Twelve Months with the Little Miss

The Little Bitty Miss.

Day One

Because the doctors were concerned about unraveling the cord from her neck and body and checking her out to make sure she was okay, I only got a small glimpse of Caroline from the other side of the room before they whisked her away. (Because of all the emergency-ness, Aaron didn't get to take any pictures of the delivery either.) My Labor and Delivery Nurse was such a sweetheart though. After she wheeled me into the deserted post-op area, she told me she was going to try to sneak Caroline in to see me for a minute. I was a little nervous about holding her because my shaking was uncontrollable due to the amped-up meds and adrenaline. I couldn't even hold my cup of ice without spilling it all over me.


When the nurse put her in my arms a few minute later, the shaking immediately stopped. I remember thinking she was the most beautiful baby I had ever seen. She was truly perfect. I nursed her, and then Aaron and I took turns loving on her until the nurse came back about twenty minutes later. I don't think our first meeting could have been anymore perfect.

I realized later the nurse had made a big exception for me. Most mommas have to wait three or four hours after their c-section to hold their baby for the first time. Because of all the circumstances with her birth and the fact that the post-op room had been cleared for the night, she was able to sneak Caroline in to see me soon after the delivery. It was an amazing blessing.

One Week Old!

What better way to celebrate than with a Pretty in Pink Cupcake?


Soooo incredibly sweet

One Month

Between her crazy delivery and her week stay at Texas Children's for a virus, Little Miss had a crazy first month. She was most content when I was holding her, so that's what I did. She had a rough time at the hospital, so if she needed some extra lovin' I was going to give it to her. This is when the Baby Bjorn and my sling came in handy.

Two Months

Caroline gearing up for her first OSU football season. While Camden was at pre-school, Caroline and I would take a nap together. She would sleep longer if I held her, so I chose my battles and napped with her. With Camden I would NEVER hold him while he slept, but I was desperate for sleep, and she was warm and cuddly. I loved spending that time with her.

Three Months

We get our first smile! This was a difficult month because I thought the Little Miss would sleep a little more by three months... but she didn't. It would take me over an hour to get her to sleep, and she would only sleep thirty minutes. She would wake up an average of three or four times a night. We.were.tired. This was also the month of her ear infections, RSV, and Camden's swine flu. I get exhausted just thinking about last October!

Four Months
Caroline's first Thanksgiving! I love dressing up the Little Miss. I may have not been sleeping, BUT I got to play with bows and fur boots, which was a good trade-off.


Five Months
No matter how hard we tried, we could not get a good picture with everyone happy. Camden would not cooperate, and Caroline was tired. If I would've had the time to send out Christmas cards, this is the picture I would have used because it is as real as it gets! Don't you love how Aaron and I are still giving our best smiles?


Six Months
Caroline began to feel a little more content with the world, and she thought we were pretty funny. The turnaround seemed to happen whenever she learned how to sit up. We started seeing her personality, and it was so much fun!


Seven Months

Caroline loved bath time with Daddy in the kitchen. They sang songs, laughed, watched The Office, etc.

Eight Months
Such a sweetheart! Caroline handled the big move like a pro. She was in the perfect stage! I call it the 'Sit and be Pretty Stage.' Caroline enjoyed sitting and watching everybody, smiling most of the time. At this point, the Little Miss only cried when she was hungry or tired.


Nine Months

My friend Betsy came over and noticed there were no pictures of Caroline in the house. (The last picture session had been her newborn pictures, and I still had not framed them!) I told Betsy I was still scarred from our Christmas picture fiasco, and I didn't have the energy to go through that again. The next week, Betsy brought over her camera and a fabulous petticoat and took some pictures of Caroline in our playroom. The Little Miss LOVED the hot pink petticoat. (I really think she needs her own now!) She smiled and giggled for the camera, and Betsy got some great shots. We think she's absolutely stunning. Aaron always tells her how beautiful she is, but I told him that her confidence shouldn't just be based solely on looks. Aaron now includes characteristics like smart, funny, generous, humble, etc. in his compliments to her. I don't know if he's mocking me or if he's being sincere in properly building Caroline's self-esteem.

10 Months

This is the look Caroline gives when she's not getting what she wants. I love it!

Caroline is crawling around and pulling up a lot more. With Camden, once he started to crawl, he was a total mess! Caroline can move around, but she just enjoys sitting, looking pretty, and smiling more than discovering what's in my kitchen cabinets.

11 Months Caroline and her Daddy

When Caroline was two months old, Aaron commented that he and Caroline were just not friends. At that point, she had spent a week with just me at Texas Children's, and so she preferred me to hold her. I told him to give it some time. Sure enough, as the months passed she began twirling Aaron around her little finger. All she has to do is look up at him with those big eyes, and she gets whatever she wants. If she cries when I put her down for bedtime, Aaron goes in there to rock her because he can't take her being sad. One night he came out of her room and said, "She's just so neat!" I warned him that she's going to be a teenager some day, and she's just going to get better at 'manipulating' him. He has no idea what she will be capable of. :)



One Year Old
My sis took some cute pics of the kiddos a week before Caroline's Bday.

Such a big girl!

I'm a little (a lot) obsessed with her.

Sweet Caroline,
We think you are magical. We never knew how much was missing in our lives until you came along. We love you to the moon and back, and can't wait to see what God has in store for you!