Pumpkin Patch!

Saturday Morning, we took Caroline to a pumpkin patch. This place was great! There were tons of activities and fun things to see and do.

First, we got a wagon. Thank goodness C was there to help Daddy push!
Don't worry guys, I got this.


This is fun!
Next, we wandered around a maze in the corn field. Daddy used his height to our advantage ;)
I know my Daddy will get us out of here!
Then, it was the hayride!



Yea for hay rides! More hay ride, please?


Posing by the pumpkin truck we just fell off of...Ha ha ha.

In the back of the truck with all the pumpkins.
Checking out the tractor driving by. Not quite sure what to think of it :)
Exploring all the different pumpkins...They had every shape, size, and color!


I found a keeper, Mommy!


Yup, we got some good ones!
Heading home with our purchases.
It was sooooo much fun. Caroline absolutely loved everything about it! She barked at the goats and meowed at the cat, and wore herself out running around to check out everything. They had scarecrow stuffing, face painting, pumpkin painting, and all kinds of stuff for bigger kids, too. SO we'll definitely be back next year :)

Our little family of pumpkins of the front porch...

Daddy, Mommy, Caroline, and Baby ;)

Baby Libby's Shower

This past weekend, I headed to Waco to help host a shower for Kristin and Baby Libby (due in December). It was awesome to have time with just the girls!
We had a great time and Libby got some of the CUTEST stuff! Girls are just so much fun!

Mommy-to-be, Kristin, with the hostesses

Baby pics of Kristin and Jared on the sign in table. We had the guests sign a copy of "Goodnight Moon" and write messages to Libby on the pages.

Ginny's mom made the banner...so cute! Libby is named after both of her grandmothers...Elizabeth (Beth) is Jared's mom, and Camille is Kristin's mom...They'll call her Libby for short!

The Baylor girls...

Cami, Halston, Brooke, Kristin, Paige, Ginny

Now I just can't wait for sweet Libby to arrive :)

While I was away, playing with my friends, Caroline was home playing with Daddy all weekend. I have no pictures from any of their activities, but I have been assured that they had a TON of fun ;)

13 months

I wasn't sure if I wanted to keep going with monthly updates once Caroline turned 1, but there are just so many things I want to remember about this age! So here we go...again :)

Caroline turned 13 months (a week ago), and she is busier than ever!

She runs everywhere, climbs on things, crawls under things, and is just plain ACTIVE.

Under the picnic table at the park. She also loves to get under her picnic table at home.
Going up the slide...a favorite activity. WAY more fun than going down.

She still "jibber jabbers" all the time, non stop, really. Her new favorite words are "down" and "more". "Down" means pretty much everything...down, up, or just anything she wants. She says "more" for anything food related. If she is playing and decides she wants a snack, she comes over and says "more" (while signing 'more'...although he sign for 'more' is basically a clap ;)). It's fun to see her initiating. I feel like she is really starting to put it all together! This whole communicating with words thing actually works!

She is still a Daddy's girl, but her affection for Daddy has officially been trumped by her obsession with Luci. Jon and Luci were gone on a hunting trip all weekend, and Caroline really missed her little buddy, Luci! She kept searching for her all over the house. Funny how she woofs, pants, says "dog", "doggy", and "Luci"....but still doesn't say Mommy...SIGH.

Don't let her shirt fool you...Here she is panting at Luci.
(while sporting her new big girl Nikes)

Caroline is quite independent these days. She prefers to eat things that she can hold and take bites of. String cheese, apple slices, etc. She doesn't like it when I tear her food up into small pieces any more. And feeding her with a spoon? Forget about it. For the past couple of months, I could still feed her with a spoon as long as she had her own spoon to hold at the same time. Now, she must do it all by herself. She is actually getting pretty good at it, but it's hard for me because it's MESSY :)

Arms folded, telling us like it is.


She is really into books. She has loved books for a while. Carrying them around, looking at them briefly, but more recently she really enjoys being read to. I mean REALLY enjoys! It's so fun for me, because she is actually still and cuddly...even if just for a moment.


A couple of weeks ago, we were at dinner with friends. The kids were all running around and playing outside, and Caroline was right in the middle of it all. She was running along and a whole entourage of older kids were following right behind her (some friends of ours, others just random kids). The dad of one of the random kids stopped Jon, and said, "You know, I think your daughter has some real leadership potential." Ha!

**keep scrolling down for an update on our other baby ;)**

Our Little Blueberry

Here is the ultrasounds pic I promised...

This was at 7 weeks (when the baby was the size of a coffee bean). It doesn't look like much, but it's little heart was beating nice and strong :)

I am almost 9 weeks now, so the baby is somewhere between the size of a blueberry and a peppermint candy.

Here are a few things about this pregnancy so far...

• I am due May 12th, which is Jon's mom's birthday. May is also a big month for birthdays in my family! My bro, Brian (May 1), My dad (May 11), My bro, Paul (May 20), my Uncle Doug (May 21), and of course....Me (May 27).

• We will find out the sex. Hopefully, right before Christmas (but maybe right after). And we will share the name.

• I have been craving lots of starchy stuff...bread, pasta (especially mac n cheese), POTATOES of any kind and also lots of fruit.

• I would rather not eat (or see, or smell) scrambled eggs, salad, and BBQ.

• I haven't felt nauseous at all. YIPEE!!! I hope I am not jinxing myself...
  

• I have a spidey sense of smell. I have to hold my breath when I open the fridge or the pantry because I can smell everything. GROSS.

• I am tired. Very, very, very tired.

I can't complain! I was really sick the first time around, so this time I am very thankful FOR SURE!

I added a poll to the blog, so start voting...Will this baby be a boy or a girl???

We're still here...and we're multiplying!

Yup, there is a little Erickson bun in the oven!

I am due in May, and have been feeling okay so far. Very, very tired (explains the lack of blogging), and while I am not yet overwhelmingly nauseous...I am just not interested in eating much of anything. Except for Mrs. Baird's large loaf white bread, of course ;) I am cautiously optimistic that I won't be as sick this time, but only time will tell...

We saw our little nugget's heartbeat this morning, so I am thrilled to know things are developing just as they should be! We have another ultrasound tomorrow morning to confirm our due date, so hopefully I will have pictures to share soon.

Our other little nugget has been a busy little bee lately! Caroline has quite a full schedule this fall...music class, MOPS, Bible Study, Stroller Strides, and of course lots of play dates with friends.

We've been to the sprinkler park (where we had a Lance Armstrong sighting...he was filming a commercial)

Went to the 1st BU home game, which will also be Caroline's last for this season...WHEW...She is NOT at a good age for stuff like this, WAY to active and wiggly!!!

and have spent lots of playing dress up at home so Mommy can "rest" :)

Caroline would love to fill you in on everything herself. She is quite chatty these days!

I love her "jibber jabber"...It's hilarious!

12 months!

Here is an update(slightly belated) on Caroline at 12 months!

*No more bottles and no more formula! She was getting 4 bottles of formula per day. First, I experimented with formula in a cup (instead of bottle) and it was ok...just ok..not great. Then, last week, I was feeling brave. I just started giving her whole milk in a cup for her 2 feedings in the middle of the day. She didn't skip a beat! Next, I gave her a cup in place of her "wake up" bottle. I saved the best (and trickiest) for last...bedtime. It was a little tougher, but by day 2 she was fine! Aaah....relief!

*She is learning more and more everyday. It amazes me how much she understands! Like a little sponge :) She loves animals, dogs and horses especially. She says either doggie (dah-ee) and horse (ho) if she sees any animal at all. I am pretty sure she says hello, as well. It sounds more like "yo" but that works for me.

*She loves to dance. Seriously loves it. Anytime there is music she starts shaking all around. I have to get some video (believe me I have tried), because it is hilarious!

*She has started shaking and nodding her head all the time. She finds this oh so amusing. I think it's so cute!

*We turned her around to face forward in her car seat. I know, I know, the AAP now recommends waiting til they are 2, BUT our pediatrician suggested turning her around now (yea!). She really likes it, but I LOVE it. I can see her now, so we can talk and sing and dance in the car...way more fun!
Here she is enjoying her very first ride facing the front. I think she was overwhelmed and excited that she could see us. She kept staring at Jon :)


*We have an epi-pen for her now. An epi-pen is a shot of epinephrine that we carry with us at all times in case of a severe anaphylactic reaction. In other words, if she were to accidentally ingest peanuts, her throat might close up. Kinda scary, BUT we don't know for sure that this would even happen. For all we know, she could eat peanuts and have no reaction at all. Of course, I won't test that theory :)

*Stats:
weight: 21 lbs. 12 ox (60th)
height: 29 1/2 in (60th)
head: greater than 97th (still huge ;))

Attacking the camera...

Festivities!

**WARNING...LOOOOOONG Post ahead!**

Caroline's Birthday weekend started off with a bang! Well, actually, it started off with a shot :( We went to the Dr. Friday morning for her check up, and she got 4 shots! More on that later...

Posing in her birthday outfit...

After the Dr. we came home and waited for Grammy, Grandpa, Aunt Diane, and our cousins to arrive!!!

Are they here yet, Mom?

We were so excited that Aunt Diane, Whitney, and Wyatt could be here all the way from Kansas City, MO. What a special treat :)
Cousin bonding in the ball pit...

Mimi, Papa Al, and Uncle Paul were all in town too, so we had a lovely dinner (pork roast) prepared by Jon...YUM!

My Mema and Papa (Caroline's GGma and GGpa) had this rocking horse made for me on my first birthday. Now Caroline got to have it on her first birthday! So special!
Giddy up!

Saturday was party day! Everyone helped us get ready, and it was a big success!
There was a slight cake debacle...I had to order the cakes from the Whole Foods downtown, because they were able to make her smash cake egg, wheat, and peanut-free. So, my mom and Alan volunteered to go pick it up, only, when they brought them out, they were mauve, navy blue, and forest green!?!?! Not exactly what I had in mind. Luckily, they were able to fix them and they gave us both cakes for free :)

Caroline LOVED it when everyone sang to her...Not surprising ;)
She wasn't so sure about the cake. She was very curious, but she didn't dig in like I thought she would...After I tasted the "special" cake, I understood why! GROSS! I do not recommend eating cake made without eggs or wheat....it's just not right.
the fam...
The BFF's were shockingly not interested in sitting still.
Time for fun in the sun!
Caroline loved the slip n slide! But I am pretty sure Jon loved it even more :)
Whoa! This is AWESOME!
Some of our friends relaxing in one of the pools. Jon, Uncle Paul, and Grandpa did an awesome job of setting up all of the splash pools, the slip n slide, and the chairs :)
Brooke, Ginny, Kristin, and I taking a break while the Daddy's played with the girls

After a fun-filled day of cake and splashing, it's nice to rest and read a book with Uncle Paul :)

After a nice long nap, we helped C open her gifts. We seriously have the sweetest and most generous friends. Caroline got some really adorable stuff!

But, sorry folks, Caroline's absolute favorite gift of all was her very first PURSE!
Umm, is Jon is trouble or what?!?!

Look at the expression on her face...sheer delight!


Let's go shopping!

YEAAAA for shopping!!!!


She now carries it everywhere ;) A special Thanks to MawMaw (Sherri's mom)!!!!
Whew! After a fun-filled day of play....a much needed bath with the cousins. Can't wait to torture them with this pic when they are older ;) but for now, it's just adorable :)
Thanks to all our friends and family for making Caroline's 1st birthday so extra special!!!!