Crystal Bridges

I love art. I'm passionate about it, even, though not enough to memorize all kinds of facts. And I'm very particular about what I like, though I have studied enough to be able to appreciate even the stuff I don't really like. I mean, I can see why it is famous or groundbreaking or whatever even if I don't particularly enjoy it. That said, I really loved this art museum we visited with my sister in NW Arkansas called Crystal Bridges.

I LOVE architecture and three dimensional art, and the buildings really drew me in right away with how unique the shapes are, the curving roof lines and mixing of metal and stone materials, the way the water reflects to create shimmering gold affects... really, it was stunning. I want to go back in the spring/summer when there are leaves on the trees. My pictures don't do it justice, but think of this as a teaser...

I really enjoyed seeing how much Gwen loved the sculptures too. She was only mildly interested in the paintings, but these large pieces drew her attention and kept it there. Reminds me of me.

and they had an awesome children's play area!

9 Months

I can hardly believe my baby is 9 months. Though she reached this milestone a week ago, and I loathe going back to retroactively post things (I think I'm going to rebel and NOT post all those December photos...unless I find I just have to share something). But it would be a shame to not document her progress.
Caroline is a happy girl, quick to laugh, smile, and make noise in general. She is reaching the 'into-everything' stage and keeps us on our toes. Everything goes in her mouth and everything makes her gag, and therefore everything makes her throw up too (this girl has a powerful gag reflex. She found a teeny piece of leaf at church this week and threw up in Relief Society-- don't worry folks, just a gag not a flu) . She has found every teeny piece of paper or lint or beads or leaf things that might have escaped our vacuum scrutiny. She finally started taking a bottle and is getting really good at it, but she still prefers to nurse when she is really tired.
Speaking of tired, Caroline's sleeping habits have gotten worse. Poor girl, she has been sick again this month (family visits share more than just love and memories---all the bugs go around too). She has digressed in her nightly sleeping, getting up at least twice for feedings. Her naps are unpredictable too. Some days she only gets a one hour nap total. You'd think those days would have her begging for an early bed time, but she still refuses to go down earlier than 10 every night. Oh, believe me, we've tried putting her down earlier. EVERY SINGLE TIME she ends up throwing up in her bed from crying and then we've got a tired grouchy baby AND a mess. She ends up falling asleep at random times. Like this.
or just looking tired and grouchy like this.
We are all eager for her to stop horsin around and get better sleep. Because she is much nicer when she is well rested. And everyone knows that MOM is much nicer well rested too!

Caroline has 4 teeth and is finally starting to do more with solids. Still not a ton, but she rarely gags on the pureed food now. Yes, we're still at puree. Can't even think about more substantial food yet since she still gags like crazy if it isn't ground up nice and fine. But at least she is enjoying food more these days. She had pizza puree last night and gobbled it right up!

My favorite is seeing her personality come out more and more. She LOVES music and making sounds. I have mentioned before that she loves percussion, well, that has increased. She figured out clapping and is thrilled to clap even when there is no music on. She loves to experiment with hitting different toys together to achieve different sounds. And if you are holding her, you can expect her to slap at you to see what you 'sound' like. She loves the sound of her own voice and babbles constantly when she is happy. Sometimes she experiments with various growls, lip smacks, raspberries, etc. She will find one she likes and do it for 1/2 an hour straight. Her favorite sounds are "geuh-geuh-geuh-geuh" (very gutteral and emphatic, like you just got punched in the belly) and "mahmahmahmah" (which is her chant for food). She ADORES Gwen and follows her around everywhere trying to grab her hair. She also figured out how to pull herself up to standing and attempts to cruise along the couch.

She's growing up so fast and I can hardly believe it! We sure to do love this gal!

Some short video clips for your viewing pleasure. Nothing spectacular, but I know certain grandparents who will like them anyway. :)

Caroline 8 months

A couple of days ago Caroline hit 8 months. Here's what she's up to:

• Caroline has 4 teeth: two on top and two on bottom. She loves to gnaw on things, but still gags on her solids unless they are pureed really well. Solids are slow going for this reason. She still hasn't tried most foods and is nowhere near puffy snacks or regular table food. She's just taking her time. Her favorite is yogurt. She never gags on that. :)
• Caroline slept 8 hours the past two nights. She is finally healthy again, besides a mild morning cough, so hopefully this trend continues. I am loving not having a 2 or 4 or 5 am feeding! She is still not a predictable nap schedule, which can be tricky, but I'm hoping now that she is healthy, things will settle in. Of course then there is Christmas travel...
• Caroline's favorite toys: #1 is definitely HAIR. She grabs at everybody's! She has caused more than one child to burst into tears. And I think I might be going slightly bald. (not really, just exaggerating). #2 She also loves toes in socks. And probably the third is the Leap Frog Alphabet Caterpillar (funny, I just tried to write 'callerpittar' because that is what Gwen calls him and it took me a minute to figure out why spell check didn't accept it) that my folks gave Gwen a couple years ago for Christmas. Caroline LOVES to push his buttons and get music, pull the string and get more songs, and gnaw on the nubby antennae things. It always surprises me how much she wants to wrestle this thing considering the fact that it is hard plastic not plush. but she will roll all over the floor with it clutched to her. Her other favorite love is the baby in the mirror! She gets so excited and tries to turn the mirror over to see behind...where IS that baby?!?
• Caroline still doesn't take a bottle, but we offer her one every night. Three times she has drunk between 1 and 3 ounces, but mostly she just gnaws on the nipple.
• Caroline crawls, but is still slow. She hasn't achieved the forward momentum thing to really cruise, she just takes lil steps.
• Caroline makes lots of sing-song and cooing noises to herself and her toys when she is in a good mood. It is really cute. Eric is always trying to get her to say "da-da".
• Caroline is very cuddly and snuggly. She loves to burrow into you with her whole body when you pick her up. and then if you are carrying her on one side she will clutch the shirt on back of your shoulder with one hand and twist her body to look out. She is very content to cuddle. We love it.

Well, that's it. And for your viewing pleasure, a video of Caroline from yesterday's Cosi excursion. Thank you Erica for inviting us to tag along on your pass! We had a great time! (but that's another post). Here Caroline is, surprised by the air stream blowing up at her:

Christmas goodies... and the guilty dilemma

Since Christmas gift goodies tend to be sweet, we opted for something different this year. Wanted to "spice it up"... LOL, literally! I got this idea for potpourri satchels that you can simmer on the stove during the entire holiday season from my MIL last year. Thought it was so fabulous, that we started saving and dehydrating our orange peels as soon as 2011 began. They definitely piled up on us, but it was worth it. Because the cost and work for these was greatly diminished. :) and they still look and smell amazing!

After I made a treat for the gals I visit, the gals the visit me, my companion, the families Eric visits, his companion, the families that visit us, the members of Eric's presidency (Eric's calling), the members of the choir (my calling), and the people I see on a regular basis for play dates with Gwen... seriously like 75% of our ward congregation is getting a Christmas gift! Um, that only leaves me a lil worried about the remaining 25%... I mean, it isn't like they aren't my friends too, I just had to draw the line some where, right? Should I even be worried about this? (and when I say worried, please understand that I'm not losing sleep or overwhelmed with stress, I just keep thinking about it. I'm still happy, just concerned at the same time). I just don't want to hurt anybody's feelings or miss out on an opportunity to make someone feel included who might not otherwise... that would REALLY make me feel bad. If you are reading this and you DIDN'T get a treat, PLEASE KNOW THAT I STILL LOVE YOU AND VALUE OUR FRIENDSHIP! Whew. There. Hopefully all friendships remain intact. :) Anybody else relate to this dilemma?

The Nativity Line Up

Gwen lined up the Nativity participants for a little procession on the desk. With an unusual guest...

Anybody else find this unexpected guest at the birth of our Savior a little... amusing? :)

All living things worship him, so why not extinct things too, eh? LOL.

Christmas Decorating

We decorated a couple of days ago, taking advantage of Eric being home (he had the graveyard shift that night).

Gwen found this nativity immediately... maybe she remembered from last year?
Baby Jesus is her favorite.
But everyone got to play in the small Aurora house.
Gwen has decided that this Santa hat is "Daddy's hat". If anyone else wears it, she gets upset. And if he isn't wearing it, she brings it to him and insists that he put it on. He's a good sport about it. Guess little cute daughters can get dads to do crazy things. But when she isn't looking, he "loses" it. :)
Gwen posing by our countdown to Christmas blocks (made last year with Relief Society friends).
You wouldn't believe how many pictures we took to get this 'okay' one of the girls together.
I love that she is cradling the lil blue one so gently in her hands. It belonged to my Grandma Quella, a testament to her eternal frugality (notice the wire twisted around to be the loop, held on with duct tape. Yeah, I LOVE that). Gwen loves it because she can see her reflection in it. She takes it off the tree and I find it later amongst her tiny dolls 'sleeping'.
Gwen was so tired that she took a late nap...right by her favorite new friend: the Christmas tree.

Big Surprise-- check out this video!

Thankful. and this is not just a Thanksgiving post.

But I guess it is that too.

notice the lil Gwen hand in the bottom right corner... stealing a roll! What a character!

Gwen has been struggling with praying lately. So after much thought and prayers of my own, this is what I've come up with. Our fridge is covered with images of things she loves or that we do regularly. Every day before bed, we select applicable pictures and carry them upstairs on her prayer cookie sheet so she can be specific about thanking Heavenly Father for daily blessings. It has helped immensely to make prayers more meaningful, more from her (rather than us just telling her what to say), and I think it helps her to be grateful. I'm grateful for the Spirit's guidance.

What I'm really grateful for, though, was a couple of nights ago, just before bedtime. I was doing dishes and prepping the kitchen for nighttime, when I heard delightful laughing coming from BOTH my girls at the same time. By the time I got my camera out, the laughing had pretty much stopped, but there are still happy noises. I am delighted that they love each other so much. My heart took a picture and I just felt so content and happy. Truly this was a moment that makes motherhood worth it.

oh, and guess what? these 4 crawling steps are Caroline's VERY FIRST crawls! How random and wonderful is it that I was lucky enough to be filming? She is still mostly army crawling, but for Gwen, she pulls out the big guns! :)