Royal Treatment

On January 25, some of the Kansas City Royals players visited Bentonville, and we were fortunate to be able to go. John Mayberry, an All-Star first baseman from the 1970s Royals teams, was there, and so were outfielders Joey Gathright and David DeJesus from the current team. They were all nice enough to sign a baseball for us and have their picture taken with Lori and Caroline. Then the Royals mascot Sluggerrr arrived, and he took a picture with Caroline while the other adults standing around oohed and aahed at how cute they looked together.

Half a Year

We have been parents for half a year now. On one hand, we feel like we have developed a routine, but on the other hand, every day has its own new challenges. We appreciate all the interest and care that everyone has shown the three of us. Caroline has doubled her birth weight; she is up to 16 pounds and 8 ounces. She is also 27 inches long, and it seems like she grows a little bit more each day. The next big adventure will be to welcome her new teeth, which her doctor thinks might come soon. We all hope so!

Ringing in the New Year

We are happy to be back at home after a long but very memorable Christmas trip. Caroline was good for Lori on their flight out to North Carolina, and then when we drove up from there to Philadelphia for Galen's conference and after that on back to Arkansas, she rode well too. So we are very thankful, and we know that all the relatives are grateful for the time they were able to spend with her. About the time we returned to our house, Caroline started to begin her teething, so we're glad to be off the road when dealing with that. The highlight of the trip besides seeing family was posing with Caroline in front of the Liberty Bell. But we also had fun visiting Galen's old stomping grounds at Princeton, where there were other photo opportunities. All in all our 5-month-old daughter has now visited 14 states! Now it's time to unpack and get ready for the new year and the new semester.