Happy 1st Birthday!

We made it!! We survived the first year of being parents. Our sweet Carley girl is officially a toddler. She has been a ray of sunshine in our lives. The year has had many ups and downs but in the end we feel we have been given the sweetest gift.

 

 

After swimming at Grandmother's we had a fish fry and cupcakes to celebrate Carley's first birthday. We are so glad we were able to celebrate this milestone with family.

 

 

Family Picture from July 4th

 Happy Birthday Carley! Mommy and Daddy love you so much. 1 Samuel 1:27

 

  

 

10 & 11 Months

The last update before the Big One!! Carley has grown so much in these last 2 months. She has 7 teeth, weighs about 18 pounds, is starting to timidly let go of things and stand on her own and developing such a funny little personality! Our 10 month pictures didn't go all that great. The camera battery died. She had a melt down. I had a melt down. We finally got one after a couple of attempts though. The 11 month pictures went a lot more smoothly!

 

 



 There were a couple of "firsts" for Carley over the last two months. She went to Krispy Kreme and had her first donut.  Don't let that half-eaten donut fool you, though. She held it but didn't like it! She had eaten 3 slices of lemon with dinner a little earlier in the evening, so I guess she prefers the salty over the sweet! If you remember, we stopped at Krispy Kreme while I was pregnant to get a hot donut on the way home from birthing classes. I don't guess my cravings had that big of an influence on her!

We also went to the beach! She loved the sand (she ate half of it) and the water, too! 

 

This past Sunday, Carley and I went to a church wide fourth of July celebration. I had to include this picture of her watching the fireworks. She was mesmerized! 

This last picture is at the Botanical Gardens here in Birmingham. We went to get some pictures so I could start making her BIRTHDAY invitations. Our baby is really turning into a little girl so fast and we have enjoyed her so much. She has greatly blessed our lives and truly made our home a happy one.

 

 



9 Months

Finally! Carley's 9 month picture! We had her well baby visit last week and she is growing right on track. She is 26 inches long and 15 lbs. 8 oz. She is cruising around holding on to furniture, climbing and pulling up on everything, expressing more emotions and babbling away.

 

 

Getting pictures with her is getting a little bit harder. She doesn't want to stand right THERE, she wanted to stand over there. Sit down? Nope. She wanted the camera and we wouldn't give it to her. Melt down. She really is an *amazing* baby, but is a strong willed baby, and is discovering that she really wants her own way.

 

 

 

 

In an outfit that my mom made for me when I was baby.

 

Showing off her mad climbing skills. Like I said... Keeping us on our toes.

8 Months

Where did my baby go?! My girl is getting so big and mastering new skills every day. We can hardly keep up! Just today she pulled up on the cabinets and OPENED one. I thought we still had a little bit more time!!

 

 

She is pulling up and taking a few steps holding on to the furniture or us. She is quick as lightning and keeps us on our toes for sure. She has started making more sounds but I'm not totally convinced she's actually said her first word yet. For instance, she will say "mama" but doesn't associate it with me yet. Either way, it's a really sweet sound! I started back to work at the beginning of the year working at the high school. We had Spring Break in March and I very much enjoyed being able to spend more time with Carley. We also went to visit my sister and met her newest addition to the family, Eli. This past weekend we celebrated Easter and had a great time dyeing Easter eggs and spending time with family.                                          

 

 

Aunt B helping Carley dye her egg. She was so proud of herself!!



 

Her bonnet is one of Carley's great-grandfather's (who she was named after) old handkerchiefs that my Mom made for her. One side has his initials and the other side is her initials.



 

 Carley loves to swing!

 

 

 

6 & 7 Month Update

Carley is continuing to keep me and Chris on our toes and we are loving every minute of it! She has started crawling and pulling up on everything. She's happiest when she can stand up and look at what's going on. We are so grateful for our little blessing and look forward to seeing what God has in store for her.

 

 

4 & 5 Month Update

Wow, I miss one monthly update and now I have SO MUCH to share! We have had several "firsts" and have enjoyed watching her grow and change so much.

At four months, Carley was lifting her head a little higher each day. She could roll over from tummy to back. She had started to recognize people and would get excited when she saw someone she knew. I love getting that grin and seeing her little face light up.

Nana and Big Love took Carley on her first trip to Disney World! My whole family was able to meet in Orlando for a week and it was a blast. Carley flew on an airplane for the first time and I was so proud of how well she did. She did great at all of the parks. She also was able to ride the Small Word and Pirates of the Caribbean rides.

She was given oatmeal for the first time. Haha!! I love that face. She wasn't too sure about it, so we will try again in a couple of weeks.

Carley is wearing the dress my mom made me for my first Christmas!

Her first Christmas was really sweet and low-key. She got a few toys, a wub-a-nub in her stocking, and we got her her first pearl while we were in Disney World.

First time meeting Abuelos! He had to wait his turn until she was done loving on Carley.

One of Carley's gifts from Abuelos.

   

And, finally, the five month update! She was rolling all over the place and I could hardly get the picture this time. She is now rolling from back to tummy and doing several rolls in a row. She sticks her toes in her mouth whenever she gets the chance. And she has two teeth already. I think I say it every post, but I can't believe how fast my baby is growing!!