Carly's Photo Stream

Carly's received a Fisher-Price digital camera for christmas from her uncle Jamie and aunt Sharon. So in true Orr fashion, we have uploaded her first shots on here very own photo stream. More to follow:



Most were by Carly but a couple were taken by others testing out her new toy.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!!!!!!

Love,

Our Budding Artist

Merry Christmas

Christmas Cookies

This past Sunday we starting making cookie dough at 11:00am and after a couple emergency trips to the store and several hours we had 2 batches of fresh made ginger bread cookies and 2 batches of fresh made sugar cookies rolled, baked and cooled just waiting to be decorated. I don't know what we were thinking, but we ended up with dozens of cookies in all shapes and sizes, and a huge mess in the kitchen.

So in order to decorate the roughly 80 cookies of various type and shape, we had a bunch of friends over to help us make an even bigger mess, eat some sugar, and have a generally good time ringing in the christmas spirit.

Below are a couple of pictures with the full gallery link here

Super Night

Tonight was a SUPER night in Carly's world. We had our friends Jason and Kelly over for dinner before loading up into our van to look at Christmas lights. We went to a small local zoo that decorates with THOUSANDS of lights. After driving through the light display we ventured over to the barn area. There was a synchronized light display to Mannheim Steamrollers on the outside of the barn, while inside was Santa in his sleigh and a baby tiger!! We were not intending on paying for Carly to pet, feed, or be photographed with this baby tiger - but that didn't quite happen. She didn't fuss, whine, or throw a fit; however, she did get her way. I guess the puppy dog eyes worked best for her tonight.

20 Week Check Up

Carly and I ventured off to the OB this morning for my 20 week check up. This was her first routine visit with me (she joined us for our first ultrasound, but has been able to stay home with her daddy or Grammie for my other appointments). She was very interested in everything going on during our time in the office, which was a HUGE help. Her favorite (and mine, too) part of the appointment was when we got to hear her little brother's heart beat on the doppler. She will start saying "BOOM, BOOM" if you ask her what his heart beat sounded like.

Everything went very well at the appointment today. My weight, uterus size, and blood pressure are right on target and his heart beat was a strong 146 beats per minute. At this rate, we should meet our little man in 20 weeks (or maybe a few days less).

Christmas in Davidson!

Carly and I had a wonderful Mommy - Daughter evening tonight! David is away watching Clemson play in the ACC Championship, so I decided Carly and I should have a fun girls' night out. So after playing for a while after her morning nap, she and I got all bundled up and headed off to Davidson.

Once we arrived, parked, and got Carly settled into her stroller we did a quick loop of the area since we were a few minutes early. During our loop Carly pointed out the horses and regularly gave out a "neigh." Her excitement led me to the horse carriage line. After waiting for about 30 minutes in line, we finally had a reservation for 30 minutes later. We used these moments to get some freshly popped popcorn and to watch the horses some more. During our carriage ride Carly looked at all of the lights around the town, mimicked the rhythm of the horse's steps, and waved to on lookers in the street.

Following the carriage ride we went to view the live nativity scene. Carly got a nativity scene designed for preschoolers earlier this week and has really enjoyed placing Joseph, Mary, Baby Jesus, and the Angel in the scene. Tonight I made sure to point out all four characters to Carly. She nodded in agreement that she could see them; however, I'm unfortunately not sure due to the crowd.

Our final adventure of the evening was for pizza. Davidson has a local chain pizza restaurant that we tried to eat at. Unfortunately, the line was very long so we left and drove to another local pizza restaurant a little closer to home. After some nice warm food, Carly got ready for bed and fell asleep without any fuss... only about 2 hours later than usual. Oops!

It's a Boy!!

Baby Orr #2 had his anatomy scan this morning. He was not flipping or moving all over the place, but he was kicking and moving his arms all around. We were able to get a full moon view during the scan (just like his sister did during her scan).

The best news of all was that everything checked out well. He measured right on schedule. We were able to see his kidneys, stomach, bladder, heart, and brain. We even got a photo of his right foot and all 5 of its toes. There are only about 21 more weeks until we all get to meet our little man.

Advent Celebration

This evening Carly and my mom joined me at church for our Family Advent Celebration. I organized the 5 craft ornament projects for a Church's Family Tree and was really excited about Carly making the easier crafts.

During the celebration Carly worked intensely on coloring a paper plate angel and tortilla ornaments. Her favorite craft was making "twinkles." These stars were tongue depressors glued together that Carly was able to decorate with foam sticker stars and glitter.

I assumed Carly and my mom would only be present for the first 30 minutes of festivities. Carly completed a full hour of crafts, with the occasional snack break. During the storytelling portion of the evening my mom's goal was just to keep Carly working quietly and not disturb the other children listening to the story. However, Carly realized that many of the other children had gathered around our Pastor. So, she hopped down from her chair and joined them on the floor. Following story time she continued with her crafts. She was finally willing to leave after majority of the other children had gone home for their bath and bedtime routines.

Run, Baby Run!

Baby Orr #2 (18 weeks) and I ran our first race together today! The idea of working out to stay healthy was not enough motivation for 6 am wake ups during this pregnancy. Sleep seemed to regularly trump the idea of an early morning run when my alarm sounded. I decided signing up for a race would be the perfect motivation. My search for a 5K found a turkey trot in Charleston, SC. The timing worked well with our Thanksgiving plans and I even had Julia for a running partner during the race. So at 9am, Julia, Baby Orr #2, and I took off on our first 5Ks. Julia and I ran the entire race together until our separate sprints to the finish line and finished with the pace of 10:04 minutes/mile.

** When Julia and I returned from our race, Carly "raced" us up and down the hall way. Maybe I should have signed her up for the 25 meter kid run for children 4 and under.**

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving

Blue

Carly knows her colors; however, she does not verbalize her knowledge. Today she was busy in her chair painting. When she is working on her art I asked her what color she wanted to use next, hoping she will actually verbally answer me. Well, today she said the word "blue." Best of all, she continued to use the word correctly through the rest of her afternoon and evening! Even showing off her new word for David!

Pre-Lunch Reading

This morning while I was fixing lunch Carly found a some pre-lunch reading. When I walked in on her, she said, "Bible" and looked quite proud of herself. She continued to babble as she turned the pages.



*I give full credit to Carly's recognition of the Bible to her wonderful Sunday School teachers.

16 Week Visit

Today I went to the doctor for my 16 week appointment. I am officially 16 weeks and 4 days. My blood pressure and weight gain were normal, and the baby's heart beat measured at 150 beats per minute. This measurement was read at a very active time for the baby. He/She kept moving away from the doppler probe as the nurse was trying to get a reading. While it was frustrating for her, it allowed me to hear the heart beat for an extended length of time!

Priceless

David and I left Carly this weekend in Columbia with my parents, so that we could visit and tour the Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina. Prior to our departure from Columbia we went for lunch at one of our favorite, local fast food places in Columbia. My dad treated everyone with dessert after our meal, but Carly wasn't too interested in sharing with her daddy. She did (thankfully) openly share with her Grammie (and mommy on occasion).

Maternity Clothes

Well, I'm in full blow maternity clothing now. David and I left for Asheville this morning, and I quickly realized that riding from our home to my parents' home and then to Asheville wasn't going to be too comfortable in my non-maternity jeans. So, began the fun of trying on my maternity clothes and repacking for our trip. After this short delay we were off on our trip, with me in maternity clothes.

Fire Station Tour

Today Carly and I went on tour of a neighboring town's fire station with one of her playgroups. There was a brief talk about fire safety, that was directed more to the moms since the kid audience was 2 and under. After this brief discussion we walked through the fire station to see their biggest fire truck and to see a fire fighter dress in his full gear. Carly was very interested in the truck and everything in the garage, until the fire fighter put on his full gear. Then Carly was DONE! She was climbing up my leg as quickly as she could and refused to come down for quite some time. She was eventually talked back down to the ground by the offering of a fire fighter's hat and sticker. However, she was no longer getting within 3 feet of the fire truck.

Setting the Table

Carly has really gotten into helping me set the table each evening before dinner. Tonight she set the entire table (except for the cutting board and large salad bowl located in the center of the table).

Movement

I can officially feel the baby move!!! Earlier this morning David poked my belly and I felt a swishing feeling. His poke was a little high for it to have moved the baby, so I attributed it to my insides just kind of moving around thanks to his poke. Well, I sat down just a few moments ago to check my email and I felt a few flicks at my waist band. Since I am still in non-maternity pants, the waist band on my low(ish) waisted jeans is exactly around where my uterus is. (My baby bump actually is everything that is being pushed up due to the expanding uterus, and not the baby.)

Reality is that these flicks that I was feeling (and am still feeling) are a lot more than the baby flicking. He/she must be having a dance party to Carly's nap time singing. And unfortunately, I'm not sure David will be able to feel them quite yet - although I see him reading a Dr. Seuss story (or two) tonight to this baby just in case. But the baby is moving, which helps me trust that everything is okay and developing on schedule. All of which makes the waiting game until our next doctor's appointment just a little bit easier.

Clothing

Tonight (14 weeks & 6 days) was my first time putting on an article of maternity wear for this pregnancy. I admit that certain clothes have not fit me in a few weeks, and I have put on comfy pants shortly after dinner a few evenings. However, I have been able to piece together outfits since my belly began to show. Tonight we were heading out of Mexican with some friends and I wasn't comfortable with the length of my non-maternity shirt (or any other in my closet), especially since I assumed the bump would grow with the addition of my dinner. So out to dinner we went, with me in a maternity shirt. Baby Orr #2 may not need to be covered up with maternity clothing all of the time yet, but that moment is coming... very, very soon.

Happy Halloween

Carly's Halloween calendar wasn't quite as full this year as last, but we did have a great time. Our neighborhood gathers each year for a pizza party prior to everyone going off to Trick or Treat. After getting back to our house, Carly was more interested in handing out candy to other Trick or Treaters. So, she and David sat on the porch together giving out candy to all of the children. She did go visit a few homes, to one of which she actually took candy to.

Here are more of our Halloween photos!

Zoo Visit

Carly and I travelled down to Columbia yesterday in preparations of today's zoo visit. Carly has begun playing an alphabet game on the internet that uses zoo animals to help teach letters and their sounds. Her enjoyment for this game and my current memorization of all 26 animals and the letters they are associated with led to me think that a field trip to the zoo would be perfect. It would give her a chance to see a live alligator, lion, tiger, bear, kola, etc.

Carly, my mom, and I arrived at the zoo shortly after 9:00am and had the zoo almost to ourselves at first. Carly travelled through the zoo in her wagon. We first saw the baboons, and then the lions, and then the tigers. All three of which excited her. During these first three exhibits Carly got accustomed to riding from exhibit to exhibit and then standing up in her wagon to get a better view once it came to a full stop. During our 2+ hours at the zoo she was able to see the kola bears awake and playing, the gorillas outside and playing (until they banged on the metal entry door - at which point we couldn't see them anymore and Carly repeatedly said it was because they had a boo boo). She also saw all of the other large exhibits, and was occasionally interested in a smaller bird exhibit if it was making noise.

Following our visit at the zoo we were fortunate enough to be able to meet Mimi and Uncle Robert for lunch before heading back to Charlotte. Carly is still a girl with little words, but with the use of verbal words, sign language, and gestures she was able to tell them both about her visit at the zoo. Her excitement also continued tonight when we got home. She told David about it before, during, and after dinner. Her favorite story is still the one about the gorillas. I'm sure we will be hearing about it for a while.

2 Years Old Well Visit

Carly had her 2 years old well visit this morning. She weighed in at 30lbs, 5oz (75 - 90%ile) and measured 35.5 inches long (75 - 90%ile), with a head circumference of 19.75 inches (97%ile). She got quite antsy waiting in the room for the doctor; however, followed all of his directions very well during the exam. She with a clean bill of health and two shots, we were told to return at the age of 3.

Happy Birthday

What a difference a year makes

Turning 1:

Turning 2:

Football Signals

She doesn't say much, but she knows her football!

Fall Pictures

Rest here

12 Weeks

Today Baby Orr #2 and I had our 12 week check up. This visit was a physical, blood work, and a flu shot. Nothing too exciting or too long; however, I did get to hear his/her heartbeat, 161 beats per minute. I get to hear the heartbeat again on November 17th, and then David and I get to see Baby Orr #2 again on December 1st!

Potty Training - Day 2

Today was Day 2 of Potty Training and it was accident free! We did venture out to the library today in a pull-up, but came home with it still dry. Tomorrow we will be venturing out to music class and for an evening walk with a good friend. Hopefully both outings and Day 3 will be just as successful as today!

Potty Training - Day 1

This weekend David and I began discussing a handful of the things we need to accomplish prior to Baby Orr #2 arriving. One of the big things on our list is getting Carly potty trained (at least during the day). On a slow day Carly uses 5 diapers, which is at least $1 a day (if I find an amazing sale with a coupon). This week is a slow week for Carly, so I decided it would be a great week to try her out in big girl panties. Monday we headed off to the store to stock up on our supplies and got everything prepped to start when David got home from work. Carly tried out the panties and had a successful evening, so today started her first full day in panties (except during nap and bed time). During our morning she used the potty twice and was accident free. Following her nap she also peed twice and ran a short errand wearing a pair of pull-ups; however, didn't wet it. She did have her first and only accident durning dinner. The remainder of her evening was dry, and she used the potty prior to bed. She is now sleeping soundly in a diaper, but will be diaper free again tomorrow while she is awake.

Excited?!?

To say that David and Carly are excited about Baby Orr #2 would be an understatement.

Evidence

• Carly points and says "baby" very happily to my stomach when asked where the baby is.
• Carly loves to give my belly (which is starting to bump out, especially in the afternoon and evenings) hugs and kisses.
• David has begun reading to our new baby nightly, and is working hard on trying to get Carly to sit still for the special baby story too.
• David announced very loudly to our friends that we were pregnant again during a quite moment of our tailgate. (I'm just a few days past 11 weeks, so this was slightly shy of exiting the 1st trimester.
• David encourages Carly on a regular basis to hug, kiss, or point out Baby Orr.
• After we got home from church today, David and Carly played outside. One of their activities was sidewalk chalk
  
  
• During nap time today David decided to post a subtle photo on Facebook, just to see if anyone got it!
  
  Our subtle photo

I love being able to see how excited they both are on a daily basis! It makes these last days of my first trimester so much fun!!

Football Buddy!

Carly is David's little football buddy! On Thursday night she was randomly standing with her hands on her hips, so he decided it was a great time to teach her a few football official signals. She already knew touch down, but along came off-sides, illegal procedure, safety, and field goal. She practiced these signals on Friday and woke up Saturday morning signally for a touchdown when David entered her room to wake her up.

Our little family then piled into the van and headed off to Clemson. While there Carly continued to perform the signals on command, impressing one random viewer enough to get his wife's attention and then ask us to do it again. Carly lasted the first half of the Clemson game and used these signals on occasion when she heard the announcer or anytime someone pointed out that it was a time to us it. Carly also really enjoyed waving her new Clemson hat while she cheered (just like the boy in front of her).

Carly may never play football, but she sure will understand it - especially if it makes her Daddy's Little Football Buddy!!

Photo Shoot!

Baby Orr #2's first photo shoot was today! His/Her heartbeat was 168 bpm, and he/she was quite active. David and I thought I was 9 weeks and 6 days; however, we were slightly off. Our little baby measured to be 10 weeks and 6 days and was very actively kicking during our ultrasound. I think we may have a soccer player on our hands.

Here is a link to how Carly and I told David about our little addition to be: August 26th.

Chili

We are slowly adding more foods...

Carnival

One of the local preschools hosted their annual fundraiser carnival today on the greens in Davidson. Carly's best friend's mom told me about the carnival, and we thought it would be a great time for the girls. We arrived a few minutes before Carly's friend; however, that did not stop Carly from immediately finding the fun she wanted to join. Our plan was to make a quick loop around to price out the different games and activities prior to me going to buy tickets; however, Carly was quickly side tracked by the large moon bounce and willing to stand in line and watch until it was her turn. So, she stayed with my mom (who popped up to help since David's flight home from China was delayed 24 hours) and I dashed off to the ticket station. Two tickets later we were set and Carly was still waiting patiently in line. After a few moments it was finally her turn to climb in. During her first turn she was not real sure about how to stand up among all of the commotion; however, she loved sitting and just bouncing on her bottom.

Once her time was up she was immediately attracted to the large inflatable slide. At first she was very slow and cautious while climbing up the stairs to the top. However, she did hold her ground about not letting the 4 and 5 year old boys push around her to get ahead. Once to the top, they were able to sneak around her. She watched the long line of children go down the slide before deciding to go down herself. She then proceeded to slide down 3 more times.

First Time

Second Time (video)

Third Time (video)

Fourth (and Final) Time

Carly wrapped up her amazing time at the Carnival with another trip in the bounce house. While in line with her best friend, we also so Carly's music teacher from Toddler Tunes. She was there with her preschool aged daughter, whom Carly knew from music class. This was a huge HELP in the bounce house because she helped Carly get into a standing position when she first entered the bounce house!

Carly did decide a few moments before her turn was officially up in the bounce house that she was hungry and all done. So, like a very big girl she walked to the exit and slid out. Carly liked my suggestion of going to get pizza at a local pizza spot in Davidson for lunch, so walked to the car very willingly.

Tea Party

This morning David, Carly, and I had a tea party this morning. While this was not our family's first "tea party," but it was our first "virtual" tea party. David is still in China, so while we were chatting through the computer Carly went and got her plastic stacking cups. She handed out the three smallest cups to us. She got the smallest, I got the middle sized, and David got the largest. After all three of us took a drink she was off to get us more water from the sink and facet in her play kitchen. Once our cups were all filled up, we all took sips again. One day our tea parties will look more like a tea party with a tea pot and small little cups, but I really enjoyed our virtual pretend water party today. :-)

Sorting

Carly, her Aunt Julia, and I have been working on Carly's 2nd birthday party over these past few days. One of the tasks we needed to accomplish was the sorting of red, green, and white pom-poms. Thankfully, Carly was very interested in this task and sorted two large bags for us!

Waiting!

This is how Carly waits for her daddy to call...

Five Days Down...

Carly and I returned this morning from spending a few days with my parents. We arrived around lunch time on Friday and spent the remainder of our day playing and exploring.

Saturday began with meeting Robert out for breakfast and then a trip to a local toy store. My goal was to find a few items Carly really liked to spend my two Groupon certificates on and call it a morning. Unfortunately, Carly had alternative plans. She spotted the baby doll section immediately, shouted "BABY," and promptly began playing. Over the next hour she fed the babies, pushed them in strollers, carried a bucket style carrier/carseat around, and had an absolute ball. I purchased an item with my coupon, my mom purchased one with her coupon, and we had a strategy for spending the remaining coupon we were both in possession of. Unfortunately, our desire to leave did not match Carly's. She genuinely had her first, public kicking and screaming tantrum right there on the floor in the middle of the baby doll section. Over my shoulder she went and out the door we went. It really broke my heart to see her so upset, especially since two of her favorite items had been purchased, wrapped, and were on the way home with us. She had also managed to play right up until her normal lunch time, so I knew in addition to not wanting to leave she was also hungry and tired - not a good combination.

Sunday, thankfully, was much more low key. With the exciting time coming after dinner when my family cooked s'mores.

Yummy!

Grandpa, Please hold my s'more please, but don't eat it!

Telling Grandpa all about something.

I need a paper towel.

Carly and I are now settled back in Cornelius, with our heat turned on (it was 64 degrees in our home when we got back today), and anxiously awaiting Aunt Julia's arrival tomorrow. Five days down, and 11 more to go!!

You Would Have Never Thought...

that Carly is not an avid eater based on her performance tonight.

Our dinner plans evolved (aka changed) throughout the day. At first we had planned on grilling, but then changed to spaghetti in hopes of being more accommodating of David's schedule as he prepares to leave for China. Well then, I did a mid afternoon email check and found a recipe from Kraft for Sicilian Sausage & Peppers Rigatoni. For some reason, this recipe hit the spot in my mind and Spaghetti and Meatballs were not going to cut it for dinner. So, at 4:45pm Carly and I headed off to the grocery store to buy the necessary ingredients.

When David got home a few moments after 6, I had the dish in the oven for the 2nd time and was very excited (and slightly nervous about my dinner... based on the photograph I had HIGH expectations for this dish). David inquired about when I planned to start dinner, so I explained our change of plans. At this point I was starting to question what Carly was going to eat. She is a fan of turkey sausage and cheese; however, she refuses bell peppers, pasta, and spaghetti sauce. When dinner was finished, about 20 minutes after we normally sit down to eat, I served her up a cut noodle, a few pieces of sausage, and a cut up strip of bell pepper. She tacked the sausage first, then ventured over to the rigatoni piece. She continued to sign for "more" rigatoni and would accept more sausage on occasion, but she never did touch the bell pepper.

I will not be holding my breath that she will be willing to eat a rigatoni noodle tomorrow, but maybe by Christmas she won't be quite so picky of an eater!

WARNING!!

WARNING: LOCK YOUR DEADBOLTS if Carly comes to visit you. Over the past few days she has been working on opening doors all by herself. In the beginning she would be about 1 for 4 in attempts, now if the door opens to her then she is fully successful. This has been slightly nerve-racking today since both our back door and side door into our garage open towards her and allow her a free escape. The deadbolt has stopped her; however, she understands the concept of the deadbolt and enjoys using it. Unfortunately for her, she forgets which way she needs to turn it prior to messing with the door knob. I am off tomorrow to get door knob covers for both of these doors; however, I've heard they aren't affective long term.

Whee!!

A new slide Carly tried today while at a Teddy Bear picnic to celebrate National Teddy Bear Day!!

Me! Me! Me!

"Me! Me! Me!" is currently Carly's favorite phrase. David may make a comment that it is time to feed Jake and she will immediately interject with "Me! Me! Me!" Or if I say that we need to set the table for dinner she interjects again. Best of all, her "Me! Me! Me!" is followed with a full out toddler sprint to the appropriate location to help.

Highs and Lows

Today has been a day filled with HIGHS and LOWS.

High - Music Class: Carly and I attended her first music class today. The thirty minute class gives the kids a chance to dance, play instruments, and sing. It will run through the first week in November and seems like it will be a wonderful time. Carly spent a lot of time watching other children today, and would join in on an activity shortly before it was time to move on to the next event.

High - Nap Time: Carly took a super nap, almost a solid 2 hours.

High - Discovery Place Kids: We were able to arrive by 3pm and the place was empty. Carly played in a lot of the centers and especially liked the water table today.

Low - Discovery Place Kids: While walking up the two steps to get on the stage for story time (Chicka Chicka Boom Boom - Carly's favorite book), she started dancing to the beat of the story and lost her balance. She fell off the step and to the floor. I knew it shocked her, but wasn't expecting the two scratches on her face or the bleeding from her mouth. Thankfully, she isn't a big crier and was done with the tears within 3 minutes. This allowed me to look at her and begin cleaning her up. Everything is of course fine, she just has the two scratches and a swollen upper lip and cheek.

High - Popsicles: The nurse I spoke to on the phone from our pediatricians office encouraged me to pick up popsicles for Carly to help keep her mouth cold. She felt this would help the swelling and make it feel better overall.

Low - Popsicles: I bought them, and Dave arrived home a few moments after we did. Carly didn't get popsicles, he isn't as soft as I am.

High - Ball Play: While Carly was eating her fruit after dinner Dave began rolling his wedding band to me. As we rolled it back and forth across the table, Carly became very interested in what we were doing and wanted to participate. We switched from Dave's wedding band to a bouncy ball. Rolling the ball back and forth across the dinner table was a priceless moment. Carly would shriek and squeal with delight whenever the ball rolled towards her and when she was pushing it back towards Dave.

Low - Ball Play: In all of her excitement Carly lost her balance and fell from the chair. It was in super slow motion, and she really rolled out of the chair more than falling. But she didn't like it and it startled her, so we had a few tears.

High - Potty Time: Carly was successful on her potty pre-bath time and then told me during bath time she needed to go again. And was successful during her second turn on the potty.

Low - Bed Time Routine: While getting dried off and ready for a new diaper Carly bumped her head on the basket that holds her diaper cream, comb, powder, etc.

I honestly am hoping Carly sleeps very well tonight, because at this point I am emotionally exhausted from today!!

Congratulations David!

David Orr has officially purchased his first car! Our family is the proud owner of a new mini-van!! We have been discussing such a purchase a lot over the past few months, since Carly's big girl car seat didn't fit easily in Dave's truck. The discussion increased during the summer months once Dave's air conditioning gave out. In hopes of buying one towards the end of this year we went out test driving vans over the weekend and picked out our first choice. As Dave stirred on the idea of buying a car and him having air conditioning again, he began wheeling and dealing over the phone. At 8pm we had a deal and I was scrambling to find someone to sit in the house while Carly slept. Thanks to a wonderful neighbor and friend I had success with my first call and was able to meet Dave at the dealership shortly after 9. We were home with our new van by 11!!

BIG News!!

I am proud to announce some HUGE news!! (This won't actually be published until a much later date, but I still want to celebrate my excitement at the moment.)

David and I are going to parents to another bundle of joy, and Carly is going to be a BIG sister!! I officially found out that I was pregnant on the morning of Thursday, August 25. I had been suspicious earlier in the week due to exhaustion, but could easily chalk that up to David being on a 7 day business trip. My double lines appeared on the test quickly, confirming our pregnancy and started the spinning of my brain. I had daydreamed throughout the week about how I would tell David, especially since he was on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. In my daydreams I thought of video chatting with him and having Carly wear a "Big Sister" shirt during the chat, but thought maybe she wouldn't sit still long enough for him to actually read what her shirt said. I thought about just blurting it out when I spoke to him again, but didn't find any fun in that idea. So, I decided to have Carly wear a "Big Sister" shirt to the airport to pick David up. He had already confirmed that he would be checking his luggage and it would work best for us to all meet at baggage claim - which meant he would see Carly out of her car seat immediately!

So I frantically began searching for a "big sister" shirt online - trying to eliminate the number of stores I would need to stop out before having success. Unfortunately, many of the companies had already switched to their fall lines and these big sister shirts were only available in long sleeves. I picked my favorite long sleeved design and ventured over to the store, in hopes that there would be a short sleeved version of the shirt available in store. Angels were definitely guiding me that morning. The store clerk said there may be one available on the clearance rack, and she would double check in the clearance boxes in the back. As she came out to tell me that toddler sized clearance items hadn't been received yet and was about to redirect me to the fall collection of long sleeved shirts I placed my hand on a short sleeved BIG SISTER shirt! I was thrilled. My $14 shirt was only going cost me $3 (super news to a stay at home mom who is about to announce to her working husband that #2 would be arriving in May 2012)!!

So home Carly and I went to WAIT!! I had the positive test, the Big Sister shirt, and it was only Thursday morning. Dave wasn't going to be flying home until Friday evening. Surprisingly enough I was able to keep my mouth shut. Carly and I were able to pull off the surprise. We showed up, found Dave at the baggage claim, and I set her loose towards him.

*I will admit that I didn't quite get the jumping for joy or discrete tears I was hoping for from him, but he did tell me that he was REALLY excited - however, it was 2:30am in his body clock and was physically done for the day!!

A Girl After Her Daddy's Heart

This evening Carly showed that she really is a girl after her daddy's heart. A while ago Dave commented to me that he could eat Mexican food every night of the week. Tonight Carly and I ate Salsa Chicken - a chicken dish with salsa, cheese, and diced chili peppers. Carly ate a lot of chicken (3 helpings - which turns into 12 one inch cubes), that she picked up with her tortilla, then put some corn with it, and dipped it in her refried beans. All things her daddy would have done during the dinner.

Carly's appetite continued at dessert time, when she ate 2 whole peaches.

Carly-isms

Recently Carly's personality has really started to bubble and show. Things I have noticed recently...

~ Carly loves to dance, but only to the "right" music.
~ If she is not interested in a song she will say "NO" to it within the first 15 beats of the song (whether at home or in the car).
~ Carly will use her hands to gesture you once (maybe twice) asking you to follow her, then she will start pulling you by whatever she can grab.
~ She is labeling everything as "Mommy's" "Daddy's" or "Mine!" She goes around all day pointing to shoes, keys, furniture, clothing, and anything else she can find.
~ Books should be acted out in Carly world, and read over and over and over. She has begun to put motions to the words, and will sign for "more" once I say "The End." (While in Atlanta this week she also began standing on her potty stool to act out "From Head to Toe," it was quite comical.)

~ She will "read" books to herself. She turns the pages, babbles, and acts out her motions she has created for different pages.
~ Carly is obsessed with BABIES. She currently has two that need to travel almost everywhere with her. Recently these babies have eaten pancakes and Cheerios in the high chair with her, needed to take a nap with her, needed diaper changes (or so she motioned when she really needed to be changed), need to be fed a bottle (which she signs milk for) around each of her meal and snack times, and go for many stroller and grocery cart rides throughout her playtime.

Giddy Up Tiger

Sometimes the way Carly chooses to entertain herself leaves us laughing uncontrollably.



(She scooted across the floor a lot more before she realized she was being recorded.)

Wheee!

Carly went to the park with her BFF this morning, and they had a wonderful time. Carly especially enjoyed going on a tunnel slide for the first time.

Happy Birthday Conversation!

At the beginning of this month I began working with Carly to say "Happy Birthday Daddy!" After his birthday, Carly and I began working on saying "Happy Birthday Mimi!" for my grandmother's upcoming birthday. Yesterday afternoon I began to get nervous that Carly would not actually wish Mimi a Happy Birthday over the phone, so I began videoing our practices. Here are a few of those clips:

Carly did say "Mimi" on the phone, but that was the extent of her "Happy Birthday" wishes on the phone.

Another Step Closer

This morning Carly took another step onto the potty train this morning. She gestured that she needed to go potty, so upstairs we travelled. Once on the potty she started signing that she was done, I convinced her to sit long enough for me to go get a diaper. Once I returned she began to poop. She did not seem bothered by this action, but then again I was applauding her as she pooped.

Another Step Closer

This afternoon Carly was busy playing in our family room when she began taking toys into our half bathroom. Once she had her three cell phones in there and her stacking cups she pulled up her dress and began pointing to her diaper. When asked about needing to go potty, she nodded a "yes" but was not too sure about sitting on this particular toilet (it didn't have her modified seat). So was quick to agree to head upstairs for her potty. Once upstairs I removed her dry diaper and placed her on her seat. After a few moments away she went. And away we all applauded before heading down for a pretzel celebration snack! (She is her daddy's girl when it comes to a love of pretzels.)

Dave and I are not taking this as a sign that it is time for her to run around without a diaper, but I do think we will be moving to pull ups when her current diaper stash is depleted and in September we will be having no diaper days in our backyard.

Happy 30th Birthday!!

Happy 30th Birthday David!!!

Unfortunately, David was very busy today. He started his morning off with a 7am work call, while he was also driving to the DMV for his license renewal. He then worked a full day before coming home for a 7pm class and a 10pm call (that was eventually cancelled for the evening). We did find a small chunk of time to celebrate with Shrimp Scampi and delicious cupcakes.

Melts My Heart

During non-meal times Carly's high chair is pushed up in the corner of our breakfast room next to the built in desk. This desk is also where I keep our non-board book library books for safe keeping.

Shortly after breakfast this morning Carly climbed back into her high chair. Once she was seated in the chair, she grabbed a book, and began "reading" it. I loved watching her read, but more importantly I loved how proud she was of herself. I was able to catch her eye during a page turn, she gave me the HUGEST grin and kept reading.

Surprises

When I was pregnant with Carly I regularly heard about how our life would now be full of surprises. Today Carly granted us with two very fun surprises:

David was very busy this morning trying to get work stuff up and running thanks to a power outage on Thursday morning. So, Carly and I were off to Sunday School and Church without him. I always get nervous about dropping her off for such an extended period of time. When I went to pick her up after the service she was happily standing at the half door ready to greet me. One of the ladies in the nursery began her report by using Carly's name (this is typically only done by this particular girl if something didn't go well, otherwise she starts her statement with "she"). I thought oh no, Carly whimpered longer than usual and they had tried to page me by the pager didn't work. Thankfully that was not why she started her sentence with Carly's name, instead it was to tell me that Carly had used the potty. Either Carly motioned that she needed to potty or responded when another kid was asked (about 1/2 of the kids in this room are potty trained), so she was placed on the potty and WENT!!

Carly was not finished with her surprises today. Tonight for dinner we had a delicious grilled meal - bratwurst with onions, green peppers, & asparagus (and garlic mashed potatoes... obviously not from the grill). Carly was not thrilled with a similar meal the last time we had it. So, I did not have high expectations about her enjoying this dinner. I was pleasantly surprised. She ate as much bratwurst and bell pepper as I did, unfortunately she was not thrilled with the onions, asparagus, or potatoes... but there is always next time.

Teeth Brushing

Prior to going to the dentist on Thursday morning we were still using a finger toothbrush in our home. Carly understood the rules, mommy or daddy went first and she went second. Since Thursday's dentist trip she has become obsessed with her new "big girl" toothbrush. Her new yellow and pink toothbrush is the highlight of her morning and bedtime routines. She loves to let us brush her teeth (with her little bit of fluoride - free toothpaste) while we sing her the alphabet (very, very slowly). Then once we are finished brushing her teeth, she gets a turn to brush while we sing the alphabet again. Then at some point she finally agrees to put her "big girl" toothbrush back in the holder by her sink and continues on with her routine.

Dentist

Carly had her second trip to the dentist office today. I am particularly fond of the pediatric dentist we were referred to, and thankfully Carly seems to be too. During our visit, Carly had her six teeth cleaned with the new big girl toothbrush she was given (and watermelon flavored toothpaste). She sat beautifully for this quick cleaning, but I was thankful she only had 6 teeth to be cleaned - I'm not sure she would have been patient enough for anymore. She was very interested in everything going on within the office and enjoyed walking over to watch other children have their teeth cleaned. When her dentist came over to inspect her new 6 little teeth we learned that there was actually a 7th tooth. Her top left molar has broken through. The gums are still very tender and actually began to bleed just a little when touched by her finger. Carly and I also confirmed that she has already chipped a tooth (her top left front tooth), making me very thankful that it will be a while before there are any permanent teeth. She got a good report on the spacing between her teeth (not that we are in control of that). She is to start brushing with a smudge of non-floride toothpaste twice a day. There is a little concern about the pattern in which her teeth appear to be coming in - she has cut the molar; however, there is no sign of the canine between her current incisor and the molar. For precautionary reasons we will be heading back in 3 months to see how her teeth have progressed, especially since she has made so much progress since she cut her first tooth on April 10.

Compassion

Carly is a sweet and kind little girl most of the time. (She will have moments where she pushes, hits, throws, etc - but what 21 month old does not have those moments.) Tonight she was super compassionate. We had gotten home, unloaded the car, and eaten dinner. I was walking over to the phone to call my parents when I clipped my baby toe on one of the high chair legs. Having no threshold for pain, I immediately keeled over in pain. This concerned Carly, so I quickly toughened up my face and explained that I was okay but I had a boo-boo. This explanation was all she needed. The next thing I knew she was walking over to me and giving me a big hug. Then she bent down and kissed my boo-boo (or where she thought it was - she may have been off by a few toes) and gave me another hug. I thanked her for her sweetness. She must have been feeling quite proud of herself, because she then kissed a bruise I had on my leg (I'm clumsy).

Bermuda

A little over a month ago David and I were invited to join some family for a week in Bermuda. We were not able to join everyone for a full week due to David's work and school schedule, but we were fortunate enough to join them for a fun long weekend.

Our family departed for Atlanta on Wednesday evening. Carly and I spent Thursday playing at the park, running a few errands, and exploring her grandparents' house. Then early Friday morning David and I were off for the airport, while Carly slept soundly in her crib.

on the plane

filling out my entry form

After David and I touched down in Bermuda we headed off to the hotel. We met up with Jamie and Sharon and then headed down to meet up with Patrick and Julia on beach. After a celebratory Happy Hour on the beach everyone cleaned up for dinner at the Swizzle Inn, Bermuda's oldest pub.

happy hour in the ocean

group photo after dinner

Saturday morning started with a beautiful view of the ocean and sound from our hotel room (thank you random upgrade). David and I took advantage of our view by eating breakfast at the table on the room's wrap around balcony.

Breakfast

We then ferried over to Hamilton and enjoyed a brief self guided walking tour of the city.

police birdcage

The Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity in Hamilton

After an ice cream snack (someone had been informed that Bermuda had REALLY good ice cream) we headed back to get Julia's belongings and to catch the ferry over to the Naval Dockyard and where Julia would be residing for the following 3 weeks.

The view from about 100 yards from Julia's building.

Saturday evening involved drinks and an Italian dinner. Jamie ordered a Pop Rock Martini - which we all ended up trying.

Our night ended in the hotel's nightclub, where they played a variety of music ranging from our college years' music to todays music to music with a more local flair.

Saturday's late night led to a more relaxed Sunday. David and I walked to Gibbs Lighthouse. It was not a long walk, but it was quite warm. Thankfully, not only was there an amazing view from atop the lighthouse there was also an amazing ocean/sound breeze.

The Sound

The remainder of our day was spent relaxing on the beach, although we did rent a kayak for just under an hour of paddling in the ocean. And our final dinner in Bermuda was a seafood dinner at a restaurant on the ocean.

By Monday morning David and I were not necessarily ready to leave Bermuda or our vacation, but we were very eager to see Carly. David is used to traveling and going 3 nights without seeing her. Although he is not used to leaving her in someone else's care. I have never gone a day without seeing her, so not seeing her on Saturday and Sunday was a huge change for me. (Especially since on Friday I only saw her sleeping.) Thankfully Carly was a doll for her grandparents (and if she wasn't they probably wouldn't have told us).