and so many faces
May 31, 2016
May 26, 2016
five months
At five months, our dear sweet Caroline Ann...
... has so much personality. She smiles, coos, blows raspberries, jabbers, and has a great giggle.
... loves her hands in her mouth and touching her toes. Lots of 'happy baby' poses in this house.
... also loves to be held.
...weighs in at 15.4 lbs. She's got the best pair of delicious baby legs and wore a pair of 6-12 mo overalls the other day.
... enjoys tummy time and exploring everything around her. When she's done, she just rolls on over and continues the fun. This happens in the periods of the day when she decides that she does not need to be held.
... she also enjoys time in her exersaucer. Trying to chew on the animals is a fav, but the best is when sister comes to play with her.
... adores her sister, pulling hair, grabbing at anything within reach, her bunny, walks, and her mama.
Clearly, Caroline is as shocked as I am that we are one month away from her half-birthday.
It's the biggest mom cliche, but seriously...
HOW?
May 23, 2016
May 18, 2016
20 weeks & the beach
{Galveston, Texas}
We decided to ring in summer a little early and celebrate with a beach weekend in Galveston.
We rented a house through airbnb with the Fishers and decided to make it a May birthday celebration, since both the boys celebrate this month.
We found a house located in Jamaica Beach that seemed to be the perfect mix of family friendly & beach party.
And it was.
We spent Saturday at the beach,
letting Lauren go between building sandcastles
to splashing in the waves
and introducing Caroline to the Gulf.
We woke up Sunday for another perfect breakfast outside
overlooking the bay,
while Lauren pointed excitedly to each bird
and Caroline coo-ed away.
Before we left, Lauren and Dad took a kayak ride,
a first for Lauren.
It was a great way to welcome Summer 2016.
Our entire family relaxed and enjoyed our time together.
The beach has a way of making you do that.
Sunday evening Lauren told us she wanted to go back.
And honestly, so did we.
I think our little family may have a new tradition...
May 11, 2016
Caroline's 3 month photos
I still haven't admitted defeat to the whole 'memory-documentation-photos' of second child thing.
You know, the one where the first born has pictures and records of every milestone and seemingly special moment,
and each child following the first born has less and less of that.
I'm still trying.
Although, honestly, I've already been defeated.
I know there are less photos of Caroline on my phone and big camera.
Her baby book is sitting in a cupboard, next to a file folder filled with notes, papers, and photos.
And her three months photos almost didn't happen.
I took Lauren's 3 month and 9 month photos in-between professional sessions scheduled for newborn, 6 months and one year.
We love having those photos to look back on,
to see how much she changed from week to week,
month to month,
and now to look at both the similarities and differences to our sister girls.
So I intended to do the same with Miss Caroline.
Except I was a mere days away from her 4 month 'birthday'
and hadn't taken one three month photo.
So one Saturday morning,
when Lauren was at gymnastics with dad
I made it happen.
I grabbed a couple headbands from her nursery,
a blanket from the closet,
opened all the windows in my room,
and started snapping.
It was fast.
I was in a hurry.
I knew I had limited time before big sister came home and the chaos of lunch, a birthday party afternoon, and general life with kids began.
When I finally uploaded the photos to my computer
I was disappointed in myself.
Why didn't I take my time?
The lighting could have been better,
my focus was off,
and I didn't capture a one with that big sweet grin she shows off.
And on. And on. And on.
The photos sat, untouched, for some time.
I debated trying again another day or
pushing it off until a six month session with a professional.
But no.
"What I like about photographs is that they capture a moment that's gone forever, impossible to recreate"
- Karl Lagerfeld
These photos capture my darling baby girl,
at three months,
on a Saturday morning at home,
just being her sweet self.
While the focus may not be perfect,
the poses are all the same,
and I would have liked to take 400 more,
I can never have that moment again.
And that's all the reminder I need to cherish these simple little 3 month pictures.
And carry my big camera with me all summer.
You know, the one where the first born has pictures and records of every milestone and seemingly special moment,
and each child following the first born has less and less of that.
I'm still trying.
Although, honestly, I've already been defeated.
I know there are less photos of Caroline on my phone and big camera.
Her baby book is sitting in a cupboard, next to a file folder filled with notes, papers, and photos.
And her three months photos almost didn't happen.
I took Lauren's 3 month and 9 month photos in-between professional sessions scheduled for newborn, 6 months and one year.
We love having those photos to look back on,
to see how much she changed from week to week,
month to month,
and now to look at both the similarities and differences to our sister girls.
So I intended to do the same with Miss Caroline.
Except I was a mere days away from her 4 month 'birthday'
and hadn't taken one three month photo.
So one Saturday morning,
when Lauren was at gymnastics with dad
I made it happen.
I grabbed a couple headbands from her nursery,
a blanket from the closet,
opened all the windows in my room,
and started snapping.
It was fast.
I was in a hurry.
I knew I had limited time before big sister came home and the chaos of lunch, a birthday party afternoon, and general life with kids began.
When I finally uploaded the photos to my computer
I was disappointed in myself.
Why didn't I take my time?
The lighting could have been better,
my focus was off,
and I didn't capture a one with that big sweet grin she shows off.
And on. And on. And on.
The photos sat, untouched, for some time.
I debated trying again another day or
pushing it off until a six month session with a professional.
But no.
"What I like about photographs is that they capture a moment that's gone forever, impossible to recreate"
- Karl Lagerfeld
These photos capture my darling baby girl,
at three months,
on a Saturday morning at home,
just being her sweet self.
While the focus may not be perfect,
the poses are all the same,
and I would have liked to take 400 more,
I can never have that moment again.
And that's all the reminder I need to cherish these simple little 3 month pictures.
And carry my big camera with me all summer.
May 9, 2016
May 4, 2016
Caroline's Nursery
If you follow this blog,
{or what's left of the erratic postings}
you know I was fairly sure baby #2 was a boy.
We've dedicated one room as the nursery
{since it's the only room on the same floor as the master}
and maintained a pretty neutral esthetic that could work for both boy or girl.
In my certainty that this baby was a boy,
I picked up things here and there to help welcome a baby boy home.
As we all know now, I was wrong.
Again.
While the nursery had some feminine touches from Lauren's residency,
I wanted to make sure that Caroline had her own room.
So from my hospital bed I got to work on Pinterest and Etsy, sending photos through group text with my mother and sister.
Since the nursery was being decorated after the birth, I felt like I had the opportunity to go a little more feminine than before.
Floral.
Pinks.
Lavendar.
Welcome to Caroline's nursery...
My mother and my sister were a huge help and completed the floral C before we arrived home from the hospital.
The floral balls were a labor of love worked on by my mother, Matt's mother, and myself. Lots of time, conversation, and a little bit of wine. A pretty special memory.
Those natural wood frames I picked up for baby boy worked perfectly in Caroline's floral inspired nursery.
Of course I still have a couple items remaining on the nursery to-do list.
I am waiting on a canvas I ordered and I have hopes to make some different curtains,
but right now it's just a sweet little space for our sweet baby girl.
And really,
if I had to describe Caroline in one word it would be sweet.
So, really,
it's just perfect for her.
{or what's left of the erratic postings}
you know I was fairly sure baby #2 was a boy.
We've dedicated one room as the nursery
{since it's the only room on the same floor as the master}
and maintained a pretty neutral esthetic that could work for both boy or girl.
In my certainty that this baby was a boy,
I picked up things here and there to help welcome a baby boy home.
As we all know now, I was wrong.
Again.
While the nursery had some feminine touches from Lauren's residency,
I wanted to make sure that Caroline had her own room.
So from my hospital bed I got to work on Pinterest and Etsy, sending photos through group text with my mother and sister.
Since the nursery was being decorated after the birth, I felt like I had the opportunity to go a little more feminine than before.
Floral.
Pinks.
Lavendar.
Welcome to Caroline's nursery...
My mother and my sister were a huge help and completed the floral C before we arrived home from the hospital.
The floral balls were a labor of love worked on by my mother, Matt's mother, and myself. Lots of time, conversation, and a little bit of wine. A pretty special memory.
Those natural wood frames I picked up for baby boy worked perfectly in Caroline's floral inspired nursery.
Of course I still have a couple items remaining on the nursery to-do list.
I am waiting on a canvas I ordered and I have hopes to make some different curtains,
but right now it's just a sweet little space for our sweet baby girl.
And really,
if I had to describe Caroline in one word it would be sweet.
So, really,
it's just perfect for her.
May 2, 2016
four months
At four months, our sweet baby girl...
... weighs in at 13 lb 12 oz and is 25.5 inches long. What's really crazy, at 4 months her sister weighed 13 lb. 10 oz and was 25.25 inches.
... is so sweet. She really is. She's happy and content. When she smiles, she smiles with her eyes. I can't quite seem to get enough of her.
... giggles. It's the best little sound. Really.
... has a sensitive side when it comes to her little tummy. I've learned to become quite careful about what I eat and to keep the gas drops on hand. I am completely avoiding carbonated beverages {no Diet Coke, no sparkling water} and the after effects of broccoli will make me think twice next time.
... loves her hands & soft blankets and adores her sister.
... sports the same hair-do as her sister did as a babe. Keeping all the hair on top and nothing on the sides.
... doesn't love tummy time and has been putting it to a stop by rolling over. She receives a lot of praise from sister and I. But I've yet to catch it on video... so I am not sure if its baby book official yet.
... sleeps.
