Uncle J's Birthday

Saturday evening we celebrated Justin's, my little big brother, 26th birthday.  We all had a good time.  Justin got so much stuff!!



Party pooper :)




Birthday boy



Nana and Papa



Will and Erin Bell-Justin's sister and brother in laws



Is he not handsome?



Justin's mother and father in law



Happy couple!

Beautiful family

This next picture looks exactly like Justin's baby pictures.  Is this not the sweetest face you have ever seen?

Nick was gone to Conway for the last weekend of duck hunting so I was playing the single mother roll all weekend.  Carter and I had so much fun and we got to have lots of family time.  We even got to spend quality time with cousin Nolan.  Even though Nolan was not feeling too well he was still such a joy.  He is getting bigger and bigger and starting to free stand.  What a big boy!!

Carter actually slept good all weekend.  He cried for about 3-5 minutes at least once each night but put himself back to sleep.  So proud of him!  Carter is going through a little phase right now and he will only let the people that he knows well hold him.  He has never been like that before!!  He has always loved other people.  But not now!!  AND he is really starting to show a little attitude.  He will slap your hand away from him or he will throw his bottle down when he is done with it.  He has also started to growl when he gets mad.  I got news for you little boy.....TOUGH LUCK LITTLE BUDDY!!!  This momma is not starting all that.  We are going to nip that in the bud real quick.

But he has learned to give kisses.  Every time he reads his books and he comes across a baby or small child he always gives it kisses.  It is PRECIOUS!!  They are the best slobbery kisses ever.  Also, he is learning his body parts.  He knows where his nose is.  Every time we say, "Where's your nose?" he touches his nose. Smart boy!  Also, we think he said cat the other day.  Mom has been having a cat roam around her house for a couple weeks and mom always asks him where the cat is.  But maybe that is just wishful thinking on our part....but it sure sounded like it.  We have not heard it again, so maybe not.

He is going really fast walking behind his walking toys.  Also, he is a fast crawler now.  He has figured out that he does not have to stay on the rug.  So I am now having to follow and chase him everywhere and I am loving every minute of it.  I thought that I would dread having to follow him but I love to see him explore stuff and figure out things.

He absolutely refuses to eat fruits and veggies whole.  They have to be pureed for him to eat it.  He loves peaches and peas pureed but spits them out if they are in little chunks and makes a gross face.  Weird kid.  He is eating so much right now!!  He is eating about 10 oz of food at each meal and drinks anywhere from 8-12 oz. at a time.  I had to make him 2 six oz bottles yesterday back to back.  I have no clue how he is in the 15 percentile in weight.

We have been brushing our teeth together for quite a while now but I have never taken pictures of it.  Carter loves it.  Well, he loves the taste of the fake toothpaste.  It's grape!  We brush our teeth twice a day together!

He thinks he is the prettiest baby ever!

Mom had to come and help

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.