Cutting Teeth "Bites"

He has 6 teeth already, since he was 6 months old. However, he is working on some more. He has all the signs...runny nose...fever...diarrhea...drool everywhere...needy...hands in the mouth all day long. I couldn't see taking him to the babysitter in this condition. So Mom had to take a sick day and stay home to take care of her little guy. I think he is doing better now.

Update on the sleeping through the Night:

Tuesday Night- went to bed at 7:30pm on his own, woke up at 4:30 am. Nursed and slept till 8:30am.

Wednesday Night: went to bed at 8pm (with some help) up at 5 am. Had a fever so was very needy and would not go back to sleep until 6:30am until 9am.

I realize I chose the wrong week to try this "sleep through the night" trick. Teething and sleeping through the night don't mix. But we will see how he does tonight.

I was getting ready for the day when I found him in the closet. He went straight for his daddy's shoes..."Air Jordan's". Chris says, "He knows good shoes when he sees them!" He always plays w/ those shoes, I don't know what it is.

We had a great night watching the youth perform their own rendition of "Dancing with the Stars". It was a fund raiser for summer camps. They were amazing, Chris and I were very impressed. Carter loved the music and bounced, shook his head, and clapped everytime a new dancer got on the floor. We laughed at his tricks. I enjoyed the open dance floor afterwards...all my Utah/Idaho/EFY line dancing skills came rushing back and I had to "Move". Someone said "How long has it been since you've danced? It looked like you were really enjoying yourself out there!" I was enjoying myself. I think Carter has the dancing gene from his mom.

Carter's First Easter

Happy Easter to everyone. We had a lovely day. I spoke in church and we enjoyed hearing all the beautiful voices from the choir. After church we went to Chris' parents home 30 minutes away. We enjoyed a yummy dinner and Carter got two Easter Baskets. The Easter bunny visited grandma's house too. No Candy in his basket, just books, his first baseball mitt, puffs and a new shirt. He loved it. He is so much fun. His teeth are doing better and no more bruise. I notice the tiny chip because he smiles so BIG all the time and I know it's there. We have learned from the tooth incident and there is no longer a shelf on the entertainment center.

Carter has started to mimic everything his Daddy does. Chris shakes his head, and so does Carter. Chris clicks his tongue, Carter follows. Chris makes the fart noise w/ his tongue, Carter makes thes same noise...and doesn't stop. It is so cute, really. It quite a treat to watch the relationship Carter has with his Dad. Every day when he hears the door unlock, it doesn't matter what he is playing with...he looks at the door...smiles his BIG smile...and starts to laugh. He gets so excited to see his Daddy.

Carter has also discover Baby Einstein videos and will watch them without a peep. We don't do it too often, but when you absolutely need to get something done...Baby Einstein works great for our busy little boy. He is also enjoying the finger foods...Tofu cubes...green beans...cheese. This kid is a HUGE blessing to us. We cherish every moment we have w/ him.

I have to admit something...I do no cherish those night time feedings. No...HE DOES NOT SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT! So, we are on a mission this week. No more nursing at night. I may get no sleep this week and I am going to hate hearing him cry, but it is TIME. I want him to sleep through the night SO BAD! This mom is tired. Chris is helping out and we are working hard at it. Day one was last night..12:30 am - - woke up, Chris changed his diaper and put him back in bed. He was not happy, but eventually fell back to sleep. 4:00 am- -woke up, I get up for work at 4:30 am so I just nursed him so Chris wouldn't have to feed him before taking him to the sitter. 7:00 am- -woke up, fell right back to sleep, then woke up at 8:15 am. Tonight is day two. We will see how this goes. I don't work tomorrow, so no 4am nursing.

I am throwing a party the night he sleep all night. I hope I can hold strong and make it through the tears from my punkin.

"Carter's Fight with the Entertainment center"

I am sure this will be the first of many moments of mother's guilt. But on Friday I felt terrible. I came home from a very LONG day at work and LONG week. All I wanted to do was play with Carter on the floor. I got on some comfy clothes and plopped down. My mom called so I was sitting right next to him on the floor and he was trying his hardest to get the phone. He quickly gave up and moved over to the entertainment center. He saw something he wanted and reached one time and...BOOM! He fell...hitting his lip and teeth. I hung up on my mom with out saying goodbye, grabbed my son who was crying without any noise (mother's you know this cry) thinking he would be fine. Only moments later to see lots of blood gushing from his mouth and I didn't see his tooth. I tried to stop the blod w/ a washcloth, which he didn't enjoy and just continued to cry. I brought him outside to calm down which worked long enough to get it to stop bleeding. We gave him a couple ice cubes in a washcloth to suck on which seemed to take his mind off the tragic event. Finally....when he let us look in his mouth and see the DAMAGE...it looks like he slightly chipped his front left tooth and it was hard to see if he pushed it up into his gums a little. We gave him some tylenol and he seemed to do fine.

The next morning I got him out of his bed and found his "Lovey" (A small piece of some soft fabric that he cuddles with) had some small blood stains, so he must have bled some more while he slept. But I was able to get a closer look at his cute mouth. It looks like he chipped his tooth, and a nasty bruise on his gums followed by a fat lip. His tooth doesn't look TOO bad and not sharp. He ate just fine yesterday without any Tylenol, so he is doing just fine.

I think I cried more than he did. I felt terrible, I was sitting right there. It was the icing on the cake to a long rough week. But, we are all doing fine. Chris likes to tell people that "Carter joined a hockey league!" I am sure this is the first of many accidents that come from having a very curious little boy. I just hope that tooth doesn't turn brown or gray. That would just kill me.

My Day Off...I LOVE WEDNESDAYS

Yes, I have every wednesday off from work. I look forward to them every week. I'd like to think Carter does too. We went to the Doctor today for his 9 month check up. He checked out OK...weighing in at 18lbs 5.25oz and 27.75" long. The doctor enjoyed his 6 BIG teeth and his playful attitude. "He is such an even tempered baby!" I had to agree with her, he is a really good boy we can't complain

Carter woke up from his nap this morning giggling and "clicking". What is "clicking"? He has learned how to put his tongue at the roof of his mouth and make the "clicking" noise. It is so cute. When I went to get him from his crib he was standing up, smiling and "clicking".Carter has started pulling himself up to everything. I mean everything.

Climbing on the stool...he wouldn't even wait till his jammies were zipped.

He is changing everyday. I am not quite sure I am ready for the walking stage.

We have Stake Conference this weekend. We are looking forward to this.

And so is our little peanut...I am sure I will be wrestling him most of it. But maybe I will catch something.Well, better get things ready for tomorrow. It's "Nana Day" for Carter. Their weekly play date. He loves it when she watches him. Until next time.

9 Months Old...Already?!

Happy Birthday to Carter yesterday...he turned 9 months old! It is hard to believe he is only 3 months away from turning 1 year old. He is becoming his own person with his very own personality. He makes us laugh on a regular basis. For example...when it is time for bed he goes in his crib and just falls asleep. We find him in strange positions and cannot understand how he can sleep like that. Just yesterday, he was working on taking his afternoon nap when we heard a loud scream. We run in their only to find his foot stuck in the crib slats. He had gotten so twisted he couldn't find his way out. He loves to help Chris with the laundry. He can hardly help himself when he sees the basket. He climbs right in and makes himself at home among the socks and underwear.
I am not sure Chris always appreciates his help.








Look at that adorable face...how can you not smile. Carter was also very excited to see his new carseat arrive. OK, so he wasn't actually excited about the seat, but rather the box it arrived in. He still is using the infant carrier and fits just fine, but it is getting heavy. So now we have two seats...one in dad's and one in mine. Making life a whole lot easier and minimizing musical carseats.








OK, so I am realizing that all I write about is Carter. I guess that is what happens to moms when their little-ones arrive. Th other things I do all day at work are trivial...but when I come home to my "punkin" my day lights up. We love this kid, and don't know what we did before he came along.

Chris and I did have a chance to go to the Detroit Temple on Thursday. Chris is on Spring Break so I took some days off of work too. It was a great day and we enjoyed just spending some time together. Those moments are rare but we wouldn't trade it for anything