So many firsts

Though Caroline has been with us for over a year now, it still feels like practically every day holds at least one first! This makes life so exciting and so special.

Yesterday was full of exciting firsts.

• first glimpse of a molar cutting through- we thought she was working on her canines. We knew she was having some hard teething times, but... this explains it!
  
• first lollipop- a chocolate caramel dum dum from the bin at the doc's office after she fairly gracefully endured what was not her first shot and after we glimpsed that first molar. She sucked it joyously as we drove on to...
  
• first visit to the Monkey's Treehouse- this is a fabulous play center to which Pa and Eepa blessed us with 20 day passes for a Christmas present this year. There is an area for 2 and under with a cool padded climbing area, a ball pit, and a slide... and some other neat things too. And there is a huge play area with all sorts of centers- a place for digging, for dress up, for dinosaur play, for art work, for climbing, a grocery area, and so much more. We returned home to snow and snow days. This place was crawling with kids for our first visit! Nothing could make C happier. Big boys practically jumped on her and she was non-plussed. One of the moms said "She's tough." Yup. While at the Monkey's Treehouse (at which daddy and C will surely spend lots of time this year!) she had a few more firsts...
  
• first time in a ball pit- she was pleased.
  
• first time down a slide- it was a sturdy, small slide with wide steps for climbing up. I helped her climb the stairs a few times and slide down. She didn't quite get the hang of it herself; though she had much fun trying to climb up the slide!
  
• first encounter with a "My Little Pony"- Some girls were carrying a bunch around in a play shopping cart which they then abandoned. C then did one of things she did best which was to empty whatever is before her. She seemed quite taken by the pretty hair.
  
• first exposure to our favorite spicy peanut sauce dish- she couldn't eat it fast enough. Garlic? Cayenne? Chili Powder? Ginger? No problem!
  

I've also been sorting through clothes a lot in the past few days, what with unpacking and new hand-me-downs and Christmas presents, etc. C loves dumping bags of clothes and then picking them up one by one. She is trying to put them on! It is the cutest thing.

She also seems to have picked up a word for "doggie" in the past few days. I was watching the news last night and they were doing a segment on fostering puppy dogs and she went right up to the screen to try to pet the dogs and was saying something that started with d and ended with an "ee" sound. in between is something that is hard to transliterate, a cross between an "i" and an "o" for the vowel and a doubled consonant that sounds a bit like a g,d,and t all at once. I think she has a similar word for kitty that starts with a hard c sound. Today she was pointing at my eye over and over again and I'd say eye and I'm pretty sure she started repeating me.

We're watching the baby signing d.v.d. with her as much as possible and I think she's beginning to pick up some signs. Thanks again, Silent.

We were wondering how Caroline would do once we returned to calmer, quieter life at home. She's definitely had some hard moments, but she's doing well. She actually slept for almost 5 hours in her crib last night and that was after a nearly three hour nap with the two of us that stretched into the evening. She was very upset when she awoke, however, and ended up in bed with us. Last night was progress, however... and we'll take it.

I have put all the pictures I think I'd like to post into a folder and now I just need to start posting. Get ready for SEVERAL back to back picture posts.