Playdate with the Ladwigs

So, my best friend Erica and I have a tradition of getting together the day after Christmas, and we certainly didn't let having babies this year interrupt it! The Ladwig family headed over to our house late afternoon where Madelyn (9 months) and Carter (almost 8 months) had a blast playing together before we headed out to dinner. The babies were so good, and this is SUCH a fun age to watch them! We had a blast and can't wait to see them again soon!

Carter's First Christmas

We celebrated Carter's first Christmas this year, and it was a blast! We started with our own family Christmas morning on Christmas Eve where we opened his stocking and the gifts Blake and I bought each other. (Pardon my PJ's!)

 We then went on to Uncle Chase and Aunt Sarah's for Christmas Eve lunch and gift exchange there. (I forgot my camera...) Carter got a basketball hoop from them, and some books, toys, and a t-shirt from the rest of the Ezell side of the family. From there, we went on to church where Cartman sported some seriously sweet duds. We got a few cute pics in front of our tree at home before we left.

After that, we headed on down to my parents' house where we ate a wonderful meal and spent Christmas Eve night. Carter LOVED hanging out with his cousin Pearson and sitting in front of the fire with his Doc.

He was even happy enough to take a good family pic! These NEVER happen!

After a good night's sleep, we were ready for Christmas morning. Carter (and his cousin Pearson) HIT THE JACKPOT! He mostly just wanted to chew on ribbon and wrapping paper, but he had a BLAST opening presents and playing with all his new toys!

 Checking out Gammy's goofy reindeer ears.

 Happy boy after his breakfast!

 Working on pulling up...he is SO close!

We wrapped up this ridiculous day with a trip to Blake's parents' house in Lakewood for Christmas lunch. Carter was not on his best behavior here (overstimulation, I'm guessing) so no cute pictures from that. We finally headed home about 4pm and by 6:30, Carter was doneski and sawing logs in bed where he caught a GLORIOUS 13 hours of sleep. What a wonderful weekend it was! We are so blessed!

7 Months (a few days late!)

How is it possible that I already have a SEVEN MONTH OLD?!?! Time is flying! Well, baby boy, this month was pretty good for us! We battled a nasty virus earlier this month that left you covered from head to toe in an ugly little rash, but you have thankfully been healthy and happy ever since.

You were dedicated to the Lord on November 12, and it was a wonderful evening here with all of your family. You did GREAT up on stage and sported a very handsome Polo shirt and little shoes. The crowd let out a unanimous "Awwww" as soon as they camera got to you up there. (Proud Mama moment!)

You also celebrated your very first Thanksgiving! We spent the day with all of your family down at Dede and Poppy's house and you ate pumpkin for the very first time. You loved it!

Speaking of eating, you are still taking three solid meals of food a day - cereal (oatmeal or rice) with half a jar of fruit for breakfast, a vegetable for lunch, and a meat/veggie combo at dinner. Your favorites are apples, pears, bananas, sweet potatoes, squash, green beans, and chicken, although you don't really reject anything. We tried a few pieces of "finger food" this month, but with your acid reflux most likely delaying the development of your esophagus, you aren't quite ready for Cheerios or Puffs yet. We'll try again in a few weeks.

You are a new baby thanks to Prevacid, and no longer fight your bottles. (YAY!) You drink four 7-8 ounce bottles a day, typically at 7, 11, 3, and bedtime. I don't think you've gained much weight this month despite all the food you've eaten. The last time we weighed you, you were about 19.5 pounds, up only about a half pound since the six-month mark.

You sleep somewhere between 10.5 and 12.5 hours a night, and it is a rarity that you wake up during the night anymore. (Praise Jesus!) You typically go down between 7 and 8 and wake up between 6:30 and 7:30, although on weekends we sometimes stretch both bedtime and wake time a little later. You have become a side sleeper this month and like your back to be pushed up against the bumper. Fine by me - whatever makes you happy and sleepy! :) Napwise, you are not nearly as consistent. At school, you typically nap for about an hour in the morning and 45 minutes or so in the afternoon. On weekends, we can usually get a good 2-hour nap on Saturdays which is nice. You've become so active and playful that getting to sleep can sometimes be a struggle, but you usually don't cry longer than 20 minutes or so before going to sleep.

You are becoming more and more active every day! You are ALMOST a crawler...right now you have a little army crawl/scoot that is just precious to watch. If I put an exciting toy like your octopus or the TV remote a foot or two away, you will scoot over to it, no problem. We discovered this weekend that on the hard kitchen floors you can really get around...you were spinning in circles and had a mad dash going at your friend Will Beddoe's house. It kind of scared me...I'm not sure I'm ready for a mobile baby just yet!

You still only have the two bottom teeth, but I am just convinced that you are about to pop some more any day now. It is getting easier and easier to get you to laugh at your dorky parents, and we try our darndest all the time! You LOVE to ride on our shoulders and being tickled on your tummy or under your arms. You also have to CONSTANTLY have something in your hands and mouth. If you don't have something to hold, you put your hands out in front of you very awkwardly like there's something wrong. You love rides in the car or stroller, "flirting" with people from your spot in the shopping cart, playing in your exersaucer, ripping apart your playmat, and anything that talks to you or plays music. All in all, baby boy, you are just FUN!

We are SO looking forward to spoiling you rotten as you celebrate your first Christmas in a few weeks! We love you little one!

A Tribute to Grampy

My wonderful, loving, patient, loyal, smart, compassionate Grampy and me.

This morning, I awoke to the news that my Grampy had passed away at 91 years of age. It was exactly four months ago today that his wife and my Grammy passed away at 90. I am heartbroken and will miss him dearly, and watching him the past five weeks struggle after suffering a stroke were some of the hardest times in my life. But, life is too short to dwell on the trials, so for a moment, I want to reflect on my times with him and sing the praises of the best example of a servant that I have ever come across.

Grampy served in the military for many years which is where he met one tough cookie - my grandmother, Ann/Grammy. To read about what a character she was, click here. He was the most loyal and patient husband to her, and quite honestly, she didn't make that an easy task. As she aged and suffered with hearing loss, dementia, and macular degeneration, Grampy never wavered. He simply spoke louder, reminded her of the important things, and brought her a magnifying glass. He loved her for who she was - even when it became a challenge.

Grampy had an incredible sense of humor. My earliest memories of Grampy are of our bantering, which was a pretty common occurrence when he visited. For whatever reason, his nose was always a shade redder than the rest of his face, and I used to love calling him Rudolph, just to rile him up. I often liked to be sassy and playful with him and he would always reply with, "To the moon, Alice! To the moon!" from the Honeymooners, all with a big smile on his face. I'll never forget the phone conversation we had when I got engaged. He told me, first of all, that he hadn't had a great morning because the nursery had been out of his caladium bulbs, and he "really needed some good news today." A little while later, he asked what my new last name would be, and I told him - Ezell. He asked for the spelling, and when I got to the Z he said, "Z as in zebra?!?" as if that was just an appalling letter. I still smile every time I spell my last name for somebody...especially when I get to the Z.

Growing up, they made two annual trips to Dallas - one during the spring or summer and always a long (10-days or so) trip at Christmas. This included a meticulously planned three-day journey in their light blue Lincoln Towncar from their home in Granger, Indiana, to our home in Dallas. (Grammy was a heavy smoker, and she refused to fly because she wouldn't be able to indulge in her habit. Grampy obliged her by driving for three solid days instead...patience and understanding at its finest.) 

Grampy was a creature of habit. On a typical day during his visits, he came out of his room in my parents' house wearing his oversized bifocals, long flannel pajamas, and a bath robe with his hair quite disheveled and always offered a robust, "Good morning!" as he poured his cereal and cut his banana. He would sit at the kitchen table and eat first, not quite ready for the morning newspaper. After his cereal, he would microwave himself a cup of decaf coffee and read the newspaper before getting dressed. Lunch was always the same - a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on wheat, chips, and a caffeine free Diet Coke. He had a huge sweet tooth (must be genetic) and usually ended his day with a big bowl of ice cream...Rocky Road, if he was doing the choosing. He always had his weekly "honey-do's" that he did for Grammy - the grocery store, the bank, taking her to her hairdresser. When he was visiting us, he loved to go anywhere we were going...the mall to Christmas shop, the pet store to pick out dog toys, or even just joining us on a trip to the grocery store. He just wanted to spend time with us when he was in town, and he made every second count.

Grampy, I will always remember your sweet laugh and smile, the way you crossed your arms over your strong chest when you sat, and your big bear hugs. I will always remember the excitement in your voice when we called and the sadness I felt when your trips to Dallas were over. I will always remember the way you drove away, waving out the window of your Towncar, watching us in the rear view mirror until you could see us no longer. But most of all, Grampy, I will always remember the way you so fiercely loved your country, your family, and me. I will never forget you, and I am comforted to know that I will one day see you again. There is no doubt in my mind that today, an angel got his wings.

Our Little Inchworm

Look who is on the move!!!

Happiness is...

A stroller ride on a beautiful day.

 Play time in the exersaucer.



A full belly in my high chair.

Dinner out at Pei Wei.

It's the simple things in life.  



Future Beethoven?

6 Months: Happy half birthday!

Mr. Man, you are six months old! I cannot believe we have had you for an entire half year already! This month was equally challenging and FUN. Let's start with the fun - it's gotten relatively easy to get you to laugh, and it is just the sweetest sound in the whole world. You are now a major smiler and a rolling machine and immediately go from back to tummy when we put you down. You do the cutest little hands and knees move where you get up on all fours and rock. Sometimes you even launch forward, so I think we are going to have a crawler on our hands VERY soon! You love all things musical...toys, radio, singing, Nick Jr shows. You have started responding to your name and you light up when we call for you.

On the challenging front, you had bright blue tubes put in your little ears on October 14 after four consecutive ear infections. :( That was a really rough day and weekend for both you and us, but you seem to be having no ear pain anymore! Yay! You also sprouted two teeth earlier this month! They are so cute, but I can never seem to capture them in pictures.

The real challenge we've had this month is your eating and sleeping, which still seem to go hand in hand. Your acid reflux seems to really be bothering you more than ever, so you've been fighting bottles with all your might for a few weeks and have been drinking less and less formula. You still love your solids, but without the good formula nutrition in your little belly, you wake frequently at night hungry. Fortunately, Dr. Newton switched you from Zantac to Prevacid yesterday, and we are already seeing good things in just the past 24 hours, so fingers crossed!

At our six-month appointment yesterday, you weighed 19 pounds, 0 ounces (75th percentile) and your length was 27.5 inches (90th percentile). You are still a big, big boy! Right now, you are wearing 6-9 or 6-12 month clothes and size 3 diapers. Keep on growing big boy - we love you!



Love at First Solids

Well, we are officially a three solid meals a day baby! As of about two weeks ago, Carter, you began eating breakfast (cereal and fruit), lunch (vegetable), and dinner (more cereal and a fruit or veggie).

We actually had no intention of starting you on all this solid food yet, but little stinker, you are stubborn as all get out and are O-V-E-R your formula. (Daddy says he knows where that stubborness came from...I deny it.) It takes quite a bit of convincing (and sometimes singing) to get you to eat your bottles, so Dr. Uncle Rob suggested we move you to three meals a day of food to keep you growing well. You can't get enough food!

The only thing you've really turned your nose up at so far is peaches...other foods you've enjoyed are rice cereal, bananas, apples, sweet potatoes, pears, squash, green beans, peas, prunes, and oatmeal. We plan to try yogurt and some meats in the next month. I'm hoping that on Thanksgiving, we can give you your own version of turkey, sweet potatoes, and green beans. It's just so festive and fun to have you eating real food with us! We go see the pediatrician tomorrow morning for your 6-month appointment, so I'll be back tomorrow with your official stats. I'm estimating at least 75th percentile for everything..you are a BIG BIG boy!

He Rolls!

5 Months

You are 5 months old, sweet boy! I know I say it every month, but I can't get over it...TIME. IS. FLYING! This month was sort of rough for us...you endured yet another ear infection (hello tubes!), decided drinking out of a bottle wasn't cool anymore, and are cutting your first two bottom teeth, so eating and sleeping haven't been going super smoothly lately.

Let's talk food. On a positive note, you seem to really enjoy your two daily bowls of rice cereal and fruit, though, so that's been a plus! We tried sweet potatoes for the first time tonight...you gagged and made a face like you wanted to puke. Hmmm. We'll try again tomorrow and see what you think. On the formula front, you attempt to drink 6-7 ounces every 3.5-4 hours during the day. Sometimes you take it all with ease...other times you fight like mad and just take an ounce or two here and there. I'm hoping this is a phase and that once your teeth finally pop through you'll go back to normal. One tooth is definitely through the gum and the other is still working, so we'll see.

On the sleeping side of things, you are...inconsistent. You completely have the ability to sleep 11-13 hours at night without waking up and choose to do this whenever you feel well and ate well during the day. However, because you now fight your bottles and are in pain from your ears and teeth, you've started waking up either a few hours into sleeping (10ish) or early early morning (5ish) to eat. Fortunately, you always go back down quickly, but it's still no fun for mommy or daddy. We are in the process of scheduling tubes for you, so hopefully once those are in, you will return to your glory days of 12 hours at night. We miss those!

What else...you've found your feet! You now proudly hold your feet for me while I change your diapers and love to grab onto them when you play on your mat. You are also showing big time signs that you want to crawl...when we lay you on your tummy, you kick and flail like crazy and have started pulling your knees up underneath you. Once you get the arm strength to support your upper body, I think you'll figure it out. You have started smiling with your mouth shut (see above picture) and you have the sweetest laugh in the whole world. We can't wait to see what month six brings!

Well, that about sums it up! You are still a BIG BIG boy and are wearing either 6 month or 6-9 month clothing and size 3 diapers. We think you weigh around 17.5 pounds, but that was a very unscientific measurement. :) We love you baby boy!

Sunday Morning Photoshoot

We are on the verge of outgrowing Carter's 6-month clothing, so I decided to put him in this precious onesie that my co-workers gave me and take a few photos while it still fit!

4-Month Appointment

So, here's the official rundown from our 4-month check up today...

Height: 26.5 inches/97th percentile
Weight: 16.4 pounds/75th percentile
Head: 16.9 inches/75th percentile

So, it appears as though we have a very tall boy on our hands! In other news, we found out that after 4 weeks of antibiotics (2 different types) that we had hoped would cure his poor ears, there is still fluid there. The doctor says the situation can go a few ways...
1) The best case scenario is that he doesn't get another ear infection and the fluid clears up on it's own. No tubes...for now. Likelihood? Slim, but there is a possibility.
2) Second scenario is that the fluid sits there uninfected for the next 2 months, it is still sitting there uninfected at his 6-month appointment, and we go get tubes to drain it since it will interfere with his development to not be hearing well. Likelihood? Better than scenario 1, but still not good.
3) The final scenario is that the fluid gets reinfected at some point in the near future (ahem, cold and flu season), no antibiotics are given because they clearly aren't getting the job done, and we go get tubes to help him asap. Likelihood? Very good.

So, it would appear that we are most likely getting tubes sooner rather than later. Yippee. Let the fun begin...

Developmentally, Carter is right on track. He scored the lowest in the "Communication" category...presumably because he has only recently been able to hear us un-muffled. As you will see in the preceding video, he has really found his voice lately and loves to blow spit bubbles, talk, "crow" as we call it, etc. I think as long as his ears stay healthy, he'll catch back up there very quickly. He is MY son, you know...:)

No picture for this post. I took a picture of him after his shots were over, but it's just too sad to post. He looks SO confused and sad about what had just been done to him. I'd prefer not to remember that face...

A Conversation with Carter

4 Months

As I sit here writing this post, I am still in utter disbelief that you are 1/3 of a year old, little man. TIME. HAS. FLOWN! This month brought lots of changes to you (whom we affectionately call Mr. Button...long story)...you came down with your first AND second ear infections, started day care (probably not a coincidence that those happened the same month), started sleeping through the night (Praise Jesus!), switched bottles and formulas, AND Mommy went back to work. Sad face.

We have our 4 month doctor visit on Thursday, so I'll have the "official" stats then, but according to our scale, you weigh nearly 16 pounds! WOW! It's amazing that in just 4 months, you've gained 10 pounds! Boy do you like to EAT! You eat 6 ounces about every 3 hours now, and as of 2 days ago, we have started enjoying rice cereal. You don't exactly eat a lot of it, but you seem to really enjoy the act of eating. As soon as we get the okay from Dr. Newton on Thursday, we'll start other solids like sweet potatoes and peas. YUM. You are still wearing 3-6 month clothing, but some of it is beginning to get tight. I have a feeling we'll be moving up to 6-9 month in a few pieces before we hit 5 months...

As far as your likes and dislikes go, you are officially obsessed with standing and sitting up. You want to constantly be in Johnny Jump-Up, the exersaucer, or standing on anyone who will hold you's legs. If I lay you on your back on my legs, you immediately start crunching up your head and neck so I'll pull you up to sitting. You are SO over lying down, especially on your back, but you are getting really good at pushing yourself up on your tummy. You usually use your forearms to push up, but I've seen you use your hands a few times and you get your head really high up when you do that. We are SO close to rolling over, and I truly think you could do it if you wanted to. You showed interest for about 2 days, and now seem to be over it.

You absolutely LOVE school...especially Miss Stephanie. She's your favorite teacher, and you absolutely LIGHT UP for her. Mommy wasn't so thrilled at just how much you liked her at first, but I've come to realize it's a really good thing. She calls you her "buddy" and seems to be the one who has really figured out your cues. You smile at her as she gives me the rundown of your day when I pick you up, and you giggle as we leave when she tells you goodbye. It's really sweet and makes Mommy feel so much more comfortable knowing you are in good care.

Sleepwise, you take about 3-4 naps during the day that range anywhere from 30 minutes to 2.5 hours. At night, we try to get you in bed by 7:30 or so, and you usually sleep until 6:30 the next morning. The ear infections have thrown you off a little bit now and then, but unless you are in a LOT of pain, you are never up more than once at night. Perfect timing since Mommy now has to go deal with delinquent 8th graders all day! :) Bless you for your timing on that!

Well, buddy, I guess that kind of sums it up. You have really become FUN and such a JOYFUL little boy this month. Your smile and laugh just make everything right in the world and can make the worst day seem instantly better. We love you little man and can't wait to see you grow and change even more in month 5!

Laughing with Uncle Chase

The most I've ever heard him laugh! We've gotten a giggle before but never a full belly laugh like this. :)

3 Months Old (and a few days...)

Well, baby boy, you are 3 months old! What a month it has been! You love absolutely anything and everything that allows you to sit up...the Bumbo, the doorway jumper (your absolute fave!), the bouncy aquarium chair, the Boppy. You are not a fan of lying down anymore! You have grown so much and look more and more like your daddy every day! I think you definitely got his goofy sense of humor...you crack yourself up over the littlest things! You traveled to North Carolina this month on your first airplane ride and did great! Sleepwise, you've had ups and downs this month. We have had a few rough nights lately since your nose is stuffy, but you have had several 8-hour nights and one fabulous 11-hour night in NC! We are hoping that now that you are home, we can get you back on track with the 7-8 hour stretches you had going for a while. You start daycare on Monday...I am absolutely sick over it, but I know you will be in great hands at Primrose. You are now in 3-6 month clothing and have the BEST rolls on your arms and legs. :) We love our little doughboy! You have started grabbing for things and holding on to them which is fun. You are a smiling and laughing machine as well and love bouncing, raspberries on your tummy, and blowing spit bubbles! It has been such a fun month...we can't wait to see what month 4 will bring!

It was the best of times...it was the worst of times...

While on vacation in North Carolina (post coming later), we had both our absolute BEST night ever with Carter, and our absolute WORST night ever with Carter. The second night we were there, July 31, Carter slept from 10:30-9:15! His longest stretch to date! Here is his reaction to the news...

The next night was pretty average with just one feeding around 3am. But it was the night of my 27th birthday, August 2, Carter woke up at 11 with a stuffy nose that proceeded to wake him again at 1, 2, 4, and finally 7:30. What a beating! After feeding him at 2:30, we finally gave up and just brought him into our bed. Since his nose was runny, we figured he needed to be upright, so he slept between us propped up on a pillow and the Boppy.

We were all completely exhausted for the flight home the next day. Once we finally got home, Carter didn't even make it off the changing table before he fell asleep.

Final Score: Long day of travel - 1; Cartman - 0.