Crawling!

Watch out, ladies, I'm crawling now! No longer do I have to wait for the milk to come to me... Carter here with my weekly update on the cutest baby in the world, me. Perhaps a close second is that other baby that appears in the video above. He is cute, but he is also a copycat and that is annoying.

Not only am I crawling, but I have been put in charge of Pogo! It is a lot of responsibility to have a pet. You have to take her on walks, grab her tail, poke her eyes, screetch at her constantly whenever she trots by, and make sure her bed is comfy.

Here I am in the middle of bed maintainance. This is hard work!

Well, after a cold snap Mom's been bundling me up a lot more. I think she's just trying to hang more weight on my frame to slow me down so she doesn't have to run after me so fast. Ha! It only makes me stronger.

Here I am in my kimono, getting my zen on. Meditation is very important to me. It's how I stay balanced.

No, wait. THIS is how I stay balanced. And it's a great workout as well. I call it Baby Yoga. Here, I demonstrate "Downward facing dog."

When my workout is done, I like to chill with Mom and Dad. Here I am, laughing at one of Dad's funny faces. He is so silly!

What's this? Mom got the flashy thing out again. I think she's trying to wipe my memory. Give me a second and I'll give you something to wipe.

Here, you can wipe off this tray for me. That green thing you gave me wasn't very durable at all. Baby tested, not baby approved.

Hello, I am Dr. Milk-Manchu. Daddy told me to say that, I think it's a reference from the 70s or the Middle Ages or something like that. I tried to explain that not everyone is way old like him... but he thinks he's funny and I don't want to hurt his feelings so I laugh anyway. Plus, I'm excited about this yogurt. I had so much fun eating this, I think I'll save the rest on my face for later.

Anyway, even though I'm working hard every day learning to crawl, I always remember to take time out to laugh:

That's it for this week! Next week we'll be in Indiana, so we'll talk at you again on Christmas Eve!

My first Thanksgiving!

Howdy folks! It's been an action-packed couple of weeks in my young life, and I'm finally back to tell you all about it. Last Thursday was Thanksgiving and everyone ate too much turkey. They were all too drowsy to take dictation and therefore my normal posting of baby insights and toddler wisdom had to wait a whole extra week. Sorry about that, but I'm too short to reach the keyboard.
My godparents, Jay and April Barton, honored our family with a visit the weekend before Thanksgiving. They were able to stay for 3 whole days. What a treat! They are going to get a baby of their very own next year, so I was happy to be able to educate them a little on what to expect, like lots of burping, and milk, and many, many poopy diapers. You know, all the major perks.

Then for Thanksgiving, Dad's whole family came down from Virginia and stayed for 4 whole days! Most of that time I got to hang out with Grandma. She tended to my every need and kept the other folks fed too. Man, can she make sandwiches! I felt like I was on second shift at the sandwichery when she started going to town in the kitchen. Even the folks at Burger King would have been impressed. That's how many sandwiches we're talking about here, people!

Speaking of food, they keep trying to feed me more of that nasty baby food. I think they think that now that I have teeth, I should want food. But I keep explaining to them, I only like the MILK. Don't know why that's so hard a concept. You'd think at least Mom would understand, she's the worlds biggest fan of milk.

While they were here, Uncle Freeman, Uncle Sawyer, Grandpa, and Dad all spent most of the days outside building some big super-fence around Dad's garden. Dad says it's to keep out deer, but I'm pretty sure he's planning to breed velociraptors. Here, Freeman and Sawyer pause for some Frisbee and posing with yours truly.

And, just a few of the milestones that we've celebrated in the past week.... I have now learned to scoot both forward and backward, sit up at will from a prone position, and I've started to pull up. World domination cannot be far away. Plus, I can turn the pages of my books while mommy reads to me. And I clapped for the first time just yesterday!

Big times for me. What new things did you learn to do today? Well, that's it for this time. See you next week!

Teeth!

We're all healthy and happy again here at the Tabony Household, a welcome relief from the past couple of weeks. Carter is cutting his first pair of teeth, a development we've only noticed in the last day or so. Thankfully, his gums aren't inflamed, and he doesn't seem to be in much discomfort. 2 tiny teeth on the bottom, both just barely exposed.

In other baby news, Carter is now ticklish! He always laughed at my finger coming to get him before, but the actual tickling didn't seem to affect him. We spent a lot of time laughing together today.

A's all around! This was the first full reunion of our Bradley Method Class. Francis, her daughter Theresa and Lindsey, along with Adelaide, all joined Cierra and Carter at a public library program. Afterwards, they all came back to our place for a playdate! Seems like just yesterday we were all sitting in class and our children were such a faraway concept (even though they were in the room with us). Look at what perfect little cuties they are!

Theresa, Carter, and Adelaide all aiming their cuteness at one place. Charm overload! Danger! Danger!

Still working on the whole crawling thing! He pushes up all the time now, like it's an excercise and he's a week away from having to fit into an old bathing suit. What he should be worried about is fitting into his nighttime outfits... lots of those are practically bursting at the seams!

Well, we have family and friends visiting us for the next week and we are super excited. Off to make preparations!

A Plague be Upon Our House....

Howdy everyone! Ah, the joys of parenting. Getting to share those special moments together. Like when you're both sick at the same time. All last weekend, sniffling, sleeplessness, screaming and crying... and Carter wasn't too content either.

Carter really doesn't like the bulb syringe when we use it to clean out his stuffy nasal passages. He jerks around until he manages to poke it into his eye or snap it sideways out of his nostril, then yells about how much that hurts. And all the while I'm fighting with him, I'm thinking, I wish they made these things for adults. Seriously, when you're really feeling crappy and your nose is full of junk, what would you pay to have someone let you lie on a soft table while they vaccumed all that crap out? That's right, you'd pay anything. This could be more lucrative than spa treatments.

Anywhoo, we'd both started to feel better by Tuesday, just in time for the remnants of Hurricane Ida to show up and drench most of our week. We didn't see the sun for three days here in Charlotte. Now that's over, and guess what, I've got conjunctivitis. (That's pinkeye, for those of you who didn't know and didn't feel like Googling it.) That's right, my left eye is all red and puffy, and it feels like it's ready to dry up and fall out of my head at the same time that it is leaking gross stuff (Not pictured). Now I've got the drops and I have to put them in every 2 hours, washing everything anytime I get close to touching my eye, which itches constantly. I've washed my hands more over the last couple days than most surgeons do.

This fatherhood thing is an awesome job, but the sick-time policy blows. Here's how that conversation went:

Me: Ugh. I feel terrible. My eye is crusted shut and I'm covered with germs. I don't think I can do this job today.

Carter: Yahhhhhhhhh!

Wall: Creak.

Pogo: Woof. (Give me my Prozac or I will poop on the floor.)

Wall: Groan.

Carter: YAHHHHHH!

Me: Ok, ok. (Staggers out of bed with one eye open.)

Yep, this job is fun, but the pay is nonexistant, there is no sick-time, and the boss sure yells a lot.


Cierra and Carter pose for a picture that will go on Cierra's Bradley Method webpage, which will be ready for viewing very soon. She's teaching her first class starting in January!

Happy times after I've staggered home from Time Warner.

Carter had an all-day play session with Riley on Monday. I wasn't here, but it seems Cierra handled 2 infants with about as much stress as it takes me to handle one. Must be that extra "x" chromosome. 'No Carter - socks don't go in the mouth!'

Carter and Riley work on sharing.

This eating thing seems so good in theory. It's just when I get it in my mouth that it's the most disgusting thing ever.
And finally this craze will surely sweep the nation. Baby. Krumping. Say it together now. Until next week!

Happy Halloween!

Hi there. My name is Carter. This is my dog. Get your own.

That is also my camera... Gimme gimme gimme! In a couple of weeks I'll be able to crawl over there and snatch it. I've been practicing pushing up and can now get my pelvis off the floor for extended periods. Now if these legs will propel me forward and not just slide back...

And this is my Mommy and this is my tractor. Vroom Vroom! At least that's the sound it would make if Daddy could keep it running. Silly daddy!

Mom got a new wrap this week, so I've spent most of the past few days as a baby burrito, getting shlepped all over town. And I'm making the most of it, gumming away while it still has that new fabric taste. I've been drooling and fussing more, so Dad thinks that I'm getting my first tooth. He didn't get that I was just being him for Halloween!

Actually, Dad dressed me up as a pumpkin, which was totally embarrassing. (I told him to make sure my outfit was pimpin, but he apparently wasn't listening very well.)

And that's it for this week! Babies got to get their rest. Stay classy, America!

Bradley Baby

Hey! This isn't my bottle! But... I like it!

Sorry for the long time between posts. We took a little time off from our normal routine and went up to Chicago, and then spent a few days visiting family in Indiana. Grandpa Greg and I shared the backseat with Carter on the way to the airport on our return trip and we kept him happy by slipping various objects into his seat for him to play with. What do you think... should Pepsi sign him on as their primary spokesbaby? That 6-12 month market is a hard one to crack and he could be key...

Everything came up roses in Chicago, where Cierra went for a four-day training session. She is now just 2 supervised 12 -week courses (which she will teach) from being an officially certified teacher in the Bradley Method. This is a husband coached, natural method of childbirth. Carter came along to be near the food supply, and I came along to wrangle Carter so Cierra could pay attention in class. I expected to be in the class only when I had to bring Carter in for a meal, then spend the rest of the time in the hotel room. However, the presentation was fun and interesting, and I got to listen to a lot of it too. I left even happier than before that we chose to take Bradley Method classes before Carter's birth... and for those of you out there that are expecting, you really do owe it to yourselves to check out your options and the pros and cons of different ways of managing the process of birth.

Hey Dad! Enough about all that boring stuff. People come to this blog to find out what's going on with me. Now spill it!

Well, of course Carter's time was at a premium while we were in Indiana. Here, Great Grandma Bardonner lets him play with her watering can. She may have spilled some Miracle-Gro on him, because he continues to grow like a weed.

Great Grandpa Rich and Second Cousin Kara get a little face time with Carter. This is right after our tour of Grandpa's turnip patch, where we pulled out several turnips about as big as Carter's head!

Carter brings the happy no matter where he goes. Even though Aunt Kaelie wasn't here to see him this trip, he's wearing her school's gear for her!

We made a quick stop in Lafayette to meet up with Uncle Krin and his girlfriend Rachel. This was our first time getting to meet Rachel after hearing about her for more than a year. We had high expectations from all of the praise everyone had for her... and we're happy to say that she exceeded them. They are a cute couple... and with Carter in the picture there may just be too much cute there for our camera to handle. Or maybe too much flash.

Pbbbbt. Come on, let's finish this up Dad. I'm a motorboat with other places to be.

Okay, okay. But before we go, just one more picture of Carter bundled up for the colder weather. He still helps me in the garden, but now he needs an extra layer or tw-

Blah, blah, blah. Dad, nobody cares about your garden and the cold weather. I can see I'll have to write this next time. Carter Out!

Making it work...

Mobility. That's the name of the game. If you don't have mobility, chances are you aren't going anywhere. Like me, for example. Here I am doing a great impression of a motorboat. I just pull up my arms and legs, purse my lips and let out a pbbbt and all of a sudden I'm putting along at the speed of imagination. Yeah, as in just imagine if that would actually work. Still stuck to the floor.

So I roll over on my side, cough, grunt, hold my arms out, and mom'll come running...

... or Dad, depending on who's closer. Then I get to go where I want! And as long as I smile really wide, they don't seem to realize that I've turned them into my own personal chauffeur! Perhaps I don't need to learn the whole walking thing after all!

That's right Dad, laugh it up. You're going to have to carry me upstairs AND deal with a stinky mess in just a few minutes. Sucka!

Here I am, in Mom's lap, just chillin. Can't spend all your time learning to crawl. Some babies are all work, work, work. I recognize you've got to be balanced for good mental health. Little bit of thrashing around on the floor, little time heaving up breakfast, then zoning out within arm's reach of the food supply. This is the life.

Back at work. I'm going to figure out this arm-leg situation, then you'd better watch out!

Baby giggles. It's the best sound in the whole world. :)

Big Grins

Another week gone by and Carter's gotten even better at making the camera love him. Here he is on Daddy's shoulders for the very first time! I hoisted him up there and marched around the room to give him my perspective on things for a few minutes. He was all smiles.

Of course, he's all smiles no matter what it is that we're doing. Well, okay, he really doesn't smile this much all the time. But he does seem to know how to turn it on whenever the camera comes out. He's so good at it that Cierra thought maybe we should get Carter an agent. The only problem? He only knows to do it with our crappy camera. Last month when we had a professional out to take some shots, all he wanted to do was see if he could get his entire hand in his mouth.

Our neighbor at the farmer's market makes baby clothes, but had stuck to mostly items for little girls. After she met Carter, she was inspired to make this little onesie. Awww... Carter's first formal wear! (In case you can't tell, that is a tie sewn onto the front.)

Carter still reacts with revulsion whenever he is offered solid food. We don't think it's the taste really, just a difficulty swallowing anything thicker than milk. But to start transitioning him, we're now putting him up in a booster seat at the table for mealtimes. When we're not painting his chin and the front of his shirt with mashed bananna, he's playing with this contraption.

We're also working our way toward mobility. Just in the last few days he's started to get his pelvis off the ground... but instead of getting up on his knees, he just ends up pushing his legs out again and his powerful arms just schooch him backwards a bit on the floor. Repeat multiple times and I feel like my baby is stuck in reverse. Here he shows off his progress. Note he's so good at sitting now that Cierra felt comfortable stepping away to take this video.

And when we're done with all the hard work with Mommy, then it's time for a play session with Daddy! He loves it when I tickle him with my nose.

Love me, Love me

Hello. I am the cutest baby ever. Look into my eyes and lose all control of your heart. You will sit here mesmerized while the other children go through your pocketbook and scamper away down dark alleyways with the dearest possesions they can pilfer. These are my jedi powers.

Seriously though, what can I say, the camera loves me. Can you blame it? Ha, just kidding. But really, don't hate me because I am beautiful. Instead, love me. And give me milk.


Here the camera loves me after a bath, and I love it right back. Notice how I am flashing a little leg. Well, a lot of leg. Actually, I think that is a little more than leg. You grown up folks should not try this at home. You will be banned by Blogger.

Second time in a high chair and third time at the Cajun Queen! And I am rocking it, as usual. This time I said very clearly to the waiter that I needed my own seperate filet mignon, but I think he was distracted by my cuteness and forgot to bring it. Being so beautiful has it's burdens.

Here I am sitting up outside on my blanket! Notice this picture is blurrier than the others. This is also right around the time Mom lost her glasses. Coincidence? I don't think so. Mom is never going to figure out where I put those things. I'll bet Dad and the lawn mower can find them!

Another burden of being so pretty... the paparazzi are everywhere. I don't mind some posing for the camera, but other times I want my privacy! Leave me alone!

Grandma Mimi loves me so much she flew all the way from LA to be with me for a couple days. This is all of us standing around in Dad's garden, looking at more things that everybody but me gets to eat.

Ah, great! Finally Mom took the hint and I'm going to be served a real meal. Wait. You give me a nylon sock with a piece of banana that I'm supposed to suck through the mesh? And my filet is still nowhere to be seen. Is there some sort of comment card I can fill out? Don't make me use my jedi powers on you!