Oh Sweet Caroline, if I had written this post the day before your monthday I would have had not one single bad thing to report. Unfortunately, your 5 month mark seems to be the beginning of some serious teething as evidenced by constantly stuffing your hands in your mouth, drooling, refusing to sleep, an angry red diaper rash and the EXTREMELY LOUD SCREAMING that is totally out of character. After just one day I’m already banging my head against the wall and praying your teeth come in as quickly as your brother’s did.

But even despite the soreness in your gums you are still a darling baby. You were such a good sport at your Aunt Kristi’s wedding, even though we kept you awake for four days and handed you to countless strangers. I’m happy to report Kristi’s new in-laws passed the breastfeeding-coolness-test, and none of them even flinched when I nursed you – even sitting right next to me or during meals. I got to show off my magical baby-wearing skills when I stuck you in the sling at the reception and everyone commented on how much you seemed to like it (p.s. thanks for finally liking it!!)

You don’t have a real routine yet, besides sleeping 8 pm to 7 am with usually just one wake up for a feeding. Thank you SO MUCH for that. You usually take one long and two short naps during the day but it’s hard to predict when you’ll need them. I don’t feel like you’re constantly attached to my boob but if I count the number of feedings a day it’s close to every 2 hours. I’m a little nervous about getting you to take a bottle before August but we’re going to start working on it this week. I also bought you some rice cereal, which I’m hoping you enjoy more than Little Evan did. I can’t believe I’m already talking about solid food in regards to my brand new baby girl!

Some of your favorite things are your blankie, your swing, your brother, your daddy and standing up with our help. Your least favorite things include wind, the sun in your eyes, really loud noises, and waking up in strange places.

Happy 5 months Caroline!

5 Month Milestones (from BabyCenter, as usually)

Mastered Skills (most kids can do)
Distinguishes between bold colors – This isn’t really something I need to determine as something BabyCenter is just TELLING me she can do, right? Because I have no idea how to judge this.
Plays with his hands and feet – Constantly.

Emerging Skills (half of kids can do)
Recognizes own name – I suspect she responds equally to “Caroline” “Baby Girl” and “Boogaboo”
Turns toward new sounds – Yes
Rolls over in both directions – She rolls back to front the SECOND you put her down but still has a hard time rolling front to back.

Advanced Skills (a few kids can do)
Sits momentarily without support – Yes, with “momentarily” being the key word.
Mouths objects – Constantly
Separation anxiety may begin – Definitely, and it sucks. I miss being able to stick her in the exersaucer and go do laundry for 20 minutes. Pretty soon we’ll be at “bringing her with me while I pee” levels of anxiety.

Monthday update only one day late! Pretty good after 25 of these and 2 kids. If it helps, I also forgot about Cinco de Mayo so we’re having Mexican food tonight instead. Yeah, I just compared the day I gave birth to a baby to a day for eating guacamole. YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND HOW I FEEL ABOUT GUACAMOLE.

My dear sweet weird little boy, you get sweeter and weirder every day. Your favorite food is Honey Bunches of Oats (with Almonds!) but you refuse to eat either granola or almonds on their own. You love it when I sing but get mad when I dance. Your favorite tv show is The Price is Right and you shout for “pry eh rye!!” every time I turn it on. You absolutely love to sleep (maybe you feel bad about not sleeping through the night for the first 15 months of your life) and made the transition to a big boy bed with almost no trouble at all. We even took the side rail off your bed so I can climb in with you in the morning and cuddle until we both wake up a little more. You are obsessed with your little sister’s toys and seats and stuff and love sitting in her Bumbo chair, even though it sticks on your butt and you end up yelling for help to get free. Your favorite loud game is playing hockey with your foam stick and running in circles screaming. Your favorite quiet game is pointing at mommy’s freckles. You love to read books but REALLY love technology – out of a somewhat limited vocabulary, one of your most understandable words is “IPAD!!”

You’re actually getting better at listening and haven’t fought with me at all this week when I said it was time to leave the park and come home for lunch. We are both working hard on using our indoor voices, even when we are mad, and we both appreciate the effort. You’ve peed in the potty four times this week, although you still wake up very wet so I don’t think you’re quite ready to full-out potty train. It’s amazing to see your memory getting better too – you tell me every day that I got a booboo on my toe and that you got one too (sorry about that, I didn’t realize those sandals were giving you a blister until we got home) and that booboo’s hurt. You also saw a picture of your Grandpa (Bamba) today on my Year of Little Evan Calendar and started asking for him. When I asked if you loved your Bamba you said “Essss!!”

If we walk with your friends, you want to hold their hands (forcibly, if necessary) which is just beyond adorable. You are also totally fearless. TOTALLY. You climbed to the top of the big kid playscape and threw yourself down the tunnel slide without being able to see the bottom or waiting for me to tell you it was OK. It almost gave Mama a heart attack but she loves how brave you are…and that you still want hugs when you fall down.

I feel more and more lucky to be your mommy every single day. I love you more than a million words can say Little Evan.

Joy

Playgrounds make him so happy. And tired. We got a 4 hour nap out of 45 minutes at this one.

Sliding! I slide! I slide!

Look Ma, no feet! I'm so little!

Whut? This is totally normal.

Always my baby, even though he looks like a big boy

25 Month Milestones (from BabyCenter as usual)

Mastered Skills (most kids can do)
• Stacks six blocks – EFF YOU AND YOUR BLOCKS BABYCENTER. We put all the blocks upstairs because I was tired of tripping on them, so he hasn’t actually had any blocks to stack in a few months.
• Walks with smooth heel-to-toe motion – He walks like a normal person. He runs like a crazy person. It’s fantastic.

Emerging Skills (half of kids can do)
• Uses pronouns (e.g., I, me, you) – He has started saying “I” as in “I fell down!” or “I slide!” or “I roll!” but I haven’t heard me or you. He did finally start saying “Eban!” if you ask who he is though.
• Washes and dries own hands – OMG THE BEST THING EVER. He also brushes his own teeth and puts on his own deodorant, mascara, headbands and jewelry. Someone is a good mimic.

Advanced Skills (a few kids can do)
• Speaks clearly most of the time – AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. No. We have a speech evaluation on the 23rd, although he gets better and better every day so I suspect the therapist won’t find him eligible for the Birth to Three program.
• Draws a vertical line – He doesn’t really like drawing, unless it’s on the walls. But some of the lines are pretty straight.

I’m also please to see that the “Starts to recognize ABC’s” and “Names one color” milestones are both a few months away and listed as advanced skills. Sometimes I feel like I’ve already failed him as mother because so many kids a few months younger seem to be naming colors and numbers and letters already. I don’t need my kid to be a genius – I just want him to be NORMAL. Except for jumping. My kid is a damn jumping PRODIGY.

Happy 4 Months Baby Girl! You’ve celebrated this monthday by becoming a master at rolling back to front! Every time we put you down you flip over lightning fast. Your little baby muscles are super strong. Unfortunately, you’ve totally forgotten how to roll front to back (that’s supposed to be the easy way!) so once you’re on your tummy you’re stuck and that makes you Very Unhappy. VERY. So you’ve been spending a lot of time in the exersaucer and the bouncy seat so we don’t have to run over and roll you every few seconds. I tried to task your brother with the baby rolling but, uh, he’s not the most gentle – although he really wanted to be helpful.

You’re wearing 6 month clothes and I’m thrilled because we have SO MANY cute summer dresses in 6 and 9 months thanks to boxes and boxes of hand-me-downs. If only the weather would get warmer so I’m not putting leggings and socks and long-sleeved onesies under everything.

But I need to talk to you about that screaming you did on Monday night. SO.MUCH.SCREAMING. It was stung-by-a-bee or poked-with-a-needle screaming, although neither of those things happened. And even though it probably only lasted for 20 minutes it was the longest 20 minutes of our lives. NOTHING could console you. I had the doctor check you today for possible causes but you just cooed and him and made happy faces and made me look like a liar. Although I’m glad you didn’t give a repeat performance tonight.

Also, please poop soon. I’m not looking forward to what will happen if you wait another day.

4 Month Stats:
Height: 23 3/4 (25th percentile)
Weight: 14 lbs 1 oz (50th percentile)
Head circumference: 42.3 (75th percentile – girl has a BIG HEAD)

Poor Caroline, these pictures are just terrible. When we got home from the pediatrician she was sound asleep so I missed my chance at daylight. Plus she got shots in both legs and a special cream on her head for cradle cap (you know they can fix that now?!) so she’s basically just a mess. But I can’t take them tomorrow because TODAY IS HER MONTHDAY. I may be a little…stubborn about things like that.

Look at my leeeegs! My mommy is so meeeeean!

ALMOST a smile

nom nom nom

NOM NOM NOM NOM

Leg rolls! And also her totally crazy bald spot. It's so so sad.

4 Month Milestones (from BabyCenter, as usually)

Mastered Skills (most kids can do)
Smiles, laughs – Yes! Unfortunately almost NEVER in pictures.
Can bear weight on legs – She loves “standing”.
Coos when you talk to him – Yes

Emerging Skills (half of kids can do)
Can grasp a toy – Yes! She can pull the handle on Evan’s old bouncy seat to make it play music too.
Rolls over, from tummy to back – As I said, she forgot that one. But she rolls the other way!

Advanced Skills (a few kids can do)
Imitates sounds: “baba,” “dada” – No I don’t think so.
Cuts first tooth – I can’t TELL. There’s a bulgy spot on her gums and she’s definitely drooling like crazy and will chomp all over my hand but it’s not one of the bottom 2 front ones, which I thought were almost always the first to pop out. Also? Cutting a tooth isn’t a SKILL.
May be ready for solid foods – We’re going to wait til 6 months to introduce solids.

She's a drooling mess. But a cute drooling mess.

At 7:21 tonight, I will have kept Evan alive for exactly 2 years. All the cliched stuff you’ve ever read about babies getting older totally applies here: I can’t even remember my life before I had him, the time has gone so fast, he’s made me a better person, cherish every moment because before you know it they’ll be walking and talking and leaving you in their dust as they run off to play with their friends. But those are cliches because they are all SO TRUE but shockingly, they still caught me by surprise. Where did my teeny tiny little baby go? Why is he sleeping in a big boy bed and eating cereal and milk with a spoon and asking me if I’m hurt when I cry? Who let him get so grown up and have all these opinions about stuff?

The truth is I can’t be too sad because this age is just SO MUCH FUN I can barely stand it. We read tons of books. He picks out outfits. He can play on his own for long periods of time but still wants us to watch him do silly things. There are balls and blocks and crayons and stamps and stickers all over my house. He’s also a super good helper. He’s in charge of putting the soap in the dishwasher and starting it, unloading the silverware, putting his dishes in the sink, putting his jammies in the hamper in the morning, and feeding the dog (most of the above with a liiiiittle assistance from mama). He loves to help with the baby too, and loves holding her and talking to her. I put them in the side-by-side stroller at Stroller Strides and he “shared” his laptop and tried to share his sippy cup when she fussed. It’s heart-meltingly cute to see them together.

But no matter how big and grown up and independent he gets, he’ll always be my baby.

The balloons I bought for these pictures made his WEEK. Wait until he sees his party on Saturday. I’m actually worried his little body might explode with joy. And coming soon here on the blog: first haircut, big boy room makeover, 2nd birthday party details and pics. It’s such an exciting time in the Davis household!

24 Month Milestones (from BabyCenter as usual)

Mastered Skills (most kids can do)
• Names at least six body parts – He can sing almost all of “head, shoulders, knees and toes”, so that’s 8 body parts right there. He also really loves teeth.
• Half of speech is understandable – To ME? Yes, probably 50%. To other people? Probably closer to 30%. He still babbles a lot, although I think he thinks he’s talking.
• Makes two- to three-word sentences – Yes, especially if they involve someone falling down. “Uh oh, I fell down!” “Uh oh, mama fell down!” “Uh oh, bebeh fell down!” He also recently started saying “Dada at work. On boat!” because I told him his dada worked on a boat. It’s easier than explaining “submarine” or “sometimes in an office but he goes to boats a lot”.

Emerging Skills (half of kids can do)
• Talks about self – See “falling down” above. He will also tell me how he feels – sad, wet, tired (night night), hurt – but doesn’t say his name, although he does know it.
• Arranges things in categories – Ummm…I’m not sure we play any games that would encourage that. Although our friend Merin sent him some little plastic dog figures he LOVES and he definitely arranges them all together. And then kicks them.
• Can walk down stairs – Yes, with or without a railing. He also refuses to hold my hand while he does it.

Advanced Skills (a few kids can do)
• Begins to understand abstract concepts (e.g., sooner and later) – He knows “one minute” means later but isn’t always happy to hear it.
• Becomes attuned to gender differences – I don’t think so, especially based on his love of wearing my jewelry and his attempts to put on mascara every morning. Although I think as Caroline gets older he might start to notice.
• Learns to jump – He has been jumping correctly – both feet off the floor – for months. He’s got fantastic gross motor skills. Seriously. He can already do most of the things on the next milestone chart up, as long as it involves physical abilities. Not so much with the talking.

Other stuff I don’t want to forget: He really, really loves lying down, especially if he has a blanket and a cup of milk. He doesn’t eat very much but is willing to try new stuff without too much of a battle. His favorite shows are The Price is Right and reruns of Friends (I’m teaching him to clap during the theme song) because we’re never home for actual kid’s shows and don’t have cable. His favorite books are “A Child’s Goodnight Book” and “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” – both were mine when I was a child. He will sit through a longish story book but still likes the naming-things books too. Sometimes he gets out of his big boy bed when he’s supposed to be napping, but he’ll climb back in when he’s tired and wants to sleep. He can take off his shirt and put it on again (although it might be backwards or inside out) and takes off his pajamas most mornings. He loves to stretch at the end of Stroller Strides because he knows it means he will get to run around in a minute. He is extremely loud and active at home but gets overwhelmed and sort of quiet when there are lots of other children around. He’s still willing to be held by strangers and gives out hugs and kisses to practically anyone who asks. Brutus is still his best friend. I love him.

Only 2 years from this...

...to this. Amazing.

Three months in and Caroline is still the happiest, smiley-est, cutest baby ever in the whole history of the world. Obviously I’m a little biased but seriously, she gives newborns everywhere a good name. I should rent her out to people who are scared that having a baby will be super hard. Of course, then their baby will end up being all colicky and refluxy and screamy and they’ll hunt me down and punch me right in my smug face. To which I will just say I paid my dues, suckers, and his name is Baby Evan.

For the record, Toddler Evan is pretty awesome. But Baby Caroline makes me want a dozen more babies.

Unfortunately, we don’t have a 3 months well-baby check so I don’t have real stats for height and weight, but she is definitely big and chubby. We’ve moved up to 6 months sleepers and dresses and I’ve already started a pile of too-small stuff to put away. I’m super excited that spring is almost here so I can start putting her in the dozens and dozens of adorable barely worn hand-me-downs my friends and sister-in-law have given her.

Caroline is now awake for a lot of the day, but will fall asleep if we go anywhere in the car or if we wrap her up and bounce her in the bouncy seat. She sleeps for an amount of time that is technically considered “through the night” by baby-sleep experts but still involves feeding her at midnight and 5 am. Which is fantastic, as long as I get an occasional nap to make up for those couple of lost hours. One of these days we’ll work on moving her to the co-sleeper or the crib – or a new crib, if I can convince E we need one – but for now she’s still sleeping the the swing most of the time. Ok, all the time. No judging unless you’ve lived with a baby who gets up every 90 minutes to nurse for 8 months straight.

Favorite things still include smiling, looking at people, sleeping, and making adorable baby sounds. Dislikes are gas bubbles and having onesies pulled over her head.

And now for the gratuitous picture section. Milestones are below:

Ah! It's trying to eat me!

Bebeh feet of the month

2 Month Milestones (from BabyCenter, as usually)

Mastered Skills (most kids can do)
Recognizes your face and scent – Yes, although I’m afraid if I ever start taking regular showers again I might confuse her
Holds head steady – Yes, there is definitely less slamming of her head into my face when I try to hold her on my shoulder
Visually tracks moving objects – Yes, which I find ridiculously adorable

Emerging Skills (half of kids can do)
Squeals, gurgles, coos – OMG the noises she makes are the absolute cutest noises ever in the whole world
Blows bubbles – Yes
Recognizes your voice – I think so, she definitely smiles the most when I talk to her
Does mini-pushup – Yes, she’s super strong!

Advanced Skills (a few kids can do)
Rolls over, from tummy to back – YES! She did it for the first time right on her 3 month birthday. She can also go halfway from her back to tummy but can’t get over her arm
Turns toward loud sounds – Sort of. There are a lot of loud sounds around here. They only bother her about 50% of the time
Can bring hands together, bats at toys – Yes and yes, I’ve started giving her small toys to hold, which doesn’t last very long but she likes to try

Aaaaand one more picture for the hell of it. I was trying to catch her smiling but this is actually more awesome: