CARTER IS 14 MONTHS OLD TODAY!!!

A TALE OF TWO CUBS

I snuck into my Little Bear Cub's room tonight to check on him and discovered that he had fallen asleep with his arm tightly wrapped around his big brown bear. So cute! I love the way his little behind is stuck up in the air and how his ankles are crossed. This toy is very soft and cuddly. Carter loves to hug, kiss and wrestle with him. I had to turn on the hallway light to get these pictures because his room was way to dark even for my newer camera. 

STROLLING DOWN MAIN

Mom, Carter and I went to the pumpkin patch this morning and afterward we went for a stroll down Main Street. Mom and I were interested in window shopping and we had been discussing taking a trip downtown for several weeks. We had a great time strolling down the sidewalk looking at the window displays and stepping inside the various stores for a closer look. 

I think that my favorite store was the candy store.  I had never been in there before and I was really impressed with how nice it was.  It was a lot like an old-timey general store complete with creaky wooden floors, old fashioned toys and handmade candy.  Yum!  Actually, I'm assuming that the candy tasted good because I didn't actually buy any.  I sure did want to though!  Carter also really liked the candy store and he flirted the whole time with the store clerk.  He thought she was so nice and I believe that she thought he was adorable in his giraffe hat and outfit. 

We had lunch in town at a little cafe called Noah's Kitchen and the food was very delicious. Mom had been wanting to eat there for some time and I'm glad that we did.  It was nice to eat in a different restaurant than we normally do and I look forward to going back there again someday.

Later on in the day we walked past the Police Department and a nice officer enthusiastically invited us to come in. He was in charge of the local DARE group and he was very excited to see us (mainly Carter who he thought was very cute). He noticed that I had a camera and he wanted me to take a picture of Carter and the pig statute. (Funny!) The officer was very nice to us and he gave Carter a Junior Police badge before we left. 

THE PUMPK'N PATCH

Mom and I got up early this morning to take Carter to the pumpkin patch at a local farm. He was very cranky throughout the whole trip, but I still managed to get some cute pictures. Farmer Bodenheimer even gave Carter a little pumpkin "just his size." I tried to dress Carter appropriately for these pictures and even put the newsboy hat on him that I just purchased at The Children's Place. After we left the pumpkin patch, we had breakfast at Biscuitville wherein Carter caked himself with a jelly biscuit courtesy of my mother. (Ha! Ha! Thanks Mom! LOL...) Once we finished eating, we went home and cleaned Carter up. Then, we went for a stroll down Main Street for the rest of the afternoon.

LAUNDRY HELPER

APPLE FESTIVAL

This afternoon Carter and I went with our family to the Apple Festival. It took us about 1.5 hours to get there. There were a lot of people at the Festival, so we parked our automobiles at the courthouse and rode in by tram. Carter liked this because he got to sit on my lap for the drive over which is something he's never done before. Our group got separated into two parts for several minutes, but it wasn't long before we were reunited. One of the first things we did was eat lunch which consisted of the typical greasy spread... homemade potato chips and gigantic sandwiches topped with cheesy fries, onions, steak, fried shrimp and the kitchen sink. It sounds gross, but the sandwiches were actually pretty good. A cold jug of lemonade helped us pack it all down. A sweet older man (aka "Grandpa") gave us a funnel cake and we devoured it. I packed Carter a peanut butter sandwich with a handful of Cheerios and he was very content to eat that. There was a petting zoo on location which had the sweetest goats, sheep, baby rabbits, duck, pig and baby cow. I was excited to bring Carter in the pen to touch them, but he howled when the animals brushed up against his arms, hands and chubby cheeks with their long tongues to get a good lick of his peanut butter remnant. Yummm....they thought he tasted so good! The animals were so gentle, but Carter didn't care - he wanted me to GET HIM OUT OF THERE!!! It was a beautiful autumn day to be outside - very sunny with beautiful blue skies and a pleasant breeze. The only time I felt hot was when I stopped to think about it. A lot of craft booths had been set up to buy homemade goods so there was a lot to see and do. Matthew paid $5.00 for each of my nieces and nephews to go on horse rides. I would have paid to let Carter ride a little pony, but since he cried so hard at the petting zoo, I figured I'd better save my money. Mom, Rachel and I got angry because the "horse" people told us we couldn't take pictures of our kids. They wanted us to pay an additional $3.00 for one photo taken on their cheap cameras of each kid. What a scam! We took our own pictures anyway by trying to hide behind the trees. Now that I think about it, this was not a very good lesson to teach the kids. Oh well! At least we got some pictures. My favorite pictures are the ones taken of the kids climbing in the trees while we were hiding out. After we left the Apple Festival, we stopped for supper at a little pizzeria which had the best food - including the best homemade bread warm from the oven. It was sooo good. Carter and I ate manicotti and a salad. After supper the two of us conked out in Mom's car for the 1.5 hour drive back home.

T-R-O-U-B-L-E

RUB-A-DUB I'VE GOT 3 STRANGE DUCKS IN MY TUB

MY HEART 4-EVER

CARTER IS 13 MONTHS OLD TODAY!!!

AFTER A LONG DAY

BAD TEMPER + CONCRETE ENTRANCE = BAD ACCIDENT

Carter and I were having a great time this morning. We both woke up in a good mood. The sun was shining and the birds were singing. I spent the morning on the floor with him doing lots of "rough and tumble" play. Carter also walked/took lots of steps at different times this morning. (He just started walking yesterday.) He ate his breakfast and I gave him a bath. Late in the morning I packed his diaper bag and my camera gear so that we could spend the day with Grandma. After getting everything and everyone ready, I put Carter on the living room floor with a toy and a bottle so that I could run our things out to the car. Well, this made Carter angry because he didn't want me to leave him behind. I could see that he was having a temper tantrum and I made sure that the glass front door was tightly latched behind me...or so I thought. I went as fast as I could because I could hear him crying behind me (I actually ran to the car). When I got to the car, I threw all the stuff into the front seat, and then locked and shut the car door. By the time I spun around I could see Carter pushing the glass door open and trying to crawl between the door and the door post. Before I could get to him, Carter became wedged, lost his balance and slammed his face into the outside concrete entrance way. His nose was bleeding and he now has a really bad abrasion on his forehead. He was crying so hard he couldn't breath. My poor sweet baby! I held and rocked him until he stopped crying. I then let him call Grandma and "tell" her all about it over the phone.

CHASING SHADOWS

UPWARD AND ONWARD

Carter walked four steps this afternoon at daycare.  According Miss Amber and Miss Jennifer, his teachers, a toy walker that he was pushing across the floor rolled away from him.  Carter stood there, looked at the toy and then took four steps to retrieve it.  I was excited to hear that he had walked four steps when I picked him up at daycare this evening, but I also felt sad that I had not been there to see it.  I want to be present whenever Carter reaches any milestone.  I have to keep reminding myself that I did get to see Carter walk 1 1/2 steps several weeks ago at my mother's house - so technically I did get to see him take his first steps although at that time they were a little bit forced.

{9/11} I REMEMBER...

The morning of 9/11 I remember standing in the kitchen in my pj's. I answered the phone when Uncle Mike called and said that "we were under attack." I can still remember the feeling of total disbelief and the following sickness I felt in my stomach. I also felt a little panic because I didn't know what else was in store for our nation...or worse yet, my family. I quickly passed the word along to everyone one else at home. For hours, days, weeks and months afterwords my eyes were glued to the TV and so was everyone around me. It was all that anyone could talk about. The attacks were so surreal then and when I watch a video of it now I feel the same way. Living through 9/11 truly impacted my life in a negative and positive way. For once I felt that our country was unsafe on a very wide scale. Our freedom is something to cherish. The attacks showed me on a personal level that even Americans are not immune to the world's evil. While it was a very unsettling time in my life, it was also a time of coming to the realization of just how many good people are still out there. With the attacks also came such humanity...so much compassion, empathy and a giving on oneself for the sake of another. It is times like this that make me so proud to be an American.

BECOMING DOMESTICATED

These pictures were taken at my mother's house. Carter is learning to feed himself with a spoon.  He's only been practicing for about 1 1/2 weeks now, but I think that he's doing well.  He is required to feed himself at daycare and I've been letting him practice at home too. Carter is also doing a great job of drinking out of a sippy cup.  He is still getting a bottle when he wakes in the morning, at nap time and sometimes in the evening. I would like to have him completely weaned from his bottles by Christmas.

BREAKING NEWS STORY: RECKLESS DRIVER/STUNTMAN SURVIVES AUTO ACCIDENT!!!

News Watch Warning: 

"A young dare devil was involved in an automobile accident on the daycare playground this afternoon when he attempted to stand up/climb out/jump out of his moving vehicle. He survived the accident, but he did sustain some minor bumps, bruises and abrasions. Injuries to other persons at the scene were not reported. Ms. Mary, the injured subject's teacher and an eyewitness at the scene, said that she did see the driver shed some tears and cry uncontrollably although he appeared to look like he was going to make it. Ms. Mary also stated, "He is a reckless driver!" Therefore, the authorities are advising anyone living or playing in the vicinity of the crime scene to keep a watchful eye out for this dare devil stuntman less they desire to become the next victim. The driver's name is Carter McKinley and according to the authorities this is his 1st automobile accident (but certainly not his last). Mr. Carter was released today into his mother's care. He is at large in the community and it is unknown when he will attempt this stunt again. Women and children are advised to stay off of the playground until further notice. Mr. Carter is short in stature. He weighs approximately 19 lbs 6 oz. His dark brown eyes and black hair are dead giveaways to his identity. No other details of the accident are available at this time."

CRY BABY

MOUNTAIN CLIMBER

I was resting on the sofa this afternoon with my eyes closed. I could hear Carter playing on the floor beside me and I knew that he was safe...or so I thought. He's never tried to climb the stairs in our home before, so I was really surprised to find him on the stairs when I opened my eyes. He was standing on the third step and grinning from ear to ear. *Sigh* I guess that my little man now thinks that he is a mountain climber.

Today is Labor Day, 2010.

A NEW SCHOOL

Carter started daycare this morning at Fxxxxxxn Pxxxt Education Center.  It is a 5 star establishment and sooo much nicer than his old daycare. His teachers seem really nice and the facility reminds me of a preschool or kindergarten building. When I picked him up today his teachers told me that he had a great day and was very cheerful all day long. Carter got to play outside, sleep on a cot and eat his breakfast and lunch at the little toddler table in his classroom.