Christmas Parade

We took Caroline ands Eleanor to the Horse and Carriage Christmas Parade in our town last night. Caroline had a blast watching all the decorated horses and carriages ride around the square. Her friend, Amelia and her mommy, Michelle, joined us, too.

"What's you doing?"

Caroline (seriously) must ask me at least 50 times a day, "What's you doing, Mommy?" I"m glad she is curious and interested in what's going on, but I have to tell you, after about the fourth time she asks me within a 5 minute time spam, it gets a bit frustrating! I think, actually, that she doesn't even realize now how much she is saying it now it has become such a habit. I even will ask her back sometimes, "What's Mommy doing?" and she'll tell me exactly what I'm doing ("folding laundry", "driving the car", "Feeding Baby Eleanor", etc...) I talked to her today about some other ideas/questions she might want to ask Mommy, like, "How are you doing today?" or "What did you do today, Mommy". By five o'clock today after the 42nd time (give or take!) I told her to ask me some other questions instead, so from five until bedtime, she kept asking, "How are you doing today, Mommy?". I guess my idea backfired! Any suggestions, anyone? : ) The funniest part is though, that earlier today, I tried to playfully turn it back around on her and kept asking her "What's you doing, Caroline" every couple of minutes and she got really frustrated and said, "No you talk to me, RIGHT NOW!".

Creative Imagination

It seems that Caroline's imagination is starting to run wild. This week at nap and bed time she has requested such books as "Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak, "Where are the Monsters?" (a cute little open the flap book with pink fuzzy monsters) and "Birthday Monsters" by Sandra Boynton (again, cute little fuzzy monsters are involved). Now, for the last two days when she is downstairs in the living room, she'll run down the hallway and come back to me and say, "Mommy, there is a monster in that hole!". WHen I ask her "Where?" she points towards the front door. Yesterday Brett even went on a "Monster Hunt" with her and even looked under the door mat, but no monsters were found in "the hole". When Brett said there are no monsters under the mat, she ran to the window and said, "THere outside then!" So Brett and Caroline opened the front door and yelled, "Boo!" and scared the monsters away.
Yesterday morning when she first woke up, we heard her on the moniter say, "No you monsters! You go away right now!" SHe wasn't scared though, just saying very confidently and matter-of-factly.

Christmas Confusion

Caroline has decided that she wants a fishing pole, "a phone to call her shapes" and "Diego Go candy" for Christmas. We have no idea how she came up with the fishing pole or the "phone to call her shapes" but she saw some Go Diego Go! themed candy in Toys R' Us and wanted it and I told her she had to ask Santa. We were at the mall today and it was all I could do to try to explain to Caroline that she does not need to ask Santa for something everytime she sees him somewhere and that when you ask Santa for something you do not immediately recieve it from him. It is a very hard concept for a 2 1/2 year old to grasp that you ask Santa for what you want and then you have to wait for a long time to actually get it from him! Brett keeps reminding her that Daddy gets presents first on his birthday and then Santa will bring Caroline presents (even though she will not actually see Santa bring her the gifts!).

Fashion Statement

I think I'm really in trouble now...Caroline has started having an opinion about what to wear each day. Now in the mornings, I need to try to explain to her why she can't wear just "bloomers" for her bottoms with a fleece sweatshirt top! She has really taken to a pink baseball hat that she has and says she "looks just like Daddy" when she wears a hat.

Big Girl Room Completed!

Caroline's room is finally done! It looks so sweet. Grandma (or "Ganma" as Caroline calls her) made Caroline's quilt, pillow sham, curtains, and night stand covers. Thanks, "Ganma", it looks incredible! Now we get to work on Eleanor's...

Big Sister Things

"Give her space, Caroline!"
Giving her little sister some encouragement during "tummy time".
Big hugs Getting ready to kiss Daddy's head before going upstairs to bed.

Caroline is still very much loving her little sister. She says and does the funniest things when it comes to Eleanor.

-When Mommy or Daddy starts talking to Eleanor, Caroline immediately interrupts us and says, "Talk to her!".

-Her preschool teacher told me that they hear all about Eleanor at school b/c Caroline is constantly talking to the classroom's babydolls as if she were me and the doll is Eleanor. "Good, job on your bottle Eleanor. Now I have to burp you. Do you have a poopy diaper?"

-Caroline is now referring to Eleanor as "Baby Eleanor Grace" at all times.

-When Caroline goes to bed at night, she gives Eleanor 2 kisses on top of her head. THen she comes over to Brett and I and grabs our face in both hands, pull it down and kisses the tips of our heads two times, too!

-We must hear at least 20 times a day "I don't want my baby to cry!", even if Eleanor is not crying!

-She loves to talk and sing to Eleanor, but gets so close to her that we are STILL reminding her multiple times a day to "GIVE HER SPACE!"

It is so much fun, though, to watch Caroline with Eleanor and see how excited she is to have a little sister.