Caroline met her great-grandfather this past weekend at PaPa's 85th birthday party. The weekend started with a short drive to Lafayette where we met up with my dad's side of the family. They are NUTS! It's always a good time when that bunch gets together. Caroline got to meet most of her (2nd) cousins over the weekend, either at the hotel or at the party. Speaking of hotels, that was her first hotel experience. She did great! (If you are a parent of a small child, I highly recommend Marriott's Residence Inn. It's like a small apartment! We had a full kitchen with a living room and 2 bedrooms. We shared it with my parents - it was quiet and perfect.) The weekend started with where it all began for Lucas and my family - Riverside Inn. It's the restaurant where he met my dad's side of the family. Dinner was fun, but the real party was Sunday morning at Uncle Mike and Aunt Harriet's house in Sunset, LA. Here are a few pics from the party:
Papa is so excited to have another Aggie in the family! For those of you who don't know, he taught there way back when. My dad was born in Bryan, so I guess PaPa worked there in the early 1950s.
PaPa with me, Caroline, my brother (Steve) and his two adorable boys. Don't let the cute smile on the one in bright yellow fool you - he's a turkey!
PaPa with me, my dad, my mom and my crazy Aunt Shawn. She's half turkey, half saint...depends on the day and her mood.
Caroline is pushing 13 pounds at 7.5 weeks old. She's 24 inches long. That's right, folks. She grew almost 5 inches in just under 8 weeks. Yeah, she's huge. She outgrew size 1 diapers in just over a week...remember that growth spurt I was talking about? My Aunt Kellie asked if I ever pick her up in the morning and think she's grown overnight. YES! All the time!
With that growth spurt has come some major changes:
Caroline has slept through the night a couple of times! She's experiencing 8 hours of nightly bliss. Notice I said SHE, not me. I still wake up in a panic. I run into her nursery to make sure she's still there. And breathing. She always is, but a mama still worries. I hope that passes sooner than later. We think this newfound length of sleep is partially due to introducing Mylicon into our world. She's a gaseous little beast, but the Mylicon takes it away and allows her to sleep for longer. Halleluia! Here's a picture of her after a night of growing/8 hours of sleeping bliss. Look at that belly! (By the way, she loves to get into staring contests with that lamb. It's hilarious!)
Speaking of starting contests...here's Caroline and Daddy in a rather lengthy one...wanna guess who won?
We think her eyesight is getting better because she follows with her eyes when we leave or enter the room. How fun is that?!?
Our little love is also rolling over! She loves her tummy time - always has - and I guess she has decided to spice it up. She pushes herself up then rolls onto her back. She becomes as stuck as a turtle on its back at that point...but....we flip her back over and she tries again.
Lil' C met her first suitor today! Connor B. is the son of my good friend, Julie B. We've worked together for the past 5 years and become really great friends! He's almost 2 and giant, but the sweetest little boy you'll ever meet. Here's the honey bunnies...
The biggest milestone is that she is smiling! Real, genuine, not accidently muscle spasms, smiles!!! It's the sweetest thing to see! I'm trying to get pictures of it, but she's being camera shy about her new skill.
I'll leave you with a letter to my growing-by-the-minute mamma.
Dear Caroline-
Oh, you make a mamma so proud. It's amazing how much you've grown in the past 8 weeks. You've gone from a little itty bitty newborn to the cutest baby a mom could ask for! You continue to melt my heart on a daily basis, especially now with your cooing and smiling. I could listen to you talk all day! I sometimes want to wake you up just to listent to that sweet voice, but I know better and wait patiently for you to finish your nap. My favorite part of the day is when you first wake up because that's when you're the most talkative. I imagine that you're telling me about the good baby dreams you just had. What do you dream about? Me and Daddy? Pretty clothes? Ceiling fans? I can't wait until you are able to use real words, but until then, I'll keep loving the sweet sound of your baby voice.
I love you so much and thank God for you every night,
Mom
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