Carter's First Plane Ride

Hello from California everyone!  It is so beautiful here and the weather is perfect.  Yall.  I just have to brag on Carter.  I swear I have THE BEST child on this Earth.  I know you other parents beg to differ :).    But Seriously, he did so good.  He didn't even attempt to cry one time.  The security is always a pain but that was the worst part about the whole trip.  I am so glad that Sydney told me to have all my liquids handy because they had to open each and every bottle and medicine.  But if that was the worst part then I guess I should count my lucky stars.  I will give you a run down while we go through the pictures.

This was right when we sat down on our first flight.  It was not too bad.  It was only about an hour.  We were the first ones on the plane.  I think he loved every minute of it.  Since it was only an hour we saved all of the fun stuff for the second flight.  We were lucky because the plane was not full and Carter got to sit in his car seat in his very own plane seat without paying for one!  We timed the bottle just right for take off so it would not hurt his ears as bad.

Even thought we were on vacation Carter still wanted to go to school.  He was such a good student.  He actually tried to get mad when we put up the books.  We read our ABC book, our farm animal book, and the bright cool books that Aunt Abbie got us.

In between flights we had to ride the shuttle train to the next flight.  So Carter not only got to ride on his first plane ride but also a tram!  I think he loved the shuttle tram ride just as much.  He could not stop looking around at everything.

Here is the second flight.  It lasted 4 hours so I knew we had to entertain him for a while.  Plus, this plane was full so we had to hold Carter the whole time.  I know that 16 pounds does not sound very heavy but man after 4 hours it sure get's that way.  

After we took off from the second flight he fell asleep pretty fast.  For some reason he did not want to lay down very long, but still wanted to sleep.  So he slept while sitting up?!?  Silly Kid

Then after he woke up from about a 20 minute power nap he was ready to go.  So we got out the DVD player.  Again, so thankful that I asked Sydney for advice because I would not have had that.  It saved us!  He loved it and it kept him occupied for a while.  

I don't think the man in the background wanted to listen to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  I dared him to say something....haha.  This guy was cracking us up!!

Carter also ate a lot of peas and liked them.  He didn't even make a mess.  I had already put my camera up and it was at the bottom of my back pack so I didn't get it out.

After both plane rides, a lot of people commented on how good Carter was.  There were women that sat behind us that wanted us to pass him back if we ever got tired (we didn't, of course).  I think they all were dreading the flight because they were near a baby and it shocked them how good he was.  He didn't even have a screaming and talking spell.  My child is an All-Star!

Catherine the Complainer

I need some advice for all of you mothers out there.  I try my best to be the best mother and wife that I can be, but man it's hard!!!  Not that it's hard to try my best because I will always do that for my family, but it's hard to be good at it too.  Then on top of that I have to make room to workout so I can be healthy and fit for my family....and that's my "me time" and stress reliever.  If I didn't have that hour for me then I would probably go a little crazy.  There is seriously not enough time in the day to get everything done.  Here is a typical day for me :4:45 a.m. alarm goes off to start getting ready and 5:45 I leave for work.  Then I get off at 2:00 and about 2-3 days out of the week I have to go to Walmart to either get supplies for the hotel or for our house.  Then sometimes I have to run to the bank and put in the deposit and my paycheck.  I finally pick Carter up anywhere from 2:30-3:00.  Since I have been away from him all day long, we have play time for about an hour.  Then at 5:30 I have boot camp which ends at 6:30.  Right after boot camp I go home and cook supper.  7:30 bath time for Carter and bed for him right after.  Then I have to clean up the kitchen and get Carter's bag and clothes ready for the next day.  Not to mention all of the bottle and spoon feedings and diaper changes in between.  Then I have to go to bed because I just can't hold my eyes open any longer.

So, when is there time to clean my floors, bathrooms, vacuum, dust, AND DO THE LAUNDRY?!  Oh my...laundry.  That's a sensitive subject.  Before I go to bed every night, which is usually around ten, I put on a load in the wash, then when I get up in the morning I put that load in the dryer and put another load in the washer for Nick to switch over.  So, that leaves a huge pile of laundry that needs to be folded or hung up. 

I know what most of you are probably thinking......welcome to the life of a working mother.  But come on people.  There has to be a better way!!  AND I know what else you are thinking....where is your husband?  He works a lot longer hours than I do and gets up with Carter every night.  His hunting, like my workout, his his "me time".  And if he was to do the laundry, Carter's socks would end up with mine and my shorts would be stuffed in one of Carter's drawers.  That would drive me more insane than the pile of laundry.  I am so sick of spending my days off playing catch up.  So, for those of you who can keep up with all of their stuff and keep a busy schedule....tell me your secrets. 

Packing for Carter

Last night I attempted to pack me and Carter for our week in California.  I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off so I decided I had to sit down on the couch for several minutes before I started and plot on how to go about it.  I didn't even know where to start.  I have a hard time packing Carter's bag just for the day and even then I always forget something.  I got a piece of paper and a pen out and made a check list.  I thought that may be the safest way to go about it and not forget something.  I wish I would have taken a picture of it because the list was a mile long.  Seriously.

I got the biggest suitcase that I could find and try to fit all of his stuff, plus mine, in it.  My mom taught me a long time ago how to pack things to make the most room.  So I rolled up Carter's clothes real tight.  His clothes consisted of about 10 sets for warm weather, 8 sets for cool weather, and pajamas.  The weather in LA is warm during the day and kinda cool at night.  Then I had to make room for accidents along the way.  I felt like I was under a lot of pressure because he has tons of cute clothes and it was hard picking out which ones I wanted him to meet my family in.  Then I had to make room for his Halloween outfits. As I am typing this I have decided I may just go ahead and take some of his clothes out, because I know that I will buy him some cute clothes while I am there and my uncle does have a washing machine....we'll see. 

Anyways, after I managed to get all of his stuff in there it left me about 5 inches to put my stuff so I packed a couple of light dresses, one pair of jeans, one pair of Capri's, and a couple shirts.  I have been saving my money and shopping time for this trip so I plan on buying more clothes for me while I am there.  I thought it would be smart just to take one suitcase because I will have Carter, his stroller, car seat, and his big bag for the plain ride full of books, puppets, a toy that lights up and sings, flash cards, blanket, bottles, formula, diapers, wipes, teethers.....the essentials.  I decided I needed to ask the expert, Sydney, on what else I need to do.  Her daughter is one and has already been on 10 flights.  Yeah...safe to say she is super mom.   She informed me to purchase little Gerber snacks for him and let him watch his favorite DVDs on the portable DVD player.  Also, instead of taking the huge tote back that I was going to take she suggested a back pack.  How smart is she?  That will be the first thing I do after work today!!  Anything to make this experience the most enjoyable it can be.

Sorry, I have been lazy with the camera lately so no pictures!

Blah!

It has been one crummy morning.  Ever since Carter got his shots Monday, he has not been sleeping very well at night and running a slight fever.  He just gets really fussy around 1:00 a.m. and it is hard to put him back down.  He is fine as long as I am holding him but once I even hint that I am going to put him in his crib he starts crying.  That's what he does when he don't feel good.  Someone told us to just let him "cry it out."  Yeah right.  That's for the birds.  We tried that and it lasted a whole 2 minutes.  We just can't do it.  When my baby boy is not feeling good, I will hold him all night if that's what he wants.  He is only a baby once so I am going to hold him tight while I can.  I also started boot camp back up this week.  Needless to say, I am one tired momma.  So in result of my exhaustion, I get out of bed this morning at straight up 6:00 a.m.  I am supposed to be at work at 5:45.  I was at work by 6:08 and I live about 10 miles out.  Can you imagine what I look like this morning?  I am just telling my customers that Halloween came early at Southern Belle Inn, Inc this year.  My alarm is set for 4:45 and I didn't hear it until 6:00!!  Nick is apparently exhausted also because it didn't wake him up either.  Yes, I would like some cheese with my whine!

On a good note.....

California is in t minus 3 days.  I am giddy with excitement.  I love love love going to California.  I am so excited to see my Uncle Louie, Mom's brother, and for him to meet Carter.  I just feel like he is going to go bonkers over Carter.  Mom and I have lots planned already!  We are going to a Halloween party that my mom's cousin is throwing right when we get there Saturday.  We are going trick-or-treating in all the rich neighborhoods.  How's that for a first Halloween, Carter?  We are going to do lots and lots of shopping--the prices are unbeatable!!  Uncle Louie lives in a really nice neighborhood so we will take the jogging stroller out every morning.  I'm sure we will come up with lots more and pack it full in our 6 days there.

On a bad note.....

Mom and I are coming back on the 6th of November.  Nick is leaving the 4th of November for a Nebraska hunting trip and he will be gone for about 10 days.  That means he will go without seeing Carter for about 15 days.  He has not been away from Carter for over 4 days since he has been born.  This really has him upset and I really don't think he knows yet how much he is going to miss him.  Babies do lots of different things in a matter of 15 days.  They also change in looks a little too.  Good thing there are video recorders!  I will be staying with my parents for those 10 days while he is gone.  One thing that I don't think that my parents have thought about...and I have 1,000 times....is that the crib is in my parents room and it is too big to fit through the door to move it into another room.  I may just go in and nail the crib down just to be on the safe side.  I see lots of good sleep in my future!

On an interesting note......

Ever since Carter has been born I have seen a huge difference in my hair.  It seems to get oily really really fast and when I straighten it...it just looks dead.  My hair has never been like that and I just thought maybe it was the hormones acting all crazy and I just need to give my body time to adjust back to normal.  Well, I gave it six months and decided that it was not hormones because my hair was just getting worst and I just could not take it anymore.  I told my Nana about it and she said that I probably just had a build up in my hair and that washing my hair with beer or baking soda would do the trick.  I went over to my Nana's last night after boot camp, while Carter was with Nick at his parent's, and she washed it for me with baking soda mixed with water.  That is some good stuff!  My hair is so soft and not oily anymore.  I just looks and feels so healthy.  So, you should try it.  I plan on doing it about every 2-3 months.  You will be shocked at how your hair feels. 

6 Month Check up and Squash

Yesterday Carter had his 6 month check up at 2:00 with Dr. King.  We really like Dr. King.  He is really good with Carter and has a good personality.  He made fun of my mom yesterday.  It was pretty funny.  My big boy weighed 15 pounds 14.5 ounces which put him in the 20th percentile.  His length is 27.5 inches and that puts him in the 75 percentile.  His head is 17 inches and that places him in the 30th percentile.  I still have a long skinny baby!!  I was still concerned that he was a little underweight, since last time he was in the 25th percentile, but Dr. King said I should not be worried.  He said if his percentile keeps going down after his other visits then we might start looking into it.  But he eats like a horse, is still growing, meeting all of milestones a little early, and very healthy so I don't guess I need to worry about it.  He showed out for Dr. King and rolled over about 100 times, which he usually don't roll over all that much, and he screamed and talked to him the whole time.  Then he tried to grab and eat his stethoscope.  He did pretty good with his shots.  He cried for a couple seconds, then I fed him and he was fine after that.  We gave him Tylenol and he slept for a long time after.  My BFF, Holli, got to attend his appointment.  Oh how I have missed her!  It was really nice getting to catch up with her.

He loved the fish in the waiting room

Afterwards we did a little shopping and he got to ride in his little stroller.  I think he likes the little one better and so do I.  He can see everything and it is easier to push around! 

We finally got to come home after doing some running around.  The first thing we did was go to Mia's house and eat some squash for the first time.  I was a little worried because he didn't like eating the cereal so much and when he did eat it, he didn't eat very much of it.  When he took his first bite of squash he didn't know what to think.  But after that he ate the whole thing and wanted more!  I was so happy and relieved.

Then we got in the floor, until daddy got home from hunting, and played with our tractor.  He loves this little tractor.  He usually does not want any of the animals in the back of his trailer, especially the cow.  Yesterday, he was very interested in how the tires worked and turned.  He kept turning the tractor on its side and examining them.  He is very curious and I love it!



Uncle Craig's Birthday

Yesterday Carter and I went to church.  I got him all ready and looking really cute in his church outfit and when we were about to walk out the door he spit up all over it.  I about cried.  So I had to get him back out of his carseat, undress him, and put something else on him.  Needless to say, we were a little late for Sunday school.  The nursery said that he smiled the whole time for them.  They also said that he looks just like a Jones!  SCORE! 

After church we had my brother's, Craig, birthday lunch.  He is 27 years old!  That's crazy.  I can still remember him driving me to school like it was yesterday.  He was such a good big brother.  Still is.  After we celebrated his birthday we made Carter's food for the week.  Squash and Peas.  YUM YUM!!  We had fun making it. Mom, Nana, Tosh, and I.  He has his 6 month appointment today at 2.  I'm anxious to see what his measurements are. 

Then we went over to Grammy and Grumps house and got a very nice suprise visit.  Our distant cousins Janice and her daughter Lainey Beene came in.  She is so precious and already rolling over at 6 weeks old!  She is a strong little girl.

Carter's Day!!

Yesterday was Carter's day. 

He came to work with me for a while and I got nothing done and that was perfectly fine.  I got to feed him and play for a while.  We had fun!

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Then we went to Walmart and he sat in the buggy like a big boy for the first time. He LOVED it!  And it was so much easier than having to deal with the big car seat.  Maybe our Walmart trips will start to be more enjoyable.  Thanks for the buggy cover Aunt Abbie!

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Later that night we went to the homecoming football game.  All of the girls were so beautiful!  Carter took a little power nap during the first quarter but then he was ready to go when he woke up and loved every minute of it.  He finally went to sleep like 4 hours passed his bedtime but who cares.....it was his half birthday!!  We had a lot of fun.  He was wore out and didn't wake up until 8:30 this morning.

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Here are some other extra pictures from a couple days ago