9 Months of Caris

Lil' C turned 9 months this week. WHAT?? Which officially means her life outside my belly has exceeded her life within. (p.s. I'm glad your out :)


And our 9 month-er is looking much more like a big girl these days. I think appearance-wise, the last month or so has seen the most dramatic change. The 'baby-double(triple) chin' is vanishing; although the VERY pinchable, squeezable cheeks remain :) Becoming a little girl right before our eyes. Literally, she woke up from a 3 hour 'growing nap' and I saw a different girl than our infant. Hard to believe.


Some fun Lil' C facts at the 9th month of life:

- C is saying 'MAMA' very clearly, and putting it to use appropriately. Says 'DADA' or 'PAPA' pretty clearly, though not on command:) We also are fairly certain she said 'BALL' while playing with her favorite toy which is in fact, her balls; I mean we are pretty convinced as it was right on.


- Caris will also say 'Buh By' and wave her little rubber-band hands when leaving a room. Love love love this.


- My favorite new thing is receiving 'Caris kisses'; lil' C loves to hug mom and plant a big kiss on her cheek :) PRECIOUS.


- Caris weighed in at 20lbs 15oz at her check-up (granted she may have lost at leas a pound in BM's that morning...those were some fun diapers!) and measured at 28.75 inches; making her 80% and 85% respectively. The doctor's assessment at the check-up was a 'very healthy girl'


- FOOD is by far Caris' current favorite thing. She is feeding herself beautifully and we introduced more finger foods into her diet last week, which she took to right away and quickly perfected. Girl's got a great little pincher grasp. She already earned the unofficial-but-no-doubt-highly-coveted-title of 'Best Eater' in her school (including the next class up. oh my.) Girl loves to eat. Especially Cheeri-O's. Who knew a handful of O's could keep the little one so entertained for so long?? Thanks to our new 'Sassy Seat' (from Grandpa JJ), Lil' C is content in the kitchen!


- Caris' current favorite toys: her new chairs, of the rocking (painted by Grammy Jane herself! it's ADORABLE) and reading/lounging variety (from Auntie TJ!) - she loves to try to climb in them and will rock rock rock in her rocker and read read read in her reading chair; her shopping cart (thanks Grandma Susie!) and walker/rider (courtesy of Aunt Natalie and Uncle Jordan) - lil' C will stand and play for up to 30 mintues with her shopper and she's even managed a few steps with her walkers; BALLS - the senso-balls, her sports bag (from our trainer, Aunt Shelby), and ball popper (love it Aunt Alli!); her drum set (from Uncle Bobby, along with drum lessons, right??) - which teaches her the ABC's in Spanish AND English, a music lover for sure; and her cute little riding pony (thanks Santa! ) - which Caris quickly figured out how to operate and bounce, bounce bounces. Caris, you also love playing with your blocks and baby doll (who you crack up at! so funny).


- Outdoor time is a favorite, all though we have to be very bundled lately! As seen previously, Caris LOVES to swing, ride in her wagon, and walk in her Bjorn.


In your 7-9th months of life, Caris, you became a professional road-tripper:

- We traveled to Albany for Thanksgiving, Aunt Shelby's graduation from McMurry (YAY!!), and for pre-Christmas. Traveled to Gonzales for Christmas. Drove to Dallas for birthday's. College Station to visit Aunt Alli. Visited Texas City. And ventured up to Waco to take in football and basketball games.


- You experienced your first major and minor snowfalls, blizzard and white-out included.


- You went on several country walks, your first basketball game (which Baylor won!!), met your friend Cambell, and found out about several new friends arriving. You had lots of family visit and were a wonderful hostess.


- You had your first Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years and celebrated well.


In short, you have been busy. And growing. And learning. And loving life.

And we LOVE your little life.

Putting Santas Loot to Good Use

We were finally home long enough to start putting some of lil' C's Christmas goodies to use! And now it is way above the freezing temperatures we've had lately, 35 degrees above actually. So a day off + Dad + Mom + warmish weather + new toys = fun day with happy Caris.

Cold

It's cold here. I'm pretty sure we still live in Texas. Houston, at that. But with all this snow and below freezing temperatures, I wouldn't know. So much for our globe getting warmer!

Which tangentially reminded me that I never published several Christmas posts...(see below, and forthcoming). We are behind on lots of life's tasks right now (hopefully soon I'll be able to finish what I've started and recount the holidays!).

and so until then, on another note...

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It's been a challenging week, on several levels. And so I am sharing an image that has been on my heart and mind this week as I sought guidance from God, prayed for sweet friends, and was inspired by the faith of these dear friends.

Caris is entering what seems to be a period of transition in the area of movement. Trying to figure out how to independently get to the location of her intention. However, she dislikes the idea of crawling. Now walking, that mode of transportation highly appeals to our future biped. Lil' C loves to stand and is downright giddy when she is able to do so while holding the hands of one who has mastered the art she aspires to.

In that moment, she is able to achieve what she strives for: walking. Little wobbly step after little wobbly step, lil' C can transport herself upright. As long as her tiny hands are clasped tightly in her parent's larger versions. Periodically glancing up to see if we are still there, her face beaming with joy. Smiling, proud, ready to see her world from a new perspective, Caris longs for her parents to hold her hands and allow her to 'walk'. Without her hands in ours, she would most assuredly not be able to continue with the forward progress she desires.

But lil' C most certainly gets tired. Her legs aren't quite yet ready to walk. And she gets frustrated. She can't do it on her own. And in those moments, Caris very clearly wants to be carried. She lunges towards her parent, saying 'mama' or 'dada', arms outstretched. Quite obviously needing to be picked up. And instantaniously, her tears are gone. She is completely at peace in her mama's arms.

Lately, I have held on to the image of God doing much the same with His children. Walking right beside us. Present, in a very real way, to His child. On our own, we cannot arrive at our destination successfully without our hands reaching up, grasping those of He who is much stronger, much more skilled at walking. Someone who is A Master in the art of guidance.

My steps are often very wobbly. And I find myself searching. But when I remember to look up, I see the One who has never left my side. Who has supported me, held my hands, and provided strength along the way. And then my face beams with joy. And I realize that the next steps are not so scary, for they are not mine to take alone. I have Someone there to take them with me.

And we get tired, or are unable to take these steps on our own, He is most certainly there. And if we look toward him, arms outstretched, He will lift us up and carry us. And we can find comfort in our Father's arms.

I wonder if God uses a Bjorn?

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

We awoke on the morning of Christmas Eve to discover a rare Texas sighting, SNOW!!! We got up early to see what Santa had left Caris after celebrating with my family in Albany the evening before. We quickly noticed that the skies were full of snowy flakes. As the early morning progressed, the snow continued to fall. We were all quite giddy with the arrival of such a novelty and promptly took Caris out to experience a full-fledged snow. What a beautiful first Christmas! We think Caris is a snow-bunny as so far in her short life she has experienced two snow rarities: Houston snow-fall and a white Christmas! Lucky lady indeed.








We expected things to slow down, as is typically the case with Texas snow, but it did just the opposite. By the time we were packed and ready to leave at around 9:30, the snow really started coming down. We were headed in the direction of Garrett's family and the snow was relentless.

Sweet girl loved the snow!

By that time, my dad (the good Yankee boy he is), realized that things had taken a turn and set out to find us with my brother-in-law in his truck. Our cell phones had no service and once we were on the small country road, there was no safe place to turn back. When it took us almost 2 hours to drive 30 miles to the next small town, we knew there were problems. After realizing all the business in this small town would soon close and speculating that we would encounter the same in the next 90 miles of small country towns and roads, we reluctantly decided to turn back home.

After strict news watching and route planning, we were back on the road. However, our 4 hour drive turned int 6.5 hours and unfortunately we missed most of the Christmas Eve celebrations. But we did make it, and made it safely! Thankfully, we were able to celebrate with Garrett's family on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. What an adventure on Caris' first Christmas! Definately felt like we were in a Winter Wonderland!

Jingle Bells

Caris received this little gadget in her stocking and LOVES to play the jingle bells! She is so cute with them and plays them constantly.

They sounded just like Santa's sleigh. The girl loves her some music....

Oh Jingle Bells

Stocking masterpiece

Merry Christmas!

Wow. We have had quite the busy Christmas-week. So much I want to document and share. (and so many pictures to upload...)

It was one of those wonderfully perfect weeks that was so full of joy it seemed to have covered a month's worth of activity.

We packed our car full and travelled the state in Santa's sleigh. Reindeer and jingle bells were indeed present. And at one point in our trek, we were even dashing through the snow. Kind of like living out Christmas songs.

Christmas is such a special season of joy, love, and an almost magical overlay of holiday spirit. What a joyous time to experience with a new child. We were especially blessed this year in so many ways. And to share that blessing with al of our family was even more special.

Such a beautiful holiday to celebrate the most precious gift of all. The birth of our Saviour. A gift we are eternally grateful for and offer our continued thanks for the daily presence in our lives. To celebrate His arrival through the joy of Christmas is truly, awesome.

Party girl

Caris is quite the party girl. Her little school is good about hosting holiday events that we have attended throughout the year; Fall Festival, Thanksgiving celebration, and yesterday a Holiday party. Caris' has a diverse group of classmates and each family brought a dish representing their heritage. Let me tell you, this food was exceptional! Greek grape leaves, Vietnemese egg rolls (a fave!!), British scones, the BEST Baklava, and so many more. Caris was only able to enjoy pita bread as the rest of my chosen items contained sugar and/or dairy.... But she loved it! Although, she may have loved her napkin just a bit more....whatever.

Caris also made her parents a beautiful stocking (I'll have to get a pic..) for a Christmas presents. Quite the little artist these days.

We spent the afternoon socializing with her friends, and Caris was totally in her element. She truly loves other kids so much, especially the big kids. Her teachers say that she will sit at their little table all day as long as their are other kids there for her to talk to, even if that other kid is herself in the mirror :)

Caris and her best friend Claire sitting at the big table! This was the toddler table so it was a tad high for Caris, but the 'action shot' demonstrates how happy she is sitting there. One of my favorite things is seeing Caris sitting like a big girl at her little 'mini table'. Love it.

Caris babbled, laughed, and danced all afternoon, happily entertaining anyone in her radar. She has become the class dancer as she bops and sways to all her favorite tunes all day long :)

Food, friends, dancing, and singing, all of Caris' favorite things. HAPPY GIRL yesterday.

Like I said, she is quite the party girl :)

My Guilty Pressure

So Caris has just reached to 7 month marker and I have already convinced myself that I have made parenting mistakes that will affect her forever.

Logical? No.
But I definately indulge in 'my guilty pressure' all too frequently.

Is she sleeping enough? Will her current habit of brief cat-naps develop into long-term sleep problems that will effect her moods?

Is she getting enough milk? Did she gain too much weight? Too little? Was I supposed to introduce this food at 7 months or wait until 8? Will this effect her nutrition/health long-term?

Am I protecting her enough from diseases? Am I caring for her illnesses appropriately? Do I take her to the doctor for this (insert ailment) or just monitor it? Will this impact her health throughout her life?

Am I holding her too much? Nurturing enough? Responding to her needs too quickly, too slowly? Handling seperation anxiety appropriately? Will this impact her independence?

Am I providing opportunity for her skills to develop independently? How can I encourage her to stay on her tummy? How do I encourage her to develop mobility? Is she doing (insert activity) too early? Too late? Are the old wives tales true about crawling, walking and brain development true??

Does attending day care so young negatively impact her? Does it benefit her? Does she enjoy it or would it be better for her to be home? Have I chosen the right environment for her to spend her days? Will not staying home with her impact her attachment to me?

?
?
?

Oh the Guilt. Oh the Pressure.

PLEASE understand that I share these things not to ask for validation on my parenting skills, but just as a sample of the questions I ask myself daily, if not hourly.

I know every parent goes through this; figuring out the best ways to raise each child according to their needs. Parenting decisions to be made. We hear contradicting theories, all touted with authority. Constantly hearing what you 'should' be doing from well (or not so well) meaning observers. I just tend to over-analyze things to the point of no return and drive myself nuts in doing so.

Point being, we can analyze, research, read, obsess, and parent ourselves into the ground. We can (and will) make good decisions, along with the bad decisions. We will inevitably look back and wish we had done some things differently. We will also be able to look back and feel proud of how we did things in many areas. There will always be something to second guess, or to wish we would have done better, different.

Granted, I'm very new at this. And I have no doubts that I will succumb to this 'guilty pressure' on many more occasions throughout my role as a parent. But I am trying not to indulge. To not put so much pressure on myself, and in turn on Caris.

Because there is no such thing as a perfect parent. And we are not called to be such, or to raise our children to a standard of perfection. In fact, that itself is harmful.

(p.s....I am working on another post describing what I DO want to strive for in my role as a mom...but it's still in progress...I'm sure you are anxiously awaiting another lengthy reflection...)

So what to do with all this guilt and pressure? I think, in the end, it comes back to the basics. Responding to Caris' needs. Creating an environment of trust. Setting the stage to become independent. Instilling character, virtues, and nurturing her faith. All done with the over-arching theme of the LOVE and PROTECTION of my little one. Knowing that no matter how many mistakes I make along the way, I will always be there for my daughter. And of that, we can both be certain.

(picture courtesy of my aunt, Mary Herrmann, - isn't she talented? Love these pics...)

In the colors...

Caris completed her first art project this week. A finger-painted masterpiece, if I do say myself. Resembling an abstract likening of a Monet. No doubt a deeply inspired piece by the new artist. It's currently displayed on our fridge.

(I think that's required in parental law, along with pictures with Santa which we have yet to do :)

And inside our current art gallery resides another colorful display. In the form of Caris' daily intake of foods. The pureed forms of fruit and vegetable concoctions takes on a beautiful demonstration of the rainbow diet that would make any nutritionist (and grandpa JJ) proud. Carrot- tomato combo, a bright shade of red, the squash puree a pure yellow, our blueberry mixtures bring out deep purples, our broccoli-combined with other veggies provide our earth tones, while the avocado displays a bright green. We are having great fun combining and making all sorts of meals for lil' C. Who knew they would take on such beautiful colors?

And we arrived home this afternoon to a display created by a substance defined by the absence of color: SNOW!!! It was really coming down, a beautiful white winter wonderland. (Yes, we still live in Houston, a rarity) We are more than excited to spend a cozy evening introducing Caris to a new form of joy.

A snowy evening set the stage for a perfect evening to adorn our home in the colors of Christmas. Red and green now dominate our decor to joyfully welcome the Christmas season.

Colors, in all their forms.

Giving Thanks

We are still recouperating from an eventful Thanksgiving celebration. This year's festivities were hosted by my parents and attended by 10 out of 12 Herrmann families and their matriarch (my mom's siblings and her mom). I think the count was up to 56. Let's just say there was opera involved and leave it at that.


Caris enjoyed her first taste of turkey and we translated many Thanksgiving goodies into food form suitable for lil' C via our handy food maker. She LOVED it; already getting the hang of this holiday.



To me, the Thanksgiving holiday has always been a beautiful celebration of traditions and family. As I reflected on the meaning of the day, it occurred to me that this is the only holiday in which the title includes a verb. Inherent in its name is a charge to fulfill.


The act of Giving Thanks.

I will say, that I am overtly thankful for numerous blessings on a daily basis. Constantly reminded of truly how much I have to be thankful for and offering up an expression of thanks. But do I engage in the verb? Do I GIVE thanks in tangible ways? The holiday title does not simply enourage feeling Thankful. It charges us to express this through the act of giving.

"For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required" Luke 12:48


Our life is abundantly full of gifts; both tangible and intangible in form. Much, indeed, has been given to us. And we are called to give in return. The outpouring of thanks I feel constantly should be translated to action. I feel challenged to engage more fully in this act of giving. To give more freely, with thanks, because of thanks.


The act of doing can be manifested in many forms. In fact, the very nature of the Thanksgiving celebration is a wonderful example of giving. What a huge feat to prepare such a feast. Always done with a joyful heart, so that those we love can celebrate with one another.


There are the 'big ticket' items. Involvement in local charities, food banks, sponsoring families, missions. These are areas in which I hope our family can be more actively involved in over the holiday season.


But along with that, there are so many ways to actively give thanks on a daily, hourly basis. Giving a co-worker a sympathetic ear when you are busy, giving an email or letter of encouragement to a friend, giving a smile to the stranger in the elevator, giving directions to the wayward patient, giving your downtime to bring dinner to a family, giving a call to listen to a friend in need. All small acts, that when conscious of the intention, can be easily assimilated into daily happenings.


And you know what I've noticed? The more I consciously give thanks, the more I am thankful.


Thank you, to all of you, for your involvement in our life. For your continued support, in all forms, along our journey. I hope that this blog can, in some ways, be an act of giving.