From infant to toddler....

So we survived our first Thanksgiving....though I can tell you that my child's new 'tantrum once a day' routine is really not going over so well with me. I think she's demonstrating her sense of free will and by free will I mean, throwing food, throwing the crib rail guards across the room, kicking mommy when she tries to get her dressed, slamming her hand at the toy you just took away and that inevitable BACK ARCH (ARGH). Its so interesting to see the development...and speaking of, I SWEAR a switch like just went off in her head this week as she hit 10 months.

All of a sudden, sign language is so easy to her. She does signs for 'more' (which is SO helpful), 'milk' and 'all done'. I literally will say "Caroline do you want milk?" and she'll do the sign....or she'll look at me and do the sign and when I say "do you want milk?" she kind of shakes her head like THANK YOU MAMA!!! We're now working on HELP and AGAIN. Luke and Natalie stopped by with the boys on their way through town which was awesome and little Danny (11 months) dropped a toy in Caroline's toy bucket. He looked at me and did the help sign and once I got him what he wanted, he moved on. There was no tantrum, kicking or yelling. It was amazing. So now I am totally inspired to keep going.

Caroline now also waves and says Bye Bye and its really funny b/c she has a toy that says GOODBYE everytime it shuts off and she says it everytime right after she hears it and is beginning to just see it and say 'bye bye'. Or if Elmo says it, she says it and she kinda says it funny like BYEEEEEEEEEEEEEE. It cracks us up. We literally will keep opening the toy up and shutting it just to hear it say GOODBYE so she'll say it in return!

She also has been saying Mama a lot and meaning it and knowing that its me. I know she knows who Dada is but won't say it anymore...just a few times a couple months ago. Its coming though, I can feel it. I mean the kid practically goes in to convulsions everytime he walks in the room. Its ridiculous.

Now since she is doing 'SOO BIG' with her arms, we are working on high fives. That's for my brothers...I think they'll like it. Next we'll teach her to do 'KNUCKS' as the Bussard boys call it!

I've also noticed that Caroline is a little bit timid. When we go to music class she spends the first 10 minutes really clinging to me and sucking her fingers. I keep pulling them out and make her interact...by the end of class today she was waving and saying bye bye and laughing...so it just takes a little while. I guess that's the value in play dates and things like Gymboree!

Today she fought me on her nap so badly and she won but at one point after hearing the 8th thud and knowing that all of the crib guards were off and on the floor and she was still talking, I went in and grabbed her, told her it was naptime and proceeded to rock her. She totally KNEW she had me b/c she would lean in and give me a nose to nose and then a kiss and start laughing. THEN I started laughing...then she'd do it again and finally I said NO YOU ARE NAPPING and tried to put her down again to no avail. She's ONE tough cookie!

So anyway, enjoy these Turkey Day pics and a few tubby time pics as well. My little girl is not so little anymore!

xxooo

ELMO was singing in the parade...

Too much turkey.....(Thanksgiving Part 1)

All set up for her feast...

Playing with Papa!