Caroline [4]

My in our household is always a busy time. Add is some major life changes and whammo. Life is crazier than before! I am attempting to catch up this blog!

Our sweet little Caroline Mae had her birthday back in the beginning of May! I think you can tell from the photos that she turned FOUR!

We had a nice lunch with Nanny and Pappa and of course our family. We had cake too. Chocolate cake (Carolines choice) and we also had cupcakes.

Caroline really wanted a "puutar" so she got one. A purple guitar. Caroline loves music, and loves to sing.

Caroline, we love you. xo

Five down, and only one to go!

Oh, over the past weekend, Caroline wore the last of her diapers. So, thank you to Aunty and Uncle for changing the last of them. I haven't changed a Caroline diaper since Friday of last week. On Monday morning, Cliff put on a size six (with two left in the bag), and Caroline told us she wanted to wear underwear. So, off went the diaper. She went to her drawer, and helped herself!

In one day Caroline fully toilet trained! Number five is done, and now just waiting on my 18th month old Coco. I am thinking trying to get it done BEFORE two. I sat Courtney on the toilet today, and she liked it. She wanted toilet paper LOL. She knows...so I am going to start talking to her about this. 

So far, I have spent the last almost 10 years (minus a few months changing diapers) I changed my first diaper on August 3rd, 1999. Maybe by August 2009 we could be done? *fingers crossed*

Happy Days!! High fives Caroline!

We are going to enjoy a cheaper grocery bill this next shop! And trade a full size six bag for a size four.

Happy Birthday Caroline Mae

Almost three. Your last day as a two year old.

About one year ago.

About a year ago.

Three.

We have made it through another year of the twos. That means we only have one year of twos left with your baby sister Courtney.

You are loud, you smile huge. You like to wear pigtails now that you have some hair. Cleaning up is is something you really like to do. You know what you want, and when you want it.

You wanted a yellow cake and a teddy bear. You had both.

You are still is diapers (and in fact you are the only sib that has gone to age three in a diaper) you want to wear undies, but you still want to be little. We get that.

You have a hearty laugh, you want to walk to school, and soon you will. You are doing so well with your walking.

I love how you take care of your sister Courtney, and how you have taken easily to being the 'big sister' at your small age. You help unload the dishwasher, you know where to put the cutlery, you also know how to count to almost 20. You also share so well.

We also love how well you sleep in your big girl bed. How you get yourself dressed in the morning! 

And how you want to read, and request *two books* and we love how you walk around the house with my old purse.

We love you so much Caroline Mae. You keep doing what you do. You bring us so much laughter in our home. 

You have added so much sunshine into our Spring. You, who was born in my very favourite season, and favourite month.

We cannot wait to see how much you learn and grow this year!

Love,

Mommy xo

Two for Caroline

*IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO READ ABOUT TOILET AND BODY FUNCTIONS DON'T READ THE POST*

If you want to read, scroll down!

CAROLINE MAE WE ARE PROUD OF YOU!

Well, this morning she sat on the toilet and made a big 'ol poop. Yes she did! SHE WAS SO PROUD! The whole family came to look in the toilet bowl, and then we all high fived her! We are moving forward. We are almost at having one final child in diapers. (that would be Courtney) It seems that Caroline just may be the earliest to be 'trained' by that I mean letting herself guide us when she is ready. We learned the hard way not to push our kids to train. Or to rush them, or do crazy charts etc. We have found that not making it an 'issue' rather something we talk about EVERY  DIAPER change. It seems to be working. Oh we are so relaxed five kids into this whole process! It feels good to be able to relax over this whole training process. Caroline is going to be three in the beginning of May. She also sleeps in her crib (LOVES IT) but as I said in an earlier post, we are looking at a bed/beds. Not sure what just yet. Everything is working the way it should be. Right on Caroline time!

Smiles of the Day

Got to love photobooth! It has been almost three weeks since Catie and her stitches, and this morning ALL of the stitches came out. Now, we move onto the vitamin E treatment for her. 

We are having a good day, well except for the whole bowl of infant cereal that 'somebody' spilled all across the dining room, and several outfits LOL. If you want the truth with a larger amount of kids, good luck! LOL.

I will never find out the truth, so whatever...

V O M I T in a good way!

Well, another yearly trip to the BC Childrens Hospital for Caroline's duplex kidney check up. And, it looks like Caroline was a V O M I T victim. To explain ...Victim of Modern Imaging Technology. It is all very good really!

She had another ultrasound. Just like last year, and the year before. And the scan on her 3rd day of her life, and the multiple prenatal ultrasounds that stressed me to the max. I have lots of blog posts when I looked back regarding her left kidney trouble. Very traumatic for us all.

Today:

Caroline is a NORMAL healthy little girl, weighing 34.7 pounds. Her left kidney is growing normally and it grew from last year! Currently there is only 1 cyst (before there were atleast 4), the uretercele is gone in her bladder. She has 'outgrown' her original problems found in the original prenatal ultrasound. Even the radiologist came in to look (a second look!) after the tech did the scan. She said lots of people may have had this health problem, but with modern imaging more is 'found' including extra worrying prenatally. You can say THAT again! Whew! 

Anyways. We do not have to go back anymore to the BC Childrens Hospital with Caroline. No more yearly visits. She is healthy! We are so blessed! We have six healthy, beautiful children and Thank GOD!

We walked out of Dr. M's office and the three of us high fived each other! We got on the elevator, and sighed RELIEF! This is OVER! Caroline Mae! You are a marvel. I am also uber impressed at how well you stayed still for your ultrasound today. You had to lay there for at least 20 minutes while they checked your bladder, your left kidney and your right kidney. It must be all the practice you have had in your 2.5 years of life! 

I was holding your hand, and Daddy was rubbing your feet. I was listening to a newborn baby in the exam room having a scan done for her little kidneys. The baby was crying and it brought me back to when you had your first scan done at three days old. I hope that little baby girl will have the same blessings as you.  In another thought I hoped and prayed that the next scan you would have would be the one to tell you are carrying a healthy baby in your uterus, and that I would be a Granny! Oh yes! One day!

I love you Caroline. I am so glad you are healthy! I am so glad we don't have to sit in traffic for 1.5 hours one way with a five car pile up at the tunnel anymore! 

.caroline and the sunflower.

Just a cute one of Caroline and one of the many sunflowers at the garden.

Something about Caroline

She is only two, but we can have a nice conversation together. She is much like her big brother Cameron in that regard. He was a big talker back then, and she is proving to be just like that!

She likes to talk so much! She asks a lot of questions, she is the loudest child of all six. She likes to be heard, like this morning in her crib. So loud we practically need earplugs. But I do try to listen to what she tells me, even if I am up to my eyeballs in questions from everybody. I try my best to hear all of the kids. Hard to do at times when six voices are all speaking at the same time. But like I say, I try. I can only try.

Lately when she talks, she copies me. She will tell me 'I found it on floor, there Coco' and then a giggle and I said to her 'Oh yeah?!' and then she always as the same thing, but in Caroline-speak it comes out as 'Oh wahhhh' so matter-of-factly. 'Oh wahhh.' I ask her questions just so I can hear that.

And I have to say, she is very helpful. She puts bowls and spoons into the sink, she picks up food off the floor for me, wants to dust and wants to help me with the laundry. She also helps me unload the dishwasher. She also tries to help with Courtney, and tells me what Courtney needs. Coco crying Mommy. Coco hungry Mommy.

I just think, wow! You are only two but at times you do a better job than all of your big siblings combined. I love how she takes an interest in something and does it with GUSTO!

I also like the way she says Uh huh. It is not a quiet one, it is LOUD and all knowing! UH HUH. Uuhh huh.

Caroline just told me 'Coco hungry' I'd better be going!

First Pig Tails

Here is Caroline at her first pig roast/luau wearing her first pig tails EVER. Pig tails in our house are a big deal. That would be because our girls take a LONG time to grow their hair long enough to put their hair up. Caroline is well over two years old and now hair cut. I know she was pleased to be a 'big girl' here. She kept them in all day and night.

It is funny how our girls don't grow much hair for the first few years. And even more ironic that their brother had several hair cuts just after the age of one!

Caroline at the Luau

your love is better than ice cream...

Here is Caroline having one of many ice creams in her pj's in the front yard before bed! This was taken after her photo session on Fathers Day.

Caroline and me...

See, I was on our Fathers Day trip, but I am usually the one taking the family photos. Thankfully my Mom in Law took a few photos of me :D

This was so fun to do, and her smiles were HUGE!

And she decided she wanted to be on her own swing after awhile. It was a great day! I had fun on the swings too! I got some good air when I jumped off LOL!

Love Thursday

Here is Caroline with a lime that actually had a heart shaped 'bruise' in it! Cameron discovered that! Isn't that the coolest lime EVER!!

From Caroline's 2nd Birthday

Enjoying the candies off a cake made by Nonna

I am officially 2 years old!

You still look so small on the big chair Caroline

Instant Party when you live here!

Yummy cake just for Caroline Mae!

Yay! I am two!

Caroline's Birthday {two}

{TWO} and trying to put two fingers up for two!!

Well, it is another birthday in our house today. When you have a large family, there are always birthday celebrations. Today, Caroline Mae turns two (officially at 6:12 pm tonight) and we can hardly believe how fast the year went from her very FIRST birthday, let alone from her birth! Amazingly fast.

She was born in my favourite month, the merry month of May. She was born into our family as 'child number 5' but to us she is more than just a number, she is our sweet daughter who has become a very fabulous addition to the family! Her pregnancy brought a lot of worry into our lives, but afterwards when she was born she fought her odds and had a very minor problem instead of major. We are forever blessed by Caroline Mae. She used to kick in my tummy when 'Sweet Caroline' came on TV or the radio. I knew she would be a sweet little girl!

She continues to be our sweet girl. She is very entertaining, makes us laugh, talks A LOT, she is LOUD, she is polite and she uses her manners! She dances, she hops and she gives us the biggest smiles. The smiles show off her beautiful dimple and then her big brown eyes sparkle. A little dream girl she is!

And yes, she is entering the 'terrible two's' but so what...we know she will grow out of them (EVENTUALLY) and until then we just enjoy her as she grows up to be an independent responsible girl! And we try to laugh (secretly) at the not so fun parts of the 2 year. Laughter seems to be the best medicine, especially after our fifth crack at the two's! We don't think it has become easier to have a two year old in the home, but we have figured out how to 'enjoy' this phase rather than fight it! We praise the good, and try our HARDEST to ignore the not so good! But sometimes those tantrums and dramatics can be pretty funny. So funny that we have to walk away and laugh.

So Caroline, our sweet little daughter. You light up our lives, and you are the apple of our eye! May you have a year that is most terrific and we cannot wait to have a piece of pink cake with you!

We love you little Caroline. Stay little and keep on patting our back and hugging us OK! We will never tire of the love you give us all. You are super!

Catie and Coco

Photo Saturday

Caroline and the hands

Catie and Caroline

In the computer room together


Looking out the window together


I am full of tears and sadness today...


My fingers taste so good


Oh Mom, would you put that thing away now!

Here is Courtney wearing a 3 month sleeper that belonged to her big sis Caroline...isn't she a vision in dark pink?! I love the darker pinks on her.

This is CAROLINE wearing the same sleepers when she was about the same age!!

Caroline loves to say CHEESE!

A few of my gal Caroline who turned 19 months old on December 2nd 2007