Things are Looking Up

We are happy to report that we are logging more sleep hours in our house. Caroline continues to have a regular five-hour stretch each night and I am sleeping until 7 a.m. again. The delayed sunrise has helped this! (Finally a bright side to the dark mornings- pun intended).

Caroline is getting bigger all the time. She was officially one month old yesterday. She is holding her head up some and even smiled for the first time this week. And guess who she smiled at? Me! We even have a picture of it!

Caroline had some outings this week. She went to a Rotary meeting with Mom and was quite the star of the show. She was introduced as an official (but tiny) guest and many of Mom's fellow Rotarians who are grandparents were lining up to hold her. Then on Saturday we all went to a Notre Dame game watch and managed to keep all parties happy through the first half of the game. And we were all happy with the final outcome!

Now to news from me. I continue to be a great big sister and am always saying funny things. We have had some rough bedtimes where I was very loud and have woken up Caroline. And I say, "I wake up Caroline, but just a little bit . . ." I also have been telling Daddy that he is "larious" (hilarious). And one day when Mommy called me "her little bug" I said "Bugs are yucky! I a yucky bug?" And now, every night when she says "good night, Bug" I say "I a yucky bug" with a big grin on my face (I think I am larious, too).

The Good and the Bad

Where did August go? It passed in a blur as far as we're concerned. We spent the first third of the month waiting for Caroline to arrive, the second third of the month waiting for Caroline to wake up and the third third of the month waiting for her to go to sleep.

The highlights of our weekend involved the potty and the hope of any one of us taking a nap. These are exciting times!

My news is that I made the trip to pick out big girl underwear. If you're wondering, I got Hello Kitty, Dora and princesses. I have been doing very well with potty training, but we have been waiting for things to settle down before making the official conversion. I have been talking about buying "panties" since last weekend and Mom and Dad have leveraged my excitement at every opportunity. On Saturday we had a few puddles on the floor, but Sunday and Monday were very successful. While Mom was busy with Caroline Sunday morning, Dad instituted the new "candy shop" reward system and Mom came downstairs to find me happy as a clam enjoying some treats sitting on a bar stool.

Now let me fill you in on the good and the bad of our week.
Lowlight: Mom: "Do you have to go potty" Me: "No" One minute later "Uh-oh, Mom!" (as a pool forms at her feet). Highlight: I was wearing Crocs (very washable!)

Lowlight: Sunday early morning, Caroline wakes at 1:30, 4, 5:30. I wake at 6, Caroline back up at 6:45.
Highlight: Monday early morning. 5 hour stretch of sleep from 11 to 4 a.m. Both of us sleep until 7:15.

Mom and Dad invent the timer game to get me to sleep until 7 a.m. and tell me that I have to stay in bed until my lamp comes on in the morning.
Lowlight: Saturday night. I reprogram the timer and get up at 6 anyway.
Highlight: With the bribe of donuts on the way to the parade, I play the timer game and sleep until 7:15.

Aside from all these fun things, we have been able to get on a little more of a schedule and have some more fun time. Today we all went to a big parade and I had a great time and Caroline had a great nap-- even when the marching band was going right by us!

A Little Late . . .

Please forgive our tardiness with the latest blog posting! We just don't get to the computer like we used to. We're all busy taking care of Caroline.

I have been a good helper-- I help with bottles and baths and whenever Caroline cries I yell "Baby's crying!!!" to make sure everyone is aware (how helpful!).

Caroline went in for her last weight check today and weighed a healthy 8 lbs. 15 oz. (up from 8 lbs 6 oz. last Wednesday) so the doctor is pleased with her progress. We discovered that she has a small birthmark by her left eye. We asked about it last week, but Caroline was screaming her head off so her whole face was red and the pediatrician couldn't see what we were talking about! She said it will probably grow in size and then fade by the time she is 2 or 3.

We were busy this past weekend. We went to Indianapolis for Aunt Jen's baby shower on Saturday. Caroline and I were terrific in the car. She slept the whole way and I happily played with my surprises from the treat bag. Us girls stayed with Dad, Poppy and Uncle Buddy while Mom, Jen and Grandma went to the shower. We headed back home late that afternoon and Caroline had another wonderful nap. Mom thinks she might drive to Indy every day so that she can sleep that well!

On Sunday we went to Columbus to have lunch with Lorie who was in town from PEI. This car ride didn't go so well. Caroline napped, but I did not and I was quite vocal about not wanting to. Once there I was so excited to see Lorie, but got a little ornery during lunch. Lorie kept saying "Suzie, you stop it" because I reminded her of my Aunt Suzie when she used to babysit for Jamie, David and Suzie.

The second photo is of me modeling some of my Big Sister presents. Mom's friends Ricia and Joy got me special gifts- a big girl necklace and fancy princess slippers.

Mom had a great break today. After the doctor's appointment, Dad came and got Caroline for a few hours and Mom got a long nap and then Daddy brought dinner home. At least someone in this house is a good napper! We're looking forward to the long weekend and hope our new double stroller that we ordered arrives in time to break it in at the parade on Monday.

Firsts

First let me tell you that I am officially 2 and 2/3 years old now. I am adjusting to the big sister lifestyle, but have had my demanding moments.

Caroline is doing well and we're enjoying all her firsts. Grandma and Poppy helped with her first sponge bath last week. For the most part she liked it-- especially the sound of the running water. Her cord fell off on Friday, so once the stub heals up we'll be able to give her a real bath and I can't wait to help.

We took our first family ride in the minivan together and that went pretty well. Caroline has had a lot of medical visits this week, so she's no stranger to driving around in the van. She had several weight checks and two blood tests for jaundice. She reached her birth weight as of Saturday and her billirubin level was down as of Friday, so we're all clear on the jaundice now, too.

We're settling into some routines, but every day seems to be different. Lily is exhausted from working the night shift with Mom. She lays on the floor in the nursery while Mommy feeds Caroline, so she needs to nap during the day when she can.


Here is Caroline sound asleep in her crib (patterened pajamas). Doesn't she look like me in this photo?

On Sunday Mom and I had some mother-daughter time. We went to buy some new shoes (for me, not her) and went to pick out a new lunchbox. I selected a Hello Kitty lunchbox/backpack and am quite smitten with it!

At Home

We welcomed Caroline home on Friday and the adjustment has begun. Friday night was rough! I was up crying. The baby was up crying. And I think there were times when Mommy and Daddy were crying! We made some adaptations on Saturday (got me to sleep with my door closed and bought a new white noise machine with beach sounds so that I feel like I am back at JJ and SuSu's house) and had a much better night.

I am enjoying being a big sister and constantly want to know where my baby is and I love to give her hugs and kisses and help out. She brought me a present home from the hospital- my own baby doll, so I have her to take care of, too.

We got one of those funny storks for our yard (I call it a duck) and I am very excited about it! Someone in our neighborhood had two in their yard several weeks ago with the arrival of twins and I really wanted two of them for our yard, but I was still excited about one pink one.

Aunt Jen and Uncle Buddy came to meet Caroline on Saturday and Mom and Dad and Poppy and Grandma were we happy to have some new alert people in the house, so that some napping could take place. They are expecting my cousin in late October.

Things have gotten better with each night. Last night Caroline had a five hour stretch. Mommy couldn't believe it when she woke up and looked at the clock. It turns out Poppy paid Caroline a special visit at 1:30 to settle her down and that was enough to get her from 10 until 3 AM! We're hoping we can repeat that performance tonight. Caroline went to the pediatrician today and she is doing a good job gaining back to her birth weight. She is 50-75th percentile in everything (weight, height, head circumference). She is more alert now and Mom sees a lot of the expressions and mannerisms that I had as a baby.

Poppy and Grandma are planning to go home on Wednesday. I will miss having them here and Mom and Dad will miss the help. Hopefully we'll be able to get settled into something of a routine soon.

Introducing Caroline Elizabeth

My baby sister is finally here! She arrived early on Wednesday morning-- at 5:16 a.m. to be exact. Her name is Caroline Elizabeth and she weighed 8 pounds 4 ounces (a full pound less than me!) and measured 20.5 inches.

Mommy and Daddy left for the hospital on Tuesday evening for Mommy to be induced. They thought things might take a while, but Caroline was ready to arrive-- quite punctual at just 6 hours past her due date. Grandma was here with me and I was so excited to wake up and find out that I was a big sister. Here is our last family photo as a "party of three."

After receiving the news, Poppy arrived on Wednesday and that afternoon Poppy and Grandma went to the hospital to meet Caroline. Then Daddy got me from school early so that I could finally see her. I was shy and very excited all at once. I did a great job being gentle and loved touching her face and hands and giving her kisses. I was quite worried about her hat falling off and very protective of her. I also wanted to know where Mommy's big belly went!

Caroline seems to be a good baby, but Mom and Dad are quickly realizing the days of their "man advantage" are over. We'll post some coming home photos soon, but we wanted to get these up today. Thanks for checking in on us! I have to go be a big sister now!

Not yet

We've spent the weekend keeping busy while waiting for Little Miss Purple to decide to arrive. Nothing yet. We should have a plan after Mom goes to the doctor tomorrow morning.

Grandma is here helping us get ready and I have ben busy testing out all the baby equipment. All of a sudden I like walks in the stroller again and have been getting some good exercise in the baby play gym! I also like playing with my doll in the "baby room" which is actually the dining room, but the current headquarters for all baby merchandise.

Hopefully, we will email tomorrow with an update!

No News . . .

. . . is boring. For those who are just checking in, Mom went to the doctor yesterday and there has been no change since last week, so we don't know when the baby will arrive. Grandma is here on standby and our house is really getting clean while she's waiting! Mom goes back to the doctor on Monday and they will decide if and when to induce then.

The good news is that Mom and Dad will get to keep their anniversary dinner date scheduled for tonight. (They were married eight years ago on Tuesday!)

Still Waiting . . .

No baby news here yet. Grandma comes Tuesday to be on stand-by so hopefully nothing happens before then. It was 90+ degrees here, so we had a quiet weekend, with the highlight being a trip to Dairy Queen for an ice cream cone. As usual, I enjoyed every bite!

We had my second-to-last swimming lesson on Saturday. I am doing great and can almost back float by myself.

I am also doing better at staying in my bed. The last two nights I have gone right to sleep, after several late nights of fighting it. We'll have to see what happens once the baby comes . . . We'll keep posting updates so that you know when I am officially a big sister.

Ultrasound

Well, Mom had her ultrasound today and we got a few new pictures of my baby sister. The first photo is of part of her face. She is laying on her side in this photo and you can see her nose and lips near the right side of the frame. She was pretty crunched in there, so Mom and Dad found it hard to tell what was what! The other photo is of her foot (near the top of the screen).

The technician told Mom and Dad that the baby weighed 7 lbs. 11 oz. (plus or minus 14 oz.). So with a margin of error of almost a pound, the ultrasound didn't tell us much. Mom sees the doctor again on Thursday, so hopefully we know more then about when she will arrive! The one thing that we were able to confirm is that it is her bum that is jabbing Mommy in the side by her ribs. Stay tuned for more news . . .

Countdown

It is baby countdown time at our house! After this weekend we are close(r?) to being ready. But let me tell you, it is not easy carrying this baby around!

So the nursery is all painted and the baby clothes are washed. Boy, does this kid have a cute wardrobe! I keep discovering old favorites and I want to take them back to my room. I was shocked when a pair of sandals I wore when I was six months old did not fit anymore.

Mom & Dad took me to pick out a present for my Baby Sister. I picked an outfit (pink onsie- pictured) for her to wear home from the hospital. I also wanted to throw everything else I saw into the cart for her. Mom and Dad had to restrain me before I pulled everything off the racks at Babies 'R Us!

I helped adjust the crib so it is back to its highest level. You can see I am very good with the tools. "Me do it, Daddy!" I kept yelling.

Aside from the baby preparations, we had time for some fun this weekend, too. We had swimming lessons Saturday morning. In the afternoon, I got my hair cut at Daddy's place (Mom did not know he was taking me there), and thankfully it turned out cute. On Sunday we went to this local petting zoo . They had an interesting combination of animals, mostly all contained in one big area. We saw an elk, zebra, camels, ostriches, chickens, cows, deer and more. I was nervous about some of the bigger animals and didn't want to give them any food from my food cup, but Daddy helped me. You can see I was really happy about the zebra!

Once we saw some animals my own size (baby goat and kangaroo) I was more comfortable, but I still was concerned about my food supply and didn't want to give any of the animals "too much."

In other news I will be moving up to the next class at school in late September. I will be one of the youngest in the preschool program, but my teacher thinks I am almost ready. I will get learn Spanish! I am still adjusting to life in the big girl bed. It has been hard this week and I have decided that I am afraid of the dark (selectively) and insist on having multiple lights on. Last night I did better and was asleep around 9 p.m. This was good since the night before it was 11:15 by the time I stopped goofing around and fretting about things like "there's a mark on my step stool!")

Swimming

Hi! Here I am at my swimming lessons. Don't I look like I am having fun? I say that my favorite part is the toys, but I also love to blow bubbles, jump in and do back float.

I have been in my new room for over a week now, and now that the novelty has worn off, I am not quite so happy about it all. I get up a lot and get into whatever I can find in my room. A few times I have gotten up, put my Crocs on and gone back to bed. On Saturday during my nap all was quiet and then I yelled down to Mom. When she came up, I had applied Neosporin all over myself. My face was glistening and I proudly declared "I do medicine, Mama." I also have emptied my kleenex box, moved every book on my book shelf into my bed, danced on my picture frames and rearranged my shoes. My room might have to remain a little spartan for awhile . . .

Poppy and Grandma Boppy were here on Sunday and Monday. They got the nursery (my old room) painted yellow for Baby Purple. Mom feels much better now that that is done. Purple's room is going to be a little like my old nursery, but with more pink accents. We will spend this weekend getting some things ready for her. I am mostly excited about my new baby sister, but I am sure it will be a big adjustment. Mom has 3 weeks until her due date, so we'll keep you posted!