Caroline gets serious...

Ignore my obnoxious voice and the kissy noisy, I was kissing her hand, which before I turned the camera on had her smiling like crazy...then the camera came on and it is all business. Serious or not, she's still the cutest thing I've ever seen. Spoken like a true momma =)

Cloth Diapering...

Before we even found out we were pregnant, I became interested in cloth diapering. I had seen these cute little fluffy butt babies on some of the blogs I was following and started my research into cloth diapers. After we found out we were pregnant, I looked more seriously into it and we thought it was something we wanted to try. So, when Caroline was around 6 weeks old we started our cloth diapering adventure =) So far we are LOVING it! The diapers are SO soft and look so cute on her (despite the giant butt it can give her sometimes haha). It has been WAY easier than I expected and truly no big deal at all. I thought I would hate adding extra laundry to routine, but honestly it barely makes a difference. I have a big enough stash to where I only have to wash every 2-3 days. We use a combination of pocket diapers (diapers that have inserts) and wraps with fitted diapers. We also have a couple of different brands- Fuzzi Bunz One Size (which makes up the majority of our stash), Fuzzi Bunz Perfect size (small), Bum Genius 4.0, Bum Genius 3.0 AIO, Thirsties Duo Wraps, Thirsties Duo Diaper, and Kissaluvs fitted diapers. So far my favorites in order are: FB Perfect size, Thirsties Duo wrap with a stay-dry duo insert, and the Thirsties Duo Diaper. I like these three the best because they are super trim (for cloth diapers) and fit her very well. However, I'm starting to like the Bum Genius and Fuzzi Bunz One Size a bit more the bigger that she is getting. Something else I added to our cloth routine are cloth wipes. I made some with leftover flannel I had from burp clothes. I mix my own wipes solution and keep it in a spray bottle beside the wipes, so I just spray one or two before a diaper change. This is SO much easier than disposable wipes, because you can simply toss the wipes in with the diapers, just like you would with a disposable. So far we use cloth about 99% of the time and only use disposable for doctor's appointments and I sometimes put her in one if I change her around 4/5am. Anyway, if you have any questions about it, just ask! It really is super easy and I HIGHLY recommend it. It saves SO much money (especially if you register for them), they're SO much softer on the baby, and it's WAY better for the environment.

Caroline in a Thirsties Duo Wrap Snap with an insert

Fuzzi Bunz One Size

Bum Genius 3.0 All-in-One

Thirsties Duo Diaper

Set-up on the changing table upstairs (just showing wipes)...we change mostly downstairs so that's where most of her diapers are kept

After a wash, a bunch of cute hanging diapers =)

2 months...

Caroline is 2 months old today!! This has been such a fun month!! She truly is changing everyday, but since about week 5 she has been smiling and cooing, and we cannot get enough!! It's probably sad how much we just sit around talking to her in ridiculous voices just to get one tiny smile from that sweet face! She is such a great baby! She generally only cries if she is tired or getting hungry. She is very much a schedule baby and getting much better at naps (which is SO nice)! This month we started cloth diapering (around week 6) and we LOVE it!! Seriously, I'm a bit obsessed with it, so feel free to ask any questions, although I'll probably do an entire post about it. She still does so great in the car and has been easy to take places (so far). We've been out to eat a few times with her and she has done wonderfully. We went to her two month check up today where she had to get her shots. I have DREADED this appointment and have slept terribly the past few nights thinking about it. After her first shot at her one month appointment, I knew I would need back-up this time around, so Greg worked from home so he could go with me this time. The shots were not as bad as I expected, she only cried for a few minutes and then slept for a while. However, this evening has been ROUGH. She is SO fussy and absolutely pitiful! It truly hurts our hearts!! We decided to put her to bed in our room tonight, so she is back in the bassinet for the night, hopefully that doesn't set us back any. She is a sweet, content baby and we are SO thrilled she is ours =)

Her current schedule:
6am: Eats (but I don't consider this to be her morning feed because she goes right back to sleep)
8:30-9am- Eats
9:30-10:30- play time (tummy time, stories, me obnoxiously singing lol)
10:30ish-11:30/12- nap (sometimes in crib, sometimes in swing)
around 12pm-Eats
12:30-1:30-play time/errands for us =)
1:30ish-2:30ish-nap
around 3- Eats
3:30-4:30- play time
5ish- nap
6pm- Eats
most of the time she stays awake until bath at 8pm, but sometimes she'll take a 30 min nap.
8:00-8:30- bath, story time with daddy
8:30- Eats
9pm-bedtime =)

She is still waking between 2-4am to eat, but is generally great about going right back to sleep.

What she loves: (not a lot has changed since last month for her loves...)

• Still loves being held
• Her swing(!)- she did not like the swing for a while, then all of a sudden at around week 7 she started loving it and now takes her longest naps in it!
• Being talked to and talking back =)
• Facing out in her Moby Wrap- she is too big now for the cradle hold, and she doesn't really like to be facing in, unless she is going to sleep.
• Being swaddled
  
• Still loves baths!
• Her fist! She has found her hands and they are constantly in her mouth (seriously, they are chapped by how much she sucks on her hands, she especially does this when she is falling asleep)
  

What she is not a fan of:

• her pacifier...which SUCKS! I REALLY have tried pushing the paci but she is just not liking it.
• Her carseat when it is not moving (but she's getting better about this)
• Tummy time- she h.a.t.e.s tummy time, but has a very strong neck and great head control, so I'm not worried about it.

Two Month Stats:

• Weight: 10 lb 7 oz (33%)
  
• Length: 23.5in (93%)
  
• Eating: every 3 hours, around 4ish ounces
• Sleeping: (see schedule)...Great!
  

Milestones:

• Cooing- started around week 5/6

Randoms:

• Baby acne is gone YAAAAAY!!!

More pics from this month:

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Wordless Wednesday: 8 weeks

A visit to see daddy...

Last Friday Caroline and I made a trip to Duluth to meet Greg for lunch and to introduce Caroline to his work friends. She was her normal sweet self on the car ride to see him and was on her cutest behavior in his office while he walked around showing her off to everyone. We went to Jim-N-Nick's for lunch and she had had enough of everything, so she was a bit fussy and decided she needed to be held all during lunch (this could also be because I feel like it is super annoying to have a crying baby in restaurant and I know others did too and I don't want to be "those parents" that just sit and ignore it and act like it shouldn't bother anyone else...anyway) She calmed down quickly and we were able to enjoy a yummy lunch together. After dropping Greg off, I fed her and we headed home. Oh what a ride! She gave me a lovely soundtrack the entire way home! Needless to say, we spent the rest of the afternoon napping =) It was nice to get out for the afternoon and have lunch with Greg! Certainly a treat =)

We have a talker...

We've entered the cooing phase and I L.O.V.E it!! So stinkin cute!!

Caroline's First Christmas...

Since it has taken me this long to even get around to blogging, I am going to just write one big Christmas post instead of writing five separate Christmas celebration posts (my extended family, my immediate family, Greg's extended family, Greg's immediate family, and our little family of three). Please feel free to skim, as this is mainly just for me to remember things by. This holiday season has definitely been a whirlwind! We started out our Christmas celebration with a trip to North Carolina...Yes, two adults, two dogs, one one-month-old baby, and 7 hours of driving. And guess what? It was fantastic!! Caroline was a champ and only cried for about a total of 30 minutes each way and we still made it there in our usual 7ish hours! On Sunday we went to my aunt's house for an extended family get together. It was great getting to introduce Caroline to everyone! As usual, the food was fantastic and the company was even better! I had a great time catching up with the cousins and just hanging out with everyone. As is tradition, the adults participated in a Dirty Santa gift exchange and we ended up with a cake pop maker and a grilling set, both of which we were pumped about! After an few hours there, we headed over to my grandmother's house to meet Santa (which will be a separate post). After taking pictures with him, we packed back up and headed back to Raleigh to my parents' house. Monday we celebrated Christmas with my parents, brother and sister-in-law, our niece and nephew, and my grandmother. This year we decided to have the adults draw names and it was so nice!! It was fun getting to see who had who to buy for and what they picked out for us! My dad drew me and got me the drying rack I wanted and a new rotary cutter. My brother had Greg and got him extra caffeinated K-Cups for his new Keurig. Caroline got a some new toys, outfits, and cloth diapers. We loved watching the kids open their gifts, their ages are just SO fun this year! On Tuesday, we woke up bright and early and headed back home to Georgia. I was SO glad that we were able to make the trip and spend time with my family!

Our next celebration was the Friday before Christmas with Greg's extended family. Cindy and Thomas hosted this year and we had a great time! The food was so delicious and we had a BLAST playing all the Minute to Win It games Cindy had planned. The first game was to see how many cups you could stack with your dominate hand behind your back, the second game was seeing who could blow their cup across the table the fastest using a straw, the third was balancing pencils on the back of your hand and tossing them up and see how many you could catch, the last was a marshmallow tossing game, but I came in during the end of it so I'm not sure of the objective. It was so much fun seeing everyone's competitive side! After games, the kids all opened their gifts and then the adults played a fun Secret Santa game where each number has a little poem that went with it and told you what gift to get or who to steal from. We ended up with a decorative clock and a movie gift card. We had such a fun time!

Our next celebration was our own little family's! A couple of years ago we started the tradition of celebrating together on Christmas Eve, so we continued with that this year. This was such a special year for us because we've added our sweet baby girl to our family. We talked about how we couldn't get over how last year we were hoping and praying to get pregnant, and this year we were celebrating as a family of three! Caroline was pretty fussy all evening, so we waited to open our gifts to one another until after she was put to bed. Greg got me several new shirts, two pair of boots, pajamas, The Help dvd, and a night away at Lake Blackshear Lodge and Resort, which we will be going to in March! I got Greg a few shirts, wallet, 2 belts, k-cups, and 12 pre-planned/pre-paid dates- one for each month of the year! One Christmas morning, Greg got up with Caroline so I could sleep in a bit longer (so sweet) and then we took pictures of Caroline with her gifts from Santa! Santa got some great deals over the past several months so the gifts have been stored for a while =) She a got a musical table, tiny diner place mat, snack cups, sippy cups, shape sorts, stacking blocks/cups, and a few more goodies! We spent the day in our pajamas then got ready to go to Cindy and Thomas' for our last celebration.

Our last celebration at Cindy and Thomas' was a great way to end the Christmas season. We all enjoyed a delicious meal by Cindy before heading to the living room for our gift opening extravaganza! It was truly a sight to see the tons of gifts under the tree...blessed for sure!! SJ was SO cute this year opening his gifts! It made me excited for next year, since Caroline will be about 3 months younger than that. SJ and Caroline slept through most of the gift opening (although Caroline decided it would be a good idea to cry though a lot of it), but the adults ans KA had a great time going around one by one and opening our gifts. I always love seeing what everyone gets! We received SO many sweet gifts! Greg got several new accessories for his Big Green Egg, some new clothes, and more and I got some nice new sweaters, several gorgeous scarves, a new crockpot and dutch oven, and lots more! Caroline racked up as well with tons of new cloth diapers, outfits, a photo session, books, headbands and more! We had a fabulous time with everyone but had to hurry out after the gift opening to put a very tired girl to bed! She gave us her own Christmas present that night by sleeping 9 straight hours!!

As mentioned before, Christmas was a whirlwind this year, but despite all of the hustle and bustle, we always remember the reason for the season and thank the Lord for what this holiday truly means. We have been abundantly blessed and I hope to never take it for granted!

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