On the move

Caroline is officially walking - has been for several weeks now.  She started taking steps by herself the first of May and by Mother's Day was able to cruise really well from object to object and walk two to three steps alone.  By Memorial Day she was walking 10 to 15 steps and once she had that down pat she never looked back! 

She started walking with her arms high above her head and it was precious.  Now she waddles and it's even cuter.  I love, love, love the first stages of walking - it's not only precious to watch, but so much fun to see how proud they are of accomplishing this huge feat.  It has changed Caroline's life - she is much less whiney and needy because she can get to where she wants to go - if she wants Mommy she just follows me around until she reaches me, same with her sister, Daddy or toys.  Cain and Emma have embraced it - speaking of which I'm pretty sure Emma is ready to be adopted.  Bless her heart.  Two walking children is almost more than our girl can handle.  We're proud of her because she lets Caroline, who of course adores her, waddle over to her every morning and give her a big, fall in your face hug.  Sweet Emma.  Sweet Caroline.

So here's a little chronicle of the beginning stages of Caroline's new walking skills.  I'm way behind on the blog - we're living life and having a great time and I promise I will catch up soon.  The longer days mean more time to play after work/school and lots more fun things to do on the weekends!

Happy Friday everyone!



Starting to walk before Mother's Day




Li Mei is near and dear to the Cain family.  She's loved both Catherine Ellis and Caroline as if they were her own. She's from China and is a member of the YW staff - we love her dearly.  The girls probably wouldn't have walked as early as they did without coaching from Mei Mei.




More Mei Mei coaching!



Getting the hang of it!

And here she is walking this morning!  We have an official walker! 

Caroline - 1 year

Time flies when you're having fun - and we've been having a lot of fun with the warmer and longer days of summer here.  This is by far my favorite time of year.  Summer is for dreaming, soaking life up, taking advantage of what feels like more time with more daylight and slowing down (ha!) - even if it is only a "feeling" it's still great to have it from time to time!

Caroline turned one on Tuesday, May 15th!  We can't believe that a year has already passed.  What a joy you are to our sweet family, dear one.  We've been so blessed by you and all that you have taught us in your short life.  We've learned so much and hope that you have too!  You've changed more in this first year than you will (physically) at any other time in your life.  It's amazing to watch the first year of life right before our very eyes. Thank you for allowing us to watch you grow - God knew what he was doing when he brought you into our lives.  You've taught us more patience than this Mama ever thought was possible for her to have, you've taught us that life is full of seasons, some are great, some not so much, but in the end it's a season and we're happy to have lived through another one, you've taught us to throw our heads back and laugh out loud, you've taught us that rising early can be a good thing - you get a lot accomplished on those early morning days, you've taught us just how strong a bond can be between siblings especially sisters - we can't wait to watch you and Catherine Ellis grow and love each other even more, you've taught us that there is nothing in this world that will cure an upset baby like her mama (you've made this mama feel more loved and needed than she ever has in her life), you've taught us that if things don't always go our way, to keep on going - nothing holds you back - determination is something we've all gained from you and you've taught us that our hearts can indeed love another child - more than this mama ever thought was possible - our hearts explode with love and joy for you our precious, tenacious and loving second born baby girl.  Our cup runneth over.

Your birthday party was a one year anniversary of the low country boil we had the night you were born - you loved being here for this one - you bounced in the bouncy, played in the water table, played in the ball pit, the sandbox and ate cake for the very first time!  You loved the party - your family, dear friends and loved ones surrounded you to celebrate this special first year.  Thank you all for coming and making Sweet C's first birthday so special.  She loves you all to the moon and back (and we do too!).

 Little bouncy bounce with one of my besties, Archer man!

     Hamming it up for the camera!

Me and Godmama Amanda!

Loved the bouncy

 Water table fun ....

 Claire, Caroline and Allie

Sweet friends

Criddy and Allie playing in the popular sandbox

The big birthday cake that Cain quality tested for us before the party

Not fond of the hat ... no accessorizing for this little lady

 Gearing up to get my cake on

Happy 1st Birthday Sweet C (love how she is ready for some cake!!)

Not quite sure about it ...

 What the heck, I'll dig on in ...

 Hum, this is interesting ....

 Have a bite mama - always such a great sharer!

 Family pic - Sissy was too busy to pause for a photo

 Aunt Kim and Sweet C

 Allie bug and Sweet C - Allie came to visit all the way from Sunny Callie!

 CE and Zach - melts my heart - she loves Z!!

Thank you for coming to my party everybody - I had a blast turning one!

"For we are God's masterpiece.
He has created us anew in Christ Jesus,
so we can do the good things
He planned for us long ago."
Ephesians 2:10

Uh oh

Yes, a big uh oh at that.  The Monday after Mother's Day weekend I was on my way to pick up Catherine Ellis from school and got a phone call "Ms. Cain Catherine Ellis has fallen on the playground" - if you know our accident prone daughter, this is no surprise to any of us.  "Oh okay, no problem, I'm turning into the parking lot, I'm sure she's fine!" "Ms. Cain, we don't think she's okay this time, we think she may have broken her arm."  Lovely.

And she did - she broke her elbow, had to spend the night at Children's and have surgery to have two pins inserted.  She has a full arm, hot pink cast to show for her good jump on the playground.  She didn't fall far - in fact when I finally saw what she fell from I was shocked - how could she have done so much damage in just a few inches? - guess it's all in how we fall.  And she fell good - good in a bad way.  But, she's all better now and almost back to her little self.  Only a few more days with the cast and she'll still have the entire summer to swim and have fun!

This is how we started Monday, May 14th - big stretch and excited about another fun week!

On our way to the hospital ... I only bucked one buckle because the pressure was hurting her arm

 

A bit calmer in the emergency room - the first 45 minutes wasn't pretty - had to show Daddy that we were calming down

After 4 hours in the emergency room CE was delirious - everything was funny - and for that I am forever grateful ... here she is in her pre-op splint

We finally got to our room about 9:00 p.m. - Miss Amanda saved the day and night by bringing us ChickFilA - which I had been promising for hours thinking we were going home - and clothes for everyone - thank you Miss Amanda!

Sweet girl and her Susie - she didn't fall asleep until 3:00 a.m. - there was a lot to take in and think over ...

This is right after surgery and recovery - she was super sleepy, super ill and didn't want a person in the world to think about touching her unless their name was Mama

My Carolyn came to visit - the only other person the day of surgery that CE would let have much to do with her.  Sweet Coco brought the entertainment!  Thank you Coco and my Carolyn for visiting us!

Her don't mess with me face - lots of sweet nurses got this look when they came in to take her vitals.  She was officially done after surgery.

My girl's first smile of the day - the ride home!  She had a sweet friend waiting to see her - he rode a big airplane all the way from Virginia!

Hill and CE - she was SO very excited to see Hill.  It made her day (see that big ole smile!).  Hill knows the way to a girl's heart - food - and came with yummy cupcakes in hand for all (it was Caroline's first birthday!).  Thank you for visiting us Hill!

And by the end of the week my girl was all smiles - she had a few days on the couch with really long naps, but once she felt better it was on - we hit the town for lunch one day to celebrate!

Thank you all for the prayers, cards, food, check-in's, emails, phone calls, visits and for being fabulous friends and family.  We're super duper blessed.  Funny how a little trip to Children's Hospital will put your life in perspective.  That was our first trip in 3 years of having children - sure it won't be our last - but we saw lots and lots of sweet children that had many many visits under their belt.  Sure makes us thankful for the healthy, bigger than life children that we have!  We'll keep y'all updated on how her Monday doctor's appointment goes - fingers crossed for cast off and pins out!

"A cheerful heart is good medicine." 

Proverbs 17:22

11 months

Sweet Caroline is 11 months old (and 4 weeks)!  The first year of her life has been quite the ride.  What a blessing and joy she continues to be to our family.  Her personality has truly come alive and we are watching her become a toddler right before our very eyes.  It's amazing how much she has grown and changed since May 15, 2011. 

11 months old

What is our precious, gregarious and into-everything 11 month old up to these days:

• You are cruising!!  You can walk from thing to thing without missing a beat -sometimes its the furniture that guides you, sometimes the wall or even Mommy or Daddy!  Nothing slows you down or gets in your way!  You are fast!

 

• You are no longer army crawling -  you've got the true-on-your-knees crawl going on.  Part of the "fast" in your get-along.

 

• You love to eat - I think, although it's hard to believe, that you  might like to eat more than Catherine Ellis did at this age!  You love fruit, cheese, chicken, pancakes, pizza and especially puffs.  Your other favorite these days are graham crackers and veggie chicken nuggets.  You try everything at school and often are the only member of the clean plate club in your class.  You are showing those boys up!

• You are napping decently again at school - often times two 45 minute naps and every once in a while an hour nap or two hour nap.  You still nap two times a day (or should) and on the weekends you cat nap - you don't want to miss a thing!  You are sleeping through the night and I'm certain now that I have announced it to the world - you will keep me on my toes, maybe not:)  

 

• You now have 6 teeth!  You have your two bottom teeth, two front teeth and are now in the process of cutting the teeth on either side of your two front teeth.  It's really bugging you, but we keep telling you you've got a long way to go!  Your little smile with your tiny teeth is so cute!

 

• You can say: mama, ma, dada, hey, bye-bye - the rest of what you say is gibberish, but pretty hysterical because you seem to have figured out just where emphasis in your babbling needs to be in order to make a point.

 

• You can stand alone - not for every long, but nonetheless, you're standing.
• You throw that beautiful head back when you think something is really funny.

• You think Catherine Ellis is hysterical - even when she doesn't mean to be - like when she falls down, that really gets you going.
• You love peek-a-boo - it's a sure-fire way to make you laugh.
• You are recognizing Cain and Emma more and more - Cain likes you - Emma, bless her heart, is just beside herself that you can now get around and catch her when she tries to run from you.
• You tickle your sides anytime you are thinking something over, planning your next move, or getting your clothes changed - it's precious (I'll try to capture on video!). 
• You still ADORE Mama - you prefer her over anyone - even Miss Kia, your beloved infant classroom teacher.  If you all know Kia, you know this is a huge feat.  And even though its hard sometimes to be the only one that will do for you - I treasure it.  Mama knows that in just a few months you'll grow more and more independent and I'll be an after-thought.  So thank you for letting Mama have a majority of your snuggles, cuddles and love.  I adore you for it!



And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.   

Luke 2:40

36 months/3 years

There is no way I just typed those numbers .... 36 months/3 years.  It seems like yesterday that we brought our tiny little bundle of joy home from the hospital on Easter Sunday.  I still remember exactly how I felt - I was scared to death.  Weak in the knees, literally.  The thought that she belonged to us, little ole us, was scary - we were now in charge of a human.  We took care of our first-borns, Cain and Emma, so well and we just knew we were ready for our first-born human.  Then we got home and it was scary, exciting, joyful and mind-boggling all at the same time.

That sweet little baby girl born at 10:24 p.m. on Thursday, April 9, 2009 is now every single bit of a three-year-old. Man how time flies. I know I say it often, everyone does, but honestly, nothing has moved faster in my life than time once we added Catherine Ellis to our family. The days are too fast, even the not so joyful ones. David and I feel like the Allstate Insurance commercial will be us all too soon - the one where the Dad is leaning in the passenger car window and talking to his thee-year-old daughter who is sitting behind the steering wheel. He's telling her to be careful, keep her eyes on the road and to let him know when she gets safely to her destination, but not while she's driving. Then he looks back at her again and she's 16 years-old backing out of the driveway. That will be us before we know it and we try to keep perspective and remind ourselves that every single moment is precious. Even those times like tonight when she pitched a horrendous fit in Home Depot with her Daddy and made him look like he had kidnapped her (if you were there, yes that was our child and we're sorry). I didn't witness this, but knew immediately when I heard the door unlock and David say "go on, let's go to your room" and no running, loud hellos from Catherine Ellis that the trip didn't go well. However, we'll take it. Even her stubborn, independent and strong-willed little self when she pitches those fits, we'll take her all day every day. We love her so much!

36 months - 3 years

So, what is our fiercely independent and strong-willed three-year-old up to these days:

• You are 100% potty trained! Have been for several months now, but I feel good about announcing it to the world now.  We're so proud!
• STRONG-WILLED!  There is not a font big enough to show how strong-willed you are about everything.  From shoes, to baths to what you might eat for a meal.  I am certainly paying for my raising.  I feel the need to apologize to my sweet mother every time your strong-will comes shining through. 
• You have curly hair!  I think Mommy is more delighted than anyone about this - it's super duper cute.
• You're long and lean - no more chubby baby cheeks and no more round, plump belly.  You're wearing 2T and some 3T now (they are still a bit big).
• You like your new school -  you've been there two months now and seem to have tranistioned well.  There are still some mornings you don't want Mommy to leave, but that's normal.
• you sleep well at night - 8:00 p.m. until 7:15 a.m. and you nap when you are home.  School is a different story for your naps.
• You always order "chicken and fries" no matter where we might be eating out.  That and a to-go cup of water.  You insist on ordering for yourself.
• You are strong - you can pick Caroline up, however, it's not what she prefers.
• You love to sing and clap - our morning and afternoon rides to and from school are fun (most of the time!).  Caroline loves to clap with you - she thinks you're the funniest person she knows!
• You are polite and kind - you hug people, kiss them and make them feel special!  It's a wonderful trait to have and will get you far in life.
• You are curious about everything - you ask Mommy and Daddy "Why?" at least 20 times a day .... you're absorbing everything around you.
• You are a monkey!  We went to the park last night and you amazed me with how well you manuvered the jungle gym.  You were jumping, swinging and flying high in the sky.  You are fearless.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:13

Pancakes & Pajamas

Catherine Ellis celebrated her third birthday with a pancakes and pajamas birthday party this past weekend - it was great fun for all!  We have been talking for weeks about her birthday party and how much fun it was going to be.  I'm sure like most 3-year-olds, Catherine Ellis loves to stay in her pajamas - that's the best thing about Saturday mornings- wearing pj's for a long time.  So, the day finally arrived for her long-awaited birthday party (her birthday was the 9th, but with Easter we had to postpone the party a few weeks) she was up much earlier than normal for her (6:30 a.m).  And once her feet hit the floor she never looked back!

I didn't do a great job of capturing all the food, activities and fun, but I assure you all - she had a blast and so did every other child that came. We had a bouncy house, bubbles, sidewalk chalk, a sand box and coloring activities - there was something for everyone!

I'll let the pictures tell you the story - thank yo to all of our friends and family that traveled near and far to celebrate Catherine Ellis's third year of life!

 Little sister making a break for it ... she was tired of eating crayons!

The birthday girl .... so excited about bubbles!

The very popular bouncy

 Bubble station ...

Love this picture - everyone is blowing a bubble (or trying to)

Jack coloring away ...

Stephen enjoying the balloons

 Lots of bouncy fun

William in the bouncy

Time of her little life

The Dora cake that Catherine Ellis picked out weeks ago

 Blowing out her candles

 Loving her Dora car

 Her infamous lick

Madeline, Caroline and Catherine Ellis enjoying (licking)

the cake!  These sweet girls are my college friends little ones!

 Catherine Ellis and Miss Karen - one of her sweet teachers

 Miss Jill, another sweet teacher

 Sweet Wyatt - working away :)

 Pitiful Cain ... he did get a lot of sympathy throws Saturday afternoon

 Admiring her pancake cookie

Another infamous lick

"I praise you
because I am fearfully
and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well."
Psalm 139: 14