Eleven Months Old!

Our sweet Caroline is 11 months old today! It is so hard to believe she will be a year in one month. It has gone by so swiftly, but it has been the most blessed and rewarding year of our lives. She now has four teeth, two on top and two on bottom. She took her first real steps on Tuesday of this week. Before she would kind of run/fall at you, but she is now taking 4-5 steps alone. Caroline was standing without holding on and she stooped and then stood back up. I praised her and got excited. Then she looked over to my mom sitting about three feet away and just took off walking! We have been playing the back and forth walking game a lot now. She loves being outside and thankfully it has been nicer lately ,although there is snow on the weekend forecast :( , so we go to the park almost daily. She loves to swing, climb in a tunnel, walk holding onto the equipment and go down the slides. She yells and points at any kids that run by. She is very fascinated with other kids. She has started eating table food and is doing great. She is eating toast, fruit-bananas, berries, grapes, avocado, veggies-cooked carrots, cheese and meat all by herself. She really enjoys feeding herself. We are really trying to start her off on a healthy lifestyle and eating fresh, good-for-you food. She still has to work into letting other people holding her, but she will talk to, smile at and play with pretty much anyone that she sees. She jabbers in her own language. She also has really taken a liking to our cat Chloe and loves when she is in the window or she gets to pet her. Luckily Chloe likes any attention and just rolls on her back with her belly in the air. I am so excited, because we will make it to a year breastfeeding (and at least a few months past with all my frozen milk). I retired my pump last month, which is such a weight off my shoulders (literally!). I am going to let her start weaning herself when she turns one and give her milk in a cup, but I will definitely miss it!

My parents got us tickets to see George Strait and Reba for our fifth dating anniversary. Leeann Womack opened. The concert was so much fun and of course the music was amazing. I had to work that day until about three and I had to work the next day, so I was pretty tired when the concert wrapped up around midnight!

Reading a book!

I love swinging!

Doing some dancing while eating!


At the zoo looking at fish.

She spent the whole time pointing and telling me which way to go!

Visiting the cousins- with Daegan

Maison Checking out Eme

The whole crew

One of my good friend's Julie is having a baby girl soon and we had her shower last weekend. From left to right is Elise-doing general surgery in Fort Worth, Stephanie-doing neurosurgery in Michigan and getting married in June, Julie-doing Ob/Gyn in OKC and due April 16th. I love these girls!!

Crawling in a tunnel with daddy

Eating like a big girl on St. Pattie's

Swinging on a beautiful day!

I am on ICU nights this month. I work 6:45 pm to 12-1 am, which really isn't bad at all. I get to spend all day with Caroline and I love it! I also get to work with one of my amazing classmates that is moving soon to start residency in neurosurgery in Michigan, so I glad I get to see her so much before she goes! Our prayer lists have been pretty full the last couple of weeks. Mike's grandma had a stroke the last week of Feb. and on the way back from the hospital Mike's dad started having chest pain and was admitted. Marlene is back home and adjusting to some decreased vision and new meds, but thankfully has no motor or cognitive impairments. Wayne had a heart cath, which was clear, so we are thankful for that as well. One of the residents at OSU in the ER that I have worked with two different months has four kids ranging from 8 years to 13 months. It was recently found that his 3 year old daughter has neuroblastoma, a type of cancer. She is in the hospital and undergoing chemo. My friend Elizabeth had a baby boy, Eli, on March 1st and had a very difficult labor, resulting in some complications for Eli. He had to be transferred to Children's hospital for the NICU and spent over a week there. He is now home and doing better, but has to be on anti-seizure meds for a while. He sure is a handsome little one! My heart has been very heavy lately, especially for the two kiddos and their wonderful parents. On a lighter note, we got to have a playdate with my friend Kelly and her daughter Molly a couple weeks ago. Molly was born 6 weeks premature back in June, spent time in the NICU and then had some complications a little while later and spent another week in the hospital then. Thankfully she is doing great and getting so big and beautiful!

I have 21 days of work left until I graduate! I am working with Mike next month and I help teach a class for the second years on weds and thurs so I will be working mon, tues and fri.