Carolyn, 30 months

I haven't done a monthly/birthday photo update in a long while, so here is one. Carolyn at 30 months. This particular evening, she kept asking me to take her photo because she was very proud of her new purple boots. She is no longer a baby; she is a kid. (makes me kind of sad)

How did it happen? Two Years Old

Carolyn has been on the world and in our lives for two years already. I can hardly believe how much and how fast she has grown and developed. Lately, we are amused by what comes out of her mouth, and our patience is being challenged as she asserts her independence. The best way to describe her at this stage is to say that she has BIG emotions on all ends of the spectrum: her kisses are as sweet as her tantrums are intense. No one could have prepared me for how much I would completely and utterly fall in love with her.

HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY CAROLYN.

Today, we went to the doctor for her 2-year check-up.
33.5" tall 27.2 pounds 45 cm head circumferencee * all around the 50th percentile

Today, we also received the photos from her 2-year photo shoot. There were over 300 snapshots taken (all can be found on www.flickr.com/boo4172002 if you are interested). Or scroll below to see the abridged version of my favorites. I know, I know, there are still close to 30 in my favorites. I am a proud mother and can't help but think she is the cutest thing I have ever seen.

19 Months

Let's see .... at 19 months, she has new words every day. She moves fast, she comprehends what we say, and boy does she have a temper. Her favorite word right now is probably, "NO!" That said, most of the time she is super-sweet and giggly. She loves giving hugs and kisses.

Below are a few videos of her playing on the evening of her 19-month birthday. In the first video, she is saying "sock" which she put on a hand like a glove. In the second video, she is showing you all of her best dance moves.

18 Months Old

Carolyn's growth stats from her 18-month well child visit:

31" long

23 pounds, 9 oz

She is average, right around the 50th percentile for length and height.

She sure did hate the doctor this time. She was happy in the waiting room, looking at the fish tank, but immediately started screaming as soon as the MA called her name and we had to go back to the room.

Carolyn's Stats at 15 Months

The peanut is growing. At 15 months, she has finally broken the 20 pound mark.

BIRTH: 6 lbs, 10 oz & 19.5 inches
6 MONTHS: 14 lbs, 10 oz & 26.5 inches
12 MONTHS: 18 lbs, 8 oz & 28.75 inches
NOW, 15 MONTHS: 20 lbs, 6 oz & 30 inches. (45 cm head circumference).

15 months

Carolyn is just about 15 months. Hard to believe! To commemorate this milestone, I took several videos and photos of her doing the things she does best on a day-to-day basis. The first one is of her eating. She shows a lot of interest in using a fork and spoon, though she is not always so successful. Who cares if it is with fingers or silverware, she manages to get a lot of food into her belly. As much as she eats, I am surprised that she is still as small as she is.



She also knows what she wants and she gets mad when she doesn't have it, so thankfully she has caught on pretty well to sign language, allowing her to communicate some of her needs witout having very many spoken words yet. She can now communicate when she wants to "eat" - if she wants "more" of something -- and when she is "all done." The video below of her standing in the high chair waving her arms is her version of "all done." I am not sure why she insists on standing in her high chair.



Another favorite pasttime is playing in the water. Whether in the pool or in her bathtub or backyard pool, you can tell her to "swim" or "kick her feet" and she immediately flips over and swims as hard as she can. She is a real fish in the pool, and she tries hard in the bathtub too. She has absolutely no fear around the water, and likes to put her head under and to blow bubbles.



This one is of her trying to put on her shoes, and also showing you the scarlet letter that she now has to wear. She continues to bite her friends at day care, so she now wears an orange chew toy that attaches to her shirt. He is called, "Bite Man." Whenever she is going in for a bite, her teachers ask her, "Where is Bite Man?" and she has started to learn that she can bite that instead of gnawing on her friends' arms. Poor girl, there are at least four new teeth in the past few weeks, and possibly a few more.



The last video is a repeat/update of one that I belive was posted a few months ago; she still loves to push her stroller, except now her problem solving skills have gotten better, so she can maneuver it around more things. You can also see how she has learned to escape.



This girl, she's trouble! I swear, we do try to discipline her, but how can you not crumble when you see her giggle or smile. It is just too cute to see what new things she discovers how to do each day.

12-Month Stats

Today at the doctor's office, Carolyn got four shots and wailed pretty loudly. She currently weighs 18 lbs 8 oz and is 28.75 inches long. In one short year, she has nearly tripled her body weight and grew more than 10 inches. Pretty amazing. She is in the botton 10th percentile for weight and around the 40th percentile for height. I wonder if she will always be a petite little bird. Considering how much she eats, I do not think her petite figure will last too much longer. Wow, what a fast year.

Our baldheaded little beauty is almost one

It is time for more photos,

and what cute ones these are!

Thank you to Blair Hill for doing such a great job capturing Carolyn,

as she is ready to turn one year old.

http://blairhillphotography.blogspot.com/.

Oh my, those eyes are gorgeous!

l .. And, who wouldn't smile looking at this smile ..l

Carolyn loves her toys.

At one point, we asked Carolyn to show us her teeth.

She first shook her head NO and pursed her lips,

but then she laughed and showed us those pearly whites.

By the way -- milestone alert -- a third tooth (top center) popped through this morning.

And, although we only wanted photos of Carolyn (no family photos this time), the ever-talented Blair captured a few of her and me that I did not even know she was taking.

I love these two.

Ah, I just love this little girl so much.

Finally, this last one is the perfect photo to remind us of this time. She is so close to walking, concentrating so hard, but just does not want to let go of our hand to do it on her own. In her own time, she will .... and watch out, when she does. I have a feeling that she will never stop.

Hard to believe that this little girl is almost one.

11 Months Old

The bird is 11 months old today. Her favorite things to do include:

Playing hide-and-seek with herself.

Escaping to the bathroom to eat toilet paper.

Playing with the baby in the mirror.

She had to go to the doctor last week because her ears were bothering her, again! She is up to 18 lbs, 6 oz. She has yet to take more than a step or two by herself (and those were by accident). I predict that she will be walking right around her first birthday. Maybe she will get another tooth or two by then, too. So far, the two that popped through last month are barely making their way past her gums. She will definitely not have a pigtails for her birthday, as she is still largely bald.

10-Months Old

Carolyn is now 10 months old. She got her first two teeth this month. Her crawling has gotten faster ( a lot faster). She sometimes will stand on her own, unassisted, but it is only for a few seconds until she realizes that she is not holding on to anything. This month, unfortunately brought a series of ear infections.

9-Month Stats

She is still a peanut ... but she is growing steadily! As of her 9-month doctor's appointment earlier this week, she weighs 16.5 lbs and is 27.5 inches long. That's nearly 10 pounds and 8 inches since birth. Her weight is approximately 10th percentile, but length is almost average at around the 40th percentile.

9 Months Old

Another month has passed ... this month marks an interesting milestone, the point where we have known Carolyn longer as a baby, than as a person inside of my belly.

Still no hair, no teeth, and few naps. She likes to wave, but does not always do it in the right context. She tries to clap her hands, but oftentimes misses. She climbs on everything. And, she is a loud-mouth. I have a feeling that she is going to be an early walker. She used to only walk if you were holding on to both of her hands, but the past few days, she is walking with only holding on to one hand. Who knows how long it will be until she is brave enough to do it on her own without any assistance....

I was getting ready to put away her bouncy chair, thinking that she had outgrown it, but she found a new way to use it. She climbs on, makes it bounce, and then climbs back off. She does it over and over. She will also climb into the chair when drinking a bottle; those are the few rare moments when she sits still and actually relaxes during the day.

Bathtime is still a highlight of her day. Here is a little vide of her talking to her new friend, Duck.

I will update again with her 9-month length and weight stats, after we get back from the doctor's office on Monday.