ALL THINGS CARTER?

I am trying to find a new title for Carter's Blog.

WHY?

He is almost a year old now, his personality is forming, and I think that with some effort, we can come up with a better title than his name...

SO- family and friends...what think you? Put your ideas in the comments section. No idea is a bad idea, but Carter will ultimately choose the final title. It is his blog after all.

Belly Shots, and Boyz Playing Hard to Get.

Unfortunately my camera was brought for our annual grrrls weekend (Carter participated this time ex-utero) in Fart-go, it just had no batteries. This means, no cute pictures of Carter and Alison playing, swimming or sleeping. No belly shots of Auntie Andy [sniff], and lastly, no shots of Carter crying when Alison came in for a kiss.

I am not quite sure what the issue was this weekend. For the most part the kids played together pretty well, for babies. However, Carter really seemed to get his diapers in a knot every time Alison crawled "too close". However, for an in-your-face kid like Carter...to close is usually not a problem. Maybe it was the fact that he likes to get close, not be gotten close to... I wonder where he would get those control issues from???

Swimming was a blast. Alison showed Carter how to slap the water and yell loud in the pool so your voice is well heard. Carter took it a step further, splashed and splished, and yelled with all his might. All in all, every baby had a blast and burned off some much needed energy.

I think Auntie Andrea got a trial by fire look into baby-hood this weekend. All in all, she survived un-scathed. Carter and Alison have taught their Aunt that if she can handle two "whacked out" babies who love to get into everything, and have no patience for the necessities of life like diaper changes and eating, she can handle anything!

The drive to and from Fargo was not the best. We (I) decided never to meet this late in the fall again. Hopefully next year I will have a camera and you will see pics of Alison and Carter playing together, and showing thier new pal, Baby R (which I think is going to be a boy!) how to drive his parents craZy.

Breakfast is nice...

Matt is home with Carter all week. (well until Wednesday, as I have Thursday and Friday off-sigh-American Thanksgiving. I give thanks for days off for something I really don't celebrate...although this year we are going to the Malczoutters for dinner...so I guess we DO celebrate it). On Friday Carter will be joining me, Andrea + (baby Rehirchuk), Alison, and Laura for a grrrls weekend in Fargo, ND.

We went to my favorate breakfast joint - Original Pankake House...yummmie warm syrup, and yoghurt with fruit in it. Carter got bananas and applesauce with cereal. Half way through breakfast, Carter decided he would feed himself with his spoon - AND he did! He did it 2x, and then was ready to have Dad feed him again.

Carter is also sending warm fuzzies to his Amma who is hopefully getting out of the hospital today. Poor Amma had some surgery on her arm a few days ago after a cooking accident a few weeks ago. Everything is fine now, and Amma has been given the clear to go home.

Maybe by the time we are in Canada for Christmas Carter can show off and feed us his birthday cake! Not likely!

eek! eeek!

That's right folks. You counted 'em. Two mice.

We are sure that is all there are, after leaving the traps in the kitchen for several days in the areas we knew were frequent stomping? grounds for the mice.

Now, if only someone could come and fix our garberator...

Eeek!

YUK!

I discovered last night-or rather Kate discovered-that we have a mouse. I know, this has nothing to do with Carter, other than he can't go into the kitchen until the mouse is out and dead.

Ewww. A mouse. Shudder. I just can't get over it. I am trying to be cool about it, but I am wearing my shoes in the house now...[shudder]

Will give progress report as mouse has been evacuated from house. AND YES, for all you nay sayers out there, it is ONLY 1 mouse! I know, because it is not possible to have more. I can't handle it.

Interesting post on baby massage

If anyone has ever been interested in baby massage, this breaks everything down into easy steps, and saves you the time of a class.

Baby Massage with Patata Monkey

I especially like the I LOVE YOU stroke. Maybe we can teach that to Carter - OH, baby massage is FOR babies, not to teach babies to give to parents. hmmmmm. Interesting idea.

I forgot a few news items...

I can't believe I forgot about announcing the arrival of the McCubbin Twins! OMG-Carter's new playmates. He would never forgive me! Well, for now, he just likes to visit with them when they are using cool new toys-like the vibrating bouncy chair.

News #5:
Steve and Karyn gave birth to two healthy, happy (who wouldn't be with parents like Steve and Karyn?) baby boys, Steve Andrew McCubbin [Sammy] (7.5 lb) and Joshua John McCubbin (4.5 lb).
Josh




Sammy


News #6:
Derek and Sonya Penner are expecting a new addition to their family in June of 2006. Jackson was born a few months before Carter on July 31, 2004.

Sonya asked me last night on the phone, after telling us their exciting news, when we were going to have more. This is one thing I am happy to "not keep up with the Jones' about" for now. Carter is amazing, and we can't imagine our lives without him (Oh my God...could you imagine? [a twisted game of worst case scenarios that Matt and I play from time to time. E.g. Oh my god, could you imagine if we let Carter crawl home from daycare rather than picking him up?]) Cudos to Steve and Karyn, my new heros. I don't know if I could do two, especially right now, with Carter just beginning to get busy. Give us a little more time, then we'll decide.


Just a note about cute things Carter is doing now:

-Waving in a new way-he likes to wave "goodbye" and "hello" but have his hand facing himself. Sometimes he even utters something that could be discerned as "bye-bye".

-Drinking his bathwater. Carter used to like to do this straight from the rinsing cup, but Matt has noticed Carter likes to now just bend down to the water and suck it up.

-Feeding himself his own food. This is a nice development for Matt and I because now we can eat as well while he is eating. Some food he still needs to be spoon fed. Although the interest is there, the coordination is not.

"I am banging my head...."

Poor Carter-he has had so many secrets to keep over the past few weeks he is just bursting to tell them all. Friday was the day he had to wait until-that was when the last secret was revealed.

In all seriousness though. Carter did get a HUGE goose egg on his head yesterday. I think the foundation of the house vibrated from him hitting his head on the door frame. It has decreased significantly today though-I think the proactive peas, ice and anything else he would take on his head helped that one. Poor baby.

Honestly, I was telling Matt. I now know what people mean when they say, "I can't help but feel an ache when my child aches." I always thought, "Yeah, yeah." and images of my Mom crying whenever I split my face open, got hit by a car, or whatever else seemed so excessive. I now understand it a little better though. I had to try very hard not to cry, and just be there to hold him, so that he knew it was OK...OK to cry, but OK to feel better too. On his own schedule. Matt and I sure did dote on him after that too-I mean, really, he is STILL just a wittow babee.

NEWS #1:
Our friends Craig and Rebecca are expecting in April-their second after Lilja who is almost exactly one year older than Carter.

NEWS #2:
Our friends Andrea and Darrell are expecting in April as well. This is their first. You may remember I was in Andrea's wedding party this June. Those kids don't mess around...or rather...they DO mess around!

NEWS #3:
Our friends Corey and Kate announced their engagement to us on Sunday. Corey, the romantic...got down on one knee on a beach in Tampa, FL while sipping champagne and watching the sun set. [sigh] How perfect. In addition, Corey asked for permission from Kate's dad while skeet shooting in his farm a month or so ago. Luckily Mr. Soutter was holding the gun at the time-so he had the option of shooting Corey, or allowing him to marry his daughter.

NEWS #4:
Announcing a new edition to the Heinrichs family. Jennette, after 29 years on this earth without a car, felt like Spike was not enough transportation for one grrrl (see Carter enjoying his ride on a fall day?). Well, I introduce Miles Albert Heinrichs, a five door OPTRA FAhVE. He is so cute!











That's all for now, folks! Carter congratulates Ant Jennette, Uncle Corey & Auntie Kate, Auntie Andrea and Uncle Darrell, and Uncle Craig and Auntie Rebecca! Good job you reproducers and consumers!

Random thoughts...

Sometimes I wonder if what I write, is really just an annoyance for those of you who really just come to the blog to see pictures...too bad ;)

Carter got his booster shot today. According to Matt, he was very calm (although I think Matt was the one who made it calm for him) and really didn't cry much at all.

What is the best? I think the random Carter kisses we get rank right up there. Sometimes I am never really sure if that is what he intended to do, as it isn't much of a kiss (unless you are talking teenager trying to figure it all out kiss!) but more of a putting his open mouth on your face and movin' it all about. He is also quite spontanious with it. Although, I imagine our kisses to him are also spontanious. When you are sitting on the floor playing with your toys, deep in the moment and someone comes up behind you and kisses you all over - you have no idea those kisses are because you are being cute as hell.

Below I have some photos, of our most recent trip to Winnipeg. Some are Carter, Carter with Adam Stamler (cousin), and some are his cousin Erik, and Erik's cousin's Joe and Luke-o.





















My favorate photo of Erik.
It is like "Where's Waldo?"

Hallow'een - trick or treat?

We all had a great Halloween here. As commercial as it seems to continue to be getting.

I can remember as a kid, hauling out my favorate pillow case, strapping on my unicef box and gathering with a few freinds to hit the streets. When I arrived at houses I screamed at the top of my lungs "TRICK OR TREAT, GIVE ME SOMETHING GOOD TO EAT, NOTHING BIG, NOTHING SMALL, JUST THE SIZE OF MONTREAL!"

Now, kids go to the mall to trick or treat. OR, if they do stay home, they ring the doorbell?! AND, they have these new fandangled sacs that hold the candy. Who are these kids? WHO ARE THEIR PARENTS. OK, OK, I have purchsed a small Haloween candy holder for Carter because, as you will see in the pictures below, they had a party at daycare on Monday. AND, I am also not a purist so much so that I insisted on making a costume (even with my newly aquired sewing maching-thank you Nadine!)

Enjoy the photos, at the bottom, I will provide a "What is Carer doing now?" update



Carter looking cute, and debonnaire.



Carter ready to party as those new fangled raves. He's only missing the sucker...and the trend by about 10 years-giving an indication how long it has been since I have been out looking for an unadvertised party in a warehouse.





This is Carter enjoying music with Miss. Becky. Apparently he LOVED playing the drums. A lot. Not a surprise. He loves anything that makes noise.





Gush. I love you Miss Becky.













In order of appearance, from right to left, starting with our star in the back row: Carter, Emma, Jordan, Conner, Aidan. In the front we have Frannie, Bryce, Kira, and Nya.


In front of our house before leaving for the Halloween Party.




















Here are our neighbours, Lilly and Sophie. Lilly was a cat, and Sophie was a dragon. She explained to us, "Dragons save the princesses!" Way to embrace the concept of grrrl power Sophie!




WhAt Is CaRtEr DoInG nOw?
1. With the newly aquired bottom and top teeth, he is grinding them. Apparently Erik my nephew did this, and I am sure I did as well. The sound is enough to make your skin crawl right off your body. I have to pretend he is eating jaw breakers or ice cubes.

2. Climbing the stairs at our house. He can now climb up stairs, pretty well, I may add.

3. Getting used to daylight savings? Can I say, the person who came up with this concept did NOT have kids. If they did, they certainly were not infants.