Watch out 2012!

Is it first babies or just mine....he wants me to be with him 24-7. I wish he had someone to play with besides me, because just every once in a while I do need to get something done.
The other day I put him down for a nap and it took him a while to fall asleep. He was rolling around, then it started to get quiet and I thought he was finally asleep. But when I looked he was sitting up in the corner of the crib. I checked a few minutes later and he was still sitting there. I wondered if he had fallen asleep sitting up, a few seconds later his head dropped in between his legs, which does not seem like a comfortable sleeping position so I went in a laid him down. Crazy that he fell asleep sitting up.
He reminds me of Linus on Charley Brown because he now tries to tote his blanket around with him from room to room. He loves his blanket. He is either dragging his blanket or me around the house. He was doing it all on his own for a few days then he decided it was safer pulling me along with him. Normally he wears clothes, but he was trying to escape here.

He is drooling like crazy and it amazes me that his top teeth haven't come in yet.
He had his first sucker yesterday and oh course loved it. I think he gets excited that he can eat and do big boy things.
He has had a few crazy hair days. One when he woke up from his nap the other day. And one after he got done eating and then playing with his hair. Apparently he likes the spiky look. As you can see he needs a hair cut.

Now when I try to take pictures of him he starts high tailing it over to me, he likes seeing the pictures I have taken. So it is hard to take a picture cause he is too busy trying to see what I am taking a picture of. Then he laughs when I show him the pictures of himself, like he is so proud.
He loves the shower. We have taken him in with us a few times and now he is always banging on the door and wants to go inside.

He likes playing in his tent. Although he tries to stand up in it and it falls over. Not real sturdy.

He snuggles this teddy bear everyday. It's so cute. Now he is finding his eyes and nose. But he will just walk over and cuddle the bear.

He discovered that his finger could come out the other side of this box the other day. So he played inside for a few minutes.

And here is just a shot of my cute baby, just because!

He actually did okay at church today. I had to run after him a few times as he was making a break down the isle, but what kid hasn't done that. We sat next to this little 9 month old boy and Carter loves him. They just talk and Carter gets to play with his toys. It's great fun! Sometimes he isn't shy with people and I still can't figure out why sometimes he seems fearless and sometimes he is shy. I told the mother of the baby that he is normally shy and she couldn't believe it, cause he is such a little ham when she sees him. 

He split open his chin yesterday when he fell. But he wouldn't keep the band-aid on, so he might have a scar to remember that fall. Super cool!

Walking is the new crawling!

Who needs to crawl when they can walk? And if you can walk, you can play soccer....right! That is the natural order of things. This week Carter has decided he doesn't want to crawl anymore. He is doing great and getting better everyday. Sometimes he still wants to grab a finger to feel more secure or go faster, but most of the time he is walking around by himself and going up and down the stairs.

I know it's not safe for a baby to walk around while holding objects like pens, or spoons, etc....but at least a couple times a day Carter is walking around with with an unsafe object. And he likes playing on the stairs....another thing I am sure is not a good idea to encourage...but once again it happens. Sometimes, it's is whatever keeps them busy and happy that wins. Already have bad parenting skills.....what can I say!

One month to go!

Today is Carter's 11 month birthday! Crazy how time flies! He is pretty much walking more and more on his own everyday. He can walk across the room to where he wants to go. He is trying to figure out how to stand on his own in the middle of the floor. He will come grab my finger and start walking with me where he wants to go. How can you resist going with him, it's so cute.  Everyday he tries to walk more...so it won't be long before that is his mode of transportation.
Speaking of transportation, we switched his carseat facing forward and he likes it so much better. It is so nice to have him facing forward.

He loves his tunnel that he got for Christmas and has fun crawling through it.

He likes bowling in our basement and trying to play Foosball. He gets pretty excited when he knocks the pins down, as you can see from the video.

He loves bath time, swimming, chasing after balls, being near mom and dad, TV, and being on the move. Can't get him to sit still in church....anyone have any tricks out there?
He bounces when he hears music.
He can wave goodbye.
He likes chewing on things still, since his top teeth are breaking through. He likes spoons.
I think he loves his "snuggle, snuggle" (blanket) even more.
He still likes his soother, especially for a few minutes after his afternoon nap. But that is something that calms him down.
He says mama and dada and knows who they refer to.
He likes to play shy and snuggle his head in my shoulder when anyone pays attention to him.
I can't believe it has almost been a year....wow! He has been such a blessing and such a fun addition to our family. Even though Jim and I can't travel or go out like we used to, it is so worth it.

Video

So I forgot to bring my video camera. I am pretty sure when we got it a few years ago, it was indeed meant to be used for videoing our future children, since Jim and I do nothing note worthy. Anyway, I forgot it, so I took a few video clips with my camera....not really sure they capture much but it was all I had.

Here is Carter playing with some toys! Boys need lots of balls to play with. He likes kicking them and throwing them.

He also loves to play the piano. Sometimes he even sings while he is playing, but of course not when I start to video it.

He liked playing duets with Grandma.

His walker/rider is a hit. 

Having a great time at Christmas! Happy boy!

He gets to do things at Grandma's that he is not allowed other places. What happens at Grandma's, stays at Grandma's!

Walking and disrobing!

My sister sent me some adorable pictures from Christmas that she took on her camera.

Roxy and Carter looking for squirrels...or something outside. Carter loved hanging out with Roxy!

Then these are what Carter has been up to since we have been home. He is now starting to try to walk to things instead of crawling. Not just back and forth between Jim and I...now he thinks he can walk to his toys or places. A little nerve racking...Jim is better at letting him fall. That may be why when he walks to me he can walk further cause he goes slower. When he is walking to Jim he tries to go faster and can't balance as well so can't go as far. It may be because he trusts me to make sure he doesn't fall, but who knows. He is always pulling off his socks. And a few times in the past few days he has disrobed in his crib. One day he pulled his pants and socks off. One morning he had one arm out of his PJ's. Not sure what this is all about, but he keeps things interesting that is for sure.

He loves knocking over towers and putting objects inside each other. He was a daddy's boy this weekend and would follow Jim where ever he went. He loves playing with his dad.

Baby's first Christmas!

We went to Canada for Carter's first Christmas! People were saying all he would want was the paper and boxes, but that is not true. He loved playing with his toys and didn't even try to get the paper or boxes.

Besides playing with his toys, he loved my brother's dog, Roxy. He was also pretty good around her. He got a big kick out of watching her run after her toys or do tricks. He also learned to crawl up and down stairs while at grandma and grandpas. He started trying to take a few steps on his own. Basically he is on the go all day long. He did have a cold for the first week we were there and that was miserable. He couldn't breathe and hated mom coming after him with a Kleenex or nose sucker. But a moms got to do what needs to be done, or what dad is too chicken to do. Thank heavens he is better.
He had so much fun playing with grandma, grandpa, and aunt Tami. He loves music and playing the piano.

He also loves cell phones, TV remotes, and i-pads/computers. But he really learning how to play and interact with his toys. Putting things inside each other, crawling through tunnels, playing with cars, or walking with his walker/rider.

It was fun to be able to spend time with my family. My brother and his family were there for Christmas eve. My niece Kionah was so good about looking out for Carter and Carter really liked her. He is funny about who he is comfortable with...still can't figure it out. I think Levi and Sophie weren't sure about Carter. Levi was worried that Carter would get his toys and Sophie wasn't sure where all the noise was coming from.

We had our tradition of cinnamon knots for breakfast and we had our big dinner the night before. I swear that turkey and ham was used for every meal for the next week. Thankfully they only get cooked a few times a year, cause I am over them for a while.
Before we left Utah there was another tub incident. Once again Carter was innocently playing in the bathroom. I left to wash a dish. Came back and couldn't see him, until I pulled back the curtains to find him standing there. Honestly. This kid is always on the move....not sure I signed up for a BOY. haha. He is pretty fun and a good boy, but going to keep me on my toes.

When we came home Carter spent an hour rediscovering his old toys, he went from one toy to the other. It was funny. He was so happy to be home but we had a great trip.
So more about our 10 month old. He loves his car seat facing forward and doesn't fight getting in anymore. he is now trying to get into draws and cupboards. He loves pulling his clothes out of his drawer. He is getting pretty fast racing along furniture or coffee tables. He eats whenever someone else is eating. He likes bananas and pretty much any food you put on his tray, he eats. He loves to walk with help, walker or hands, and has started taking steps on his own. Today he took 5-6 steps towards me on his own and was pretty proud of himself. He learned to turn around before going down the stairs and is pretty proficient at going up and down them, and knock on wood, hasn't fallen down them yet. Well, that is kind of not true....before our trip while I was packing the car and Carter was wanting to climb down the cement steps in the garage...he tried to hold on to a stroller and it fell and he fell down one step, getting a raspberry on his head and cheek. Poor baby.