November 29

Thank goodness for Caitlin's teachers.  If it weren't for them, she'd never get to wear pigtails and look so darn cute.  We have Miss Jessica to thank for this hairstyle today.  I actually think she did it because Caitlin had crazy bed head hair going on this morning, and I made a half-hearted attempt to get Caitlin to wear a headband, but she wasn't having it, so I gave up.  Either way, it was such a fun surprise to get to school and see her new 'do.

The New Way to Eat Peas (According to Caitlin)

And, this one is because she is just too darn cute.

November 28

Yes, she is wearing a headband (my headband to be exact), and she looks like such a big girl with it on.  Love this kid!  We had her 18-month well appointment today (more on that in an upcoming post) and Dr. M thinks she still has a little bit of an ear infection going on, so we're back on a new antibiotic.

November 27

Now, this is more like it!  I love this happy girl so much.  Don't worry, I still love her when she's not happy, but it is so much more fun when she is.  We had a nice day at home and a fun playdate with Connor tonight.  Once Caitlin got over her initial shyness, they had lots of fun playing in the princess house, with the ball popper and chasing each other around the house!  I think Caitlin is going to sleep really well tonight!

November 26

Happy 18-month birthday, Caitlin!  The past 1.5 years have certainly been a bit of a roller coaster ride, but she is definitely the best gift ever (that's what her shirt says).  Today, we went to cut down our Christmas tree.  I asked her to smile for the camera, and this was the best I could get.  She isn't quite sure what to think about all the Christmas stuff yet - I think she's actually a little frightened/overwhelmed by it all.

November 25

Since our Thanksgiving plans were changed, Ryan went in to work today so he could keep his vacation day.  Caitlin and I spent a couple hours at the park this morning since it was so nice outside.  Ryan came home early and took Caitlin to a different park after nap time so I could rest since I have a crappy head cold.

November 24

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!  We have so much to be thankful for this year, but today, we were most thankful that our little Turkey was feeling better today!

November 23

Tonight at dinner, Caitlin freaked out when Ryan put her in her high chair to eat.  She got herself so worked up that she vomited all over the kitchen floor.  Awesome.  We thought it was just a one-time occurrence because she had gotten so worked up, until she threw up all over Ryan while he was rocking her.  This picture was taken after they both had changed out of their vomit-stained clothes.  We're going to wait and see how she feels in the morning, but we're thinking that our Thanksgiving trip may be canceled (and we're pretty bummed about it).

November 22

She was trying SO HARD to get her pants on tonight.  She wasn't successful, but she gets an A for effort.  Soon enough, little girl - let's not rush the full independence yet, please!

November 21

We had a few crying episodes tonight which resulted in either a lot of snuggles from me or her laying on the floor with Bunny.  In fact, I can hear her crying through bath time right now.  She seemed to have a good day at school, so I'm not sure what's going on - maybe teeth or her ears are still hurting?  I really wish she could tell us.

November 20

Notice the hand on the zipper - she knows how to unzip and zip (sometimes) things now.  Thank goodness for the snap that covers the zipper on her PJs.  I'm just waiting for the day when we find that she has realized that she can undo the snap and unzip her PJs.

November 19

Note to self:  When you put her chair next to the coffee table with the arm under the table in the hopes that it will stop the chair from falling backwards when she's standing in it and jumping, she'll realize that she can use it to climb onto the coffee table and crawl all over it.

November 18

I spent the day with my sick baby today.  We went to the doctor, and she has an ear infection in her left ear and fluid in the right.  Other than the runny nose and coughing, you wouldn't really know that she's sick because she's been her normal mostly happy self this week.  While we were hanging out inside this morning, she decided that she needed to wear her coat, sunglasses and hat.  She's always making me laugh, this kid.  

November 17

Yay!  Daddy's home from work!!  Caitlin is sick again, coughing a lot and a runny nose with a slight temp.  Fun times.  I feel like we go through so many tissues wiping her nose that we should just buy stock in either Kleenex or Puffs!

November 16

Cheese!!  All Ryan did was pick up the camera, and she made this face.  Silly girl.

November 15

FINALLY.  She remembers that she likes spaghetti.  It's been a long time coming.  She amazes me more and more each day - last night in the car, she pointed out a plane in the sky, and she can say "Elmo" and "elbow" clear as day.  She is such a little sponge.

November 14

Snotty nose and all, I love this kid.  I was sitting on the floor snapping pictures (and minding my own business) when she decided to run into me with her Pooh car.  She thought she was hilarious.  Caitlin would also like to wish her Aunt Becky a very happy 30th birthday!  We hope you had a fantastic day, and we are so happy that we were able to celebrate with you this weekend!!

November 13

There was some serious tower building going on on Sunday.

November 12

Caitlin had her first experience playing in the leaves today, and she loved it!  We had our second swim lesson today, and she did great!  We paddled, kicked, climbed in and out of the pool, and had tons of fun!  And, then tonight, we surprised Aunt Becky and celebrated her 30th birthday (which is on Monday)!  Such a great day!!

November 11

Caitlin has really become attached to her comfort things lately - she loves her blankets, Bunny (of course), and the monkey that Pop Pop gave her when she was really little.  She used to not be all that interested in stuffed animals, but one day, I was cleaning her room and threw Monkey into her crib.  He's been in her crib since, and lately she's become pretty attached.  When she gets in her crib, she hugs Bunny with one arm (usually her left, which is the thumb she sucks), monkey in the other, and then she wants to be covered up by the blanket that I knitted for her while I was pregnant.  It's so cute!  What also makes me smile is that I had a monkey that I loved when I was little, so it's kind of cute to see her with one (and that's probably why Pop Pop bought it for her - what a thoughtful guy!).  Here she is giving her Monkey a big ol' hug.

November 10

Happy Birthday to the best Daddy and husband!  We love you so much!!

November 9

Someone was a bit of a mess after school today.

November 8

All ready for school this morning...

November 7

One of Caitlin's latest obsessions is building towers with her blocks.  I love the look on her face in this picture because it shows how proud she is for being able to do it.

November 6

Caitlin loves to play in the bowl where we keep all of her eating utensils.  She loves dumping it on the floor and putting everything back in the bowl over and over.  Today, she was playing with the utensils and Alexis and I decided to stock her up with her utensils by putting them down her shirt and in all the pockets on her super cute jeans.  This post deserves more than just one picture because our "spoon girl" was just too funny.
















Our little spoon girl with another runny nose.   Colds are no fun, and she made sure to let us know that today.  The only "good" (and I use that term very loosely because I hate seeing her sick) thing was how snuggly she was today.  She even let me rock her to sleep tonight.

November 5

We started swim lessons at the Y today!  Caitlin loved playing in the water.  She didn't love laying on her back or putting her face in the water, but she survived.  Can't wait to go back next week!

November 4

I had to drop my car off for service on Friday night, so we were lucky enough that we could meet Ryan at Looney's for dinner afterwards.  Caitlin loved playing with the pack of crayons they gave her - I think she must have dumped them out and put them back in the box at least 15 times that night.  They also were showing the horse racing on one of the TVs right in front of her, and she was obsessed with watching the horses!

November 3

Not even sure what to say about this.  She found the top to one of her old sippy cups, a wooden spoon, and the remote control (that you can't see in her other hand).   She stood for a few minutes watching her reflection in the patio door tonight while she played with these 3 things.  She makes me laugh so much.

November 2

So, this is definitely not the best picture because I took it with the iPad, but when I went to wake Caitlin up this morning, I found her with one arm completely out of her jammies.  Maybe she was too hot?  Love this kid.

November 1

She loves carrying her purse and "taking laps" around the house.  It's so cute how when she turns the corner to go towards the front door, she says Bye ("By-eeee")!