Weekend of Fun!

We are having a wonderful Memorial Day weekend and it isn't even Memorial Day yet! The past few weeks have been filled with excitement. We celebrated Torrey's birthday and went to lunch at Cheesecake Factory where Carter laughed and screamed his head off (to my embarrassment!) Then we took Torrey and Carter to the Angel game which was SO fun. Carter loved it--he could be as loud as he wanted! Last night, Dave and I left Carter with his Grandma and Grandpa and went to a karaoke bar to celebrate Josh's birthday (a highly memorable and amusing experience!)

I feel like Carter has grown up so much in the past week! He is now eating rice cereal. He wasn't too sure about it at first but now he opens his mouth and eagerly awaits each bite. Then he makes a cranky face, swallows, smiles, and gets ready for the next bite!

Carter loves spending time with his daddy. Since Carter is around me all day, he never acts too thrilled to see me but as soon as Dave walks in the room, Carter lights up and smiles and starts chatting away. It's pretty cute.

He even dresses like Dave!

We took Carter swimming in the pool for the first time today. I had no idea what to expect--I thought he might cry since the water was a little cold but he seemed really relaxed. He just cruised around in his raft, kicking his little legs the whole time. He got tired pretty fast, went down for a long nap, and Dave and I got to swim for awhile, which was fun, especially since it has been 80+ degrees here lately.

Tomorrow we are spending the day with my mom and brother and just relaxing. I wish this long weekend could last forever!

Random!

I don't really have much to blog about but I had some cute pictures and a really cute video (Carter laughing at the doctor's office) that I thought I would share. Carter is doing great--he is growing up so fast! He even held his bottle while he ate the other night (briefly, but it was still awesome!) The pediatrician said we could try him out on rice cereal soon if we want. I promise to take a video of that, as I am sure it will be a memorable experience! Oh and my Mother's Day present finally arrived! Carter (and Dave) got me a kit so I can take his hand and footprints and a frame that on one side has his picture and on the other side we take a plaster imprint of his little foot (which isn't so little anymore!) I will take a picture of the finished product once it's complete. It was a very thoughtful present--Carter did well! :)

Happy Half Birthday to Carter!

Carter is now officially 6 months old. He is 12 lbs and seems to be getting bigger every day. We went to the cardiologist last week and received some amazing news. Carter was born with two congenital heart defects--a PDA and an ASD. We were told that the PDA would probably close but that he would need surgery to close the ASD, which was significantly large. However, last week the cardiologist was amazed to tell us that the PDA was closed and the ASD was now the size of a pinhole! We don't have to go back for 6 months and at that time we hope that the ASD will be closed and that means no surgery! We are so happy that Carter is healthy and is starting to catch up with the rest of the babies his age.
We discovered in the past month that Carter is a thumb sucker. He really doesn't enjoy pacifiers at all... he usually gags or just spits it out... but he can suck on his thumb forever. I am not thrilled by this, as it seems fairly easy to get rid of a pacifier, but I can't very well get rid of his thumb! But for now, it is pretty cute...

Happy Mother's Day

The past two Mother's Days were tough for me. I desperately wanted to be pregnant but was told that my chances were not so good. This Mother's Day my heart went out to all the women who are struggling with wanting to become mothers. I understand that special kind of sadness. This year I finally woke up on Mother's Day and realized--I am a mother! This is what it is all about. Nobody but me can say they are Carter and Grayson's mommy. That alone makes me the most special mother in the world.

We decided to visit my family this weekend so we traveled up to good old Lancaster/Palmdale. Carter was a lucky boy--he got to visit with so many relatives! And of course, as always, he was the main attraction. My dad made a delicious BBQ dinner and we all just hung out. So... what did Carter get me for Mother's Day? I am STILL anxiously awaiting... Dave promises I will have whatever it is by next week. The suspense is killing me!

Here is Carter spending time with his Great-Grandmas (and Honey, the dog!)

And here Carter is with his Grandpa (check out that smile!):

And here we are playing in my dad's big backyard. He build a playhouse for his granddaughters but now we have to make it a bit more boy-friendly. We are thinking of a castle!

And here is Carter spending time with his sweet little girl cousins--they are so cute with him!

Big Boy

Seriously, I don't think I have ever seen anything cuter than this baby! This week I feel like he has grown up so much. He talks all day long (I swear he can say "Hi" "I love you" "No" and "Mama.") He used to try and swat at his toys kind of randomly and now he is very focused on grabbing his toys (using his left hand!) and he holds onto things now (which can be annoying when he constantly tries to pull the burp cloth off my shoulder!) He started sleeping through the night (in his crib!) and I am returning to a world of a good 7 hour a night sleep.  I never thought it would happen!

Here is a cute picture of the other morning. I went to take a shower and Dave was feeding Carter. When I came back, they were both asleep! I don't know how either of them manages to sleep with their hands in the air!

And lastly, here is a video of Carter enjoying his tummy time:

A Day at the Park

The weather was lovely this weekend. I can't wait for summertime! We took Carter to his first outing at the park. He was not too thrilled as he absolutely hates the sun  (just like his daddy!) We met the Wright family at the park across the street. Although Carter wasn't too impressed with the actual park, he did manage to find his first girlfriend. He is completely infatuated with Parker. Can you blame him? She's precious. It was pretty cute to watch him so intently stare at her and smile at her. He is such a flirt already! I am doomed!