6 Month Photo Shoot

Amy is one talented gal! (http://www.amyfree.com/) Carter wasn't really on his game that day - it was a little early for him and a bit windy, but she still managed to capture some great moments...

How to be like Carter

Howdy folks. Carter here. Welcome to the baby gun show! Yeah, I'm buffing up for the ladies... I like the older women, anywhere from 9 months to the seniors. When they tickle my toes and pinch my cheeks, it sets my world on fire.

Anyway, lots of you who would like to do better with the fairer sex have written in to ask how I've been reeling them in. So I thought I would let you in on a few details of my routine. I like to start off every morning with 50 or so pushups. I'd do more, but I can't quite get my butt off the floor. Then I eat 5 raw eggs. Well, I would if mom would let me. Instead, she eats 2 cooked eggs, then I get some milk. So it's kinda like eating filtered eggs.


Every day, I take a nice long walk. You've got to get your excercise! Now, some of you might be saying that I'm not actually walking while strapped to mom. To those folks, I say, you've obviously never had to hold my baby head up while being bounced around in a giant sling. Trust me, it's exercise.

Ask all the ladies, 75 percent of the attraction is in the face. So I've got to start taking care of my skin now before the sun damage kicks in. I give myself a facial daily. It's very easy to do... just burp up breakfast and slap your face down in it.

Oh, yeah. I can feel it working. I am going to be irresistible!

Anyway, all this hard work is paying off in spades. I can sit straight up in my stroller now and look out for that Pogo on the floor or see where I can aim my binky when I throw it overboard. I get extra points if I get it in Pogo's bowl or if Dad has to move furniture when he's retrieving it.

Here I am sitting up by myself. Mom cut out the part where I fell over backwards, but that's why Dad's sitting next to me... I told her that I meant to do it, that's what trust falls are all about!
I've also discovered a giant yet rather tasteless lollipop affixed to my exer-saucer. If I can just figure out how to keep it in my mouth while I push the noise buttons, I'm set for life! This is also excellent exercise for building arm tone.

And for leg strength, I try to spend about 45 minutes a day in my jumperoo. I'm getting so good at it, Dad had to set it up for level 2 just yesterday.

So remember, you too can make time with the ladies by following these simple steps. Oh, and it doesn't hurt to be a really cute baby.

Half Year Birthday

Hey there! Carter here. Just enjoying a little celebratory foot on my half-birthday. That's right, I'm officially 6 months old. Just 210 more and I can vote! What a week! Dad's back at work 2 days a week so I can finally nurse without listening to him sing "Don't look now, Mama's got her boobs out." Dad, that song stopped being funny before I was even born.

So Mom and I are getting some bonding time now, which is great. Let's see, I've figured out how to sit up in my stroller so I'm not always slumped over to one side or another. I can even lean forward and look out to see what's going on around us. That's pretty cool.

Check out this cool car Grandpa Tabony brought me. Wow, a new car for my birthday! Wait, what? You made it for dad when he was my age? Aw, Jeez. It's a used junker...Hey, it doesn't even run! Guess I'll just have to take these wheels off and set it up on wooden blocks.

Mom and Dad took me on a family outing on Monday to the National Whitewater Center here in Charlotte. Unfortunately, the pumps were all turned off so I napped in my car seat while they snapped pictures. Look, Dad thought he was auditioning for a Gap ad. Later, I woke up and we went for a walk around the pond.

Since I'm getting to be so mature, apparently I have to start eating stuff that isn't milk. Mom stuck her finger in my mouth with something called "banana" this week. Boo. Dad captured the sequence on the camera....

Baby happy..... Baby eats banana...... Baby not happy. What's the big deal about this eating thing again? Think I'll just stick with milk.

Time Flies....

...when you are having this much fun. I admit to tearing up today when I looked at Carter sitting up on his own and realized just how quickly all of these special moments are flying by.



Already this week, Carter had his first hair cut (by mommy - had to get the fuzz off of the ears!), went to his first business meeting (at my work), and helped me make our first batch of homemade baby food. We probably won't actually be starting 'solids' for another week or two, but the food is in the freezer when he's ready!

Check out the fuzz!!





Hunter's mom and dad visited for labor day and kept little man smiling.



I would love to know what Carter thinks about a day with mom versus a day with dad (now that Hunter is working a couple of days at Time Warner, the two of us are together alone for 2 days each week). I know that they practice raspberries together while I'm gone because by Monday morning, he can't wait to show me this....



Tune in next time and we may have some professional photos to share. Amy did his newborn pictures for us, and came out again today for six month photos. He kept the gummy grin hidden for most of the shoot, but she thinks we'll still come out with some good ones.

We're all Smiles

Carter continues to help us strengthen our smiling muscles as he learns to use his smiles, laughs, and personality more and more. He just melted my heart when I came home from work tonight to find him fussing a little for Hunter on the changing table. As soon as I walked in and said 'hi' he started smiling and giggling instead. What a lucky gal I am to have two sweet and smiling guys in the house!

This week, Carter has been very interested in watching us eat. Hunter had been finding that Carter was happy while he was cooking, but when he sat Carter down in the other room to play while Hunter ate, Carter got upset. I noticed that he was watching my every move as I was eating oatmeal one morning, so that night, instead of putting him down, I sat him next to us in his stroller so he could watch us eat - there's been no more fussing at dinner since then!

The hands continue to constantly be in and around his mouth. He is getting pretty good at sucking on the thumb, but it is sometimes still two fingers (or four, or five!).

Can you see that his eyes are changing color away from their baby blue in this picture? They are close to green currently, but I still think we will eventually get to brown.

The rolling over is almost perpetual now. This is beginning to make diaper changing, dressing, and our nightly massage a challenge. He did an entire 360 yesterday. He has even started getting up on his knees for milliseconds at a time. All of this hint at mobility has had me starting to plan babyproofing for the house - yikes, that is going to be a big job!

I wish I was as flexible as little Carter man. He doesn't even have Aunt Kaelie around to emulate, but he's still constantly doing the splits in the air (that is when you can get him to stay on his back!)

He ran all around town with me this week making friends - touring one of the maternity wards uptown, selling Hunter's produce at the farmer's market, even coming to a tap class with me. The grinning that he creates is contagious - you just can't help yourself!