Little Caroline Cabbage Patch

This is week 28 on the 28th! Our little Caroline is now about the size of a Chinese cabbage! She is 2.5 to 3 pounds and right at 1 foot four inches tall. Miss Caroline keeps herself busy these days developing and adding new skills and tricks to her already impressive repertoire. Caroline enjoys blinking, coughing, sucking, hiccuping, and taking practice breaths. Her eyebrows and eyelashes are now present, and her hair is growing quite fast.  Caroline’s little body is getting plumper and rounder by the day, adding 2 to 3 % body fat each week. Her muscle tone is improving and she is gradually developing those little biceps and triceps, for holding bottles of course! Our little miracle is growing and developing at an astonishing rate and in 83 days (give or take) she will be introduced to  all her loyal, adoring fans!

90 Days and Counting

This week our little Cabbage Patch is fifteen to sixteen inches — more than a foot long Subway sammich!! Her weight is creeping up the charts as well, coming in at just over two pounds, give or take a few ounces!  In her last weeks with Mommy, Caroline will gain ½ a pound per week! 
She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. Caroline will continue to work on her sleeping patterns and waking patterns which will be totally opposite of Mommy’s!! It has been said that babies start to dream while in the womb…and I’ll just bet Miss Caroline is dreaming of that sthuper cute room she’s been hearing so much about lately!!
With more brain tissue developing, her brain is very active now. While her lungs are still developing, she is sure to have a good set, ready to use upon arrival!! A very common thing that Caroline is enjoying right now is tiny rhythmic movements, also known as hiccups! That’s right, hiccups! Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, however I think she’s probably giggling knowing that she is creating quite a commotion each time she moves!!

Peaceful Night

Ceiling fan construction

Caroline's room is done, well almost, and what a beautiful room it is too! It is a very cool light blue shade called Peaceful Night, a very appropriate name! Daddy and Papaw Danny worked most of the morning putting down base boards. Mimi Carol and I painted the trim work while the guys measured and cut. After a delish lunch of Granny's tuna sandwiches and chips, it was time to go back to work. Daddy and Papaw Danny started working on the ceiling fan. There were a few little glitches but everything came together wonderfully. The carpet is scheduled to be laid next weekend then the crib and furniture can be put together. Granny is working every day getting Caroline's bedding, quilts, curtains, and diaper stacker made. And I can tell you first hand, everything is absolutely georgous. Our little girl is going to love her room for years to come!

Prime Time For Caroline

I just got off the phone with Mommy who was on her way to a meeting. She said Daddy was home priming the walls in Miss Caroline’s room, getting it ready to paint! Yay Daddy! He’s been working so hard to get the room in ship shape for our girl. Although the final color has yet to be decided, it has been whittled down to two shades. Either color will be pretty and fit our girl perfectly. Tune in to see what the color will be. Hint - Saturday!

Also I want to send Happy Birthday wishes to Natalie, Chloe’s mommy! Mommy and Natalie became fast friends at the U of A and roomed together for several years. I’m so glad they have remained close, for what better little girl than Chloebear to be Caroline’s bff! Hope your birthday was super good Natalie!!

Under Construction

I am tickled to report that construction or should I say demolition on Caroline’s room, also known as the pink room, is complete! Daddy tore out the old bookshelves, ripped up the carpet, took down the closet doors, and removed the lonesome little shelf on the wall. After he got the shelf down and outside, he called for Mommy and me to come look. We went outside and he pointed to the shelf. We looked down to see "I no like Mom." written in red crayon on the shelf !! Uhh ohhh…a wittle person got into twouble and used the shelf as an anger outlet, poor little thing. Hope our little Caroline doesn’t take to writing on furniture when IF she gets a scolding!!
I have some tools and supplies packed and ready to go over this afternoon to spackle some nail holes. Hopefully it won’t take too long to get everything ready so we can start painting! Oh wait, Mommy needs to decide on the wall color!!! I'm excited to see Caroline’s room come together. Granny is hard at work making the curtains, bed skirt, diaper stacker, and quilt. The furniture and crib are in and waiting for assembly. It is going to be so stinkin cute when it’s finished and all in place. We just need our baby girl to make it complete!!

Happy Valentine's Day

One-eyed Elle

Happy Valentine’s Day to Caroline!!

Another totally great day today! Our funny little Valemtime is 26 weeks old today. From all expert accounts online, she is approximately 1 foot 4 inches tall and right at two pounds! I know that’s not a huge change from last week but we must remember – baby steps, teeny baby steps!!

Caroline’s eyes, which were once shut to allow her retina to develop, are now slowly opening! There’s not a lot to see but she will certainly respond to light by a swift kick or a punch! I guess there is no question as to what her eye color will be! Blue ya think?

Caroline’s highly intelligent brain wave activity is increasing day by day and this means that she can not only hear noises with her perfect little ears but react to them! Her hearing is fully developed and as she reacts to these new sounds and lights, her pulse increases. Get this, she can even move to music!!! Our baby got rhythm, oh yeah!! 

Just the Facts

As of today, we have 102 days left until the projected due date of May 23rd...that means we are in week 25! Can I get a ohmgosh? There’s SO much going on with our little beauty that it’s just awesome - I can’t keep up with it all! I’ll try to condense the facts to save space.
Caroline is around 1.5 to 2 pounds and right at 13 to 14 inches tall. She’s giving up her lean look as she works hard to put on her chubby baby fat. Her hair is growing like crazy and it’s finally beginning to develop color and texture! Her little Cabbage Patch hands are now fully developed and her dexterity is improving daily. She can make a fist and she has the ability to wrap her fingers around objects placed in her palm. She enjoys touching her face, clasping one hand to the other, and is able to grab her wittle tootsies wootsies!!Caroline’s eyes are forming, and will soon perfect her blink, batting those freshly grown lashes. Her nostrils are beginning to open a bit to prepare for her first gulp of air, the nerves around her mouth and lip area are showing more sensitivity, her swallowing reflexes are developing, she can hear sounds outside the womb and distinguish voices that she hears! Plus, her vocal cords are developed and getting ready for her first wah-wah-wah! The structures of her spine are beginning to form and harden -- all 33 rings, 150 joints and 1000 ligaments…WOW!

Another Birthday to Celebrate!

Although the weather outside is frightful with a threat of ice and snow, it’s a really good day today. Why you ask? Because it’s Daddy’s birthday! That’s right, Caroline’s Daddy is celebrating his special day today. I sent him a message this morning wishing him a Happy Birthday and his reply was so cute that I just had to share it. Daddy Jeff said he was still full from his birthday breakfast in bed earlier this morning! What a full-filling way to start one’s birthday off, breakfast in bed. Yay Mommy for being so thoughtful and sweet! 

Join me in wishing Daddy a wonderful day today, I hope it brings him lots of smiles and a few good gifts as well. :) You know, we better make the most of these birthdays while we can for when Caroline arrives on the scene, I’m afraid our little button nose beauty will be the only one having special days…and I for one, simply cannot wait much longer!! Have a good day Daddy, we love you bunches!

Down For the Count

I made a trip to Sam's this weekend for supplies. Along with the usual household items, I picked up a box of Pampers, size 3. I must say, I was a little disappointed in the fact that the price of the diapers are the same... but... the count of the diapers are reduced drastically. As a matter of fact they are reduced from 247 diapers to 160 diapers a box!! Whhaaat! The price per diaper is now 25 cents each. I'm almost ashamed to admit this, but I've never been a real coupon savvy shopper. I'm thinking I may need to re-evaluate my shopping habits. Precious may need to cut more coupons and save a little more pocket change for diapers!

Happy Birthday Mommy!

We love you too!!

Today is a great day!…Why, you ask?… It’s Mommy’s BIRTHDAY today! YAY Mommy!!!

Sometime during the night last night, Caroline the birthday fairy, gave her Daddy some inspiration as what she would like him to do for Mommy today. Following her inspiration, Daddy created a sweet masterpiece on the kitchen counter, complete with card from Caroline! Mommy LOVED it and sent me a picture of what her fabulous hubby had done for her.
Join me in wishing my beautiful little girl a wonderful birthday today. Twenty-nine years ago, Lindsey came into my life and it’s hasn’t been the same since! Happy Birthday Lindsey (Mommy)!! We love you SO very much!

Peppy Little Papaya

What a big week this is for Miss Caroline Barton, our magical little miracle! Just a few things to mark off the list are: Eyelashes - done. Eyebrows - done. Hair - done, however it doesn’t have pigment yet. Fingernails - done. Ears - done. Her hearing is getting sharper by the week and she can hear very loud sounds including Ace and Deuce barking as they welcome Mommy home from work!
Caroline’s brain is also growing quickly now and her taste buds are continuing to develop. Her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help her lungs inflate once she arrives.
Last week, Caroline gained about 4 ounces and she is just over a pound give or take an ounce or two and she is about a foot long. At the end of this week it’s possible our little gal could be almost 2 pounds and one foot 2 inches tall!! From here on till her birth, little Sunshine could possibly gain up to 6 ounces a week! Much of that weight will come from accumulating baby fat, as well as from growing organs, bones, and muscle.
Though her first kicks and movements will seem random, gradually Caroline will be kicking quite regularly and begin patterns of wakefulness and sleeping throughout the day.