Random entries from the past 6+ months...

*So it's July 27th. Carter is 14 months old today and I haven't written anything on this blog in over 6 months! I'm not surprised because it's not like I have tons of time to sit at the computer... But I'm going to first add a couple journal entries that were saved as word docs. I'm sure they aren't complete but it's something! Here we go:

2/2/10
It’s February and I can’t believe it’s been so long since I’ve written anything! Christmas was great! Carter had a lot of fun opening presents and mainly just playing with the paper. He received some wonderful gifts from everyone… including a packer jacket and cheese head, a “Carter” sippy cup, swim lessons and lots of fun toys. We got him one big gift which was this house thing that he can crawl thru (when he can crawl) and play with. There’s lots to do and it usually keeps him occupied for a while.

We didn’t have the Sniff Christmas until the middle of January though. We went to Monroe on Saturday night to go to Jan’s 60th surprise party and then we headed to Madison and stayed with Jim and Jeanie. Everyone came over Sunday and we had a lot of fun. Carter was great, of course! I just wish we would have gotten a picture with Caleb, Mali and Carter all together.

Friday, January 16th was the first day I didn’t pump. I had been slowing down for that week after Carter was refusing my milk. I had been thinking about stopping for a while so when he started doing that, I thought it might be a sign that it’s ok if I stop. I had (and still do have) a lot of guilt about stopping because I feel like it was only another 4 months that I would have had to do it but I was just so sick of it! It’s not like I was breastfeeding, I was pumping and that gets so old after a while!

He’s been on a 3 meal a day schedule for a while and that means he’s not taking as much milk. I kind of struggled trying to figure out what to feed him. There are so many rules out there about what is OK and not OK. It’s hard to figure out what’s best. I think I’m getting the hang of it though…

Carter started waving not too long ago. And just like clapping, daycare told us about it a while ago and we didn’t really notice until just recently. I think what they thought was a wave, we thought was something else…. But he’s now mastered it and when you say “Hi Carter” and wave frantically, he’ll wave back! It’s so cute!

2/25/10
Where do I begin…? To start, Carter has been (what Brendan calls) a wood chipper lately! We think this past week that he’s been going through a growth spurt. Before now he would MAYBE take 2 or 3 (4oz) bottles a day and lately it’s closer to 6. Plus he’ll eat and a couple hours later he’ll be hungry again. It’s crazy!

He started making kissing noises a few weeks ago. We weren’t sure if they were kisses or just another noise he was exploring until yesterday… I was leaving for work and saying goodbye to Brendan and Carter. I of course was smothering Carter with tons of kisses and as I was walking out the door he stretched his neck around to see me, he pulled out his nuk, made kiss noises and put his nuk back in. It was so cute! He was giving me a kiss goodbye! My heart just melts thinking about that moment!

His new thing would be dancing. When his little toys start playing nursery rhymes (like Hickory Dickory Dock – that’s been in my head for days) he starts to bounce like he dancing. I absolutely love this and will sit there and make the songs play over and over just so I can see him dance and smile. So cute!

I’d say about a month ago we bought a walker for him. He wasn’t sure what to do with it at first but when he figured out that he could walk in it, he thought it was the coolest thing. It took him a couple days to perfect it and by now he’s perfected even walking on the carpet. He loves to just cruise around the house and chase the cats and push his toys all over. I usually will give him a spatula or anything that’s safe and not breakable for him to play with while he’s cruising in the kitchen. The walker has really been a lifesaver on my back! Hunching over and walking him all over the house was starting to take a toll. Plus while he’s running around the kitchen I can get dinner or other things done around the house.

3/17/10
Since the last time I wrote, a lot of new stuff has happened, of course! He had his 9 month check up. It was probably the worst one we’ve had so far. He had just woken up so he was crabby and probably a little hungry. He cried when the nurse was in to weigh him and measure his height and head circumference. Then he was crying when the doctor was checking his ears… and of course he cried when he got the shots. It just breaks my heart to see him in pain! The charts showed that Carter was still off the charts for head circumference and height but he went down to the 75 percentile for weight, which is because he’s been more active lately so he’s burning more calories.
Carter has a couple new things he’s been doing. I’d say for about a week now he’s become more vocal about wanting more food when he’s in his highchair. He used to just smack his hand on the tray or make a little noise to get my attention. But now he just screams. It’s so funny!

He also has been getting really excited when he sees the cat and he says “kitty cat” or more accurately “ke ka.” Still the cutest thing ever! Other than “mama mama mama” this is his only other word he says that actually sounds like a word. Weather he’s in the walker or if I’m walking him around the house, he’ll see the cat and get really excited, breathing heavy and he starts to squeal and say, “ke ka” as he runs after him. Charlie is very tolerant of him and I actually think he plays with him sometimes. He’ll walk right next to him in the walker to tease him and then Carter will chase after him. Mister on the other hand doesn’t want anything to do with Carter. He used to be ok with him but since he’s gotten older and started moving around more, he stays clear of him.

*And here's some more:

6/24/10

It’s almost the end of June. Carter will be 13 months soon and I haven’t written about him or made notes about all of his milestones so I guess I’ll start now and do what I can to remember everything accurately.

He’s a proficient walker now. He took his first steps alone at 11 months. We always felt he wanted to walk because he would have us walk around with him (starting around 6 or 7 months) while holding his hands b/c he just loved being up right. He never crawled or showed any interest in doing so. We were fine with it, though our backs to a toll from being hunched over and walking him all over the house.
He of course was thrilled when he finally took those first independent steps. He always gets extremely exited when he learns and accomplishes something new. He now has run of the house. He can bend over and pick up a ball or toy, carry it all over the house or maybe he’ll chuck it as far as he can just to hear the noise it makes when it hits the tile. I swear these toys are indestructible b/c they shouldn’t still be intact after the abuse Carter gives them.

He’s learned where his nose is. That’s the only body part so far that he’s learned but it’s a start. We’re working on “where’s momma’s nose?”

He’s still a really good eater. We’re having a hard time finding ways to sneak in the veggies. He won’t even eat the veggie mush anymore. That’s been challenging. He loves fruit though. Blueberries, grapes, strawberries… anything really. And he loves fruit and cool whip… but who wouldn’t? He also loves meat. Burgers, brats, pork, meatballs, turkey burgers, bacon… he loves it all!

We’ve been working on weaning him from the bottle and his formula to just whole milk. I’d say it’s just been a week or so that he’ll actually drink AND swallow the milk. In the beginning, he’d just pool it under his tongue and then let it all spill out of his mouth. I guess he’s starting to get a taste for it. So now it’s a transition to get rid of the bottles and formula all together.

Ever sine I was recommended to watch Nick Jr. (since it’s geared toward preschoolers) he’s really taken a liking to a few of the shows. Yo Gabba Gabba is probably his number one favorite. He actually knows when I say, “Do you want to watch Gabba Gabba?” He’ll get really excited and start bouncing and say “ga ga.” It’s close! His other favorites are Backyardigans, Wonder Pets, Dora and Diego.

He likes to take any object that slightly resembles a phone and put it to his ear like he’s talking to someone. Sometimes it’s a phone, sometimes it’s the remote or the baby monitor. It’s so funny to watch and we always say, “Hello? Who’s there?”

*Well that's it for the random entries.... I will work today to fill in the gaps and bring everything up to date.