Time flies!

I cannot believe we are moving in a week from tomorrow. We are getting some packing done, but it just doesn't seem like we will ever finish. Tomorrow is Dave's last day at work and I am excited to have him home with us next week even if we will be insanely busy.

Carter had another doctor appointment this week and he was 11 lbs 6 oz and 24 1/4 in long. That puts him in the 50th % for length and the 10th % for weight! Yikes! He's a skinny little guy! He got his shots and the nurse asked if he was really only 3 1/2 months old because his thighs are SO strong! It's true he's a buff guy. He is so fun and he is giggling more which is super cute. He is really good at grabbing and he loves to "run" when you move his legs.

We had a sad day when we took Pele to the humane society the other day, but they are very good at finding homes for all animals so I feel good about it. It is very weird not to have cats though. We will definitely miss them.

A series of unfortunate events

This weekend was a crazy and exciting one. Brook's Dad was visiting in the Bay Area on Friday, so we met up with him, his wife and step-daughter in San Jose. Brook's best friend from 3rd grade lives down there, so we decided to spend the day with her before meeting up with Brook's Dad in the evening. On our way to San Jose, we experienced a close call on the road. A station wagon (one of the old kinds with the fake wood on the sides) started to merge into the slow lane from the middle lane, where another car was currently positioned. The wagon soon realized the problem, but over corrected, causing the wagon to fish-tail sideways into our lane (the fast lane) about twenty feet ahead of us. Recognizing the situation, I let off the gas and waited to perform some crazy maneuvers to avoid a serious accident. Luckily, the wagon went back across the freeway in front of the car it originally hit, sweeping both cars off to the side of the freeway and out of our path. It was scary!

After arriving to San Jose, we met up with Becca, Brook's friend, and went out to lunch at P. F. Chang's. This time I was unable to avoid a "serious" accident. I had Carter on my lap near the end of lunch and a full glass of Coke in front of me on the table. I was very careful all throughout lunch to make sure Carter didn't get his hand in someone's food or anything like that, but I guess I got lazy after a while. During the waitress' speech about the different desserts, I transfered Carter from one knee to the other and in mid flight, Carter grabbed the glass of Coke and spilled it into my lap. Luckily, the restaurant was in the mall, so we went to Gap and I got new clothes. Once again, everything worked out fine.

Saturday was my 28th birthday!! YEA!!! Actually, I am not a big fan of birthdays, so I tried to be a good sport. Brook baked me a birthday cake and got some help from my mom (the pro) in decorating it. I was amazed at how well it turned out, both the decoration and the taste. I am so proud of Brook and her ability to learn new talents. We also went and visited Atticus at his new home. He is now living with Brook's Brother's girlfriend and seems to be doing well in his new environment. In the evening, we went to my co-worker's wedding reception at the Union Hotel restaurant in Occidental. Carter got all dolled up in one of his argyle sweaters and slept for most of the time we were there. It was definetly a busy two days.

Carter and Uncle Derek chillin' at fresh choice.

Scrapbook

I just have to say how much I LOVE www.howfasttheygrow.com. I just got 5 scrapbook pages that I made online in the mail today and they look amazing! I would recommend it to anyone who wants to scrapbook but doesn't have a lot of time. I am so glad I found this website so Carter's first year can be well documented. Everyone should check it out and next time you see me ask me to show you the pages. They are awesome! (I will work on finding a way to show them on here.)

Spoke too soon

Carter used to be totally scheduled, but lately not so much. He's waking up a few times during the night and refuses to take any real naps during the day. He's in his crib right now and I am hoping he stays asleep for a least a little while.

Sleeping through church.

Carter in his big boy car seat.

Things went well!

Carter's been sleeping in his crib for the past couple of nights and it's been great for everyone! He's also in his big boy car seat!

How do you solve a problem like Maria?

Friday's the night!

Since Carter has been successfully napping in his crib we think it may be time for him to make the big move. We've decided his first over night in the crib will be Friday in case it doesn't go so well and we end up getting up throughout the night. He has been sleeping through the night for a while now so I don't think it will be to much of a problem.

I've also figured out that our baby monitor reaches to the laundry room so I have been able to do a load of laundry during nap time. Hooray!

Mr. cool!

Carter's first nap in his crib!

Relocating!

We took a trip to Utah last weekend for Dave's U of U orientation and to find a place. We got a lot accomplished and are waiting for approval on an apartment we love! If you want to check it out go to http://www.foxpointinoldfarm.net/

Carter had an ok time on his first plane ride. He fell asleep instantly during take off and didn't like the landing. They even made me take his shoes off as we went through security!!!

He also met a bunch of family including his great-great grandpa. It turns out our apartment will be just a few blocks from him!!! It was a great visit and we are excited to move out there. As of August 1st we will be Utahns!!!

Hooray!

Carter slept for about 8 hours last night! It was weird waking up to an alarm!

Carter is becoming more aware of his tongue!

Smiles!

Blessings of all sorts

So much has happened since our last real blog and we haven't had a chance to write about it.

He's officially 2 months old (and then some) and at his doctor appointment on the 9th he weighed 10 lbs 6 oz and was 22 1/2 inches long. He is definitely growing! He got his shots and I had to leave the room. Luckily Dave was there so I was able to. According to the doctor Carter is very strong and is very physically advanced for his age. She was impressed that he is already starting to roll over when the norm is about 4 months. He slept for 7 hours straight last night and has been sleeping better most nights. He loves to play during the day and has his favorite toys like Ferguson the sock monster. He smiles a lot but we are still waiting on an actual giggle which could happen at any time.

The big news is that Carter was blessed on Father's day. It was an amazing blessing and we were so happy to have family and friends there. We are thankful to everyone that showed up and helped to make it a memorable and very special experience. We weren't able to get any pictures of just him in hs cute outfit when he was happy so we apologize for the face in this shot but hey, it's reality people... He was very well behaved during the blessing and the remainder of church so we don't need to capture it on film.

Playing with rattle booties!

Smile!

Carter smiling at his new best friend Ferguson.

3 years and 2 months!!!

Wednesday was our 3 year anniversary! Hooray! We took Carter to Wednesday night market and had a great time together. It has been the best 3 years of my life.

Yes Carter is in there. He fell asleep as we walked around downtown.

Tomorrow Carter will be 2 months old! I cannot believe he is already 2 months! He is growing fast and getting super strong. He will be standing before we know it. Here are some things that have come with his 2 month birthday:

smiles! He has been smiling a lot and reacting to us more.

Caught in a half smile

sticking out his tongue

sleeping in his bassinet and for good chunks of time

growing out of some newborn clothes

making more sounds

looking at himself in the mirror and making faces

just being really cute

In other news:

I cut my hair and I feel so much more like myself. It's great. Dave signed up for orientation at the end of this month so we will be taking a trip to Utah. It will be interesting to fly there with Carter and for Dave and I to take our first flight together.

finally zzzZZZZZ...

The big news in our house is that Carter is finally sleeping longer than 2 hour increments! He usually sleeps from 11pm to 4am or from 1:30am to about 6:30am. Although I would like to get to sleep earlier than 1:30, I am still happy that he doesn't wake me up 5 times a night.

We are currently working on getting "social smiles" out of the little guy but for now it seems that he only smiles when he's about to fall asleep or sometimes when he's gassy. He is learning how to copy me when I stick out my tongue at him which is pretty cute.

We went to a BBQ at my brother's house yesterday which was a lot of fun. We met his new girlfriend (she seems really cool) and saw one of his friends who I used to refer to as my "asian brother". It was fun to see my family with Carter and to spend time away from the couch. We will definitely miss everyone when we move.

We had a surprise visit from Jeff and Rachelle the other day and look forward to spending some time with them this week.

We are planning a trip to Utah for Dave's U of U orientation which is June 30th. I have been emailing different apartment complexes and Dave continues to work on getting his student loans so we are getting closer to actually moving. It's pretty scary but exciting.

Update

It has definitely been a while since I've written, but I have not really had much time at the computer. Things are going good and our little Mann is finally growing. He weighed in last week at 8 lbs 9 oz. He still doesn't fit into all newborn clothes but he's grown out of preemie finally so that's good. He actually slept well last night and in his bassinet!!!! He still wakes up to eat about 3 times during the night but he's learning to fall back asleep quickly.

I had a doctor's appointment today and they say that there was a problem with the way I was healing from the stitches (I won't go into details) and they want to see me back in a few weeks. They say this is most likely why I am still in pain. Hopefully it will all resolve itself in a few weeks and until then I will just deal with it.

Carter at little Emanuel's 2nd Birthday party

Our buff little surfer! Check out those guns!

Carter loves his new swing!

Happy Mother's Day!!

One month old!

I cannot believe it has already been a month! The time sure flies when you're having fun!

Carter is being so good for mommy and laying in his bassinet!

Carter's first sleep over!

Tonight Carter and I will be sleeping over at the Whitelock's house with Katie and her baby Alexis. It should be fun I just hope he doesn't keep them up!

Highs and lows

This week has been full of ups and downs. Here are just a few:

The Highs:

• Carter has started recognizing faces and will look you in the eye for a short amount of time.


• He has been awake and alert more often.


• He's slept better at night the past three days.
  
• He smiles a lot in his sleep.


• He went to church for the first time and slept when we needed him to.


• He likes the car and primary music.


• He gets cuter everyday!

The Lows:

• We think he may have colic because he has fits and wants to eat for hours at a time.


• We accidentally made him pee on his face and the back of the seat while changing him in the car.


• He has a blocked tear duct


• His nose has been pretty stuffy.


• I got my first parking ticket because I had to nurse him and forgot about the meter.


• He's still not fitting into most newborn clothes.

All in all the good outweighs the bad and we are enjoying our little mann to the fullest.

Bath time!!!

Well, Carter had his first bath just minutes ago and I'm thinking he is not really a fan. Let's see if you all agree:

Photos!

Some of Carter's newborn pictures are on our photographer, Mariah's blog. They turned out so cute! http://www.mariahsmithblog.blogspot.com/