Monday, November 17, 2008
And she’s off….
The walking has begun and I think our lives will never be the same! Caitlin has been cruising for what seems like forever – atleast 5 months. Finally on Oct 25 at Cate’s birthday she was finally brave enough to take her first four steps on her own! She walked right over to me from a nearby ottoman at the party! We came home and practiced with her right away and got some cute videos of her taking four or five steps at a time. She has been obsessed with practicing walking – especially outside! She will point to the door and sign “shoes” asking to go outside. If she can find her shoes she will sit down and try to put them on herself. She is relentless! Sunday we took our second trip to Sea World and all Caitlin wanted to do was walk around the park holding Daddy’s finger. Too cute! Last Monday (Nov 10) we were outside practicing and waiting for Daddy to come home when she walked the entire length of the driveway by herself (all 3 car lengths!). It has been pretty much full time walking since then! She still can’t stand up without pulling up on something. So if she trips and falls down she will crawl to something to stand up. Other than that she is walking full time. It is still odd for us to see her walk around the corner! Baby proofing has taken on a whole new meaning now that she practically grew tall overnight! She is getting quicker too – today when Eric came home he said – boy is she picking up speed! Today Caitlin figured out that she could walk and carry things which gave her great pleasure and opened up a whole new world of possibilities. She knows the way to our neighbor’s house – Amanda and Jeremy who have two little boys. She walks down the driveway and tries to walk over to their house to play anytime we are outside. She is also discovering new things outside like bushes and the garage door. The other day she went to the garage door and tried to open the handle saying “Da Da”. I tried to explain that Daddy was at work and not locked in the garage! This weekend we went to the park with Grammy & Papa – she loved the new found freedom of walking anywhere on the playground she wanted to go. Also she doesn’t have as much of an interest in food because it takes away too much time from the walking. One great thing about all of the walking is that it tires her out quick! She is back to taking longer naps again – practically passing out at night. Too much fun!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Just Walking & Drawing - Ok not at the same time - but you get the idea...
Saturday at one of the two birthday parties we attended Caitlin took her first steps! She walked four steps right over to the ottoman I was sitting on! I was thinking woo hoo I knew you could do it! She has been practicing since then - no more than four steps -but it is a start! Yesterday Caitlin was having so much fun drawing on her magnetic sketchboard! The last couple of times she has tried she hasn't really understood or made too many marks - but this time she just took off! She was drawing like crazy and when we asked her what she was drawing she said "dog". Too cute! She also was very confused that her magnetic pen did not work on any other surface such as the carpet, etc. She was so proud of herself. I think it is time to try the sidewalk chalk andcrayons again!
Thursday, September 18, 2008
The swing obsession begins!
This past weekend Eric and my Dad installed a swing for Caitlin on our back porch. This has definately been a blessing. With the ear infection coming on Sunday Caitlin was definately extra cranky. On Monday at one point she was crying nonstop and I was trying everything to get her to stop. Finally I said "do you want to go ride in your swing?". All crying immediately stopped and I heard a very clear "yeah". So the swing obsession begins. Now it is a daily occurance for Caitlin to go to the back door and look longingly towards her swing. She will even bang on the door. The problem is that I get a temper tantrum if I don't take her out to ride on the swing. I also get a temper tantrum anytime I tried to take her out of the swing once we are outside! She has a serious obsession with this swing! I love that she enjoys the swing so much but on the other hand - I hate making her cry every time we get out!
Signing "Book"
Last night Caitlin started signing "book". I knew it wouldn't be long before she picked this one up - especially with her obsession for books! The cutest thing is that this morning we went to storytime at the library and when the librarian finished reading the book to the kids Caitlin politely signed "More Book". So sweet! Today when we got home Caitlin dug through her book bin in the living room and literally took out almost every book (only three were left in the bin) until she found the one she was looking for. She finally found the one she wanted and asked me to read it to her. She has some of them memorized now - she knows what page says "wave bye-bye" or "clap your hands" and starts doing the activity right away. Too cute!
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Some doggie affection and a signing epiphany!
I mentioned in my last post that Caitlin has been signing "more" obsessively. This has been somewhat frustrating for me (not knowing what she wants more of) but also highly amusing and very interesting! I love finding out what she wants and getting a little peak into how her mind is working. Today Reese licked Caitlin on the face - to which Caitlin looked at me and signed "more" while giggling. Too cute!
As I have done on many days - when I take Caitlin out of our bathroom I put her up to the mirror and say "do you see baby Caitlin in the mirror?". Sometimes she waves and giggles, but today when I did this she decided to give herself a kiss in the mirror. Sweet!
Then tonight we were outside walking the dogs and Caitlin starts signing "more" again. I ask her "more what?" Much to my surprise she signs back "baby". I was so excited so I asked her "baby? you want more baby?" She signed "baby" again. So we immediately went into the house and I handed her the baby doll to which she seemed disinterested. I was completely puzzled. Then I see her crawling towards the bathroom and I realized she wanted "more baby" in the mirror. We went into the bathroom and looked in the mirror and she repeatedly signed "baby" and gave herself another kiss. So adorable.
One book I was reading mentioned toes so I took my toes and nudged her toes. This was so funny for her and for the rest of the night she was obsessed with touching our toes together. Cute!
There are hardly words for my delight and wonderment with her tonight.
As I have done on many days - when I take Caitlin out of our bathroom I put her up to the mirror and say "do you see baby Caitlin in the mirror?". Sometimes she waves and giggles, but today when I did this she decided to give herself a kiss in the mirror. Sweet!
Then tonight we were outside walking the dogs and Caitlin starts signing "more" again. I ask her "more what?" Much to my surprise she signs back "baby". I was so excited so I asked her "baby? you want more baby?" She signed "baby" again. So we immediately went into the house and I handed her the baby doll to which she seemed disinterested. I was completely puzzled. Then I see her crawling towards the bathroom and I realized she wanted "more baby" in the mirror. We went into the bathroom and looked in the mirror and she repeatedly signed "baby" and gave herself another kiss. So adorable.
One book I was reading mentioned toes so I took my toes and nudged her toes. This was so funny for her and for the rest of the night she was obsessed with touching our toes together. Cute!
There are hardly words for my delight and wonderment with her tonight.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Baby Laughs!
This week has been a ball of laughs with Caitlin so I just had to share…
Caitlin is learning so many new things! She can properly identify many parts of her body – head, ears, tummy, hands, and feet. She is very proud of herself when she touches the right body part and has the cutest little grin! Anytime she hears the word she is ready to show off what she knows (at home at least – outside is a different story). Case in point – today we just had to read “Five Silly Monkeys” over and over again so she could touch her head every time a monkey fell off the bed and bumped his head! She will also make some animal sounds – Sheep says “ba”, Cow says “mmmmm”, Dog says “ufffffff” [an attempt at woof]. She is very emphatic about the sheep saying “ba”.
Last night Eric was reading “The belly button book” to Caitlin so he points out his belly button to her. She proceeds to try stick her whole hand in his belly button and say “bell-ye”. This was a very fun game for the rest of the night to try to stick her whole hand there and repeat “bell-ye” over and over again!
Another new thing that Caitlin has perfected is “more” in sign language. She is now constantly signing “more”. This can be very frustrating for me – not knowing what she wants more of. So I ask her while signing – do you want more drink? More milk? More water? More eat? More book? More play? Sometimes I get an answer by applause after the one she wants – but more times than not I get a blank stare with repeated signing of “more”. It is awesome that she is learning the signs –I know it is supposed to relieve her frustration since she can communicate with me – but what about my increased frustration? Ha ha. So the funniest thing happened today… we come back from our walk in the stroller and she is frantically signing “more”. So I go through my list of what do you want more of…. She responds with “more”. I say “More what”. Her response is “BELL-YE”! Too funny! She wanted more belly button. Tee hee. Oh the things kids come up with! That put a big smile on my face!
Today we were in the checkout line at Wal-mart and suddenly she had the urge to wave and say “bye bye” to everyone in the store! I wasn’t even done checking out yet but we had to say “bye bye” to the checkout girl, people in line behind us, people walking by, etc. The entire store got “bye” from Caitlin today. Too funny. Anytime you are out and want her to say something she just looks at you like you are crazy. Then out of nowhere we get bye bye. Silly!
She is the sweetest girl giving kisses! For a long time we had to ask for a kiss and we were deemed special royalty almost if granted a kiss from Caitlin…. Last week Caitlin started initiating giving us kisses. Random times just leaning forward and giving us kisses. If that doesn’t melt your heart I don’t know what will! Yesterday I was reading her a book about babies… every page has something about babies…. Well she decided that every baby on every page should get a kiss. Too cute!
This week we also had out first experience with sidewalk chalk and crayons. She did fairly well with the crayons making lines on the paper – she might be an artist yet!
This morning I had to go wake her up to go to a doctor’s appointment. Usually she wakes up as soon as I open the door – but this morning she lay peacefully sleeping. I stopped for a few minutes and just watched her sleeping. Falling even more in love with her if that is even possible. Psychiatrists should bottle that up and sell it – watching a baby sleep can be so relaxing and calming! She looked so sweet – I just wanted to freeze that moment in time. I did manage to get a picture without her waking up as well!
Such fun with baby Caitlin!
Caitlin is learning so many new things! She can properly identify many parts of her body – head, ears, tummy, hands, and feet. She is very proud of herself when she touches the right body part and has the cutest little grin! Anytime she hears the word she is ready to show off what she knows (at home at least – outside is a different story). Case in point – today we just had to read “Five Silly Monkeys” over and over again so she could touch her head every time a monkey fell off the bed and bumped his head! She will also make some animal sounds – Sheep says “ba”, Cow says “mmmmm”, Dog says “ufffffff” [an attempt at woof]. She is very emphatic about the sheep saying “ba”.
Last night Eric was reading “The belly button book” to Caitlin so he points out his belly button to her. She proceeds to try stick her whole hand in his belly button and say “bell-ye”. This was a very fun game for the rest of the night to try to stick her whole hand there and repeat “bell-ye” over and over again!
Another new thing that Caitlin has perfected is “more” in sign language. She is now constantly signing “more”. This can be very frustrating for me – not knowing what she wants more of. So I ask her while signing – do you want more drink? More milk? More water? More eat? More book? More play? Sometimes I get an answer by applause after the one she wants – but more times than not I get a blank stare with repeated signing of “more”. It is awesome that she is learning the signs –I know it is supposed to relieve her frustration since she can communicate with me – but what about my increased frustration? Ha ha. So the funniest thing happened today… we come back from our walk in the stroller and she is frantically signing “more”. So I go through my list of what do you want more of…. She responds with “more”. I say “More what”. Her response is “BELL-YE”! Too funny! She wanted more belly button. Tee hee. Oh the things kids come up with! That put a big smile on my face!
Today we were in the checkout line at Wal-mart and suddenly she had the urge to wave and say “bye bye” to everyone in the store! I wasn’t even done checking out yet but we had to say “bye bye” to the checkout girl, people in line behind us, people walking by, etc. The entire store got “bye” from Caitlin today. Too funny. Anytime you are out and want her to say something she just looks at you like you are crazy. Then out of nowhere we get bye bye. Silly!
She is the sweetest girl giving kisses! For a long time we had to ask for a kiss and we were deemed special royalty almost if granted a kiss from Caitlin…. Last week Caitlin started initiating giving us kisses. Random times just leaning forward and giving us kisses. If that doesn’t melt your heart I don’t know what will! Yesterday I was reading her a book about babies… every page has something about babies…. Well she decided that every baby on every page should get a kiss. Too cute!
This week we also had out first experience with sidewalk chalk and crayons. She did fairly well with the crayons making lines on the paper – she might be an artist yet!
This morning I had to go wake her up to go to a doctor’s appointment. Usually she wakes up as soon as I open the door – but this morning she lay peacefully sleeping. I stopped for a few minutes and just watched her sleeping. Falling even more in love with her if that is even possible. Psychiatrists should bottle that up and sell it – watching a baby sleep can be so relaxing and calming! She looked so sweet – I just wanted to freeze that moment in time. I did manage to get a picture without her waking up as well!
Such fun with baby Caitlin!
Friday, August 29, 2008
We're Now Ready to Call It
This feels a little like election night, but here goes....
After months of careful analysis, the Brosch Family is now prepared to call Caitlin's first word. It is........
This should come as no surprise to anyone who knows Caitlin. She is a big fan of anything related to dogs and her two furry live-in companions in particular. Her first favorite books were "That's Not My Puppy" and "Dog". Tonight, Caitlin and I were reading her Baby Animals book from Grandma Brosch and she stuck her hand out, laid it down on the page - right on a picture of a dog - and said, "DOG!" very authoritatively.
Mommy and I have decided that Caitlin has a lot to say but just doesn't yet have the vocabulary to get it across. I can't wait for her to pick up more words so that we can find out what's going on in her mind.
In other exciting news, she is also doing a very good job of picking animals out of her books by name. Asking "Where is the pig?" or "Where is the donkey?" is yielding the correct answer a surprising number of times. Some nights are better than others, but that may be related to how hungry/tired/cranky she is at the moment.
Our little girl is growing up!
After months of careful analysis, the Brosch Family is now prepared to call Caitlin's first word. It is........
DOG.
This should come as no surprise to anyone who knows Caitlin. She is a big fan of anything related to dogs and her two furry live-in companions in particular. Her first favorite books were "That's Not My Puppy" and "Dog". Tonight, Caitlin and I were reading her Baby Animals book from Grandma Brosch and she stuck her hand out, laid it down on the page - right on a picture of a dog - and said, "DOG!" very authoritatively.
Mommy and I have decided that Caitlin has a lot to say but just doesn't yet have the vocabulary to get it across. I can't wait for her to pick up more words so that we can find out what's going on in her mind.
In other exciting news, she is also doing a very good job of picking animals out of her books by name. Asking "Where is the pig?" or "Where is the donkey?" is yielding the correct answer a surprising number of times. Some nights are better than others, but that may be related to how hungry/tired/cranky she is at the moment.
Our little girl is growing up!
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Caitlin's 1st Year
A nice collage of photos - one photo per month for the first year. We made this for the inside cover of Caitlin's 1 year scrapbook.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Fun in the ball pit
Filling a blow up pool with some balls is such a simple way to provide hours and hours of entertainment!
Bubbles Bubbles Everywhere!
One of Caitlin's birthday presents was a bubble maker. The other day I took her out in the stroller and turned on the bubbles - Caitlin was in heaven! She loved grabbing for the bubbles and thought it was very fun! It is awesome how something so simple can give such delight!
Caitlin's "Friends" Birthday Party!
We had a party at the local park for Caitlin's little friends on August 9 - I just haven't had time to blog about it yet! It was great fun - we reserved the pavillion near the playground area so the kids got to play on the playground, have some yummy food and cake, and celebrate Caitlin's birthday! The theme was still rubber duckies and the kids got to take home some ducks along with special bears and shirts embroidered by Caitlin's Grammy. The families had fun at the park and Caitlin enjoyed spending the morning with her friends! Fun Fun Fun!
Loving the strawberries
The past three weeks have been a world of discoveries for Caitlin in the fruits and vegetables department! It seemed like the longest time that she didn't want to eat any food that wasn't baby food. Lately she has been so excited about new foods! Strawberries are her current favorite followed a close second by blueberries. I don't think I've ever seen one left on her tray after dinner! She also enjoys tomatoes, green peppers, cucumbers, apples, bananas, and baby yogurt. She is very excited by all of the new tastes and will definately let you know verbally if you take too long to cut up and serve her food!
Friday, August 15, 2008
Where's Your Tummy?
Where's Your Tummy?
Originally uploaded by UCFGEEKS
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
The four original playgroup babies reunited!
I have been intending to blog this for a few weeks... but never quite got the chance. Back when Caitlin was 4 weeks old I joined a playgroup. Just a small group of people that meet each week to lget the babies play and mommies chat. It started out as a group of four and is now a group of a dozen or more. This gorup has been a lifesaver for me - giving me a Mommy network of friends and support. One of the Moms had to go back to work - so we had not seen her in while. A few weeks ago she was able to come to a birthday party and we had a little reunion. This is a photo of the original four playgroup babies reunited! We took a similar photo months ago... it is amazing to see the differences in all of the babies! Long live playgroup!
Caitlin 12 Months Old
Caitlin turned one year old Friday! It seems as though we thought this time would never come and now it sneaked up on us! One thing we did make sure to do was take a photo of her the exact minute of her birthday…
This has been the month of learning and discovery! Caitlin discovered the light switch and how it works. She learned how to give “high fives” (although not for strangers). Caitlin also figured out that she could stand up and open the front door at Grammy & Papa’s house… needless to say the door stayed locked at all times after that discovery! She is also fascinated with inside doors. She likes to sit and swing them open and closed. We play peek-a-boo quite a lot this way!
Caitlin is learning to climb…… one day she was a little bored so we brought out every pillow in our house and threw them in the center of the living room. We sat her right in the middle and just let her climb out. It was a riot and she loved it! Apparently these climbing skills came in handy this weekend when we went to South Florida where she learned to climb up Grammy & Papa’s stairs quite efficiently and quickly (some would argue quicker than Mommy)! I couldn’t even count how many times Eric followed right behind her up those stairs. She was very proud of herself! She grinned from ear to ear the entire time!
She also learned how to “give kisses” – which amounts to opening her mouth really wide and leaning in. Yes, our daughter gives only open mouthed kisses at this point! Too funny! Not only do people get kisses – dolls, stuffed animals, mirrors, and even our dogs get kisses!
Eric has taught Caitlin to play with the dogs. She knows where the dog toy bin is now. She will crawl over to their toy bin and pick out a toy for Reese. She will hold it up to show us and we say “that toy is for dog – can you give it to dog?” This will prompt her to hand the toy to Reese. He will run away with it and play. She will follow him around until he drops it and we repeat the process. It is so cute to watch. Reese is so gentle taking the toy from her hands – he knows how small she is. We think he enjoys the playmate since Carmie is older and mostly just wants to sleep!
It is amazing how much Caitlin remembers now. If you tell her the name of something “this is your baby doll” she will remember if you then ask “where is your baby doll?” She also remembers which toys go together – grabbing the farm toy and then searching the bin for the animals that go with it.
She is still crawling – but much quicker now. She takes off in an instant! She will walk with support and sometimes stand for 5 seconds at a time before falling down. She walks with her little push walker around the couch now.
We still have four bottom teeth, but the top two teeth are coming in with a vengeance now. I know they must be hurting her because they sure look painful to me! She has her hands in her mouth 24 hours a day now as you can see in the photos. Yesterday I think one of them may have finally popped through on the corner – sometimes it is hard to tell!
We celebrated Caitlin’s first Fourth of July (I kept thinking – this is her last “first” holiday!) We went to the Mount Dora parade in the morning. She enjoyed the parade and her favorite part was the big shaggy dog walking in the parade campaigning for Sheriff Borders. This dog got a true round of applause from Caitlin! She clapped the whole time he was in sight. We went to a fun barbeque at our neighbors house before going to fireworks in Eustis along the lake. We gave her a late nap so that she would stay awake for the fireworks and she made it right towards the end. She loved the fireworks and clapped for them. She wasn’t afraid of the noise at all!
We celebrated her birthday on Friday by going to Castaway Island in T.Y. Park. It is a fun little water park there with a special area for toddlers. She had a fun time there as she loves the water so much! Saturday we had a party at Grammy & Papa’s house in South Florida for the family. She had a fun time and dove right into the cake. She loved feeling and playing with the icing. When I stuck a bit of icing in her mouth she was not a fan though! She started to gag and did not like it one bit! Later I gave her some cake without the icing on top and she did like eating that quite a bit.
This has been the month of learning and discovery! Caitlin discovered the light switch and how it works. She learned how to give “high fives” (although not for strangers). Caitlin also figured out that she could stand up and open the front door at Grammy & Papa’s house… needless to say the door stayed locked at all times after that discovery! She is also fascinated with inside doors. She likes to sit and swing them open and closed. We play peek-a-boo quite a lot this way!
Caitlin is learning to climb…… one day she was a little bored so we brought out every pillow in our house and threw them in the center of the living room. We sat her right in the middle and just let her climb out. It was a riot and she loved it! Apparently these climbing skills came in handy this weekend when we went to South Florida where she learned to climb up Grammy & Papa’s stairs quite efficiently and quickly (some would argue quicker than Mommy)! I couldn’t even count how many times Eric followed right behind her up those stairs. She was very proud of herself! She grinned from ear to ear the entire time!
She also learned how to “give kisses” – which amounts to opening her mouth really wide and leaning in. Yes, our daughter gives only open mouthed kisses at this point! Too funny! Not only do people get kisses – dolls, stuffed animals, mirrors, and even our dogs get kisses!
Eric has taught Caitlin to play with the dogs. She knows where the dog toy bin is now. She will crawl over to their toy bin and pick out a toy for Reese. She will hold it up to show us and we say “that toy is for dog – can you give it to dog?” This will prompt her to hand the toy to Reese. He will run away with it and play. She will follow him around until he drops it and we repeat the process. It is so cute to watch. Reese is so gentle taking the toy from her hands – he knows how small she is. We think he enjoys the playmate since Carmie is older and mostly just wants to sleep!
It is amazing how much Caitlin remembers now. If you tell her the name of something “this is your baby doll” she will remember if you then ask “where is your baby doll?” She also remembers which toys go together – grabbing the farm toy and then searching the bin for the animals that go with it.
She is still crawling – but much quicker now. She takes off in an instant! She will walk with support and sometimes stand for 5 seconds at a time before falling down. She walks with her little push walker around the couch now.
We still have four bottom teeth, but the top two teeth are coming in with a vengeance now. I know they must be hurting her because they sure look painful to me! She has her hands in her mouth 24 hours a day now as you can see in the photos. Yesterday I think one of them may have finally popped through on the corner – sometimes it is hard to tell!
We celebrated Caitlin’s first Fourth of July (I kept thinking – this is her last “first” holiday!) We went to the Mount Dora parade in the morning. She enjoyed the parade and her favorite part was the big shaggy dog walking in the parade campaigning for Sheriff Borders. This dog got a true round of applause from Caitlin! She clapped the whole time he was in sight. We went to a fun barbeque at our neighbors house before going to fireworks in Eustis along the lake. We gave her a late nap so that she would stay awake for the fireworks and she made it right towards the end. She loved the fireworks and clapped for them. She wasn’t afraid of the noise at all!
We celebrated her birthday on Friday by going to Castaway Island in T.Y. Park. It is a fun little water park there with a special area for toddlers. She had a fun time there as she loves the water so much! Saturday we had a party at Grammy & Papa’s house in South Florida for the family. She had a fun time and dove right into the cake. She loved feeling and playing with the icing. When I stuck a bit of icing in her mouth she was not a fan though! She started to gag and did not like it one bit! Later I gave her some cake without the icing on top and she did like eating that quite a bit.
Monday, August 4, 2008
The family birthday party
Caitlin had her 1st Birthday Party (family party) in South Florida this past weekend. The theme was rubber duckies (1 is just ducky). She had a cute duck cake - on which publix spelled her name wrong - we had to go back to the store to fix that. It came out fine. She looked adorable wearing a little yellow bow that matched her dress! She discovered a few new things on her birthday - like climbing the stairs at Grammy and Papa's house is a lot of fun! She also discovered that she could stand up and open their front door! Needless to say we had to keep the door locked at all times after we discovered that! She had a lot of fun opening her presents. She loved tearing open the paper and playing with her cards. She dove right into the cake putting her hands in the frosting. She was a fan of playing with the frosting - but not a fan of eating the frosting! Later I gave her some pieces of cake with no frosting and she did like eating that! Caitlin got a lot of nice presents - cute clothes, a baby doll with a stroller and accessories, a dog on a string to pull, lego little people blocks, and lots of books! All said and done it was a fun day!
Friday, August 1, 2008
Exactly one year old at 6:36PM on August 1, 2008!
Here is a photo of Caitlin the exact minute she turned one year old! Does she look older to you?
Happy 1st Birthday!
For Caitlin's birthday we decided to spend the morning at Castaway Island in T.Y. Park (Hollywood, FL). They have a toddler pool area and we know how much Caitlin loves the water! We were joined by Grandma and Grandpa Brosch along with Caitlin's Aunt, Uncle, and Nephew William. She loved splashing in the water and had a great birthday morning! You can see all of the pictures on flickr! Stay tuned for more birthday celebrations!
Monday, July 14, 2008
Playing Peek-a-boo with the door
Caitlin's newest fun activity is to play peek-a-boo with the door. She likes to swing the doors open and closed and then peak around to see who is there! Then we say Peek-a-boo!
The pillow climbing challenge
This weekend we threw every pillow we own in the middle of the floor in the living room and put Caitlin in the middle of it! She had a lot of fun climbing and crawling out. She was out of breath by the time she got to the otherside! Cute!
Friday, July 4, 2008
Caitlin's 1st Fourth of July
Today was Caitlin's 1st Fourth of July (and her last "1st" holiday)! This morning we went to the Mount Dora Parade. Caitlin really enjoyed the shaggy dog and the horses. Later we went to a BBQ at a friends house followed by fireworks in downtown Eustis. Caitlin had a late afternoon nap so that she would be awake for the fireworks. She liked them and clapped for the fireworks. I was really proud of her because she wasn't afraid of the noise at all! A great family holiday!
More photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ucfgeeks/sets/72157605972275368/
More photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ucfgeeks/sets/72157605972275368/
Caitlin's 1st Fever and Ear Infection
Wednesday Caitlin felt rather warm to me so I took her temperature and discovered that it was 102.7! So off to the pediatrician we went. She has an ear infection in her right ear so we came home with some antibiotics. Unfortunately as soon as I gave her the antibiotics she gagged and spit up! I called the pharmacist and they said I could mix it with juice to get her to take it. So she is now getting Pear Juice Amoxicillan 2X a day for 10 days. The fever still came back last night but seems to be better tonight. She has been a really good baby considering how she was feeling. Just a smidge clingy and sensitive!
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Caitlin's swimming lessons...
This is the last week of swimming lessons for Caitlin. Today she wore clothes during her lesson to make sure she can float with full dress and a loaded diaper. In this video you can see what would happen if she fell in off the step and if she got flipped over in the water.
11 Months Old
Caitlin turned 11 months old today! What a difference one month makes! We can’t believe how much our little girl is growing up!
This month has been largely consumed by her survival swim lessons. We are finishing up this week after six weeks of lessons. Today the instructor tested her abilities by having her go in the pool wearing her summer clothes. Tomorrow they will test her wearing winter clothes – diaper and all! She is doing great and we are happy to know that she has these lifesaving skills.
Communication has been the key these past few weeks. We really feel now as though we are communicating with Caitlin. Her vocabulary is growing and she understands so much now! She can do some baby sign language – more and milk. She also understands some sentences such as “can you give it to Mommy” and “can you put the ball in the bucket”, “Go get one of your books so we can read it to you”, etc. We have heard her say “Hi” and “Dog” this month as well.
Caitlin loves to stand up and cruise along the couch and the ottoman. She moves around with ease as long as she has something to hold onto. Occasionally she will be standing and forget she needs to hold on – she will start clapping – and she is still able to stay standing up.
Caitlin can drink out of a straw now. We usually cut them in half, but she drinks water from the kids cups at restraints really well! She has four bottom teeth now – but no top teeth! She just has to be different from everyone else!
This past week Grammy and Papa came to visit. Caitlin loved playing with Papa’s hat and also gave him kisses! We even thought she might have said “Papa” once. Sorry Grammy – Papa is much easier to say! She loved visiting with them – there were lots of smiles giggles!
This weekend we took Caitlin to Uncle Donald’s Farm which is a petting zoo in Lady Lake. Caitlin really liked the bigger animals such as the horses, sheep, and cows. She also liked the bird at the front which said “hello” to her as we came in.
We are in the planning stages for her 1st birthday party – which I think is more for our benefit than hers. Still it is a milestone and we can’t wait!
This month has been largely consumed by her survival swim lessons. We are finishing up this week after six weeks of lessons. Today the instructor tested her abilities by having her go in the pool wearing her summer clothes. Tomorrow they will test her wearing winter clothes – diaper and all! She is doing great and we are happy to know that she has these lifesaving skills.
Communication has been the key these past few weeks. We really feel now as though we are communicating with Caitlin. Her vocabulary is growing and she understands so much now! She can do some baby sign language – more and milk. She also understands some sentences such as “can you give it to Mommy” and “can you put the ball in the bucket”, “Go get one of your books so we can read it to you”, etc. We have heard her say “Hi” and “Dog” this month as well.
Caitlin loves to stand up and cruise along the couch and the ottoman. She moves around with ease as long as she has something to hold onto. Occasionally she will be standing and forget she needs to hold on – she will start clapping – and she is still able to stay standing up.
Caitlin can drink out of a straw now. We usually cut them in half, but she drinks water from the kids cups at restraints really well! She has four bottom teeth now – but no top teeth! She just has to be different from everyone else!
This past week Grammy and Papa came to visit. Caitlin loved playing with Papa’s hat and also gave him kisses! We even thought she might have said “Papa” once. Sorry Grammy – Papa is much easier to say! She loved visiting with them – there were lots of smiles giggles!
This weekend we took Caitlin to Uncle Donald’s Farm which is a petting zoo in Lady Lake. Caitlin really liked the bigger animals such as the horses, sheep, and cows. She also liked the bird at the front which said “hello” to her as we came in.
We are in the planning stages for her 1st birthday party – which I think is more for our benefit than hers. Still it is a milestone and we can’t wait!
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Playing with Papa's Hat
One of Caitlin's favorite things to do while Grammy & Papa visited this week was to play with Papa's hat! We joked that she might sneak it into her crib before they left for home!
Admiring the Flowers
Caitlin really likes it when her Daddy takes her outside in the front yard to look at the trees. Right now our crete myrtle (spelling?) has blooms which makes it especially interesting for Caitlin. Daddy tells her all about trees and how they have branches which have leaves and now flowers!
"Uncle Donald's Farm" Petting Zoo
On Saturday we took Caitlin to the Uncle Donald's Farm petting zoo in Lady Lake. She liked a lot of the bigger animals - horses, turkey, and sheep. She also really liked the bird at the front which said "hello" as we came in!
Monday, June 16, 2008
Caitlin AnnaBeth 10 Months Old
Caitlin turned 10 months old June 1! It has been a busy month for us!
Caitlin has developed an even greater love for books (if that seems possible)! She crawls right over to her book bin in the living room and picks out all of the books to flip through. When she finds one she especially likes she will bring it to us so we will read it to her. She is adorable and we love her fascination with the books – although sometimes she will ask us to read the same book 10 times in a row! We now have Bathtime Peekaboo and Five Silly Monkeys memorized - to name a few! One of her favorites is called "Bubbles Bubbles" which she refers to as "Bub Bub". Too cute!
Caitlin had her first swim in her kiddie pool! She had a blast – she loved feeling the water rush over her hands as she pushed down on the edge. She was clapping her hands under water and loving the splashing! This inspired us to start her "swim" lessons – which are really "float" lessons through ISR (infant swim resource – infantswim.com). So far she has had one week of lessons. She is working on floating and rolling from front to back. She is not a fan of the floating and cries during that part of the lesson – but I can see that she is making progress. The cutest thing about the lessons is that she likes to sit on the sidelines and clap for the other kids while they do their lesson!
Last week we went to "My Kids Gym" where they have tons of kids toys and obstacle courses. She got to crawl around, climb on things, try out new big kid toys, and pull up on everything. What an adventure! It was a fun outing for her and tired her out!
Her favorite thing to do right now is to pull up to stand. She pulls up on the couch, ottoman, entertainment center, toys, bed, bathtub, Mommy, Daddy, etc. Pretty much anything she can get her hands on. She pulls herself up and stands there. Her biggest motivation is getting to the dogs and the shiny remote control! She is not cruising…. Yet!
We have moved into her big girl car seat now – this gives her a lot more room in the car and hopefully makes traveling more comfortable for her. We traveled two weekends this month – first to visit Caitlin's Great Grandpa for his 80th Birthday party in Sebring and second to visit her Grandma who is retiring this year from teaching at Holy Cross Lutheran School. Both were fun trips that brought enjoyment for all of us!
Caitlin got her third bottom tooth this month Рno teeth on the top yet. We are continuing to introduce her to more "people food". She likes the turkey and mashed potatoes from Mimi's Caf̩ as well as the biscuits from Cracker Barrel (after I cut them up of course)! She also likes noodles, and frozen carrots. I think Thanksgiving came too early for her Рshe would have a field day now!
Caitlin has developed an even greater love for books (if that seems possible)! She crawls right over to her book bin in the living room and picks out all of the books to flip through. When she finds one she especially likes she will bring it to us so we will read it to her. She is adorable and we love her fascination with the books – although sometimes she will ask us to read the same book 10 times in a row! We now have Bathtime Peekaboo and Five Silly Monkeys memorized - to name a few! One of her favorites is called "Bubbles Bubbles" which she refers to as "Bub Bub". Too cute!
Caitlin had her first swim in her kiddie pool! She had a blast – she loved feeling the water rush over her hands as she pushed down on the edge. She was clapping her hands under water and loving the splashing! This inspired us to start her "swim" lessons – which are really "float" lessons through ISR (infant swim resource – infantswim.com). So far she has had one week of lessons. She is working on floating and rolling from front to back. She is not a fan of the floating and cries during that part of the lesson – but I can see that she is making progress. The cutest thing about the lessons is that she likes to sit on the sidelines and clap for the other kids while they do their lesson!
Last week we went to "My Kids Gym" where they have tons of kids toys and obstacle courses. She got to crawl around, climb on things, try out new big kid toys, and pull up on everything. What an adventure! It was a fun outing for her and tired her out!
Her favorite thing to do right now is to pull up to stand. She pulls up on the couch, ottoman, entertainment center, toys, bed, bathtub, Mommy, Daddy, etc. Pretty much anything she can get her hands on. She pulls herself up and stands there. Her biggest motivation is getting to the dogs and the shiny remote control! She is not cruising…. Yet!
We have moved into her big girl car seat now – this gives her a lot more room in the car and hopefully makes traveling more comfortable for her. We traveled two weekends this month – first to visit Caitlin's Great Grandpa for his 80th Birthday party in Sebring and second to visit her Grandma who is retiring this year from teaching at Holy Cross Lutheran School. Both were fun trips that brought enjoyment for all of us!
Caitlin got her third bottom tooth this month Рno teeth on the top yet. We are continuing to introduce her to more "people food". She likes the turkey and mashed potatoes from Mimi's Caf̩ as well as the biscuits from Cracker Barrel (after I cut them up of course)! She also likes noodles, and frozen carrots. I think Thanksgiving came too early for her Рshe would have a field day now!
Monday, June 9, 2008
Tales of life with Caitlin
Today Caitlin "helped" me do laundry. By that I mean that after the laundry was washed and dried she pulled each item out of the laundry basket and onto the floor before I put it away! Today Caitlin also discovered that it is fun to stand up and try to lift the toilet seat lid up and down!
Later in the day I was trying to keep Caitlin playing in one spot - good luck with that! Anyway - I had a plan - give her Mommy's cell phone to play with - that should keep her busy. Caitlin was much to smart to fall for that one! She simply picked up my phone and crawled away with it! Silly Mommy I can be on the go and take it with me!
Little things make her giggle - when she sticks her fingers in my mouth I make a small "sucking" noise as she pulls them out - that she finds hilarious!
Each new day brings something new - what a life!
Later in the day I was trying to keep Caitlin playing in one spot - good luck with that! Anyway - I had a plan - give her Mommy's cell phone to play with - that should keep her busy. Caitlin was much to smart to fall for that one! She simply picked up my phone and crawled away with it! Silly Mommy I can be on the go and take it with me!
Little things make her giggle - when she sticks her fingers in my mouth I make a small "sucking" noise as she pulls them out - that she finds hilarious!
Each new day brings something new - what a life!
Monday, June 2, 2008
Swim-Rollback-Float Video of Caitlin (ISR)
Swim-Rollback-Float Video of Caitlin (ISR)
Originally uploaded by UCFGEEKS
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Caitlin playing at My Kids Gym
Today I took Caitlin to My Kids Gym which is this little "hole in the wall" place in Winter Garden. It was really cool - lots of toys and tihngs for the kids to play with - even bounce houses, etc. Wednesday AM is toddler time - kids 4 and under - which ensures that your toddler will not get trampled by the older kids. It is only 5$ and well worth it. Caitlin was so worn out at the end of it that she passed out in the car. Too much fun!
Caitlin's 1st Float Lesson
Caitlin has started ISR (infant swim resource - infantswim.com) which is a survival swim program that teaches infants to float if they fall in the water. Once Caitlin is a few months older they can teach her to swim - float -swim. Since babies don't have enough energy to swim long distance they teach them to swim a few strokes - then float and rest and then swim a few more strokes, etc. Caitlin has had two lessons so far. She cries whenever she is floating - but is still picking up on the technique well. Most babies cry during the lessons - I am ok with that knowing that she is learning this survival skill. I have seen a lot of 18 month old children there who swim right over to the wall - amazing. I am also amazed with how much research has gone into this progam. If you have never heard about it check out infantswim.com!
Playing at Lake Idamere Park
On the way home from the Yalaha Bakery we stopped at Lake Idamere Park. Caitlin continues to love the baby swing - as well as the slides there. She really giggles if you tickle her toes everytime she gets close to you. Too cute!
Yalaha Bakery - A family trip
This weekend we took a small drive to Yalaha, FL. Yep that's the name of the city - and also the German Bakery we went to - Yalaha Country Bakery. It is this cool looking building (see photo) and it has a tiny deli and oh so yummy bakery. It was a nice country road drive with yummy perks!
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Infant Survival Swim
Next Tuesday Caitlin will start ISR (Infant Swim Resource) lessons. These are survival swimming skills which teach infants to float if they accidentally fall in a pool, lake, etc. Caitlin loves the water - so I am hoping that she likes her lessons. I am so impressed with the professionalism of this organization. I went to watch a few lessons with the instructor and have read through the "parent resource guide" we got in the mail. The skills they teach are amazing and the detail of their research is unbelievable! They were featured on the Today show last week. Visit infantswim.com for more information! Next week we'll let you know how the lessons are going!
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Caitlin's 1st Swim & Mother's Day
Sunday was Mother's Day - we had a nice breakfast out - where I got a lot of "Happy Mother's Day" greetings! Too cool! Then we came home and took Caitlin swimming in her kiddie pool for the first time! She wore her new swimsuit (Daddy approved one-piece!) and looked so cute. She LOVED the water. She was fascinated by the movement of the water and feeling it rush over her hands. She kept feeling the water as if she was discovering it for the first time!
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Triple the pleasure...
Caitlin got her third tooth this morning! She now has three bottom teeth - but no top teeth! Too funny!
Monday, May 5, 2008
Baby Giggles
Today I discovered the quickest and easiest way to get Caitlin to be in a fit of giggles is to kiss her little baby armpits! Too cute! Don't worry - baby armpits don't smell - they're sweet! LOL!
Eating turkey and mashed potatoes at Mimi's Cafe
We have been working on getting Caitlin to eat more solid foods - for a while all she wants to eat is very finely mashed foods - baby food. Last night at Mimi's cafe I broke of some small pieces of turkey and some mashed potatoes and she loved it! Thanksgiving came to early for our little girl! She would have a field day with Thanksgiving dinner now!
Caitlin 9 Months Old
Caitlin turned 9 months old May 1! It has been a busy month for us!
You can view her 9 month photo collage at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ucfgeeks/2456293749/
Caitlin got her first two teeth! The first one sprouted up the first weekend in April and the second followed a few weeks later. Her smile looks so different now with the two little white peaks!
The same weekend that she got her first tooth we went to the Lake County Fair, and when we came home that night she started crawling! She was slow at first - thinking about each movement. Soon her excitement kicked into high gear! Now she loves to crawl around and explore the house. Every corner brings a new adventure. She understands "Come to Mommy" and will crawl over when I ask her to. She will also crawl over to see Eric when he comes home from work. Too cute! She likes to play peek-a-boo around the corners as well! Now that she is crawling she likes to try to play with the dogs more. Reese thought it was a fun game when she chased him around the couch. We are also trying to teach her that doggie tails are not for eating!
Along with the joy of crawling came the curiosity of pulling up on things. Right now she is trying to pull up on everything in the house! She is able to pull to standing in her crib, and on Mommy. In the crib she pulls up to stand and then tries to peak over the top of the crib to look out!
She has discovered the joy of her mobile and aquarium music in her crib. She likes to crawl to each end of the crib and turn both on at the same time - the dueling crib music. Too funny!
The Mommy group had another picnic at Lake Eola this month - which was a whole new challenge with Caitlin crawling. It was all I could do to keep her out of the picnic food! She loves going to the park and is especially fond of the swing there.
This month Caitlin has also learned the art of clapping. When she gets really happy or excited she will wave her hands in the air and start clapping! It is great to see another expression of her happiness using her hands.
Her favorite word at the moment is "Ma-Ma" which she repeats hundreds of times per day! We still hear quite a bit of "Da-Da", "Ya-Ya", and "Ba-Ba" as well.
Whenever she is unhappy or cranky the easiest way to entertain her is to play the animal sounds game. "Caitlin what does the cow say? The cow says Moooooooo" Eric and I rack our brains coming up with new animals! She loves this game and will study our mouth as we say the animal noise.
She is finally eating chunkier foods. She will now eat gerber puffs - she picks them up off of the high chair tray and shoves them in her mouth. I don't think they sit on the tray for more than a few seconds before she scoops them up. She is also doing great with the sippy cup and drinking like a big girl!
As always we will keep updating Flickr with photos, Youtube with videos, and blogger with narratives....
http://broschbaby.blogspot.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ucfgeeks
http://youtube.com/ebrosch
I hope that all is well with you and your family!
You can view her 9 month photo collage at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ucfgeeks/2456293749/
Caitlin got her first two teeth! The first one sprouted up the first weekend in April and the second followed a few weeks later. Her smile looks so different now with the two little white peaks!
The same weekend that she got her first tooth we went to the Lake County Fair, and when we came home that night she started crawling! She was slow at first - thinking about each movement. Soon her excitement kicked into high gear! Now she loves to crawl around and explore the house. Every corner brings a new adventure. She understands "Come to Mommy" and will crawl over when I ask her to. She will also crawl over to see Eric when he comes home from work. Too cute! She likes to play peek-a-boo around the corners as well! Now that she is crawling she likes to try to play with the dogs more. Reese thought it was a fun game when she chased him around the couch. We are also trying to teach her that doggie tails are not for eating!
Along with the joy of crawling came the curiosity of pulling up on things. Right now she is trying to pull up on everything in the house! She is able to pull to standing in her crib, and on Mommy. In the crib she pulls up to stand and then tries to peak over the top of the crib to look out!
She has discovered the joy of her mobile and aquarium music in her crib. She likes to crawl to each end of the crib and turn both on at the same time - the dueling crib music. Too funny!
The Mommy group had another picnic at Lake Eola this month - which was a whole new challenge with Caitlin crawling. It was all I could do to keep her out of the picnic food! She loves going to the park and is especially fond of the swing there.
This month Caitlin has also learned the art of clapping. When she gets really happy or excited she will wave her hands in the air and start clapping! It is great to see another expression of her happiness using her hands.
Her favorite word at the moment is "Ma-Ma" which she repeats hundreds of times per day! We still hear quite a bit of "Da-Da", "Ya-Ya", and "Ba-Ba" as well.
Whenever she is unhappy or cranky the easiest way to entertain her is to play the animal sounds game. "Caitlin what does the cow say? The cow says Moooooooo" Eric and I rack our brains coming up with new animals! She loves this game and will study our mouth as we say the animal noise.
She is finally eating chunkier foods. She will now eat gerber puffs - she picks them up off of the high chair tray and shoves them in her mouth. I don't think they sit on the tray for more than a few seconds before she scoops them up. She is also doing great with the sippy cup and drinking like a big girl!
As always we will keep updating Flickr with photos, Youtube with videos, and blogger with narratives....
http://broschbaby.blogspot.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ucfgeeks
http://youtube.com/ebrosch
I hope that all is well with you and your family!
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Standing in my crib - come get me Daddy!
Caitlin has learned a new trick today - she can pull herself up to stand in the crib. Now she will stand there and cry when she wakes up until we come get her!
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Clapping!!!
Yesterday at the park Caitlin started clapping! Now she claps anytime she is really really happy!
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Showing off my teeth
We finally got a nice photo of Caitlin's first tooth! The second one just broke through (to the left in this photo). It is too small to see in the photo yet - just a little broke through the gum.
She's a reader at heart!
Caitlin is definately a reader like her Mommy & Daddy. During the day she loves to crawl over to her book bin and pull out books to look at. At night she knows it is reading time after her last bottle. Daddy sits on the couch with her and lets her pick out the books she wants to read. If he doesn't get to them quickly enough after she finishes her bootle she takes matters into her own hands. She crawls over his lap to the books and makes a grab for them. She has her favorites - she grabs and bangs on the pages. She also has those that she listens to intently. She knows when the fun sounds are approaching - so she watches Daddy's lips to see how he makes those funny noises. Too cute!
Saturday, April 12, 2008
And Caitlin's First Big Girl Food Is...........
.... corn!! Go figure! We have tried mashed bananas, mashed potatoes, mashed peaches, mashed mangoes, all to no avail. We thought it was the texture because she would eat bananas, peaches and mangoes from baby food jars. Then tonight we gave her some corn from the table and she ate it. Wonder what the next food will be.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
It's Raining, It's Pouring, She's CRAWLING!
Today we went to the Lake County Fair - spent an hour there and got rained out. No big deal - still had a good time for the hour! Anyway - we went to the store and when we got home later tonight Caitlin started crawling! At first I wasn't quite sure what a saw - it was a blur. Then I called Eric over - yep she was crawling! We got some great video but we are having technical difficulties so hopefully we will have it uploaded tomorrow! She also mastered waving hi this weekend -see that video below! What a crazy busy weekend! Friday -Tooth. Saturday - mastered waving hello. Sunday - crawling! Busy Busy Baby!
Friday, April 4, 2008
Sprouting my first tooth
This morning I woke up and Caitlin sprouted her first tooth overnight! She was very shy about taking a photo so it is hard to see. It is even hard to see in person because just a little ridge broke through the skin! She was good last night and didn't even wake up while teething! Woo hoo! My little girl is getting so big!
Caitlin turned 8 Months Old!
Tuesday Caitlin turned 8 months old. It is hard to believe how much she is growing and learning every day. It is amazing to watch her – you can actually see her learning new things. I find it fascinating!
This month brought a lot of exciting new adventures for Caitlin – riding in the laundry basket, Daddy's lawn tractor and her new wagon, attending the Florida Strawberry Festival and her first trip on the Merry Go Round, picnics and strolls through Lake Eola and Harry P. Leu Gardens, attending her first Easter Egg Hunt where she met the Easter Bunny, and of course lots of playdates with her little friends.
She is working on feeding herself – she can hold her own bottle, is practicing with the sippy cup, and can feed herself with the spoon if I give it to her with food already on it.
The dogs are by far the most fascinating toys for her. She is infatuated with them. When they are around we always hear new sounds of joy from her. She loves to feel their silky and smooth fur. The dogs are very patient with her and love to give her kisses. They don't even mind when she grabs their ears or pulls them over to her by their tails.
Reading is always a special time for Caitlin. She loves to feel new textures in her touch and feel book. She is very quick to turn the pages and has books that are definitely her favorites. She bangs on some of the books with great excitement when reading her favorites.
Going outside is a much loved activity. She loves the sights and sounds and loves to explore. Riding in the wagon with the wind in her face gives her the giggles. If you walk up to tree she will concentrate on studying it. Her nightly walk around the block in the stroller is one of her favorite parts of the day.
She is also trying to communicate with us more and more. She understands the words Mommy, Daddy, and Dog. She responds to the "more" sign language when eating, and also signals when she is done and wants to get up. She likes babbling "Ya Ya" and "Da Da" repeatedly and I have even heard "Ma Ma" once or twice! When the dogs bark she tries to say Woof – although it ends up "uffffff". Sometimes she will even wave hi and bye. She is constantly making noise now – she is definitely a talker – definitely our child!
The biggest advancement by far is her increase in mobility. She rolls around the room with ease and is now getting into the crawling position and rocking back and forth. She moves forward with her arms but has not learned the coordination with her legs just yet. She is now figuring out how to get into a sitting position from crawling. She also pushes herself backwords rather easily. This has led to a whole new world of discoveries for her. Naps are a bit challenging now as she would much rather practice trying to crawl in her crib than sleep!
She learns something new everyday – each morning I wake up and wonder what will we learn today?
This month brought a lot of exciting new adventures for Caitlin – riding in the laundry basket, Daddy's lawn tractor and her new wagon, attending the Florida Strawberry Festival and her first trip on the Merry Go Round, picnics and strolls through Lake Eola and Harry P. Leu Gardens, attending her first Easter Egg Hunt where she met the Easter Bunny, and of course lots of playdates with her little friends.
She is working on feeding herself – she can hold her own bottle, is practicing with the sippy cup, and can feed herself with the spoon if I give it to her with food already on it.
The dogs are by far the most fascinating toys for her. She is infatuated with them. When they are around we always hear new sounds of joy from her. She loves to feel their silky and smooth fur. The dogs are very patient with her and love to give her kisses. They don't even mind when she grabs their ears or pulls them over to her by their tails.
Reading is always a special time for Caitlin. She loves to feel new textures in her touch and feel book. She is very quick to turn the pages and has books that are definitely her favorites. She bangs on some of the books with great excitement when reading her favorites.
Going outside is a much loved activity. She loves the sights and sounds and loves to explore. Riding in the wagon with the wind in her face gives her the giggles. If you walk up to tree she will concentrate on studying it. Her nightly walk around the block in the stroller is one of her favorite parts of the day.
She is also trying to communicate with us more and more. She understands the words Mommy, Daddy, and Dog. She responds to the "more" sign language when eating, and also signals when she is done and wants to get up. She likes babbling "Ya Ya" and "Da Da" repeatedly and I have even heard "Ma Ma" once or twice! When the dogs bark she tries to say Woof – although it ends up "uffffff". Sometimes she will even wave hi and bye. She is constantly making noise now – she is definitely a talker – definitely our child!
The biggest advancement by far is her increase in mobility. She rolls around the room with ease and is now getting into the crawling position and rocking back and forth. She moves forward with her arms but has not learned the coordination with her legs just yet. She is now figuring out how to get into a sitting position from crawling. She also pushes herself backwords rather easily. This has led to a whole new world of discoveries for her. Naps are a bit challenging now as she would much rather practice trying to crawl in her crib than sleep!
She learns something new everyday – each morning I wake up and wonder what will we learn today?
Monday, March 31, 2008
I'm done - pick me up now!
Caitlin's newest trick - holding up her arms to signal she is done. Whether she is in the high chair, on the floor playing, in her exersaucer, or in the stroller - if she is done and wants up -she raises her arms! If you don't come rather quickly she starts flapping her arms like a chicken and whining. She sure knows what she wants!
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Caitlin's dedication in library book
For Christmas for Caitlin we wanted to do something special. So we sponsored the purchase of a children's book for the local library. They put a nice dedication in the front of the book that says "In honor of Caitlin's First Christmas, Love Mom & Dad". Caitiln was the first person to check out "her" book from the library.
Mommy & Me Group Picnic at Lake Eola
I have met a bunch of Moms at various Mommy classes . We now try to get together once per week for a picnic and a walk at Lake Eola. It is so much fun to get together with the other Moms and see how all the babies are growing! This week Caitlin was rolling everywhere trying to get into the picnic food! It was a beautiful day this past Wednesday - the weather was perfect and the park was great!
Monday, March 24, 2008
Puppy Love
Today Caitlin was able to take one step crawling. She moved one leg and one arm - in the name of Puppy Love. Yep - Reese is her motivation for crawling! Also today when the dogs were barking Eric said "Dog says woof" and Caitln replied "oof". This was repeated three times! She doesn't quite have the "W" sound for the complete word - but it is a start!
Tales of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
On Friday Caitlin found her voice and was babbling nonstop: Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Da Da Da Da Da! She was so loud that Eric could hear her in the garage from the living room! Today I had a Dr's appointment and Caitlin was "talking" while I waited for the Dr. to come in. I think the entire office heard her! When the Dr. came in he said "we heard you chatting"! Too cute!
Caitlin at the Easter Egg Hunt
This weekend we took Caitlin to the library for her first Easter Egg Hunt. She got to sit in the grass and pick up her eggs! As you can see she thoroughly enjoyed it! She also got to see the Easter Bunny which was a little startling for her. All in all a great 1st Easter!
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Rocking back and forth on hands and knees
Today marked a big learning curve for Caitlin. She discovered that she can get into the crawling position and rock back and forth! It started out that she was practicing in her crib and now she does it almost every time you put her on the floor. She even lifted up one arm at some points just to show that she can hold herself up with two legs and one arm on the floor. She really wants to move - oh boy - I'm not sure if we are ready for that! Also today Caitlin is learning to wave "hi". A couple of times today she waved at Daddy & Mommy when prompted! Too much fun!
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