Rewind...

Just for a sec, I am rewinding about 9 months and 3 weeks....when sweet Carter was born. This is not going to be a long post, but quickly, if you followed my blog back in January, you know that I had a very difficult birth experience. Traumatic and not being at all what I expected, I found myself really grieving my birth experience. I thought I was absolutely crazy for being so upset about it when I had a perfectly healthy little baby to show for it, and a healthy Mommy. But, apparently I'm not crazy and what I am/was feeling is perfectly normal. I received this link from Baby Center by email and I found it very interesting!
So if you are a new Mommy and your birth experience was not what you expected and you find yourself pretty emotional about the whole thing, this link might make you feel better, it did me. I'm not crazy, whew!

Click HERE to read...

The Burg.

Waiting to eat at Bubba Gump's

He loved the exit signs

Enjoying The Mill Restaurant

Little late updating, but we had a really good time in Gatlinburg. I think I could have stayed one or two more days. We mostly ate and shopped. Isn't it funny how your whole vacation is centered around eating? We would plan out our eating each day and then do things in-between to fill in the time! Not that anyone cares, but we ate at the following places:

Jacks- on the way there ; )
Pancake Pantry
Mr. Gady's Pizza (sp?)
Calhouns
The Donut Friar
Jose's
Bubba Gump's
The Mill
Applebarn-went here for the apple jelly, everyone was too full to actually eat.
CiCi's- on the way home

We, of course, walked the streets of Gatlinburg. Friday was not crowded at all, but by the time the weekend arrived it was a bit annoying. Sidenote: I have never noticed how many sketchy people vacation in G'burg. There were nights when I was a little scared of the folks we saw on the streets. They have a lot of haunted attractions there, I think 3 or 4 haunted houses and shows, a haunted tour, etc. I am beginning to think that might be the reason for the scaries. Either way, everyone needs a vacation, right?
We stayed at Jack Huff's, but instead of staying in the actual motor lodge, we rented their Wilhem House on the street behind the lodge. It was huge and big enough for all of us. Weather was great, low 70's and upper 60's the whole time we were there.

I was a bit worried how Carter would do going with the flow. He is a wonderful baby but sometimes he can be a little high maintenance. He is such a schedule baby, and he thrives on it, so you can imagine my concern. But, actually, he did quite well! The biggest bump in the road was when we first arrived at the Wilhelm House. It was about 12:30am and Carter had slept in the car, in PJ's, all the way there. I think he was a little confused, since things were obviously different and "off". He woke up when we arrived in the house and played and talked for about 30 minutes. Then he saw the pack-n-play get setup; I put him in it and he went NUTS. He cried and cried for 30 minutes straight. He was in a strange place, he was tired, and he was not about to go to sleep there! Needless to say, the first night he slept in-between Chad and I. Other than that instance, he went with the flow, took naps in his stroller and in the car, and had a really good time.
I have never been Mommy on vacation before and it was a different experience, good, but different. Just the amount of stuff I had to get together before we left for the whole day was overwhelming. Also, Carter now has happy hands and whenever we sat down at the table he was all over it grabbing anything he could find. And trying to get him to eat in public, when there is so many more interesting things to look at, is impossible. Everyone enjoyed watching him go nuts and I was the one having to counteract every move, so it was a little tiring, but it was so much fun. He would eventually get tired of the high chair and get passed around the table or walked around outside, so sometimes we ended up eating in shifts.
I love his age. He is learning so much, I love watching him experience new things. That has to be my favorite thing about being a Mom right now!
We also went shopping at all the Christmas shops! Going in there will definitely get you in the mood to decorate, I cannot WAIT!! I have new plans for decorating out house for Christmas and I am pumped. I have a few crafty ideas I am working on.
There are a few pictures above, but if you are my friend on Facebook, they are all there :)

Toothies

Carter cut his first teeth about a month ago when Chad and I both had the Swine Flu. That meant is was time for his first tooth brush! The first couple of times we brushed his tee th it was so fun because he loved it...now it is a dreaded event since he has decided that he hates it. I have to trick him, with his sippy cup of water, to get him to open his mouth so I can shove the toothbrush in. Above were some pictures of his first toothbrushing.

(New Post Below)

Trick-or-Treat

How hilarious is this? This is Carter's trick-or-treat basket. We found it at Sam's for around $6! They had several other cute ones...pumpkin, bat, skeleton...but none of them are scary, they all have sweet faces, so that's why I liked them so much. And yes, I know what you are thinking...Carter is only 9 months old, but he and Avery are going trick-or-treating together and I guess Chad and I will just have to eat the candy. Yum!

(New Post Below)

No Pictures : (

I have a ton of cute pictures in need of posting. We got rid of our desktop computer and now have a laptop and I have been unable to load pictures onto it. I use my SD card...therefore I need an SD card slot, and the laptop doesn't have one. So I need to go to Wal-Mart to get a Jump Drive you can plug in that has an SD slot on it, but just haven't gotten around to doing that just yet. But it will have to be soon because we are going on Carter's first vacation this Thursday! We leave for Gatlinburg when Daddy gets off work, and I suspect I will have MANY pictures from the long weekend. I just realized today that I am a bit overwhelmed with all that has to be done before we leave.

1. Must have a clean house. (I hate coming home to a dirty house)
2. I have a list of several things that need to be purchased from the store...i.e. diapers, formula, etc., but none of this can be bought until tomorrow...waiting on payday :)
3. An adventure into the attic to find luggage.
4. All clothes washed and put away for packing

And the most dreaded...# 5. The packing itself. Not only do I have to get myself packed, which is challenging enough, but I have to get Carter packed. Whenever I pack Carter (we spend the night at my parent's lake house quite often), I feel like I must pack for all possible scenarios...those scenarios include the following:

1. A bad reflux day (extra clothes, burp cloths, and bibs)
2. Cold Weather (fall/winter clothes)
3. Hot Weather (summer clothes)
4. He gets sick on the trip (medicines, thermometer, bulb suction, etc.)

Needless to say, Thursday packing should be time consuming, and draining! The goal is to be packed and ready to go by the time Chad gets home. Also, let's not forget about all the kitchen items I have to pack...sippy cups, bottles, baby food, formula, spoons, bowls, snacks, juice, the list goes on. Pray for me.

Well Carter is screaming after a lovely thirty minute nap, so I must cut this short. Expect a blog when we get back from G-burg, hopefully with pictures included.

Almost September, Everything August

August seems like it has been a long month, but maybe that's because it is so hot and I am ready for FALL. This happens near the end of every season, I get the itch for it to be the next season when the previous season still has a good 8 weeks left. Happens every time. It's just so darn hot. But although it's been a hot month, it's been a good one as well. Here are a few highlights (in pictures of course) of Carter's month:

We are sitting much better on our own! Despite the hard fall he had last night, he is getting the hang of it...still a little tipsy, but much better.

Carter's Grandmom got him a doorway bouncer, which some call a Johnny Jump up, which I call a "Sassy". Either way it's the best invention on the planet and it is inconceivable to me why only Babies R Us carries this marvelous invention in the store. He is obsessed with it. He has a 360 view of not one but TWO rooms, can swing, bounce, and play with toys all in the same gadget. And it can more easily be packed to leave the house than a stationary bouncer. The picture above is of Carter's first night in his Sassy...he is trying to get his balance, and he is a pro at it now. My favorite is when he puts both arms down in the seat and he looks like an armless child jumping.

Little C LOVES books. He loves to open and close them, look at the pictures, and feel the pages while I'm reading to him. We try to do it right before bedtime, and it's so sweet because he starts getting sleepy and rubbing his eyes, but he tries so hard to stay awake until we are done. We joined the Dolly Parton Imagination Library before Carter was born, and he has gotten one free book in the mail each month since January, and will continue to do so until he is 5 (I think). If you aren't a member of this, just click on the link above and see if your county offers the free books from Dolly. Seriously, they are FREE. When we got home from the hospital with Carter in January he had a book waiting in the mailbox, it was so fun.

Other exciting August news...I am going to be an Aunt times 3 by this time next year :) Elizabeth and Kevin are expecting their second come April, and Kerri and Jared are expecting their first in January. Kerri just found out yesterday that they are having a little boy! Owen Joseph Chiarella is his name and Carter is excited to have someone to teach the ways of a little boy. Elizabeth won't find out until November what she is having, so I am looking forward to that! This means that my parents will have 4 grandchildren under the age of 2 this time next year, what fun! It should make for an interesting family beach trip next summer.

It's almost September and that means Fall decor and then Halloween! I have decided, and stated this to Chad tonight, since we now have a child I must decorate for every season and holiday. I have such good memories of my Mom putting out her seasonal decorations and it just made me feel excited for the upcoming weather and other excitements the seasons bring.
I have also enjoyed thinking about what Carter will wear for the upcoming football season, lame I know.

Well, the boys are in bed and I'm not, which is strange, so until next time....Happy Fall!...well, soon to be, anyways.

6 Month Portraits and 7 month update

Carter had his 6 month pictures a few weeks ago at Portrait Innovations. We got some really cute poses and he did a great job. Your baby being able to sit up makes such a difference in pictures...there are so many more possibilities!
If you are my friend on Facebook, there is a chance you have already seen all of the poses, but I picked out my favorite two poses to post on the blog. And I must give props to my friend Shannon, she made his precious monogrammed outfit he has on! I just love it! (More blog after the pictures)

Now on to Carter's 7 month update. Yep, 7 months today to be exact. As everyone ALWAYS says...I can't believe my baby is 7 months old!! I swear I was just pregnant with him yesterday. Although he is already over a half a year old, I still feel like we have a "new" baby in the house. I guess he is still new to us :)

Here are his stats and what milestones he is accomplishing (and some extras):

He is about 15 lbs 12 oz and 27 1/2 inches long.

Can sit with no support, but can tip easily if he moves too much

Talking like crazy

Making tongue noises when he eats...don't really know how else to explain it, but I think you know what I mean...

Rolling over both ways

Scooting backwards when he is on his back...he actually will make it to all areas of the room like this!

Cries when I leave the room

Objects when you take away something he wants

Fights sleep something awful

Uses a sippy cup

Puts all his weight on his legs and standing up straight (if you have been around lately you probably would have heard me talk about how he didn't know how to use his legs...well he finally found them!)

Obsessed with the remote control

He is now difficult to diaper, as he is too busy trying to grab everything in his changing table basket

Loves to be held and explained to what different objects are around the house

While I am sad he is growing so fast, I have enjoyed every single stage he has gone through. I have loved watching him grow and learn new things. Also, I am enjoying my last few months (or weeks) of his limited mobility...because I am sure I will be much more exhausted once that milestone arrives!