Christmas 2012

Christmas 2012 was spent in Lexington with my family.  We trade off each year between mine and Nick's family.  The kids and I headed to Lexington on Saturday this year, and Nick came up on Christmas Eve.  This gave us some extra time with CiCi and JRS.  Tillman and CiCi made cookies, we went to service at St Peter's (my home church that I miss dearly), and Caroline got to be loved on by CiCi and JRS.  

Mom makes cookies and sandwiches each year for Christmas day.  Tillman helped with the sprinkles for the sugar cookies and dipped the snicker doodles in the cinnamon and sugar.  Caroline sat on the counter in the Bumbo and watched them as they worked.  She was still dressed in her Sunday Best since we had just got back from church.  Caroline is funny with long sleeves.  She was chewing on her sleeves, getting her hand caught in them as well.  By the time she was changed, he bib was soaked and so was her dress from all that chewing!

No Christmas weekend would be complete without seeing Santa.  This was both, Tillman and Caroline's first time to see Santa.  Tillman knows who the big joy guy is, but wasn't too sure of him when we were in line waiting for the photo.  Caroline was unphased by him.  She did, however, had to be untangled from his beard after the photo.  She had a fist full of beard and about yanked Santa's beard off...

We saw Santa at the James Island County Park lights the night before heading to Columbia.  We went with my brother's family.  We drove around and saw the light and roasted marshmallows   It was pretty cold that night, so it certainly felt like Christmas outside!

On Christmas day, we woke up and opened all of the gifts from MiMi and PaPaw & Suzanne.  Tillman was into unwrapping gifts this year. He really enjoyed ripping open the packages.  He opened pretty much all the gifts for all four of us this year.  This was a big change from last year.  Caroline did rip a few packages, but she was more interested in the paper for eating rather than the gifts!  Everything she has in her hands at this stage goes straight to the mouth!

Caroline and Tillman had their Christmas PJs!  They stayed in them the whole day.

Around noon my immediate family and my mom's side of the family came for more Christmas festivities.  We opened gift, ate lunch and got the house prepared for my dad's side of the family to come over-40 people.  Tillman opened his big Santa gift...a bike!  He is already starting to ride it around the house.  I think it will take a little bit to get the hang of it, but soon enough, he'll have it down!  

Sweet Caroline slept through the entire gift exchange in CiCi's arms.  If she can sleep through that she could likely sleep through a tornado!

When we ate after the gift exchange, Logan, one of their cousins sat down by Caroline, then Tillman sat down, and by the end of it, all the grandchildren were on the floor.  We thought it would be a great time to get a photo, but we couldn't get everyone to look and smile at the same time.  Here's the cousin Christmas photo of 2012.

4 Months 12.20.12

Chattering!

Our sweet little girl turned 4 months on Thursday.  She is known best these days for her chattering, curly hair, and blue eyes! She continues to sleep well.  We're even getting braver and braver to put her down earlier and earlier each night.  She sleep until 4AM on the dot!  So far, we've been putting her down as early as 8PM.  The schedule thing is tough, but we can't complain; she is a wonderful sleeper.  At daycare, she has gotten into a routine.  Now that she has great head control, she is starting to love the Bumbo seat, Jumperoo and a few other toys.  She was queen on the swing last month, but she is branching out!

Smiling at Daddy

Caroline is also rolling over from her tummy to her back.  When she makes the roll, it scares her, so it often ends up with mommy cheering and Caroline crying.  Soon enough, she'll learn that is how she is going to get to places.  Miss Pearl (teacher) says when she is put down for a nap, she rolls all around in the crib which keeps her up.  They have to pat her on the back and get her cozy before she'll settle in for a nap!

Bath time (after a blow out!)

When Caroline isn't napping, she is talking!  She is quite the chatter box.  She loves to squeal  blow bubbles, and is becoming a social butterfly!  Sometimes she gets to squealing so loud, it can hurt your ears-not good for a headache (Nick's ears can't take it at times, so he has to leave the room), but she is just so cute and serious doing it, you just can't help but smile!  If we only knew what she was thinking/saying??    

Talking away

She also is starting to reach for items.  She plays with her car seat toys and was after a Poinsettia plant over Christmas.  Every time she got near the plant, she was leaning, grabbing, and about to launch herself out of the Bumbo to get a piece of it!  My mom was worried sick that she was going to get it in her mouth! Although we have to watch for things she is reaching for, it is a great sign that she is right on track with what 4-month-olds should be doing!

Jumparoo-ed herself to sleep

Health-wise, Miss Caroline is doing well.  She does has a snotty nose always.  Poor thing can't feed sometimes because she is so stopped up.  We got one of the "snot suckers," so my hope is that will be a good tool to use instead of the bulb syringe, which doesn't work at all for her! The doctor said her ears looked great, so she just has a cold and is likely catching one cold after the next.  She also has the pink eye this month.  It was going around the room at the daycare, so it was just a matter of time until she got it.  Luckily we had the eye meds at home, so no need for a doctor trip!  I also asked question at the doctor about anything from sleep schedule to herbs to poop!  I hope they get those strange questions from every parent, or they may just think I am crazy!

Jumperoo Gal

Caroline is doing well with drinking mommy milk (not much formula these day...mommy and Caroline are in sync...finally!).  There is new research that states as long as a child is doing well then they should continue on drink mommy milk exclusively.  We'll look at adding rice cereal to her diet if she requires more milk than I produce or if she stops sleeping through the night.

Won't really take a pacy,
but loves those hands!

At the doctor, she received 4 vaccines-1 oral for rotavirus and the others by shot.  She did very well with the shots, and only cried for a second.  She didn't enjoy the oral one, and I'm pretty sure she only swallowed 1/4 of it.  Sure hope it still works because the rotavirus is horrible 

Caroline's 4 Month Stats:
Weight 13.12 lbs (40th percentile)
Height 24.25 inches (40th percentile)
Head Circumference 16.25 inches (70th percentile)
BMI 16.4
Diapers-Size 1
Clothing-3-6 months
Mommy Milk-4oz every 3 hours during the day
Night Night-8:15PM-4AM (sometime 5AM) in the Moses Basket

27 months 12.12.12

Wagon is now referred to as a trailer...
that sounds so much cooler...right?

12.12.12 was a rather normal day for us.  I understand is one of the most popular wedding days, since it is the last time we will see a synchronized date in this century. Tillman turned 27 months on Wednesday.  I must say he is in the thick of the terrible two's phase.  He is either on the verge of tears or a tantrum these days.  Time out is a well know place.  It's funny because he understands why he goes to time out, but it doesn't stop the behavior.  Sometimes if we ask him to do something and he doesn't want to do it, he request to go to time out.  When he did that the first time, I was totally caught off guard.  I was thinking "That little stinker. He know exactly what he is doing is wrong, and doesn't care."

Little Sis and Big Bro

If I could explain to him that life at two is really easy, although it seems like the end of the world when you don't get to eat cookies and cracker for dinner, when you have to ride in the car seat  or when you have to pee pee on the potty!  Life does seem to get more complex the older we get. Soon enough life will be more than going to daycare and playing all day, saying "yes ma'ma," "please" and "thank you" keep you out of trouble...mostly, and learning that everything indeed isn't "yellow." (bummer...right?)

Loves to play with mommy's phone...
always requesting the camera

Tillman is learning to work us too...testing our limits.  We've had to become more stern as parents.  The mornings and nights are particularly challenging since he is just waking up or tired/ready for bed.  Food selection often ends in a tantrum, Tillman going hungry, or a parent pulling their hair out.  Tillman will request an apple, and then he says "I don't want it," and then request a sandwich, which he says he doesn't want after it is made.  We try to stick to our guns with going with the first item he chose.  Doesn't always bode well for our household.  For example, this morning Tillman wanted an apple, and then a sandwich. Both items were refused after given to him.  He threw the sandwich on the floor (in between this he went to time out).  He ended up leaving the house with nothing to eat and had a tantrum getting in the car seat   The whole way to school he pouted and in a primped face and pouty voice he says "my sandwich" the whole way to school.  When we get out of the car at school, more tantrum, once in the classroom, a COMPLETELY new kid...hence he is playing us, parents, like a fiddle and knows the teachers do not play!

Captain of the boat at the Children's Museum 

In other news, Tillman's language continue to improve.  He is starting to talk on the phone!  He request to call MiMi and CiCi/JRS.  He knows how to carry a basic conversation. We use the time in the car on the way home from school to call people and chat.  He knows/can verbalize basic information-mom and dad's real names, his age, and his name.  I'm trying to teach him his address and a few other key pieces of information for safety.

Playing outside on a Sunny Sunday

If Tillman is playing by himself, and you eavesdrop you can hear him counting.  "1, 2, 6, 9, 10."  He loves to say "9,10."  He also loves to independently play.  The past few weekends it has been super nice outside, and he can play outside doing absolutely nothing all day!  He even eats outside.  One Saturday he came in only to take a nap.  He plunders around the yard, plays with toys, and explores.  It is cute to watch him out the window.  He has found some of the most random items in our yard as well.  I even caught him dumping a plant out of a bucket, so he could wear the bucket as a hat!

Playing in the exam room at the After Hour Care

This active two year old hasn't let a serious rash he's had this month get him down, as you probably gathered.  He had to go to the After Hours Care twice and was referred to a dermatologist.  We aren't rash free yet, but it looks a ton better and isn't contagious! At the doctor he weight 27lbs with all of his clothes on; he's been holding steady at the mid-20's in weight for a while.  We have gone to the doctor so much that he ask when we are getting in the car if we are going to the doctor.  Funny what he remembers!