The Giggles

We've been slacking on taking videos of our sweet Caroline, but we finally caught a fun one.  Caroline really got the giggles tonight when I was playing with her (please ignore me in the clip . . . these days I am will to act like a complete idiot in any attempt to make her laugh or smile!)  We only caught the end of her giggle fit . . . she was doing it back and forth for a couple minutes before we started taping.  She's continues to be more and more fun! 

Very Merry!

We had a great Christmas this year in Arizona.  Caroline has definitely been the best gift we've ever had and celebrating her first Christmas was so special.  We celebrated Christmas Eve at Chris's parents' condo in Scottsdale with his brother John's family- Holly, Keely, Kelsey and Johnnie ("Bubby.")  We had a great dinner and fun playing games with the kids and opening gifts.  Caroline was down with her first cold and went to bed a little early, but she still got in her Christmas dress and had fun watching the kids before she tuckered out.  We missed my family a ton, but there will be many more Christmases for Caroline to enjoy with them in the years to come!

Daddy Graduates!

This pic is right after a full meal (in case you can't tell!)

Chris graduated from his engineering program at ASU yesterday, and we had a little party with family and friends to celebrate.  He was so excited and surprised that his older sister Courtney and her olderst daughter, Riley, came in from Des Moines to celebrate with us.  He already has a big interview on Monday!  We're crossing our fingers that he gets a great job that he loves!

Ho Ho Ho

Look at just how much I've grown!

Three months young!

It's hard to believe our little nugget is three months old!  This past month she has really started to come alive.  She is smiling, almost giggles at times, and cooing a ton.  She is able to push up and hold her head with much more control during tummy time (although she has decided it's not her favorite activity and will let us know!)  Caroline moves like crazy, and although she hasn't purposefully done it yet, rolling over seems to be coming soon.  She is able to hold on to toys put in her hands and she seems like she's almost ready to start reaching for toys.  One of the best new developments for mommy is that she is SLEEPING THROUGH NIGHT!  She now goes to bed between 7:30 and 8pm, we then feed her at 11pm (trying to do it without waking her) and she will usually sleep until 6:45 or 7am.  It's been great to get some consecutive hours of sleep back, especially now that I've been working full-time!

Working full-time continues to be hard, but just because I'm away from my sweet girl all day.   I definitely value the time I have with Caroline when I get home and on the weekends.  My mom, Caroline's Gigi, has been in town the last three weeks to watch Caroline while I work, which has made working much easier.  We were so lucky to have her and sad to see her go!

Next up, we are so proud of Chris and his graduation from Engineering school next week.  His family will be in town for the occasion and celebration and they will be staying in town for the holidays (although we will miss his sister Courtney and her family this year.)  We have much to celebrate and be thankful for this year!

Godsey Family Pics!

 Our little peanut already looks a lot like her daddy!

 Gigi and G-daddy with all the grandkids!

 I know she will be idolizing Ella very soon!

 Caroline with her sweet cousins

 Aunt Becky and Uncle Mark with Ella (almost 3) and Charlie (5 months)

Baptism

 Godparents John (Chris's brother) and Becky (Patti's sister) with us and Caroline

Caroline was baptized at St. Andrew's church in Chandler, AZ this Sunday, 11/28.  We were so lucky to have Chris's brother John as her godfather and my sister Becky as her godmother.  Her baptismal gown was made from my mom's wedding dress and her little bonnet was from Aunt Becky.  Although Chris's parents and sister's family weren't able to be in town.  John and Holly and their kids and my whole family were there for it.  She was such a good baby throughout mass and the Baptism (where 7 other babies and children were baptized too.)  The only time she really got upset for a minute was when the cool water touched her head.

Videos!

Smiling for Dad . . . Chris hates how he sounds on this video, but it's the only time we caught some smiles on camera!  Hopefully he'll forgive me for posting this- I couldn't edit his voice out!

Thanksgiving Pics!

We had a great Thanksgiving.  We had dinner at my house with my parents, my sister Becky and her husband Mark and their two kids- Ella (2 1/2) and Charlie (4 1/2 months) and my brother Tom.  After dinner, we went to Chris's brother John's house for dessert.  Ella loved playing with John and Holly's kids Keely, Kelsey and Johnnie. 

 Caroline with us and most of her cousins (from left): Keely, Kelsey, Ella, Charlie and Johnnie (we're missing Chris's sister's kids- Riley, Walker and Maggie)

 Ella has been so sweet with Caroline!  She loved helping us and baby talking to her.  I thought she would be "over" babies after already having a baby brother, but she was definitely excited to see Caroline.

Thankful

I haven't blogged in a while . . . returning to work full-time has made life pretty crazy.  When I get home, I just want to spend as much time with my sweet baby and a lot of things take the back burner to her (as they should.)  Work has been really hard, but only because I hate missing out on time with Caroline.

Although I hope one day I have the ability to stay home with her more, I am thankful I have such wonderful people and inspiring kids to work with.  I work as an occupational therapist in 3 special needs preschools and one elementary school where I see students who have fine motor, sensory or visual perceptual difficulties (I used to see private clients too, but that's on hold for now.)  It has been so fun seeing the kids I missed from last school year, and meet all the adorable new faces I am lucky enough to work with.  All my peers at work have been so supportive giving helpful advice and shoulders to cry on when needed, and I know not many working moms can say that.

Most importantly, I am so thankful for my amazing baby girl and my wonderful husband.  When I think about how lucky I am to have them in my life, it really brings tears to my eyes.  I am so proud of Chris for deciding he wanted to go back to school 3 years ago, after a several year break.  He basically had to start over from scratch, but he went after it to do what he loves and was meant to do- be an engineer.  He graduates this December, and Caroline and I couldn't be more proud.  Caroline is doing so many new things- cooing, smiling, kicking and squealing like crazy.  I even thought I got a giggle out of her today.  Hopefully I will get one of these sessions on video, but Caroline seems to have stage fright as she always stops when I pull out the video camera (really, I think she gets distracted watching the red light.) 

This weekend my whole family is in town- my parents, my sister Becky, her husband Mark and their kids Ella (2 1/2) and Charlie (4 1/2 months) and my younger brother Tom. We also have Caroline's Baptism Sunday.  Lot's of fun and celebrating for us the next few days . . .

So many things to be thankful for!!!

I promise I will post a lot more pics/videos after this weekend!!!

2 Months Young!

Mom put this headband on me and I was not happy!

Caroline turned two months yesterday and has made great strides.  She is now 10 lbs. 9 oz. and 22.25 inches long!  She is now in the 50th percentile for weight and height.  Surprisingly, she is only in the 10th percentile for head circumference.  I guess I don't notice her having a more petite head as her chubby cheeks have gotten so much bigger!  She is now holding her head up pretty well and is MUCH more alert than before.  She loves her swing, the car and most movements in general.  She is also doing well at tummy time and will push up on her elbows  She makes good eye contact and is just about to smile.  Although she has looked at us and smiled a few times, it's not yet consistent.

Being an occupational therapist, I catch myself anxious for her to reach some of her milestones (smiling, cooing, batting at objects, etc.), but I was reminded by my pediatrician that she was a month early and I need to give her an extra month to meet her milestones.  I find myself having a hard time giving her that extra time before I worry!

On a sad note, this is my last full week home with her.  I return to work on Monday, and I definitely don't feel near ready.  I am lucky that I work in a very supportive environment, but I still wish I was able to stay home with her until she's a little older.  I know a lot of great mom's who work, so I hope it will get easier with time.

Kansas City Here We Come!

Visiting G-Daddy's at work in the KMBC newsroom
Seeing mom's cousin Kathleen in Lawrence. She's a Pi Phi at KU just like mom!
Meeting Uncle Tom

Caroline and her good buddy Abe Harms (mom's dear friend Ashley's son)
Taking a nap with my good friend Wilson Ireland (mom's friend Katie's son) . . . we had the same due date, but I was born a month earlier!
Me and Mom's dear friend Allison.
Me and Wilson Ireland




I decided to take a quick trip to Kansas City to see meet Uncle Tom and some of my dearest friends. It was such a fun visit, but went to short. We got to see almost everyone, but hoping next trip we'll get to see more of Chris's aunts and cousins that live in KC and some of my friends that were tied up or under the weather.

Little Pumpkin!

Just a fun pic of Caroline and Daddy

For her first Halloween we had to take our little pumpkin to a pumpkin patch. In reality, Daddy was studying so my friend Colleen and I took her to a nursery where they sold pumpkins to buy her first pumpkin and a quick photo op. Of course, after the car ride, Caroline was passed out for her first "pumpkin patch," but she'll probably have more fun next year anyway! For Halloween, Caroline grew just enough to fit in her flower costume without looking like she was drowning in it! We went to Uncle John and Aunt Holly's and had a great time watching all the kids in their costumes! Caroline also saw her good friend Eva who is just 7 weeks older. Caroline the ladybug and Eva the ladybug looked so cute together, but mom flaked and forgot her camera! I hope Aunt Holly's friend emails us the pics she got so we can post them!

Right now, Caroline and I are staying with my parents and meeting Uncle Tom and all of my college friends for the first time. I'm trying to take advantage of the little maternity leave I have left and Caroline has become quite the professional traveler! I'll post pics from the KC trip soon!

Week in Florida

Florida had some great sunsets- we watched them almost every night!
Gigi and Grandaddy with Caroline at the Turtle Club for a sunset dinner.
Dick and Sue with Caroline
Great Aunt Tina and Great Uncle Pat came to meet me!


Thanks for my new swim suit Dick and Susie!




Patti's parents (Gigi and Grandaddy) have a home in Bonita Springs, Florida and Caroline and I were lucky enough to fly out for the week. Chris is busy in school right now, so he wasn't able to join us this time. There is no direct flight from Phoenix, so traveling about 7 hours for Caroline's first trip was LONG! Thankfully, Caroline continued to be a sweet, laid back baby even on the plane . . . the worst part was handling all the baby gear!

In Florida we had so much fun with my parents and their friends Dick and Sue Johannes, who also stayed at my parents'. Dick and Sue have been friends of my parents since before they were married and have known me since birth. It was so much fun getting to spend the week with them. We also got to see Chris's Uncle Pat and Aunt Tina, who joined us for dinner one night. It was so fun introducing Caroline!