Caroline's First Christmas

Whew! We made it through Caroline's first holiday season! I don't count New Years Eve for her since she goes to bed at 7pm and thus won't be enjoying any New Years festivities.
We spent Christmas in Nashville this year, with the Hepper clan. It was another packed house at Grandma and Grandpa Hepper's: Paul, me, and Caroline, Aunt Erin, Uncle Tate and Aunt Donna and great Grandpa Hepper and great Grandma Hepper . Also in attendance were the family dogs: Isabel, Frances, Lily, and Bailey. We enjoyed many nights of delicious food (mmm...peanut butter balls), good conversation and laughs ("Someone stole my shirt and pants!!"), and lots of Christmas cheer.
Caroline had a blast unwrapping her first Christmas gifts. Some of her booty includes a toy train from Marmee and Grampy, a Leap Frog Musical table from Grandma and Grandpa Hepper, and lots of adorable clothes (yay for the Lily Pulitzer dress Aunt Donna and Uncle Tate gave!).
Caroline had an especially good time during our Nashville visit. This was a really big week for her. Not only was she constantly surrounded by adoring fans who thought everything she did was spectacular, but she also made some really cool developmental leaps. Before we left Charlottesville, she had been army crawling for a few weeks, but she was generally slow and inefficient. Within days of arriving in Nashville, our little Sugarboo started cruising around at lightning speed, using a technique that involved some all fours crawling, some army crawling, and some "worm." Now she's a (speedy)lady on the move, with places to go and people to see. Look out world!
She also started going from lying down to sitting position. This development happened so fast, I'm not even sure when it occurred! When did our little bambina become such a "big" girl??
The only members of the Hepper household that maybe didn't have such a good time were the dogs. Poor Bailey was a little overwhelmed when not one, not two, but three dogs arrived to share her house. Isabel and Frances were on their worst behavior. Frances barked constantly at seemingly everything: a person walking outside, a car driving by, the other three dogs, or sometimes just the voices we think she hears in her head. Isabel was stand-offish, preferring to avoid the other dogs with the exception of a few times when she tangled with Bailey and the time when she nearly took poor Lily's head off for no reason. Lily was the best behaved of the bunch, although she did leave quite a few "presents" around the house for us to find. I'm sure Bailey is relieved to have her house back to normal.
All in all, Caroline's first Christmas was fantastic. We had a great time in Nashville visiting with the fam, and we're looking forward to seeing everyone again in January for Caroline's baptism.

Here are some of my favorite pics from the week.

Caroline and her adoring Grandparents.


Checking out the Christmas tree with Aunt Erin.


Caroline and Mommy in front of the Christmas tree before going to church.


Caroline unwrapping her musical table.


Caroline and her new choo choo train.


Caroline on the move!


Caroline on Daddy's shoulders, heading upstairs for a nap.

Charlottesville's "Holiday Punch"

On Friday, Charlottesville was hit by a doozy of a winter storm. Quickly named the "Holiday Punch" by the local news, the storm dumped about 20 inches of snow on our fair city over a period of a day and a half. Thank goodness we decided to end our Richmond trip early on Friday morning and head back home.
We got to Charlottesville around 5:00pm, when the snow was really starting to come down. I knew we were getting short on coffee creamer and Paul wanted bacon, so he dropped me off at the shady Food Lion by our house while he went to go pick up the dogs from the kennel. I walked into the Food Lion and immediately knew it was a mistake. There were people EVERYWHERE!! Everyone was pushing cartfuls of what he or she deemed as "necessities." Now, I can't knock other people's choices since I was there for bacon and coffee creamer (I can't live without coffee creamer though!), but I was amazed at what people thought was worth a dangerous drive through the snow.
I saw one woman with at least 20 boxes of Totino's pizza rolls, another woman with about 4 40's of beer and one box of wine, a guy with a HUGE piece of meat and nothing else, and a woman with 3 jars of oysters. With my creamer and bacon in hand, I quickly headed toward the front of the store to check out. On my way, I narrowly avoided being hit by a shopping cart with an elderly lady at it's helm. The woman behind me wasn't so lucky and nearly fell over when the surprisingly spry octogenarian jacked her in the back with her cart. You would think the old woman would apologize for nearly running down the other customer, but instead she shouted "I know you better watch where you're goin'!! Thinking that this situation was not going to end well, I quickly hurried away, leaving the two woman to battle it out on their own.
I finally made it out of the Food Lion 30 minutes later, after selecting the worst possible check out line to stand in (someone was trying to pay with a food stamp check that apparently was no good). The roads were in really bad shape, but Paul expertly drove us home.
For the last two days, we've watched incredible amounts of snow fall, endured 12 hours without electricity, watched idiotic people unsuccessfully attempt to drive on the snow covered roads, and spent a lot of time shoveling snow of our steps. Here's a handy winter tip: if you don't have a snow shovel, a spatula and a cookie sheet both serve as nice substitutes.
We're hoping that a snow plow will come and clear our parking lot and roads tomorrow, but if not I have enough coffee creamer and bacon to last us at least 3 more days.

A Variety of Pics

I have a few pictures that don't have much in common so my post will be short. I'm sure that appeals to many of you out there :)

Caroline in her "spaceship"


Caroline testing out her "all fours" crawling


Caroline eating the map of Richmond - we just spent a couple days there house hunting


The Charlottesville "Christmas Punch" of 2009 - 20+ inches of snow!!

New Moves

Here's a video of Caroline showing off her new moves: army crawling. She's been doing it for about 2 weeks now and she's getting better every day. Go Caroline!

Holiday Happenings!

As Christmas approaches, there are lots of things going on around the Hepper household! We'll be in Nashville for Christmas this year, but I wanted to get the Christmas spirit going at our house too, so we've been listening to Christmas carols, decorating and we've gotten a tree. Caroline's first Christmas tree isn't the most grand tree you've ever seen, but it was all we had the space for. I'm also a little concerned as to how long the tree has been out of the ground. It looked all fresh and springy when it was at the lot, but as soon as we got it home, it started dropping needles like nobody's business and hasn't stopped since. At this rate, it will be a twig with ornaments by the time Christmas rolls around! It's a good thing I've got an excellent vacuum on hand to suck up all the stray needles. I've been using it so much (even MORE than usual, if those who know me can imagine) that Caroline doesn't even bat an eye anymore when I zoom by her with my trusty Shark.
Last week we went to the Darden Cold Call so Caroline could get her picture taken with Santa. I was worried she would burst into tears when placed in Santa's lap, but she was just fine. She didn't smile, but she didn't cry either, so it's a win in my book :)
Today we're baking Marmee's famous angel cookies for a cookie swap party tomorrow and this weekend we're getting together for our 2nd annual Darden Christmas bash. It should be lots of fun.
In other news, a few days before turning 6 months old, Caroline started to army crawl! It's very exciting to see her look of determination as she pulls herself toward something she wants. Sadly, it's often one of the dogs that she wants and the girls are way too fast and smart to stay put until Caroline gets to them! We also had to lower her crib matress because our crafty little girl has made several escape attempts lately. I'll post a video of her new moves later this week.
Here are some pictures: Caroline with the Darden Santa, her first Christmas tree, and Caroline checking out her "Baby's First Noel" ornament.

Caroline and Frances

Check out this video of Caroline laughing at Frances. It starts a bit slow, but is really cute at the end.

Thanksgiving with the DeNiros

WARNING: This is another long post, but it's my only one this week.
It was a wonderful Thanksgiving with the DeNiro family this year! Paul, Caroline, and I enjoyed several days of quality time with Grampy and Marmee, Uncle Michael, Aunt Allison and Uncle Billy, and cousins Landon and Sophia. Also present were the family dogs: Hayley, Isabel, and Frances. It made for a very full house up at Big Canoe, but everything went swimmingly. We even managed to assemble for a whole family picture: a rare event in the DeNiro household.
As I looked at the different takes of the family portrait on Uncle Billy's camera, I got to thinking about each family member, his or her different personality, and how we all come together on the holidays. I realized that everyone plays a role during these occasions and it amused me to explore them in my mind. Here's my take on each family member and his or her role whenever we get together...
Grampy: Aside from being our lovable and adored "Grampy", Dad has one of the most important roles when the family comes to town. He goes from being the CPO at Haverty's to the CSO, the "Chief Sanitation Officer". While fulfilling this role, one will see Grampy making multiple trips from the pint sized waste basket my parents use as an excuse for a kitchen trash can to the large trash can outdoors. As CSO, my Dad's job is to take out the trash as many as 10 times a day. My Dad takes this job seriously, and allows no one to remove trash without his consent. As the CSO, Grampy's job is also to provide each family member with enough hand sanitizer to drown a horse as well as enough toilet paper to tepee the entire neighborhood. Another important role Grampy fulfills when family comes to town is "Chief Valet Attendant", or CVA. No matter where you park, you can rest assured that it is not a satisfactory spot in Grampy's mind. You won't have been in the door for 10 minutes before Grampy will glance out the front window and then casually ask for your keys. Before you know it, your car will have been whipped out of it's spot and moved to a more "suitable" location. Don't get too comfy with this spot though. Grampy is a restless parking attendant, and he will surely find a better spot within a few hours. It is best just to leave your keys with Grampy until you leave town.
Marmee: Mom's job is head chef and CHO, or "Chief Happiness Officer." It is her job to provide enough home cooked food to feed a small country and also to ensure that everyone in the family is at the peak of happiness at all times. This is not an easy task, as one might imagine. Marmee does a great job of dispensing toys, help, and old family heirlooms in an effort to keep everyone content. She does it all with a smile on her face.
Her food is quite delicious too. This year's Thanksgiving dinner was the best we've ever had! Providing such wonderful meals is not an easy task because Marmee has an unfortunate repertoire of kitchen utensils. Her knives are so dull they can't cut butter, her vegetable peeler is circa 1700s (and has the rust to prove it), and her pantry is rife with dangerous foods (see my role below). I think we all know what Marmee will be getting in her stocking this year: kitchen supplies!
Aunt Allison: My sister has the job of being the house stylist. She can be counted upon to advise each family member how to dress for any occasion. She is especially good at dressing Caroline and Sophia so they look as adorable as can be. Another role Allison fills is Assistant Chef. She does this job wonderfully and has been known to cook a gourmet meal for 8 using a chicken, some rice, a few other ingredients, and the amazingly ancient kitchen utensils my mom adores.
Uncle Billy: My brother-in-law's main role is to provide comic relief when things get tense between family members. Whether it be to show a funny YouTube video such as "Spiders on Drugs", (look it up, it's hilarious) or to crack a joke or two, Uncle Billy can be counted on to dispel any tense moments that may occur. He is also our family photographer. Billy is quite talented, and we all have him to thank for our Christmas cards this year.
Uncle Michael: My brother fills multiple roles. He is our resident scholar, our mysterious brooding sibling, and our house babysitter. Michael surprises us all, going from being immersed in his German translation one minute to playing Star Wars on the floor with Landon in the next minute. I might also add that he is quite the fashion forward dresser :)
Uncle Paul: Paul is the house taste tester. No one worries about Paul being on a diet or being sheepish about eating too much. Just turn the oven on and Paul will come running to find out what delectable food will be coming out of Marmee's kitchen next. Uncle Paul is also our Chief Technology Officer. He can be counted on for wireless internet access, DVD assistance, and anything else that requires more than a pair of AA batteries.
Landon, Caroline and Sophia: The cousins only job is to look adorable and make us laugh. They fulfill these roles marvelously.
Aunt La: Aside from being the family member who cries first and most often whenever we get together, my other job is crucial, in my opinion. My parents are known to hoard amazing amounts of expired food. During each visit, I take it upon myself to rescue the family from certain botulism poisoning by cleaning out the pantry and the refrigerator. This is no small task. No matter how often I visit, there always seems to be a jar of mayonnaise from 1985 ("But I just used that yesterday!" says Mom)lurking in the back of the fridge or a dinged and rusted can of green beans that expired 3 years ago hiding out in the cupboards. My job is a thankless one, but someone has to do it.
I'll leave you now with a few pictures: Sophia and Caroline, all dolled up in their Thanksgiving dresses,and Caroline with Daddy and Mommy.

Taking a Breather

Caroline and I are leaving tomorrow to fly to Atlanta for the Thanksgiving holiday. Normally we wouldn't be going for so long, but Allison and her family can only be there on the front end of the week, so we're going early to catch them. Paul won't be coming down until mid-week because he has class.
So, as I began preparing for Caroline and me to fly alone AGAIN, I was feeling very anxious about the packing, the travelling, and hauling all the necessary equipment we'll be needing. I decided to take a break from the frenzy and sit with Caroline on our bed. After all, Dr. Phil was on and his shows require full mental focus, right?
After snuggling in with sweet Caroline to watch the show, I noticed how relaxed and happy she seemed, legs crossed and sucking on her thumb without a care in the world. I decided to snap a picture to share on our blog. Hopefully, it reminds us all to take a breather (or two or three...) during all the holiday frenzy. Thumb-sucking during said breather(s) is optional :)

A visit from our favorite Grandma

We were lucky to get a visit from our favorite Grandma this past weekend. It's really nice when one grandmother is called "Marmee" and the other grandmother is called "Grandma". That way they both get to be the "favorite" :)

Grandma Hepper came in town last Thursday just to spend some quality time with our little Sugarboo. Caroline was a teensy bit wary of this new arrival at first, but she warmed up real fast and was soon flashing her adorable grin at her enamored Grandma. In fact, Caroline must have felt really comfortable because within 30 minutes of Grandma arriving, Caroline threw up all over her leg! Luckily, Grandma took this all in stride, and continued to play with her spit-up volcano of a grandchild.

Despite the icky weather on Thursday and Friday, we managed to keep pretty busy. We went out for a few tasty lunches, did some shopping for a Christmas dress for Caroline (thanks Grandma!!), and even went to a StrollerFit class together.

Caroline also got lots of quality play time in with Grandma. Caroline got to show off her many talents: sitting up independently, "talking" up a storm, and reaching for anything and everything within her grasp in order to put it directly into her mouth. This includes the body parts of other people, such as chins, necks, and noses.

One of the best parts of the visit for me was Saturday night when Grandma babysat for us! We went to Katie and Sven's house for a little get together with some friends. There's nothing better than being able to leave your little bambina knowing she's in capable hands.

Sadly, it wasn't until Grandma left that I realized I didn't get a picture of the two of them together while she was here. I was bummed because I knew I wanted to post about the visit, but I like to post text AND a picture. Luckily, Caroline gave me an idea.

This morning she woke up at 6:45. This alone was a gift, since her wake up calls have been coming at 5:00 recently. But, I was in for an even nicer surprise: Caroline proceeded to take a 1.5 hour, a 2.5 hour and another 1 .5 hour nap throughout the course of the rest of the day! Caroline must have had such a fantastic time visiting with her favorite Grandma that she needed three SPECTACULAR naps to recuperate. And that is how I decided on the picture for this post...

Thank you Grandma!!!

Adventures in Eating

When I started introducing solids to Caroline, I was really excited about the possibilities. I was an eager beaver; ready to make all her food from scratch, and therefore saving her from the horrors of jarred chicken and vegetable puree. But even though I really have enjoyed making her pureed acorn squash, pears, and sweet potatoes, I'm beginning to understand why my sister was dreading introducing solids with her second child, Sophia. Sure, it seems like fun, making your baby's food and helping her enjoy solids for the first time. But the reality is that it's quite messy and a bit frustrating. For adults, eating is second nature. For babies, it's a whole skill set that needs to be learned.
After about two weeks of solids, I'm a little worried Caroline thinks that food actually comes from the high chair tray instead of the spoon because she spends the majority of her "meal times" with her head lowered and her lips glued to the tray, sucking up wayward mush. I'm hoping this isn't an indication of her scholastic aptitude. :)

By the time we're finished with each eating session, we head straight for the bath tub because the amount of goo that covers Caroline from head to toe is no match for a wipe or washcloth. And the mess doesn't end there. I'm still finding dried bits of avocado: last week's new veggie. Luckily, I have two highly capable floor mops: Isabel and Frances. For them, introducing solids is the best thing that's happened in our house for quite a while. I imagine it almost makes up for Mommy and Daddy bringing this "creature" into their home. Almost.
Today I gave Caroline a biter biscuit, which is basically a glorified graham cracker. I handed it to her and left the room to grab my phone from the kitchen. When I came back in not 10 seconds later, this is what I saw:

Caroline was face down, sucking the biscuit! Who needs hands when you can face plant and eat your food?? She was happy as a clam, but I couldn't let her continue to believe that eating takes place in a face down position!! That is unless Caroline is destined to be a pie eating contest contestant for the rest of her life. After being propped back up, Caroline was finally able to secure the now slimy biscuit in her hand and happily sucked away until there was nothing left. I counted this as an "adventures in eating" success, but I could tell that Frances was very jealous that her services were not needed.

Caroline Goes Shopping

Halloween 2009

I know that last post was another novel, so this one's going to be short. Adult Halloween at the Hepper house was a blast. When you have a child, you offer to host parties at your house so you can pretend like you still have a social life. That's what we did last night. Caroline went to sleep at 6:30 like the angel that she is and Mommy and Daddy partied hard downstairs (Daddy partied WAY harder than Mommy). Check out the great costumes our friends were wearing. I spent so much time decking Caroline out in Halloween garb that by last night a black t-shirt and pumpkin necklace was about all the costume I could stomach. Happy Halloween!!!

Caroline's First Halloween

I was going to do one big Halloween post on Sunday, but I decided to do one "kiddie" post tonight & one adult post later on because we have way too many Halloween festivities going on this weekend to cram into one post. Kiddie post comes first...
This being Caroline's first Halloween, I am trying to do as many festive things as possible. This is definitely a case of "the apple didn't fall far from the tree" because my mom is the queen of holiday festivity-ness (yes, I made up that word). I remember being visited by the Great Pumpkin in October and St. Nicholas in December (in addition to Santa Claus!), & making cherry turnovers on George Washington's birthday. I think my mom even had activities for Flag Day. That's just the kind of lady she is :)
Anyways, we did the apple orchard & pumpkin patch trips earlier this month to get the holiday spirit ball rolling and I feel as though we've done Halloween justice as well. It started last night with a pumpkin carving party. Several friends and our little family went over Kim's house with our pumpkins and some goodies to snack on while we carved. I should have known that this get together would end as these get togethers always do: with the girls in one room chatting away and the boys in another location doing something mischievous. Last night was no different. The girls ate and talked and the boys went out back, found a Red Rider BB gun, and proceeded to use our pumpkins for target practice. We didn't realize what was going on until I went outside to check on Paul's carving progress and he nearly dinged Caroline as we unknowingly crossed the line of fire! Luckily, no one got hurt (except the pumpkins). We left the party with a wounded, uncarved pumpkin.
Today we got up with a full schedule of Halloween plans. The first stop of the day was to Stroller Fit class for a Pumpkin Party. Normally Caroline and I get a good workout in during this class, but today all we did was sit around looking adorable and eating as many sugary treats as possible before 10 am. Ok, Caroline sat around looking adorable, I ate as many sugary treats as possible. MANY thanks to Paul's Aunt Kellie for the cute Halloween outfit!! Caroline got an astounding amount of oohs and ahhs while wearing it. Caroline herself also enjoyed the outfit tremendously.
After the Pumpkin Party, we headed home to carve our pumpkin. Daddy did the carving while Caroline sat in her high chair & played with pumpkin goo. Messy, but fun. After that Caroline went down for a nap & Mommy baked a bajillion sugar cookies for our Halloween party tomorrow night.
The last Halloween activity of the day was Cold Call at Darden this evening. Caroline donned her adorable Halloween outfit again and we headed out to enjoy a good time with friends and a costume parade for the children. Once we got there, we put Caroline in her Halloween outfit: a hot dog suit. She looked really cute, but also a little hot & scared, so we took her out after snapping a few pics. Luckily, she was wearing her special outfit underneath, so that served as her "costume" for the evening. After a couple hours (and many more sugary treats) we headed home.
I know that Caroline won't remember her first Halloween, but I know I will and I hope the hundreds of pictures we took will show her how much fun we had when she's older! I at least know I exhausted her with all the activities I carted her around to (see the last pic).

Cereal Time!

Today was an exciting day in the Hepper household...for me at least. We gave Caroline her first taste of solid food: rice cereal. The goal of this introduction was just to let Caroline taste the cereal, not eat a whole bowl of it. It's a good thing we started out with those expectations because I don't think even a teaspoon actually made it down the hatch. Caroline did seem to enjoy the experience though, she didn't get nearly as excited as I thought she might. The funniest part was when I gave her the spoon to try and feed herself. It's a good thing the spoon is soft because she proceeded to poke herself in the eye, forehead, cheeks, and ears before finally finding her mouth. . I think the rest of this post will be in pictures - our little cereal muncher at work!

Sophia's Baptism and NYC Trip

WARNING: This is a long post. Paul has warned me that continuing to post in such a fashion will result in a severe reduction in readership. I will try to more succinct in future postings. :)
Whew! What a whirlwind weekend for the Derbys, DeNiros, and Heppers! We all converged on the Park Slope neighborhood in Brooklyn to visit with Allison's family, witness Sophia's baptism, and (drum roll please) finally meet Michael's girlfriend, Suzy.
It all started on Friday with Caroline and me getting ready for our flight to NYC. Let me tell you, it's no fun trying to finish laundry, pack, and get two "you can't make me go into that horrible place" dogs to the kennel, all with a baby in tow. You might ask, "where was Paul during all of this?" Well, Paul was off in Maryland competing in a business school M & A competition. I can't really complain because his team did come in second place and there was some prize money involved. A small prize, but beggars can't be choosers, right?
Anyways, we got to the airport with relative ease, enjoyed a brief and drama free flight (Caroline is a fantastic traveler!!) and soon were on our way to Allison and Billy's Brooklyn apartment. The rest of the evening was low key as well. We ate dinner at Allison's with Marmee and Grampy and then retired to our hotel, the Park Slope Inn. Paul joined us later that evening.
On Saturday, we went to the park that is next to Allison and Billy's apartment so Landon could run around and burn off some energy. I should take a break here to say that I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked the Park Slope neighborhood in which Allison and Billy live. It was bustling, clean, and had tons of families running around. I met several of Allison's friends, and everyone was really nice. So, although I'm still glad we're not moving to NYC next year for Paul's job, suffice it to say I probably wouldn't have died it we'd decided to go that route :)
After the park we headed to a kid-friendly place called "Two Boots" for lunch. In hindsight, this is where the "real fun" of the weekend began. Allison and I were feeling a little overwhelmed by the busy morning we'd had corralling the kids. We decided to indulge ourselves a little and order Hurricanes to drink. In case you've never had a Hurricane, let me inform you that it has five kinds of alcohol in it. We happily slurped down our drinks, and enjoyed lunch with the family. After that, we headed back to our respective "homes" and all took a much needed afternoon siesta. I myself enjoyed a great nap. However, I came to find out that Allison's siesta included several trips to visit the "porcelain god." I didn't think much of this at the time and actually gave myself a secret pat on the back for not being a lightweight like my sister apparently was.
As the evening loomed and dinner with Michael's girlfriend, or "potential Aunt Suzy" as I like to call her, was approaching, it became clear that Allison would not be joining us for dinner. She was just too ill.
So, Billy, me, Paul, Marmee, Grampy, Michael and Suzy departed for the restaurant while Allison went to bed and the babysitter took care of the children (interjection - this was the first time I left Caroline with someone I didn't know - let the record show I did not cry and only called the babysitter twice). We left in two cars - one drove directly to the restaurant where we were dining, the other (containing Michael, Suzy and my parents) went to an entirely different restaurant, although they didn't know that at the time. Add to this that it was raining cats and dogs, and that we had really hoped to make a good impression upon Suzy, and you get an idea of how frantic the start of the evening was. Luckily, we got everyone to the correct restaurant, enjoyed a great meal (thanks Grampy!), good stories (thanks La!), and good company (Suzy is adorable!).
On Sunday we woke to beautiful weather and with excitement for Sophia's big day. Allison was feeling better, so we chalked her sickness up to the now infamous Hurricane. We enjoyed a tasty brunch with our family and the Derbys and then hurried off to the church for mass and the main event. The baptism itself was largely uneventful. Sophia looked absolutely adorable and big brother Landon was on his best behavior. Caroline also looked pretty darn cute if I do say so myself. Thanks to Marmee for the two adorable pairs of Robeez shoes. Caroline no longer has to go around freezing her toes off because her mommy can't dress her properly!
After the baptism we all went back to Allison's to change into our travel clothes and prepare for departure. Marmee and Grampy left soon there after, which proved to be wise and extremely lucky for them. The babies and Landon went down for a nap, and the rest of us put our feet up for a while.
About 1 hour before Paul and I were going to leave for the airport Landon woke up from his nap. Being the good Aunt La that I am, I volunteered to go check on him and help him downstairs. Big mistake. As Landon rose from his bed and reached up for me to carry him, a horrible look came over his face and before I knew it, there was a spewing of vomit like I had never seen before. I won't go into details, but suffice it to say that Landon hosed down his entire room and my entire right pant leg. Ick! It seemed as though a stomach bug was to blame for Allison's tummy troubles, not the Hurricane. This would be confirmed when Billy succumbed to the same fate as his wife and son within hours of Landon's episode.
Paul and I spent the last 45 minutes of our visit waiting for my clothes to be washed and dried and keeping ourselves as far away from Landon and Allison as humanly possible (not an easy feat if you've ever seen a New York apartment). Allison, ever the hostess (she really was a GREAT hostess), asked Paul if she could fix him a snack for the road. Paul, with his lip curled up so high you would think it had been super glued to his nose replied, "I think we'll be getting external snacks. "
All in all, it was a fantastic trip to see the family, even if it did come with a few dramatic moments. As my mom says, "We'd like to say that things like this never happen to our family. But if we did, we'd be lying."

4 Month Doctor's Visit

Today was Caroline's 4 month well visit at the pediatrician. She will actually be 5 months old this weekend, and I'm not really sure how we got off track on that, but oh well. When we arrived in the office I was immediately put "on guard" by a girl who was in the waiting room, wearing a face mask and coughing loudly every 30 seconds or so. Swine flu alarm bells went off in my head, my paranoia kicked in and I decided to wait in the hall while Paul checked us in. :)The girl's mom kept glancing in my direction and it was clear to me that she knew her daughter was the reason we weren't coming in. Better safe than sorry in my opinion though, because Caroline can't get the flu vaccines for about another 6 weeks.
After Paul checked us in, we were sent to the "well patient" waiting room, which made me very happy. Soon after we got called into the back. We stripped Caroline down for weighing and measuring, which is a shame because I always dress her so cutely for these appointments. The nurse wouldn't even let me keep her hair bow in!
Paul and I were really excited to see how much Caroline had grown since her 2 month check up. Turns out, she's grown quite a bit taller (for a baby) but not so much bigger. Caroline weighs 14 pounds, 13 ounces and is 25 and 3/4 inches long. That puts her in the 75th percentile for weight (down from the 90th at her 2 month appt.) and the 95th!!! percentile for length (up from 21 inches). We were glad to see that our little Sugarboo is growing like a weed. :)
With the weighing and measuring done, we settled back into our room and Caroline happily went to work dousing the paper on the examination table with her drool. I put the hair bow back on so she wouldn't feel completely naked.
Dr. Ranney came in soon there after and being checking Caroline out. Caroline was quite the ham, smiling and cooing at Dr. Ranney - until the "hands on" portion of the visit began. As soon as Dr. Ranney started checking Caroline's heartbeat, the frowns began to appear on her face as "stranger danger" started to set in. Dr. Ranney did a great job finishing her exam quickly so Caroline didn't fall into total meltdown mode. Caroline checked out perfectly healthy and is on target with all the developmental milestones (sitting with support, rolling over,laughing, and cooing, etc.). Dr. Ranney also assured us that we should have no fears about Caroline being autistic, given her clear attachment to Mom and Dad. :)
After that, Dr. Ranney made some suggestions about starting solids (we can wait another few weeks) and nighttime sleep (it's time for Caroline to get less night time visits from Mom) and away she went to see another patient.
Then the real fun began. In came the nurse, toting syringes. Caroline eyed the nurse warily. We laid her down and with one look at Mom, Caroline melted into tears. The nurse acted quickly, first administering Tylenol and the rotavirus vaccine orally. Then came the fun stuff. Two shots in the upper thigh and Caroline was done. Literally and figuratively. She just looked so pathetic lying there on the table, crying her little eyes out. Luckily, we were all done and Mom and Dad could comfort our little crying bambina. The nurse gave Caroline a big metallic band-aid to cover her "boo boo", we got her dressed and away we went, prepared for a long and loud car ride home. Fortunately though, Caroline fell asleep before we even left the parking lot and the only noises we heard from her were occasional sad little sniffles that come from crying too hard.
All in all, it was a pretty good trip. We thwarted the Swine Flu (at least for now), got a good report from the doctor, and don't have to worry about any more shots for several more weeks.

Cestari Pumpkin Patch Trip

Yesterday we decided to go with some friends to a nearby farm for a visit to the pumpkin patch. I was really nervous about going because the farm was about an hour away and we were planning on departing during Caroline's prime napping hours. If there's one thing I've learned in the 5 months I've been a mom, it's this: Never mess with naps! It makes the rest of your day and usually the night time a disaster.
So, it was with fingers crossed and a few Hail Marys that Paul and I embarked on this outing.
Right from the get go, Caroline was an angel. She slept the whole way to the farm, and once there, she didn't make a peep about how chilly it was and how her mother had seriously under-dressed her for the elements. Luckily Paul came to the rescue, using a spare set of socks as mittens and a blanket from the car for extra warmth.
Once out of the car and bogged down with what felt like a 20 pound diaper bag (you have to bring it, but hardly ever use it), we entered the farm and bought tickets for a hay ride out into the pumpkin patch. The pumpkin patch was the best part of the trip for me. After countless years of "hunting" for the perfect pumpkin in front of my local Kroger, I was so excited to actually pick a pumpkin off a vine. Paul surprised the group by leaping off the wagon and into the patch like a kid let loose in a candy store. He was off to find the "best" pumpkin, challenging the other men in the group to beat him. It shouldn't have been surprising that he could turn an innocent family outing into a competition. :) Caroline and I took our time and found an adorable mini pumpkin just for her. We left the field with her pumpkin and a hefty 13 pounder that Paul found.
The rest of time at the farm was spent shopping the little store they had on site, eating pulled pork sandwiches and funnel cakes, and feeding the goats. All in all, it was a great trip. Caroline seemed to have a really good time, and she even slept all the way home.

Here We Go!

After thinking for a quite a while that I would like to start a blog, I finally decided to take the leap and do it! I was inspired by a high school friend who blogs about her life abroad in Germany. "Windows and Weissbier" is the name of her blog, and it's all about her days as an "international lady of leisure" (her husband works for the Department of Defense). Anyways, I figured if she could do it, so could I.
And then I started thinking about who might actually care to read such a blog. Finally I decided that using Caroline was the perfect excuse and that if nothing else, people would read my blog to find out the latest happenings in her life. Hence the name "SugarBoo." It's my nickname for Caroline. Not sure where it came from, but I've been using it for quite a while and it's stuck.
My hope for this blog is to keep everyone up to date on our lives and maybe amuse you all a little bit at the same time. If it works, great. If not, at least I can say I gave it a try!
I hope you enjoy!