Life Without the "Paci"

Mommy and Daddy did the unthinkable 2 weeks ago...we took away Caroline's pacifier. For the past 15 months Caroline and her "paci" or "sucky" have been best friends and were inseparable during naps, nighttime, car rides and shopping trips. Mommy and Daddy loved the pacifier too -- it was a good way to avoid the embarrassing Target meltdown and kept Caroline from screaming the entire way to the grocery store. However, we decided that this friendship needed to come to an end. It was a rough couple of days when we first got rid of it, but we are happy to report that Caroline actually now sleeps better without the pacifier! Shopping trips and car rides are still a work in progress (we never go to Target without a HUGE bag of animal crackers to keep her mouth and hands busy), but overall it has been a success! So what does Caroline do now that she she pacifier-free?

She gives kisses to Austin (Gigi's dog).

She gives attitude to Mommy (check out that face!)

She walks around in Mommy's (and Daddy's) Shoes.

And she melts Mommy and Daddy's hearts on a regular basis :)

Farm Show

Cows, amazing food, cold weather, and crazy crowds can only mean one thing...Farm Show!! Caroline got to go to the Farm Show twice this year. On Tuesday we went with Caroline's friend Gavin. They both had so much fun "picking apples" in the kid's section and they thought the cows were pretty cool...but not as cool as the chocolate milkshakes. Then on Friday, Daddy took off of work so that we could all go before the weekend crowds. Caroline showed Daddy her apple picking skills, introduced him to her friends the cows, and even got to meet some new friends (rabbits and pigs). Although her favorite part of the day was her ride on the carousel...although her 2nd chocolate milkshake of the week wasn't bad either. :)

Very excited to be at the Farm Show

Picking Some Apples
Hanging out with the Cows

Checking out the "hens"

"Oink Oink"

Where's Caroline? :)

She never stopped smiling

"Hey, I think I saw you at the park this summer!"

15 Month Stats

Tonight Caroline had her 15 Month check-up. Everything looks great and she is growing like a weed! She is now 25lbs 3oz and is 32 inches long. Her weight has always been right around the 50th percentile, but this time it shot up to the 75th percentile....we have a BIG eater! Her length is in the 95th percentile. And just in case you were curious (because I know you were), her head circumference is in the 90th percentile. We go in again at 18 months.

Just Adorable

Here are A LOT of pictures from this weekend...just wanted to show off our sweet toddler.

Hugs for her Baby

Her Smile Melts Our Hearts

More Hugs for Baby

Wearing Poppop's Hat

And Showing Off her Sunglasses

She LOVES Bailey

And she loves food too...she didn't want to miss a drop of her dinner :)

And this is proof that she is definitely her father's daughter (she did this all by herself!).

Apples!!

Caroline has always loved apples, but I was never brave enough to give her a whole apple...until today. After she saw me take a bite of the apple, she decided she wanted a bite and then once she realized how fun it was to eat an apple like a big girl, she didn't want to give it back. She ended up eating the whole thing! I was nervous the entire time she was chomping on it (I'm in denial that I have a toddler...who by the way happens to have mouthful of teeth), but she did great. Looks like I need to add more apples to the grocery list :)

Our 15 Month Old Bundle of Energy

Life is finally back to normal. Daddy is back at work and all of our holiday festivities are over. It has been a busy but fun past two weeks. Mommy has blogged about the holidays lately, but what she hasn't mentioned is how big of a girl Caroline is becoming. Every day Caroline does something new and adorable. She isn't saying many words, but she does have a lot to say. And let me tell you, this child is ALWAYS on the go! She is full of energy and keeps us on our toes, but we wouldn't have it any other way :)

Caroline just started wiping her mouth while she eats. It makes me laugh every time she does it!

She is a little monkey, climbing everything she can!
She loves to play games, especially "Where is Caroline?" :)

Just look how big she looks!

Finally relaxing and watching her beloved Doodlebops.

And because she is a toddler, there is a little diva in her :)

Christmas Morning

We weren't sure how Caroline would handle Christmas morning. We thought that there was a good chance that she would 1) be overwhelmed 2) prefer the packaging to the presents 3) run over and start playing with her old toys. Thankfully we were wrong! She loved Christmas morning! When I brought her down and she saw all of the presents under the tree, she got SO excited. She wiggled out of my arms and ran right over to the tree to start inspecting everything Santa left at our house. She definitely had her favorite presents, but she played with each toy for a little bit. She was so much fun! Here are some pictures of the morning.

She loved her big doggie!

She even opened some of the presents herself!

One of her favorites - Chicken Dance Elmo!

Reading one of her new books in her new recliner.

Kissing her My Little Pony

Showing off her new rubber duckies :)

"Talking" on her new cell phone.

Showing Daddy how she talks on her new phone.

Bailey likes the big doggie too!

Watching the Doodlebops while Mommy and Daddy finish getting ready to go.

Best picture I could get of her in her Christmas Day Dress.

Blowing Kisses :)