thankfully, my husband is the best IT man around!

We have had a fun couple weeks around here. Two weeks ago Mom came to visit during her spring break. It really seemed more like her spring break was more of a spring break for me and John. She spoiled us! It was nice to catch up on work and things around the house during the day and a treat to have a built in babysitter each night! She spoiled Caroline too with constant attention. We always love her company!

While mom was here we went up to Clarkesville to meet baby Will (born March 5). Here are all the boys and Caroline. It was wild and fun having all of these little ones together. 5 kiddos under the age of 4.

G and Mimi with their grandkids. G is my mom's best friend and a second mom to me. Our families have been friends since I was 5. We have so many wonderful memories together and we love to all be together!

Then, last weekend we headed to B'ham to see friends. B'ham is a fun getaway for us to see old friends and relax.

Have I mentioned C is putting everything in her mouth these days? She wants to eat her doll.

She also loves her feet!

Lunch with friends
Ryan, Caroline, Laura, Mel, and Rus. Caroline loved being held and passed around the table.

Jana, Caroline, and Erin

Caroline maybe a little overwhlemed by the love at this point.

C is going to miss Melanie when she moves to Hong Kong. :(

Lindsey got engaged Friday! Lindsey is like a little sister to me. So happy I was in Bham the weekend this happened!


Sunday, mom and I took Caroline to a Bridal tea for my friend, Amy. She loved it and loved dressing up! This dress and bonnet was mine as a baby.

five

Friday was Caroline's 5 month birthday. She is at a fun stage and I feel like she is learning new things every week. I am loving watching her learn and change. Here is a little of what the munchkin is into these days:

-sleeps a solid 12 hours at night (7:30-7:30)

-has the most precious giggle!

-went through a small separation anxiety (from me and John) phase...I think it has passed for now.

-Still only nursing/using bottles lots. Eats 5 times a day.

-Plan to start a few solids soon

-Naps are slowly getting a little better (fingers crossed)!

Likes:

-to smile!

-to stare at new people (especially kids and other babies)

-grabs/reaches for anything

-being outside

-the stroller

-being awake all day

Dislikes:

-when I leave the room

-tummy time

-exersaucer

Lifesavers!

There are ALOT of baby gear,products, books, blogs, etc out there. These are a couple of my absolute favorites!! On many days, they truly are lifesavers. To me, these are must haves that you will not always know about or find as easily.

1. Praise Baby DVDs. These are awesome! They are 30 mins of soothing praise and worship music with video of babies, nature, shapes, animals, etc. It is so calming especially during the "witching" hour in the evening. I don't want Caroline watching TV much but I love these for while I am cooking dinner or just need a quiet moment. Go to http://www.praisebaby.com/ to order some.

2. Moms On Call book. This is seriously genius for moms out there like me. I did not know anything about babies (and still learning daily) before Caroline was born. A friend recommended this book and service to me. Basically, it is two moms in Atlanta who are also pediatric nurses and all they do is help moms! They love the Lord and love their calling as mothers. You can do consultations with them, online classes, or just order the book if you want. Caroline could be their poster child because she has followed everything they advise. And trust me, I love my child but it is not because of anything she is doing it is because these ladies know what they are talking about! Check out their website: http://www.momsoncall.com/
3. The BOB. The is the best stroller. There is an infant attachment piece you can buy separately and put the carrier in it for when your baby is too young to sit up. I did not (and still don't) want my house to fill up with all baby junk. So, when looking for a stroller I didn't want to have to spend money on two different ones or have to store two strollers somewhere (one for C to use as an infant and one to use later). Thankfully, someone before me already thought of this and created the Bob. John is a big runner and he made sure we had this ready for when Caroline arrived. I will say it is pricey but worth it if you love to run and walk. We use it everyday and sometimes twice a day.

4. http://www.babywisemom.blogspot.com/ This is my favorite go to website. I did not read babywise, but this is a great website for any questions you may have about your baby. The labels on the right hand side cover any topic you could think of. It is nice to read others advice and experiences. I love to learn from others and it is nice to read that what your baby does is normal so you don't call the nurse all the time!

On another note, my mom is here this week for her spring break! It is such a wonderful treat to have her extra hands to help and her company all week long! With her here, I might actually blog more than once this week!

Oh Mondays

I am getting really excited about warm weather (see more below) and so I tried Caroline's bathing suit on her. How cute is that bum bum?

Loves to be snuggled in that car seat these days. I think the hat is getting a little small though.

We nap in the stroller. Gotta do whatever works sometimes. Oh, I could just eat up those cheeks!

Caroline woke up at 5am this morning and John and I couldn't sleep anymore either. My mind has been racing ever since...

• Someone Egged our car last night - What in the world? People still do that? Yes, apparently. I guess we will not leave it parked on the street anymore.
• We are starting week 3 of Caroline all of a sudden refusing to take naps. I am letting her cry it out everyday - only she never falls asleep. Can you say strong- willed child? Yikes. It is sad and miserable for both of us. I have not idea what to do about it!
• John graduates 2 months from today. Wow! That was a very quick 2 years. Time is flying!
• I am so glad spring is making a little debut with warmer weather. Caroline and I have been on walks everyday for the last week for over an hour. Probably one of my favorite parts of the day by far. I have even worn shorts a couple times. Ahh...I love warm weather!
• Call me crazy - I am calling today to cancel our cable. I have been feeling convicted lately that we watch too much TV at night and we feel it is too expensive and something we do not really need. I have been threatening to do this for a while now. We did this the first 6 months of marriage and it was wonderful. Now, when football season starts back up it might be a different story.
• I really should be working right now!

I am not sure what spurred this random post, but happy Monday anyway!