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!