Christmas with Carter

I wasn't sure what to expect with Carter this year.  I knew he was far to young to understand the true reason for this glorious holiday, but I thought he could possibly get a little excited about the piles of presents.

I already feel a tad bad for the kid.  I would HATE to have my birthday so close to Christmas!  While I was shopping, I kept thinking, "Well, his birthday is only a few weeks away..."  I was trying to justify keeping the number of presents to a reasonable amount instead of going over-the-top crazy.  Perhaps we'll celebrate his half-birthday or Baptism birthday instead?!?!

Back to Christmas...he was such a cutie.   I'm sure I've mentioned that he is all about me lately :)   So while opening a gift, he sat on my lap, pulled out tissue paper one piece at a time (took a few seconds to play with each piece), and finally found his way to the gift.  

It only took about two presents for him to completely lose interest in the unwrapping part.  Now that all the presents are unwrapped, he adores them!  Except for the bathtub bubble blower.  That thing scares him to death! 

Because of the excess of toys, Travis and I are in desperate need of a shed and a few more storage spaces.

As a mother, I have a hard time not comparing him to other kids.  Of course I think he is the greatest-but I also see that a lot of the children in his daycare room are eating much more "adult" foods.  Feeding him pieces of food, no matter how small they are, makes me jittery.  My mind starts going a million miles an hour thinking of him choking.  Needless to say, this is something I need to work through.  With Christmas, came the the opportunity to let go and allow him to try lots of new flavors and textures.  In the past week, we have conquered (and liked) scrambled egg yolks, avocados, toast with jelly, Cheerios, mashed potatoes, rice, and spaghetti noodles.  Life will be great when I can finally fix Carter a plate of whatever we are having for dinner and I think that day is almost here!

Carter is a ham-at least at home.  I am beginning to see his shy side though, especially when we are visiting other people's homes.  All day at home he will yell, and laugh, and play catch with himself, and dance, and jump on the bed, and wrestle....we have a great time together.  The second we walk into someone else's home, he sits quietly on their lap or on the floor, looks around, and scrunches his shoulders up to his chin.  Where in the world do kids learn to do these things?  After awhile he makes himself right at home, but it amazes me how differently he behaves.

In the midst of the hustle and bustle of each holiday, I find myself thinking so much about Carter's birthmother.  I knew that Thanksgiving was tough on her.  I figured that Christmas would be even harder.  I don't know how she does it.  She is such a strong, caring person.  We know that she loves Carter as much as we do.  On Christmas Eve, I thought it would be the perfect time to tell him his complete story.  After all, Christmas is about the journey of a family and a baby.  This is a tradition I hope to continue for as long as he'll listen to me ramble. My prayer for Carter is that he grows up knowing that he is loved. By us. By our families. By her. By her family.  And by God.  That's a lot of love for one cute little guy.

Bully?

I was told recently that my sweet, adorable boy is the infant room bully!  She was sort of joking when she said it.  You see, Carter is now the BIG boy in the room.  Everyone else is pretty stationary.  Apparently, Carter crawls over to the other babies and steals their binkies. 

Of course, I thought it was all my fault.  I took his binkie away from him at two months.  He had a cold. His nose was stuffy.  He couldn't breathe with it in his mouth.  So.....why not?

Well, when we got home that night, I dug around in the cupboards to find the long, lost binkie.  Guess what?  Doesn't like it.  Go figure.  My guess is that he is just trying to get back at them for screaming during his nap time-in which case-I don't blame him:)

Baby's First Christmas

I am so excited for Christmas this year!!!  I understand that Carter will have NO IDEA what is going on. He won't understand the concept of gifts, but just having him here is a good enough reason to celebrate.  The idea of sending out a family Christmas card was something that warmed my heart. He is my gift-and I couldn't have asked for a better one!

We celebrated a little early with Papa Richard and Liz, and Travis's brother's family.  Carter liked to slap the presents (especially the squishy ones) to hear the crinkling noise.  He tried to eat the paper after it was off the presents, but eventually he realized there was a new toy sitting close by.  We took our pictures with Liz's camera, so hopefully we will have a picture to share soon:)

It has been really fun watching him play with the new stuff.  I still think of him as a baby, that he can't possibly be old enough to play with a barnyard set.  Then he surprises me by driving the tractor around and opening the barn gates so they make noises.  He's just so big!!

P.S. Check out my teeth!!!

Random thoughts and rambles

This picture is from November, but it was just developed.  No new pictures this week.  Sorry.

Craziness-the word that describes this week

I don't have enough in me left to develop a cohesive entry today, so here is what is popping in my head as I write.

Carter got mad at me for the first time this week. He raised his fists in the air and clenched his entire body while he grunted.  Then he went into the living room, stood up alongside the couch buried his face in the cushion.  He's only 11 months old. Oh brother....

He has been sick as a dog.  Antibiotics, eye drops, allergy medicine, and asthma medicine.  I'm so glad he is getting back to his normal self. (and that the snot is slowing down...)

Four teeth fill his mouth now.  When he smiles I can see them.  I don't like it at all.  They make him look like a boy, not a baby.

His hair is brown.  I just really noticed it tonight.

He likes to dance, and he really likes when I dance like a crazy woman in front of him.

Carter can open drawers now.  I need to find a day to baby proof-SOON!

He is going to be the best Baby Jesus in church Sunday School program history.  I will try to post the video in a few weeks.  I almost cried today watching it.

He loves the dog more and more each day.  This worries me.  I hope the dog can learn to love him and not nip when Carter finally gets ahold of him.

Ball-y

I think it is funny to sit back and watch Travis interact with Carter.  I knew that Travis would be a great father, but sometimes I can't believe how much he has changed since this sweet, little boy entered our lives.  Carter absolutely LOVES playing ball with Trav.  They throw it back and forth (Carter gets SO excited that he starts throwing his entire upper body up and down until he gets the ball back). This is their thing.  Carter does not, and will not, play catch with me no matter how hard I try.  Our thing is music:)

Anyhow, after Thanksgiving the ball went missing.  I had taken it to my parents' house that day and we just couldn't find it.  Travis kept asking about the ball. "Have you seen Ball-y?"  "Let's go buy another Ball-y." BALL-Y!  Who'd have thunk 10 1/2 months ago that my tough hubby would start using phrases like this in everyday conversation.  Without the ball we had to find other ways to hold his attention for more than 10 seconds. 

Baths work:

 New toys work:

Chasing the dog seems to be the best option yet:

At Thanksgiving (all 3 of them so far) Carter was spoiled with tastes of all the food.  His interest in baby food is getting less and less.  He wants whatever we are eating.  So, while I was eating all the yummy goodies-so was he!  He likes mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes (mashed and sliced), bread, pumpkin pie, jello and marshmallow dessert, and especially whipped cream. On a side note, I usually feed him very healthy, balanced meals.  This was just a really big treat! We loved seeing our family too!

I love Black Friday shopping, and this year was not going to be an exception. While daddy was slaving away at work, Baby C and I headed out around 7 A.M. to find the best deals.  I was able to get everything on my list (and more).  He is such a great shopper.  We both needed a break about half-way through, so we went to the local coffee shop, pounded on a coffee table, and shared a bagel.  I hope he wants to hang out with me like that when he's older.

As much as I despise winter, I adore decorating for Christmas.  I couldn't wait to see how Carter would react when the tree was lit for the first time.  I plugged it in and Carter stared at it, then at me, and back at the tree.  I think he was more confused than amazed.  He really likes this Santa, though.

Carter is still working on that fourth tooth this week.  This one is the roughest yet.  On the positive side, he is all about mommy while this is going on.  Whereever I go, he crawls there.  If I am standing somewhere, he is sitting between my legs.  If I am sitting somewhere, he is trying to sit in my lap. He wants hugs, smooches, and high fives non-stop.  This is great because Carter has despised cuddling from the beginning.  I am soaking it all in because I know it will not last forever.

Remembering Nana V.

My dear Carter Lee,

Our little family is so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family that surround and support us.  With all my heart, I wish that one of those people were your daddy's mom, your nana.  Three years ago, grandma Melody went to live with Jesus in heaven.  She was sick for a while, and God wanted to make her well again by calling her home.  We miss her everyday, especially your dad.

My heart breaks that you didn't have the chance to meet her.  You'd have really loved her, and she would have adored (and spoiled) you.  Here are a few things that we want you to know about her:

1.  She was a wonderful mom.  Your dad has told me numerous times that your grandma was his best friend.
2. She was hilarious!  Her jokes weren't always appropriate, and she always said exactly what she thought, but if you were around her, you were most definitely laughing.  Your grandma's laugh was the LOUDEST laugh I have ever heard.  Once, when your dad was a teenager, he heard her laughing clear across Meijer.
3. She loved every single holiday.  The house was always decked out with holiday decorations.  For Halloween, she wore this hideous old man mask and would jump out and scare anyone she could.  For weeks I would be nervous walking around their house for fear of her and her mask.
4. She was the best cook!  I still make a lot of her recipes.
5. She was kind and caring.  At her viewing and funeral, so many people came to show and tell us how much Melody meant to them.
6. She would have loved you so much!!!

One day you'll get to meet her...and hopefully she doesn't have her old man mask on:)

Chocolate Day!

Chocolate Day at Shipshewana is one of my favorite days of the year!  If you don't know what I'm talking about, you are missing out.  It is like a scavenger hunting for chocolate while you shop.  Best of both worlds!

Carter experienced the fun this year with Pam, Allison, Eric, and me.  It was an amazing fall day.  I was nervous about how Carter would handle being in a stroller for a big portion of the day.  Now that he is mobile, he prefers to be on the ground.  He did GREAT!  All the sights, sounds, and smells held his attention all day.  I'm sure when he grows up he will want nothing to do with shopping with me, but for now, I love having him in tow!

On the Go....

Well, since I last wrote Mr. Carter has mastered crawling.  It is so fun to walk into another room and hear his hands pounding the floor as he crawls to wherever I am.  When I say "his hands pounding" I am not exaggerating-he slams his hands down with each crawling step he takes.  It makes it really hard for him to sneak anywhere!

Wait, I take that back.  The one place that Carter does sneak to is Hendrix's food bowl  If it is anywhere in sight, that is exactly where he is heading.  The other day, I plopped him into middle of the kitchen floor, left for less than a minute to grab his diaper bag in his bedroom, and came back to find him in the hallway chewing on a piece of the dog's kibble. Yuck!  I guess I'll have to find a new place for Hendrix to eat so that Carter doesn't.

Besides dog food, he is eating everything in sight and no longer gags at different textures.  Travis and I have learned the value of cereal puffs and how important they are to take EVERYWHERE.  No matter when he last ate, what time it is, or how many teeth are popping through Carter is happy when he has his cereal puffs.

Speaking of teeth, he now has three and is working on the fourth.  Every once in a while you can catch a toothy grin. Carter got his first toothbrush the other day.  He likes the taste of the bubble gum toothpaste, so he doesn't mind having them brushed as long as he gets to chew on the toothbrush for awhile afterwards.

As much as I don't want to admit it, I'm pretty sure he is saying "da-da."  Okay, let's be honest.  He says it all the time.  At first I told Travis that it didn't count because he was just making the noise.  We agreed that we wouldn't accept it as his first word until he actually knew what it meant. So now that he says it when Travis walks in the room, I guess it counts. Bummer...

Oh Technology...

Well, our computer is down for the count (I'm typing this on a TINY borrowed netbook) and we are very impatiently waiting for the computer guy to call us.  Be assured that we are collecting lots of great photos and videos to share soon.  Here's a look forward to what will be covered:
Crawling
Dog food
Da-da
Teeth
and much, much more.  It has been an exciting few weeks in the Vonderau household!

Happy Halloween!

Just last week I was telling one of the fabulous ladies at daycare that Carter was "teething challenged."  This kid has been teething on and off since he was three months old with nothing to show for it.  Anyhow, as I was saying this, I poked my finger in this mouth and was REALLY surprised to find a tooth popping through.  FINALLY!  Needless to say, Carter has been very vocal in letting us know his tooth is coming through.  On top of this he also had a cold, which is getting better now. 

I didn't want to take him trick-or-treating this year (partly because it is too cold and partly because people would know we were doing it only to get the candy for ourselves!!!)  I couldn't resist buying him a costume though.  Instead we had a great dinner at Pam and Frank's and helped them and Eric pass out candy.  Carter was very interested in watching all the little kids walk up in their costumes.  He also LOVES their dog Chief and could be kept busy for a very long time playing with him. 

Carter is growing and changing so quickly.  He has mastered the art of standing up while holding onto furniture and is getting braver about walking down the length of the couch. He still thinks he is dying when he falls (which makes me VERY nervous about when he starts to walk).  He moves constantly, rotating from belly to sitting to a four-legged butt in the air yoga pose to kneeling to standing... With all this exercise he is napping much better these days!

Mr. Carter eats everything in sight.  He hasn't met a food he doesn't like.  There are some textures that will bother him after a few bites but even that is getting less frequent.  I am preparing for the days when he will bring his friends over after school and eat us out of house and home.

My favorite part about this age is that, even when he is so busy playing and moving, he will occasionally stop, look at me very seriously, grab both sides of my face (or my hair), and give me a nice, slobbery kiss.  It melts my heart every time!  To be honest, pretty much anything he does makes me realize how lucky I am.

My Big Boy

The past two weeks were some of the hardest of my life.  I had the opportunity to travel to China as part of an education initiative connecting schools from Indiana with schools in China.  I was able to sight-see the amazing ancient Chinese buildings, climb (and tobaggan down) the Great Wall, and be treated like a celebrity-but they paled in comparison to missing Travis and Carter.  I was able to Skype them but not as often as I would have liked because of the 12-hour time difference.

Needless to say, I was SPEEDING home to see my boys.  I could not believe how big Carter had gotten!  Travis did an incredible job taking care of him.  (You have such a great daddy, Carter!!!)  While I was away, Carter learned to pull himself up into standing position on toys and in the crib.  Today we will be lowering the mattress.....

There was no better feeling than opening the door and seeing them.  Carter stared at me for a few seconds then started a slow, creep across the face, then ear-to-ear smile.  Since I've been home, I can't get enough of him.  Although I've known it all along, two weeks away certainly makes a person realize how blessed they truly are.  I'm so glad to be home!!!

Friends

When I was in college,  I met Biz, one of my very best friends..  Although I was a Christian, it was Biz (although she may not know it) who inspired me to refocus my faith.  I am blessed to have such a great friend, and can only pray that Carter will be blessed with many friends like her when he's grown.

Now, Biz and her hubby have two girls-the cutie pie, Grace, in the picture and one on the way.  They were nice enough to invite Carter over for a visit.  It looks like they had a blast! 

Right when I saw this picture (I stole them from her), I fast-forwarded fifteen years to a time when Grace and Carter were being teased about their first slumber party.

Close, but not yet...

So, the other day, Carter and I were hanging out and I SWORE he said the M-word.  I ran to tell Travis, who then ran in.  He hasn't said it since.  I thought I could get him to do it on video but no such luck.  Here's Carter telling us about his day, without the M-word-

Almost on the Move

Our family has been ridiculously busy lately (the reason I haven't updated this in two weeks).  The days and nights are packed full with work, youth group, church, errands, and lots and lots of playing.

Carter has mastered the art of pushing himself backwards, but isn't fond of crawling.  I'm not too upset by this...this gives me more time to baby-proof the house.  He is so funny though, because when he does do something new, he looks so proud and gives this little smirk:

 Check out the outfit-it was Travis's in 1983.  Talk about retro!

 Carter praticing his skills:

Such a Big Boy

A few times a day, I stop and am amazed at how big Carter is getting.  This entire week was filled with those moments.  He's huge!  I got out the rubbermaid totes and decided to clean out his drawers and closet.  For two hours, I sat on the floor ooohhing and aaahhing over how little everything looked.  I found the outfit we put on him when we got home from the hospital (the one we brought there was WAY too big!).  I spread it out on my arm and could not believe that Carter was ever that tiny.

Month 8 is Going to be Great!

Last Saturday, Carter turned 8 months old.  Seriously.  Already?!  He is doing something new everyday and cracking us up all the time.  He thinks he is BIG stuff, because he gets to hang out with the big boys and play basketball like this:

And especially now that he can do this:

Mark my words.  This kid is going to walk before he crawls.  Probably before he even attempts to crawl.

Carter is eating anything and everything that we give him.  We are soon going to be trying different things with a few chunks.  So far, he has gagged everytime he gets something with substance in his mouth.  I thought he could practice with the Sweet Potato puffs that melt to get used to having something in there.  This week is sippy cup week at the Vonderau house.  They are different.  They are not his bottle.  They do not look familiar.  He does not like them.  We'll see about that!

That's about it.  Life as an eight month old couldn't be better!