Gettin' into Trouble...

Uh, hello officer. This isn't what it looks like. I'm not stealing this car, this is actually my car. License? I'm a baby. Registration? I'm sure it's right here in the glovebox... wait a minute, that's just a decal! What kinda product is Detroit putting out these days, anyway?












Yes, that's right, Carter continues to find new ways to move around and get into trouble on a minute-by-minute basis. We can't leave him alone for a second these days, and that very nearly goes for the nighttime too. As I type this, Cierra is with him in his nursery. He's so tired that he just can't sleep. As you can imagine, this is a hard problem to solve. At least, without whiskey it's a hard problem to solve. But we're not going down that road! Also all the liquor stores are closed at this hour.

Caught in my jumperoo! This is a great way for me to build my leg muscle and get a little energy out while Dad takes a breather. Try to keep up with me now, old man!!!

Be vewy, vewy quiet. I'm hunting Pogo.

Being a baby is thirsty work!

Good thing I've got my trusty canteen! Aww, man, it's empty again. Guess I'd better hike over to the kitchen and borrow some more water from Pogo.

A Very Carter Christmas!

So it's been awhile since we posted any Carter news, but we've been busy seeing family and having fun over the holidays. Actual Christmas was spent at home with just our little family, but the week before we made our usual trip up to Indiana to visit the folks...

Cierra laughed at me for my awkward baby hold in this picture, but what she didn't know is that Carter wanted to show off his baby abs.

Carter looking dapper as usual. Is he looking up at mommy, or a ceiling fan? We'll never know.

Mmm. I think I'll sneak a little eggnog binky while no one's watching.

If I can turn this on, does this mean I can get milk at the drive thru?

Hey mom, look. Uncle Krin brought me flowers!

Put me down, dad! I see some trouble worth getting into.

Guess what? Reindeer butt!

I love this outfit because as Carter crawls, the little Reindeer looks like he's walking.

So yes, Carter crawls now, and he's going non-stop. We're still a lot faster than him, but he never lets up, so our distraction with other tasks around the house make watching him a very tortoise vs hare experience... we take a rest and he keeps trucking, sometimes beating us to the finish line... which is usually Pogo's water bowl.

Carter also loves springy doorstops. Boiiiing!

Finally some video: First up, Carter listens to Uncle Krin on guitar. He is a very attentive audience!

Baby jumping jacks! BOIIING! Whee....

And, I know this video doesn't prove it, but Carter is climbing small sets of stairs now, no problem. But we don't have good video of it because I always have two hands right around him, ready if he decides to topple over and try to crack his head on the tile.

In other news, he also stood up while learning to climb the stairs a few days ago. But that was an accident, and he only stood for 5 or 6 seconds. His expression during his swaying stance said everything to me.... "Oh, man! How did I do that? And how do I get down? I'm gonna fall, aren't I, and it's gonna hurt. Wahhhhh!"

Happy New Year to all.... we'll try to get back to our usual schedule starting next Thursday.

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!