4 Weeks
This is Caroline’s 1 month picture. I plan on taking a picture every month in that chair with that pig (Thanks Lyndsay!) to show how big she is getting. Let’s see how well I keep up with that!
At the beginning of April, Ja and I packed up and hit the road to Wilmington. Leslie was planning on going down with her two kids and so we figured it would be a great thing to do for Ja’s Spring Break. We spent a lot of great family time with both sides of the family. That Sunday we went to church and Caroline got to meet a LOT of people that were excited to meet her. Here is Brett getting his hands on her and I think if we didn’t have to come back to Winston, he’d still be there! Ja headed back that Sunday and I stayed an extra night to head back with Leslie on Monday. We loaded up her van with two infants and 3 1/2 year old Banana Pants and hit the road. Everyone did very well and we made it back in one piece!
5 Weeks
Unfortunately, Ja’s grandpa passed away in early April. So we headed back down east and were there for a few days to attend the visitation, funeral, and burial. Ja left really early in the morning when he got the call to come as soon as possible and I left later that day once I found out he had passed away. It was a very sad time for everyone. It was also the first time I took a trip with Caroline by myself. She was a champ. She slept the entire time and I stopped once to feed here. It was a good thing that she was there because she was there to make everyone smile.
While we were there we went by to see Jeff + Tammy Whitehead and Tate and Tanner were SO cute with Caroline. Tate is a MAD MAN and he was so gentle and so sweet to her. It was a very bright few minutes of the weekend!
We ran to Wilmington one night to get a pack of Lucky Strike cigarettes for Ja’s grandpas casket and while we were there we ran by to see Mom and Deddy. Mom hopped on the scale to weight Caroline and she came up an even 7 lbs. and we measured her and she was a full 21 inches!
This week was also the week that Caroline moved from preemie diapers into newborn and she also had grown out of all of her preemie clothes. She was fully into newborn gear. Our little girl was growing!
6 Weeks
In this shot, Caroline is 6 weeks and Jack is 10 weeks. It is crazy how tiny she looks next to him, but like I told Leslie and Will, he is just storing up all the energy he can because once he takes off, he will be gone!! I really hope they get to grow up together and be good friends!
This is a shot of Caroline’s first nap in her crib. When she came home she was in the pack and play in our room since she was getting up so much at night. We had worked so hard on her crib and we knew she needed to get in there eventually. I was also looking forward to getting a little bit better sleep since we wouldn’t be able to hear every peep she made. She did not flinch at the move. It was much harder on her mommy (especially) and daddy because it meant that she was growing up. Time really is flying!
This week was Mimi’s Spring Break. So she headed up on Monday and stayed with us until Thursday and bounced back and forth between Leslie’s house and mine some to keep the children. Caroline was starting to talk a little bit and she was on the brink of smiling. You could tell she wanted to so badly! Once she gets that figured out, she is going to be a smiling little lady!! Mimi would sit and talk to Caroline and she would stare right at her and talk right back. It was precious!
While we were at Leslie’s one night we decided to measure Caroline again and she was up to 7 lbs 2 oz! She keeps a growing!!
7 Weeks
Ray Chandler has been gone since September and although the days have gotten a little bit easier, he is still missed quite a bit. On April 20th the Carolina softball team dedicated one of the seats in the stands to him. So I left Caroline with Mimi and I hopped in the car and headed to Chapel Hill. I was so glad to be there and get to see my softball girls that I really have missed and get to see his daughters and wife for the dedication. It was a very nice ceremony and Carolina came out with the win!
The next day, April 21st, Reagan had a memorial for the two teachers, Ray and Chuck Warren, and two students, Nick Doub and Brooke Edwards, that have passed away this year. I loaded Caroline up and we headed to the track for the service. It was great to see my teacher friends and some of my students. Even though I LOVE being home with Caroline, I was glad to see them and find out that I actually do miss their crazy behinds!
That night the softball field at Reagan was dedicated to Ray and named ‘Ray Chandler Field’. Deddy was coming into town and everyone new how much Ray meant to me, so Leslie, Anna, Jack, and Mom came out there to meet Caroline, Deddy, Jason, and me for the game. This was Caroline’s first softball game ever!! The dedication was perfect and I was so glad I got to be there to be a part of it. He was a very special man.
Once we got home, Deddy got his Caroline fix! He knew that this was a rare opportunity to get her by himself and he took advantage! Pretty soon after he snuggled up with her he had two more snugglers right by his side just to make sure that everything was going down alright!
The next morning we got up and had some breakfast and coffee. Before he headed over to Leslie’s to help Mom with Anna and Jack while Leslie and Will were in Asheville for their anniversary, he got some more Caroline time. Riley Dunkin does love his grandpa and as soon as he sat down with her, he was right there. He also started acting crazy when Deddy went to put his tennis shoes on! When we lived at home Deddy would come home from work, change his shoes, and take Riles for a walk. It has been years since that happened, but Riley hasn’t forgotten a thing. No such luck this time, buddy!
That afternoon all three of my college roommates were able to make it into town. Kelly was coming through on her way around the state for her Spring Break and it just worked out that Michelle and Katie were able to make it, too! We had a great afternoon of sitting around and catching up and all the girls got to hang out with Caroline. She is a lucky girl to have as much family as she does!
This Sunday was Easter Sunday and our first day back at church! We are still skeptical about putting her in the nursery yet, but she was perfect. This is her Easter outfit that Grammie got her. I’m glad we got a picture because about 5 seconds later she spit up all over it and it was done.
So then she changed in to this! This one actually made it to church and all the way through it!
Caroline and her Daddy on her first Easter Sunday!
These are just cute pics of her getting some GOOD sleep! We have to swaddle her at night because her hands get her in trouble (she is going to lose smileys in the 1st grade because of that I’m afraid!). Today I went in there to get her up from her nap and she had wiggled that hand out and had it up by her face where she loves it. Then I unwrapped her and she was so asleep that those hands flew up above her head and she passed out again. There is nothing cuter than a sleeping baby!
This week she me her first 6 and 7 hour nights! Leslie said it would just happen, and it has! It’s by no means the norm yet, but we’ll take what we can get!!
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