Rory- 14 Months

Clothes: 2T clothing

Diapers: You are wearing Luvs Size 5 diapers (which I think run a little bigger than other brands) and size 5 Huggies Overnights

Food: You are completely off of bottles! But you drink milk out of a sippy cup and water out of a 360 cup, you know how to work a straw but still are not very good at it and you get frustrated if its not instant or if the straw is too long. You typically eat a banana and waffle in the morning and then want a snack after we drop you sister off at school. You take your nap and then eat lunch around 2. Which is usually more fruit and maybe some turkey, cheese stick or other sandwich type food. Then, at dinner you either eat what we are eating or have chicken nuggets and a veggie, usually broccoli.

Sleep: You sleep from about 7:00pm to 7:00am and then you take anywhere between a 2 and 3.5 hour nap starting around 10:30am.

Likes: You really love your sleep and have become very attached to your blanket and your puppy for nap and bedtime. When you are upset and we give those to you, you tend to calm down pretty quickly. It is beyond sweet. You still love your pacis too and we make sure to have them on hand everywhere we go. You still really love playing peek-a-boo and have become proficient in creating situations where you can say "uh oh"

Dislikes: When you don't get to eat what other people are eating. You don't like sweets, and will take a bite of a cookie or something else and then spit it out.

Highlights:
This month you got to meet Santa for the second time. You had just woken up and have been going through a bit of a Mommy phase lately so you were not happy that I handed you to anyone much less a stranger. (see picture).

We also learned that we sold our house and we will be moving in January, we are beyond excited for the neighborhood and house you will grow up in.

You attended your first wedding this month for Brent and Sheridan Miller and you were the life of your own little party. You walked around the reception like you owned the place. You had everyone laughing and you loved dancing with your Daddy and with another little girl that was there.

You continue to be a little stinker, and you are trouble! You are into everything you shouldn't and watch out when you don't get your way. You are so funny about it all and are so cute, we can't help but overlook it all and just think you are the best little girl.

Some Favorite Pics from this Month:

Rory- 13 Months

Clothes: 24 months and 2T clothing

Diapers: You are wearing Luvs Size 5 diapers (which I think run a little bigger than other brands) and size 5 Huggies Overnights

Food: Your favorites are broccoli, cheese, belvita granola bars, bread (Hawaiian rolls), you recently learned how to drink fruit pouches so you have started to like having one every now and then, chicken nuggets, you like blueberries and strawberries, peanut butter toast, raviolis or other pasta or anything else anyone is eating. You really are not too picky which is nice. You drink milk in the morning with breakfast and then don't care for it the rest of the day until after dinner/before bed. You like to drink water the rest of the day out of your 360 cup.

Sleep: You sleep from about 7:00pm til 6:30/7am and then you take anywhere between a 2 and 3.5 hour nap starting around 10:30am.

Likes: You love to play peek a boo. We say "Where's Rory" and you will put your head down or cover your eyes with your hands and then you will look up or put your hands down and we will say "there she is" and you love to do it over and over. You also like to get in trouble. You are into EVERYTHING you are not supposed to but your favorite things right now are the fireplace, the hallway closet (with the Christmas gifts and wrapping paper) and one kitchen drawer that has the spatulas in it. You are really starting to dance which is kind of fun to watch. You tend to more do more head bobbing and bouncing than real dancing but its cute that you have your own style.

Dislikes: Being held down, not getting your way, too much love from Caroline, not being home during naptime (you love your bed and your routine)

Highlights: You have 8 teeth and are working on 2 more molars on the top. You have been a snotty and drooling MESS! You can drink out of a 360 cup and don't fight us on a normal sippy cup either so much, you still want your bottle before bed but I am hoping to break you of that this month. You scared me this month when you walked up to me holding a thumbtack. I immediately panicked thinking you could have found another one and put it in your mouth and swallowed it. You put EVERYTHING in your mouth. So we made our first trip as parents to Urgent Care for an X Ray. Thankfully you hadn't swallowed anything but you sure made Mommy feel like a terrible, terrible mom. You also got to participate in your first Halloween! Mommy reserves the right to what you wear for your first trick-or-treating experience and I feel like all babies should be pumpkins their first go around. Nothing beats a baby in a pumpkin costume. It was raining but we went out for a little bit anyway and you would walk right up to the front doors but then just stare at our neighbors when they would hold the candy bowl out to you. Ha!

Some Favorite Pics from this Month:

Caroline- 5 Years Old

Oh my sweet and sassy girl, how did we get to five? Those baby years went by so fast but then these last few have felt much longer since you have been saying since you were 3.5 that you couldn't wait to be 5. I hope five is everything you envisioned and hope it to be. 

You stay pretty busy these days and go to preschool three days a week and gymnastics on one of the off days. That gives us the other day to still go to little kid storytime, at the library, with your sister. Things are going to look so different next year when you head off to kindergarten every day for longer hours than you already go to school now. Our mornings and afternoons will be filled with carpool lines, and it will be different to only have one kid around the house most of the day. But let's not get ahead of ourselves we have almost a whole year to prepare and have preschool fun before that happens! 

We love you so much and can't wait to watch you grow, though sometimes we wish we could stay here at this age a little longer.

Things I don't want to forget about you at this age.
-You panic when you realize your teeth are loose and ready to come out. I have pulled your last two after you asked me to and once it was over you were beyond excited to lose and get your next big kid tooth.
- You love Mary. You want to go and pray a Hail Mary by her statue after church before heading home.
- You are empathetic. When your sister is crying and you offering her everything (hugs, bottle, paci, new toy, YOUR toys) to make her happy again. If you notice that I am tired you suggest I close my eyes and rest for a bit and you follow it up with a hug and a pat on my back. You make your Daddy and I endless cards and pictures to show us how much you love us.
- You do not like us to not be home at bedtime and you get quite teary when you know Daddy or I won't be there to tuck you in. You insist that we come in and give you a hug and a kiss when we get home even if you have already fallen asleep.
- You sing everything and make up lots of songs too.
- You don't suck your thumb anymore since being too afraid to touch the holes left by your missing teeth.
- You still sleep with your bunny and your blankie, along with whatever the newest or "special" toy is
- At your birthday party you were most excited about everyone singing Happy Birthday to you, you ate up all the attention.


5 Year Old Interview:

1. What is your name?  Caroline

2. How old are you? Five

3. What is your favorite color? Pink

4. What is your favorite animal? Unicorns and Horses

5. Who is your best friend? Elisa

6. What is your favorite food? Cake

7. What is your favorite drink? Chocolate Milk

8. What do you like to do outside? Swing and play hide and seek

9. What is your favorite toy? My new SuperGirl 

10. What is your favorite movie? Snow White and The Grinch

11. What is your favorite tv show? Pinkalicious and Vamperina

12. What is your favorite song? Moana

13. What is your favorite book? Cinderella

14. What are you scared of? I don't know, um I'm scared of ghosts

15.  Where is your favorite place to go? Target

16. What do you want to be when you grow up? A super hero

17. Favorite thing to do with Daddy? Get Ice Cream

18. Favorite thing to do with Mommy? Go to Church

19. Favorite thing to do with Rory? Play, I mean snuggle with her

20. What are you excited about for the holidays? Because we get to make cookies for Santa

21. What is your favorite thing about School? Centers (Kitchen), Alphabet Soup (Q Q in the pot, stir it up and make it hot)

22. What are you looking forward to most about being FIVE? KINDERGARTEN!!!

Rory Jane is ONE

Stats: Weight 21 lbs 1.5 oz , Height 29.5"

Clothing: Size 24m or 2T

Diapers: size 4 or 5 depending on the brands or overnights

Teeth: 4 working on 4 more

Favorite Foods: Bananas, Blueberries, Raviolis or whatever anyone else is eating, you are not usually picky, thank goodness.

Words: Mama, Dada, "Ess" Yes, "iss" Sissy, "Nigh- Nigh" night night,  you have said dog and ball a couple of times and your newest word is "ah nana" Banana.

Favorite Toys: Little People, Light up toys, Touch n' Feel books (you don't like me to read to you but you will sit with a book by yourself for a long time.

For your birthday this year you and your sister had a joint party. Most of our family lives outside the Houston area so we thought it would be easier for everyone traveling to combine your parties. It happened to be the day after your actual birthday and we had it at a gymnastics place where Caroline takes classes every week. You had a great time! You loved running around on the soft mats and bouncing on the trampolines with Mommy.

Up to this point, for Caroline, we have always had family parties at our house, but since our house is on the market to be sold we decided to outsource the party haha. We ended up having a few people over to the house after the party to watch you girls open your fits (since we din't have any showings scheduled) but then everyone headed out. It was nice to have someone else deal with the set up and clean up but I wish we could have visited with everyone from out of town a little more. Maybe once we are at the new house we will have a little more room to entertain adults and have cousins play.

You obviously didn't notice most of the details but you had a vanilla unicorn cupcake that you just played with the icing. I don't thin you cared much for the sweetness of your treat but that's okay. You got a couple of presents that light up and play music and I never want to forget how, for the first time, you said "ooo" when you saw them. It was the cutest thing to see you react to those new toys.

Oh Rory Jane, how did we get here already. I am NOT ready for you to be one or any age besides what you are now from here on out...okay?

You are such a different baby than Caroline was but the differences make it that much more fun!
You are confident, determined, persistent, and won't settle for no. You are beautiful, funny, independent and reserved until you have an opinion.

We still have so much to learn about you but I know whatever you face, you will conquer. I pray you will love as fiercely as you live, and that you and your sister stay the best of friends.

You are everything we never knew we needed and such a blessing to have and know. We love you Rory Jane! Happy 1st Birthday!

Rory- Eleven Months

Clothes: You are wearing 18-24 month clothing.

Diapers: You are wearing size 4 diapers, but I am about to switch to size 5 at least in overnights

Food: You like food. I need to be more adventurous because right now you have the best diet of any of us (as it should be) but I need to expand your food choices even if we don't eat them. I am determined to help you not be as picky as your sister.

Sleep: Still waking up once a night. Someday I will sleep a full night again...someday.

Likes: You love it when people follow behind you and stomp or try and chase you, you crack up laughing. You love to go shopping, it's a whole new world in the big kid seat in the cart. You just sit there in silence soaking in all the sights. You have discovered your rocking lamb in your room. You love it when I sit you on it and move it back and forth. You still love your swing outside and making the rocking chairs rock when you sit in them.

Dislikes: You do not like being denied a nap or a bottle when you want one. We are trying to switch you to one nap a day and some days it is really easy and others you seem to really need or at least want a second nap. You do not like to be set down when you are teething, you usually don't whine or cry unless someone isn't holding you. Ha!

Highlights: You finally have more teeth! You started getting your two top middle teeth making four teeth so far. You learned to high-five this month. It is too cute! You grab our hand with one hand, as if to hold it still, and then with the other hand you will hit ours gently over and over. You are definitely becoming your own person now. We also went to your first Aggie tailgate, you weren't in the best mood after coming off of a week of teething, and it was a pretty hot day, but you did enjoy hanging out with your cousin Landon.

Some Favorite Pics from this Month:

Rory- Ten Months

Clothes: You are wearing 18-24 month clothing. Mainly 18 months but a few things fit you that are 24 months already.

Diapers: You are wearing size 4 diapers.

Food: There are only a few things I have found that you won't eat, hard boiled eggs you wouldn't try and you aren't a fan of peas. But everything else you have tried and eaten. You especially want whatever we are eating. You still love your bottles and drink about 4-5 6oz bottles a day. We need to work on you using a sippy cup but I haven't found one that you will even attempt to drink out from.

Sleep: Girl, can we please sleep through the night soon? Please? You are still getting up once a night, it is usually between 3-4am and you go right back to sleep so I feel like I really can't complain but this last week your wakings have been more frequent or at more random times. I know its just a phase but let's get back on track, please? Pretty please?

Likes: Every time I put you in the car you get really excited to see yourself in the mirror on the backseat, I am so glad you like (or tolerate) the car now, even if its just because of the mirror. You still have eyes for your Daddy, and boy do you light up when he comes around. You still think your sister is beyond funny, and I guess you like me too ;) You like board books, lift-a-flap books, and books with different textures on the pages. You like being a stinker and getting into everything you shouldn't. You like your sleep and your pacis and as long as I am moving you still like to be in your Ergo Carrier but not much longer now that you are more mobile I am sure.

Dislikes: You don't like me to leave you anymore. We took you and Caroline to Adventure PlayCare (a drop in hourly daycare) this month a couple of times while Mommy and Daddy had a few house meetings. You looked at me like I had betrayed you, and since that first time you have been very wary of anyone else wanting to hold you except Daddy and me. They said you were happy once I was out of sight but when I picked you  up you started crying again like you had remembered I had left. Sorry Baby Girl!

Highlights: You are WALKING!! You started a few weeks ago but the last couple of days you are choosing to walk instead of crawl most of the time. It's crazy to me you are walking a whole two months sooner than Caroline did. My sweet baby, please slow down! We went to your cousin, Mia's 1st Birthday, it was so much fun to celebrate her big day! We cannot wait to see yall grow up together and be the best of friends!

Some Favorite Pics from this Month: