Fun in the Sun

The weather was b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l yesterday and Carter and I took full advantage of it!   I have decided no more tv for little Carter.  Well maybe 10 minutes of it a day but that's it.  We are going outside and exploring!  He is getting to where he is trying to say words that I say to him.  He don't actually say the words but he tries so hard.  When I say "grass" he says "gus".  When I say "truck" he makes the "t" sound.  It is so much fun watching him try to mimic me.

I took him outside yesterday, in just his diaper, and set him in the rocks in our drive way.  He was loving sitting here picking out the rocks that he liked and listening to me talk about the rocks and dirt.  And he actually got dirty and it did not bother him.

After playing with the rocks for a long time he decided it would be a good idea to eat them so we decided to go in.  Plus, I know a little sun is good for him but just a whole lot is not so I would have went in anyways.  When we got inside he threw such a huge fit to go back outside.  So that's what we did.  Since we waited too late to spray and get rid of all the stickers in our yard, we had to use a blanket.  We stayed out there for a very long time (under a shade tree) drinking juice and eating snacks, watching all the trucks go by, talking about the birds in the sky, and playing with different things like grass and bark.  His little mind was learning and soaking it all in.  He was loving every minute of it and so was I.

After being out there for several hours we had to get dressed so we could go into town.  He was whining the entire time I was getting him ready because he was so sleepy and also wanted to be outside.  We had to go to the hotel so we could check rooms that the maids cleaned and also go through the mail that came in and sign for them all.  When we left Carter fell asleep and that gave me time to get my oil changed and grab some lunch.  When we got home it was lunch time.  We have never eaten outside before so that's what we did....and we will be doing it every day that I am off if the weather permits.  He loved it.

Overall, we had a very very good day.  All smiles the whole time.  My child is great.

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I just wanted to share these pictures that were hanging up at Carter's party.  Jenna Lane Photography took them and they are so great!!!  They are a little blurry because I took a picture of a picture with my crappy phone...so sorry.  And it don't even show the whole thing but I wanted to get a close up of his beautiful smile.  They are poster size and they look like covers of sports magazines.

I also managed to get his playroom somewhat organized and decorated.  I used the decorations from his party.

Poor kid, I don't know what in the world he will do with his time.  He just don't have enough toys.















Birthday Party and One Year Checkup

Carter's birthday party was a huge success!!!  It looked great and Carter and all his little friends and cousins had a great time.  We loved the room at the park.  I just hope they will let us have his party there from here on out.  All the kiddos had a great time running around on stage with all of Carter's new toys and wagon.  It was the perfect setting.  Carter had just woken up from his nap so he was in a pretty good mood for the most part!  I thought I would cry the entire party but crying didn't even cross my mind.  I had so much fun!!  Anyways, there are lots of pictures!! 

Aunt Abbie and Cousin Nolan

Aunt C and Uncle J!!

How beautiful is Ava?!??!!

Just riding around with my girlfriend!!

He was not having any of it!!

First cousins and best friends

Pretty Lainey

Opening presents

He LOVES this Mickey Mouse!  Thanks Aunt Holli!

This is his favorite toy

Present that we got him

The strawberries looked really good until my dad turned them over!!

I never got to see Keatha because she was chasing Kade the whole time!!!

Lane

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Carter had his one year check up yesterday.  He did great.  He started to cry whenever he got his shots but it was nothing that some grilled chicken could not fix.  His stats:  Big boy weighed 19 pounds 10.5 ounces...10%.  Head was 18 inches....30%.  Length was 30 inches....60%.  He got a clean bill of health and the doctor said he was perfect....THANK YOU JESUS!!! 

He can now recognize 8 things on his flash cards: goldfish, baby, ball, dog, cow, bus, nose, and cat.  We took him to Nick's parents house today to show them and I think they were impressed.  Nick's mom put 5 down at a time and shuffled them all up and he still got everyone right that she asked.  We asked him where things were about 10 times and he got one wrong.  SMART BOY!!!  He did say fish yesterday while looking at the fish tank.  Besides Dada, that's the only thing I have heard him say.

Still no walking but he is just now getting to where he likes to stand again on his little foot that was hurt.  So I look for it to be any day and so does his doctor.  I can't wait to follow him around everywhere.  I love chasing him when he crawls and I know I will love to watch him waddle around walking.

He is SUCH a happy baby here recently.  He is finally completely healthy and he spends all of his time smiling.  He has kinda always been a happy baby for the most part but he had started to be a little more fussy than usual.  He is really coming out of his shell.  Yesterday he was giving kisses away to anyone and everyone.  He has NEVER been like that.  He usually can't stand other people he don't know real well.  I am so happy to see him getting out of that.

Everything is really starting to click in his head.  He is learning SO much so quickly.  After we brush our teeth together I will say "brush Mommy's teeth" and he will stick the toothbrush in my mouth.  I will tell him to "brush Daddy's teeth" and he will go over to Nick and stick it in his mouth.  He is starting to point at everything so I spend most of my days stating random objects.

He is still a huge fat PIG!!!  I can't keep him full.  The kid literally eats all day and drinks SO much milk.  He eats about 3 big meals and 2 small snacks in between and he drinks anywhere from 20-35 ounces of milk and about 10 ounces of juice with water.  Pig!!!  Yesterday, he ate a whole chicken breast and lots of green beans for lunch alone.  Sometimes I actually think he is eating too much for his stomach to hold.  But the doctor said that I should count my lucky stars.  He can't even understand how in the world he is so skinny.

We are still loving life and loving our baby boy!!

12 Months

Because I will be running around like a chicken with my head cut off tomorrow......


Richard Carter,

Your due date was Wednesday, April 20, 2011.  That day came and I was still huge with no sign of labor.  We had the date set for me to be induced on April 26.  You had so many people that had their phones with them just anxiously waiting for that special phone call that meant "it's time." 

At 8:30 that night, while Daddy and I was watching a movie before bed, I felt a very faint cramp in my belly.  Nothing out of the ordinary so I didn't think anything about it.  About 10 minutes later I felt it again.  10 minutes later I felt it again and it felt a little stronger.  I still didn't say anything to Daddy because I just figured it was the pizza kicking me back from dinner.  Shortly after that we went to bed.  I laid there wide awake feeling these cramps come and go.  They kept getting a little stronger, but not really hurting, so I got out of bed and walked around a little bit.  I grabbed my phone and set my stop watch and they got to where they were 5 minutes apart.  I called Mom and let her know.  I expected her to totally freak out but she stayed really calm and talked to me about what I was feeling and what the timing was.  When the cramps became consistent for about an hour at 5 minutes apart, all while getting stronger and stronger, she told me to wake up Nick so we can go.  It was around 2:00 a.m. and I all but knocked him in the head to wake him up.  I told him and I expected him to freak out but he took his sweet time packing his bag for the hospital, because he could not have done it a week ago like I had asked him to.

We finally get to my parent's house to pick up my mom....she was waiting outside for us.  But then we had to wait a couple of minutes before leaving because my Nana was also going.  We drove the 50 miles to Texarkana in one of the worst storms that I can remember.  It was hard to see the road or even the car in front of us it was raining so hard.  Talk about nervous. 

We finally get to the hospital and they ask me about a thousand questions and make me fill out some paperwork and hooked me up to all kinds of monitors and low and behold I am in the early stages of labor.  By that time the contractions were actually hurting pretty good and they were 3 minutes apart.  I am not sure what time it was but they gave me some good medicine and I didn't feel another contraction and I fell asleep.  I slept hard too.  Mouth wide open, snoring, and everything.  They had to wake me up for the epidural and I went right back to sleep, then they had to wake me up and say...Ok Catherine, it's go time.  Words can't express what was going through my mind at that moment.  I could not believe that it was time.  I was finally going to get to hold my son.  My Pride.  My Joy. 

37 minutes later I got to see, hold, and kiss the most beautiful thing that I have ever seen in my whole life.  Tears of joy just came rolling and I could not fathom what I was holding in my arms:  A precious life that God, Nick, and I created.  You were perfect in every single way.  Honestly, you looked just like I pictured you.  Brown eyes, brown hair, dark complexion.  You looked just like all the Jones'!!  You came in weighing a whopping 7 lbs. 7 oz., 20 1/4 in., at 3:37 p.m.

Your Daddy was such a proud daddy.  He didn't know what to think.  He could not believe how small and perfect that you were.  He knew right when he held you for the first time that you two were going to be best friends and do everything together.  He just cannot wait until you two can go hunting, fishing, play catch, or do just whatever you will be interested in.  He loves you so much.

There were so many people that love you so much that could not wait to see and hold you.

 A year later and you are still perfect in every single way.  You look more like your daddy every day, though, and that is fine by me!!  You are so much fun!  I know you are going to be a funny kid!!  You are constantly making us laugh and you love it.  I am still just as in love with you today as I was when I first got to see and touch you.  You still stop me in my tracks when you smile at me or give me a kiss and it never gets old.  You know how to turn my yucky moods right around into a great one.  I thank God every day for you and I will never stop thanking Him.  You are a perfect example at how God does create miracles. 

As of now, you are not a fan of getting dirty.  Even when you eat pasta, you stay really clean or hold your hands out for me to wipe them down.  If the grass is a little wet or if the ground is dirty, you refuse to sit on it.  I blame this on your Uncle Craig, because he was this way exactly when he was your age and he still is.  I think you have just a little OCD in you....again like Craig.  You can't stand for anything to be sitting up right.  That's honestly how we got you to crawl.  We set up toys up a ways in front of you and you could not stand it.  To this day, you will crawl across a room just to easily set, not knock down, whatever it is on its side.  The silliest stuff still scares you.  The stuff that should not scare you does and the stuff that should really scare you don't.  You laugh at yourself all the time!!  You love to play by yourself and read books without anyone messing with you.  I love all of these things about you!  I just think it all makes up your perfect little personality that you created all by yourself.

I just want you to know now that I will always be here for you no matter what.  I want you to always know that you can come to me with anything...good, bad, or ugly.  I also want you to know our God.  He is so awesome and amazing and can get you through anything.  Turn to Him first.  He will always be there for you just like I will and he loves you far more than you can ever imagine.  There will always be people that will try to knock you down but always know that your God, Dad, and I will always love you for you.  You are very special and God has a very special plan for you--don't ever forget that!!  You are so amazing and smart, Carter!  You will excel and do great things.  I really believe that and I believe in you.  You make us so proud.  Thank you for being awesome!!  Happy first birthday baby boy!

Love, Mom