New "Schoo"

Caroline will be starting preschool twice a week from 9am-12pm beginning this coming Tues. She has already met her new teachers and seems to really like them both. They both came to our house Monday to meet Caroline and play with her for a bit, in order for her to begin to get comfortable. Then, today, we went to the school (or "schoo" as Caroline's calls it) to play in the classroom for a half hour alone with the the teachers and me. At both our house and the classroom, she jumped right in and began interacting with her teachers and playing with different toys with them. She even told the one teacher that she had to go potty and the teacher brought her to the bathroom in the classroom. Caroline was so excited to see that there was a miniature potty in the bathroom, that she had the teacher bring her twice more before we left. Isn't that great that the highlight of our preschool visit was the mini potty? That's a two year old for you!
Anyway, her teachers said that she seems to be quite independent (just WAIT until they find out how how true that is!!!) and that they are not worried about her transitioning into the classroom. She already knows two of the other children in the room, so I'm sure, knowing Caroline, she'll run right in on Tuesday and I'll be left calling after her to get my kiss and hug!

33 weeks, 1 Day

I had my ultrasound today that looked at the position of the placenta. The good news is that the placenta has indeed moved up and is no longer considered "low-lying", which could have meant a probable C-section. The bad news is that the baby is breech (she/he is bottom first), which could mean a probable C-section if the baby does not turn (head first) on it own. SO, I am back at square one without knowing whether or not I would need a C-section! The ultrasound technician said that the more amniotic fluid I have, the more likely the baby will be able to turn. She also said that if the baby does turn, I will certainly feel it! I should find out more about my fluid levels after talking to my doctor next week and see what she thinks. So, I guess, once again, I will keep you all posted. We'll just send that baby some encouragement to turn around in the meantime!

Visiting "Ganma" and "Ganpa"

Caroline and I went to go visit my parents (Grandma and Grandpa, unofficially referred to by Caroline as "Ganma" and "Ganpa") this past week. She stayed very busy playing with all the new toys, a trip to the zoo, visits to see Great Grandma and excursions to ice cream stores almost every night (seriously!) and going out to breakfast and dinner. She adored the restored rocking horse my mom made for her ("GIDDY UP, HORSIE! GIDDY UP!")! Grandma even had a little luncheon for her friends to come and see Caroline and how big she has gotten since our last visit when she was only 8 months old! She now also has many new additions to her Fall wardrobe (Thanks, Grandma!) and has officially been introduced to Trader Joe's grocery store where she was given her own miniature-sized grocery cart to push (We miss you Trader Joe's!). Now anytime she has been in a grocery store since, she wants to know if she can have her own grocery cart. Caroline also had a great time playing with Grandma and Grandpa's dogs, Charlie and Chase, and even had them climb in her wading pool with her to cool off together! Caroline even did a great job in the plane flight there and back, too-thank goodness for portable DVD players! More pictures will be posted later on. We are having problem with our camera.

"MY TURN!"

Caroline's List of Things That She MUST Do By Herself (otherwise known as "MY TURN!"):

1. take off pajamas

2. take diaper off in the morning (she still wears a diaper at night)

3. close lid and flush potty

4. move stool over to sink

5. turn on/off water at sink

6. hold sippy cup as beverage is being poured and put top on after

7. spread peanut butter and jelly on sandwich

8. put on shoes (or so she thinks until she finally claims it's "Mommy's Turn!")

9. take off shoes

10. climb into car/carseat

11. buckle top of car seat fastener

12. rub in sunscreen

13. turn water on in bathtub

14. climb out of bathtub

15. turn on nightlight

16. turn pages while story is being read

ETC, ETC, ETC...

Anything that Little Miss Independent is unable to do BY HERSELF will clearly be designated as "Mommy's Turn" or "Daddy's Turn". Mommy is NOT to take "Daddy's Turn" and Daddy is NOT to take "Mommy's Turn".

WARNINGS:

1. DO NOT try to take on any of these duties without first getting permission from Caroline. We are not responsible for what will happen if you do not first obtain clearance!

2. MAKE SURE you add at least 5-10 minutes to every task in advance in order for you to have time for "Caroline's Turns".

3. DO NOT let that innocent face fool you! : )

30 Weeks

30 weeks already?! I really can't believe it! I think I'm getting to the point where I'm starting to feel anxious about having a very strongwilled toddler and a newborn at the same time! I clearly remember how demanding it was to have a newborn and total lack of sleep at the same time, but I have never experienced that PLUS a two year old grabbing my hand and telling me she has to go potty NOW or dropping to her knees and crying when I forget and open the string cheese package for her (god forbid!) instead of giving her "her turn". I think it's a little too early for me to be stressing about this; I still have 10 weeks to go!

Anyway, I have my next appointment next week and at 32 weeks I'll be getting another ultrasound so that my OB can tell if my placenta has "moved up" any. We're hoping it has b/c that would mean no more talk about a possible C-section! According to what I have read the baby is now about 15 1/2" inches long from head to toe and weighs about 3 lbs. It is definitely a very active baby. Last night, I actually jumped off the couch, he/she kicked me so hard!

First Dentist Visit

Caroline had her first visit to the dentist this morning! She did such a great job, too! For the last couple days I have been talking to her about her upcoming visit and how she would have to lie on her back while her teeth were brushed and counted. She seemed ok with the idea, especially when I told her they would probably give her a new toothbrush and toothpaste.

When we arrived at the office, the dentist told me that she would probably start crying at some point since most 2 year olds are uncomfortable with the whole idea and laying on their back the whole time. Well, once they brought her over to the chair and Caroline saw that there were TVs on the ceiling and she could wear headphones to listen to a movie, she was ready to go. She layed right down, opened her mouth and let them brush her teeth, count her teeth and put on flouride without batting on eye. Even the dentist commented on how good she was and how unusual it was for a 2 year old not to get upset. I'm telling you the power of TV-it's a scary thing! Anyway, she was very happy when she not only got a new pink toothbrush, but toothpaste, a timer and a (very large!) T-shirt, too! I think it's safe to say the visit was a success!

Playdate

Caroline had some of her friends over to play yesterday. Three of her buddies came over to play in her little wading pool and the sprinkler. It turns out that all 4 of them were more excited about the idea of playing in the pool and sprinkler than actually playing in the pool and sprinkler! I think the best part for all four of them was eating the pizza we ordered. They were so hungry by the time it came, (it took an hour and a half to arrive-4 impatient mommies + 4 very hungry, cranky kids=free pizzas) that they each ate mutliple pieces and were in much better playing moods after!

Yittle and Cute

Caroline is very wrapped up in her baby dolls right now. She walks around the house holding her babies, pretending to feed them, blanket them, talk them for walks and sing to them. She even requested a pink "paci" (pacifier) for one of her babies last week and got annoyed at her baby when she would not open her mouth to accept it. She looks down at her babies and says "Awww, they're so cute! They're so yittle! They're so tiny!" Of course she also looks at her toes and says the same thing, so I guess anything small is "yittle and cute". The best was when she was looking at her friend Bryan's little sister and told him, "Awww, your sister is soooo cute!" Hopefully, she'll still think that babies are "yittle and cute" when her new baby brother or sister comes home in about 3 months!

Swim Lessons

I signed Caroline up for swim lessons and she is just loving them! It's a two week program where she has lessons for a half hour Tues.-Fri. She kicks her feet and moves her hands back and forth across the water everytime. I think she thinks she can just take off on her own because she keeps pushing my hand away from under her tummy! I think we have a little while until that happens, but in the meantime, after her lessons she loves to wear her little "swimmies" that go around her arms to keep her afloat. She'll lie on her tummy by herself and kick from one side of the shallow end to the other.