Double Digits!

Ten sounds so much older than nine, but alas, my big boy is 10 months old.

At 10 months, Carter is:

- 19 lbs 11oz

- 28ish inches.(hes too squirmy to get an accurate reading) Mr Shorty....always have to roll his pant legs up!

- is wearing some 6-12 months stuff, lots of 9 months stuff and some 12 month stuff.

- is getting his top 2 teeth at the same time right now, complete with a teething cold. I still hate teething!

- chats all the time, and has said Dog a couple times and Hi Daddy

- still has the cutest dang smile and dimple

- dances by bending his knees and bopping up and down, as well as stomping his right foot

- has gone on his first camping trip in our new (to us) trailer, and it was not as successful as I had hoped

- loves to share anything and everything. Even offered his toy to the ladies on The View when Cheeko didnt want it (we watch too much TV!)

- doesnt like Treehouse TV but loves watching the news. No Barney or Dora in this house!

- makes the click sound with his tongue

- LOVES to self feed! He especially loves eating Cheerios. and toast with a little bit of jam.

- is allergic to kiwi and yogurt

-is always grabbing at our plates, he wants to eat everything- he also loves water. Loves drinking it, and playing with it. Bath time is a mess, he is always in Cheekos dish and I even caught him reaching in the toilet once when I left the seat up (GROSS!)

- loves to stand on things and crawl over things. He will push his toys up to the TV stand then stand on top of them, and it always climbing on the highchair. He loves to stand on my feet or legs when I am on the ground with him

- stands on his tippy toes, which especially hurts when he is standing on my legs and digs his tiny toes into my thigh

- has stood on his own a few times for quite a long time (6+ seconds)

- will put his ear to the ground and look under the coffee table to his toys on the other side

- has taken a step back in the walking on his own department, since he has taken many falls on the face, and discovered that he can drop down to his butt, crawl and stand back up to where he wants to be. Might not be an early walker after all

- cries when told no, or he cant have what he wants

- hates anything on his head. Always rips his hat off in the sun, and his toque off during our morning walks (yes, very Canadian of me)
- has an obsession with the dog bed and dog bones

9 Months!

My sweet baby is rapidly growing into a walking, talking moving machine!

He is full of energy and life and there is never a dull moment in this house anymore.

Nothing is safe from him, not even Cheeko.

At 9 months Carter:

- is 19lbs even

- is 27.5 inches long

- is wearing mostly 9 month clothing

- crawls and is everwhere checking things out

- is learning to climb the stairs

- can go from his belly to standing (this is his new thing in the crib and makes for awful sleep since he always wants to stand)

- still walks like a pro. He cruises all over the living room and even tries to walk away from the table and will meet the ground with his head

- will drop a toy while standing at the table or couch to figure out how to bend down and pick it up, and has been getting more and more successful at picking them up

- will use his toes to get his knees off the ground when crawling, so he goes into the downward dog yoga position and tries to stand up

-is starting to eat with his fingers. He will eat bananas and cheerios, and is pretty good about getting them into his mouth

- is a bad eater now. He used to open his mouth wide and want food, now I have to trick him into opening his mouth and his shoves his hands in his mouth and gets food all over them then he will rub his food hands together and make a big game out of it. He wastes more than he eats

- is eating chicken, beef and fish, as well as some veggies and fruit

- sleeps on his stomach and will bring his legs up under him so his butt is in the air

- laughs at me when I tell him 'No'

- says Mama, Dada, Nana, Baba and Hi

- needs to work on his inside voice, everything is at volume 10 when he is playing

- loves Cheeko endlessly. Crawls to him all the time, plays with his nails and his collar and laughs at him all the time

- waves sometimes. I taught the wave and the clap too close together and will end up doing a mixture of the 2

- hates being splashed in the face at the pool, but goes nuts splashing in the tub

8 months

Another month has zipped by!

Its hard to believe how much he will grow in the next 4 months.
He will learn more words and learn to walk, he will eat food in its original form and he will hopefully grow some hair!

At 8 months, Carter:
- is 17lbs 6 oz (not bad considering the weight loss he had when he was sick)
- is 27.5 inches long
- is moving into 9 month clothes
- cruises the coffee table like a pro and turns to walk away from it
- will stay on his hands and knees but still cant figure out how to crawl
- will pivot all over the place on his tummy
- has his 2 bottom teeth
- loves food. I am starting to make it thicker and chunkier for him. Going to be trying meats soon
- says Mama. He even says blah blah blah, just like Ke$ha. He is close to saying Hi and we are working on Dada
- recognizes his little friends
- play (pretty) well with his friends
- loves watches and rings
- has had cold #3....but they seem to be teething related
- has had an overnight trip to the hospital, and his first band aid

Grateful

After this past weekend, I realize I have a lot to be thankful for.


While sitting in the sterile hospital, watching my fragile sick boy just lay there, listening to the haunting cries of other babies/kids in the wing, I never though I could miss my seemingly ordinary days so much.

I am so grateful for:

-my little boys chubby arms; even though he lost at least a pound and a half, it took 3 doctors to find a vein so it means he is still healthy enough to thrive


-my rocking chair; then I could rock Carter comfortably and smoothly while he depended on me to make his world better


-noisy toys; it means Carter is smart enough to turn them on


-loud screams; my baby has enough energy to produce vocals


-his desire to walk; it means he has determination, a mind of his own


-belly laughs; it means he happy and has a personality

-our family and friends; we can always count on them to help us out in time of need.


I know that with a boy, especially one with Mark's sickness DNA that we will probably end up in the ER more than once, I never thought it would be within his first year.

As a parent, we all have to go through these things.

I will be better prepared for the next time, and we all have to make mistakes to improve.

7 months down :)

Another 30 days has come and gone, and my little beast is growing, learning, exploring and teething!! (sorry Jackie)

I am amazed by how much he has changed this month. He is learning so many new things with his hands and face and mouth, it wont be much longer before I am at work and this sweet little boy is destroying my house and talking back with the attitude I somehow passed along to him(of all the things!)

At 7 months Carter :

- is 17lbs (gained 10lbs in 7 months)
- is 26 inches long (apparently he shrunk from last month, but Im pretty sure he grew taller, but what do I know, Im not the one with the measuring tape....MARK)
- is wearing 6-9 month clothing, and some 12 month
- has discovered standing at the coffee table, and refuses to sit now
- started to cruise when standing at the coffee table
- has moved himself backwards a couple time when on his tummy
- working on his first tooth; we noticed a little bubble looking thing last night and I felt a bit of sharpness today, but I think he's still got a few more days before its coming out for good
- eating so much food! 3 meals a day and has all sorts of veggies and is just starting pears then we will move onto more fruit
- sleeps thru the night!! 8pm-7am. So Awesome!!!!
- is in such a good mood all the time now (except with this teething business)
- LOVES technology (he is his fathers boy). He loves TV, always reaches for the remote, thwireless keyboard and cell phones
- has had cold #2...baby colds are brutal
- is on a regular schedule of eating and sleeping
- has gone for his first over-nighter to GG and Grumpas
- starting to stick his tongue out again
- makes all sorts of scrunch faces
- has starting hitting everything with his hand
- loves feeling everything's texture now, scratching his nails against it
- still loves Cheeko, and always has laughs for a yawn or lip licking
- has rediscovered his voice again. Constant screeching in this house!
- pulls himself up in his stroller, to get a better view of whats happening
- still a bit shy outside of the house. People have to work for their smiles

I never thought I would love anyone more than I love Mark, but every day I love this kid more and more. He is so smart, and so determined (aka stubborn, yet another trait from me) that I can't wait to see what kind of little boy he is going to turn into.
Every parent thinks their kid is the best, the cutest, the smartest. But they are wrong.
Cuz my kid is!

Fit to be a parent??

So I was returing our rented shampooer to Safeway on Monday and I decided to take Carter out of the carseat and carry him in the store with me.
While waiting for someone to help me, I sat Carter on the counter and gave him a rattle which he started pounding on the glass countertop.
When the Customer Service girl came to help me, she was gooing and gaaing at Carter and having a gay ol time with him.
She needed me to sign some paperwork, at which point I picked Carter up and held him while I grabbed the pen. She offered to hold the paper and all I had to do was sign, but I told her it was ok, it was actaully easier if I used the same hand I was holding Carter in to hold the paper and I would sign with my other hand.
She said ' Oh I figured you Moms wouldnt need any help! You guys have it all figured out!".

Its funny how sometimes you feel like you are having a disaster day, you havent showered( your messy hair in a half assed pony tail is the sure-fire sign!), your kid just puked all over his jacket and crapped his diaper (to which even a homeless person would say stinks) and to someone elses eyes, you have it all together, the perfect Mom.

But what makes a 'perfect' parent?
Your age? Your marital status? The fact that you've wanted kids since you got your first dolly at the tender age of 2?

I was watching this episode of Dr Phil (or Dr Full as Mark likes to call him!) a few weeks ago, and they had a 17yr old girl with her 18yr old bf and they were battling with everyone about the upbringing of their infant daughter.
Everyone was against them. Everyone but the boys father, and me. The boys father was allowing the teens to live with him, and he was helping out with raising his little granddaughter.

Now, I am not all for babies having babies, but yes, they did make a mistake and got pregnant (the first time they had sex, as they claim) and yes, they are young and unemployed, but does that make them bad parents? The 18yr old did have some random part time jobs, so its not like he was sitting on his ass all day playing video games and not making an effort. Were they financially prepared to take on a responsibility so huge as a BABY? No, but who is? You always hear the excuse of people saying 'oh, were going to wait until we can afford it.' If you wait, you aint having kids. Everyone is poor. Get over it. Its called the Recession.
Dr Phil showed a couple pics of the very cute little girl. She was healthy, bright and alive. They were doing something right! There was one picture that showed the baby laying on her tummy to sleep, and Dr Full went on a rampage about they were awful parents since they should know that that causes SIDS, to which the teen mom replied her doctor told her to put her to sleep that way.
If you dont want this 17yr old girl to be a mother to her baby simply because she lays her to sleep on her stomach then take my child away too.
I stopped breastfeeding my child at 4 months. (Oh gasp- the agony. Whisper Whisper Whisper)
My kid has plowed his head onto the floor more times in the last month than I can could on 2 hands, the most recent episode being 2 hrs go.
We let him chew on a pea pod 3 nights ago and we are pretty sure he bit the tip of the pod off and started chocking since his face went all red and he was only half breathing and coughing.

Am I proud of these things?
Absolutely not.
But my kid is just that, a kid.
He is going to fall and even break bones.
He is going to swallow something whole and have a hard time digesting it.
He is going to eat grass. Touch dog poo. Play with his weenie. Pick his nose and eat it and probably enjoy it!

Just because they are teens does not make them bad parents.
Just because I am a 26 yr old married woman does not make me a good parent.

If people gave up kids every single time just because they were teenagers, or just because they were single, or just because they didnt feel like they had the nurturing mother gene, then we would have a whole lotta lonely kids in this world.

Millions of teens, single parents, poor parents, rich parents and crackheads alike have been raising their children for years. This is not a new concept. There is no such thing as a perfect parent.
No one knows what goes on behind closed doors. All you are seeing is what they want you to see.

1/2 way to 1

Carter is 6 months old.
1/2 a year.
26 weeks.

No matter how I say it, he is growing up so fast. No longer my little helpless baby boy. He is my independent, smart and happy little boy.

In the first few months when I was really struggling with Carters tummy problems and my anxiety, I would have paid any amount of money to fast forward the time through all the heartache and pain, and now that he is growing up so fast, and learning new things and becoming this little human being, I would pay any amount of money to slow time down.

Every day is a new journey with this guy, and sometimes we just sit there for a half an hour making silly faces and smiling at each other. My heart is filled with so much love for him.

I think that this is the best age. He is so alert and understands so much, can entertain himself, and laughs at the silliest things, but can't talk back or move!


At 6 months, Carter
- is 16lbs 2 oz
- is 26 1/2 inches long
- is wearing 6 month and 6-9 month clothing
- sits on his own
- hates loud sounds like the vaccuum and my blowdryer
- loves peek-a-boo
- loves when I sing to him, espcially Wheels on the Bus
- still loves faces, but now grabs for the hair and glasses
- still no teeth
- eats 2 meals of rice cereal, and has had sweet potatoes but doesn't care for them
- loves to walk, and will stand on his own when propped up against something
- will balance himself when he's wobbly when he stands
- just started sleeping through the night again
- makes all sorts of sounds, espeically 'm' sounds
- loves to raspberry with his tongue and sent spit flying everywhere
- thinks the dog is hilarious when he licks his lips or yawns or chews his bone
- will push himself up when doing tummy time
- can roll but doesnt
- is all over in his crib now, he is never in the same spot you put him to sleep in
- is taking his sweet time growing his hair
- recognizes faces (me, Mark, grandparents, playgroup)