1 year old...

Oh my goodness...our little boy is 1! It is so hard to believe. I can remember the day he was born, like it was yesterday (And if I can be honest for a minute, there are times that I just want to go back...have him all over again...experience this last year again. But at the doctor's office for his 1 year wellness checkup, a nurse named Mel, who is so precious & sweet gave me some great advice that someone had once given her. She said not to miss the joy of today, because you are spending so much time thinking about and mourning what has passed. Well put, and so I begin trying to not wish time back, but enjoy every great joy this little boy brings us each day!)

Anyways, Carter is seriously one big ball of AWESOME-NESS! He weighs 24 pounds and is 30 inches long. His doctor said he is doing great! (Except for a visit to the ENT that is now in order. Booooo!) He absolutely loves, loves, loves to be outside! We have spent so much time on walks / jogs, playing in the backyard and at the park. It makes me SO excited about getting to do so much fun stuff outside with him this summer! One of his favorite things right now is playing catch! Oh my gosh, does he love it! The only problem is, he does not differentiate between playing catch with balls & playing catch with keys, hats, sippy cups (see where I am going with this?!). He only eats table food now, and drinks whole milk (bye bye Enfamil! ) with a new favorite stepping into the picture...mexican rice! He also loves playing with his toys (especially his basketball goal) and playing with Tyson! (There are 2 videos at the end of the post where you can see him playing basketball & playing with Tyson - too cute!) And the walking...oh the walking! He is doing so great with it. I think he is finally figuring out that walking IS more efficient than speed-crawling! He can even walk, bend over pick up a ball, and then stand back up & keep walking. What a big boy! Pictures of his 1st birthday ~ coming soon!

Walk this way!

A few weeks ago, Tim and I saw Carter take his first step in his room. (And I proceeded to cry at not only the thought of but the witness to him growing up before my eyes). Since then, 1 step has turned into 2 or 3 (usually followed by him falling down). We have tried and tried to get it on video, but have been unable to. Low and behold...Saturday, we got it! It is actually 6 or 7 steps AND for the first time, he didn't fall afterwards. We are so proud...what a big boy! (And once again, like I usually say before every video, ignore my screaming. GEEZ!)

11 months old...

Carter turned 11 months old yesterday. I think I say "wow" every month. But "wow!" Almost a year old...unreal. This has been a super fun month, just like the rest. He has 4 teeth now, with others coming in probably as we speak. They are coming in so fast! He loves playing with his push toys. It's really funny because he tries to push EVERYTHING. From tiny toys to the huge ottoman that sits in front of the couch. I literally have watched him lean over & push the ottoman with all his might & get SO frustrated that he can't move it! He can stand by himself now...for several seconds (I have never counted, so don't know exactly how long!) He walks around holding onto everything, and can walk next to you, holding only one of your hands. Walking alone is just around the corner! Oh, and he had yet another haircut.

You can see from the pictures that bath time, eating, and rolling / throwing the ball TOP THE LIST of Carter's favorite things. Oh, and Tim's white Titleist hat. Seriously. This thing can make Carter happy INSTANTLY. He puts it on, takes it off, carries it around. And it's just that one! So bizarre...our quirky little cutie. Back to eating, oh eating. Baby food is pretty much gone now. He wants table food & he wants to feed himself! He eats all kinds of fruits and vegetables: apples, pears, bananas, peaches, carrots, green beans, peas, corn, and mashed potatoes (his FAVORITE. He actually scoops them into his mouth with both hands. Too cute). He loves yogurt, cheese, chicken sticks, turkey sticks, pasta and of course everyone's favorite, macaroni & cheese...YUM! And let's just say a MESS! (See the bottom picture and video for some "black bean fun" when we were out to eat one night).

Well his first birthday is sneaking up on us...trying to figure out plans. Everything I have thrown out, Tim has kind of described as "excessive" (I believe that was the word of choice). So we'll see what we come up with! :)

The picture to the left goes with the video below. We were at our favorite neighborhood mexican restaurant, Salsa Mex, a few weeks ago. And we introduced Carter to black beans. He LOVED them. The video shows how well he was feeding himself, and the picture is the messy disaster that was Carter when it was all over. Can you see the beans all over his face?!?! Too cute!

One more pic with Santa!

Here is a picture of Carter with Alex & Santa, that day we were in Grapevine. He took to this Santa MUCH better than the last! Maybe that's the key...take them to as many Santas as necessary, until they are comfortable enough to behave! ;)