Carter's Owie

Well, Carter had his first "blood" injury today.  He was playing in the bathroom early this morning (his favorite place to play lately) and pinched his left pointer finger in the door frame.  Ouch!  I didn't realize at first what had happened until I saw his finger - purple, swollen and bleeding.  Poor buddy.  And then, of course, Brooks woke up and I could hear him running around in his room.  So I scooped up Carter and gave him lots of snuggles as we headed to get B.

As soon as we were upstairs and Brooks saw Carter crying, he immediately started doing acrobatics and making silly noises to make Carter laugh.  And it worked!  Within a minute or so Carter stopped crying and they were both playing on the floor, laughing!!  I love my big boy Brooks.  He has such a tender heart and hates to see people cry.  So he does whatever he can to cheer them up.

Carter was definitely more clingy this morning and spent a lot of time in the Boba carrier while I cleaned up dishes and packed lunches.  He even took a morning nap which is pretty out of routine for him.  So I guess his injury affected him more than I thought.  But this afternoon he's been happy and smiley.  His finger is just a little red now and since his hands are so chubby anyway, you can hardly notice the swelling :)  I'm thankful our first "real" injury was a small one.  I just need to be eased into the many more that I am sure to come with this kid.

Brooks' 3rd Birthday

First of all, I'm happy to report that we made it through this birthday without any puking.  And for that reason alone, I'd consider it a success.  But on Saturday, my Brooks baby (or not so baby) turned 3.  THREE!  Can you believe it?  I've found that celebrating birthdays are a little different as a parent.  We had a really fun day celebrating with a party and lots of good food, but I found myself throughout the day thinking about what I was doing at that exact time three years ago.  And I made sure to keep an eye on the clock for when 6:40pm rolled around - the moment our first son was born!  Ah, memories.  But as great as that day was three years ago, I certainly appreciate not having to be in labor every year ;)  Here's how we celebrated our day ....

For breakfast, Chris and Brooks headed to the donut shop where Brooks could pick out any donut he wanted.  And Brooks was as excited as a kid in a .... well, donut shop!

he picked one with white frosting and sprinkles

headed home with the loot

There was definitely more frosting eaten than actual donut, but that's allowed on your birthday, right?

Shortly after breakfast, we packed up all the food and party supplies and headed to Spellerberg Park for Brooks' party.  It was a baseball themed party inspired by Grandma Marty.  When my mom was here this spring she asked Brooks if he had a baseball bat.  When he replied that he didn't, she said "maybe you'll get one for your birthday."  And Brooks interpreted that to mean "I AM getting a bat for my birthday".  And then he decided he wanted a baseball party since he was getting a new bat anyway.  And since I didn't want to disappoint my little guy (and his request seemed reasonable) we had a baseball party.

That morning Brooks wore his baseball shirt and hat.  Carter even dressed for the occasion.

We started the party by playing a game of baseball, of course.  

Jake at the bat!

Jake's little sister, Celia gave it a try too!

Papa Gale was the third base coach.  And second base coach.  We discovered that playing baseball with two three year olds and a one year old requires a LOT of coaching :)  "Run to first base.  No the other first base.  That's third base.  [pointing to first base]  Over here.  Run over here.  You know what?  That's good.  You just stay on third base."  Brooks had a ton of fun and that's what really matters, right?


After the ball game, we brought out the baseball pinata.

Making that pinata was a labor of love I tell you.  Chris and I both spent hours paper mache-ing, painting, filling, etc.  We had to explain to Brooks ahead of time how pinatas work and he was super excited about it. Until he took the first two swings and decided he didn't like the loud noise of the bat hitting the pinata.  He declared that he was done and sat down. (sigh)

Jake, on the other hand, loved it!  He whacked that pinata until it split wide open.  I believe he was highly motivated by the candy on the inside :)

Next came presents ......

After opening the presents we at a "baseball" lunch with brats, peanuts, chips (just for Brooks :) and some fruit salad.  Then came the cake!

I'd say he liked it!  We are all so blessed to have so many wonderful friends and family.  Brooks loved all of his gifts and he truly felt special at his birthday.  Thank you to everyone who came and to family who sent gifts for him!

Grandma Gale and Carter

Katie and Celia

 Later that afternoon we gave Brooks his "big" birthday present from us.  A new bike!!!

Brooks was pretty excited and wanted to ride it right away.  But he's never ridden a real bike before and the "pedal with one foot, then the other" concept quickly became frustrating for him.  We both tried to help him, but we realized this would take a little longer to learn.  Then he said "Daddy, I want to share my bike with you.  It's your turn to ride it now."  Translation: "I'm all done with this bike.  You take it."  He has ridden a few times since his birthday and I'm proud to say that he is learning how to ride it.  Slowly, but surely.

That evening I made Brooks a special birthday dinner.  I asked him earlier in the week what he would like and he requested chicken, fries, baked beans and green beans.  That, my son, is doable.  And I was especially proud that he asked for vegetables for his birthday.

So I made homemade chicken strips and fries, along with the requested beans. 

We all enjoyed the meal and ate until we were stuffed!  Then while we were eating, I looked over and saw this!

Earlier at Brooks' party, Carter took a short 45 minute nap in my Boba carrier around 11am and then didn't nap for the rest of the day.  I tried several times to put him down, but he wanted none of it.  So come supper time, he was really tired.  Obviously.  And it pretty much blew.my.mind that he just fell asleep.  No crying, no fussing.  Just fell asleep.  So weird!

We finished out the day with baths for both the boys and reading books on the couch.  It was such a fun day celebrating our new three year old.  It's still hard to believe it's been three years since he was born.  It seems forever ago and not that long all at the same time.  But it's been such a fantastic three years and I'm so excited to continue watching Brooks grow and learn and discover God's plan for his love.  We are all so blessed to have this special little boy (er, big boy) in our family.  Happy Birthday Brooks!

Watch Me Grow: 9 Months

Well, it's official.  Carter has now been on the outside just as long as he's been on the inside.  And he all of a sudden seems very grown up and far less dependent on me, which is both good and a little sad.

I can no longer get him to sit IN the chair.  So now he stands NEXT to the chair for pictures.

Here's what's new:

Stats:

• Carter weighs 19lb 11oz.  (I finally had him weighed!)  I would have guessed him for heavier.  At least he feels heavier when I'm holding him all the time.
• He's wearing all 12 month clothes now.  His shorts are a little long on him and make him look extra "stumpy" but he's cute!
• Carter now has 7 teeth, 4 on top and 3 on the bottom.

Eating

• Carter is sitting down with us and eating solids at every meal.  He's been doing really well at eating finger foods - cooked veggies, fresh fruit, cereals, etc.  So most of the time he just eats some of what we're eating, but other times I'll warm up some baby food I have made up in the freezer.  His favorite thing to eat for breakfast is oatmeal.  This morning I mixed in some applesauce and a dash of cinnamon and he thought that was pretty awesome!
• Favorite Foods: Oatmeal, squash, carrots, green beans, dry cereal, eggs, grapes
• Not-so favorite foods: applesauce, bananas (what kid doesn't like bananas??)
• Carter is still breastfeeding but not quite as often.  Sometimes when he gets crabby I realize it's been over 4 hours since he last nursed.  Nursing has also been a bit more challenging since Carter now has 7 teeth, but all in all he's doing well.

Sleeping:

• Those of you who have been keeping up with these posts will know that sleep has never come easy for this child.  The crying, and screaming and not sleeping was wearing us all down.  But now?  Now, you would never know that Carter had any sleep issues at all.  He goes down for naps and bedtime like a champ.  No screaming.  No crying.  Just sleeping.  Wonderful, beautiful sleeping!
• I usually nurse Carter on our bed before naps and bedtime.  Most times he falls asleep while nursing, but lately he's still been awake after he unlatches.  So in a crazy experiment a week ago, I tried putting him in his crib to see if he would, you know, just fall asleep.  (I'm delusional, right?)  I rubbed his back and sang him our bedtime prayer, kissed him goodnight and left.  The first time I did this he cried.  For a minute.  No joke.  It was a whole minute and then he was sleeping.  Amazing!  And now when I do this, he usually just lays in his bed and jabbers and coos until he falls asleep.  I'm not entirely sure this is my baby.  I mean, do you remember just 4 months ago???  But I'm not complaining.  Oh, no.  This new sleeping thing, my friends, is wonderful.
• Carter usually just takes one nap each day around 1pm, which is conveniently at the same time Brooks takes a nap :)  If we're home and he's bored he may take a morning nap and then a later afternoon nap.  But usually in the morning we're busy out and about so he stays awake until early afternoon.  Then he'll nap for about 2-3 hours.
• Bedtime is around 8pm.  He'll sleep a good 5-7 hours, eat and go back to sleep.  He may wake up one more time to eat, sometimes not.  Then he's usually awake for the day between 7 and 8am.

New Discoveries:

• Finger Food.  We started giving Carter some (very small) finger foods this month.  And he LOVES them.  It took him a while to figure out how to get them to his mouth, but he loves to feed himself.  In fact, he loves to eat so much that one day I found him under Brooks' chair at the table eating the crumbs off the floor.  Guess I need to sweep more often.

I told Brooks he needed to share his cereal with Carter and this is what I walked into.  That was one happy baby!

• Sitting in the bath.  Carter's been taking baths with Brooks for a while, but we've always set the baby tub in the big tub.  But since he is so very mobile, it was no longer containing him.  He sits very well, so we decided to take out the baby tub and just let him sit in there.  And he was happy.  He loved to splash in the water and play with the toys.  For about two minutes.  Then he started crawling all over the tub, over Brooks, pulling himself up on the side of the slippery tub, trying to chew on the faucet, pulling the plug.  Bath time is so much fun for him.  Not fun for us.  I'm in a constant state of "don't let the baby drown" panic as he's crawling everywhere. So needless to say, bath times are now very short for him.  Get in, play for two minutes, wash up and get out.
• The window.  We have a few really low windows and they're just the right height for Carter to stand and look out.  I find him here often watching the world go by.

• The Spray Park.  This last weekend we all went to the Pioneer spray park here in Sioux Falls.  Brooks loves to play in the water and given Carter's love of bath time, we figured he would too.  We were right.  He was fairly overwhelmed by it all and didn't smile much, but he loved splashing in the water and trying to "catch" the water sprays. 

New Abilities: (there were a lot of big ones this month!)

• Crawling!  Carter is now crawling on his hands and knees.  And he's everywhere!  I find him in the bathroom, under the table eating crumbs, in the dishwasher.  He is a busy, busy boy!
• Standing.  Shortly after last month's post, Carter mastered the ability to pull himself to standing.  And he does it often.  And recently he's even started to walk along the furniture.  Oh, this kid keeps me on my toes.



Yes, that's a fork he's holding and yes, I took it away.  (after I took a picture of course!)

• Climbing.  I'm sure this goes without saying, but with all this crawling and standing, Carter has learned how to climb... on Brooks' bed, in the dishwasher and recently up the stairs. One day he was in the living room playing while I was in the kitchen and when I came to check on him, he was on the fourth step up.  Time to get the baby gate!
• Signing!  A few weeks ago, we started using sign language with Carter.  We've used the words "eat", "more", "nurse", and "all done".  I wasn't really expecting him to sign back, but I thought we could start and eventually he would pick it up.  Then about a week ago, he had eaten all the snack on his tray and I saw him clapping.  I figured he was just clapping in celebration, but when I saw the frustrated look on his face I realized he was actually signing "more"!  So I gave him more snack and he was thrilled!  So was I :)  What a little smarty pants!!

• Making us laugh.  We've always tried making Carter laugh, especially Brooks, will silly faces, noises, etc.  But this month Carter has figured out the game and has started acting "silly" to make us laugh.  And it works!  He'll shake his head back and then look to us to wait for us to laugh.  And when we do, he shakes his head even more.  Or he's started just laughing at Brooks, for no good reason, just to get him to laugh.  And of course Brooks starts laughing which causes Carter to laugh harder and around and around it goes.  I don't think there's any sweeter sound than listening to my boys laugh.
• Clapping.  I think this may have happened a while ago, but Carter has started clapping.  Unfortunately, it also looks like his sign for "more" so I have to decipher which one it is, but it's really cute either way.

clapping!

Best Brothers

When I was pregnant with Carter, I was pretty convinced that he was a girl.  I tried to keep an open mind not knowing the gender, but deep down I was sure it was a girl.  Perhaps it was just wishful thinking?  I mean, that's the perfect American family, right?  One boy, one girl.  So, as you can imagine, we were quite surprised when Carter James was born.  Not disappointed by any means, just a little surprised.  It took me a while to wrap my head around the fact that we now had two boys.  Boys.  Two boys.  Not a boy and a girl.  Two boys.  

But let me just say .... I LOVE having two boys.  Already, at the ages of 8 months and almost 3 years, my boys are becoming best friends.  I didn't think it was possible this soon, but that's the way it is in our house.  Just the other morning, Carter was being silly at the breakfast table which totally made Brooks laugh.  Then because Brooks was laughing, Carter started laughing.  Then because Carter was laughing, Brooks laughed even harder.  Oh the joy of hearing my dining room filled with little boy laughter!

Brooks tries to make Carter laugh all.the.time.  He makes silly faces, silly noises and "accidentally" drops things on the floor.  All in hopes of hearing a giggle out of his little brother.  And when we play, Carter will "chase" Brooks, tackle him and give him slobbery wet baby kisses.  And Brooks doesn't mind.  Brooks is always looking out for Carter, making sure he's not putting things in his mouth or asking me to pick him up if he's crying.  And Carter has discovered the bounty of food crumbs left underneath Brooks' chair at the table, making him appreciate his big brother even more.  (See?  Who needs a dog.  We have a baby Roomba to clean up :)  For at least a half an hour this afternoon, I was busy in the kitchen and my two boys just played .... together.

Now, I know there will be times of arguing and fighting.  I'm not that naive to think it will always be smiles and sharing.  I've already heard plenty of "Caaaaaarter, noooooo!  That's myyyyyyyy tooooooooooy".  But as Brooks is learning that the things in our house now belong to both of them, he's getting better about sharing toys (at least the ones he doesn't want to play with).  He's a super big brother.  And Carter's a pretty great little brother.

I love my boys.  And I love being their mom.

The amazing, incredible Carter!

Here's to document our 8 month old pulling himself up to standing.  I know other kids have done this, but considering Brooks didn't even crawl until 13 months, this is kind of amazing to us!

And this is just silly! :)

Watch Me Grow: 8 Months

Our Mr. C sure is growing up fast.  I'm so glad that I get to be with him every day to see him grow and learn and change.  I'm so proud of him!

Oh, those dimples!

Here's the latest update:

Eating:

• At first Carter wasn't really a big fan of solid foods.  I had just been mashing up cooked foods with fork and feeding it to him with a spoon or my fingers.  But I thought I'd try pureeing them in the blender.  Maybe the texture was throwing him off.  So I blended up some squash and added breast milk, and baby sure loved that.  Don't know if it was the texture or the breast milk that he loved, but he ate the whole bowl.  (And by whole bowl, I mean about an ounce or so)
• New foods he's tried include squash and green beans.  The squash he loves.  The green beans, not so much.
• Carter's main food source is still, well .... me.  And I love it!  Someday I won't be so needed in his life, so I'm enjoying this stage as long as it will last.  He's nursing about every 3-4 hours.  Lately he's been teething, so it's been more often though.

Sleeping:

• Carter is still sleeping like a champ!  My life has been so much less stressful and I think everyone can feel it.  He still takes a morning nap around 9 or 10 (depending on when he woke up) and in the afternoon around 1 or 2pm.  If we're out and about, he's content to sleep in my moby wrap too.  And he still sleeps awesome in the van.  But now he's getting too big to carry in the car seat, so when I have to take him out when we arrive somewhere, he usually wakes up.  Sometimes I can transfer him to his bed and he'll go back to sleep.  Other times not.  Oh well.
• Night time sleeping is kinda hit and miss.  He's in bed every night between 7:30 and 8:00pm and on a good night he'll sleep until 4am, eat, and go back to sleep until 7am.  That's a really, really good night.  Other nights he's up at 1am, 3am, 5am, 7am.  The good thing is that he'll nurse and go right back to sleep.  The bad thing is I still have to get up to nurse him.
• We don't bed-share at all anymore.  He's so big and wiggly and rolls all over the place, it's just not feasible.  I know some people make it work, but we've found that everyone sleeps better in their own beds.  He'll nurse in bed with me, but then I put him back in his crib, which is still right next to my side of the bed.
• Carter always sleeps with his new blanket he received for Easter.  It's so cute! 

New Discoveries:

• Everything!  Carter is now mobile and he has explored almost every corner of this house.  And he taste tests everything he finds: cords, toilet paper, shoes, rugs, the toilet bowl brush (::shudder::).  We now keep the bathroom door closed for obvious reasons.

chasing down a balloon - and getting stuck

• Bubbles.  Last night Brooks and I were blowing bubbles and Carter thought they were pretty awesome. 
• Cords.  Carter really is getting into everything but power cords seem to be his favorite to chew on.  Awesome.
• Garbage cans.  Again, a super great toy for babies.  Garbage, plastic bags .... perfect combination (::eye roll::) Those too are usually kept up high now.
•  I know I've mentioned this before, but Carter LOVES to be outside.  He loves to sit in (and eat) the grass, he loves the dirt and the fresh air.  I think I see lots of camping in our future.  For now, we'll stick to the park.

What is that mom?  A camera?  Can I eat it??

Seriously, mom.  Enough pictures.

• The shower.  One weekend we didn't have time to give the boys a bath so Chris took a quick shower with Brooks and then I showered with Carter.  He loved it.  (And I have to admit, I loved it too.  I love holding my naked baby skin to skin!)  He was amazed at this constant stream of falling water. He kept trying to grab it, and then eat it (of course!)

New Abilities:

• Like I mentioned above, Carter is now mobile.  Very very mobile.  He's still army crawling, but we've seen him take a few "steps" on his hands and knees.  He's just not as quick at doing that, so he flops on his belly and goes on his way.  He's always on a mission!
• So the kid can't crawl on his hands and knees, but he can do this .....

yoga, anyone?

And as of just a few days ago, he's also doing this ...

so proud of himself!

• Umm, who gave him permission to start pulling himself up on things???  When he first started doing this, he didn't know how to get himself back down to the ground, so he'd just let go, thereby smashing his face into whatever he was propping himself up on.  There was crying.  Lots and lots of crying.  He's now learned to put one hand on the ground before letting go.  Smart baby.  First he was just getting up on small things: Brooks' bed, a small basket.  But on Tuesday before bath, he crawled over to the tub and pulled himself all the way to standing!  Oh dear.  Nothing in this house is safe.

good thing we lowered that crib mattress!

•  Wrestling with Daddy.  Chris and Brooks wrestle on the floor all the time and Carter decided he needed to be a part of it.

I'm going to eat you, Brooks!

• Sticking out his tongue.  Not sure if this is an ability or not, but it sure is cute.  This is definitely a Rady trait and from what I hear, it comes from the Anderson side too.

• Babbling.  Carter started finding his voice last month, but he's continued to jabber up a storm.  We often call him our "little sheep" because he favorite sound is "bah bah bah bah".  He's also said "dadadada" several times but we're not sure if he's actually associated that with his Dad.

 Odds n' Ends:

• Carter's personality has really started to shine through and it's really fun to see.  He LOVES his big brother and laughs every time Brooks laughs.  Every time.  Carter has a wonderful laugh!
• He's starting to realize when we leave the room.  And he's not a fan.  He cries until we come back and pick him up.
• When Carter is tired, he becomes abusive.  He slams his head into our shoulder and chews on our arm.  Not the most polite way to say "I'm tired", but I guess he gets his point across.
• Carter is a morning baby.  He always wakes up happy and catting up a storm in his crib.  And because he's awake earlier than Brooks, Chris usually brings him downstairs with him when he goes to shower, so I can sleep a little longer.  What a guy!
• Carter now has 6 teeth, two on the bottom and four on top!  He's been a little extra fussy and drooly, but for the most part has handled the new teeth pretty well.
• Carter's current nicknames: Scooter-bug, little sheep or little bah bah, Mr. C, Es-Carter-Go (story below), Go Cart, and Brooks calls him Little Peanut.  That's cute.
• One day Carter was chewing on a teether shaped like a snail.  Chris told Brooks that Carter was eating escargot.  "Can you say 'escargot'?" Chris asked.  Brooks said "Es-Carter-go."  It was funny and very fitting!

I think all 2 year olds are ADD

(at least mine is)

This morning I was playing on the floor with Carter and noticed he had a seriously snotty nose (poor teething kiddo).  So I asked Brooks,

"Could you grab a tissue for Carter, please?"

Brooks walks over to the counter where the tissues are and he comes back with my glasses.  "Here you go mama."

"No sweetheart.  I asked for a tissue.  Could you please bring me a tissue?"

He walks back over by the tissues and brings back my hair mousse.  (Seriously, kid??)

"No, a tissue.  Carter needs a tissue."

This time he brings me the digital camera.  So now I have received three non-tissue items and Carter has proceeded to wipe his snot all over my pants.

"Brooks!  I need a tissue.  Ti-ssue.  Please bring Mama a tissue.  Yep, over there.  That's the tissue box.  Puuuuuulll out a tissue.  Good job.  Now bring. it. to. me."

He finally brought me a tissue.  And I used it to wipe up my pants.