at 5 1/2 months...

I've got two bottom teeth already in, and am waiting on the next one(s) to come.
I sleep through the night from 7pm to 7am, and I'm in the process of changing to 2 long naps a day instead of 3 shorter ones.
I'm wearing a hand-me-down t-shirt that was originally for an 18 month old.


When Mommy or Daddy says, "kick it!" I know what to do & do it!
I also know my name is Caroline!


I roll over and over (only to the left, mind you).
I just figured out I can pass my keys back and forth from my right hand to my left hand.


Mommy & Daddy are trying to teach me the word "kiss." I'm still figuring this one out...

basement before & after...

Okay, I promise we'll get back to pictures of me SOON! But first you've gotta see what Mommy & Daddy have been up to this summer! I have been hearing all kinds of banging down there when I'm trying to nap, so it's about time they share what they've been up to with you! When we bought our new house in Virginia, this basement was divided up into two areas by a bookcase jutting out into the middle of the room. (as seen above) So Mommy & Daddy knew that they wanted to open up the space to host groups of college students for Bible studies & have a fun room for me to play in!


Today they finally finished up our new space! (well, now it's ready to decorate, etc...) They were able to keep the built-in bookcase & move it into Daddy's office- isn't that great? With lots of patching & paint, it's amazing what you can do to a space. :) They also hung new light fixtures & installed a laminate floor themselves. (89 cents a foot!)


The wetbar was already here, and with some paint on the bottom of it & pendants hung over the top (thanks to Daddy, our mastermind & electrician!), it's ready to serve! Behind that loveseat, we're going to put a table & chairs as well as a little kids' corner just for me!


Way to go, Mommy & Daddy! We'll have lots of fun in our new room!

oh deer!

Meet another new friend, Leah! She lives right down the street from me, and guess what? She was born on Feb. 16th, exactly 2 days before me! (and her mom said that SHE was almost named Caroline!) Remember my other friend from church, Lydia, had exactly the same birthday as me? This is getting crazy how all of my new friends are exactly my age or have my same name! :)


It's so cool that after baby Caroline is born any day now, I'll have two friends that live on my street!


Um, speaking of our street, look who Mommy & Daddy saw in their driveway!


The deer took off into our side yard & into the woods behind our house! Wow! Where do we live?!

two Carolines...

I'm goin' to the pool! Our new neighbor named Amy invited us as her guests to the pool close to our house. What a coincidence because Amy is due anyday now with her 3rd child, a baby girl named CAROLINE! Isn't that neat? We're gonna have two Carolines on our street within 6 months of each other! We might just double the trouble around here...


Amy even had a cool raft-thing for me to float around in. (when I can sit up on my own, it'll be even better!)


Not sure if I liked it being so bright outside, but it was still fun!


Ah, nothing like a day at the pool...

i'll have what you're having...

To celebrate Daddy coming back home, on Saturday our family went out to lunch at the ONLY true Texas barbecue place in town! Mommy & Daddy said it was like a taste of home having sliced brisket topped with lots of bbq sauce again, just like they do it in Texas. yummmm...


We had a great time.


As you can see, I usually steal the show whenever I'm in public...


And have I told you how I'm now super interested in what Mommy & Daddy are eating or drinking? I want to be a big girl & drink like that!


Gimme that fork, Daddy, and I'll have what you're having...

on the catwalk...

Hey Mamie! I know you especially love to know what I wear to church each week, so here comes the fashion show...


But first, we interupt this show to take a commercial break...


We're back! And now...on the catwalk, we have Caroline (that's me!) wearing a lovely 9 month floral dress that was given to her by Aunt Sharon. You might recognize this dress because Caroline had the same dress in a 3 months-size. However, since then Caroline has put on a few more pounds, thus requiring the larger size for summer... :)


Ha ha! :) All joking aside, though, pray for me today because I'm running a low fever & spitting up alot. Mommy & Daddy are watching to see if it's just teething, or if I'm getting some kind of virus bug or ear infection, too... I'll let you know!

more firsts...

Yea! Daddy's back home! I missed him so much.


But I forgot to mention some more firsts/milestones I had this week! (I'm sure you'll all find this EXTREMELY important...) ha!

1) My toes became fascinating to me this week, and sometimes I try to eat them. :)
2) I laughed at Mommy from across the room! (until now, I only laughed out loud when someone was holding me)
3) I held onto my bottle with both hands at the same time!
4) Don't know if I should be proud of this one, but I wet the bed for the first time! (I guess since I'm so mobile in my crib now?! Why are the diapers suddenly failing me?)
5) Speaking of being mobile in my crib, I somehow got to the other end of my crib (180 degrees) & then somehow reached all the way into the back corner for my little cuddle bunny "blank-ee." Then I proceeded to devour her.


6) See this face? I started doing raspberries a couple of days ago! (raspberries= puff your lips up like this & push air & lots of spit out! I'm getting good at showering Mommy with that part!) I think I'm doing it mostly because my mouth has been hurting, but all babies do it because it's the beginning of learning language! The coordination of my tongue & lips is a must before I can form words!


Does this mean I'll be a clarinet player one day? :) Pop & Mamie, I can't believe you're coming to visit me one week from TODAY!

a must-read...

If any of you have children or grandchildren, (or want a great read yourself!) you will want to get ahold of this one! (it's a perfect gift idea for Christmas, birthdays, baptisms, etc.) The pictures & stories are fun for me now as a baby, but they will be alot more meaningful & significant when I'm much older.

Mommy & Daddy have been reading The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones to me, and I don't understand why one of them ends up crying sometimes at the end of each story!?! They tell me it's because they love how each story points beautifully toward Christ.

In fact, just read part of the introduction which comes right before the creation story & you'll see what they mean:

"Now, some people think the Bible is a book of rules, telling you what you should and shouldn't do. The Bible certainly does have some rules in it. They show you how life works best. But the Bible isn't mainly about you and what you should be doing. It's about God and what he has done.

"Other people think the Bible is a book of heroes, showing you people you should copy. The Bible does have some heroes in it, but (as you'll soon find out) most of the people in the Bible aren't heroes at all. They make some big mistakes (sometimes on purpose). They get afraid and run away. At times they are downright mean.

"No, the Bible isn't a book of rules, or a book of heroes. The Bible is most of all a Story. It's an adventure story about a young Hero who comes from a far country to win back his lost treasure. It's a love story about a brave Prince who leaves his palace, his throne- everything- to rescue the one he loves. It's like the most wonderful of fairy tales that has come true in real life!

"You see, the best thing about this story is- it's true.

"There are lots of stories in the Bible, but all the stories are telling one Big Story. The Story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them.

"It takes the whole Bible to tell this story. And at the center of the Story, there is a baby. Every Story in the Bible whispers his name. He is like the missing piece in a puzzle- the piece that makes all the other pieces fit together, and suddenly you can see a beautiful picture.

"And this is no ordinary baby. This is the Child upon whom everything would depend. This is the Child who would one day- but wait. Our Story starts where all good stories start. Right at the very beginning..."


Well, today I made it to the end of the Old Testament stories, and it's so exciting in this Bible because in my next story, Jesus is going to be born! All of the stories I've read so far have been leading up to this moment when God is going to come down to earth as a baby like me!



If you click on this picture, you can read how the author paraphrases the first part of the famous Psalm 23. Isn't it beautifully written?


So you can just call me Caroline, the book-reviewer... :) And trust me on this one...

consolations...

Guys, it's still pretty rough around here while these teeth are coming in. Some of the only things that are consoling to me right now (besides a little bit of baby Tylenol & lots of lovin' from Mommy) are...


hearing the low voice of Daddy's friend, Moose, at dinner last night when we joined their family... (it reminded me of Daddy!)


discovering new toys... and then they go straight in my mouth to bite on & scream about... :(


and the sure-fire way to lift my spirits is to let me JUMP! (Texas Tech fans, please notice I'm already cheering against the Longhorns in this pic! ha!)

i miss you...

Daddy, I miss hearing you sing to me when I wake up from a nap.


I miss snuggling on the couch together.


And I miss you being so impressed with me when I stand tall.


I can't wait to see you tomorrow night, Daddy! Come home quickly!