Sweet Caroline,
On June 18th of this year your Papa said to you while you were still in the womb, "Baby, tonight the U.S. has their 2nd game in the World Cup at 9-11pm and after that from 1-3 am England will play their 2nd game. Please, Baby don't come during those games". You are such a good baby that within five minutes of the last whistle blowing of the U.S. game you started your departure out of the womb and one minute before the starting whistle of the England game you finished your departure and rested in your Papa's arms. Perfect timing. At 12:59 am on June 19th I held you for the first time. It was a moment that I will never forget. You looked at me with your big brown eyes and I fell in love with you so very deeply. The first thing that your Papa said to me after your birth was "You gave me another princess". A Princess you are, indeed.
Just as you came into this world fast you have done everything else fast. You smiled before you were two weeks old, you rolled over in your second month, you started rocking on your four limbs during your fourth month, started some form of crawling before you were six months, and sat up during your fifth month. You move at your own pace eager to keep up with your big sister. You gave us the biggest belly laugh when your sister would bounce a ball in front of you, I have no idea what made that so funny to you. I wish you would slow down and be my baby for longer but you are teaching me early that you will do things on your own time and that I need to just embrace that about you. I do, cheers to who you are and to who you will be!
Honestly during week 6-8 of your life I wasn't sure if i was going to make it as a mother of two. I think you had some stomach issues but whatever it was made you so cranky. Your sister became more and more jealous of all of the time I was having to spend comforting you. However, sometime in week 8 you settled into a routine, your sister figured out that she COULD share her Mama and our family became a fluid family of four. I have loved every minute of it, even during those hard weeks.
I love smelling you. You smell so new and fresh. I love squeezing you, you have the biggest, most squeezable thighs that I have ever seen. I love your smile, it melts my heart. You squeal with delight often. You smile easily. You love being held in your sling. You are a wonderful sleeper, most nights you sleep 7 pm until 6:30 am. You look so cute in your matching outfits with your sister.
You are loved. You have not even met your family yet in America or in Menado but I hope that you know, Baby, that they love you deeply and long to hold you tight and experience the joy that you bring to everyone here in Malang.
In our first video of you we call you "Kennedy". That was your name for the first few hours of your life. However, for some reason "Caroline" kept ringing in my ear. You see for four months of my pregnancy with you I watched your Aunty H cheer. She did this very cute dance to the song "Sweet Caroline" once during every game. That song just stuck in your Papa and my head. When we held you the song rang so true. You are so sweet and good times are just that much more good with you in our life now. You are our Sweet Baby C. You always will be.
The 6 months during 2010 that we were able to hold you and love on you have been some of the happiest moments of my life. I look forward to watching you grow into the beautiful lady that God created you to be. Every day I give thanks for you and your sister. What a beautiful family we have become.
Merry Christmas, Baby C. I hope you know, and always know, that you are deeply, deeply loved by your Papa and your Mama and most importantly by your God.
