4 weeks

I can't say it.  I won't say it.  Carter is four weeks, but I can't quite say he is one month old.  The time is FLYING!  Our friends Lindsay, Dustin, and Dayne came to visit this week.  It was fun to see what neat things Carter will be able to do in a few short months.

This week I am going to make a list of all the firsts or favorites thus far.  Here goes:

Carter is an eater!  He is already over 9 pounds and eats 5 oz. every 2 hours.  This kids is growing out at an incredible rate.  Everything is getting chubby...exept those skinny little legs:)

He sticks his tongue out on command.  Well, you have to show him first, but then he will stick it out.  Teaching him good manners right from the start!

We have started full-out bath time already.  He loves to sit in the warm water.  I gave him his first swimming lesson today.  I filled up the tub, got on my swimming suit, and sat in the tub with him.  Carter floated on his back, kicked his legs, sat on the bottom, and accidentally got his face wet.  That part he did not like and mommy kept telling him she was sorry.

Carter will hold his gaze on my face for minutes at a time.  I can tell that he isn't just looking and wondering, "Who in the world is this crazy lady?"  He looks up and tries to copy my facial expressions.  Although I haven't seen an on-purpose smile, he looks happy. I was a little worried at first about bonding with him.  All the books tell you to take these extreme measures to make sure that your adopted baby bonds with you.  They made me feel that if I didn't do everything just so, there would be no bond.  Travis told me the books needed to be burned.  I think he's right!

When Carter is fighting sleep (which he does quite often) he will do two of my favorite things.  First, he will close his eyes for a few seconds, then open just one eye to make sure I am still there.  Once he sees that I am, he closes it again.  He will do this repeatedly for a few minutes.  Secondly, he has this really strange sleeping habit of having his eyes partially open while he snoozes.  When they are like this, you can see his eyes rolling back. (Wierd)  It is during this time that he smiles.  HUGE SMILES!  Eyes crinkle on the sides with dimples in the cheeks smiles.  So precious.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, I haven't really taken a stance on this, Carter loves his mommy.  He is getting used to hanging out with me all day.  He is used to the way that I hold him and sing to him.  He is used to my scent and my voice.  The bad part is that when daddy gets home and wants to play with him, Carter eventually wants his mommy back.  I think the worst part is that I secretly love this.

My cup runneth over....