Its Halloween time in State College.  This year Carrie is a duck as it is the only real discernible animal sound she can make. :-)  I'll put pictures up after tonight's trick or treating.  We may be inside or outside as the rain from Hurricane Sandy is still lingering over us.  She had her Halloween party yesterday at school.  We were there some other parents for story time, snack time, and for their craft time; they made an owl.  Carrie's buddy Connor was not in a good mood at all and his mom took him home before snack time was even over.  Hopefully, he'll feel better for trick or treating tonight.  Happy Halloween everyone!

So I actually used my vegetable garden that Nate built for me last mother's day this year.  I'm using this as a place to keep information on the plants I'm growing.
Parsley: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93079BU8Q-E
Cilantro: http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/herb/how-to-harvest-cilantro.htm

   This past weekend we had Carrie's first birthday party celebration.  Surrounded by family and friends, my beautiful little girl had a great time.  Winnie the Pooh was all over the place and we played "Pin the Hunny Jar on the Pooh Bear".  She opened tons of great gifts from those who her including a wagon, a sand box, a bead maze, blocks, books, stuffed animals, and lots of fun things to play with outside this summer.  And the cake...she looooved the icing.  Not so much the actual cake (she spit it out) but she loved the icing.  We stripped her down and she dove in but did so in a relatively neat fashion.  I only cried when everyone sang Happy Birthday (we had to do it twice, that's my bad).  I can't believe a year has come and gone.  All I can think about was 8:44am on Thursday, April 21st these days.  I can't wait to see what the next year has in store...but at the same time, it doesn't have to come so damn quickly. :-)    

                        

There are so many things we take for granted in life.  God blessed Nathan and I with our beautiful baby girl with no issues or complications.  We have been unbelievably fortunate in all things.  I say this in relation to the TLC television show The Little Couple.  This show is about Bill and Jennifer Klein, two little people, married and living in Texas.  They have faced a great deal throughout their lives related to their physical condition.  But they are incredibly positive, funny, and caring people.  They have been successful in love and in their professions.  Over the past two seasons, the show has documented their attempts at having a baby of their own.  They have had to face the fact that it is too dangerous for Jennifer to bare a child and have now gone through two cycles of implanting embryos in a surrogate.  They have lost one pregnancy and the second time around they didn't even achieve that.  It's incredibly heartbreaking.  It makes me so thankful for how simple it was for me to conceive, carry, and deliver my precious baby girl.  I hope that all those who have been blessed with healthy pregnancies and healthy children to remember its not always the case for everyone.  Be grateful every day.  I know I am.

So April is here.  This is going to be crazy!  We'll be in DC for Passover and Easter, then my parents come to State College the next weekend, then Nate's parents come the next weekend.  And we even already have plans for that last weekend of April.  This will probably help with my neurosis over the fact my child is turning 1 in 3 threes.  I won't have much time to really sit and think about it too much.  I also have 3 papers to write over the next month (I think).  Summer will be here before I know it.  I can't wait to get Carrie out in the nice weather and at the pool this year.  Hopefully she'll do more than just sit and stare at the water like she did at 2 months old :-)  See as how much she enjoys bath time, I think we'll have a good time at the pool.

OH! And how could I forget to mention...Carrie's first hair cut was this weekend!  She did an awesome job.  She got to sit in a little red car in the salon and enjoyed every minute of it.  Tory was great with her.  Pictures soon.  And hopefully video.  I'm currently having a fight with my video camera and computer regarding the upload from the camera to the computer.  GRRRRR.

Caroline is  super crawler now!  Check out her moves!  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mi0C2Mqyf0g&list=UUOd8Ar7uepKo4s-z-dN2IpA&index=1&feature=plcp

Caroline Month 11

Sooo....my daughter turns 11 months old tomorrow.  I am having the most difficult time wrapping my mind around the fact I am going to have a 1 year old.  I am having more difficulty than I did with actually giving birth. That was part of the process.  It was what was supposed to happen.  My baby is not supposed to be growing up.  I can't even believe this!  She is jabbering away all the time.  She LOVES when we walk her around.  She doesn't want to sit down anymore.  She just wants to stand all the time.  She likes to scoot around our table all the time now.  She's such a little person now.  I can't express how much I love that little girl.