Here she is just today. These were the best shots I could get as she watched "baby signing time" after her afternoon nap. We picked up a few more of these great d.v.d.'s at the library last week near the end of the marathon walk that she and I took together. The one in which she's touching her nose shows her in the midst of her version of "bird." She does this particular sign backwards, but it works! And she said "buhd" as she does it. You might also be able to tell from these pics that she was desperately in need of a bath. No, we're not neglectful parents; we're good citizens! Given the terrible flooding here this past weekend we've been asked to conserve water, some of the water treatment plants are out of commission. So we've been doing all we can. But daddy and I gave in and took quick showers for the first time in days- water conserving showers (get wet, turn the shower off, soap up, turn the shower on!)- and she got a shallow bath this evening. We were all getting GROSS. She is her daddy's baby. She sweats like crazy! Now that the weather is warming up she's been a once-a-day bather! Until the conservation began in earnest.
After I started writing this, she climbed up on my lap and started flipping through "Green Eggs and Ham." She LOVES to flip through books these days. She loves to have books read to her, but she also likes just turning the pages back and forth, particularly in hard cover book with regular paper pages. She was on my lap so it was tricky to get pics, but here are a few.
Her favorite word at the moment is "book." I can't quite figure out how to transcribe it. For the past several weeks book has been "buh," but in the last few days she's been very intentional about the k. She almost sounds German. Kev thinks that maybe the transcription would be "bukh." So cute.
Other highlights of Caroline Grace at the moment?
- She LOVES baths. Sometimes she asks to take one. She throws her bath toys in the tub one at a time as the tub fills and doesn't want to get out once she is in.
- She has taken up whispering, not any discernible words, just silly sounds... it is so cute. She'll often whisper when we join hands for grace. Unfortunately she would not whisper on our visit to the library last week. Loud squeals were her preferred mode of communication in the quiet library!
- She seems to pick up a new word a day lately. A few days ago it was two! While watching of the baby signing d.v.d.'s we took out of the library she didn't pick up the sign for "bubble," but she did pick up the word. She just turned and looked at me and said "buhble." And then grinned like mad. A little while later we were looking through her favorite book of the day (a birthday party board book) and when we got to the balloon page she said "bahoon," and again grinned like mad. She seems to have been saying bubby" for "baby" the past few days and no longer signs baby, a sign she's been doing for months. She used to sign baby when she wanted to watch her d.v.d.. Now she signs "time"! She still says "sahk" for "shoe," on purpose it seems! She is capable of saying "shoe." We've heard it once or twice. Oh, and perhaps most delightful are the developing niceties. She's been saying "Guck Goo," for "Thank You," at mostly appropriate times for awhile now. Lately, occasionally it sounds more and more like "Thank You." The past day or so she's been saying "See," frequently after someone sneezes. We think it is her own form of "bless you."
- When Caroline sees a picture of a snake in a book she hisses!
- Last week C hung out with Jenn, Sean, their baby Parker, and Sean's mom Kathy while I had a meeting at school. Jenn has been with C lately, but Sean and Kathy were her main caregivers during the two hours I was away. Jenn was in the shower when I arrived and came out after I left. She explained to Sean and Kathy that if C was hungry she would do the sign for "food" or "eat." She started demonstrating the sign and C went immediately to her diaper bag and pulled out every single food item therein and started handing them to her! She continues to love to feed others! And she knows that when she does that sign she wants a response! She's doing unto others as she'd like to have done unto her!
- She's working hard on more teeth at the moment- her canines!
- She has taken up kissing! It is so sweet! She especially likes to kiss stuffed animals on the nose!
- Last week Kev was in training for his summer job all day every day. C and I did some fun stuff together. In addition to that crazy long walk that ended at the library, we went to the zoo one morning. The zoo was crazy busy that day, so we just headed to the playground there which is phenomenal. There's a whole toddler bounce area where she had a blast. She'd run up to other kids and laugh and then run away. There was one mommy with whom she seemed especially taken. She kept almost sitting in her lap. We'll definitely be going back there. Of course I forgot to bring the camera on any of our adventures last weekend... another time... Don't worry. More pictures are coming, just not of the walk or the zoo...
- Caroline continues to enjoy coloring, but she also enjoys eating crayons... aie... working on that...
- And the biggest news of all?!! She sleeps! More often than not now! For almost an entire week now she has slept totally through the night. At least 8 hours, two or three times she slept 10-11 hours! One night last week I actually got 9 straight hours of sleep. PRAISE THE LORD! She's also been settling into a fairly regular pattern of one two hour nap a day. Ah... it only took 17 months... but... we've arrived. (For the time being anyhow!)
So, some pics from the last month. We're getting much less consistent about taking pics, but we did have a couple of photo fests...
One day I was cleaning and wanted to find some way to entertain Caroline. I taught her to put money in her piggy bank. It occupied her for a LONG time. She continues to enjoy this!
C continues to LOVE being outside. The next several shots are outdoor ones. The first 2 Kev took while I was at school one day. I put her in this outfit I used to wear. It is labeled as an 18 month size so I hadn't rushed to put it on her. She can still wear some 12 month sizes, and most 18 month fit or are a bit big. Well... this is CRAZY short on her. Did babies come shorter in my day?! I asked him to be sure to get some pics as it may be the only time she wears it. He took a great sequence on our porch swing which isn't hung yet. Its sitting on the back deck. Here are two cute ones.
The next several were taken on a hike we took on a glorious Sunday afternoon. I worshipped with the Episcopal congregation on campus that morning and the priest spoke of there being hundreds of thousands of wild larkspurs in bloom at a lake just five miles from campus. I had to go! I texted Kev and said I set a goal of being done by 4 so we could take a hike. And we did. We didn't know the park, and didn't have a map, so we just randomly picked a trail. We picked a steep and hard trail! We got our exercise! So did C. She had a blast. She traversed the trail in all sorts of ways. On daddy's back, on foot holding daddy's hand, on foot holding mommy's hand, in the ergo on mommy's front (nursing as we walked)... and all by herself. She also plopped down on the trail occasionally to examine whatever was on the ground. She had quite a collection of wood chips going in her skirt at one point. She also was impressed with the flowers. Oh, and she liked carrying the empty camera case. She'd drag it behind her. Here are MANY pics from that walk.
And these next several were taken just a few days ago. Daddy's hat and mommy's sunglasses. Too cute!
Aww... my sweet girl!
Next month a year and a half! And we'll likely be posting from Oregon! Pray for us- mommy and baby flying cross-country alone together! Aie!
One more for good measure... I made playdough yesterday. Caroline wasn't sure quite what to make of it!
