Weeks 41 through 43 (catching up!)

So the months of May and June seriously came and went just like that.  It's crazy to think about how much has changed since then.  But guess what hasn't changed?  I still want to make it to 52 weeks of these updates.  And I couldn't dare stop at 40 weeks.  

That 52 week is coming up WAY too fast...so this mama is trying to catch up and get everything ready for the big celebration in just a few weeks.  All these weeks were filled with firsts too and it's been so fun to experience those with our little family!!!

9 months old - has come and gone (like a month ago)

Here you were at 9 months a few days old.  I wasn't behind on the pictures, but about a month behind on the posts because you will be TEN months old in just a few days.  Literally time does fly and this past month has been proof of just that.  I decided to do the pictures and outtakes first...commentary last this time.

This month's pictures - well, it was incredibly hard to get you to sit still let alone get a smile out of you.   You are ALL over the place crawling.  It's insane how fast it happened.  Most of the pictures are of you sitting there while your dad is trying to make you stay still or like the on the right side with your hand in your mouth.  That's because we were bribing you with puffs.  Well, lesson learned - bribe with puffs for pictures means hands in mouth.  Luckily we learned this before your real 9 month pictures, right?

Others were like this - close ups of you after me and my camera.  You're pretty cute either way.

Then the photo shoot moved into our bedroom.  You crawled your sweet little bottom across the hall and made a bee line for the dog stairs.  However, they are not the best toy or object (for you or the dogs) because they slide.  Someone suggested velcro and that's actually a brilliant idea!!

And then we ended the night snuggling in bed with dad watching some videos before it was bath time and then time to hit the sack.  Seriously kid, I love you so much it is crazy.

Big things that happened this month?  Well - you found your voice and learned to crawl.  It was pretty crazy.  I feel like you changed a ton this month!!!  You are somehow turning into a little person.  A pretty cute little person.

Here are your stats from your doctor's appointment that mom and dad took you to:

Weight: 20lbs and 7oz (50% percentile)
Length: 29.5 in (75% percentile- 3 inches in 3 months!)
Head Circumference: 18.5 (80% percentile) 

Here's the list of what you are doing now...

• You still have 6 teeth.  4 on top and 2 on bottom.  People are in shock when I tell them that.  Especially when they ask if you are still nursing...haha.
• You babble and babble and babble.  It's hilarious to listen to the conversations you have with yourself.  I'm convinced you and your classmates have some sort of baby language.
• It's funny because I thought the army crawl last month was scary - well you actually crawl. And you are fast and are into everything.  Your favorite things to crawl fast to?  Well that would be the dog water bowl and food bowl.  Guess what else?  You feel down the stairs about halfway through April. It was pretty frightening to everyone.  Luckily you were ok and that night we installed a baby gate.  No more of that.
• The way you interact with your toys is so fun to watch.  You seem to pick them up and examine them and most of the time put them in your mouth.  But it's fun to watch you stack things and unstack them, etc.

• You are now one of the "big kids" in your class and it's so crazy.  I never thought you would get close to being one.  But I guess that's inevitable, right?  It's just insane to see you literally play and interact with your friends.  Your favorite?  That would be Stella.  You guys fight like brother and sister and it cracks everyone up.  Apparently Stella's older sister even talks about you at night!!  All your teachers still love you too - which is just the sweetest.
• So at your 9 month appointment, I told your doctor just how many bottles you were taking at school.  And she said the fourth one needed to be cut out.  (yes, you were getting 4 bottles still).  But since you would get home from school and not really be hungry (i.e. you throw all the food on the floor for the dogs), she said this would help.  I was fine with it...having the discussion with Ms Tamala (your fav teacher) was a little hard.  She doesn't want you to be thirsty and likes giving you a fourth bottle.  Ms Shirley told her she's crazy.   It was a pretty interesting conversation.  But we're working on 3 bottles.
• Constipation isn't really an issue anymore because we put 1/4 cup of Miralax in your bottle everyday. Seems to keep you regular and helps move it through your little body.  Don't like constipated baby!!
• You still love food.  This month's favorites?  Peas and carrots and prunes and apples. Yum.
• You are still nursing in the morning and at night and on the weekends.  And you are still happy with it and so am I.  I just love our time together.  It's nice that you learned not to bite too.  9 months going strong - so proud of us little man!!!!
• Knock on wood- you were pretty healthy during this month!  Just a well-check up with NO shots, so that made it even more fun.
• Your sleep has gotten better and naps are more on schedule at least on the weekends.  It's weird because you are sleeping less at school but seem to get tired earlier and sleep lots during weekend naps.  That's a good habit because on the weekends I have time to nap or do other things.  
• Mostly everything is 9 or 12 months.  It's crazy how fast something because obsolete in your wardrobe.  You are getting so tall.
• You officially mastered pulling yourself up on your crib.  Just please don't figure out how to climb out.  Apparently I did that as a baby at 10 months.  I would really prefer to stay in the crib.  
• Size 3 diapers still!!

The month of April was so fun and so crazy all at the same time.  With lots of time together and some time apart (we had a wedding and some fun weekend events for adults only), mom stayed busy with grad school and tried to push through.  Seriously, it was a blessing that you started sleeping well because I'm not sure if we could have made it through this month if you were waking up.  

It was a fun month because now that we can all go out to eat together (and we can give you some of our food to eat), we have started being a little more social.  As long as our friends want to go to dinner at like 5.  But it's still fun.  The crawling thing is a little difficult because you want to be crawling and exploring all the time, but some places and times, that's just not possible!!!

Oh what a joy you are Charlie Carter!!! Love you little man!!

37, 38, 39

This is round 2 of the weekly post catch up. I literally haven't had a spare second to post these, so sorry for the redundancy, but I want to get them up on here for my blog book.  And I want to be able to look back.

You know what's crazy?  As I finished typing week 39 it dawned on me.  Tomorrow you will start your 40th week of life.  That is exactly how long you were growing inside me.  And honestly, it is a little bittersweet.  Obviously I'm just so thrilled at what a sweet little boy you are becoming and I'm loving all these changes and stages - but at the same time - as your mom that carried you around in my belly for 40 weeks (39 weeks and 6 days to be exact), it's crazy to me that you will have been living in this world just as long as you were growing inside me.  My little man.  Growing up and changing way too fast.  Everyone told me time would fly, but boy it is.  I want it to slow down because you are just so fun and changing so fast.  I love seeing your personality shine through.  Man - I just love you so much. 

These last 39 weeks??  Well - I have to say they are well more than I ever bargained for when Jimmy and I first decided we wanted to have a baby.  I feel like I am a whole new person.  I love in such a different way.  My perspective will forever be changed.  You changed my heart and helped me to see this new kind of love that I never bargained for.  Thank you sweet Charlie.  Thank you so much.

Weeks 34 - 36...I haven't stopped

So I haven't been slacking on these weekly "collage" things or the pictures.  I HAVE been slacking on getting them loaded to the blog.  So here is a catch up.  Three for now and then a few more later.  I take so many pictures of this kid still that it's hard to pick which one to put on these.

I always ask myself if I am actually going to look at these again?  Like will this be worth it to look back on later?  Every time I think about that and think about when he's like 15 years old and hating me - I know I will be thankful to have these to look back on and remember my sweet little boy during his first year.  Right??!

Weekend is here

Oh my goodness folks, Friday has finally arrived. What a week!!! I'm in the middle of transitioning jobs to a different department at work so I have literally been at my desk for like 2 hours this week and with meetings, training and pumping 3 times a day...I feel like I'm running around all day like a chicken with my head cut off. But in the end, thankful for a new job opportunity!!

Speaking of, my man got a promotion on Monday which we've also been celebrating this week. Promotion, anniversary, and his birthday all in 2 weeks- Jimmy has lots to be thankful for!!

And Charlie?? Well you saw the new moves in this last post. Moves that he likes to practice at 4am....every morning. We finally let him cry this morning and let him figure out how to go from sitting up to laying down and to sleep by himself. After a horrible hour of crying/whining, he was out until it was time to wake up. He just is so excited?!?

Lots to do this weekend. Here are some major to-dos:

1. Dye my hair. That means I have to find time to drive to the drug store, buy hair dye and the 30 minutes to apply it, let it sit and rinse. Easier said than done. However, my natural ombré is not cutting it.

2. Finish our taxes. Totally slacking on this one. We usually have these done well before April 15. Not this year. This is a have to do- its the law folks.

3. Garage sale!! That's right- the Carter's are having our first garage sale. We saw the sign that it's our neighborhood one Friday and Saturday, so we decided to just do Saturday. Our basement is filled to the brim with random stuff and it needs to go.

4. Go to church. We had been really good about going every weekend and somehow during Lent, we did a horrible job. There is an awesome new sermon series, so this is a priority!!

5. Celebrate friends. My good friend Carly is getting married in June and her wedding shower is this Sunday! So excited to see some friends and help her celebrate :-)

Sounds like a pretty good weekend to me!!! Hope you can enjoy yours too.

And I can't end this post without any pictures. Here are some pictures of Charlie from Thursday. His outfit kills me. Consignment mock turtle neck and overalls from baby Gap?? Pretty stinking cute even if he looks slightly like a train conductor. And that walker toy!? Don't even get me started. Growing up way too fast.

Man on a mission

Charlie's new trick = crawling

Charlie's new goal in life every day = get to the dog bowls and knock them over

It's a fun little game we play!!!

Cannot believe he's crawling.  He's getting faster and faster everyday.  Lord help us all.