I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane

Here is Caroline getting ready to board on our return flight to St. Louis.
Caroline experienced her first plane ride when we went down to visit my parents in Warner Robins, Georgia over Christmas break (12/28-12/31). I was a little nervous traveling with her, especially because I was on my own. Poor Joe had to work!

Caroline did awesome on the plane. She really enjoyed looking out the plane window! The changes in altitude didn't seem to bother her, and she slept for the last half of the flight. To make our flight even better, we ended up sitting right next to the doctor who delivered Caroline and her husband. They were headed to Rome for their 10 year anniversary. Both of them were extremely helpful!!

Our flight back was a little more interesting. Let's just say that you don't ever want to lose your driver's license when trying to fly. A long ordeal, made more difficult from traveling with a baby, but we made it back to St. Louis.

All I Want for Christmas is...

Caroline's one wish for Christmas was her two front teeth. Okay, so maybe this was mommy and daddy's wish, but we are certain by her demeanor the past week or so that teething isn't the most pleasant experience.

Christmas came and went, but still no teeth. Fortunately, Caroline didn't have to wait long. Her first tooth (bottom right) broke through on 12/27, and the second one (bottom left) followed shortly after on 12/28. They are still pretty low, so I have yet to get a good picture, but they are through enough to be felt. It counts.

8 Months

Caroline shared her 8 month birthday with mommy's real birthday. A lot has changed over the past month. Caroline weighed in at just over 17 pounds. We will find out next month about her height. She is keeping mommy and daddy very busy these days, but we are loving it!!
Caroline:

• In the past month, you have learned to scoot (12/7) and crawl (weekend of 12/17). You are now into everything, especially the presents sitting under the Christmas tree.
• You enjoy pulling up on objects like the fireplace, tables, people, Cooper, and anything you can get your hands on. This has resulted in your first bruise, which of course is on your cheek!
• Some of your favorite objects to play with are cords, shoelaces, and paper. People might find this odd, but they keep you occupied for quite some time.
• Bottle wise, you are the same as you've been. However, you are now eating rice or oatmeal and a fruit for breakfast. For lunch you enjoy some type of veggie and at least half of another fruit. We have also been giving you some Gerber Puffs to help practice with table foods and tried you with a sippy cup, though you have yet to be very successful with the cup.
• We are caking your poor red, winter cheeks with Aquaphor. They don't seem to bother you, but they don't look very pleasant.
• You have become very vocal now! Your first word, which you began saying the first week of December, was 'da.' You enjoy repeating it over and over again. Daddy seems to think you understand what it means, but right now you use it indiscriminately.

The Scoot

Last Tuesday, Caroline started scooting (forward) for the first time. Since then, she has been a woman on a mission. This weekend, she was all over the place. She would usually end up by the presents under the tree. Look for a post on that to come. Here is a cute video of Caroline going after one of Cooper's toys:)

A Visit with Santa

We took Caroline for her first visit with Santa on Sunday, December 12th. We weren't quite sure how Caroline would do because she has begun to show signs of separation anxiety. Fortunately, she didn't seem to mind at all. The true test will come next year when she actually realizes what is going on.
Here is Caroline waiting patiently in line to see Santa. Clearly, she was very excited!
The first thing that Caroline did when she sat on Santa's lap was reach for his beard. Once she was done playing with that, she could have cared less about him (as can be seen by this photo).
We got a free picture of her and Santa, and she was actually looking at the camera. I'm not technology savvy enough to be able to figure out how to change it from a PDF to put it on here though. Oh well!

Caroline's First Christmas Tree

On our way back from Chicago, we stopped by Eckert's to cut down our Christmas tree. Don't ask whose genius idea this was. It was freezing cold, and we were all tired of being in the car. Caroline fell asleep before we were even able to find a tree. Oh well! We got it done and over with. The trees weren't as good as the ones from the place we went to last year, but we still found a decent one.

Caroline hanging the first ornament on the tree...a pair of booties from one of my mom's friends that says "Baby's First Christmas."

Chicago

We took our first mini-vacation up to Chicago for the weekend of December 3-5. It took us a little longer to get up there than planned due to snow, but we all made it safe and sound. On Saturday, we went shopping on Michigan Avenue and had lunch at Giordano's (Joe's favorite). We didn't do too much else just because it was cold and snowy, not ideal for a baby. Overall, we had a great time and can't wait to go back next year!!
The 1 1/2 hour wait was totally worth it. Joe had originally planned on having dinner here as well, but he forgot how filling the pizza was.

Clearly Joe was super excited to visit the American Girl store. He did, however, manage to make it through both floors:)

Getting ready to swim at the hotel pool. Too bad the water was freezing cold!

Caroline loves being able to stand up while holding onto things all by herself. It's a totally new view for her.