August 30

Another beautiful summer day spent with my 2 favorite people (and a flavor ice)!  It was so nice to be home today after my long day of storm duty.  I'll be back at it again tomorrow at 6am!

August 29

Ryan and Caitlin took a walk last night, and he asked her where her tongue was, and well, here it is!  Silly girl. Caitlin and Ryan spent some good quality time together on Monday.  I went into work at the office at 7:30am for a normal work day.  About an hour after I had gotten there, I found out that I had been called for storm duty and had to first go to training and then report to our staging area at BWI for my assignment.  My assignment was a safety standby patrol, which means that we were responsible for "babysitting" downed to wires to try to keep the public safe until a crew could arrive to fix them. I'll admit it was kind of exciting to be part of the team and help with the restoration efforts!   We were there from 2:45pm on Monday to 10:00am on Tuesday - so I worked over 24 hours.  Talk about a long day.  It was an interesting experience, and our job was pretty easy, but I'm glad I was able to help out. Here's a picture of the downed trees and wires that were blocking Rolling Road that were responsible for.
 

August 28

Our power was out today due to Hurricane Irene, but we were so thankful to have it back by 9:15pm.  Thank goodness for battery-powered toys though!  I love how she has a firm grip on her block and looks so serious about her music table.  We were a little stir crazy from being holed up on the house Saturday, so we went out for lunch to Red Robin and also to run a couple of errands today.  It was kind of nice to spend a day together without the distraction of electronics!

August 27

Today, Caitlin found my basket of crafts and yarn.  She pulled a blanket out that I had started while I was pregnant (it's sitting in my lap in this picture), and also found a small ball of leftover yarn that she proceeded to play with and wrap all around her body.  She thought she was quite funny for doing this.  We did too.

August 26

Happy 15 month birthday, Caitlin!  Today, she learned how to climb up the steps of her slide and go down the slide all by herself.  It seems like she learns something new every day, and we love watching her figure things out.

August 25

She wanted to wear her sunglasses like I was, and let's face it, she's pretty darn cute with them on. And just for fun, here's a picture from when we first got the wagon. She's grown up so much since then!

And the Duckie Says...

August 24

Another nice night, another walk around the neighborhood. We're trying to take advantage of all this great weather before Hurricane Irene hits this weekend!

August 23

Another close-up, but this one was my choice (not because she was walking closer and closer to the camera like yesterday)!  I love her little scrunched up nose.  We went for a nice long walk in her wagon today while Ryan mowed the lawn. Also, I forgot to mention this yesterday, but Caitlin has officially moved up to the toddler room at school as of August 22nd.  And, of course, I would be remiss if I didn't note that she experienced her 2nd earthquake today (the first occurred in July 2010).  It's only Tuesday, and she's already had an exciting week.

August 22

Well, hello there!  She likes to get nice and close to the camera and I think she's hoping that maybe one day, I'll let her actually touch it.

August 21

This is my definition of the ending to a perfect summer day.  We had a wonderful weekend with our family, and I am so sad to see it end.  Here's hoping this week goes by fast!

August 20

Grandmom taught Caitlin how to use the Phanatic as a seat today, and she loved it.  It's so fun to watch her learn new things every day!!

August 19

Our little Mouseketeer (thanks, Uncle Philip for the Mickey Mouse ears) would like to wish her wonderful Aunt Alexis a very happy birthday!  We hope you had a great day and can't wait to celebrate with you at the beach in a few weeks!!

August 18

Caitlin loves CSA days because she gets to eat a big piece of fruit.  Last week, she went with me to get the food, and she picked up a green pepper and tried to take a bite out of it.  This week, Ryan picked her up from school, and when I got home with the food, she pulled a big fat tomato out of the bag and was ready to take a bite when I took it away from her.  I replaced the tomato with a plum, and she loved eating the plum like a big girl.  She ate almost all of it.

50 Weeks Old

Caitlin,
You were 50 weeks old on May 10th.  Here's a recap in pictures of your 50th week with us!

You played by your music table and talked on the phone. 

You started to learn how to wave this week. 

You emptied out our recycling box. 

I think you were trying to tell me that I need to get in shape for the summer.  

You tried to reach the door knob. 

You ate some yummy cheerios. 

Silly girl!

We went for a stroller walk!

You tried to take your hat off. 

You crawled all around the house and realized that the office doors were open. 

You decided to explore the office (this was a new room for you). 

You were very interested in the filing cabinet. 

And what was on top of it. 

You looked out the windows. 

We took a real close-up picture because you just kept getting closer to the camera. 

You talked to me. 

You played in your walker. 

We celebrated your friend, Abby's 1st birthday and you guys played together.  You weren't sure what to think. 

Haha, I think she was trying to give you a kiss but you just went right on playing. 

You still weren't sure what to do with Abby. 

We tried to take a picture of the parents with all the kids. 

Then we took a picture of Daddy and his college friends with their kids. 

You chewed on my sunglasses on the way home.

You talked to me.  

You moved on to chewing on Sophie. 

You gave me a pretty smile while Daddy was holding you. 

It was a beautiful day, so we went outside for a bit.  You showed us how you clap your hands. 

Just chillin' in the grass and chewing on your fingers. 

You showed us how you can stand on your own.

And you were pretty proud of yourself for doing it.  

You tried to take your hat off. 

Clearly, you were successful.  You got some help standing from Daddy. 

You realized Daddy had on sunglasses, and you tried to take them off. 

"Oh, look what I found!"

You tried to chew on them. 

Aunt Val (who is not pictured, but she was there, I promise) made you laugh. 

You were being quite a ham that day.  

Daddy let you wear his sunglasses. 

You showed us again how you can stand on your own. 

You decided to take a break while still holding on to Daddy's sunglasses. 

Daddy got his sunglasses back, but you got his hat.  This is one of my very favorite pictures of you and Daddy. 

I think this may be my 2nd favorite.  I love how determined you are to get Daddy's sunglasses. 

Success! 

You look so cute wearing Daddy's hat. 

Not sure what you were doing in this one, but you look pretty cute. Maybe you were playing keep away from Daddy.  

"I am Caitlin, hear me roar."

You played with your block.  Your face in this picture makes me laugh. 

We went back outside the next day.  I love how it appears that you are holding your leg up so your foot doesn't touch the ground. 

Who knows what you're doing in this one.  

You sat in the grass and looked oh so cute. 

We celebrated my first Mother's Day with you here. 

Daddy let you ride on his shoulders.  You loved it. 

Still loving being on Daddy's shoulders. 

We took another picture together. 

Another attempt at a picture, but you were trying to fly away.  

Daddy tossed you up in the air.  

You chewed on the string to my jacket.  It looks like we are having a very serious conversation. 

You snuggled with me (and possibly tried to bite my shoulder).  I love this picture. 

You explored my mouth. 

And stuck your fingers in my mouth. 

You ate some cheerios and ended up with some on your nose. 

Daddy tickled you. 

And made you laugh like he always does.