Everything!

Before the saga begins, I want to update you on my dr. appt I had on Monday. It was perfect- baby's heart beat was 156 and everything seems to be perfect. Get this...in 3 WEEKS...3 WEEKS...September 14th....we will know if baby is a boy or a girl!! For some reason this has snuck up on us so fast!! A twinge of panic set in, but it will still be early...only 16 weeks. We had to wait til 20 weeks for Caroline, so we're still ahead of the game. We can't wait!!
Ok....now the other stuff!
We made it! Our long awaited trip home has finally come. Caroline and I flew into Atlanta Tuesday afternoon. Grandpa Wakefield picked us up and took us to Rome to stay with my parents for a few days. On our way to Rome we stopped and visited our sweet friends Emily and Wendell Brewton in Powder Springs. They have 3 precious children and Emily is expecting baby number 4 next month. It was so good to see them. I also realized how amazing 7 year olds are with babies...Emily and I joked that I needed to "register" for a 7 year old to help me with the babies! Bethany (7) and Hannah (5) played SO well with Caroline- it was fun to watch!

We are relaxing here in Rome now- Caroline is actually taking wonderful naps and giving me a chance to get on the computer. She is in heaven with so many new faces and new toys and new unchartered territories! She is going full speed ahead all day long. I am so glad she is getting to spend some time with her Grammi, Grandpa, and Uncle Rew. Tonight we are off to the restaurant where Andrew works- we'll enjoy some yummy Italian food. Rew is supposed to begin his road trip across America to California sometime next week, and I think Little Rock may be his first stop- so we get a double dose of Uncle Rew! Wahoo!!! Hope he doesn't mind living with boxes everywhere!

On Friday Caroline and I will head to Atlanta to stay with Aunt Cara and Uncle Chris- my sister and brother in law. We can't wait!! We are throwing Cara's baby shower on Saturday. It is going to be the event of the year!! We are so excited to celebrate baby boy Seaver- still waiting for the name confirmation. We can't wait to enjoy some sister time and girl talk! And, we can rub each others baby bellies! heehee. Who would have thought we'd be preggo together? Perfect! Also, I have been craving Korean food, so we may have the Wakefield crew enjoy some yummy pulgogi Saturday evening. :)

We will leave on Sunday to go to Milledgeville to visit with the Hobbs' . We will hopefully get to visit with Ben and Sarah and grandparents and maybe cousins, aunts, uncles...whoever will come visit! It will be nice to see everyone....we probably won't be ready to leave. :( Caroline is in for a fun time....and lots of spoiling by all these family members! Hopefully she's eating it up and saving some for the weeks ahead when we're back in Arkansas.

We do miss daddy. We wish Brad were here with us. He is finished one last week of ped. surgery (PRAISE THE LORD!) He is on call 3 times this week...so really we wouldn't be seeing much of him even if we were at home. This was a perfect week for us to be away. He wanted to come with us so badly, but we have a week of vacation planned mid September in Hilton Head that he is holding out for.

We are officially in our new house and LOVE it!!! We worked our fannies off moving weekend and got everything out of the apartment- hopefully never to go back!! The house is perfect- it seems so big to us since we've been trapped for so many months in our apartment! Caroline has had a ball with all the stuff that is around- we just have to watch her very closely because she is up and mobile now, which means several bumps, bruises, and falls each day. Brad's mom was sweet enough to fly out the weekend we moved to help us. Thank the Lord she did bc she helped us tremendously. Caroline is a full time job so without a hand, we could not have gotten half of what we did done without her. We have our kitchen unpacked and groceries bought, our bedrooms up, not decorated, and bathroom livable. I hated to leave Brad in boxes up to his ears, but we left 2 days after we moved in. It may be awhile til all those boxes disappear- with just me and CGH it's tough to get anything done. Bit by bit, piece by piece we'll get there. And I am living for the day when I can relax on our couch in our living room (decorated!) and take a good nap, knowing things are right where they are supposed to be. So what if it's not til November...we'll get there eventually. :)

Pictures will have to come later....I'm not up for loading them while we are traveling. I need to start snapping away. Instead, I'm just soaking up the wonderful seconds that we are spending with our family- savoring them!

The Zoo

It was HOT! You can tell sweet girl is sweating!!

Brad's photo skills at work through a chain link fence- read below. Brad has a fascination with bald eagles...???

She did not enjoy our picnic lunch...hot bananas didn't make her happy.

They got to feed the birds nectar in little cups. Brad tried so hard to get one to stand on his arm, but they wouldn't. They nipped at your hand if you didn't have nectar.

In the stroller for oh, about 10 minutes.

Last Saturday Brad was post call (he worked the day before, through the night, and came home mid morning the next day) but he had been able to catch a couple of hours of sleep. He was up for an adventure with the fam, so we decided to head to the zoo. It was absolutely miserable because of the heat, but Brad is a trooper. He carried, pushed, and held Caroline the whole time. I think we probably spent equal time outside with the animals and inside the air conditioned cafeteria. But it was fun. Caroline was hot as could be, but she enjoyed seeing the animals. Caroline loved the tigers and Brad was fascinated with the bald eagle. He spent a good 20 minutes photographing their talons...hahhaha. We walked off and had to come back to get him. I personally enjoyed the air conditioning....and I guess the elephants, if I have to choose a fav. Here are a couple pictures from that day. It was SO good to have daddy with us- we miss him when he's working!! I think next time we will try the zoo in the early spring or late fall...when it's not 100 degrees outside.

Blog Vaca

I promise that we are alive- it's just been awhile since I've been able to sit down and blog. We've been busy getting re-packed to move this weekend. We have movers coming on Saturday a.m. to take our things to our new house! We are so excited. We have been a little overwhelmed with everything- packing, moving issues, and planning our (Caroline and I) trip back to Georgia on Tuesday. We will be visiting family and hosting my sister's baby shower!! We are so thrilled to be going- it's just a lot to get ready for in the midst of a move- so I promise more fun blogs are on there way. Don't give up on me just yet. :)

Could it be??

Caroline took a few steps today! I watched her attempt and try a few different times this morning, so this evening I pulled the camera out just in case I could capture a tiny step. She can stand so well on her own, but she likes to cruise the furniture and her toys. She usually will "think about walking" and resort to her knees to crawl, or attempt and tumble. If you look closely you can see her little step to the tv armories! Call me a proud mommy...I admit!

Our other adventure today entailed a trip outside. So many of you have heard me complain of no yard and how much I hate being cooped up in the apartment. So this afternoon I decided I would go outside and find a patch of grass somewhere....and we'd play, read books, blow bubbles, etc. Like we USED to do everyday!! So really and truly the only option for us was across the street from our particular building, and it was kind of a little slopped....well actually it was a hill. But we were determined to spend some time out, so we made it work. Hahahha. Just watch the video and you can share in my giggles. She didn't get hurt...promise! :)

Absolutly Nothing

Eating her yummy teeting biscuit watching tv...smearing the armoire with her sweet little hands!
Yummy eggs!

Hmm....this doesn't seem right....

I was talking to my sweet friend Kristina last night about how I haven't blogged in awhile because I feel like I have nothing fun to write about- we are staying at home everyday just playing, doing our thing. No fun outings to report of, no amazing stories to tell. She encouraged me to keep going anyway- so here are some of the hum-drum things that are going on.

I'm so excited that the cat if finally out of the bag about baby #2 and that I can talk about it with everyone. It seems that since I have shared it- my sickness has subsided!! I am happy to say I have had a good week thus far...maybe I'm over the hump of the 1st trimester, though I'm only 11 weeks this coming Thursday. Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement- it has helped.

Caroline is into everything! She is getting more and more adventuresome now that she is "mobile" (that's what the nursery worker called her on Sunday a.m.- as well as "big boy".... come on! She's a girl!! She doesn't have much hair, but she wears dresses and flowery shoes and everything else that could label her as a girl. Oh well) So back to the mobile....she crawls around on her own with her own agenda lately. I now see why we need baby gates- I think we'll wait till our new house to see exactly how many we'll need, but I'm constantly following little bit around now...and she's constantly bumping her head and falling over things. It's amazing how resilient they are and how a kiss and swoop up in mommy's arms can make things all better. She enjoys playing in the Tupperware kitchen cabinet now, and she likes to wander into our bathrooms- she actually surprised daddy while he was in the shower the other day. He finished showering, opened the curtain, and there she was standing silently at the edge of the tub, just a grinning. She is a trip! Brad is constantly amazed at all she can do because he isn't getting to spend as much time with her as I have gotten to. He'll say "did you know she can stand all by herself unsupported?? Did you know she can crawl to you all the way from over there??" I'm glad he gets to see and share in the fun times of our little GROWING Caroline. We miss him lots while he is at work. To put it mildly. :(

Caroline and I went to Lowe's today to buy packing tape and saran wrap for our furniture! I must say that I don't think I have EVER been this excited, this ready, this happy about a move. I am MORE than ready to be out of this yucky apartment- it will be 1 weeks shy of 3 months that we have been in this dungeon and I am so excited about our house we're renting. The house is not magnificent- but it will be ours! No neighbors above/below, no stairs to climb, a yard and neighborhood for us to explore/meet people, a pool and park a block away. I can't wait! SO we will begin throwing things in boxes every evening and the movers will be here on Aug. 22nd at 8:00 to start the moving process. Pray it all goes smoothly because we don't have a lot of time or resources/people to help. I can't wait!!

Caroline is starting to eat real people food. She had her first breakfast of all good stuff this morning- bananas, toast with applesauce on it, and eggs. She is so much fun to watch eat because she is still figuring out the best way to maneuver her hands to her mouth, but she's doing so well. She's taking a bottle still, but she loves eating whatever we eat, whenever we eat it. She absolutely loves her yo-baby yogurt and squeals with delight when she sees me get it out of the refrigerator. She also has been enjoying teething biscuit cookies. I had NO IDEA how messy these things were!!! She gets covered- head to toe with them each time she eats them, but she is so stinking cute I don't even care! She chows down on those things and enjoys them as she watches sesame street or we are on a stroll, but wherever she has it, her surroundings need hosed down afterwards. She gets to wait till bath time to get hosed down, but furniture gets immediate attention. Today I pulled it away from her because she had dropped it in the carpet, gotten hair all over it, and had nibbled it down to a "chokable" size, and she screamed bloody murder. So, I think she enjoys them. :)

That's all for now- not sure what else I could share. Probably just the grandmothers are reading this anyway...you know how they love those grand babies! :)

Sweet Surprise

Well, I guess it is about time for me to post a blog about the most exciting thing that has been going on in our lives right now.... most of you already know that we are expecting baby #2 around March 4th. We are so excited, so thrilled, and just completely overwhelmed with the wonderful news. While this baby was a surprise for us, we couldn't be more happy about it! It has taken a little while for it to set in, but we are daily falling more and more in love with the idea of a family of 4 and the idea of Caroline becoming a big sister! We are thankful that God is in charge of the master plan, not us, so we are happy the Lord is bringing yet another bundle of joy into our lives! This has been a very different pregnancy that my first with a lot of yucky sick nauseousness with a tad of toilet hugging on the side. BLAH. Bless you ladies that have sickness your entire pregnancy- I pray DAILY that this will pass and be finished. As we approach the end of the 1st trimester I am hopeful that things will get back to normal- whatever that may be! We can't wait to find out whether Caroline will have a brother or a sister- but either way we will be so excited~ although we have a hunch it's a baby boy, but we have never guessed any one's baby correctly, why would we know our own?? So we'll see. I think mid October we should be able to find out. Anyways...there is the fun news! Next Dr. appt we should have a fun picture to show of our little love #2!

conversations with caroline

Caroline and I made our first of many planned trips to Nashville this past week. We went to have a much needed visit with our dear friends from med school- Shaefer, Kristina, and little Camden. We left on Tuesday, made a successful 5 1/2 hour trip in about 6 1/2 hours and arrived at their beautiful townhouse around 5:30 that evening. The drive wasn't so bad...I think I was so excited about getting to see them that I could have drove forever! Caroline did fabulous- just a couple stops, blueberry muffin bribery, and several potty breaks and we were there.

It was SO nice to have another person- even better another best friend- who wakes up at the crack of dawn with you, plays, eats, naps, and enjoys the same daily routine as you. Mommy hood sometimes gets lonely- especially in new towns, so we were thrilled to get to spend every second together. Camden is a tad bit more of an early riser than my little one- but not by much. We were up and dancing each morning by at least 6:30. Cam made her earliest appearance one morning at 4:50- she wanted to see her daddy before he left for the hospital I guess. I hope she didn't share that secret with Caroline- we aim for 7:00 a.m. latest- usually around 6:30-I get her from her crib and bring her to my room. I have successfully taught her how to roll around and be lazy in bed (mommy's bed) for a good 30 minutes while we both "Wake up". Then it's game time. We walked with Kristina's neighbor and son, enjoyed bubbles outside, played really hard with all Cam's toys since they were "new" to Caroline, and even got to go out on some adventures. Kristina and I took the girls to their 2nd tea party (1st was in Macon when they were itty bitty) for lunch and then out to a Japanese steak house for dinner. They did fabulous- as long as good food is involved, they seem to work well with us! Kristina spoiled me rotten with fabulous cooking and a servants heart. She's the best.

Caroline is definitely a mover and a shaker- I think Camden was in awe at how much energy she had! Camden is the most entertaining eater- hopefully Caroline took notes- and she is also an amazing walker now!! She loves to show off her skills. I think Caroline wanted to follow in her footsteps (literally b/c she was on top of Cam most the time) and try climbing stairs. I know that soon Caroline will have these skills mastered...but hopefully mommy has a little more time to go before we are worrying about stair injuries! Kristina got a few good laughs at how clumsy Caroline (or could it be her mommy??) is- she had so many bumps and scratches, but she's a cruiser now- and that's what happens right? Her balance is getting better and better...soon we'll have a walker on our hands!

It was positively heart breaking to leave them on Friday- we missed daddy, but we SO enjoyed girl time. If only we were in the same town....but God had other plans so we'll keep the friendship flame alive from a distance. We can't wait to host them in our new town...once we are in a house and have room. I'm so glad Caroline will have these fun pictures to look back at and remember her first BFF. :)

Fun times!

So these past few weeks have been so much fun- but so busy. Sorry for the lack of blogging. Brad's parents and Niki came to visit us last weekend. We were so excited to have them surprise us with an early flight. I was already back in bed snuggled up during Caroline's fist nap when my phone rings and it's Deb. I ignored and thought I would call her later when I got up. Then I heard pounding on the front door- through closed doors and a box fan. When what to my wondering eyes did appear-- but the Hobbs standing on our doorstep!! It was like Christmas! We had a whole extra day to spend with them. Hopefully they didn't mind my bedhead and pj's too much. :)

We spent Thursday thru Monday enjoying every second of their visit. Caroline was in HEAVEN with so many playmates- all anxious to pick her up each and every second she was awake...and then they were equally as anxious to be the "one" to put her down for her nap and get to watch her fall asleep. I couldn't have asked for anymore of a break that weekend- I was in much need of a little R&R so they came at the perfect time! I got to sleep in, go out sans baby- to lunch and a movie with Niki, sit back and relax during the day, and only be "mommy" when absolutely necessary. Don't get me wrong- I love being Caroline's mommy...but every mommy knows how good it feels to have someone truly share the load! Thank you a million and seven times Hobbs. It was truly fabulous! The only thing missing was having Uncle Ben and Aunt Sarah here- hopefully we'll get to see them soon!!

Brad got to visit a little while they were here, though he worked majority of the time. We went and had dinner at the hospital one night and enjoyed seeing him in his doctor roll. He was the busiest he had ever been that weekend, so he was exhuasted when he got home post call on the Monday they were leaving to go home. He stayed up for a delicious french toast breakfast by chef nana Deb, then he hit the sack. We all packed up and headed to the airport for a day of stand by fun...which thankfully ended perfectly with them on a 4:45 flight back to ATL. We said one goodbye, watched them go through security, then headed to the airport restaurant to wait and see if they had to wait for the next flight- which they did. So we had an hour to eat and play and say our goodbyes one more time before they jumped on the next flight. It was so sad to say goodbye- but we know we'll see them next month in Georgia when we come home for the first time. So as long as there is a "next time" on the calendar, maybe it won't be so bad....but we do miss our families TERRIBLY. We love you all!

Aunt Carrot

We were so blessed to have my sister Cara come spend the week with us last week- hence the absence of blogs...we were busy playing! :) She flew into LR on Tuesday evening and stayed till Saturday night. It was SO good to have her here- she loves Caroline so much and it's truly amazing to see how Caroline loves her Aunt so much! CGH has started to have some separation anxiety/issues with people she isn't familiar with so it's always my prayer that whenever family comes around she won't freak out and act silly like she doesn't recognize them. Well my heart was overjoyed when she say Cara she reached for her and hugged her and ate her hair (her new act of endearment) like she hadn't skipped a beat! Sometimes I think that all the hours my sis put into helping me keep Caroline while I finished work helped ingrain her into Caroline's little heart. It was fun to see the interaction. We didn't really do a whole lot of anything while Cara was here- just hung out, swam, ate good food, and attempted to sleep. Caroline must have known Cara was here because she decided to wake up each night- wide eyed and bushy tailed- for hours on end while we attempted to sleep. She must have known we had company and wanted to make every minute count!

Cara and her husband Chris are expecting their 1st sweet little boy to arrive at the end of October. We can't wait!! It's so fun to see her going through all the pregnant emotions, thoughts, and actions that I just went through. I love it! I wish I were closer to be able to share in her EVERYDAY life and routines- but that's not the way it is right now, so we'll make the best of what we have. I'll see them again the last week in August for her baby shower. I can't wait!!

Big Girl Shoes!

Ok, so is it just me or do Caroline's new shoes make her look like such a big girl?? Or is it the little bike she's riding, or the teeth she's sporting? I think she is really getting big...despite my efforts to keep her in "babydom" forever. We may have a toddler on our hands! She officially has started crawling- on her 8 month bday she realized she could go wherever she wanted as fast as she wanted if she would put forth a little effort...she has the will...so she will find a way! Then today, she was supposed to be napping and I noticed she was making a little bit of "conversation" via the monitor, so I peeked at the video monitor...only to see her feet. She was standing up in her crib! We knew the day was coming, but it's blowing my mind how fast it has arrived! So I went in and luckily was able to capture a picture, then put her back to sleep, despite both of our excitement. She looks like she is giving a little "devilish" grin...which could mean she's up to no good. Hopefully she'll be able to figure out how to get back down once she's pulled herself up...or it could be an even longer-louder night time routine. I officially let her cry it out the whole night last night...again. I feel like I've done this 77 times, but I have officially hit exhaustion- so it's time. She slept from 7-2:45. Then she cried, and cried, and cried. Now, some parents tell me "I know it's horrible! Our baby cried for like...45 minutes!" Well, we have a bit of a different child on our hands. She can cry like the best of them and proceeded to cry for 2 1/2 hours- around 5 when daddy left for work she went back to sleep and didn't budge til 7:45 (wahoo!!). Hopefully tonight we'll have a little less....and then a little less...until hopefully she's snoozing through the night. We'll see. Pray hard! She's a tough cookie!!

Secret Admirerers

I have been spoiled this week!!! I must say it has been a rough week...not feeling good, busy husband, tiny apartment, firecracker of a baby that NEVER stops and still won't sleep through the night....anyway, it all started feeling a bit heavy. Until my days were brightened by these SWEET surprises!! My amazing sister, Cara, sent me the most gorgeous edible arrangement of fresh fruit...yummy!! It was delicious. I was SO excited to see it arrive on Tuesday afternoon.

Then today, what do I find at my door?? But a box from Mrs. Fields Cookie Company! It had a whole bunch of different sweet treats and yummy snacks in it. I frantically searched to find out who blessed me with my sugar high for the day, but there was no name attached to the message. SO...if whoever sent me the sweet cookies will fess up and admit to your thoughtfulness, I want to thank you!!

Thanks to everyone for your calls, goodies, mail, packages, and listening ears. You have all been my rock through the past few weeks. I love you all very much. I wish I could share my cookies with you!

Moo!!!

Today was National Cow Appreciation Day at Chick fil A. Since I definitely appreciate Chick fil a, I thought we would go be supporters of our favorite fast food establishment. Once again, Brad was post call but joined us anyway. We have the best daddy/husband ever! Amber and I have been pining over Chick fil a since we got to Arkansas. We were used to eating CFA at least once a week, if not more in Georgia. Well, it's a different story here. Reason #1- there is only 1 CFA in Little Rock, and one in the mall food court. You would think in a city this size there would be several, but they don't realize what they're missing! #2- We are living in a new realm of "budget-dom" where eating out is not as frequent as it used to be. Who would have thought a chicken sandwich could make your day so much brighter?? Well our Friday afternoon was devoted to this fun day- and to make it even better- since our little one was dressed head to toe in cow attire, one value meal was free! One day Caroline will be eating her little chicken nuggets along side mommy and daddy- but this year she was still snacking on her peas and sweet potatoes. We played on the playground for a little while after we were done eating until our heads were about to combust with all the screaming little cows running around in there. I actually had to lift a 8 year old boy out from behind a slide because he got stuck...oh the adventures of CFA. Gotta love it!

REWIND the weekend

Monday evening we met the Rutledges at the Big Dam Bridge- no, I didn't cuss. That is what it's called. It is a huge dam over the Arkansas River that lets barges through all day long. I guess that is it's main purpose, but 2nd to that it is a hot spot for bikers, walkers, joggers, etc. We decided since it was not particularly scorching that evening to walk a little ways. We only made it half way before baby girl was ready for her dinner, but it was fun. I would love to go back sometime soon and do the whole bridge- but little love will have to be in a great mood for that one. She doesn't like either of her strollers much anymore, so the carrier is what we have been using and it seems to be pacifying her for the most part...for now at least. After that, I'm not sure what we'll try. Amber mentioned she had a red wagon. We may be sporting that next week! :)

She got a good little nap in before the adventure.

This is where you start- well you can start on both sides, but this was our side of the river.

Amazingly we ran into THE only other person I know in Little Rock- my 2nd cousin Travis. He was enjoying the evening as well.

Both dads were post call with almost no sleep- so major props go out to them for enjoying an evening with the family. Notice they are both propped up on the rail, probably trying to keep themselves from falling down they were so tired. I must say, Brad was sporting baby girl as best he could...she enjoyed riding on her daddy for the way up the bridge, but insisted mommy carry her down on the way back.

I want to stop here for a minute and tell you what troopers these boys are! They have only been new residents for 6 days- and both had around 79 hours logged already. They have been busting their tails working non-stop everyday and their brains are officially on overload. BUT, they are turning into doctors!! It's so fun to hear the new milestones they hit each day. And it is reassuring that they are in a profession that they LOVE. Brad really has enjoyed his work- apart from the tiredness. From wearing 6 pagers at once, answering all consultations, and writing/dictating discharge summaries and notes all day long- these boys deserve a medal....or at least a nice walk across a bridge. :)

Caroline got her first set of wheels this weekend! She has with out a doubt gotten bored out of her mind with all her "baby toys" and has needed something new and exciting to entertain her through out our days at home. So we made a trek to wally world and picked out this fun toy and some new books. I must say, books are her favorite- no toy has yet to pique her interest as much as her touch and feel books. I'm glad- books don't take near as much effort on mommy's part!

CGH was sporting her Georgia onesie today and we really were asked if that was for the Greenbay Packers. REALLY?? No, GOOOOOOO DAWGS!! SIC 'EM!

SATURDAY

Even though daddy was post call and very sleepy on the 4th, we made it out to a few festivities at the Clinton Library Park. They had moonwalks, music, yummy fair food (which we gave in and got a foot long corn dog, nachos, and a lemonade!) and lots of people. It was very hot, but we enjoyed it for as long as we could. No fireworks this year- except for the ones outside our window around 10:00 that woke us up. We missed being with friends and family a lot! Holidays- even as small as the 4th of July- are just not the same with out your loved ones.

I love this picture...but the silly girl climbing the hill like Godzilla kinda ruins it.

You can't catch me!!

Why can't I jump on those bouncey things??