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!

Ears of a small child...

So, apparently I have ears equal to that of an infant. "Why?" you may ask...well I had ZERO ear infections as a baby/small child, but during my adult years I have averaged one ear infection per year...and this year's is a doozy. On Sunday I noticed when I touched my ear is was slightly tender to the touch...I discussed it with Chad and after a few minutes with a flashlight in my ear, we concluded we would give it a few days before we decided to pay $25 to get it checked out.

Well, I woke up at 3 am Monday morning with a terrible ear ache and limited hearing in my left ear. I tapped Chad on the head and told him my ear hurt, and his response (appropriate for an un-urgent 3 am wake up) was, "what do you want me to do about it"...he he. I told him I needed to go to the doctor the next day.

I get to the doctor at 2:45 and I am walking out at 2:48 with a prescription in hand for an antibiotic ear drop.

FYI- if you have a baby, take them with you to the doctor...you get so much attention, I believe that is the reason for getting in and out on Tuesday so quickly!

"3 drops 4 times a day for 7 days. Lay on side with cotton ball in ear for 30 minutes." These are the instructions I am given. Apparently they are not aware that I have an "almost 7 month old". By the time I lie on the couch for 30 minutes he will have scooted under the couch (yes, he is a scooter now)! We are trying our best.

I really hope these drops start working soon. Chad looked in my ear tonight and he said is was practically swollen shut...hence the muffled hearing I suppose. It HURTS too. From what I recall with my last outer ear infection, it took a good 4-5 days to get it feeling better.

This post has even bored me. So if you have even made it this far in the blog post, I apologize for the un-interesting-ness :) But this is what's going on at the moment!
I need to post Carter's 6 month pictures, they are so stinkin' cute.

Baby Wreaths

Lately I have really enjoyed making these baby wreaths for friends who are expecting! They are great to have at your baby tea, to hang on the hospital door, and also to hang on the baby's door at home. If you are interested or know of anyone who is interested in a wreath, you can shoot me an email at kmgoodwin21@yahoo.com. The wreath can be customized to the colors of the baby's room as well.
Below are a few pictures of the wreaths I have done: