tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45773549539532388052024-02-19T02:21:33.785-06:00A day in the life of a monster babyCarter's blog was made to tell the story of a baby born 11 wks premature who grew to be the little monster baby he is today. We hope to inspire those going through the rollercoaster NICU ride and entertain you as you go on the adventure of a day in the life of a monster baby :)A day in the life of a monster babyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853018117870931214noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4577354953953238805.post-38250876450821912792011-07-08T11:25:00.000-05:002011-07-08T11:25:10.732-05:00The Vaseline IncidentToday the boys were playing quietly in Carter's room, maybe a little TOO quietly. All of a sudden I hear knocking at the door and Carter yelling "I can't get out I'm too sticky!!". I opened the door to find Max covered head to toe in Vaseline and Baby Oil and Carter was laughing and yelling "Look at his face!!". Carter, on the other hand, was only full of vaseline on his arms and hands...hmmm I wonder who did it?! Now Max has a Vaseline and Baby Oil Mohawk even after washing his hair repeatedly ...so now I will scour the internet and try and figure out...how the H do you get Vaseline out of someone's hair?! Ohhh boy!!<br />
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Note to self: It is NEVER a good idea to let 2 babies play alone with the door closed, one will end up like a greased up pig!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcQTfIPsK15sgxQDi9xcIO8hL-g4-zPelU9NTU-oWpVkWz46i424FDaTSQIdUCP58-wBS0Vg1-utYzSJuYV-Py3Nmfvngr9uNnqDWEU05pVTGN6Ua-Yhn2fkmceJ4Nhyphenhyphen9qjqHc4CMwk7wu/s1600/DSC01342.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcQTfIPsK15sgxQDi9xcIO8hL-g4-zPelU9NTU-oWpVkWz46i424FDaTSQIdUCP58-wBS0Vg1-utYzSJuYV-Py3Nmfvngr9uNnqDWEU05pVTGN6Ua-Yhn2fkmceJ4Nhyphenhyphen9qjqHc4CMwk7wu/s320/DSC01342.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB6elZBejDRU3-7CnrjAbnJQdtnxcN5wYBx5ADWpAjq3iqj_uK_fvSOa0cYaqX90AUk1ijNKDnZ_Pjf4Xtb3rfpkK42bwhcF2QYpXOZKMS6u-Sm3MjkUZTRq-zBJfemnAVToilAqhNt7rD/s1600/DSC01343.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB6elZBejDRU3-7CnrjAbnJQdtnxcN5wYBx5ADWpAjq3iqj_uK_fvSOa0cYaqX90AUk1ijNKDnZ_Pjf4Xtb3rfpkK42bwhcF2QYpXOZKMS6u-Sm3MjkUZTRq-zBJfemnAVToilAqhNt7rD/s320/DSC01343.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>and THIS is why I don't blog as much anymore....oy!A day in the life of a monster babyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853018117870931214noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4577354953953238805.post-39354815389634786232010-12-24T01:38:00.000-06:002010-12-24T01:38:53.134-06:00We wish you a Merry Christmas...<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://goo.gl/photos/QmcrsPepGv" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpcvxllJNiYc4kFdMZ04Et7uE_N0v5uMsnmRoIzCP70BE7W5HkkotC59Lssul042mRvt17Bb64-qxmaftEjCWv_wSbogdlmWNwIhCdJzbVJtWoD5No66l1yz8o9CI2MdWYZMXQindkgyBi/s320/December%202010%20065.jpg" width="320" /> </a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">ps....this whole keeping up with my blog thing is a lot harder with 2 babies than i thought....</div>A day in the life of a monster babyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853018117870931214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4577354953953238805.post-43160003678275848462010-09-14T20:59:00.002-05:002010-09-15T09:33:25.882-05:00Introducing...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcAVbXmLnbiOvCLAJISjn6BsVx0yc7NZqg0zeq8c9ajNigCSeOdRuScHcaJRbfZ-FTut0jxZ9lUF5CZDQ8X2RYBHpt6fswK-nnstQXWRMArqWi4YhBZt-khKALjcAth1IJ-0k46_uFxwNh/s320/max+newborn+and+fam+pics+2010+023.jpg" /></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Max Grayson </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Born August 14, 2010</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">at 8:18 pm </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">8 lbs 1 oz</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">19 inches</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">and absolutely perfect.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">what better reason do I need to be slacking on blog posts?? :)</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Birth story to follow </span></span>...</div>A day in the life of a monster babyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853018117870931214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4577354953953238805.post-76068590720959379092010-07-28T21:11:00.000-05:002010-07-28T21:11:03.853-05:00The Countdown....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZMmm7lTeFjzQOcBGveeXS5J5x1V08H-xVZA07j9kyU5l7qWAGZ4r7aIAXGN7csF4NjhdYhNtOz8v_WnxRMtNBVBEdRd2x-ZLmNTsgYdExXeVx79Tg7GF1pqiqPGz6rRXNrLBem_ZoeTP0/s1600/Maternity+and+fam+pics+2010+097.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZMmm7lTeFjzQOcBGveeXS5J5x1V08H-xVZA07j9kyU5l7qWAGZ4r7aIAXGN7csF4NjhdYhNtOz8v_WnxRMtNBVBEdRd2x-ZLmNTsgYdExXeVx79Tg7GF1pqiqPGz6rRXNrLBem_ZoeTP0/s320/Maternity+and+fam+pics+2010+097.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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</a></div>We're now in the home stretch...I've officially made it 7 weeks past the time I delivered Carter putting me at...a very LARGE...36 weeks. And I could not be happier. I am ridiculously flaky and can not even remember the simplest tasks so this blog has just been hanging out...getting ignored. If you are still hanging on with me, I can't wait to update you all as I near the end of this pregnancy and introduce you to my newest little monster. Carter, we think, is starting to get it finally and we're incredibly excited to watch our 2 little boys grow up together! There has been a ton of stuff going on since I last posted...not to mention...the monster baby is now 2! <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfKYVZE9mSrZoxVX_YeE4HOcutx3miG0k-mmDy9B4GWXp4t8rVJlv03qLzmoUKpfhGwkwRTfkolAPZAeeTXGmlpg0PxIyJCaPsy4IyNpQidHQRARFjaFwVg52IypvwQ7OutvockbE5sCTo/s1600/Maternity+and+fam+pics+2010+139.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfKYVZE9mSrZoxVX_YeE4HOcutx3miG0k-mmDy9B4GWXp4t8rVJlv03qLzmoUKpfhGwkwRTfkolAPZAeeTXGmlpg0PxIyJCaPsy4IyNpQidHQRARFjaFwVg52IypvwQ7OutvockbE5sCTo/s320/Maternity+and+fam+pics+2010+139.jpg" /></a></div>We can't believe it!! He is such a big boy, getting smarter...and sassier with every single day!! I will be doing a whole birthday post with plenty of updates and fun Carter stories ASAP. He has grown into such a funny little guy, I couldn't be prouder! That's all for now, hopefully my next update will be sooner than later...and my grammar will be just a little better :)<br />
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BTW- Those 2 photos are from a session we just did with photographer Julie Melka. She is amazingly talented and sweet and we could not have asked for better photos. I'll be sharing more from our session in future posts. She will be shooting the new little man when we welcome him to the world as well. Her newborn photography is phenomenal! To view her work please visit <a href="http://www.juliemelkaphotography.com/">www.juliemelkaphotography.com</a>A day in the life of a monster babyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853018117870931214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4577354953953238805.post-39043832851496653822010-04-19T11:39:00.000-05:002010-04-19T11:39:21.829-05:00Hiatus!I think I've posted every now and then about my blogging hiatus and how I will start to keep up with it more often, and then pregnancy brain kicks in and it is MONTHS before I start up again! This time I mean business!! I'm officially ending my hiatus today, I have tons of new monster man stories and new info on our newest little monster!....Wow that is the most I've ever used the word new in one sentence, oops!...Anyway, stick with me I'm getting out of this slump NOW. Stay tuned........ :)A day in the life of a monster babyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853018117870931214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4577354953953238805.post-65948269741925202532010-01-29T23:49:00.000-06:002010-01-29T23:49:32.744-06:00A day in the life of a monster baby...and sidekick...So it's official...the little monster is going to be a big brother!! We'll have a second little monster at the end of the summer following in his/her older brother's footsteps...and we couldn't be happier! The weirdest thing is that this baby is actually due a day before Carter was due, so we're crossing out fingers that we make it to August this time! It's a very surreal feeling to be doing this over again, I feel optimistic though! So, here's hoping for a happy, healthy...FULL TERM...pregnancy and baby! Yay!A day in the life of a monster babyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853018117870931214noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4577354953953238805.post-44059121731223419292010-01-23T12:55:00.000-06:002010-01-23T12:55:03.500-06:00March for BabiesI'm very excited to be a part of March for Babies this year. Please help me reach my goal by making a donation to my walk. It's easy and secure - just click through to make your donation. Or you can click on the link through my personal page and join the walk with me.<br />
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Your gift will fund March of Dimes research and programs that help moms have full-term pregnancies and babies begin healthy lives. And it will be used to bring comfort and information to families with a baby in newborn intensive care.<br />
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Please support this important work. You can make a donation with your credit card, or if you prefer, cash or a check is fine, too. Any little bit helps.<br />
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Thank you for helping me give all babies a healthy start!<br />
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To make a donation, visit my personal Web page at<br />
<span> www.marchforbabies.org/ame</span><br />
<div><wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span>liaaline<br />
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If you would like to learn more about March for Babies,<br />
visit the Web site at marchforbabies.org.<br />
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Would you like to see what March for Babies is and why I'm walking?<br />
Click <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5P_dFD0J47I" onmousedown="UntrustedLink.bootstrap($(this), "56d51f3f730e28f498f1a3c1a7aa24f6", event)" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span>http://www.youtube.com/wat</span><wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span>ch?v=5P_dFD0J47I</a> to see the video</div>A day in the life of a monster babyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853018117870931214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4577354953953238805.post-30867203443458003562010-01-07T23:08:00.001-06:002010-01-07T23:25:46.493-06:00Funny Faces<object height="340" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/It-Xvs3A7t4&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/It-Xvs3A7t4&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>A day in the life of a monster babyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853018117870931214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4577354953953238805.post-56463490393324342552009-12-21T09:14:00.000-06:002009-12-21T09:14:14.372-06:00Merry Christmas. Happy Holidays.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIarlFA79soLLLLkbEipbEbn_lRP1iaEkMgiOAGKK3KBE1QNgVAbJWSqmnU-mjyCJqDbo8brhEB8GtEckJrzuAfWTDf79DcPGSjckFgRJej4P7ArzGKKOjgd_ABU-DjY5mWnMBMhovRzJv/s1600-h/carter+dec+09+021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Here's to packing on the extra pounds this Holiday Season!</span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Wishing all of you a very wonderful Holiday Season! </span><br />
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</div>A day in the life of a monster babyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853018117870931214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4577354953953238805.post-73610998315828198112009-12-14T01:35:00.000-06:002009-12-14T02:03:48.468-06:00Long time...no...blog?Wow, has it really been almost a month since I've last posted? I really need to get on this!! I see I now have a couple new followers, which is awesome...thanks for bearing (baring?...its 2 am and i've lost my brain) with me through my long rants and absence of posts! I never thought I'd be one of those people that gets carried away with holiday things and forgets just about everything else...but here's proof! Man, it's been a busy month and I am super excited for Christmas, I'm hoping the little monster actually gets it this year! So lets recap the past month, well sort of...you know how I can go on and on...and lets face it...I'm not all THAT interesting am I? :)<br /><br />As you've probably discovered..by now..I love to play dress up with Carter. Not the girly tutus and bows dress up but the "oh look i've bought you new outfits lets try every one of them on now" dress up. So when I bought him a new Christmas outfit this year it was only fitting that we, again, played a little bit of dress up! And of course I played paparazzi and took about 5 thousands pictures of the same thing, but hey..with a monster as cute as mine how could you not? ;) ANYWAY I'm getting off subject...as usual! In doing this I realized just last year during one of my dress up fits, I took a picture of him in the same exact place and was just amazed at how big he has gotten...and handsome! I think I've started a new tradition!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1L-rEZT7lEjfdJ-NC3exfiRM5ZvO2EMmmTDZHl43A7dKEoTVqhYseyqoVedfpzS26wIIhTgd-7yTJrNjO3ZCqM81bZYbiWf2GzyLGTvi2dSODh0eOLSW0zgvy4vDs4wSOuFRwcJR4RRa2/s1600-h/carterlastyr.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1L-rEZT7lEjfdJ-NC3exfiRM5ZvO2EMmmTDZHl43A7dKEoTVqhYseyqoVedfpzS26wIIhTgd-7yTJrNjO3ZCqM81bZYbiWf2GzyLGTvi2dSODh0eOLSW0zgvy4vDs4wSOuFRwcJR4RRa2/s320/carterlastyr.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414995270413709170" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiughwRIKEXJhrX4-yAyzfLuQNxd0k-FWYscxkys44A-OJZwoTxpi93EJaIJj0Hz6Prwe9TTdrfVVy7Z5QUhB7AKXzEAPxxTZo4PijI2VV_uHGge-ZtD_UNMZeojybxpH-RB7htf6F1g65/s1600-h/carterthisyr.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiughwRIKEXJhrX4-yAyzfLuQNxd0k-FWYscxkys44A-OJZwoTxpi93EJaIJj0Hz6Prwe9TTdrfVVy7Z5QUhB7AKXzEAPxxTZo4PijI2VV_uHGge-ZtD_UNMZeojybxpH-RB7htf6F1g65/s320/carterthisyr.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414995277618595010" border="0" /></a><br />This wasn't my first choice, but it brings out the color in his eyes...and my husband picked it, and well, he's gotta have some say right? And as I'm talking about his eyes I realized I didn't do red-eye removal...again 2 am...no brain.<br /><br />OK so on to other things, not too many big things have been happening this month, but lots and lots of small things. I found a super cute fisher price piano for Carter for very cheap on craigslist and took, what should have been 20 minutes, an hour long trek north to go pick it up. Thank you mapquest for steering me DIRECTLY into traffic. Upon arriving at the house I was greeted by one of the scariest dogs you will ever meet and the owner tried convincing me over and over to come in...the dog isn't mean...I took my chances, the dog wasn't mean, in fact it was small...and mangy...and really not scary at all...I'm a wimp. I got my piano, but not before the man took the batteries out and sent me on my way, and quickly got into the car and made my short drive back home....can't fool me twice mapquest!! I'm almost done shopping for Carter, and completely done driving out to strange men's houses...that sounded bad.<br /><br />In other news...Carter has learned how to say both "stinky" and "crazy" and made a point to point at me at the drugstore and say "crazy!!" about ten times over, and I had little evidence to support myself considering I was rocking the bedhead look in ripped pajama pants UGGS and a big brown puffy coat...did I mention I was frantically digging through my purse for my wallet? I was a sight, my quick run for diapers and the aforementioned lack of brain caused me to run out of the house in pjs and messy hair without a second thought! So with that I will say...Carter is a genius...and very aware...I am, in fact, a little crazy...but aren't we all?<br /><br />Lets see...mom news...the things "non parents" hate to hear about...<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">am I typing too many dots? WOW </span><br /><br />anyway Carter has been replaced with an actual monster this past week and I discovered the culprit...eye teeth!! So it's back to the hyland's teething tablets before bed, and the stiff drink for me ;)<br /><br />And finally, yesterday we went to a tree farm and cut down our very own...ahem..my parent's very own Christmas tree!! It was cold and not snowy, and looking for the perfect tree for Leela was quite the process...but fun nonetheless<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-jvwq-24ki6zxSMPw3rB65FV3UKJSybV_WxwcKIa2TG7IucNrhyVhv7HzkrNvfd0neiGeuIp3NR1ljWLkhfBogH1Ve5KX48t5O3ydZvF-QZ59WNx0qcOM_YtZKflhRd0b2hWhDi8xoMwe/s1600-h/carter+dec+12+09+004.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-jvwq-24ki6zxSMPw3rB65FV3UKJSybV_WxwcKIa2TG7IucNrhyVhv7HzkrNvfd0neiGeuIp3NR1ljWLkhfBogH1Ve5KX48t5O3ydZvF-QZ59WNx0qcOM_YtZKflhRd0b2hWhDi8xoMwe/s320/carter+dec+12+09+004.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414999268061995922" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">(maybe thats a little bit of the crazy hair I was talking about)<br /><br /></span></div>...and there is my next tradition! Maybe next year the husband will let us cut a tree instead of an artificial one...which by the way has been missing!! And that...is a whole other post!!A day in the life of a monster babyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853018117870931214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4577354953953238805.post-86086753696910053862009-11-17T20:51:00.000-06:002009-11-17T21:02:43.357-06:00Strike A Pose!A couple weeks ago my wonderful mother (aka Leela) took some amazing photos of the little monster roaming around in a nearby forest preserve. She has such an AMAZING eye for photography and I couldn't be more thrilled with the photos! I put up a little preview on the last post...but here's a couple more of my favorites!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOvErx-hQbZbzoYt4jcBYnX4c5bcNj61VNMdYdmLvNFhGwuV_ZEERaTDLBIxl2NB3HhAzqVHuYYyQW8ZcWDz4DnpG5nsIOrvQNc4Urad8DP0Ozlb19TruDtNpmWlochMMQ35arE4CQsgHe/s1600/Carter+Fav+6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOvErx-hQbZbzoYt4jcBYnX4c5bcNj61VNMdYdmLvNFhGwuV_ZEERaTDLBIxl2NB3HhAzqVHuYYyQW8ZcWDz4DnpG5nsIOrvQNc4Urad8DP0Ozlb19TruDtNpmWlochMMQ35arE4CQsgHe/s320/Carter+Fav+6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405271814641262594" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNq2CdB26ylk3N4bW0mxgENE_v0hsU6HenLrUcQnP5nL8Yg3esjL74atmV80Im6jcpk4O3ox2XkidWECS-yeDTqnWFSsGoTdwRy8nbdNIwZ0FKJrai6IzUhZ_-58EeYysPIEV-he0hJC-J/s1600/Carter+Fav+4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNq2CdB26ylk3N4bW0mxgENE_v0hsU6HenLrUcQnP5nL8Yg3esjL74atmV80Im6jcpk4O3ox2XkidWECS-yeDTqnWFSsGoTdwRy8nbdNIwZ0FKJrai6IzUhZ_-58EeYysPIEV-he0hJC-J/s320/Carter+Fav+4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405271809363104162" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixsBgDM5iVRF48ZNXwRL1DSt8lz-MwNUVraq0d_vD3XyHg54sSrEB1n-Zlksi-9XonBBEwWG-_kXxqtAgF33bkxLdaAL_dofcU7ke9PakKFkNcMfCez3jYMzjYrQ2720rA1ljugu796Pgi/s1600/Carter+Fav+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixsBgDM5iVRF48ZNXwRL1DSt8lz-MwNUVraq0d_vD3XyHg54sSrEB1n-Zlksi-9XonBBEwWG-_kXxqtAgF33bkxLdaAL_dofcU7ke9PakKFkNcMfCez3jYMzjYrQ2720rA1ljugu796Pgi/s320/Carter+Fav+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405271799181285474" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWw-dq9DLev6t9PB0U33ZMjWbL0EsvvwWqMTFYACbKvrb3JX_nxD7oXFTi4Qx_qb7e105_IghRC2-GB8Sa62wbNxhrTG-M23W8wqJnSnTdIKsXoeevfmf2Ja7d0G3ATkDeIgGZliYKfZ4t/s1600/Carter+Fav+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWw-dq9DLev6t9PB0U33ZMjWbL0EsvvwWqMTFYACbKvrb3JX_nxD7oXFTi4Qx_qb7e105_IghRC2-GB8Sa62wbNxhrTG-M23W8wqJnSnTdIKsXoeevfmf2Ja7d0G3ATkDeIgGZliYKfZ4t/s320/Carter+Fav+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405271797667775698" border="0" /></a>\<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtnMJg7O6EYhBrqswsPkPtRPrtbOBtnCAg5BUcOOK6_jCCS68CthYl__2pDtS3ns04dxdohj3yqe2E33er1mc_au3Vgs1JPpkZeVi79Ngb_kiYHf9epMeiwslNFYmovZ3IGRLwy3fm4uXZ/s1600/Carter+Fav+10.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtnMJg7O6EYhBrqswsPkPtRPrtbOBtnCAg5BUcOOK6_jCCS68CthYl__2pDtS3ns04dxdohj3yqe2E33er1mc_au3Vgs1JPpkZeVi79Ngb_kiYHf9epMeiwslNFYmovZ3IGRLwy3fm4uXZ/s320/Carter+Fav+10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405271819837157330" border="0" /></a><br /><br />To my surprise, capturing these photos was actually an easy task. Carter just loves to ham it up for the camera...and we just love to take lots and lots of photos! I entered Carter into a Model Search contest as well!! If it were up to me...he'd win, but of course...I'm a little biased ;) Anyway, Carter had a blast playing in the leaves and at the local playground...he must have gone down the slide about 20 times before we finally called it quits! And, we called it quits just in time because about 5 minutes after dropping off Leela, it started pouring down rain! Whew...good thing we went when we did!! Enjoy the pics! I have some very cute videos to post very soon!!A day in the life of a monster babyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853018117870931214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4577354953953238805.post-57426615050876384872009-10-31T20:35:00.000-05:002009-10-31T20:37:17.144-05:00Keep on truckin'<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQfpBDHTTVCjKEI1IH_65whVyr345PYNDyKJzwF-zMx6MNRh8hQB-wrcALexJiaNiWwfWhW2sMp0RkC_jAmY05DiSpAer86TC81WOWTe5H4tMD_v9suVXMsY8SSXMEZQZ1x7GcnJ1H30c8/s1600-h/Carter+Fav+9.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQfpBDHTTVCjKEI1IH_65whVyr345PYNDyKJzwF-zMx6MNRh8hQB-wrcALexJiaNiWwfWhW2sMp0RkC_jAmY05DiSpAer86TC81WOWTe5H4tMD_v9suVXMsY8SSXMEZQZ1x7GcnJ1H30c8/s320/Carter+Fav+9.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398943148970026306" border="0" /></a>A day in the life of a monster babyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853018117870931214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4577354953953238805.post-6518023777129537582009-10-14T22:41:00.000-05:002009-10-14T23:58:35.390-05:00On the road again...and again...and again...Carter has been quite the travelin' man lately, or should I say has been dragged along and forced to sit in the car for hours on end to endure long weekends away from home with his mommy...ohh its not <span style="font-style: italic;">that</span> bad! This really has been the most jam-packed few weeks we've had in a while and being able to relax the past few days has been HEAVENLY...for me at least!<br /><br />Two weekends ago Carter took the 2 hour long trip just south of us to go visit his Aunt Megan. When I say 2 hours, what I really mean is 2 hours just to get moving and 2 hours there. As luck may have it, my car ((ahem...the husband's old work van)) was really in the mood to mess with me that day...not only did it run out of gas not 5 ft from a gas station but it REFUSED to go over 35 mph on the highway when driving over bumps...seriously...what highway does not have bumps?! So there I was, speeding along at an astonishing 35 mph, in a little mini van, equipped with an unusually large ladder rack, for a good hour or so until I finally had the common sense to take a "less rocky" path. Needless to say we pretty much flew the rest of the way there! This was my first trip alone with Carter and I was apprehensive to take such a long car ride with him but he was wonderful the whole way...cheerfully yelling "Dada Car!!!" at every semi...should I be more concerned that he thinks his dad is a truck driver? or that he thinks the truck driver is his dad? ....that's a whole other post ;)<br /><br />Our bad luck pretty much set the tone for our visit with Aunt Megan, and all the plans we had made for our visit quickly came to a halt when the roaring winds and unusually cold weather set in....but that didn't stop Carter from having fun...<br /><br />he traveled deep into the frozen depths of the refrigerator...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvdA8_e1hKGrdlCYxfS9hjQ-zmF0sBqc_lvfbILrr_gItozJhUaRjFyWZFPjubuss7T4m8OK0jUWXhLLulI1SiDdf4c4j6gkX9o8lI-8wP2N4owlwU4U_8S36GkfZA6CNvb9ryGA0iFD-Q/s1600-h/october+2+through+4+003.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvdA8_e1hKGrdlCYxfS9hjQ-zmF0sBqc_lvfbILrr_gItozJhUaRjFyWZFPjubuss7T4m8OK0jUWXhLLulI1SiDdf4c4j6gkX9o8lI-8wP2N4owlwU4U_8S36GkfZA6CNvb9ryGA0iFD-Q/s200/october+2+through+4+003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392671070819540002" border="0" /></a>....he scavenged the cupboards for food...ya know because I starve him...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhINwCjaHfuzCOzYFPt3llDeStors6aRcGV1WQP-E9GO5z0KoOAPpQx_1lg9ua4Nkg16tEdvIVyZ1QjrXCrWMtxW6mS8M-GOD4-851yaKf_065NgKbbhbNEqBmb51TDKkvscJ00N6qozHJg/s1600-h/october+2+through+4+006.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhINwCjaHfuzCOzYFPt3llDeStors6aRcGV1WQP-E9GO5z0KoOAPpQx_1lg9ua4Nkg16tEdvIVyZ1QjrXCrWMtxW6mS8M-GOD4-851yaKf_065NgKbbhbNEqBmb51TDKkvscJ00N6qozHJg/s200/october+2+through+4+006.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392670535127994898" border="0" /></a><br />...and he even taught me a little bit about parenting...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBC6RUT9SfSPnUW_kiPGCayqjLmdqu2x_X9aJ2eUik3l4oREbqrSXtfg2FVEdh-q6k2mPnwisUx8NHMDITk-f9JdMK6LTNcBytgewmfocZJysGbXoO7RULX5ICYPHwLvirfCBCv6-0-tCS/s1600-h/october+2+through+4+007.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBC6RUT9SfSPnUW_kiPGCayqjLmdqu2x_X9aJ2eUik3l4oREbqrSXtfg2FVEdh-q6k2mPnwisUx8NHMDITk-f9JdMK6LTNcBytgewmfocZJysGbXoO7RULX5ICYPHwLvirfCBCv6-0-tCS/s200/october+2+through+4+007.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392670542193138146" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">All in all it was a much needed, low key visit...and we ALWAYS have fun with Aunt Megan...Oh and he even got to meet Elmo when we got back...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5LUdZ2XT6uOixCCY8L_2iDtNlmpD7NakgiA5fvuMqRWeNqRSoHGQsQBK0h1e92EwbpVcWV4cOlustSvjyw-j8VjnPEYVMnhl8TfPktumHHMA74R7A0lpVqAgQ7JDQYbOaOVgbflgzMIqV/s1600-h/october+4+002.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5LUdZ2XT6uOixCCY8L_2iDtNlmpD7NakgiA5fvuMqRWeNqRSoHGQsQBK0h1e92EwbpVcWV4cOlustSvjyw-j8VjnPEYVMnhl8TfPktumHHMA74R7A0lpVqAgQ7JDQYbOaOVgbflgzMIqV/s200/october+4+002.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392672159288382722" border="0" /></a>(we may have been more excited than him...)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">But I'm not done there and if you're <span style="font-style: italic;">still</span> reading this you either have less of a life than I do or I really <span style="font-style: italic;">am</span> that interesting...let's go with the latter... :)<br /><br />So...this past weekend we all piled in the car...at 9 at night...and drove for 5 hours to a little cabin nestled in the woods for a nice little family vacation. Oh, but nothing is <span style="font-style: italic;">that</span> easy for us...our 5 hour trip quickly turned into and 8 hour extravaganza as my sleepy husband downed can after can of monster energy drinks only to stop every hour to pee, and ya know stretch his legs, smoke a cigarette (ugh), and "re-energize"...why didn't we leave earlier you ask? Yeah...I found myself asking that question the whole way there. The real reason we left so late was because we wanted Carter to sleep the whole ride up, unfortunately Joe got off later than expected and Carter thought it was time to party...so he danced and clapped and "talked" our ears off the whole way there! We arrived at 5 am...got settled and Carter to sleep by 6 am...and were awake by 8 am. Ahhh now thats relaxation!<br /><br />By the time we got moving it was at a really awkward time between breakfast and lunch...so we drove and found an Applebee's...yeah real original of us...and had lunch...right as they opened. It was actually pretty cool, it was set over the water and specialized in a lot of fresh seafood, Carter enjoyed the view...<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHg7VskVqnaqFHLVq4Do2o-AtY8lLhoNqOv7JU3o_5Xqgl27PmZWvDicfC_cVBn8ie84W-TsV6fq7i9npjo-xHlcCRtzkFkynoqzHH2mD0w0LUhp4LebZxQ_zBeKFVAhlWg4mAe6w7aTwx/s1600-h/Door+County+oct+9+09+003.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHg7VskVqnaqFHLVq4Do2o-AtY8lLhoNqOv7JU3o_5Xqgl27PmZWvDicfC_cVBn8ie84W-TsV6fq7i9npjo-xHlcCRtzkFkynoqzHH2mD0w0LUhp4LebZxQ_zBeKFVAhlWg4mAe6w7aTwx/s200/Door+County+oct+9+09+003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392676518874760850" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">After lunch we walked down by the water, although it was extremely cold and windy, and watched the boats...<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTrMTxFQKckphgKa-wIL_4hTETRvAxfeipwOkjtfdqgb6pNPprpBuWs4d6axTuJ88cZ5QyXQZpL_8GoRmrn6rYBkVANwlas0N4WYaqvJMOC39oQOGBhN9eyRx8amos-ckMLC0GZOt8DfX1/s1600-h/Door+County+oct+9+09+008.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTrMTxFQKckphgKa-wIL_4hTETRvAxfeipwOkjtfdqgb6pNPprpBuWs4d6axTuJ88cZ5QyXQZpL_8GoRmrn6rYBkVANwlas0N4WYaqvJMOC39oQOGBhN9eyRx8amos-ckMLC0GZOt8DfX1/s200/Door+County+oct+9+09+008.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392676531697783906" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">And then we took a trip to "The Farm"...which actually ended up literally being a farm and not just a clever name for a petting zoo...imagine that! Among many of the cute animals..these two were my favorite...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3PJcv7df_cy_wU26NpgCuNAXSSelM9YAYWvPI5b3_Zy6jBh3JJcL9LSEa1E2vrV8AUTfDQRSXzHGuC9M2G-F_lhKKt-unjjdsxhFAz0DXrhdM_vk2w7vkYCNjps0NJ0AdL8jr3IfhX70T/s1600-h/Door+County+oct+9+09+038.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3PJcv7df_cy_wU26NpgCuNAXSSelM9YAYWvPI5b3_Zy6jBh3JJcL9LSEa1E2vrV8AUTfDQRSXzHGuC9M2G-F_lhKKt-unjjdsxhFAz0DXrhdM_vk2w7vkYCNjps0NJ0AdL8jr3IfhX70T/s200/Door+County+oct+9+09+038.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392676548094412914" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4uMf6T1a4Cnn9wwww5FzGuXNcbxpLjGFAfpDK8lRvnF2bpfnqUvDVRIXhkMue-X8lmkqkdpVX3_5Ozx3ERWXWZ7rw0DhtmrkZM2TB2fsgD9SXDgR0pIISCMgKvp02GbMp5QrLwB8sM9ae/s1600-h/Door+County+oct+9+09+056.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4uMf6T1a4Cnn9wwww5FzGuXNcbxpLjGFAfpDK8lRvnF2bpfnqUvDVRIXhkMue-X8lmkqkdpVX3_5Ozx3ERWXWZ7rw0DhtmrkZM2TB2fsgD9SXDgR0pIISCMgKvp02GbMp5QrLwB8sM9ae/s200/Door+County+oct+9+09+056.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392676553867316434" border="0" /></a><br />and this was Carter's favorite part...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii-ylP7CV0biDElkeuLMonYz50W6DpLAsSRcPC7mhZpyG9WxiKmLdkHdvTpxwdGuaNZ3Fv7fQrhsm2LdVZSSCel873pXgvufKL93fvNSkWlGvt9YRPYrzo4G0uQ69keUZdWx-XprVhZMe1/s1600-h/Door+County+oct+9+09+016.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii-ylP7CV0biDElkeuLMonYz50W6DpLAsSRcPC7mhZpyG9WxiKmLdkHdvTpxwdGuaNZ3Fv7fQrhsm2LdVZSSCel873pXgvufKL93fvNSkWlGvt9YRPYrzo4G0uQ69keUZdWx-XprVhZMe1/s200/Door+County+oct+9+09+016.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392676540682992162" border="0" /></a>and he now has an unhealthy obsession with pumpkins..(as you will notice in the photos later...)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglVxN7K6UFG75_kzP6s2756y_r5ysP3gx_DqceuW9f3eu7aicO4GwOeUAZa5yC3vebgrAH5cedCZlnbGrkVXCNC2PI5jk-BFcbqd3S6tWokXa4geqdilaZ-9xi2A8hItIy2JGwKuGh4om4/s1600-h/Door+County+oct+9+09+092.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglVxN7K6UFG75_kzP6s2756y_r5ysP3gx_DqceuW9f3eu7aicO4GwOeUAZa5yC3vebgrAH5cedCZlnbGrkVXCNC2PI5jk-BFcbqd3S6tWokXa4geqdilaZ-9xi2A8hItIy2JGwKuGh4om4/s200/Door+County+oct+9+09+092.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392678353500981266" border="0" /></a><br />After being terrible parents and prying him away...kicking and screaming...from the pumpkins, Daddy and Carter took a little stroll<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg-avB-xxcuBvfAWjMzl2jhChdJvr8P6L_eksbhN1A3YkdHf0Sok4W5OIzl7zI7GrKWMf4_VowSpVXh1tbhYC1AYyJ0qJzMaOnjpnQrZvzeGzui7aG681fVbp6I_k0tIGUkFMH_mWJxgmo/s1600-h/Door+County+oct+9+09+080.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg-avB-xxcuBvfAWjMzl2jhChdJvr8P6L_eksbhN1A3YkdHf0Sok4W5OIzl7zI7GrKWMf4_VowSpVXh1tbhYC1AYyJ0qJzMaOnjpnQrZvzeGzui7aG681fVbp6I_k0tIGUkFMH_mWJxgmo/s200/Door+County+oct+9+09+080.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392678369007449826" border="0" /></a><br />Doesn't get much cuter than this!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The Farm was way too much fun and we were all beat...but we couldn't pass up a playground! So we stopped for dinner right near a playground and set Carter loose!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIkU59LCHo1trLEdEX2Tu6kDC_IrMQb6LH-K89kS8YLCIHP9aL6w_1M3robsQaOh-VZpDDQaO-1wf5eSCpPxJh958049PdmAKlYZOjYgMFlq7UMAJj5XeUfhbLPpAbbVyHNaK40XIs-USt/s1600-h/Door+County+oct+9+09+134.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIkU59LCHo1trLEdEX2Tu6kDC_IrMQb6LH-K89kS8YLCIHP9aL6w_1M3robsQaOh-VZpDDQaO-1wf5eSCpPxJh958049PdmAKlYZOjYgMFlq7UMAJj5XeUfhbLPpAbbVyHNaK40XIs-USt/s200/Door+County+oct+9+09+134.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392680563459066562" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">You'd think it was winter! But it is, in fact, the middle of October...and freezing!! Isn't he just too cute? Reminiscent of A Christmas Story...all stuffed into his winter gear!! And the next day...it actually snowed!! So our...I mean <span style="font-style: italic;">my</span>...plans for a cute little fall outfit for Carter went out the window, but how could I resist playing dress up??<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRGvzNE7n7BAIYRXJu1cz_4euo7mt9_0FplqUfl2aMlKNGG3oRI3EEPtKLWthv05JV3PgvncMiZ_qh0dmdUyQCT7fUfwRRx-cZf5fwiPi2BNGr3cMZAP4HL8_HanYV7o9yY2CVSD060xsu/s1600-h/Door+County+oct+10+09+003.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRGvzNE7n7BAIYRXJu1cz_4euo7mt9_0FplqUfl2aMlKNGG3oRI3EEPtKLWthv05JV3PgvncMiZ_qh0dmdUyQCT7fUfwRRx-cZf5fwiPi2BNGr3cMZAP4HL8_HanYV7o9yY2CVSD060xsu/s200/Door+County+oct+10+09+003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392678390533334914" border="0" /></a>Ah! I could just eat him up!!!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Moving on... We went to breakfast at a place called "The Rusty Tractor" and got to eat farm fresh eggs! Carter, on the other hand, only wanted jelly...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUkV9AFu_zFnymofFIX-owZctlifubUioLFHQr80Z7iSsx3S23asRHWTpEsjU30WWJJjpBVWUBUV22u8yotkzpR2nlJ3lt5E34bYzf808oypNQPskrWVdwtPrm3654yokM8cMCoL9u9P2H/s1600-h/Door+County+oct+10+09+013.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUkV9AFu_zFnymofFIX-owZctlifubUioLFHQr80Z7iSsx3S23asRHWTpEsjU30WWJJjpBVWUBUV22u8yotkzpR2nlJ3lt5E34bYzf808oypNQPskrWVdwtPrm3654yokM8cMCoL9u9P2H/s200/Door+County+oct+10+09+013.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392678398376202498" border="0" /></a><br />Drawing attention from everyone around, Carter promptly began putting on a show...and his innocent act..<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM2lbtSaLZHBaj9gamMgPOalswj325beK0muvnzpdtzX-Ru4YTaSN_zLmu7XPlpTHNzDY6ybTazumwEqZHo-4C4bGYi8B9nvAGO-wWJVspAU0JLZOHMy6vUKT1a4b_6eh6e7RQu0mn_snH/s1600-h/Door+County+oct+10+09+016.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM2lbtSaLZHBaj9gamMgPOalswj325beK0muvnzpdtzX-Ru4YTaSN_zLmu7XPlpTHNzDY6ybTazumwEqZHo-4C4bGYi8B9nvAGO-wWJVspAU0JLZOHMy6vUKT1a4b_6eh6e7RQu0mn_snH/s200/Door+County+oct+10+09+016.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392682643432634786" border="0" /></a><br />..later we discovered he was storing pancakes in his pockets. After breakfast, we decided to brave the cold and forge on with our plans. With a bundled up Carter in tow we walked the streets of the cute little downtown area for Pumpkin Patch fest...yet, I must add, there was not one pumpkin patch there! The cold weather didn't seem to have an effect on Carter, he was still happy and smiley...stopping only for a moment to figure out how to accomplish the task of drinking his "ba ba" with mittens on<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnP0NsxsS8oIpKEmFJ_16iKwHPzI0-N8lDpPlMrAJh_ZV05X0-1wF4Ma-NoigN3VqRuzKZe-PUii0luBnOdfrOWs2WSbSXSuMXbXD12gzGiw4gAVx4ZzUm6NI2mxrg_Uk_492RcLxd6t1D/s1600-h/Door+County+oct+10+09+023.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnP0NsxsS8oIpKEmFJ_16iKwHPzI0-N8lDpPlMrAJh_ZV05X0-1wF4Ma-NoigN3VqRuzKZe-PUii0luBnOdfrOWs2WSbSXSuMXbXD12gzGiw4gAVx4ZzUm6NI2mxrg_Uk_492RcLxd6t1D/s200/Door+County+oct+10+09+023.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392682665182507378" border="0" /></a><br />We then went to a Cherry Orchard where Carter discovered LOTS of pumpkins...((but no cherries))...and went a little nuts...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD2JgCJ9GBEWGFNI7C1dH-5IXyrwBCVzWq8ugOa2GzjR5bsj9qcEMFyqpz04glc2lAtgoPpY0aiRuNQf-yp7SDXzyjCgl4ATtX8piWvnVS-EUWkEU-y8AxBNL4a7LXuJj_FvfAqwRE8iLC/s1600-h/Door+County+oct+10+09+037.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD2JgCJ9GBEWGFNI7C1dH-5IXyrwBCVzWq8ugOa2GzjR5bsj9qcEMFyqpz04glc2lAtgoPpY0aiRuNQf-yp7SDXzyjCgl4ATtX8piWvnVS-EUWkEU-y8AxBNL4a7LXuJj_FvfAqwRE8iLC/s200/Door+County+oct+10+09+037.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392682676747451442" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqhgaGIbn_fY5GjINGr3AChS2csJz1GnXwfy8mDIMIOALCsJ6q3O3XXhUS1jO6rfpPvHHgecKwpRC64eH21p7AlWWYZy33tqK8lJL_4y-YkwsPyQfKuZcYBcQ1eec66ms2uD3EUt_Tv8SD/s1600-h/Door+County+oct+10+09+044.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 115px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqhgaGIbn_fY5GjINGr3AChS2csJz1GnXwfy8mDIMIOALCsJ6q3O3XXhUS1jO6rfpPvHHgecKwpRC64eH21p7AlWWYZy33tqK8lJL_4y-YkwsPyQfKuZcYBcQ1eec66ms2uD3EUt_Tv8SD/s200/Door+County+oct+10+09+044.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392682690193376850" border="0" /></a><br />and no....this is not a posed picture...it took both of us a an apple cider popsicle to get this kid out of the pumpkins..or whatever those are!!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">That night we had a nice dinner at a cozy little restaurant where we met a man who played violin in a very well known orchestra (forgive me for not remembering the name) for 40 years! They were a very sweet and interesting couple who were also from the same area as us! And of course...Carter couldn't resist goofing off...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn3ugRjllA0z_MUZu6siFevstWy6BNE3jM38-UaVLiAATnkz7sF0SjzPL1CS3ODTDKZftY8QSF8RYb8LFhLOs-CwNK09CEaT2cNOjrlMiVfUO8jVOSb8bY0r5p2JQ5qjxNlATRrVf9msVp/s1600-h/Door+County+oct+10+09+063.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn3ugRjllA0z_MUZu6siFevstWy6BNE3jM38-UaVLiAATnkz7sF0SjzPL1CS3ODTDKZftY8QSF8RYb8LFhLOs-CwNK09CEaT2cNOjrlMiVfUO8jVOSb8bY0r5p2JQ5qjxNlATRrVf9msVp/s200/Door+County+oct+10+09+063.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392685120020367410" border="0" /></a><br />For our first family vacation, at least with just the 3 of us, it went surprisingly well..and we can't wait to do it again..even though now Carter refuses to take off this hat...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQQ38-Im0XZaYAtHlvV-SFdCsyrW4rlwqC9vfY67C5Mn8pE38ezA5JtvwGvF7hjqN4-3R9nUxpbRpn_2snG6bJFKvNzUszUlRJh_yPDJdf1M0GOLd6PJI9JG51U-XZIAPu9qhDoP4te2pR/s1600-h/Door+County+oct+10+09+056.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQQ38-Im0XZaYAtHlvV-SFdCsyrW4rlwqC9vfY67C5Mn8pE38ezA5JtvwGvF7hjqN4-3R9nUxpbRpn_2snG6bJFKvNzUszUlRJh_yPDJdf1M0GOLd6PJI9JG51U-XZIAPu9qhDoP4te2pR/s200/Door+County+oct+10+09+056.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392685520631259122" border="0" /></a><br />...and he can't pass a pumpkin without an overwhelming urge to sit on it...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuF9q6rVjMULzb6JkqJIUM4uxmfnXs2ZIWI5XaLL2pBWPha_gLLEsJNe0rry3JS9PvvhEMFreOHfn6UBiZmlDxV5G7n3dWqk_cubXHDkWPCHUHdB-n5lu4pe8FDaQKdBZgnnnJEk2fS2CS/s1600-h/Door+County+oct+9+09+093.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuF9q6rVjMULzb6JkqJIUM4uxmfnXs2ZIWI5XaLL2pBWPha_gLLEsJNe0rry3JS9PvvhEMFreOHfn6UBiZmlDxV5G7n3dWqk_cubXHDkWPCHUHdB-n5lu4pe8FDaQKdBZgnnnJEk2fS2CS/s200/Door+County+oct+9+09+093.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392685823974694978" border="0" /></a><br />...i think this weekend was definitely a success :)<br /></div><br /></div><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div>A day in the life of a monster babyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853018117870931214noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4577354953953238805.post-83592164686714129732009-09-24T16:40:00.000-05:002009-09-24T14:42:00.430-05:00The Simple ThingsI've been on "blog vacation" for far too long and it's about time I jump right back into it! I've started so many posts with only a few words and didn't really know where to go from there, I have a lot on my mind...and for once...I am resting easy. Being the mother of a premature baby, has really taught me to appreciate every single thing that happens in life, every milestone is more than a celebration, every new word...tooth...achievement...is nothing short of a miracle. Lately, I just can't stop smiling, Carter, already being a big ol' ham, has just developed the funniest little sense of humor you could ever imagine. Even on a bad day, you can't help but laugh at his funny little expressions or silly voices, he has recently started only talking in a growling voice...terrifying but hilarious! ....I mean really...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy8TPhhSZM75-3KY-FkXeK6IJqpoOit7-PImtr6ahfy47XA2-BgxHDC_Pb7nlePvYr-G1NxZ9VOnLKXstVGcK68T1Cw0UmqnQ3iu0p_AzbHt1UIkSarbg2jXXJsNLcvXwSC2H6WwZg3ROd/s1600-h/nose.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy8TPhhSZM75-3KY-FkXeK6IJqpoOit7-PImtr6ahfy47XA2-BgxHDC_Pb7nlePvYr-G1NxZ9VOnLKXstVGcK68T1Cw0UmqnQ3iu0p_AzbHt1UIkSarbg2jXXJsNLcvXwSC2H6WwZg3ROd/s200/nose.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385118954370814306" border="0" /></a>...I dare you not to laugh at that! Another new development, Carter is now walking! It is the most precious thing I have ever seen! He sticks his little arms straight up in the hair, with a big ol' cheesy grin on his face, and he walks all around...chasing the cats, or me...he is really getting good (im trying to get a video up soon!). And, I am just amazed. I understand that it's a natural process, and babies do learn to walk...but my baby...MY baby, we were told he may not learn...of course this was when he was very young, but all of those things still weigh heavy on my mind and I am just thrilled with every little thing he does. These are the things many people take for granted, but I never will, I will always be delighted in the simple things.A day in the life of a monster babyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853018117870931214noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4577354953953238805.post-57928806680499064782009-08-22T08:31:00.000-05:002009-08-22T08:34:00.401-05:00Update?It's been forever since I've updated this thing! What is there even to update?..oh yes...the monster baby is...WALKING! So as you can probably imagine he's is ALL over the place! I've had my hands pretty full and have some pretty funny videos to load on here, whenever I can find my usb...its a good day if we're all out of pajamas by noon!! Thats all for the quick update, much much more to come soon. i've started so many posts and never finished them, as I've recently discovered, i have a severe case of "mommy-brain"!A day in the life of a monster babyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853018117870931214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4577354953953238805.post-86559930277225062042009-08-02T20:00:00.000-05:002009-08-02T20:31:50.128-05:00The Many Adventures of Car-Car and Su-ceeCarter's cousin Lucy (Su-cee) spent most of the summer in Norway this year, so when she came back it was only natural that they went on many adventures together! He missed her <span style="font-style: italic;">so</span> much that only days after she returned, Carter went to visit his favorite cousin. After playing for awhile and having a <span style="font-style: italic;">very</span> messy lunch...well, to be fair, any meal with Carter is a MESS!, we hit the beach! Lucy was nervous at first, but eventually she got used to being in the water...Carter on the other hand....<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJayqhL0_vBnXTZ3NDhG8tWT_CmZGGeWHdLd9Ndp9tXZIEFRmhVvLjAsq9UrMoglJzGWItXQSAMeSIcQJO3JYeTymEh5KZu_GMwSM4ZZCFBIbhr8-bIHFPiCln8ppsYdVmb-IRXjpyTNPX/s1600-h/carter+and+lucy+046.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJayqhL0_vBnXTZ3NDhG8tWT_CmZGGeWHdLd9Ndp9tXZIEFRmhVvLjAsq9UrMoglJzGWItXQSAMeSIcQJO3JYeTymEh5KZu_GMwSM4ZZCFBIbhr8-bIHFPiCln8ppsYdVmb-IRXjpyTNPX/s200/carter+and+lucy+046.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365537708027747602" border="0" /></a><br />He was so comfortable in the water that he fell asleep! There's nothing better than relaxing in the water on a beautiful day and snuggling with my baby boy! After our swim it was time for ice cream!!!! yet another mess for Carter!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqiA6vxsk-g1MomoaClTi7YBSrschNmpkpM__lUBaOG6KFU8DG4LOfpZ4VXEfRhfvJFQmyFrknmmZOsEluOyCgJKeL6nmSxqhwA5XrE4mk7Hy5Osnairlak6-_bX_mqKPU34xIzJ5F3p2S/s1600-h/carter+and+lucy+036.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqiA6vxsk-g1MomoaClTi7YBSrschNmpkpM__lUBaOG6KFU8DG4LOfpZ4VXEfRhfvJFQmyFrknmmZOsEluOyCgJKeL6nmSxqhwA5XrE4mk7Hy5Osnairlak6-_bX_mqKPU34xIzJ5F3p2S/s200/carter+and+lucy+036.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365537737185513442" border="0" /></a>Like Mother, Like Son...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqMT-ecZ4Fk_6-K0_qRla8vLbXufo__8z9u4e6suKtfGLjm06jVTflOu6mcPTBzscm-XuGjbQaS3o_nyp4lBaps6MreC-wproxs_wtxMUrnKkwXMVp3N51xGYkki1ckKFvjg2cokZtIKkb/s1600-h/carter+and+lucy+026.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqMT-ecZ4Fk_6-K0_qRla8vLbXufo__8z9u4e6suKtfGLjm06jVTflOu6mcPTBzscm-XuGjbQaS3o_nyp4lBaps6MreC-wproxs_wtxMUrnKkwXMVp3N51xGYkki1ckKFvjg2cokZtIKkb/s200/carter+and+lucy+026.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365537724175965650" border="0" /></a>When I was little, I used to eat my ice cream cones from the bottom, I would chew off and end and suck the ice cream through that way...apparently Carter found this to be the best way to go about it as well..great minds think alike :)<br /><br />After our long day of ice cream and swimming, Auntie Fallon made a big dinner...which was delicious, but of course...a mess! At one point she even commented on how she had never even seen Lucy make that big of a mess...that's talent! Since, at the end of the day, we were left with two messy babies, we threw them in the tub and then they lounged around in their towels...of course Carter borrowed Lucy's robe!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxQc9VQWk2PW9cRuIPT9gDP5fSHuK9Lqk2OjOaXW1es442ogkZ_NHZHiX9jgBJ1A_WWF6VE3YJCX_Ly6AHUNva6RFTQPsw-Ae7qPirW3LpaP_aD9Vq18H-rGslYBbyyGCQINM3Qh-PAJ7P/s1600-h/carter+and+lucy+085.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxQc9VQWk2PW9cRuIPT9gDP5fSHuK9Lqk2OjOaXW1es442ogkZ_NHZHiX9jgBJ1A_WWF6VE3YJCX_Ly6AHUNva6RFTQPsw-Ae7qPirW3LpaP_aD9Vq18H-rGslYBbyyGCQINM3Qh-PAJ7P/s200/carter+and+lucy+085.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365538295929037874" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjCzKTh1ogJnAyNW5EZmwjSnlOrVBDaTxgtFVeC4OmeEh44U58Ru4gBWp_bgYN43ojsIrJLiWJhn_skmCUpZc2FzZ_xQfeZP4dZu20la58_ZhcgTQgyay2t_IfJWRaAbThU4XDHVJurOE4/s1600-h/carter+and+lucy+025.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjCzKTh1ogJnAyNW5EZmwjSnlOrVBDaTxgtFVeC4OmeEh44U58Ru4gBWp_bgYN43ojsIrJLiWJhn_skmCUpZc2FzZ_xQfeZP4dZu20la58_ZhcgTQgyay2t_IfJWRaAbThU4XDHVJurOE4/s200/carter+and+lucy+025.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365537731189455074" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKEYuH7GtgWsqJnDclxR7w7TSsZgax5_yu02Ni0seAxusMMFz3WZWQhpX-yqaRIA9WeGN7WGbXb3lHLlR5PCbufiECdK7OezwTkYtHYn5OB6gon3G5Vs7dNJIBrjTMpw93D4oeKPCyUEpO/s1600-h/carter+and+lucy+029.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKEYuH7GtgWsqJnDclxR7w7TSsZgax5_yu02Ni0seAxusMMFz3WZWQhpX-yqaRIA9WeGN7WGbXb3lHLlR5PCbufiECdK7OezwTkYtHYn5OB6gon3G5Vs7dNJIBrjTMpw93D4oeKPCyUEpO/s200/carter+and+lucy+029.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365537719632255650" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Hugh Hefner in the making..</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">We had such a great day with Auntie Fallon and Su-cee, but of course...as drama filled as my life can get..the day did NOT end well. On the way home, my car, which was supposedly fixed, overheated again on the highway at 8 at night! Yet again, I was stuck on the side of the road...with the baby...by myself. And the best part...my car is now junk!! I'm going on week 3 with no car! But that just means more visits here from Su-cee!<br /><br />And so they visited...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSRvPdj1bpNDigakqgIcYGw3coxiCU_W6Fx_rFGIy5ejfORAC0nt4dwNMQf0gTdLFP5b0wGoAa4fTw4VpjHOqxxgucYKi6u4sDo2KB8J9pb6OMBxteOQ0n6E0ju3hyphenhyphenLF1d_ZC5WpjQ-GIN/s1600-h/IMG_3900.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSRvPdj1bpNDigakqgIcYGw3coxiCU_W6Fx_rFGIy5ejfORAC0nt4dwNMQf0gTdLFP5b0wGoAa4fTw4VpjHOqxxgucYKi6u4sDo2KB8J9pb6OMBxteOQ0n6E0ju3hyphenhyphenLF1d_ZC5WpjQ-GIN/s200/IMG_3900.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365538299214216946" border="0" /></a>Auntie Fallon and Su-cee made a special stop to visit us the other day and we got to test out the new wagon from Lela! Carter, surprisingly kept his hat on the whole time...but the toys made many journeys outside of the wagon. Our stroll through the park quickly turned into a game of fetch, Fallon and I being the ones fetching! Our walk took about 1 hour longer than it should have, but it was much needed exercise for me :) And seriously...who wouldn't want to spend more time with him...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_J6KoX9JtIolMlLtt6BgE_okojoQy1R-E0vjFdUOthohm5oe9rKmVYAhcPFN5vT30pb-q_ak7H245Uo6-AArJqGOJgj9RbMIJhylvb_nuasj_QHoS0Fz0AXaiV1ZhBmZdYaT-EuqpE4jH/s1600-h/IMG_3907.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_J6KoX9JtIolMlLtt6BgE_okojoQy1R-E0vjFdUOthohm5oe9rKmVYAhcPFN5vT30pb-q_ak7H245Uo6-AArJqGOJgj9RbMIJhylvb_nuasj_QHoS0Fz0AXaiV1ZhBmZdYaT-EuqpE4jH/s200/IMG_3907.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365538302091580450" border="0" /></a><br />After our walk we took a trip to the store to get our new gdiapers (more on that later)..and then we parted ways. Carter loves his visits from Su-cee and hopefully the rest of the summer is filled with many more!!<br /><br /></div></div>A day in the life of a monster babyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853018117870931214noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4577354953953238805.post-70214354989390703122009-07-19T19:34:00.000-05:002009-07-20T00:06:55.132-05:00milestones<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/coy8OdSMPes&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/coy8OdSMPes&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />That is Carter at only 2 days old. Sometimes it's hard to believe he was ever that small, or that fragile. Watching that video tears my heart out, but gives me so much joy at the same time. More than a year ago, that was my little baby, helpless, tiny, <span style="font-style: italic;">fragile.</span> Today, Carter is healthy and strong, and I am happy to announce that he has finally been discharged from the NICU's developmental clinic.He has met his milestones. <span style="font-style: italic;">Finally.</span> After a year of doctors, nurses, check-ups, poking and prodding, we can finally put the NICU behind us, we can finally try and regain a sense of normalcy in our lives. Carter can finally experience life beyond monthly checks, physical therapy, etc....finally.<br /><br />It was sort of bittersweet being discharged. Part of me wanted to grab Carter and run out of there as fast as we could and never look back, and part of me was incredibly sad to say goodbye to these Nurses and Doctors that cared for my son for so long. Because of those people, I can honestly say I have good memories of Carter's hospital stay, because of them...I got through it. It is not like we are done forever, we can always go back, we can always visit...we can...but will we? I love to see them, I love to show off my Carter and share memories with people who there, people who truly get it. I can't help but be absolutely terrified to go back there, even with Carter in my arms, my stomach still drops as I round the corner and approach the door. My hands still shake as I reach for the buzzer, my voice still trembles as I announce who I am...why I'm there. Although Carter is safe and in my arms, my stomach still drops. I guess you can compare it to a bad relationship, the crappy boyfriend that for some reason you were dying to see just one more time. You picked up the phone and called, heart racing, and dialed the same familiar numbers...knowing it might hurt, but wanting some sort of relief from the memories, wanting to talk to someone that understands<span style="font-style: italic;">, </span>who <span style="font-style: italic;">gets it. </span>And so we called, we set a date...to go back. August 4th, the day we were able to bring our baby home, at 6:45 pm, we will be going back to face the NICU... one more time.<br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxTZHZQlyAT4E15jshwJaS0UJ_DUtmGZnLZ_y9VFgz_O0gku8EXcGdcpOBnGKDJcmCHcvg4tTs_2eJwyoLH2Q' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dw1BaGd3bfitru1vFK9LwNzWkM8QHiBLhArRmDg0fyWiLzGq0I2AqmkfEhzHZGGgYndTGX--IgHuFibpWcLPQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>A day in the life of a monster babyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853018117870931214noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4577354953953238805.post-51208046884290065352009-06-25T18:39:00.000-05:002009-06-25T19:52:49.413-05:00Zoos, Beaches, and Pools..oh my!Now that Carter is a "big boy", we've been going on many adventures. In just one weeks time, Carter has had his first trip to the Zoo, the pool, the beach, and he is now walking around while holding onto furniture...he really <span style="font-style: italic;">is </span>a big boy! Some of the things he loved..and some not so much, but he is always up for an adventure! So this post doesn't last for days, and we all know I can ramble, I'm just going to quickly recap the past week...including pictures :)...and I'll post videos soon! ( as soon as I learn how to edit them!!!)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Zoo!!!</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">On Thursday, Carter's birthday, we went to the zoo! Carter was really stylin' in his new wagon that Lela and Bitter bought him!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNnOf0ptfgL874gTdEj4Z7RhiuVji3DplcLvxzWUGUtw-hmKFCcctE8wRETZGVkkgGyMgytQwkI0h2Z4vMzBZ6gozXeEPWRXr4oT7g-AzjBZ4svdrnfU4c8lN5MoY4EicgYHdm2yDcpMC4/s1600-h/Carter+June+18-19+004.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNnOf0ptfgL874gTdEj4Z7RhiuVji3DplcLvxzWUGUtw-hmKFCcctE8wRETZGVkkgGyMgytQwkI0h2Z4vMzBZ6gozXeEPWRXr4oT7g-AzjBZ4svdrnfU4c8lN5MoY4EicgYHdm2yDcpMC4/s200/Carter+June+18-19+004.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351417562958945426" border="0" /></a><br />He thought he was so cool riding around in his new wagon, fully equipped with new toys and cupcakes from Aunt Piggy! One day he will hate me for putting that hat on him!! First stop was the "kiki's", we got to see a Lion up close, which Carter loved! We then went immediately to the petting zoo so Carter could pet and feed the goats. It grossed me out but he seemed to have fun!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5zHoYJyyfoELrH1F6uA5Ho85Hwpp8Y9AEMEWQnaJpvaMIToh-Qw6knDU3fL00Hurd8_nie6lsKhx5YskY1sn2Jcmc-nJSEparNWOIjapE6H3v6emlkf1FmaybrE5pxU8qjoFp3fhL4hPY/s1600-h/Carter+June+18-19+006.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5zHoYJyyfoELrH1F6uA5Ho85Hwpp8Y9AEMEWQnaJpvaMIToh-Qw6knDU3fL00Hurd8_nie6lsKhx5YskY1sn2Jcmc-nJSEparNWOIjapE6H3v6emlkf1FmaybrE5pxU8qjoFp3fhL4hPY/s200/Carter+June+18-19+006.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351418913200016018" border="0" /></a>We saw a baby cow being fed, a llama, a GIANT pig, and much more farm animals...even a raccoon..which we could see in our backyard! Carter's favorite animal was the Eagle, he was laughing hysterically everytime it flapped it's wings. Aunt Piggy found a little pond and brought Carter over so he could dip his toes in the water, I'm not sure that he liked it!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIKiXK5EA0jyhb5240gQbYNdkppvMhp_xTieZw_Y0_n-1MsYyCBMxkHlukrjbXsdiMHr3t9tObrpUAUlmeGWm-XHYtm9lepmvUM7djHa0J4AtJICZzPPvnLJV98yMoJzgPWc7wTvpNkVE0/s1600-h/Carter+June+18-19+015.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIKiXK5EA0jyhb5240gQbYNdkppvMhp_xTieZw_Y0_n-1MsYyCBMxkHlukrjbXsdiMHr3t9tObrpUAUlmeGWm-XHYtm9lepmvUM7djHa0J4AtJICZzPPvnLJV98yMoJzgPWc7wTvpNkVE0/s200/Carter+June+18-19+015.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351419616187434946" border="0" /></a><br />After that it was cupcake time! Aunt Piggy brought gourmet cupcakes that were absolutely delicious! Carter enjoyed them...which resulted in a sugar high!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiChemamBHk5YmY_cgNW7P60360bCJpBScVXYCH-7z42YEL7bHUzLaFTXMAkGyh6G23VHdKPi7SrKOY0SwujrNCqDoVG7PxurFCvUoPSGiG8dBUq_oqm2XcKJeIkO2jcNYKeXCyroyO3uW5/s1600-h/Carter+June+18-19+021.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiChemamBHk5YmY_cgNW7P60360bCJpBScVXYCH-7z42YEL7bHUzLaFTXMAkGyh6G23VHdKPi7SrKOY0SwujrNCqDoVG7PxurFCvUoPSGiG8dBUq_oqm2XcKJeIkO2jcNYKeXCyroyO3uW5/s200/Carter+June+18-19+021.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351420436642873794" border="0" /></a>He then found a hole in the table and had to inspect it....<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCjMKQCyyy9x_WdQ9Yqa6F5dlzy3BxuhshYALqVfJZwbo8uk2L3Z5Z_6wmDTT0gqrmOxQvxAXXpnmMJPeryVkThMP34M8Y0LwvTM9QaDL-b1i7VW5LQvg1japslhPc9z9rkTmo1LTkLBAH/s1600-h/Carter+June+18-19+024.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCjMKQCyyy9x_WdQ9Yqa6F5dlzy3BxuhshYALqVfJZwbo8uk2L3Z5Z_6wmDTT0gqrmOxQvxAXXpnmMJPeryVkThMP34M8Y0LwvTM9QaDL-b1i7VW5LQvg1japslhPc9z9rkTmo1LTkLBAH/s200/Carter+June+18-19+024.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351420441854222402" border="0" /></a><br />Overall the Zoo trip was a hit! We didn't see much...but we will definitely be going back!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGe9G4RFE0FLK3EQJCuG5vnjf1wfGcYl7q9qfRgeghLKZapKTMB5s0sXZMX65VsGmnvW_iosgaXm-UQ_SVuZ9Z8uvPI5CYDqvkmMAMj2ZiVRWiCO9UupUDigP7mHIiLC_eS8sCmKxMaVoO/s1600-h/Carter+June+18-19+031.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGe9G4RFE0FLK3EQJCuG5vnjf1wfGcYl7q9qfRgeghLKZapKTMB5s0sXZMX65VsGmnvW_iosgaXm-UQ_SVuZ9Z8uvPI5CYDqvkmMAMj2ZiVRWiCO9UupUDigP7mHIiLC_eS8sCmKxMaVoO/s200/Carter+June+18-19+031.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351420971933831170" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Birthday Party!!!</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Saturday was Carter's first birthday party! All night on Friday was spent making 100 animal cupcakes for the party.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmV8oCp_Qu1SaUhd1p2G7PLYYOQsMHltQI_YbCr2ALCfaVjfw0bfxN4D2D-nUF0nzg0M6INlTa_x9pwbMK8xrvE7ImgvyrI-PNcA7VeYLdtRzkX26vY4Gci0wo2HR3U4NSKnnJQOBgdKyL/s1600-h/Carter+June+18-19+032.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmV8oCp_Qu1SaUhd1p2G7PLYYOQsMHltQI_YbCr2ALCfaVjfw0bfxN4D2D-nUF0nzg0M6INlTa_x9pwbMK8xrvE7ImgvyrI-PNcA7VeYLdtRzkX26vY4Gci0wo2HR3U4NSKnnJQOBgdKyL/s200/Carter+June+18-19+032.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351421740257463634" border="0" /></a>the sheep....<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzB1c1YSXQM8Hshd9XCSFzDFFM-4A-2ebVvjTj5rKXYus5ErXcm9-Tc_84vfto1G4x4JLwfLTY-ymHaZm-gba6h47d-lx-UjPcL4PLsDVf_y0SZa86ruJ58O3Wbor7uzG0N4MYMZ6fDlrV/s1600-h/Carter+June+18-19+034.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzB1c1YSXQM8Hshd9XCSFzDFFM-4A-2ebVvjTj5rKXYus5ErXcm9-Tc_84vfto1G4x4JLwfLTY-ymHaZm-gba6h47d-lx-UjPcL4PLsDVf_y0SZa86ruJ58O3Wbor7uzG0N4MYMZ6fDlrV/s200/Carter+June+18-19+034.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351421748202990930" border="0" /></a>the pig....<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ5Rf7oHwEa5KJCb1e_Yhq75oDGBL7CZcBip2b8w6Aiy__tELD8WKp3t8JicGelPNrlmjxrkFhrPEXELwVN505zKcTKSiQxeGIOWRWBiL1mFtFtZPO1seSlll6qGVIfV42kdliNOiZU-DE/s1600-h/Carter+June+18-19+035.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ5Rf7oHwEa5KJCb1e_Yhq75oDGBL7CZcBip2b8w6Aiy__tELD8WKp3t8JicGelPNrlmjxrkFhrPEXELwVN505zKcTKSiQxeGIOWRWBiL1mFtFtZPO1seSlll6qGVIfV42kdliNOiZU-DE/s200/Carter+June+18-19+035.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351421757169750370" border="0" /></a>and the chick...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYjyTWVd3qQ5Aar4O-dKrPVV6CPCyAUAesewo3_P0ie0iSbDtcrO6fpU2g66fMhRLKW_cJO8wy9qjh7yeMYUDc5-fQKKUfuxadM3Bolz6CEUe_pYuHzxwHwugVYlVvSkQRI-_XgF1wtasU/s1600-h/Carter+June+18-19+036.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYjyTWVd3qQ5Aar4O-dKrPVV6CPCyAUAesewo3_P0ie0iSbDtcrO6fpU2g66fMhRLKW_cJO8wy9qjh7yeMYUDc5-fQKKUfuxadM3Bolz6CEUe_pYuHzxwHwugVYlVvSkQRI-_XgF1wtasU/s200/Carter+June+18-19+036.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351421762747183154" border="0" /></a><br />All I will say about that is...easier said then done. The cupcakes were a hit at the party and all 100 were eaten up by the end of the night...and no it wasn't me that ate them all :)<br />Carter had a great time playing with everyone and being the center of attention. His favorite thing was playing with Papa Dan through the door.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioT2PFel5wBZzHdq80zG0JUdPCkWc58uKAThLCzc5Yth2OytZfQr5sg1a6mOlJRV-XQYrbHnCsqDa03ZAYdFxMdD4IJr4D9aoEkkVYAaQVW9C1vfufRA161w6cVqD9FtLCTqSI_dEz1NkQ/s1600-h/Carter+June+20+001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioT2PFel5wBZzHdq80zG0JUdPCkWc58uKAThLCzc5Yth2OytZfQr5sg1a6mOlJRV-XQYrbHnCsqDa03ZAYdFxMdD4IJr4D9aoEkkVYAaQVW9C1vfufRA161w6cVqD9FtLCTqSI_dEz1NkQ/s200/Carter+June+20+001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351422982349992050" border="0" /></a>He then completely demolished his cake, which I will post a video of as soon as I can figure out how to edit it...I'm sure nobody wants to see a ten minute video of Carter eating his cake!! Anyway, he got so messy that I even found some cake in his diaper!<br />At first...he was cautious...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKK8_mvhvFngnX7Iuw1Fir0y6NAJHHLe3ITser77SzPFHyT7MtQ1ACduWuGcFBJ1SGNSc-XKjScSQHjTiBZNf_G0JuSMm9KWQoQ9cyeA9RNMftJk3O9OayFlj0iLg8YKNo3fr4b63JMMm6/s1600-h/carter+bday+7.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKK8_mvhvFngnX7Iuw1Fir0y6NAJHHLe3ITser77SzPFHyT7MtQ1ACduWuGcFBJ1SGNSc-XKjScSQHjTiBZNf_G0JuSMm9KWQoQ9cyeA9RNMftJk3O9OayFlj0iLg8YKNo3fr4b63JMMm6/s200/carter+bday+7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351425457245801826" border="0" /></a>Then he dug right in....<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc1lc77ieyEYsLHvUSKh8tLU0wiXQXPMv20J7xOFnsGT4iz5v0RMv5M9f1-BfuLaJdvfa25q5exlMhJ59e9k7tSCz6O4U5eblzVue8ENpTA8OOLxIZHd9KRtK2qW5OI0_I1FBAlJ1rxOHc/s1600-h/Carter+June+20+006.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc1lc77ieyEYsLHvUSKh8tLU0wiXQXPMv20J7xOFnsGT4iz5v0RMv5M9f1-BfuLaJdvfa25q5exlMhJ59e9k7tSCz6O4U5eblzVue8ENpTA8OOLxIZHd9KRtK2qW5OI0_I1FBAlJ1rxOHc/s200/Carter+June+20+006.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351422987949564082" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7TedDDjUddjpLjQMltkxZU3tjCf1yYe8uxvUSlSMv51QL5UuUPolnYhCpNfTzAxGHQWv7UKJG6o6Maxg8KDlrSFu9pIPiIEv6YKnbocGEbQlKD0oxYZLGIoHJ50JlAaYCzNRwxYRmBoOK/s1600-h/Carter+June+20+008.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7TedDDjUddjpLjQMltkxZU3tjCf1yYe8uxvUSlSMv51QL5UuUPolnYhCpNfTzAxGHQWv7UKJG6o6Maxg8KDlrSFu9pIPiIEv6YKnbocGEbQlKD0oxYZLGIoHJ50JlAaYCzNRwxYRmBoOK/s200/Carter+June+20+008.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351422992481016322" border="0" /></a>And then...he crashed...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhahBOwowJIVfyGTfJEluu0vhHcxXiPbL16oRYHZRwtgfSy0QSoEip3ZdldsHeMqzayHB9ADgv70k7ZbFNft-q5pYKCVv0FkWgTUQDh6CYFqU2Q_7sxA6ga1SE9P_SWubPOqPlOYx1FsZI5/s1600-h/Carter+June+20+013.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhahBOwowJIVfyGTfJEluu0vhHcxXiPbL16oRYHZRwtgfSy0QSoEip3ZdldsHeMqzayHB9ADgv70k7ZbFNft-q5pYKCVv0FkWgTUQDh6CYFqU2Q_7sxA6ga1SE9P_SWubPOqPlOYx1FsZI5/s200/Carter+June+20+013.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351422994635927858" border="0" /></a>I think it's safe to say that Carter definitely enjoyed his first birthday party!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Pool!!!</span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Auntie Neener was nice enough to invite us over to swim at the pool at her apartment complex on Monday. The minute Carter saw the water, he high tailed it over there. He will definitely be one of those kids you have to watch at all times! He absolutely loved the water, so much that he didn't want to get out!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlw13eYHVxWI5zfLsDBVzMBPg0vs_W7y0JY2GpqHPPWWT9p_t-m6LJGAc7IfzHezRHLlGgma7LJ5pxFDLKh_8uJN4_XPWyg3tjeCqwjYxIwZ1bduolHxxI0skTx66vOWA9X4XWoXcmPvlQ/s1600-h/carter+pool+3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlw13eYHVxWI5zfLsDBVzMBPg0vs_W7y0JY2GpqHPPWWT9p_t-m6LJGAc7IfzHezRHLlGgma7LJ5pxFDLKh_8uJN4_XPWyg3tjeCqwjYxIwZ1bduolHxxI0skTx66vOWA9X4XWoXcmPvlQ/s200/carter+pool+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351425458668481826" border="0" /></a><br />After a LONG swim, we finally took a break, and Carter played peek-a-boo with his towel.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6O7UHxAaPvTD0zWcCPsi9sSMhvCkb1-OyyJABY37Y7-MyWcHGWAiArlMQ85bD_78qh_wM2rfapTSLb9CM9k37c__x5qNh5vMUHNVCEMcknvsqH14mFm1KEJhBxuonRTFR19woU83DIweI/s1600-h/Carter+June+22+001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6O7UHxAaPvTD0zWcCPsi9sSMhvCkb1-OyyJABY37Y7-MyWcHGWAiArlMQ85bD_78qh_wM2rfapTSLb9CM9k37c__x5qNh5vMUHNVCEMcknvsqH14mFm1KEJhBxuonRTFR19woU83DIweI/s200/Carter+June+22+001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351425439851781458" border="0" /></a>My little man was SO tired out that I even got a little cuddle time in with him too!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipk_0fchPdlaMnEmc5PQPNfzMzuwvO9YRyg4zS0JY-PPaBmoObGnSY6D7EuQtnDgiAw2dGdzLxVVap2kAYP9nQ7hQIppkwkb9OqFmEg8pZCfCIOpNtsRuhlfhhJodBIo4cJhB_TkORpx6F/s1600-h/Carter+June+22+006.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipk_0fchPdlaMnEmc5PQPNfzMzuwvO9YRyg4zS0JY-PPaBmoObGnSY6D7EuQtnDgiAw2dGdzLxVVap2kAYP9nQ7hQIppkwkb9OqFmEg8pZCfCIOpNtsRuhlfhhJodBIo4cJhB_TkORpx6F/s200/Carter+June+22+006.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351425445053166498" border="0" /></a><br />And I noticed..we have the same feet...poor kid..<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSKpRWWuUu5T3lBKOjZFfp6CHWsuIVWlLtE-BjW3FGOLR1cdsmGU0owZvK_gRtxj-65duHWkW4PcCOLSqc2na50viyXjjDRngzdRQt8b17XocZtIlD4WvISTX2x_Puythi8LaPeq-QspmL/s1600-h/Carter+June+22+008.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSKpRWWuUu5T3lBKOjZFfp6CHWsuIVWlLtE-BjW3FGOLR1cdsmGU0owZvK_gRtxj-65duHWkW4PcCOLSqc2na50viyXjjDRngzdRQt8b17XocZtIlD4WvISTX2x_Puythi8LaPeq-QspmL/s200/Carter+June+22+008.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351425450756920338" border="0" /></a><br />After the pool, we went back to Auntie Neener's for some lunch. Carter got to play with his cousin Dominic for a long time! He fell asleep on the way home and slept better than he ever has!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Beach!!!</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">After watching Carter take to the water so well, I decided to take him to the beach! On Tuesday, Carter's "favorite person in the world", Amanda, and I took him to the city for lunch with Aunt Piggy and then a trip to the beach. After a big lunch, Carter was tired, and he didn't quite make it all the way to the beach...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6zMrQp1KJlRMkMt7ys78yWTqwGPqsPR10HH26T-IXNEZPeltsEh0EsPYxlm7a5ruZsmrh0mFV0Shim6cLiJ6i2E4pP0gGB8R6hx5B3sCClaM6YDKTvFd1lzSAbQSkerfTiKrf2FNLXLCi/s1600-h/Carter+June+23+005.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6zMrQp1KJlRMkMt7ys78yWTqwGPqsPR10HH26T-IXNEZPeltsEh0EsPYxlm7a5ruZsmrh0mFV0Shim6cLiJ6i2E4pP0gGB8R6hx5B3sCClaM6YDKTvFd1lzSAbQSkerfTiKrf2FNLXLCi/s200/Carter+June+23+005.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351428656952903634" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO28K6Hr_NcZtgqoB1VL0S-4E-UdjFV2vIg3NWZnmTtDy6Wwpi269kgQ2nAt3hciOejUye8nBIn6LOXeBfSRyMqvACBh9cnTXb0JHgFh2Ebda9frEoWLcHwy3PQZP4zkxsTEEZdbmC3uOr/s1600-h/Carter+June+23+007.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO28K6Hr_NcZtgqoB1VL0S-4E-UdjFV2vIg3NWZnmTtDy6Wwpi269kgQ2nAt3hciOejUye8nBIn6LOXeBfSRyMqvACBh9cnTXb0JHgFh2Ebda9frEoWLcHwy3PQZP4zkxsTEEZdbmC3uOr/s200/Carter+June+23+007.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351428674981600898" border="0" /></a>So his first 20 minutes were spent napping on the shore. When he woke up, I attempted to take him into the water, but he clinged to me like a little monkey. The water was ice cold and there were tons of waves, Carter was NOT amused. So we went back to our towels and played in the sand for a while, which he absolutely loved!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC22SZvFC-qidho1QK2qfe-NUSI3ivnfa_TP3ABEPQOJ6HzBq96D3QH56a6YnvaUQ6zo8JVxhXd98Ptrz4RQPZWGkO0-VRG3NoQ0HE32Qj-Wdvjg3vccZpBs4IpSLPnOiXiwuMeGZH0Esb/s1600-h/Carter+June+23+013.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC22SZvFC-qidho1QK2qfe-NUSI3ivnfa_TP3ABEPQOJ6HzBq96D3QH56a6YnvaUQ6zo8JVxhXd98Ptrz4RQPZWGkO0-VRG3NoQ0HE32Qj-Wdvjg3vccZpBs4IpSLPnOiXiwuMeGZH0Esb/s200/Carter+June+23+013.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351428678993049586" border="0" /></a>And he even brought a whole new meaning to the term "beach bum"...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp_yvwzALzC-kX_cBU5i5u3f7CYx4RZbTDxeIdwuvwTDaXLG6p8RVo4n1Ky5s-iTj2HMu77-AtTga6Ye1VW5NQWntulX9ay4I6wUFUMrvDngvfNx0ppPwUuHHycTrWBf0H18-nz_hoVoz3/s1600-h/Carter+June+23+027.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp_yvwzALzC-kX_cBU5i5u3f7CYx4RZbTDxeIdwuvwTDaXLG6p8RVo4n1Ky5s-iTj2HMu77-AtTga6Ye1VW5NQWntulX9ay4I6wUFUMrvDngvfNx0ppPwUuHHycTrWBf0H18-nz_hoVoz3/s200/Carter+June+23+027.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351428684202094194" border="0" /></a><br />After playing in the sand for awhile, we decided to give the water another go...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgawuri6xyxocpjbDzzDs4op8WCQ_Sn84Q0NPSn9Y4uOuq630fpsldwnOZWmAmw1peFIvbJa4baP_a_DDhNot7aQIV-q5Xia60h1ds6kajnKHDqxg64t-NHxTJoiCdWdP8A04_xv_7QCOMT/s1600-h/Carter+June+23+029.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgawuri6xyxocpjbDzzDs4op8WCQ_Sn84Q0NPSn9Y4uOuq630fpsldwnOZWmAmw1peFIvbJa4baP_a_DDhNot7aQIV-q5Xia60h1ds6kajnKHDqxg64t-NHxTJoiCdWdP8A04_xv_7QCOMT/s200/Carter+June+23+029.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351428864747463042" border="0" /></a>At first he seemed interested....and then he just wanted to get the heck outta there...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin33eoV1RY8GeoYlsz-JmLyMaMJe7M0rgWXnYT0T5H4mmEyommv8MIUT4h-vLjr35W9cpb_GZmqS1KmUSvE76TLXs16bT8xHLEI9mMXorRGIxH7vcwzimI6oBqxH5brp8PWd_e0PNIw3Ut/s1600-h/Carter+June+23+030.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin33eoV1RY8GeoYlsz-JmLyMaMJe7M0rgWXnYT0T5H4mmEyommv8MIUT4h-vLjr35W9cpb_GZmqS1KmUSvE76TLXs16bT8xHLEI9mMXorRGIxH7vcwzimI6oBqxH5brp8PWd_e0PNIw3Ut/s200/Carter+June+23+030.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351428856431804370" border="0" /></a><br />After that, we decided it was time to go! After about 2 minutes of being in the car, Carter was asleep! Gotta love the effect water and sun has on a baby!!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">And finally...yesterday Carter had his 12 month well baby check. 12 MONTHS!!!...can you believe it?! He weighed in at 18 lbs 2 oz and is 29 inches long. He is still my little peanut! The doctor seemed a little concerned with his weight and we were told to make an appointment for next month for a weight check. When Carter first came home from the hospital, we had weekly weight checks for about 2 months, when that was over I was overjoyed! I was crushed to hear that we had to start up the weight checks again. I know it isn't that big of a deal, but as the mom of a preemie, you long for some sort of "normalcy". Even at 1 yr, we are still dealing with this stuff.....one day...<br /><br />Other than the weight issues, all was well. He had his polio shot and took it like a champ! All he did was cry for a second, then make a funny face and rub his little leg. How I wish for the strength that he has!! We also did a blood test to test for allergies since he was diagnosed with a milk protein allergy in the NICU....lets all hope for good news!! At the risk of sounding repetitive, he's come a long way, and I am amazed at the growth I've seen!<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwUJ7h1Qm4DExq6E0Pw0ZCTQyQp8TfKRROag5k2AMa0T-Sa9-asdrX1LYSRPYfyd6Pv2pQk3GYcFajCR17epKl3R4wdlEYORtlQzHF5aj7uMZoCGPBjyXIZO_xlVHz483u3lq2iIgl1Ecp/s1600-h/Carter+June+20+016.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwUJ7h1Qm4DExq6E0Pw0ZCTQyQp8TfKRROag5k2AMa0T-Sa9-asdrX1LYSRPYfyd6Pv2pQk3GYcFajCR17epKl3R4wdlEYORtlQzHF5aj7uMZoCGPBjyXIZO_xlVHz483u3lq2iIgl1Ecp/s200/Carter+June+20+016.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351432379934472194" border="0" /></a><br />(a size 3 diaper he wears today...and a micro-preemie diaper, that was too big on him, from the day he was born)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwUJ7h1Qm4DExq6E0Pw0ZCTQyQp8TfKRROag5k2AMa0T-Sa9-asdrX1LYSRPYfyd6Pv2pQk3GYcFajCR17epKl3R4wdlEYORtlQzHF5aj7uMZoCGPBjyXIZO_xlVHz483u3lq2iIgl1Ecp/s1600-h/Carter+June+20+016.jpg"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></a><br /><br /></div></div><br /><br /><br /></div></div><br /><br /></div><br /><br /></div><br /><br /><br /></div></div><br /><br /></div></div>A day in the life of a monster babyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853018117870931214noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4577354953953238805.post-38137917090827919042009-06-18T22:26:00.000-05:002009-06-18T23:26:10.253-05:00A year ago today....When Carter was born, my Mom gave me a calendar, that was blank, to fill in all of Carter's milestones throughout his first year. While Carter was in the NICU, I filled in each day with his weight, praying that one day he's break the 4 pound mark. I also would write down all of Carter's triumphs, no more oxygen, first bottle...etc. The calendar is hanging right by the door in his room, and everyday we pass it and talk about what day and month it is. When the calendar got to June, it ended, so I decided to flip back to the previous June, the June my sweet baby made his way into the world. Now, everytime we walk past that calendar, I talk to Carter about what we were doing a year ago "today"...and a year ago today, June 18, Carter was born, 11 weeks too soon.<br /><br />As I drifted off to sleep last night, my mind was heavy with thoughts of the past. A year ago yesterday, I fell asleep angry at Joe. We had scheduled a 3-D ultrasound for June 18th, right after my check-up at the doctor. Joe had forgotten to put money aside and we found ourselves scrounging around for extra cash to pay for it. I was so excited to be able to see who had been kicking around in there, in 3-D this time! I dreamt of it for weeks, I wanted to be able to tell who's nose he had, who's eyes...even before he was born. When he told me we didn't have the cash, I broke down, I was so upset. I probably overreacted a bit...not like me at all right?! ;) But I stomped up the stairs and into bed, determined to get my ultrasound! I was 29 weeks pregnant.<br /><br />The next morning was the usual "pre-doctor's appointment" routine, I woke up early, peed in a cup, which was to be stored in a fridge until my appointment. I need to stop right there, how can anyone type that seriously?! How classy is that, "honey grab the orange juice...but watch out for my pee, I need to bring that to the doctor!". Anyway, woke up, peed in cup, loaded up on waffles with probably WAY too much syrup, and watched the news until it was time to go. This appointment was supposed to be a regular appointment, so I had no reason to be concerned. My biggest worry was getting my ultrasound!<br /><br />As I woke up this morning, I found myself reliving all of those moments. Everytime I looked at the clock, my mind would immediately flash back to that day, to that time. I found myself repeating "this time last year...", throughout the day. I had a tightness in my chest as 10 o'clock rolled around, the time of my appointment. All of my feelings from that day rushed back to me, the fear, the confusion...the fact that I still wanted my ultrasound. I remember the Doctor coming in and informing me that because my blood pressure was so elevated and I had all the obvious signs of pre-eclampsia, he had called the hospital to inform them that we'll be on our way. I just looked at him and said, "Do we have to go now? I kind of have this ultrasound at noon..." He must have thought I was crazy.<br /><br />A year ago today, I was told my son might not live. I remember, so clearly, running out of the doctor's office, crying all the way to my car. I remember all the faces in the waiting room, the doctors rushing around, I remember the feeling of the door handle as I pushed out of the waiting room and ran down the stairs...the same stairs that I could never walk up as my pregnancy progressed...the same stairs that I looked forward to avoiding as my belly grew bigger. I remember Joe grabbing me and trying to hug me, I can still hear the pain in his voice, his tears streaming down his face. I remember apologizing to my sister for not be able to come visit her, I remember Carter kicking happily the whole way to the hospital...I remember asking God to save my baby, not asking, begging.<br /><br />12 pm: My mom and I arrived at the hospital, I joked with the staff about needing a wheelchair, I laughed with my mom about getting lost in the hospital, I made jokes with the Nurse as I threw up repeatedly, apologizing for being "gross"...I was in denial. My back pain came back with avengence, I yelled at the Nurse for not giving me pain meds, I asked when I could leave...my baby was kicking, his heart rate was fine...I wanted to go home.<br /><br />3 pm: A whirlwind of things were happening around me, I heard bits and pieces of things<br />"c-section"<br />"the helicopter is on its way..."<br />"liver...failing..."<br />"no visitors"<br />And then I looked at my mom, who is one of the strongest women I know, and she had tears in her eyes. Up until then I hadn't been scared, I was told I was there for observation, I was told I would be able to deliver vaginally...I was told I'd be ok. Next thing I knew I was being wheeled back for an emergency c-section...I was 29 weeks pregnant, I was told my son might not make it....my family was told I might not make it.<br /><br />4:22 pm: I heard the sweetest noise I will ever hear, my 29 weeker, crying. He had made his entrance into the world, kicking and screaming...my little warrior. He was whisked away to the NICU, I was taken to ICU, we were told my health status was "unclear", I was unstable, I was unaware.<br /><br />4:22 today- I was at the Zoo, with Carter, holding him close as he dozed off on my shoulder. My mind flashed back, to a year ago today, and I took a moment to breathe, a moment to revel in the fact that I am here, Carter is here...and we're ok.<br /><br />Today, I held him much tighter, took in each moment, and struggled to believe that a year ago today, if we had not been at the right place at the right time..........<br /><br />Some days I can barely catch my breath, I feel guilty, I feel solely to blame for Carter's rocky start. Some days I just look at Carter and I can't hold back the tears, I tell him I'm sorry. But most days, I am overjoyed. Most days, I look at Carter and my heart feels like it could burst, I've never been more in love with anyone in my entire life. Carter is my world, my inspiration, my partner in crime :) I don't know if I've been able to process everything, and I don't know if I ever will. I'm sure there will be days when it creeps up on me, days when I say "2 years ago today...3 years ago today". Days when I'm overwhelmed by emotions. But one thing I do know, I am lucky, I am blessed. And if I've learned anything through all this, I've learned to never take anything for granted, to enjoy each and every moment, to live with a full and open heart. I've learned to believe in miracles....<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-dkt6s2Qio4NvqUNorFQhcIhN4AySRUifiI_OHe4KlgfW5QR8t5COeEQMCvUI9gldKYF_86p96WOX-SJIGIoDXP9vDjjkfoYvoNCMv_DAWhSw-3yPdbiu5Xn8dTZ5Rk2vmQtGoD6z9DZK/s1600-h/daddy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-dkt6s2Qio4NvqUNorFQhcIhN4AySRUifiI_OHe4KlgfW5QR8t5COeEQMCvUI9gldKYF_86p96WOX-SJIGIoDXP9vDjjkfoYvoNCMv_DAWhSw-3yPdbiu5Xn8dTZ5Rk2vmQtGoD6z9DZK/s320/daddy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348889772165657010" border="0" /></a>A day in the life of a monster babyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853018117870931214noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4577354953953238805.post-4463187067552671992009-06-10T18:08:00.000-05:002009-06-10T20:40:16.112-05:00Crunchy noseCarter has been QUITE the ham lately, as if that's a surprise to anyone!! He's been my little comedian, all day long he strives to make me laugh...and he never fails to do so. I haven't posted much in awhile, and after a 3 1/2 hour weed pulling extravaganza, I have literally lost my mind!(I wish I had a camera outside with me, Carter was being too cute!). So, I will entertain you with videos of my little comedian at his best :)<br /><br />This is Carter's "crunchy" nose. I wish I would have taken out my camera sooner! But, I think I was able to capture it pretty well...<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dz2fOzZGpk7WTuN6Sv2_pxlbA3vkwfWSjIo_CZI3oLj-dt5KFGW04xiQbmuDhAJvkKBtVjpsYR-KangrdTW0w' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />Carter has recently learned to say "Num Num Num" and everytime he eats he literally yells it, especially if its one of his favorite foods :) Raspberry pics to be posted soon...<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyiS-OvdTJYdZuzM7SM5rfzRSuwiuJvhzelq-AJrWmAbTzbJYnI1EL4YVJhP02qB6ustvCdFtjn2WdW1niBLg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />And last...he is starting to become a Daddy's boy and shakes his head "no" when I ask him to say mama...1 yr old and already workin me...<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzSLCNF6enhHkTvC_8a17vJkX3fJ-Ln2PO9m2ijCNTzfpVZScNDbBoszVvn7xMmFxj2QVjqdI2nxL8J5CNuzQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx491mYNdJGTz382SO08DLi9h160IdjwXyv9a3sl1IC19Th5c5u5S9ixf9WDiOOJT7uKVLKc1rHQkFhRWHfHfcp5eP3WyIkLNTC4ymZVTdjbLiay8oHksGqO3KXhdoeCDfpz1wzAbLfEsM/s1600-h/Carter+June+7+009.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx491mYNdJGTz382SO08DLi9h160IdjwXyv9a3sl1IC19Th5c5u5S9ixf9WDiOOJT7uKVLKc1rHQkFhRWHfHfcp5eP3WyIkLNTC4ymZVTdjbLiay8oHksGqO3KXhdoeCDfpz1wzAbLfEsM/s320/Carter+June+7+009.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345863478808562514" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />That's all for now!! Ah remember the days when I'd actually have something interested to say in my posts? I promise those days will be back soon!! We have a couple BIG events coming up that I can't WAIT to tell ya about :)A day in the life of a monster babyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853018117870931214noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4577354953953238805.post-11545885392170111672009-06-06T22:31:00.000-05:002009-06-06T22:46:58.165-05:00How Preemie Moms Are ChosenSomeone just sent me this and I had to share...<br /><br /><span><strong>~*~How Preemie Moms Are Chosen~*~<br />(Erma Bombeck)<br /><br />Did you ever wonder how the mothers of premature babies are chosen?<br />Somehow, I visualize God hovering over Earth, selecting his<br />instruments for propagation with great care and deliberation. As he<br />observes, he instructs his angels to take notes in a giant ledger.<br />"Armstrong, Beth, son. Patron Saint, Matthew.<br />Forrest, Marjorie, daughter. Patron Saint, Celia.<br />Rutledge, Carrie, twins. Patron Saint...give her Gerard. He's used to<br />profanity."<br />Finally, he passes a name to an angel and smiles.<br />"Give her a preemie." The angel is curious. "Why this one, God?<br />She's so happy."<br />"Exactly," smiles God.<br />"Could I give a premature baby a mother who knows no laughter? That<br />would be cruel."<br />"But does she have the patience?" asks the angel.<br />"I don't want her to have too much patience, or she'll drown in a sea<br />of self-pity and despair.<br />Once the shock and resentment wear off, she'll handle it.<br />I watched her today. She has that sense of self and independence so<br />rare and so necessary in a mother.<br />You see, the child I'm going to give her has a world of its own.<br />She has to make it live in her world, and that's not going to be easy."<br />"But Lord, I don't think she even believes in you."<br />God smiles. "No matter, I can fix that. This one is perfect She has<br />just the right amount of selfishness."<br />The angel gasps, "Selfishness?! Is that a virtue?"<br />God nods. "If she can't separate herself from the child occasionally,<br />she will never survive.<br />Yes, here is a woman whom I will bless with a child less than perfect.<br />She doesn't know it yet, but she is to be envied.<br />She will never take for granted a spoken word.<br />She will never consider a step ordinary.<br />When her child says momma for the first time,<br />she will be witness to a miracle and know it.<br />I will permit her to see clearly the things I see--<br />ignorance, cruelty, prejudice--<br />and allow her to rise above them.<br />She will never be alone.<br />I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life<br />because she is doing my work as surely as she is here by my side."<br />"And what about her Patron Saint?" asks the angel, his pen poised in<br />the air.<br />God smiles. "A mirror will suffice."<br /><br /></strong></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6JBqeZrR5p1KRy-ZoL1NARaf5pqmWD1ErU_pjnuMT68OntQRPfdauFRFSCjbUMzfPqdrbTre0Nj6vKv07aOQTuvGol1pKobi9QgXsCWhgBFBaCDls5sLtDjNJDut8SxYZbiLlHEo1U-S5/s1600-h/IMG_4035.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6JBqeZrR5p1KRy-ZoL1NARaf5pqmWD1ErU_pjnuMT68OntQRPfdauFRFSCjbUMzfPqdrbTre0Nj6vKv07aOQTuvGol1pKobi9QgXsCWhgBFBaCDls5sLtDjNJDut8SxYZbiLlHEo1U-S5/s320/IMG_4035.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344426894619351682" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdJvAPzD03sFIA0JG1EkYhzO47kB8DVx2MtNoyX9oH3pAkIWu1XmBLwSyPn71gCLkg2qs0jdoY9OeKDDyTbnMxmykBUFvz-qA88oHcJ3hTWzxNRR9x4aZa_eu10h_l16GBnnt05QJM1kHP/s1600-h/baby+carter.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdJvAPzD03sFIA0JG1EkYhzO47kB8DVx2MtNoyX9oH3pAkIWu1XmBLwSyPn71gCLkg2qs0jdoY9OeKDDyTbnMxmykBUFvz-qA88oHcJ3hTWzxNRR9x4aZa_eu10h_l16GBnnt05QJM1kHP/s320/baby+carter.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344425028414474834" border="0" /></a><br /><span><strong><br /><br /><br /></strong></span>A day in the life of a monster babyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853018117870931214noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4577354953953238805.post-16264261691371984632009-06-05T12:09:00.000-05:002009-06-05T16:55:02.002-05:00Bad Luck and Carter's 1 yr photos...Carter and I have had quite the week! Already, before the age of one, he has been stranded on the side of the highway (not by himself of course!!), gotten into a car accident (everythings ok!!), and has scored a girlfriend....2 years older than him!! Let me start from the beginning..<br /><br />Tuesday, I had a doctor's appointment about 45 min away, so we picked up Grandma or "Lela" as Carter likes to call her, and headed out to the doctor's. Naturally, we'd need to have "Lela" with us, monster babies and doctor's offices do not go well together!! On the way there, the car overheated and we were all stuck on the side of the highway...only 1/4 mile from an exit!! So we waited for my father in law (aka Papa Dan) to come rescue us! Of course there were tons of cars on the highway yet only one person actually stopped to check on us. You would think that if there were 2 women and a baby (sounds like a movie! haha ) stuck on the side of the road with Semi's flying past, that SOMEONE would stop! Papa Dan fixed the car and within about 1 minute of driving it, it overheated again! We had quite the adventure, piling our stuff into another car, driving to the doctor, carrying everything in, and then piling it all into ANOTHER car to go home. The best part was, Carter behaved so well through it all! He didn't really get crabby once and of course was the star of the show at the doctor's office!<br /><br />So, after the doctor my dad (aka Bitter) came to pick us up and took us all out to dinner. Carter got to see the fishies and make a new friend. It was so cute to watch Carter and the other baby babbling back and forth to eachother, Carter just loves other kids...maybe its time for #2 ;) That would be a site to see, Monster Baby and his sidekick...another blog for another day :) Anyway, Bitter got us home safe and sound and a few hours later Joe got my car home..."possibly" fixed! We had another appointment the next day and I was told i could try and drive the car but there was no guarantee that it would work. Those prospects definitely we not appealing to me!<br /><br />Day 2, I searched for a ride to the doctor and when I was unsuccessful, I decided I would attempt to drive my car. But, after 15 minutes of searching for my keys, I called Joe and he had them...and he was one hour away!! So after throwing a little tantrum, I learned from the best :), I kept on searching for a ride. Thankfully, my cousin, Valerie, wasn't busy and she agreed to come pick us up. I know you're probably wondering why I didn't just reschedule the appointment, had I of done that, we would not have gotten in until June 23! Anyway, I thought our bad luck streak was over, we'd go to the doctor, get picked up, go home and go on with our day...I was wrong. On the way to the doctor, someone driving the opposite way, turned their car and drove straight at us! And the worst part, he drove away afterwards! The only damage done was just a shattered mirror, Thank God. We were all ok, but stuck on a bad side of town and I was really feeling like things were just going to go downhill from here. Well, I am happy to say that we made it to the doctor and back...all in one piece! The rest of the day went smoothly. Carter got to hang out with his "favorite person in the world" (aka Amanda) and we got to play at the park and on the swings. All was well, until I ruined Carter's life by leaving the park. He made sure that, the entire walk home, he let me know exactly HOW mad he was! Not to mention my stroller was squeaking the whole time...everyone was looking at us like we were crazy!<br /><br />On a happier note...Carter finally slept through the night that night!!!!! He has done it in the past, but as soon has he began teething he became the worst sleeper ever. That signified the end of my bad luck streak! I drove my car the next day with no problems and the day went smoothly. If these past few days are setting the tone for how June is going to be...I can't wait for July!!!<br /><br />Yesterday we had Carter's one year photos taken, ONE YEAR can you believe it?! My little 3 lb baby is almost one!!! We had the pictures done by the same woman who did Carter's "newborn" photoshoot before he left the hospital, it was really cool to kind of bring things full circle! Because Carter is such a mommma's boy, I had to hide around the corner while she took all the photos, that is, until we brought the cake out! Carter would not have cared who was in the room, as long as he could continue eating his cake...or chewing on the candle! At one point, he just picked up the netire cake and was taking bites out of it and chewing on the cardboard underneath! The photographer did an AMAZING job, as expected, and I can't wait to see the pictures! We even took a special picture for Daddy that I can not wait to see!!! I will post some on here as soon as I get them!<br /><br />This video is from the other day. Whenever Carter eats he yells..."Num num num" ...isn't he just the cutest? ;)<br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzmFJW-SbKI5A13HR7ygYbOa8XSBqMlbc2WUHqgUt9b-71kg8pueKTPKbGbWOUREE2KjVnU9Lw_G8kYXZ9v-g' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>A day in the life of a monster babyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853018117870931214noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4577354953953238805.post-31460339835758795162009-06-01T21:23:00.001-05:002009-06-01T21:25:15.284-05:00A face only a mother could love.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVj7LkXxMylOQtx6w0EgfjER8-RJiVhXvlrRHNNBWn5oyE7HL5zkpmtpbyn3obyabiGiWe4sxcFmVH28HR0P0gbz7qHlZgTe2PhAoZgjBrHIQJ59fjpBB9d3_226VpUcKheS6dP3v8J49s/s1600-h/IMG_4567.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVj7LkXxMylOQtx6w0EgfjER8-RJiVhXvlrRHNNBWn5oyE7HL5zkpmtpbyn3obyabiGiWe4sxcFmVH28HR0P0gbz7qHlZgTe2PhAoZgjBrHIQJ59fjpBB9d3_226VpUcKheS6dP3v8J49s/s320/IMG_4567.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342550558566243570" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">enough said.<br /></div>A day in the life of a monster babyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853018117870931214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4577354953953238805.post-54698303071424860442009-05-29T18:12:00.000-05:002009-05-29T18:45:26.095-05:00The traveling circusCarter has always marched to the beat of his own drum, even when he was in the NICU, he had his own way of doing things. He pulled out tubes when he wanted to, gained weight when HE wanted to...you name it. We're talking about a kid who eats breakfast with his feet on the tray of his highchair, a kid that KNOWS how to crawl but would rather slide around on his belly, a kid that, when he was only a couple months old, figured out how to roll over when the doctor's said it was "impossible"...I could go on and on. This is why I was not surprised when he wanted to ride around in his stroller hanging off the side...upside down. We were quite the sight to see, walking through the mall with Carter, hanging upside down out of the stroller...chewing on a Tylenol bottle. I know what you're thinking, I must be crazy to give him a bottle of Tylenol, but desperate times call for desperate measures and we had been out shopping all day and he had had enough. Alright, alright, to ease your mind...the tylenol bottle was filled with rice, so that when he shook it, it made noise...and so if he got it open, he didn't eat a whole bottle of pain killers. I'm not THAT bad of a mom :)<br /><br />Today, though, he DID surprise me, which is hard when you're dealing with a monster baby. Carter applied the same stroller technique, to his swing! I came into the living room to find my, once napping, baby leaning forward, then hanging off the side of the swing! At first I thought he had tried to roll over and got stuck, but he was just hanging there happy as can be. This will be quite the experience watching him grow up.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyOkoKSQMo89yaB-wxoAkv2u2syA5vVN9WOAilVRgJjB3xaukibSiXFCthhyBbn0LvWYCIaEzqk0osuDFLkyQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwXxQbeIph8IxvsLVbAYkPWBMALc08rwO8I7ZSsrWpFeExKQz3Rtx2P3tqPGZC0gYDik5LeUM4zXd6g0A2nQQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>A day in the life of a monster babyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853018117870931214noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4577354953953238805.post-18672948541878143082009-05-20T19:23:00.000-05:002009-05-20T19:59:02.341-05:00Shop 'til you drop...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMd-0UXiiwQRscS4iS30gsq8n4LhjSo7ssZJFEKrXXgfnHOmK4f-tAtkZwubE4-nW-gcY_3RHzUinUHLvMZh4Jj3BZiHiwn5_kw8wxEwFD63GIH8UydVIFyhTUmsQ9GDwmjRygKXD81Nu3/s1600-h/fav+Carter+May+16+and+17+015.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMd-0UXiiwQRscS4iS30gsq8n4LhjSo7ssZJFEKrXXgfnHOmK4f-tAtkZwubE4-nW-gcY_3RHzUinUHLvMZh4Jj3BZiHiwn5_kw8wxEwFD63GIH8UydVIFyhTUmsQ9GDwmjRygKXD81Nu3/s320/fav+Carter+May+16+and+17+015.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338067434301432898" border="0" /></a><br />....this is the direct result of TOO much shopping with Grandma. Today was Grandma day! Every Wednesday, Carter and I go out to my mom's house and we attempt, and I really stress the attempt part, to be productive. We always make these BIG plans to take a walk, go to the park,... maybe do a little shopping...and that's where it goes downhill. Today started out with an innocent trip to Once Upon a Child and lunch at Portillo's, and slowly turned into a 4 hour long shopping extravaganza.<br /><br />Throughout this past year everyone who has ever had a baby boy, or so it seems, has unloaded ALL of their baby clothes off on me. I am very grateful for their generosity and love getting "hand-me-downs", but after the 5th kid gave us their old clothes I found myself knee deep in baby clothes. I dedicated an entire day to sorting through ALL of the baby clothes I have acquired, which was no easy task. At the end of it all I had 2 garbage bags full (not to mention I saved SO many clothes that I had to keep some in my closet!) of very nice and gently used baby clothes that I decided to sell to Once Upon a Child...which was a total nightmare!!<br /><br />So off we went to Once Upon a Child with our bags of baby clothes in tow. After lugging in Carter, the cart cover, 2 huge garbage bags of clothes, and my purse and fidgeting around with the cart trying to get the cover on, we finally got the clothes behind the counter to be looked over. We looked around at all the clothes and toys, and Carter got a new ball :), and I figured I'd buy a jogging stroller, which was only $40, with the money I got back from the clothes. Sounds pleasant enough right? I almost forgot to mention the 6 year old little girl with the runny nose who stuck close by to us, grabbing at Carter's hands and touching his face. If you're a "germ-a-phob" (sp?) preemie mom like me you know I was CRAWLING out of my skin!! I also forgot to mention that my little monster baby was hanging out of the cart grabbing everything in site and holding on SO tight to a stroller that we literally had to pry him off of it! We spent a good majority of the time dodging the snot nosed little girl and distracting Carter from all the "pretties", as we call them, everywhere. Ah...the clothes were done being looked over and I was ready to check out. I waited patiently in line as the lady went througha small laundry basket with about 6 or 7 shirts in it...she then brought me my same 2 garbage bags FILLED with clothes, and $12 for the few shirts they decided to keep. Seriously?! They wouldn't accept jean overalls because they didn't come with a shirt, and they didn't accept a cub's romper because it was "pilly"...and the rest were "out of style", I guess I didn't know that the babies that shopped there were Fashionistas. Who woulda thought?!<br /><br />So back out to the car with our garbage bags and monster baby in tow...and off to Portillo's for a "quick" lunch and then to the park, or so we thought. At Portillo's, Carter had has first taste of Italian Beef which got him VERY hyped up...here are his reviews. (Sorry mom I couldn't edit you out)<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxTrX_z8hTCv_2WkTiZo1mHQ1obCyeL9o0-EWrkHfmxBcmKSJ5NAwHyhU2x-a_XttG7zD3oBY121zsuaFmkXw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwyBGxMtIpCJq8g5MBE4cAtqWNtCYMryCqRa15ZCdrZSMqpYjQRAGLIeen5-iaCJkoNMzidrGGqiyLiq6vImA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br /><br />We noticed that right by Portillo's was a Target and a Home Goods, we figured we'd breeze in there real quick, just to "look around". Of course Carter was the star of the show, everyone couldn't help but comment "those eyes", if only they knew :) Two hours and $50 later we returned to my car with just enough time to drop off my mom and get home to feed Carter his dinner. So here I am, after my "productive" day...with 2 bags of old baby clothes, and 2 more bags full of new things. If that isn't pure productiveness (is that even a word?!) I don't know what is.A day in the life of a monster babyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05853018117870931214noreply@blogger.com0