Adorable Adorable Adorable

Carter’s Gram (my mom) came for a visit this weekend. I lost track on Saturday how many times she used the word 'adorable' referring to her ‘adorable’ grandson. It is good to have another unbiased opinion to confirm that Carter is such a cutie. She was smitten within an hour of her arrival on Friday evening when Carter smiled at her and hugged her neck. She was bursting with adoration when she got to give him his evening bottle and he fell asleep in her arms.
On Saturday Gram, Carter and I ran a few errands to try to take advantage of a couple of good shopping coupons. Then we returned home and became a house divided to watch the Iron Bowl. Gram was outnumbered with Carter in Auburn gear and mommy and daddy pulling for the Tigers, but the Tide pulled out a victory anyhow. I sure hope Carter experiences an Iron Bowl victory next year. We planned on venturing out to church this morning, but Carter slept an extra hour this morning so our morning got off schedule (not that I am complaining about the extra hour of sleep!) We enjoyed some visitors this afternoon. Our friends Scott and Kelly stopped by on their way home from their Thanksgiving travels. We sipped hot apple cider and watched Carter smile at all of us.
I have enjoyed several days with daddy at home as well as Gram’s company this Thanksgiving week. So many special moments to remind me how much there is to be thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving

We were on our own for Thanksgiving this year but we were determined to have a full spread. Four cookbooks and one e-mail from Gramma later we had our Thanksgiving meal planned out. Adam gets most of the credit for the delicious meal we enjoyed today. I wasn’t feeling too well this morning, so he encouraged me to take a nap. A couple of hours later he had most of the dishes prepared and the house smelled fabulous. Here is a quick run down of our menu: roasted turkey with homemade cranberry and pineapple chutney, Gramma’s dressing and gravy, citrus sweet potatoes, seared green beans, and rolls. As I write this blog we have a blackberry cobbler in the oven. The only downfall to this wonderful day of eating? We have no ice cream in the freezer to enjoy with the cobbler when it comes out of the oven. Tragic.

After lunch we took a stroll through the neighborhood while Carter took a nap in his stroller. We reflected today on past Thanksgivings that we have shared with both of our families. We were sad to not be with you today, but we were also thankful for our new family and our new home. We have much to be thankful for this year.

Carter was full of new noises and lots of smiles today. Here he is entertaining himself while we were working in the kitchen.

Airplanes and Cousins and Weddings...Oh My!

We are back from our big trip and amazingly have no embarrassing stories to tell. Carter was an absolute prince (as Mimi likes to say). We started very early Friday morning…our flight left at 6:30 in the morning. As tough as this was for mommy and daddy, it worked out great for Carter…he went right back to sleep on the plane. He traveled better than we could have expected.

We arrived in Kansas City 15 minutes before Mimi, her other precious grandchildren Robert and Jack, and their parents. I got a “knock-me-down” hug from Robert at the gate. Those are the absolute best! We met the Adam's aunt Marcia (aka the mother of the groom) for lunch at the Plaza. She is a big fan of Carter, Robert, and Jack so it was a treat to have some good time with her. We also got to meet the youngest member of the family, Isaac, who is only 5 weeks old. Hillary and Jason - he is precious!!!

The rehearsal dinner was at a very tasty barbecue restaurant. This was my third trip to KC and my third visit to Jack Stack…can you see a trend? Here is a picture of the newlywed couple at their rehearsal dinner:

Carter had his very own place at the table – place card and all. They even had these Infant Seat Cradles at the table so Carter could sit with us. After such and eventful day, Carter slept through most of the dinner.

On Saturday we were hoping for some good hang out time with Carter’s cousins, but the boys’ nap times ended up falling back to back. Carter napped, then Jack napped, then it was time for Carter to nap again. Oh well. On our way back from lunch we ran into Robert and family. Here he is giving directions on where we should go next:

We all managed to make it to the church almost on time for pictures. We snapped a few ourselves before it was time for the professional picture with the bride and groom. Can you believe we got all 3 boys dressed and happy for a picture?

Here is a cute shot of Mimi with her 3 favorite grandchildren.

Aren't I the lucky one with these 3 handsome men? The groom...my adorable Carter...and my husband in a tux!

The reception was at a really cool club in downtown. Check out these fabulous table arrangements.

And, finally, the new Mr. and Mrs.

Congratulations Wes & Katie. We had a fabulous time at all of the festivities and are so excited for both of you.

So little...So much stuff

Carter is traveling by plane for the first time tomorrow. I have always been a last minute packer myself. My mom can testify to that...and now Adam can as well. Since I now have the responsibility of packing for two, I conquered the procrastination by starting this afternoon instead of this evening. :) But, the suitcases are packed, and we are as ready to go as we will be.

Adam and I have always traveled light. I can't remember the last time we checked luggage. In fact, the only two suitcases we have are small enough to carry on board with you to avoid the check in process. As I was packing Carter's stuff this afternoon I was shocked at how quickly his stuff filled an entire suitcase! Plus, we are carrying a diaper bag with more Carter stuff and a backpack with other toys, bottles, etc. Yep - all Carter stuff. How can one little guy require so much stuff?

Here is a picture of Carter's finished suitcase.

And here is the suitcase that mommy and daddy now get to share!

Fine Dining - Part 2

We have entered a new level of messiness during cereal time around here. (I can only imagine the messes we will be cleaning up once we introduce colored stuff like green beans and carrots.) I hope you get as many laughs out of this little video as I do when I watch it.

Drool Baby Drool

Carter sure has turned on the faucet lately. He is drooling all over the place and putting every single toy in his mouth. He also babbles all of the time, loves to watch Saturday football while on his tummy, gives the best snuggles and nuzzles when you hold him, and is starting to find his laugh when mommy and daddy make complete fools of themselves with silly noises, faces, etc. He is so much fun and we are loving all of it.

Carter had a big weekend. On Friday we traveled with Adam back to Charlottesville. Carter and I visited the new Visitor Center at Monticello (where I used to work) and had lunch with some friends. The new Visitor Center was still under construction when I left so this was my first time to walk through the new Museum Shop and eat at the Cafe and it was absolutely stunning. For those of you in the area, I highly recommend a return trip to Monticello in the near future. That afternoon once Adam was done with group meetings for school I got a haircut - a nice treat. On Saturday we traveled to the DC area to see some of Adam's friends and some of Carter's biggest fans. We had a delicious barbecue dinner and enjoyed catching up with friends. Carter made a brief appearance during his 10:30 feeding and then gave lots of smiles the next morning at breakfast. I think everyone (except for Sophie - the adorable beagle of the house who had to stay in her crate while Carter was around) really enjoyed Carter's new tricks. The above picture is after bath time last night...Carter was worn out and ready for bed.

Soothing himself?

We received this Lullaby Lamb Sleep Soother as a gift at a baby shower and have used it everyday since Carter was born. It plays 4 different calming sounds in 23 or 45 minute increments. Before we put Carter down for a nap, we always press the ocean button. Does it help him sleep better or longer? Who knows. It is just something we have always done and we are afraid to stop!

When we lay Carter down, he is still swaddled, but with one arm out. The lamb is always in the corner of the crib on the side of the arm that is swaddled in the blanket. His head is near the lamb so he can hear it but never close enough to touch it. This is important for you to try to picture before you read the next paragraph. Got the picture? Good. Keep reading.

Carter slept from 11:00 pm to 6:00 am again last night (woo hoo!!) and when Adam went to get him this morning Carter had grabbed the lamb with the arm that had broken free of the swaddle AND he had pressed the ocean button. How funny is that? Was he trying to sooth himself back to sleep? We know it was probably just a funny coincidence that he happened to press the ocean button, but it makes for a good story, right?

Before I laid Carter down this morning for a nap I attached the lamb to one of the crib slats with velcro so it will stay in the corner as it is supposed to. Carter is reaching for anything and everything these days...definitely keeping us on our toes!

Weekend Update

Here is a quick recap of our weekend.

On Friday night Adam read Newsweek’s special edition Secrets of the 2008 Campaign almost from cover to cover. It sounds pretty interesting. Newsweek describes this special edition as “exclusive behind-the-scenes reporting from the McCain and Obama camps assembled by a special team of reporters who were granted year-long access on the condition that none of their findings appear until after Election Day”. You can read more about it here.

While Adam was busy reading, I started my sewing project. I am still a pretty slow sewer and pattern instructions confuse me from start to finish, but I was able to pin and cut all of my fabric before the night was over. Now, I am ready to sew. On Saturday morning, we headed to the outlet malls, which are an hour away or so. With a little planning, we were able to drive while Carter slept. The forecast called for 30% chance of rain in the morning, which really meant “yes, it will rain, and rain, and rain. Bring your raincoats and your umbrellas. Going to the outdoor outlet malls are a bad idea.” But, apparently, everyone else watched the same forecast because the stores were packed. By the time we were leaving people were cruising the parking lots looking for any open parking space. I was thrilled when I found these adorable hats for Carter at the Hanna Andersson store. Usually that store is too pricey for me, but these hats were $2.00 each so I couldn’t resist. Today we made it back to church and all reports from the nursery said Carter was adorable and fun, even though he didn’t take a nap according to mommy’s plan. Daddy and Carter went for a jog this afternoon and now he is enjoying his evening bottle before bedtime. (I am hesitant to post this as it might jinx our progress, but Carter slept from 11:30 pm to 6:00 am last night!)

Hope everyone reading had an enjoyable weekend as well.

Autumn in the Neighborhood

Adam did not have to travel to Charlottesville today for class, so he worked from home for the first half of the day and took the afternoon off. It was an absolutely beautiful fall day here...although it almost felt a bit summerish. We even had to turn on the a/c briefly tonight to cool Carter's nursery a few degrees. The warm weather was perfect for an afternoon walk to look at the fall leaves and pretty colors. Here are a few pictures from our walk...and I have started the November photo album in the left sidebar. Enjoy!

This gorgeous tree is at the beginning of our street.

Here is a picture of that same tree - I am standing underneath it shooting the camera straight up toward the sky.

Carter enjoyed looking up at the pretty leaves too. (but then he fell asleep.)

A Social Weekend

Just last week we had a full house of special visitors from DC. One of Adam’s friends from law school who also passed the bar exam could not come last Monday to take the oath so he asked Adam to “sponsor” him at the Supreme Court this past Friday. After the ceremony, Damien, his wife Christina, and their twin girls came over to our house for brunch. The girls are now 10 months old and quickly showed us how we will need to baby proof our home in the upcoming months. They were crawling, cruising, and one of them even walking everywhere. We had a fun visit and are sad that we are no longer in the same city.

On Saturday night we invited our neighbors over for dinner. Even though we had to bring in our patio chairs to have four chairs at the dining room table, the company was fun and the food pretty tasty. They even brought Carter a couple of cute outfits.

Finally, on Sunday, after church and an afternoon nap, we took a stroll to the local coffee shop where we happened to meet another family of 3. Turns out they are relatively new to the neighborhood too. We ended up walking and chatting with them for an hour or so and the mom and daughter are regular attenders at story time so hopefully we will see them again soon.

We are enjoying our neighborhood more and more each week.

Out and About

It is the end of what has been a good week. I have been trying to get out and about more with Carter. A few weeks ago Carter would get fussy every time I would put him in the car seat, which made for tiring outings. I kept trying to figure out why he was fussy all of a sudden. I tried giving him new toys, making sure the straps weren’t too tight, etc. Finally, we decided to move the straps of the car seat to the next level. Magic. Apparently Carter had gotten a little too big and was uncomfortable in the smaller strap size. So, now that I have a happy traveler once again I have been venturing out more.

So this week I took him to vote, to the grocery store, to the craft store, and to a boutique. Lucky Carter, right? Here are a few highlights from the trips…

I am learning that grocery store shopping will never be the same with a little one. I have started to carry Carter in the Baby Bjorn carrier while I shop so he can see everything as I walk up and down the aisles. He seems to love it. And this week at the store he made lots of new friends. There are a few assisted living facilities in our neighborhood, and apparently a shuttle bus of residents had just arrived at the grocer. Each aisle had a couple of senior citizens who adored Carter. And he adored them right back giving lots of smiles and giggles. It was fun for both of us. I got to talking to one woman whose face just lit up as she was talking to Carter. She told me she has 11 great-grandchildren. Wow.

At the craft store I picked up a sewing pattern for pants and overalls for Carter. I have only sewed from a pattern once before. I took a sewing lesson in Charlottesville and made pajama pants. They turned out a little bigger than I needed them to be…but it was still very rewarding to make something from scratch. So, I am going to give the pants another try…this time for Carter. I figure if they end up too big this time, he will grow into them. I hope to post pictures of the finished product in the near future. I am writing about this project in hopes it will keep me motivated to finish the project in the near future.

Finally, today, we visited a fun boutique that I have been wanting to visit. We pass this really cute store with a big pink and green sign on the way to lots of errands, but I never stop. Well, a few weeks ago I saw a sign advertising their open house on November 7-8. I happened to remember the advertisement this morning so I strapped Carter in the carseat and we were off. Imagine my disappointment when I get to the store, get Carter out of the carseat, walk past the first adorable window of Christmas decorations, pass the door that says “use next door” only to come to the entrance that is covered with wrapping paper and states their Open House hours are from 5-9 pm. What? Are you serious? Evidently they forgot the “Open” in “Open House”! What’s more bizarre is that their regular Friday hours open at 10. What’s even more bizarre is the story I learned from another disappointed potential customer in the parking lot. She was in the store a couple of weeks ago and took a few Christmas items to the register. But, the store would not let her purchase the items until after the holiday open house. So, they turned down the sale. This customer faithfully came back today – on the day of the holiday open house – to purchase these items only to be turned away by closed doors. For such a cute store they sure don’t seem to have the best business strategy (in my opinion).

So, those are our outings of the week. Carter is a trooper.

Fine Dining at Carter's

Let us know if you would like to make a reservation.

We voted...

...did you? Here is my sticker to prove it!

All 3 of us showed up at our polling location this morning to cast our vote. We did not expect there to be a line that wrapped around the building or for it to rain the entire time we waited in line. But, we came as prepared as we could have. Adam had Carter in the Baby Bjorn and held an umbrella over their heads. I stuffed my rain coat with a burp cloth, blanket, and toys to keep Carter entertained. He didn't seem to mind the wait and enjoyed all the other voters who stopped to make silly faces at him.

Once we got inside to vote everyone commented..."look, it's the youngest voter!" Adam said he was letting Carter push whatever button he wanted to cast his vote.

We have been glued to many political shows for months now and are anxious to see the results tonight. What an interesting election season it has been!

Nursery 101...Update

We are pleased to report that Carter's first solo visit to the nursery was a success. As expected (see previous Nursery 101 post) the church had a wonderful set-up, with small classes, experienced caretakers, and high-tech gadgets to make worried parents feel a little better. When we arrived Carter got a name-tag sticker and we got a corresponding ticket to present when we returned after the service. Of course, that ticket doesn't do much good when someone (uh-hum, Tracy) loses it.

Yes, we managed to lose our claim ticket for our child. [Mental flash to panicked effort to convince the nursery workers that, "Yes, he is my child!"] Thankfully, the wonderful folks in the nursery remembered us and welcomed us...even without a ticket.

Despite the slight mishap, though, it was a good visit. We enjoyed the church service and Carter was perfect.

Howdy from the Pumpkin Farm

This year for Halloween Carter was a pumpkin and we were pumpkin farmers. In my unbiased opinion we grow the cutest pumpkins in town.

Our street was noisy with adorable trick-or-treaters for a couple of hours last night. My favorite costume of the night was a 2 or 3 year old clown. He had on the brightest wig and face paint. I had never seen a clown that small before - it was precious. There were lots of scary faces too. But the kids who had on the scary masks had a tough time seeing as they walked up and down the stairs which made them a little less scary.

What trick-or-treater won the best costume award at your house last night?