Month 8

The 1st day of the month brought back memories of finding out Katie's gender 3 years ago and going to Cara's ultrasound with the plan to wait and find out her gender at birth just 1 year ago. BOTH times I was elated to discover I had become the Mommy of a little girl ... I absolutely love having little girls! I truly enjoy spending time with each of them; they are so completely different from each other, yet each little girl is entirely pleasurable to be with. This month I began focusing on some serious one-on-one time with Katie. Instead of working through Cara's naps, or watching TV, Katie and I spend quality time doing something special together. She has begun riding her tricycle, coloring with sidewalk chalk, loving bubble blowing, stringing beads, completing more difficult puzzles, and playing outside as much as possible. This time has been really special for me!

About 3/4 of the way through the month Cara had her shot appointment at the pediatrician's office. She weighed 19 pounds 14 ounces and measured 28 inches long. At this exact same age Katie was weighing 2 pounds 9 ounces more and measuring 1 inch and 3/4 taller. Summer has come a bit early this year. At less than 20 pounds Cara is just barely wearing 12 month clothes, but most of Katie's hand-me-down summer clothes are 12-18 month. By the month's end Caroline had become the lucky recipient of some new summer clothes to supplement her wardrobe until she grows a little more.

The outstanding area of progress this month has been centered around eating. Katie began transitioning from her highchair to the table for meals. On the 14th Cara tried Gerber yogurt for the first time, and just like Katie, loved it! Then on the 16th our ENTIRE family ate the exact same meal for the 1st time - a dinner of split pea soup. Caroline got her very first tooth on the 17th and her second tooth on the 18th. My poor little girl has been suffering though some pretty intense teething - hope this gives her a break for a while! Funny story on the subject of teeth ... One evening while dining at a local restaurant Katelyn, obviously dissatisfied with her dinner, went looking for other options on the table. I discovered exactly what happened when she offered me a bite of the broken blue crayon. A look in her mouth revealed blue teeth covered in chunks of the waxy substance - Yuck! Hopefully she learned something from this experience. On the 25th Caroline successfully picked up a puff and put it into her own mouth for the first time. Cara and I were both pretty proud of this one!

Caroline has also been making advances in the area of locomotion. Cara has started slowly lowering herself to the floor instead of just falling and crying. It's a VERY slow process as she continues to hold onto whatever is holding her up, and generally I hold my breath hoping she doesn't smack her head on it. Thankfully Cara is getting much use out of the Playskool Walk n Ride we bought Katie a couple years ago, even though she was nearing the end for need when I purchased it. Caroline can walk anywhere she wants using that toy. On the 14th for the length of time it took me to repeat "you're doing it!" 3 times ... I let go and Caroline stood all by herself in the middle of the room. On the 18th Cara completed a six second free stand.

Now that Caroline is so mobile we've been met with a whole new set of challenges. As a result, Cara has begun the process of becoming disciplined. Giving a proper timeout to a 7 month old is difficult. Just getting her to stay in one place is really the challenge. During one of these events Katie sat about 6 feet away cracking up and repeating "NO! Time-out" in mimic of me. The payoff was when I told Cara she needed to say sorry, and from the other room I heard Katie say "Sorry Mommy" - the words I couldn't get her to say last month when we struggled through timeouts with her. I think we're back on track!

With Cara's latest advances in mobility the girls are learning how to share living space and toys in a whole new way. I love that my big girl shares ALL her toys with her little sister. As long as she's not using it (and sometimes if she is) Cara can play with whatever she wants! Katie's heart is so beautiful! Caroline has figured out how to be a little sister very quickly; she has a room with plenty of toys in it but every chance she gets she goes into Katie's room and plays with her toys! Caroline LOVES playing in her big sister's room ... Fortunately Katie is a wonderful big sister and shares her toys without any complaint EVER! I am so proud of the big sister my Katie is becoming. I pray that in the coming years both girls see each other as the blessing I know they both are!


This may have been the longest month ever ... Joe spent the past week away on a motorcycle trip and I have experienced life as a single parent of 2 small children. We are missing him terribly, but we have done a lot of fun stuff too. Grandma, my mom, came to visit and we had a little staycation of our own.

Here's some of the highlights from this month:
 * We took a tour of the local fire department with our playdate group.
 * Katie & Mommy had their 1st swim of the season in our backyard swimming pool!
 * Our vegetable garden was prepped and planted with Katie's help.
 * We went to gymnastics with our playdate group.
 * Family playdate with the Abner Family.
 * Easter egg hunt and party with our playdate group.
 * Several parkdates including Herrin park & Turley park.
 * Separate playdates with our friends: Joseph, Zoe, Lily, and Madyson
 * Visited the St. Louis Zoo
 * Spent time at our local library
 * Bounced at the Cape Girardeau Le Bounce play center
 * Picked fresh strawberries at Blueberry Hill Farm
 * Bowled at SI Bowl as part of the Kids Bowl Free program

AND we spent many many many days this month once again fighting off illness and infection! I'd say as far as adventures go we had a very successful month.