April 2012

In two short months, I will have a one year old... Unbelievable. Carter is wild and precious and learning more and more every single minute! He is understanding more of what I say and will hand me toys if I ask him to (or shake his no of he doesn't want to ;)), he'll give hugs and big open mouthed, drool-filled kisses on command, and he has started saying "dah" over and over again when the dogs come in. Kind of perfect that my son's first word besides mama and dada would be dog...ha!

He is consistently sleeping through the night 11-12 hours without a sound... an I'm sure I've just jinxed us by putting that in writing!

This post has been sitting in my drafts since the end of April because my wild little man is keeping me so so so busy! Time on the computer is very limited these days and what little time I do have on it is spent frantically trying to get work done....So I'll let the pictures speak for themselves and write more when I can :)

Picnic at the Dallas airport waiting on our delayed flight- he slept the entire flight home to Nashville... probably the only time that will ever happen :)

The only way I could get him to sleep while in Dallas- he was too busy soaking up the attention of his aunt and uncle, cousins, and grandparents to think about sleep!

First trip to Pancake Pantry

Hanging with me on an especially nap resistant afternoon

His sweet cousins on Easter

Dinner date with Georgia

One of the few ways for mom to sneak in a shower

The dogs are finally seeing an upside to their new little brother

Meeting little Connor Cox!

Napping while Grandpa plays the piano

The dog beds are much more comfy than his crib apparantly

Saturday Fun!

I read some advice online from a mom that I don't know, and I absolutely love it! She said that when her husband travels, she tries to spend her days with her children as though a dear friend were visiting from out of town, visiting tourist sites, checking out new restaurants, and stepping out of life's daily routines. So with that in mind and with Taylor away for the weekend, that is exactly what we did! 

Today was not a day for phone calls or one handed email replies on the cell phone while bouncing a baby on my hip... today was about spending time with my little man and no one else.  So I left the laundry unfolded, the dishes in the sink, and the bed somewhat unmade (a big step for me!), and I hung out with my favorite new friend. We played with every one of his toys; we climbed up the stairs A LOT; we spent 2 hours napping and people watching at Radnor Lake; we went to Noshville and ate pancakes for lunch; we found a quiet, empty playground and climbed through tunnels and up more stairs for over an hour; Carter napped for 2 hours while I actually sat and read a book; we went to feed the baby fish in the ponds at my parents' house; and we finished off the day slurping spaghetti (and wearing most of it)!

And now I am sitting here in a quiet house, sipping a glass of wine, already missing that precious little boy sleeping upstairs. Being a mom isn't always easy, but today was as perfect as it could be, and I am feeling very blessed. He is just SO. MUCH. FUN.  

March 2012

My not-so-little man is officially 9 months, and he is ON THE MOVE! He can pull up on almost everything and loves to find the most precarious of situations just to make sure I'm paying attention! Changing his diapers and getting him dressed is becoming super challenging- so we try to avoid anything with snaps these days. Thank goodness the weather allows us to put him in shorts and a t-shirt these days! He loves to eat pretty much anything and loves that he now has finger food to make more of a mess with... and the dogs have started stationing themselves underneath his high chair at each mealtime to help with the clean up! We've had a relaxing March, spent entirely in the city of Nashville! Our days have been filled with play dates, trips to the zoo, bonding with the dogs, playing, playing, and more playing....and dare I say it... NAPS! He now takes a 2-3 hour nap every afternoon-- it is most often in his swing, so we're just avoiding the issue of what to do when he outgrows that! His timing couldn't have been more perfect, since his mom had lots of work  conference calls and insurance renewals to do this month... Emails and computer work are one thing, but when important calls come in, I sometimes find myself in a battle with entertaining a baby and clicking the mute button on and off!  But we have found a balance that still allows me to stay home with my guy and continue to work... so we are very thankful for the daily naps we've been getting!

The dogs are dealing with Carter's new found mobility better than we expected, and I am so proud of them. I still watch them every second, and try to protect them from those tiny sticky fingers... but they are really being good- and they have even been re-connecting with their puppy sides (stealing toys, rolling in what I hope is mud..., and running around their yard in this gorgeous weather!). Our sweet Maggie isn't feeling 100% and may need neck surgery due to a condition known as degenerative disc disease...but we'll hope for the best and see what her CT scan shows next week. In the meantime, we are absolutely loving this little boy and are constantly amazed at the new things he does each day! 

Sleepy little memories

Sometimes when Carter cries up in his room, he falls right back to sleep...and as excruciating as it is to wait it out, it is usually pretty clear whether he needs us or whether he is 3 minutes away from nodding off again. But oh, even those 3 minutes can feel like a lifetime, and I inevitably get a knot in my stomach and don't breathe quite right until he's sleeping soundly again. Tonight he fell asleep at around 8:15pm, and based on his normal schedule, he shouldn't be up again until 8:00am (with the potential for a quick snack around 4:30-5:00 am). But just as we were finishing a West Wing episode at 9:45, the red light on the monitor was beaming and the screen showed a very upset little man. I went upstairs to see what was going on- because it just wasn't the kind of cry you ignore- and I think he had some kind of nightmare (??). Anyway, I started rubbing his back and quietly singing a little, and he gradually started to settle down. He finally closed his eyes, sighed, wrapped both his little hands around my arm, and laid his cheek against my hand. Sometimes it hits me that I really am somebody's mommy, and I found myself just staring at that angelic face, praying I never forget these precious little moments. As I ever-so-sneakily loosened my hand from his grip (and promptly woke him right back up),  he rolled on his back, squinted up at me, and gave me a huge sleepy smile before passing out again.  And I melted. That little boy upstairs has absolutely stolen my heart!

Books, Baths, and Bedtime Fun!

 Bedtime has become a family affair these past couple of weeks, as this 20-something pound ninja baby finds new ways to wiggle out of our hands every night! Getting him into his pajamas around flapping arms, kicking legs, and a twisting tummy literally leaves us out of breath at times. I know, we are total rookies!  Although I offer an extra pair of hands, bedtime is really Dad's time to hang out with his little man. While I should take this time to read, clean, or just sit in the silence I never hear throughout the day, I always find myself listening to thumping feet and muffled giggles as my two boys roll around on the floor above me...and I can't tear myself away! The older Carter gets, the more fascinated he his by his dad, and the more he absolutely adores him. And to be honest, watching my husband transform into this little boy's hero has made me fall in love with him all over again.