Carter is well past 11 months old

There are few words for what life has been like with Carter at 11 months old. It's shocking that in only a few weeks, we'll be celebrating his first birthday. His coy smile and charming personality make him Mr. Popularity around these parts. He's hard to resist with that 4-toothed grin.

He is funny, and smart and cuddly and cute. He is a trouble maker, climbing up the stairs (our many, steep stairs) all the way up to the top. He plays with Logan and falls over laughing.

He claps his hands in delight when I walk into the room, reaching out for me with his sort-of chubby baby arms. When Bill walks in the door from coming home from work, Carter crawls to him as fast as he can exclaiming "Dada! Dada!" Oh. So. Cute.

He loves to play with his little friends (or his "baby friends", as I call them). I seem to forget how quickly he's growing and how much he loves to play with little kids his own age. I don't think he'll be such a tag-along little brother - I think he'll be able to hold his own and do his own thing.


Soon he'll be walking, since he's walking around with only holding one of my hands now. He's eating everything we do when we go out to eat. He'll be giving up the bottle and switching to sippy cup only. These are my last days of babyhood...

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Carter is 10 months old

On the move and getting into trouble. That's the stage Carter is in now at 10 months old.

Since he's so mobile, he refuses to lay down and go to sleep. He pops right up as if he were going to try and climb out of the crib. It's gotten to the point where I just have to let him try his best, cry and wear himself out after many failed attempts at getting him to settle down. Although, when is he asleep, he stays asleep for a good while.


He likes to hold his own bottles and actually refuses to eat if I'm holding him. It kind of makes it easy to give him a bottle while he's rolling around on the floor dealing with his own distractions and I can do my own thing. When he feeds himself a meal, food is flung all over the floor. I don't even bother with putting Cheerios in a bowl or blueberries on a plate. Everything goes right onto his high chair tray...and then all over the floor.

If he's not flinging food around, he's crawling at the speed of light, pulling up onto the stairs and cruising the furniture. He will grab a car and with it in his hand, crawl around "driving" it to whatever destination he had in mind.

He is starting to pay more attention to the TV when it's on and Logan is watching cartoons. They are both mesmerized by Sesame Street (which isn't bad I suppose, it could be worse). In addition to the TV, Logan is teaching Carter how to clap, walk, play with cars, read books and they play all sorts of wrestling bother-type games all morning. There are no words for how cute this is. The game they both want all of us to play is the "crawl -chase" game, where we are all crawling and playing tag upstairs. Carter laughs hysterically and it's infections. We all start belly laughing and squeal in delight together.

Carter babbles and is learning how to use his voice. He used to say Mama and Dada more often, but is over it now. It's the same with waving bye-bye and clapping is on the outs soon too. I think he gets bored with new skills and waits for the next to develop. He does his funny face where scrunches up his nose and snorts - totally hilarious. I finally got it on film, if only for a split second...

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I love this age, and it's only a matter of weeks before it's gone and the toddler phase is in full force. I can see it already...

Carter at 9 months old

He got his first tooth a couple of weeks ago, small, white and shiny on the bottom left. The second is coming soon, already having erupted through the gums. He crawls around everywhere, following me around the house, chasing after Logan and speed crawling to meet Bill at the door when he comes home from work. He learned how to crawl up the stairs just yesterday, now causing me more worry. He babbles "Ma Ma" and "Da Da", knowing exactly what he's saying and who he wants attention from.


He is nine months old.

He not only crawls and climbs stairs, but pulls himself up standing. He plays with cars the most and plays along with Logan. They also wrestle and climb all over each other. He prefers Big Kid toys rather than baby toys. He used to wave bye-bye, but not anymore since he realizes that we think it's so cute. He does exceptionally well at the gym and has gone up to the two hour max without a melt down.


He is so cute.

He loves to feed himself Cheerios and blueberries. Not so much of a fan of cheese or peas and carrots unless they are pureed. He started eating banana again, but I refuse to try avocado since it makes him gag. He likes to hold his own bottle which is nice. He is a great sleeper and fights nap times and bedtimes very little. He is incredibly cute when he clutches his blanket close to his face and sucks on his thumb. He's not nearly as dependent on the pacifier as Logan was.


He is becoming more of his own person.

He is 28 inches long (40%), 17 pounds and 2 ounces (5%) and his head is 17 1/4 inches (30%). He is outgrowing his 9 month clothes and is making his way into 12 month sizes. He has an infectious smile and is in good spirits for the majority of the day. He loves to snuggle if it's only for a brief minute before he's off getting into trouble. He is fond of the cat who is so patient with his hair pulling and ear poking. He and Logan hold hands in the back seat while we drive around town.


He is growing so fast.

Carter at 8 months old

Oh, Baby Bean...

This age with you is absolutely fantastic. I love every minute of it! There are some stages of childhood that dive me nuts, like when you were a newborn and never slept or the toddler years with Logan - Good Lord, were those difficult. But this age with you right now? Is heaven.

I love when you wake up in the morning, sitting up and anxiously waiting for me to come in with a bottle for breakfast. The look on your face when I open the door is priceless. You are so happy, you just light up with pure joy. Our morning snuggles are so tender and loving, melting my heart into a giant puddle of mush.

You are moving all around the house now; crawling, scooting, rolling and getting into everything you can. You try to follow me around the house if you aren't playing side-by-side with you Big Brother, the highlight of your day. The two of you hang out together on the floor playing with cars, which seems to be your favorite right now. You couldn't care less about your baby toys. You'd rather play with the big kid stuff. Watching you kids play is adorable. You play so well together, like you've been playing for years before. You really are best buds. I've yet to get a picture, and believe me - I'm trying, but it makes me smile more than I can describe when I look in the rear view mirror while driving to see the two of you holding hands and laughing.

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You are beginning to find your voice and babbling so much more. While you eat your Cheerios in your high chair you talk to me and chat away in your secret baby language. Your conversations sound so interesting, I wish I knew what you were talking about. Even though I can't understand you, I feel like you understand everything that I say to you. I talk to you as if you've been talking from Day One, and the looks you give me are all the confirmation that I need. What's funny, sort of, is when I begin to tell you "No" or reprimand you (as much as one can do with a baby), you just laugh at me and think it's hysterical. So, hear I'm telling you to sit still while I change your diaper or to stop pulling my hair in a serious tone and you erupt in giggles and squeals.


Feeding you is quite a challenge because you are the pickiest eater already. There isn't much you like to eat other than fruit, carrots and sweet potatoes. Everything else you are totally grossed out by and even gag up stuff like avocado and banana. This is going to make for an interesting adventure trying to find food for you to eat. One good thing though is that you are getting pretty good at feeding yourself, picking up handfuls of Cheerios or Peach Puffs. Maybe you'll eat more when you are doing it all yourself. We'll see!


Your stranger anxiety seems to have calmed down a lot recently. I think you are recognizing the different places we go - the grocery store, the gym and friends houses. You are comfortable with the people we see regularly. And most importantly, you are loving your Dad more than ever now. When he comes home from work, you give him smiles just as big as you give me, which I know he's been waiting for. Soon enough, you'll most likely want nothing to do with me and will only want to do "man stuff" with your Dad and Logan.


I will be sad to see this stage go because I love it so much. My heart overflows with happiness watching you grow and learn, becoming your own person. You are incredibly sweet and fuss very little (which is so different from your newborn months). Little Carter kid, I love you more than you'll ever know.

Carter at 7 months old

Once again, he's almost 8 months and I'm a month behind. But, the last 4 weeks were pure craziness; dealing with Bill's family, then the 2 1/2 weeks of illnesses that were rampant around here. Finally back on track, I'm ready to show off Carter's cuteness in all it's glory.

First, sleeping. I think it's safe to say that he's sleeping through the night. He wakes up at 6am to nurse and has been good about going back down for at least an hour. His napping length has stretched out some - where he used to take little 30-45 minute cats naps, he's taking full-fledged 2-3 hour naps. It's awesome, but tricky. We end up missing a lot of activities due to this development.

We are back to nursing again, but since having the flu, I've needed to supplement a couple of times a day. It's not that bad, but I'm having a harder time getting the supply back up. We're lucky that we found a formula that sits well with him that he's not allergic to. Regarding solids, this kid is pickier than any one I've known. He hates avocado and throws it up. He only likes fruit and sweet vegetables. Forget about the greens. He also goes back and forth on whether he likes cereal or not. He's still getting the majority of his nutrition from milk, which at this point is a good thing or he would not be in a good place.

He loves to play with Logan and is actually playing side-by-side now. They share toys and play peek-a-boo together. It's adorable. And they love each other so much. It's fun to watch them and also just Carter on his own. He loves to explore his toy boxes on while sitting on the floor and pulling everything out.
He is mobile now, rolling around to get where he needs to go. He is so close to crawling, rocking back and forth on his knees and lunging forward. Any day now, any day...
He is one happy and smiling kid. He laughs and giggles and just has this sweet cuddly temperament that so many people are jealous of. I can't count how many times I've heard people tell me that they wish their kids were as snugly as Carter is. I used to say the same thing to others when Logan was a baby, while he was too busy being able to roll and crawl into everything. We haven't really hit too much stranger anxiety yet, but I don't think he's had enough of a chance to test it out. While at the gym, he was going for longer stretches and I was able to get my workouts done. Now I suspect we'll have to start all over again since being sick.
This age with Carter is so fun, cute and sweet. I'm trying to soak it all up while I can before he quickly grows into an independent toddler running amok around the house with his big brother.

Carter's 6th month check-up

This morning Carter went in for his 6th month check-up. I had been waiting for this appointment for a week considering all of the food allergy issues that were going on. We had a lot to talk about and I was anxious to get everything straightened out.

He was weighed and measured by the nurse. He measured 25 3/4 inches long (20%), weighed 13 pounds, 11 ounces (less than 3%) and his head was 16 1/2 inches (8%). When the Doctor came in, we talked about his growth and she wasn't concerned in the least. She said that he was measuring similar to what Logan did at this age (although his stats in their office start at 9 months). She said that he was beginning to slow down, but that was to be expected at this age. He looks very healthy and has some sort of chub on his arms and legs and he even has wrist lines. She shrugged her shoulders and said that breast fed babies aren't well represented on the growth charts. This was a relief since my initial reaction after the nurse took his measurements was a drop in my stomach, worried that he wasn't eating enough again.

We went over his food reactions and have a slower plan to go with. Rather than using the every three day rule before introducing a new food, we're going every week to two weeks. He's back on rice cereal and then we'll start with yellow and orange vegetables first. I'm adding banana to the list of possible food allergies and when he's a year old, we will discuss going in for allergy testing. But, at this point any testing is going to be inconclusive and a waste of effort and money.

After that, she went over his developmental milestones saying that he passed with flying colors. I was a bit concerned about his gross motor skills since he's not really moving too terribly much, but I suppose this is in comparison to Logan, who apparently was very physically advanced. The boy was crawling at 6 months and Carter isn't even rolling yet (a few times, but not across the room like Logan did). However, Carter is quite strong so there's nothing to worry about. He's just content to lay there and kick around.

The last topic of discussion was vaccinations. Prior to dealing with his Raynaud's, weight issues and food allergies, I was somewhat open to starting a single dose, selective plan. How quickly that all changed after witnessing Carter's body not functioning quite like it should. Those were major red flags for me and enough to not start any vaccinations at all. If his body is hyper-reactive to being cold and eating food, what's not to say he'll have a more severe reaction to chemicals? Add the family history in the mix and that's where I draw the line. I have to trust my gut, because I didn't with Logan (more than once) and he suffered from that.

So, she and I talked at length about it. She gave me the medical reasoning, but never pushed me into a decision. I thought long and hard about it, my eyes welling up with tears because of all of the parenting decisions I have to make, this is by far the most difficult. I think she understands that, thus why she doesn't push me. When talking about what vaccination she recommends the most, Hib is her number one priority. Logan had a mild reaction to this vaccination. So, my stomach turned even more and tears rolled down my cheeks. This issue is so heavy for me because I feel like I can't protect my kids either way. I'm damned if I do, I'm damned if I don't. I feel like a schmuck with whatever decision I make - if they contract a vaccine preventable disease or have yet another adverse reaction. For me, it's a no win situation.

It's even more difficult when you are having the discussion about the fatality of a disease in relation to your children. When the Doctor says, "this is an important vaccination because if he contracts Hib, every Doctor, no matter how good they are, doesn't think the child will make it or will have severe permanent injuries if they do survive". Then in the same conversation, "there's nothing we can do if he has an adverse reaction. The only thing we can give him is Benadryl for hives and rashes, Motrin for fevers and swelling and heavy steroids if it gets out of control. Once an adverse reaction starts, there's no stopping it. And I'm not going to say that there are not vaccine injuries out there, because there are".

It kills me. It is a gut wrenching predicament and I cry every single time I'm faced with making a decision.

The appointment ended with her telling me not to make a decision right then, to go home and think about it. This is why I really like her. She does fulfill her medical professionals obligation by informing me of all of the possibilities and consequences, but she knows how I feel and sympathizes. Unlike many other non-vaccinating parents out there, I don't think I'll ever have to worry about being kicked out of the practice for going against the CDC guidelines. Unless something else happens (God forbid) we won't have to go back for a while.

5 months old

Oh, Carter.

What on Earth am I going to do with you? Your 5th month started off a little rocky, thus why I am a whole 4 weeks behind, almost missing this month all together. Better late than never, right? I promise that I'll make it up to you in your 6th month update. I swear!
So, it all started when your hands and feet looked like little plumbs that felt like ice cubes. After nursing you in the middle of the night, I would bring you into bed with me to cuddle and snuggle for a few hours before we had to wake up and start our day. Your feet were painfully cold! I thought putting on some thicker socks was the answer. It wasn't. It turns out you have Raynaud's Disease. Fortunately, you are just fine and since keeping your room at a 70 degrees at all times, you are not quite so discolored.

Right after that scare, we had another! During one of your appointments to check out your feet we discovered that you weren't gaining weight at all for a couple of weeks. We are so fortunate to have caught that early, otherwise you would have been one upset and sick little baby. After nursing ever hour, on the hour, for an entire week, you gained the weight you needed and everything was back on track.
Since you like to just hang out and be carried around rather than use your little legs, we got you an exersaucer that you just love. You stand in there and play with your toys, watching me cook dinner or staring at Kitty and Buddha. We thought that you might like the jumperoo too, and you do! You spend some time in there jumping away, always making Logan laugh himself into hysterics. I am so proud of you and your sitting skills, sitting all by yourself and playing with toys or Logan. But, what's funny to me is that you like to use these toys, but when it comes to playing on the floor, you'd still rather just hang out and not roll around. I've caught you twice or so rolling over in bed, only because you scream when you're on your stomach. You're not in too much of a hurry to learn how your body moves.
You are definitely my little buddy, although you are becoming more accepting of other people. You have been content to hang out with some of the moms in The Club and have been OK hanging out with Daddy too. This makes me so happy knowing that you feel secure in the world around you. You are also beginning to make friends with the other little brothers and sisters in our playgroup. It's almost illegal how cute you are when you look and smile at your little friends while laying on a blanket or playing with toys. Soon enough, it will be time to start going to your own playgroup rather than tagging along to Logan's!
Speaking of Logan, you love that guy so much, sometimes I think more than me! There are times that I can't make you smile like he does. And believe me, Logan just eats it up. I'm sure he really enjoys having a pal to laugh at his jokes and stories. You two are the best brothers and certainly, best friends.

Well, Baby Bean, that about sums up the last month. Now that it's getting nice outside and you are entering your 6th month (which is always full of new experiences), we are going to have all sorts of fun. I can't wait to watch you enjoy the world around you.

Loves!
Mommy

Carter at 4 months old

I think 4 months old is my favorite "baby" age. He's old enough to start doing some super cute stuff and still small enough to be cuddly and adorable. It's a great mix! Carter has been busy this last month learning all sorts of new things and reaching more milestones.
On Friday morning we went in for his 4 month check-up. He's doing great. I thought he was growing at an alarming rate, but he is not. He is still my little peanut, despite the fact that he's wearing 6-9 month clothing! He measured 25 1/4 inches long (50%), weighed 13 pounds 3 ounces (10%) and his head was 16.5 inches (30%). The nurse joked about how all of his calories are going to his head.

His pediatrician and I talked about his eating habits, still every 2-3 hours. Since he's growing just fine, it's time to start holding him off and make him wait a little bit longer in between feedings. This should also help him start sleeping through the night. He has his dinner at 6pm, in bed by 7 and then would still wake up anywhere between 11-1am then again at 3-5am, up again at 6 or 7am and we're usually up for the day after that. Since the appointment, he's slept through the night the last two nights. He wakes up somewhere between 3 and 5am. YEA!!! I'm
hoping this is a continuing trend.

Nursing is such a sweet time for the two of us. He clearly understands when it's time to eat and gets so excited about it, kicking his legs and waving his arms. He now gets into the "Milk Zone" and has a wandering hand, grabbing my face - nose, cheeks and chin or clutching my shirt. He looks so peaceful, comfortable and safe. I love it when his cheeks get rosy pink circles.
Carter is one social little guy. He has an adorable smile and is quite the talker. He loves to smile at himself in the mirror. It's so funny, I could stand there with him all day long. He doesn't really belly laugh, more like little giggles. What makes him squeal the most is bouncing him up and down on the bed or throwing him up in the air. He seems to be an adrenaline junkie already!
His hands are always in his mouth and he has discovered his feet, too. He likes to hold on to them when he's in his swing or bouncer (that he's quickly outgrowing). He plays with his toys, reaching out for them, shaking them and eating them. His favorite is the same little book that Logan had as a baby.

He hates tummy time, but is getting a little bit better about it. During his appointment when the Doctor put him down, he screamed like he was getting a shot. "Boy, he has some drama in him doesn't he?!", she said. Yes, he does. He's not really rolling yet, only once or twice, but his upper body is still strong. He's just lazy. He should be able to stand on his legs, but he's lazy about that too. We need to get him an exersaucer to start forcing him to put some weight on them. The little stinker. However, he has great head and neck control. He just likes for me to be his personal assistant and do everything for him. This is ending soon enough!
He is very much attached to me and we are quickly working on helping him gain some confidence and independence. As horrible as it is to listen to, I am handing him off to Bill more often even though he screams and fusses. I'm also either letting him scream in his room, in his bouncer, swing or on the floor a lot more. I really don't want him to stay attached to me and hopefully by the time he's 6 months old and in the throws of separation anxiety, it won't be as bad (or worse). But the times that the attachment is cute is right before bedtime. He demands to be cuddled with in the rocking chair, not necessarily rocked to sleep, but cuddled to relax. I don't mind this at all. He's also starting to give me baby hugs which just melt my heart into a big puddle.
He's also very much attached to Logan. The two people he smiles at the most are his Mom and his brother (probably because we're around him the most). He loves it when Logan plays on the floor with him, talks to him and tries to wrestle with him despite my gasps telling him to be careful. I know that the two of them are going to get into all sorts of crazy adventures and Carter will idolize his Big Brother. I can see it now. It's very sweet.
I'm sure I'm forgetting a lot, like his excited smiles when he wakes up or his giggles at bath time. It seems that life goes by so fast with two kids that I miss out on the details with him. I don't get to take nearly as many pictures as I want to and savor every moment I can with my last little one. He's growing so fast already...

Carter - 3 months old

I'm late in writing this since he's almost 4 months old. But, better late than never! At least I wrote this in the same month. Anyway...

Carter is huge now. I'm not sure what he weighs or how tall he is yet since we won't be going in for his check up in a few weeks, but he has outgrown his 0-3 month clothes, some of his 3-6 month clothes and fits perfectly in most 6 month sizes. He's a long kid and I think he might even be taller than Logan. We'll see how his stats stack up next month!

He's still eating every 2-3 hours like clockwork. It's a lot of work to feed this growing weed. There have been a few nights where he's technically slept through the night, but it's nothing consistent yet. He still wakes up to eat. He's pretty good about sleep too, going to bed at 7pm and starting his day between 7-8am (after waking up somewhere between 11-1 and again at 3am and 6am). His naps are getting more consistent at 10am and 3pm, but only lasting 30 minutes, sometimes if even that. He is a cat napper. I miss the 3 hour marathon naps that Logan used to take!

Carter is a super smiley kid and I've been trying to get him on video (unsuccessfully). He wakes up kicking and waving his arms with a HUGE grin on his face. He gets this excited when you pick him up anytime and when he takes his bath. Oh, man. Bath time is the most adorable part of the day. He loves it! And if I keep track of the time well enough, he's happy for his baby massage afterward, enjoying his legs getting massaged the most. But, if there's anyone who makes him smile the most, it's Logan. I'm sure Logan will be the first one to get a giggle or belly laugh out of him. Carter is also quite the talker, cooing and making adorable baby noises. I love hearing him and can't get enough of it!
Carter is interested in playing with his toys and rattles and is content to hang out in his bouncer to play while I get ready in the mornings. He loves his wubbaNubs (soothies sown onto stuffed animals) that we got for him for his first Christmas. He just sucks away and cuddles his duck, frog or dog. He's been sneaking a peek at the TV while Logan watches his cartoons, so I have to distract him when I catch him doing it. He's too young for that right now.

He has been getting stronger even though I've been a total slacker on tummy time with him. It's more of a safety issue since Logan is a wild child who runs around the house like his hair is on fire. The last thing I want is for Carter to get trampled, which I could easily see happening. However, I had him on the floor this morning and he's getting pretty close to rolling. Even though he hasn't been on his tummy much, he is sitting on my hip or upright in the Bjorn and getting stronger that way. He also discovered his hands, which are always in his mouth and he is beginning to notice his feet, which is super cute.

His "colic" comes and goes where there have been some great weeks and some terrible days. We've been using Hylands Colic tablets the last week and they've helped a lot, but the more you use them, the less effective they seem to be. It's almost as if Carter realizes he's supposed to calm down and resists it. At least he hasn't had any 6 hour crying episodes and it's only been for about an hour. Still. I can't wait until this stops, but then it will be something else, I'm sure. The two must frustrating parts are the times where I can't do anything to help him feel better and that I seem to be the only one who can calm him down. He just freaks out even harder when Bill tries to comfort him. It's exhausting.

Carter is so sweet is unbelievable and I love cuddling him, playing with his toes and smelling his hair. Having baby conversations and making him smile is an awesome part of my day. I love this little guy to pieces. I can't even remember what life was like before him.

2 months old and checked out just fine

This morning Carter had his 2 month check-up. My little baby isn't so little anymore! In fact, yesterday at playgroup, one of the moms who just had her second baby a couple of weeks ago made it out since being home from the hospital. We sat next to each other and I kept looking at her baby boy and then at Carter in absolute amazement. Her little baby (who was born at almost nine pounds and much bigger than Carter was at that age) looked so small next to my giant baby in my arms. Carter is no longer a newborn, but a full fledged growing infant.

He checked out just fine at his appointment. He is 23 1/2 inches long (55%), weighs 11 pounds, 3 ounces (25%) and his head is 15 inches around (8%). Just to compare in size, Logan's stats at 2 months: 11.1 lbs (24%), 23 in. (51%), 15 in. circumference (12%). So, they are pretty similar in size at this age -although Carter is already wearing a size bigger (3-6 months clothes) in shirts than Logan was for some odd reason, but he still is in newborn to 0-3 month pants (like Logan was too). Both boys are built exactly like Bill. It's weird.
We talked about his eating habits which are still every 2-3 hours. At night he does have one long stretch of 5-6 hours (usually from 7 or 8pm to 1 or 2am). He doesn't spit up much in volume, but it is pretty frequent (not abnormal). The Doctor ruled out reflux (yea!). He is definitely getting enough to eat since he's growing like a weed.

We talked about his sleeping habits, which are a little unpredictable. He wakes up at 6 or 7am to nurse and goes back to sleep for about an hour. It's a bit interrupted if we have to drive Bill to work. Once we are home, he sleeps some more before we head out the door to do our activities at 10am. He's in and out of consciousness after he nurses again, never really sleeping solidly. Sometimes he's wide awake at this time. We come home for lunch and after nursing again, I put him in his crib for a good afternoon nap. He sleeps for about 30-45 minutes. Only a handful of times have been longer stretches. He has another good stretch of awake time and I try to get him to sleep again before we pick up Bill from work. Sometimes he does, sometimes he doesn't. But he's almost always in bed between 7 and 8pm - never later. Once he's in bed, he sleeps well (usually) until he wakes up to eat. Getting him back to sleep in the middle of the night is a bit challenging though. I'm often up three or four more times to get him to relax back to sleep.

He is developing right on track, smiling, cooing, squealing, being social and lifting his head very well. He can track objects and turns his head towards sounds. He seems to be a really social and vocal baby who smiles a lot (so cute!). We have "conversations" together where he is very responsive, he recognizes me and smiles these huge, bright, eye-squinting smiles for me. It's freakin' adorable. he is just beginning to learn about his hands and arms and has started reaching out for some of his toys while in the bouncer (which at first was by accident, but the look on his face was hilarious when he got the connection).

We don't do tummy time nearly as much as we did with Logan, but it's more of a safety issue. With an energetic preschooler running around who tends to be disobedient, Carter is either in my lap or his his swing more than on the floor so he doesn't get trampled over. In the afternoon we do have playtime all together where Carter is on his blanket doing tummy time on the floor and Logan gets to choose what baby toys we play with. He also loves to line up all of his cars along the edge of the blanket so Carter can see them which really helps with Carter's head control. Carter loves this time and is completely infatuated with Logan, carefully watching him and smiling at him.

We also talked about a couple of minor health issues, like his night/morning congestion, which is apparently normal for our climate in Colorado. As long as he can breath while nursing, he's fine. His left tear duct is blocked again, but it's not bad and I may have to continually massage it to re-open it and maintain it for a few months. As long as his eye isn't completely crusted over or swollen red, he's fine. He has a moderate case of eczema, but we've got that under control considering that we've been doing this whole treatment routine with Logan since the beginning of his breakouts.

At the end we talked about vaccinations, which I declined. With Logan's adverse reaction history (that started at his 2 month check-up), I was very wary about them. I truly believe that there's a genetic component in our family that makes us super sensitive and reactive to substances and irritants. Since Carter has the same type of symptoms that Logan had at that age (skin sensitivities, eczema and nasal congestion) I fear that he may be in the same boat with vaccination reactions. I explained this to our pediatrician who understood where I was coming from, but still had to cover her bases and explain why it was important that Carter get vaccinated at an early age (meningitis) and that the adults in the house should get vaccinated for pertussis again (we're not going to). But it wasn't something that I felt pressured into doing and she knew that it wasn't an issue that I was going to change my mind on.

So, Carter is a healthy, happy, growing baby!

2 1/2 years old

My baby is no longer a baby, no longer a toddler & quickly growing up to be a big boy - a preschooler, doing things all by himself. His growth & development over the last seven months has been amazing & watching him live his happy little life has been both challenging & heartwarming all in the same moment.

Logan has turned into quite the early bird, waking up at 6am. Because our bedtime battles with him escaping from his room repeatedly were exhausting, frustrating & going nowhere, we put up the baby gate along his door jam so he can't get out. When he wakes up in the morning, he calls for us now rather than slamming his door a million times or throwing all of his toys out into the hallway. He has grown tall enough to reach the door knob to Carter's room, so we'll see how that works out.
He continues to be a great napper, taking one huge long nap almost everyday from 1 to almost 4. I LOVE that he still naps this long, since it gives me some time to sleep too. I hope he continues this trend for a while after Carter is born so we can ALL take long naps at the same time. I don't think he'll outgrow this too soon since he is such an active little kid & wears himself out regularly.

He is still the pickiest eater I've ever known. He'll eat meat every now & then, but I would still consider him to be vegetarian. We are stuck in a major food rut as he wants to eat the same things everyday (which is normal, I guess). For breakfast he has a glass of milk, a banana & a cereal bar. His snacks are banana chips (monkey chips), raisins, goldfish crackers, peanuts & graham crackers (bee crackers). For lunch it's either a cheese sandwich or peanut butter & jelly sandwich with fruit (he loves all fruit) & veggies (usually peas). Dinner is either the same thing, home-made mac n' cheese (the healthy kind) with veggies or hamburgers that we have to call "Crabby Patties" & tell him that Sponge Bob made so he'll eat it. Although, he has no problem asking for "fries for dinner" every single night.

He loves going to school to "make pictures" & wants me to sing "the wheels on the bus" often. I love the way he says "round & round" while doing the hand motion. It is so, so cute. When not asking to go to school, he asks to go to the gym to play with his friends, or asks to go to specific friends houses. He is a busy body that needs something to do every day, all day. Downtime to him is boring & he often gets into trouble when he's bored & looking for something to do.

At home he is still fascinated with cars or anything with wheels, really. He looks for bugs in the yard, plays with his actions figures & somehow loves Spiderman (which we've never watched or played with). We still watch Sponge Bob religiously, as well as Yo Gaba Gaba (again) & now, The Simpsons (thanks to Bill). If he's not driving his cars across every surface in the house, or playing pretend (& I don't know what he's pretending to do most of the time), he's torturing our poor, patient pets, chasing them around the house & trying to sit on them. It's amazing he hasn't been bit yet, & it's astounding how many times I yell, "LEAVE THE DOG/CAT ALONE"!
He is starting to talk more & more everyday in full sentences. He often asks, "What's that Mommy/Daddy?" to everything he sees, whines "but I don't want to", & has caught me off guard by asking, "Mommy, can I have my milk please?" He loves to talk about how the "ambulance takes hurt people to the doctor" or "police car takes people to jail". He is also in the "mine" phase, where he has to claim everything as his, even his friends toys. This stage is beyond annoying.

He is very good about getting his shoes on by himself, even on the right foot. That's about all he can do to dress himself right now, since pants/shorts are the next thing we'll work on. He has lost interest in potty training, partly because I probably kept asking him if he wanted to go everyday. Now it's become a power struggle. I still ask, but I leave it at that & only talk about it at diaper changes. He knows that he gets candy if he poops on the potty & now we've upped the ante by telling him that if he poops on the potty, he will get a very big special surprise car (a General Lee car that the grandparents bought him that we saved since he got other Big Cars during their last visit).

Temper tantrums have been decreasing in frequency & talking back has begun to take it's place. So, he's still in timeout occasionally, but it's more for grunting a gruff huff when he's in trouble while pointing his finger at me. Or yelling at me. Or sometimes both. We certainly are heading into the "Terrifying Three's", or at least that's what it feels like.

We had a lot of fun learning to swim this summer & his arm floaties were a hit. We've been working with him on trying to peddle his tricycle, but I think it might take some more time to get the hang of that. However, the kid has an arm on him & learned how to throw discs around just like his Dad. Soon, he'll be tagging along with Bill across the disc golf course with his own bag of discs.

He is learning about chores & helping out around the house. He throws trash away for me, cleans up his toys (occasionally), puts his dishes in the sink, clothes in the hamper & helps Bill pick up dog poop in the back yard (he's the poop finder & points it out. Pretty cute, if you ask me). I think in the next year, we'll start his chore chart. Maybe even sooner than that!

It is just shocking how much he has grown & how fast he continues to grow. I didn't think it was possible, but he gets even more cute as the days go by. He is sweet & very loving, giving us hugs & kisses & cuddles everyday, all day. Hearing his giggles & shrieks of laughter just make me smile on the crappiest of days. He loves to be happy & make everyone around him smile. I am so incredibly proud of the boy he's growing up to be. I love my sweetie pea more than life itself.