9 months!

Carter is 9 months old! Well at this point I can almost go as far as to say 10 months… haha But better late than never.

Part of my waiting so long to post this is the fact that his doctors appointment wasn’t until yesterday. We went in on a weird day. Apparently all their phones were down so it was a pretty slow day. Have I ever mentioned how much I love Carter’s doctor though? If you are looking for a Pediatrician in the West Jordan Area look no further! Dr Keith Ramsey is the best! Everyone in his office is super friendly, and I feel like they really know me and Carter. They even called me to tell me Dr. Ramsey was stuck in traffic and would be late, because they knew I live kind of far away and didn’t want me to have to come out and end up waiting.

Post bath hair…

Anyways we went in for his wellness visit and got his measurements:

Height- 27 1/4 inches- 20th percentile

Weight- 18 pounds 8 oz- 20th percentile

And just a tidbit, his head circumference is still in the 75 percentile.

He’s like the dinosaur on Meet the Robinsons. “I have a big head and little arms!” lol No worries though the doctor says he is growing quite proportionally which is good.

This visit, compared to his 6 month one, Carter was a lot more leery of the doctor. It may be because he had recently gone in and had to be tested for RSV? I dunno, all I know is that this kid put up a fight every time the doctor tried to touch him. Lately Carter has been really whiny and I thought it was just because of his stuffy nose. (Have I mentioned how Carter is sick again? Man, the winter is really getting the best of him.) However, I came to find out that he actually has an ear infection, possibly in both ears? Carter didn’t let the doctor look long enough in his ear, but one ear infection was evidence enough.

So now we have Carter on some yummy pink medicine that he gobbles up like candy! After the appointment though this kid was inconsolable. He just was kinda sobbing and sniffling as if he had been hurt in an unfixable way. So while I was setting up Carter’s follow-up appointment the Nurse came over and asked if he wanted a ball. We picked the yellow one, and Carter was instantly fixed! It just a cheap rubbery ball with pokey things on it, but he loves it.  When I tried to take it away for a second to get him in his car-seat, he screamed.

I’ve never seen him so attached to a toy. When we got back from the doctors I put it on the floor and he happily spent and hour or so chasing it on the floor and climbing on it. He especially likes when I bounce it. He will literally scream with excitement. Video to come soon? Maybe when he’s no longer sick.

Lately it seems all Carter has been is sick. Winters are now my least favorite season. But truth be told it kinda always has been. I am anxiously awaiting the day we can go outside and have a picnic! Sometimes I feel like me AND Carter get a little stir crazy stuck inside all day. That and the fact that he is sick almost constantly is reason enough to dislike winter. Guess where he sleeps these days? In his car-seat! Its so sad because he was really liking the fact that he could crawl around his crib and be mischievous. Now I have to buckle him in and have the humidifier running 24/7. Oh well. He can’t be sick forever

Other than our doctor’s visit, not much has changed around here. Carter is as mischievous as ever. He can crawl at crazy speeds and loves to follow me around the house. He also really likes to play in his room on his own which is really nice for me.

I think Carter is really wanting to walk now. He likes to pull himself up on everything, especially mom.

He also has become quite the drooly monster. It was like overnight he started drooling EVERYWHERE! He literally drenches all of his clothes, and mine! Daniel thinks its because he is sick and has to breathe out of his mouth all day. I have no idea, I just know that it is A LOT of drool.

Well, for Christmas my sister sent me a “drool bib” for Carter and I was like what do I need this for? Needless to say I now let Carter cruise around the house in his drool bib that says, “My Auntie knows Santa.” haha Thanks Courtney!

Finally, just for fun… Here’s a little reminder of just how small Carter use to be

Carter at just a few days old:

Carter now:

He has grown sooo much. He even said cheese when I took this picture! It’s really crazy how time flies. I’m just grateful to have survived another month with this monkey. He really is such a cutie, don’t you think?

Say Cheese!

Letting Go

So I don’t consider myself a overly protective mother, but as of late I just can’t help it. Now that Carter’s crawling I worry about what floors he crawls on and how clean it is. I worry he’ll find something and put it in his mouth and choke. I worry he’ll pull on a cord and get electrocuted or pull a lamp on his head. I also worry about the foods I give him? Is he eating enough? Should I be giving him more solids? The list goes on…

I just can’t help it. Look at this kid! He is stinkin adorable! But don’t be fooled by his cute little face, he is also really mischievous! Today I found him rooting through the garbage and sucking on an orange peel. At least it was an orange peel right? Oh and yesterday Daniel put some peanut M&M’s on the floor for a second. Big mistake. Next thing we know Carter is sitting next to them happily sucking on a brown one. lol Who knew he would try his first M&M at nine months???

And it’s things like that, that worries me. I’m with him everyday and I turn my back for a second and he is getting into trouble. How can I leave him with someone else? He’s sneaky! How can I leave him with someone else?

Well on Saturday me and Daniel went on our first “real” date since Carter was born. Dinner and a Movie, while Carter stayed home with a sitter. Daniel’s younger sister to be more specific. I’m not gonna lie, I was a little stressed about it… Ok, a lot stressed.

I’m just so use to taking Carter with us everywhere. He’s such a good kid when we go out, so he just always comes with us. Shoot, I even took him to the movies with me when he was a couple weeks old.

But I’m happy to report, that I didn’t call home once to check on him. I did check my phone quite a few times, just in case something was wrong, but that’s not too bad right?

I just love this little booger too much to leave him behind. Sometimes when we go places with out him, like the temple, I always look back in the car to check on him. Only to remember he’s not there.

I know I have to let him grow-up, but its so hard. He’s my baby! A friend of mine asked me if I was thinking of having a baby any time soon. In fact, quite a few people have asked me if I’m having another one soon. The thing is, I already HAVE a baby! Baby Carter! I refuse to let him grow-up. He needs to stay little forever. Can’t he just stay little forever?

Pictures of You… Pictures of Me…

So I have a confession.

I sometimes avoid being in pictures because of the way I look. I was recently reading a blog about how mom’s avoid taking pictures with their kids because of the way they look. It really hit close to home.

I have millions of pictures of Baby Carter, hundreds of Baby Carter and Daniel, and about three of Baby Carter and me. Three.

Ok, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but maybe not?

This makes four.

And the thing is, ten years from now, Carter isn’t going to care what I looked like. He won’t care that I’ve gained a couple pounds or that the hair I lost after he was born is growing back and sticks up in funny ways. He’ll know that I was there for him and cared about him.

So I decided to take up a challenge this year, to try to take at least one picture of Carter and me a month. So when he’s grown up he can look back and remember us. He can remember that I am there for him. He can remember how we were (and always will be) the best of friends.

Wrapping up 2012

It’s been a while. A lot has happened in the last few weeks.

On Christmas Eve when I was getting Carter dressed for the day, he CRAWLED! Talk about a sweet early Christmas present. It was kind of a hop scoot across the floor, but I was really excited that Daniel got to see his first crawl too. Since then he has gotten pretty good at getting places. He is especially good when I leave him in his room to play. Even though he has all his toys, he’ll crawl (while whining) into the hall to see what I’m doing.

He is also starting to pull himself up on furniture. We went to Grandma’s house for Christmas and New Years and he got his first “indent/bump” on his forehead from falling on a chair leg.

We also had Christmas! Carter loved it. He got so excited when he found out that under the wrapping paper and bows, was toys! We had a relaxing Christmas morning just the three of us, followed by a few hours with the Turleys, and then the evening with Grandma and Grandpa Carter.

Then wouldn’t you know, as soon as Christmas was over, me and Carter got sick. It was pretty brutal. The Thursday after Christmas was the worst though. When Daniel got home from work, Carter had a fever of 102.5. I went and got some fever reducer, which Carter promptly threw up. It was one of those nights where, as a mom, I felt helpless. A small freak out and a pile of vomit cover clothes later. We got him to keep the medicine down and waited until morning to visit his pediatrician.

Apparently Carter had all the symptoms of RSV, so the doctor ran the test to see if he had it. Luckily his test came back negative for RSV, but positive for bronchiolitis. Unfortunately there is no way to treat it, so we just had to wait it out. He is doing great now, and aside from a slightly stuffy nose is all better. Oh, and in case you’re wondering Carter weighed 18lbs 6oz this doctor visit

I on the other hand don’t seem to mend as quick as Carter. I started off with pretty much the same symptoms as Carter, except mine included a cough that kept me up all night. Now that most of that has gone away, I’m developing a sore tonsil? I don’t know, all I know is that it hurts to swallow. No bueno.

Now it is a new year and I have to admit so far, not so great. Starting a New Year off sick makes things a little harder. Things like exercising and eating healthy are just the last thing on my list when all I want is soup and sleep. I think maybe when I get better, I’ll have my own New Year, where I can start fresh, feeling good.

As for New Years resolutions, I have tons. But I think I’ll save that for another post.