Caroline Dillon Wetzel

Originally, we were going to spend the weekend at Smith Mountain Lake with the Paynes, but Caroline was exposed to Hand, Foot, Mouth Disease at school (don't worry, she wasn't sick) and apparently can carry the virus for several weeks. We played it safe and avoided her little cousins and stayed in Richmond. Andy seemed to have a great birthday anyway - big Germany win, golf, and India K Raja for dinner on Saturday after La Grotta on Friday when we had the in-laws to babysit (yum). Caroline and I had a play date with Louise and Hadley (who already caught the funk from Caroline, so they were immune to each other).

Sunday, we found a great 4th of July festival super close to our house at Meadow Farm. I had seen this park before, but I had no idea all the stuff they have. On a normal day, there's a fantastic playground, picnic area, and walking trails, and a functioning old-fashioned farm complete with animals, blacksmith shop, washtub, etc. Apparently when Mrs. Crump's husband died, she gifted the land to Henrico County to be maintained as a park/farm. The 4th of July party had it all - music, magician, dancing, face painting, charactures, hot air balloon rides, skydiving show, petting zoo, tons of kids games, watermelon feast, moon bounce - and ALL for FREE! We didn't even pay to park. Anyway, we had such a good time moving from shade tree to shade tree (it was hot), Caroline was very adventurous and explored all around (and would just walk up to other little kids playing, which was cute), and she LOVED the free watermelon. Her now pink, once white, shorts took the wear for it too.

Monday, we couldn't resist and went back to Meadow Farm so Caroline could play on the playground. And, for the first time, she didn't cry when we put her in the swing. She does really like the slide though, so I'm not sure what's so spooky about the swings.

This is Caroline's reaction to any dog she sees. Brr-brr's are very exciting!

The Wetzels 06/30/2010

I know I always post simply about Caroline, mostly because she's the center of our little world, and I tend to assume she's what draws people to the blog in the first place. I should note, there are on average 40-60 unique visitors to this blog everyday! I was shocked! Who are all of you?! Anyway, in reflecting on these posts, I feel like it's really our lives stripped down to nothing but pictures and Caroline's latest tricks. And, I feel like my life is so much more than that, both good and bad. So, just a moment in the blog history to catch people up on the Wetzel family, as a whole.

Andy is still working at the London Compony as their trader. He really likes his job. A couple years ago, he started playing golf, and he loves it. Really loves it. I try to be a good, understanding wife, so he plays about every weekend. (I know, don't I get a prize or something?) He will be 30 on Saturday. The neat thing, he seems totally (at least on the outside) not worried about this milestone. I've seen friends fret the end of the 20s, but he is walking confidently into the next decade. Why shouldn't he? He's the most amazing daddy and supportive husband, really. I'd embarrass him if I went on and on about all he does around here. But we are truly a 50/50 family on everything, and I don't know how I'd do anything without him.

I finish up my PhD coursework this summer, oh, in about four weeks, and then take my comprehensive exam. Yes, comprehensive, and surprisingly, I'm actually not freaking out about this. My summer is everywhere. No two days are the same, and I LONG for parameters around my work day again...which tends to drag on into the evening after Caroline goes to bed. Which, by the way, is getting later and later (she's pushing back to 7:30 or 8pm from 7pm). Good, because we get to see her more, bad, because less time for Andy and I to spend together/doing the dishes/cleaning up/working/the rest of life. I've spent a lot of the last few weeks processing the fact that I'm finished with my coursework, that technically they believe I've learned all that I need to know (or at least what I need to know to graduate). Although I feel very comfortable with the material I've covered, I recognize that I just don't know what I don't know. Maybe that doesn't make sense, but that's what I fret about. Looming at the end of the summer is the beginning of the dissertation. It will definitely be in medical education, most likely relating to the medical student role in patient safety. Most people don't want to know anymore than that. And, in August, I make my return to the medical school. I'll be just half-time - in tandem with working on my dissertation - it's ideal. But, I'll be joining a new unit, the Office of Assessment and Evaluation Studies. Honestly, it's the truncated version of my dream job, so let's hope I do well and most importantly, that I enjoy it.

Oh, and one other important note. We had to give Gunner away. This is not new news. It actually happened back in February (but it didn't make the happy, go lucky, blog worthy category). Short story, he was snippy with Caroline, and we couldn't risk her safety. It all got very complicated, but let's just say, we'll always love him (he was our first dog, after all), and I do miss him, but I know 100% that we made the right decision.

So, that's that. We're having a ball watching Caroline learn so many new things so quickly these days. She's like a sponge for information. And, I know I post really only good things about her, but truthfully, she really is that good. She'll have her "diva" moments when she demands her way, but they are brief and infrequent. I don't know what we did to be so lucky, but she has been such a good baby and now a good toddler. I guess we should be prepared for the worst with baby #2. And that is a WHOLE different topic, and although we definitely want more kids, if you just read the previous stuff about my life you know it's not in the cards for us right now.

A little fun. 06/28/2010

On Friday, Devon and baby Connell came down from DC, and Louise and Hadley joined us for the day. Dev, Louise, and I all lived together in college, and baby Connell is just 5 weeks old now. It was nice to all be together - oh, how times have changed.

And, what weekend isn't complete with a little backyard pool time in your pjs? The patio was shaded early Sunday morning and for a couple hours (before 9am) it felt like spring. Caroline LOVES to hear birds chirping and watch them fly around. We originally went out to look for some birds, but Caroline wound up soaking wet in her pjs, playing in the pool.

Introducing the cozy coupe. 06/22/2010

The two door cozy coupe, a steal on Craigslist, has been a huge hit.

Caroline had a play date with Hadley, my friend from college's daughter, and the two of them had fun chewing on the same play food and playing with the car. Hadley's going to be walking soon, and then maybe the girls will interact a little more.

Video sidebar = Mimi is Mary Lee. Caroline now has Mimi and PopPop (Jim) - which sounds like BopBop - down pat. She can point out all four of her grandparents, though Grandma and Grandpa appear to still be too hard to say.

No. 06/17/2010

The latest word added to Caroline's vocabulary. "Caroline, do you want to drink from your sippy cup?" "Nooo, Nooo, Nooo". It's usually said more than once, and this reenactment is very accurate as we attempt to cut the final two bottles (first thing out of bed in the morning and after bath at night). Honestly, I think it's more painful for Andy and I to see her cry and throw a fit than it is for her. But, it breaks my heart, and in some ways, it's kind of the last "babyish" thing she does. I know she won't still be drinking a bottle when she heads off to kindergarten, but we hear mixed reviews about when she should be fully weaned. I should point out though, that she doesn't really let us hold her to drink the bottle, so we're past that sweet snuggling. She just likes to lie alone and drink her milk. This morning, I cut that bottle. She screamed and thrashed through getting dressed. But, as a reward, she got a waffle for breakfast (she ate the whole thing). I put out a sippy cup of milk too, and she eventually caved and took a couple sips. So, it didn't go too badly. Maybe we can cut the morning one and work on the evening one once this dust settles. Honestly, the worst part of parenting are these transition periods - breast to bottle (the WORST), to solid foods, to sippy cup, etc. Just when you think you've got a routine, bam, something new disrupts it. You know me, I like order. I should note that Caroline is getting much better with the spoon and fork - I got her this great spoon that has the actual scoop at a 45 degree angle to the handle, makes it very easy for her to feed herself applesauce and yogurt and with very little mess. She's SO proud of this new skill.

More beach 06/14/2010

I can't resist. I got some pictures from Grandma Payne, and they are cute.

Signs of toddlerhood at 15 months 06/14/2010

It's becoming clearer that Caroline is becoming a toddler and no longer a baby. Apart from the walking, she now eats pretty well with a fork (the spoon is still messy). And, the amount of words she understands is incredible. If you ask, she will show you her: hair, ear, eye, nose, mouth, teeth, belly button, shoes, socks, and foot. She showed at the beach that she can point out Grandma, Grandpa, April, Mama, Dada, Sam, Zachary. And yesterday, when looking at picture books, she was able to pick out a ton of stuff - baby, sheep, dog, frog, watering can (we use one often at our house), bird, cup, spoon, clock, car, flower, and ball - and that's just what I can recall. Then, before bed, I noticed her little plastic goat was under the ottoman, unbeknown to her. I said, "Caroline, can you get your goat from under the ottoman?" And, she squatted down, looked under the ottoman and grabbed her goat. Andy and I died laughing. I guess we will have to think more critically about what is on t.v. when she is in the room.

At her 15 month appointment, she passed all the expectations - she walks, says 4-10 words, beginning to use utensils, scribbles, throws ball. She still gets two bottles a day, so we are going to dilute with water until she either doesn't like them anymore OR we get down to just water. Doctor wasn't too concerned, so long as we are brushing her teeth, which we are.

Here's how she stacks up these days:
Height - 33 1/2 inches - 100th %ile
Weight - 24 lbs 1 oz - 75th %ile
Head - 19 - 95th %ile

Still tall, anyone surprised?

She also has an ear infection, which explains the prolonged fever. I'm keeping her home again today and hopefully with 24 hours of Amoxicillin she'll be feeling and behaving better by morning. :)

Myrtle Beach 06/13/2010

The perfect week at the beach had to end. Caroline got lots of practice walking and played well with Zachary (who is super helpful to her) and Sam (who generally wanted to keep his toys away from Caroline but was still sweet). :) She LOVED the beach and ocean. She never hesitated about the waves and once she was in her bathing suit in the morning, she would literally cry until we got her outside and down to the beach. We crammed in lots of shopping, golf for the boys, beach time, play time, Alligator Adventure, bowling, good food, and even a little birthday celebration. I can't remember the last time I was with my family on my birthday, and I've never been toes in the water on the beach for sure. Minus spending half the day driving down, it wound up as one of the best birthdays, complete with cake and candles (29 to be exact). I had forgotten we even get to make wishes on our birthdays.

All good things must end, and Caroline came down with a fever on our last day. It's been 48 hours now, and she's been awake for less than 10 hours total. I truly felt like a parent when we pulled off the interstate b/c Caroline "got sick" in the car. Andy and I both wanted to cry b/c she was so miserable (see topless photo below), but we had to sit there, clean her up (baby wipes), change her clothes (good thing we had a full suitcase), clean up the car (bleach wipes), and then ride along with a Renuzit air freshener in front of the a/c vent to help with the smell. As a mom, I couldn't turf the yicky responsibility of clean up to anyone else. It just breaks my heart to see her so sick - I think the fever broke last night, but she's still groggy and way behind on food. Poor baby just partied too hard. I couldn't narrow down the pics, and there may be more when Grandma shares hers. My photos were pretty Caroline-centric.