Noakes' Nest: Fall 2012

6 months old
(September 30)

7 months old
(October 31)

8 months old
(November 30)
She wanted the sign soooo bad!

So I've been horrible about updating the blog. I got behind and then just felt completely overwhelmed about updating it. Well I've finally gotten up the energy to tackle an update. We are doing great!!! Caroline is maturing so fast! I feel like every week she is doing something new. She is babbling which is adorable. She waves to everyone and everything. She loves to clap. She can stand with help, commando crawl, sit without help, and throw temper tantrums. Man that girl knows what she wants and doesn't like it to be taken away! I have some tantrum videos that I need to post :) She is such a little person with the sweetest personality. Phil and I get kisses every day which can be painful at times because they involve her grabbing onto our skin or hair and pulling us in.

Her favorite thing to do these days is to stand. She is trying to pull up on everything. She is so proud of herself when she is standing. She squeals with delight and has a huge smile on her face. She also loves her 'box of fun'. Basically it is a shoe box filled with rolled up socks, single socks, ribbon, blocks, toys, felt pieces, etc. She loves it! She digs through it for specific things. She dumps it all out. It is so simple and entertains her for LONG periods of time. It is also a great conversation starter because there are so many things to play with! Her all time favorite thing is bath time. She squeals with glee when we turn on the tub. It is adorable.

We've had a busy fall. In October my sister got married and my brother deployed to Afghanistan. In November my childhood dog Buttons went to Heaven. Add all that to my brother getting engaged in June (YAY Cammie and Matthew!), Caroline being born in March and having heart surgery in July---man that is one doozie of a year!

Health wise Caroline is doing great! We last saw her cardiologist at the end of October. We don't have to go back until February! He is very pleased with how she is doing. He even told us we could start doing play dates. Those didn't last very long :( The week before Thanksgiving she got an ear infection. Then two weeks later she got a double ear infection. She is ear infection free right now. I've stopped play dates which stinks because both she and I LOVED them. Oh well. We will eventually be able to do them. Maybe summer?

Phil and I are doing well. He has been traveling to Baltimore for work every other week (his current client is based there). It hasn't been easy but we are managing. I've had a hard time adjusting to staying at home. I found out in October that my thyroid was messed up again and so I went back on medicine which has helped my energy and mood. I love being with Caroline but I've been lonely and bored at times. I decided to start a new blog to give myself a creative output. It has been really fun developing it. Check it out here: http://littlelessonsforlittleones.blogspot.com/

Here is the most up-to-date info about Caroline!

Age: 8 months 15 days / 37 weeks
Weight: 15 pounds 10 ounces (as of 12/14)
Height: 26 1/4 inches (30th percentile) as of 11/30
Head Circumference: 17 3/4 inches (90th percentile) as of 11/30
Hair Color: Brown with red highlights
Eye Color: Grey blue
Diaper Size: Size 3
Clothing Size: 6-12 months
Mommy's Favorite: When she smiles, when she gives me kisses, when she waves, when she stands, snuggles, her laugh, her babbles
Daddy's Favorite: When she smiles, sneezes, when she trys to imitate the pop noise, bath time, her laugh
Favorite Toys By Month

June=mobile
July= kitty blanket
August=links
September=duck rattle and blankets
October=Box of Fun
November=Bouncy seat and jingle bells
December=Activity Table

Sleep: She goes to bed around 8pm and wakes up 0-2 times a night. She wakes up between 7 and 8am.
Feeding: She gets about 5, 4.5 oz bottles a day and 3 meals of baby food
Food: She has tried--sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, peas, green beans, potatoes, peaches, bananas, apples, pears, corn, and yogurt. She is still on liquid gold formula (we spend over $70 a week!) but we are about to try a cheaper formula next week. Hopefully she has no bad reactions to it!!! Cereal wise she hated rice cereal and I haven't tried any other grains with her. I will later but I'm not really worried about it. Heck if she loves fruits and veggies then she can eat as much as she wants!
Favorite Foods: Bananas, carrots, and yogurt

24 weeks

25 weeks

26 weeks
So proud of you Unkie Matt! Stay safe in Afghanistan!

27 weeks
Spending quality time with Great Grandma Sister Mary
at Auntie Kathleen and Unkie Max's wedding in South Bend, IN
(Sister Mary is my Godmother)

28 weeks

29 weeks

30 weeks

31 weeks

32 weeks
First swing ride!

33 weeks

34 weeks

35 weeks

36 weeks

Apple Picking at Carter Mountain

in Charlottesville, VA

This was our first time back to Charlottesville since her surgery. It was great to make a new memory with her there.

Connected at the Heart

In September Caroline got to meet Gavin, the son of a friend of mine from High School. He is also a heart baby. Gavin and his family are amazingly strong. His mother has been a HUGE support for me as we have gone through Caroline's health ups and downs.

I love that it looks like Caroline is touching his heart here.
It's like she is saying, "I think your heart is beautiful and strong."

You can hardly see their scars!

They were sooooo adorable together!

Wedding Week

My sister got married on October 6, 2012. Caroline, Phil and I went out a few days early. On the way we stopped in Ohio so my grandmother could meet Caroline for the first time. Caroline is her first great grandbaby! She has more great grandbabies on the way in 2013!

After staying for a few days to see my grandma we went to Notre Dame. While there Caroline got to meet my grandpa. She is his first great grandbaby too!

This was such an exciting weekend for our family. Hardly any of my extended family on both sides had met Caroline. I was so excited to share our joy with them.