Carolyn

Further Proof That I’m A Bad Mom

Sarah Carolyn


Yes, I dress my little girl in blue. Yes, she looks like a boy. So what? It brings out her pretty blue eyes, too.

Denis and I bought this outfit on purpose because we’d had a bit much of pink after dressing Carolyn in nothing but pink for the first 6 weeks of her life. Besides, I think it’s cute – the onesie says “From my head to my toes, how I love it when it snows!” This is an important thing to teach a child growing up in this climate early on.

(And yes, my daughter is barefoot. In February. No socks! Very. Bad. Mom.)

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Sarah Firsts

5 little hearts, all in a row:

The first one said, “I love you so.”
The second one said, “Will you be my Valentine?”
The third one said, “I will if you’ll be mine.”
The fourth one said, “I’ll always be your friend.”
The fifth one said, “Until the very end.”

For her first Valentine’s, Carolyn got a single pink rose from her Daddy, and a Baby Einstein gift set. She loves Baby Mozart, and she liked the Language Nursery DVD until the dead DVD player ate it, so Denis found a set with Baby Van Gogh, Baby Shakespeare, and a Bard bath puppet. We don’t let her watch a video every day, but when she does she’s totally enthralled, and giggles all the way through it.

A year ago today, Denis predicted that I was pregnant and that it was a girl. He was right on both counts. And I promised I’d mark this day on the calendar – after all, he was right for once – so consider it marked.

And Happy Valentine’s Day!

The Medicator

Sarah Carolyn

There is a new item at the top of my can’t-live-without-it list of baby products: The Medicator. It’s basically a teeny-tiny bottle, or a glorified pacifier, that makes the medicine go down much easier than a spoonful of sugar ever could. What used to be a total wrestling match, with gooey sticky medicine ending up everywhere but in the baby, has all of a sudden become so easy that I’m actually looking forward to the next time I have to give her something. (Not that I want to have to give my daughter medicine, but we appear to be in the midst of massive teething pain and Tylenol seems to be helping.)

Anyway, someday I’ll have to make an actual list of my must-have baby things. It’s mainly stuff I didn’t register for, and didn’t think I’d need or want. A lot of the stuff I thought I needed – not so useful.

We finally got the bookcase for her room. Tomorrow we’ll have to put it together and put all her books and toys in it. I’m guessing at least half – maybe three quarters – of her books are puppy-related, since every time I see any board book having to do with dogs I buy it. I can’t help it!

Extreme Cuteness

Sarah Carolyn

In between bouts of unexplained crying – it seems a bit early, but I think there may be some teething going on – Carolyn and I had a little photo shoot today. Don’t you want to just tickle those chubby little knees? And that’s not even the cutest picture, either – this was actually the post photo shoot outfit change.

We also went to the salon tonight. Carrie sat in my lap while they dried my hair, and had a grand time flirting with all the babies in the mirrors. I need to find a giant unbreakable mirror to put up behind her changing table soon.

Oh, Pooh!

Sarah Carolyn

Here is an entirely different pooh outfit – this one isn’t cursed. This was a pseudo-hand-me-down from Carrie’s cousin Michelle. (It still had the tags on, so I don’t think it really counts as a hand-me-down, does it?) I’m not sure why I like this outfit so much, but I do. Of course, we make all the required jokes about what might be in her Pooh pants.

The quilt she’s laying on is her tummy-time quilt, and it was made by my great-grandmother for my youngest brother 20 years ago. Aside from the fact that it’s generally got quite a bit of dog fur on it, it looks pretty darn good for being 20 years old. No, the dog fur isn’t 20 years old, and yes, I wash it regularly. Dog fur is just a fact of life in this house. If exposure to allergens during childhood helps prevent allergies, Carolyn is going to have an anti-allergy to dogs. That will be one of her super powers. (The other, of course, being extreme cuteness.)


(Is it pathetic that I coordinate her toys with her clothes for pictures sometimes?)

The Curse of the Puppy Outfit

Sarah Carolyn

There’s apparently an unwritten rule that baby clothes with puppies on them have to be blue. So, even though it causes Carolyn to look like a boy*, several weeks ago I bought her a really cute teddy bear and puppy outfit that’s blue, white, and teddy bear brown.

It’s cursed.

Carrie’s worn it maybe 4 or 5 times, and each and every time she’s had a major diaper blow-out. I just finished cleaning up the most recent one. Well, “finished” may not be an appropriate word, since I still need to put my jeans through the wash, but I figured the baby clothes took precedence. This incident actually required a bath and everything, and I’m afraid her white socks won’t ever be the same again.

I’m going to rename it the Poopy Outfit, and I think I’ll wait until she’s in the next size up diapers to try it again.

*I’ve actually been asked, while Carolyn is dressed head-to-toe in pink, if she’s a girl or a boy, so I suppose it really doesn’t matter if she wears blue occasionally…

Nina-Nonna

Sarah Carolyn

(That’s what one of my great-grandmothers used to call going to sleep – “it’s time to go nina-nonna.” Although I just realized that in Italian, “nonna” means grandmother, so now I’m not exactly sure what it was supposed to mean…)

It seems to be the opposite of what you’d expect, but I’ve read in a few places that a baby who naps enough during the day will sleep better at night. Between the cold and the cold medicine, Carrie’s napping schedule got really off for a few days, and those nights she was up pretty much every two hours all night.

Yesterday, however, she got all of her nap time in, and last night she slept straight through from 10 PM to 7 AM.

Think choruses of angels singing “Hallelujah!” because that’s how I’m feeling this fine, sunny morning!

Rattle, Rattle, Bonk!

Sarah Carolyn

So, how exactly do you give an uncoordinated baby a rattle and not have them bonk themselves on the head with it? She was more surprised than hurt, but there was still wailing and gnashing of, um, gums I guess…

I took the rattle away. But, then again, how will she learn how to not hit herself in the head if she doesn’t do it once or twice?

This is that part of mommyhood where I have to step back and let her figure stuff out, even if it hurts sometimes, and just try to protect her from the really big hurts, isn’t it?

Three Months Old!

Sarah Monthly Updates

Dear Carolyn,

You’re already another month older?!? How’d that happen so fast? You’ve changed so much in the past three months – it’s hard to see the changes every day, but looking back to those first few days it’s very clear.

For one thing, you outgrew your first batch of clothes. I’ll admit I was a little sad to put them away, but maybe someday you’ll have a little sister who can wear them. I’d guess you’re about 12 pounds now, and probably at least two feet tall. We don’t go back to your doctor until next month, so I won’t know until then.

You’ve really figured out how to hold your head up. Actually, you’ve been right on track or even early with everything you should be able to do, except roll from front to back. That’s my fault, since I don’t give you tummy time every single day. Sorry about that – I’ll try to do better this month!

We tell stories every day. I start the story: “Once upon a time, there was a sweet little girl named Carolyn, and everybody agreed she was the cutest baby ever, in all the land.” You go on to tell me about baby princess Carolyn’s latest adventures. Most of them involve a lot of giggling and (ah-)goo, but they’re different every time. For some reason your best story-telling position is standing or sitting on my tummy.

One of your favorite toys at the moment is Snuggle Puppy, who lives in your carseat and has her very own song – not to be confused with the actual Snuggle Puppy song we sing to you. You also have a turtle with a mirror in its tummy that you really like. For that matter, any mirror is a favorite, because you love to play and flirt with the baby in the mirror. The baby in the computer (pictures of you) is good for a smile or two, but isn’t nearly as interactive. Oh, and I think your absolute favorite toys right now are your hands. They are apparently endlessly fascinating and extremely tasty!

You are such a good-natured baby. You smile and giggle all the time. When you are upset, you’re at least very cute about it – your little bottom lip sticks out before you really get going, so I can usually distract you from being unhappy before you actually get there. Actually, you’ve managed to completely master pouting already, because you’re just that smart.

I can’t wait to see what the next weeks and months bring – you’re becoming such a fun person to spend each day with! Being a mom is like becoming a child again…I get to see all the wonderful things this world holds through your eyes now. Things as simple as the room suddenly getting dark because I turned off the lights, or the way the light streams through your curtains in the morning become magical because you see them that way. Thanks for picking me to be your mom.

Love, Mommy

I Baptize You…

Sarah Carolyn

Dear Carolyn,

Today you were baptized. You looked like a little angel in your dress – which was my dress when I was a baby. My godmother made the dress for me, and I had it cleaned and altered it a little to fit you. Your godparents are Kathy and Everett.

You didn’t cry at all during the ceremony. Well, you fussed a little in the beginning of mass because you were hungry, but after hitting the bottle you slept through the rest of it – the water didn’t wake you up, and neither did the handful of chrism the deacon smeared on your head. (You do smell nice, but he put a lot on!) You finally woke up when the choir started singing the last hymn, though…

Afterwards, we had a nice little party with all of our family, and you were passed around and held by just about everyone. All of your little cousins were running around the parish center, having lots of fun. Just think, the next time we all get together you’ll be mobile too! I’ll have to get your dress cleaned again before I put it away – you managed to spit up all over it right before the end of the party. All in all, I think it was a good way to spend your 12-week birthday.

Love, Mommy.