Jealous

I get so jealous when I hear all of these moms saying that their baby sleeps all night long and takes all these long naps during the day.  Makes me very bitter.  Carter does not sleep any longer than 20 minutes during the day and has maybe slept through the night 6 times.  And even 6 may be too much.  What the heck am I doing wrong?!!??  I have tried everything in the book.  He is 9 months old and only has 2 teeth so maybe it is teething.  I have blamed it on teething since he was 3 months old...haha.  I guess  it's just time to accept the fact that I have a bad sleeper on my hands.  He did not get that from me.  I could sleep through a tornado.  THANKS NICK!!

Last night he was up every 30 minutes from 7:30 til about 1:30 then was up for good at 4:30.  And what gets me is that he is very happy and does not act like he is hurting one bit.  When he got his first two teeth he ran fever and he did act like he is hurting....so that's why I really don't think it is teeth.  Spoiled rotten maybe?!

Anyways, enough complaining.  Here is the picture of the year right here.

I was changing his diaper and looked away for literally 2 seconds to grab a diaper and when I turned back I see his little booty crawling away.  It was so cute!!  He stayed that way for a good 10 minutes and he loved it.  Isn't that a really cute tooshie?!  I can't wait to see what he has to say about this in 15 years.



Nocturnal Baby

I just don't know what I am going to do with my child.  He is driving us bonkers at night!!  He has verrrry poor sleeping habits!  He absolutely refuses to sleep during the day.  If I knew without a doubt that I would not hurt him, I would try my hardest to find that nerve in his neck that would make him go to sleep for a couple of hours and gently squeeze.  Or does that only exist in the karate movies?  You would think that since he has not slept all day long that he would sleep all night right?  Because that's what normal babies do.  Well, my sweet child, that does no wrong of course, went to bed at 8:30 (which is late for him), woke up at 3:30 for about an hour and FINALLY went back to sleep after we fought for a while, then was up for good at 5:30.  And what gets me is that he does not act like he is sleepy!  He is ready to crawl around and watch cartoons.  He is in the best mood....even at 3:30.  He only gets cranky because we make him go back to sleep.

But to look on the bright side of everything....at least he is happy.  I guess he could be crying the whole time when he wakes up so it could be a lot worse.  We have just come to the conclusion that he only wants to be with us at all times...but who could blame him?  We are so cool! :)  He is the funniest thing!!  We have a video monitor and he for sure knows what the camera is for above his crib.  He knows that we can see him in it.  So he stands up in his crib and looks into it with a grin and without making a sound.  His looks just say,"Okay come get me.  I'm up!  Time to play!"

Anywho.

If that's all I have to complain about with him then I should count my lucky stars.  My child is still a superstar and my hero and I am most definitely his biggest fan!

I missed boot camp last night for the first time.  We had some family that came in from Virginia for the first time in about 10 years.  I hated to miss but so glad I did.  We had an awesome time catching up.  They have not changed a bit!  Their dad, who passed away several years ago, is my papa's brother.  We used to see them at least once a year, for Christmas, when my great grandfather was alive.

Afrin.  Have you used it?  If you ever have a stuffy nose that you can't get rid of or if it is keeping you from sleeping, get this stuff!!  I have never used it before and I am really impressed.  It really works and it worked for about 12 hours!

T-R-O-U-B-L-E

He is a mess people!!!  I can't turn my head for 2 seconds.



9 Months

Well, I have not had a computer in several days so I have really dropped the ball on my blogs and fitnesspal which will start back tomorrow.  I don't have Internet on my phone because I'm lame I guess. 

Anyways.  Thursday night we decided to give Carter whole peas for the first time.  He was not too crazy about them but he ate them.

Saturday night Nick, Carter, and I went out to eat at the Sunset Grill.  Then after that we went over to visit Callie, Cody, and Ava Parker.  Ava is just a little rock star!!  She is pretty much running behind her walking toys and taking about 7-8 steps all by herself and she is only 10 months old.  She really really impressed Nick and I.  We could not stop talking about her the whole way home.  She is so coordinated.  Whenever she does get the whole walking thing down 100% all she is going to do is run.  She does not have a slow mode.  Her and Carter seemed like they had a pretty good time together.  Since she can walk and Carter can't too good yet they came up with this bright idea.....she pushes Carter in her wagon.

Sunday we went to church and then came home and Carter and I both took a 2 hour nap in the big bed.  THAT NEVER HAPPENS!!  I felt so good when I woke up.  Then we just hung out for the rest of the day.

Nick and I broke down and decided to go ahead and get a baby gate for the fire place.  Carter just can't leave it alone and has come close to hitting his head on it several times. 

Well Saturday was Carter 9 month birthday.  Again, I can't stand it.  He is learning so much every day.  It's seriously scares me at how many different things he is doing all the time.  One day he sat up by himself, the next day he crawled, the next day he stood up in his crib, the next day he pulled up on the couch, the next day he walked behind his toys, and I am just waiting for the first step without any support.  He is just doing too much for my taste.  He does know what the word no means and he actually listens pretty well (beside leaving the fireplace alone.)  I know my time is coming when that will change though.

Today was his 9 month check up.  He was a crazy child at the dr. appointment.  He was trying to crawl off the table, he pulled the stethoscope out of the doctors ears and he was swinging at his flashlight.  While he was doing all of that he was screaming like a girl.  His weight was 18 lbs 8.5 oz.  That put him at 15 percentile.  That blows my mind.  He does not look that skinny to me.  But again, the doctor was not concerned about it.  He expected his weight to fall off some since he is so much more active now.  Plus he is eating like a horse and growing really well.  His length was 29.5 inches.  That puts him in the 85 percentile.  That went up 10 percent.  His head was in the 40 percentile.  That went up 10 percent also.  He's a growing boy!!  I feel sorry for him because his knees are bent up in his car seat and he is starting to look uncomfortable.

Richard Carter,

Another month has come and gone.  Crazy, huh?  You just keep amazing me over and over again with how smart you are and how determined you are to figure something out.  I have learned more about you this past month than I have your whole 9 months of living.  Your winning personality is really starting to shine through and I am falling more and more in love with it....and I had no idea that was possible.  There are no words for me to say to express how much love I have for you.  You are a great little explorer.  You get into EVERYTHING!  I love how you have to sing yourself to sleep every night.  It is the funniest thing you do.  You just moan for about 5 minutes until you can't hold your eyes open any longer.  I love how you wake up in the best mood every morning.  You are so happy to see me in the morning that you literally jump up and down in your crib.  You love Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  It's your favorite!  I love you baby boy to Heaven and back!!

Love, Mom



Date with Ava

When I got home yesterday, I went straight into Carter's playroom.  I could not wait to see his new shelves.  But, when I got there they were still hammering and drilling away so I had to wait about an hour.  Carter and I went to my room and got in the big bed to snuggle and watch tv for a while.  He has always been a good snuggler but here recently he loves it!  And I love it more than he does and of course he just loves being in the big bed.  After about an hour I could not take it anymore so I had to go look. 

My crafty husband and his uncle did  that!  I'm pretty impressed.  We have lots of staining and some sanding to do but it will look like a piece of furniture that we bought from a store after we are done with it.  We still have to attach it to the wall because my crazy kid will be climbing on it one day I'm sure.  But I love it and it goes beyond my expectations.  Not sure if you can tell how big it is in this picture but it pretty much takes up the whole wall side to side and top to bottom.  It's huge!

At 6:00 we met our friends Callie, Cody, and Ava Parker at Fisherman's Cove.  This is what Carter did half of his date:

But then he woke up and decided to be sociable.

They were both really good the whole time.  Poor miss Ava has been a little sick but she was a happy girl last night!

Carter is doing really well with his juice in his sippy cup and I am thinking about making him drink out of it full time.  We'll see how that goes.  Before he refused to drink out of it right before bed and that was about a month ago so maybe he will do better this time.

I was so excited about this weekend because I was going to go to Oklahoma for Kade's, Keatha's son, first birthday party.  Excited is not a good word for it.  I was way beyond that.  But I got a phone call yesterday from our weekend night manager and two of his best friends passed away this week.  One in a car accident and I'm not sure how the other happened.  One of them he is so close to that he calls her his sister.  So sad.  So he said that he is going to need some time off and I am betting it is this weekend.  Sooooo....since I have gone to working only 3 days a week, my job is also to fill in for the ones that has to be off.  I am more than happy to fill in for him because I can't imagine the pain he is in but....still stinks!!  We'll see!



Party Planning

I have decided to go ahead and plan Carter's 1st birthday party.  I figure it will be a lot easier on me if I go ahead and get it done.  Waiting until the last minute to do something like this drives me insane.  He will be 1 in 3 short months.  I have looked and looked for a theme for several weeks and there is one that I keep going back to.  The rest of them just kinda look a little girly to me and if it didn't I just didn't like the look of it really.  Plus, the theme had to pass the inspection test by macho daddy and he REFUSED to allow me to have a girly theme and I REFUSED to have a camo/hunting party.  So, here is what we both agreed on:



You can't ever go wrong with a sports theme for a boy.  Since Nick and I both played sports I thought that it would be pretty cool.  I wanted to go with something that was not so babyish too.  Nick calls Carter his little all-star all the time so I thought that it made it extra special.  There will be kids of all ages there so I guess I wanted them to enjoy it too.  I am having so much fun planning this!!  I even have his cake and cupcakes all figured and drawn out for the cake dude and I have all of his decorations found.  So all I have to do is punch in how many of what and order it then I'm done.  The prices from a website that I found are unbeatable.  I am also excited that his birthday is on a Saturday so his big birthday bash will be on his actual birthday.  Today I am on a mission to find him a 1 year old birthday suit to match his theme. 

I can't wait to make his day allllll about him the whole day.  I sure hope he is in a good mood!!  That is one thing that I am going to do for my kids.  They are going to have huge birthday parties.  I mean, come on....it's a day set aside one day out of the year to celebrate the day they came into this world.  That's a big deal!  It is going to be one day that makes them feel so special.  Will he remember his first birthday?  No....but we will have pictures and a video to show him how much he is loved.

His shelves for his playroom are being put in today along with my new door.  I am going to have a great surpise when I get home.  I have no idea what the shelves are going to look like so I am so excited.  Nick and I will still have to stain them but that's the easy part.  I picked up my door Saturday and I am so in love with it.  It is even prettier than what the display looked like.  I'm excited to go home!

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

Quality Cousin Time

Carter and Nolan got to hang out yesterday.  They pretty much ignored each other for the most part.  This time, though, when they did interact with each other, it was Nolan that was doing the hair pulling.  Carter was doing it last time.  Carter did not take it as well as Nolan though.  Babies are so funny!!  It was so adorable watching them crawl around together.  I can't believe how fast they are growing up on us.  Nolan will be 1 next month!  Blows my mind.  It seems like a couple months ago that we were both pregnant at the same time.

I am really starting to see results from boot camp!!  Wooo hoooo!!  I have not lost any weight on the scales but I can tell that my clothes are fitting much better.  I have actually gained one pound.  I could care less what the scales say as long as I like what I see in the mirror.  I keep telling myself that I am gaining more muscle.  I tried on my bathing suit the other day...just to see...and I still have a ways to go.  It kinda depressed me.  Lake/pool season is creeping up and I am wanting to take Carter out on the barge some this summer.  The whole dieting thing is so new to me and it is really hard.  I have learned the hard way but one meal can kill ya.  I could have a slim fast in the morning, salad for lunch, and pizza for supper and go way over my calorie goal.  I hate that!  It's like you can't ever have a weak moment or all that hard work just goes down the drain when you do.  Plus, I eat pretty much the same thing all the time because all I have ever eaten my whole life was Italian and Mexican food.  Both verrrrrry high calorie.  I need to research all of my options. If you are dieting....join fitnesspal.com!  It's amazing and it really helps keep me on track and holds me accountable.

My dad received a pretty cool award last night for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  I am so proud of him and his accomplishments.  He is an amazing mayor.  He has worked so hard to get where he is today.  I am so glad that I have my mom and him as role models.  I hope that I am as hard working as them one day.  I definitely have huge shoes to fill if I ever want to follow in their foot steps.  All my dad has ever done his whole life is take chances and step out on limbs.  That takes so much courage.  Knowing there is a chance of failure and still giving it a try.  He has always believed in himself and I think we should all take note of that.  Of course he would not be able to do any of it without the support and hard work from my mom.  She is his rock.  Most importantly, they both love our Lord and I think they show that in their every day life.

Checking Cows

Friday morning Carter and I went to Nana's house and ate breakfast.  After that my dad came over and wanted to take Carter to check the cows and I decided to go too.  Carter loves it!!!  Don't worry we were just in the pastures.  Otherwise he would have been in his car seat.  Carter really drives!!  Dad goes a long time without touching the steering wheel.  I was pretty impressed.  Carter loves every second of it and I am pretty sure that my dad enjoys it 100 times more.

Saturday I went to Texarkana to spend time with my best friend Holli.  We had such a good time!  We did some much needed catching up.  She now lives in Dallas for chiropractic school.  I feel so far from her and I HATE it.  I know we didn't see each other enough before but it felt good knowing that she was only an hour away.  I think I asked her to drop out and move back for me but I don't think she went for it.



Pierce Arrow was amazing yesterday.  I am so glad that I went.  Lots and lots of laughs and great music.  I got to see family that I don't get to see all that much and it was great.  I am so proud of my little cousin Loredana.  She is such a joy and becoming such a mature and happy young lady.  You can tell that she really cares for other people.  My Papa is so crazy about her and she does such a good job making him feel special.

Carter has decided that he likes the whole crawling thing.  My dad has taken all the credit for this.  He still likes to be on his feet more but he has accepted the fact that he has a while until he can do that by  himself.  For the most part he has limited himself to crawling just on the big rug in the living room.  Thank goodness!  Every now and then he will venture off to the kitchen.  I am not ready to have to follow him all the time yet.  Our rock fireplace scares me to death.  Any chance he gets, he crawls over to it and pulls up.  I am proud of him for that but he is still a little shaky on his feet.  Time to put some padding on it.

It is like a light bulb has come on in Carter's head.  He is really figuring out everything so fast.  He is getting too smart for his own good.  Kinda scary.  It hurts my soul that he is going to grow up.  I refuse to accept that he is going to be one soon.  REFUSE!!  He is NOT in size 12 month clothes right now. Nope.

I have decided not to baby proof the house.  The only cabinet that I might close off is the cleaning supplies that under the sink.  Yes, I will put the plugs in the outlets and put stuff that will hurt him from the lower cabinets to the higher ones, but I am going to let him explore them and let him get it out of his system.  I am going to teach him not to bother breakables.  It's a very good time to start teaching him what acceptable and what's not.  I was told by many mothers to do that because if you close off everything in the house and they do go somewhere that is not baby proofed then they are going to go crazy trying to get into them.  It may change but that's the plan right now.

Here is something crazy.....I am getting the newborn baby fever.  WHAT??!!!  There are lots of people that are having babies left and right.  I held my cousin's little newborn baby a couple weeks ago and I missed Carter being that small so much.  I would give anything for him to be that small again.  No, we are not going to have a baby anytime soon because Nick does not like that idea.  I would have another one in a heartbeat.  It would be tough but who cares!!  I think Carter would love a little sibling.  But, it is going to be at least 2-3 years.