Baby Annelise Arrived!!

Annelise,

You arrived a wee bit early and delighted us all with your arrival. Caroline went to more than one of your pre-natal checkups and had been counting down the days to meet "her" baby, so when you were on the way, she bounded out of bed at midnight and eagerly lead the way through the parking deck into the hospital so she could become a big sister.

Caroline is by far your biggest admirer. She can't go more than three minutes without showering you with kisses. When you cry, she deems you "a little bit sad," gives you hugs and tickles, and assures you that all is alright because "Big Sister is here." She is often convinced that the reason you are sad is because your daddy is away, but she assures you: "Daddy is at work; he will be back home soon."

Caroline loves to snuggle with you and always asks for permission first. You have yet to object. She is oh so careful when readjusting your blanket and makes sure we can all see your mouth so you can breathe.

You fill our hearts with love and joy, and we are so happy you are part of our family.

xxoo,
Mommy

Last Month as a Two-Year-Old!!

Dearest Caroline,

I had a panic moment the other day when I realized that this time next year, I will have a four-year-old. I don't know where the time has gone. You have gotten so big!! At the end of your two-year-old year, you:

• consistently respond with beautiful manners -- Ma'am, Sir, please, thank you, excuse me, you're welcome
• dress yourself -- panties, shirts, dresses, pants, sweaters, coats, socks, and velcro shoes 
• You are still working on buttoning and zipping, though you can unbutton and unzip.
• lay out breakfast, snack, and lunch, and set the dinner table
• fold towels, shirts, and shorts (with reasonable neatness)
• assist in cooking 
• assist in daily housekeeping
• unpack the groceries
• put away dishes within reach
• give driving directions 
• You tell us how to get to the park, school, church, etc. and can tell where we are going miles before we get there. You also let us know that "We drove this way when we went to -- (i.e. Lucy's birthday party)."
• recall events and activities that occurred nearly a year ago 
• However, until this past week or so, everything in the past happened "last night".
• dance
• move about in the pool with arm bands
• bathe yourself -- put soap on a washcloth, wash all necessary parts, rinse off, wring out the washcloth, hang it up, unplug the drain, retrieve a towel, and wrap yourself up 
• You still need help washing your hair.
• consistently count to 15 accurately and to 100 with assistance
• match quantities 1-10 to the correct numeral with little help
• recognize and name numbers 1-10
• recognize and name all letter sounds and read short-vowel words independently
• You are reading Jim Wins but would be much further along if you weren't so stubborn. (You prefer to read cards to books, though you do an amazing job recognizing words you have sounded out earlier in the book and hardly have to sound out any words by the last few pages. I have been rather lax on making you practice your books and plan on stepping things up once you turn three.)
• recognize and quickly recall 20 easy sight words (for, a, I, do, go, see, the, be, her, etc.)
• name colors
• write your name with little help
• write numbers 0-9 with little help
• write on lined paper with little help
• complete 16 piece jigsaw puzzles independently
• complete 48 piece jigsaw puzzles with little help
• complete 50 piece US puzzle (lined) independently
• recite (sing) days of the week, months of the year, continents, and ABCs
• sing dozens of songs
• compose your own songs 
• You sing a capella and occasionally while playing the violin, the piano, and the Montessori bells. You also love the recorder, though you have a hard time singing while playing. :) 

You LOVE:

• everything ballet 
• We have taken you to The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty, and you dance all the time.
• sports
• We went to the park today, and after playing on the playground and tossing a baseball back and forth with Daddy, you made us sit on the bleachers and watch the little-leagers practice. 
• Outdoor playtime at home often involves golf and basketball.
• practicing the violin
• Our practice sessions are 15 minutes and include holding the violin up with no hands, bow grip and bow movement activities, playing open strings (with left hand on the body of the violin), practicing straight bows, and clapping to the different Twinkle variation rhythms. 
• Music lessons can last over 30 minutes on days that Mommy plays. (You pick the book and song, and I play while you dance.) 
• music
• You sing ALL THE TIME and ask the names of all the songs you hear (including classical pieces with no lyrics). 
• helping (Mommy, Daddy, classmates, everyone)
• Star Trek and Political Newscasts (specifically Georgia Gang and any show with Donald Trump) 
• Might I add that we have attempted to be completely unbiased and have exposed you to both Republican and Democratic debates. 
• Georgia Tech
• You especially love the "bumble bee yellow jacket whose shirt is too short and falls down all the time". 
• the Atlanta Braves
• FROZEN
• You want everything to be "Anna/Elsa" (i.e. Anna/Elsa gloves, Anna/Elsa car, Anna/Elsa cake, Anna/Elsa iPad, Anna/Elsa towel)
• I have not played any of the songs for you in months, but you still sing "Let it Go," "Do You Want To Build a Snowman" and "For the Fist Time In Forever" ALL the time (though you invent rather interesting alternate lyrics). 
• books and "reading" to Mommy
• driving cars
• You LOVE sitting in the driver's seat and pushing all the buttons. You also love your Cozy Coupe.
• Cookie Joes and the Sparkle Cookie Store
• What's not to love about Trader Joes and Publix?
• Henri's, Cafe Jonah, and Whole Foods
• Sadly, Cafe Jonah closed down earlier this month, but you had been a regular since you were three days old (sometimes visiting several times a day) and were well loved by all the staff. You also loved getting their ice water. 
• You retrieve my assistant's wallets for them and escort them to Henri's several times a week. You can usually convince the bakery employees to part with a small pastry, though one time you got a HUGE icing-covered whale-shaped rice crispy treat. (They feel sorry for you that your Mommy has only bought you one cookie in two years.) 
• You can find your way to Whole Food's coffee bar and pizza station with your eyes closed. 
• Food
• Cooking it, eating it, shopping for it, you just love food. You especially like other people's food (specifically Ms. Roopal's and Mommy's). 

This month, I haven't taken too many pictures. However, you have been incredibly busy. One weekend, you went to a Daddy-Daughter dance, had a playdate, and saw Sleeping Beauty (Atlanta Ballet) all within 24 hours. 

You recently found my computer from high school on a low shelf in Daddy's workshop. While I wasn't paying attention, you set it up on Daddy's desk in his office. It is now set up on a small table in the basement rec room. It is one of your favorite toys, though it sometimes bothers you that "it doesn't work well". (It is only a monitor and keyboard and has long lost its tower and power cord.) 

I had you sign 41 Valentine cards, and you were a pretty good sport about it. (You also got to glue on a box of stickers and attach some stickers to the card, which you found fabulously fun.) 

You went to your first political rally and got to ride the "train" several times.

You celebrated your birthday early since Baby Sister is almost here, and Mommy didn't want to risk skipping your party. There were 24 guests (ages 2-6), so I didn't get a chance to take as many pictures as I would have liked, but you had the apple juice and princess and Hello Kitty cupcakes you requested (with blue, white, and pink icing), a dress-up center, wand and crown crafts, princess puzzles, a child-sized cardboard castle, and beauty salon (complete with glitter nail polish and glitter hair spray). 

You went to Fuse and Big Girl Sunday School for the first time today!! (Technically a week early.) You walked right into Sunday School without any problems and sat beautifully in church during the Children's sermon. You LOVED it.

Daddy will be in San Francisco this week, but when he comes back, we will be celebrating your REAL birthday with a genuine Anna/Elsa cake. 

We love you tons Big Girl!!!

xxoo, 

Mommy

Daddy-Daughter Dance

You made me take this picture of you and send it to Grandma Marlowe because you looked "so beautiful". 

2 days worth of Valentines (You wrote your name in pen - and sometimes not so neatly - so you actually signed more than just 41 cards.)

 

Happy Third Birthday Big Girl!!!!!

Caroline in January

Dear Caroline,

We started off the month at Jekyll Island. Have I ever mentioned that you don't like the beach? :) You specifically don't like getting your toes wet. Before leaving for home, we stopped off at St. Simons and visited the church where Mommy and Daddy got married. We visited the High, and you loved the Habsburg Splendor exhibit. You found the marble statues hilarious and pronounced them all "naked".

The weather has been quite erratic this winter. We have gone on lots of hikes and spent lots of time at the park this month; however, the beautiful 60 degree days have been followed by snow. (It took until 4:00 for me to get you outside on our snow day, and by that time what little accumulation we had on the ground had melted.)

You went to a gymnastics party and weren't quite sure what to expect, but you quickly jumped right in and had a blast!! You also had a violin buddy come by the house and you had great fun jamming out with her. :)

Lots of love,
Mommy

Caroline's December

Caroline!!

December was a super-busy month for us. We visited the Biltmore and saw it decked out in all its Christmas grandeur. We enjoyed a visit from Grandma Marlowe and saw both the Atlanta Designer Showhouse and the Nutcracker in one day. It has been a month, and you still talk about the ballet. 

We visited Santa (we won't post that picture), baked lots of goodies, assembled a gingerbread house, and attended several of Grandpa Bob's Christmas concerts. We spent Christmas morning in Griffin and Christmas night at home. You spent the better part of the 25th and 26th with your Frozen umbrella, light-up rain boots, and sparkle ballerina book bag. 

Most importantly, by the end of Advent, you could name all the candles (hope, love, joy, and peace) and could tell us that we were celebrating Baby Jesus's birthday. Every night after reading the Advent devotional, you would bow your head and say, "Let us pray" before the closing prayer. :)

We headed to Florida on the 29th and stopped off for lunch in St. Augustine before spending the night at our beach-front hotel on the Space Coast. Disregard the smiley beach photo -- that was a total fluke. You do not like the beach. We made it to your cousin Alexander's house in Miami, and you had a grand time playing with LEGOS, doing lots of crafts, playing outside with his scooter and giant bouncy balls, and swimming in his pool. (It took a bit of convincing to get you in the pool at first, but once you realized it was heated, you loved it!) We went on lots of walks and even saw Star Wars at the theater!

You are super excited about your birthday in March and tell everyone you are getting a baby sister for your birthday. You have the party all planned out: a Frozen Elsa/Anna cake, Batman plates, Cinderella balloons, Star Wars party hats, and apple juice. You inform everyone you meet of this party plan. 

We love you bunches!!!

xxoo, 

Mommy