the connors family: October 2008

Caroline's Fifteenth Month

>> Monday, October 27, 2008 – Caroline, monthly updates

Ladies and Gentlemen... We have a full fledged toddler on our hands.

She still thinks every day is a party just for her, and with few exceptions, lives life with a big toothy smile on her face. Her enthusiasm for life is limited only by how far and fast those short legs can take her -

CEC is talking up a storm, with a vocabulary has gone through the roof - so much so that mommy quit keeping track of new words ages ago. She amazes her teachers at school, other parents, and her doctor with all she has to say. Recent accomplishments include counting to 5 out of the blue (and two instances where she went all the way to 10). Yep - all by herself and out of the blue.

She knows lots of animals and the sounds they make ("oo oo monkey" and "whoo whoo owl" are popular refrains) and can identify some letters and numbers too. Favorites include O, P, and S, and the numbers 3, 4, 5, 6, and all-time favorite, 8.

Walking is now running, twirling, bending, ducking, and dancing - mostly with either mom or dad about 2 steps behind, trying to catch her before she gets into anything crazy (like, you know - the liquor cabinet. We are mean).

There is so much to say about how wonderful she is that mommy could go on forever. Lest we bore our dedicated readers... On to the stats!

32” tall (90th percentile)*
26 lbs, 7 ounces (just over the 90th)
Head circumference of 19” inches (90th percentile)
And we're up to a total of 14 and 2 1/2s** teeth.

Watching her grow - in both body and spirit - brings so much happiness to our lives.

Oh - and have I mentioned...?

Perfect in every way... :)

*Close Connors Family Blog observers may notice that it appears our star is shrinking. At her 12 month appt., she was 32.5" - a loss of .5" in 3 months! But, we were skeptical of that measurement even then, as home measurements had recorded a more modest 31". Dr. Hawkins noted that the 12 month measurement was probably not the most accurate. We feel much more confident this time around, so we're going to go with it!
**14 teeth are totally in; 2 are halfway in

Caroline's Cousins

>> Tuesday, October 21, 2008 – random updates

Mommy was off to Florida this weekend to visit Caroline's cousin Sam and to meet the aforementioned newest members of the Ray family, Madeline and Leslie.

Though leaving her in Daddy's able hands, mommy was worried about being away from her (not so) baby girl for the first time. And she must have known it, too since she promptly spiked a fever which lasted the whole weekend (poor Daddy!).

While no cameras were available to capture the weekend's activities (mostly convalescence) in DC, there were plenty of photo ops in Jacksonville Beach.

Not sure how I got them both up here, but it's pretty hard to beat

Pretty polka-dots

Snoozy girls - Madeline (left) and Leslie

The 3 Ray Girls: Sally, Maddie, and Leslie

There were visitors galore! Sam, Leslie and Madeline (and their mom and dad) got visits from not only Aunt Sarah, but also Grandma and Grandpa Beaumont, and from Papa Ray and Uncle Jonathan - all in one weekend!

A twin holds his twin granddaughters

Madeline loves Uncle Jonathan

In additon to snuggling with those two beautiful girls, Aunt Sarah loved hanging out with big brother Sam - This super-smart little boy could win any heart in 2 seconds flat, and it took a lot less than that to wrap "Aunt Sadah" around his finger.

Blue eyes, green shirts

This kid is the best!

And if you liked that one, you're going to LOVE this one...

Grandma gets in on the Silly

Mommy returned to a much-better-feeling Caroline - to nobody's surprise, completely recovered under the care of her favorite guy.

Dancing Queen

>> Sunday, October 12, 2008 – Caroline, random updates

Ever the trendy one, Caroline rocked it out at Baby Loves Disco this weekend. The pint sized dance party (or more accurately - dance party for the pint-sized) included lots of favorites: snacks, music, lights, scarves, big bins of fun stuff, and an opportunity for the Star of Our Show to show off her moves.

After a post party nap, it was off to the next stop on the social circuit - this time at a fun cookout with Ana, Sofia, and Dani (and oh yeah - their parents, too).

Dinner is delish!

Sofi thinks so too

Silly and sweet Ana and Dani

Stay tuned to see what's next for our social butterfly!

Bethesda, Taste by Taste

>> Sunday, October 5, 2008 – Caroline, random updates

Caroline - along with Mom, Dad, and the Morrises - came out for her second annual Taste of Bethesda.

But unlike last year's venture, this time, she was awake to see all of the action. She loved the people, doggies, and balloons (and even scored one - a balloon, not a doggie - of her own). And as a full participant, she snagged some tastes of her own, too.

This is a girl who loves hummus

There's so much to see!

This has been great - but next time, let's ditch the parents

Taking a break with Aunt Josie

After filling up on all of the goodness Bethesda has to offer, we trekked across the street to the Bethesda Chevy Chase Rescue Squad for their Open House. But first, an unxpected visit from former building-mate and BFF Rory!