Wedding shower

We had Erin's wedding shower at my mom's house this weekend. Erin and Steven Dean are getting married in Maui in a month. Erin told me she was more excited to meet Carter then come to the shower. She has been buying Carter the cutest little outfits! I can't wait until he is big enough to wear them.

Carter also got a present from his Auntie Erika. It is a giant puppy dog mat. Carter laid on it in front of the fire and loved every minute of it. This puppy has velcro straps and you can wrap up inside of it. I wish they had one big enough for me!

Can he get any cuter?

Lots of love. . .

If I have a bottle of pumped milk, it is always a fight for who gets to feed Carter. Grandpa Nick won this battle with Grandma Carol. Carter also had a heart to heart with "Grandpa" Mike about life.

Daddy & Carter

I have the best husband in the world! Eric is an amazing father. I love to watch the two of them together. I am so blessed to have two special boys in my life!

Playing dress up

I wanted to try on some of Carter's clothes for Hawaii and he was not having it. Carter is so easy going until it comes to getting dressed. My son, not loving clothes as much as his mother. . . could be a problem.

Our strong boy. . .

I cannot believe how strong Carter is, I caught him trying to roll over! Watch and see.

Time is flying by. . .

I already want to stop time, I want to keep my precious baby like this forever. The last two weeks have been so much fun, Carter has gone on so many adventures. We have gone out to lunch, dinner, shopping, over to Grandma & Grandpa's and next week we are going to go to school! I need to go visit my school and my mom's school. I miss everyone so much and I can't wait to see how big my kindergartner's are. Carter won't be able to meet the kids just yet though, just the teachers. Mommy is still scared of germs.

Carter got his first cold, which puzzles me because I have been a freak about germs and keeping him bundled from head to toe and I thought breast milk protected him. My doctor said if it was a cold that I hadn't been exposed to then we both get it. So we got a humidifier and keep him propped up while he sleeps. I feel so bad for him, I wish I could just tell him to blow his nose but obviously that doesn't work.

I started a new book called "Gifts". I am hoping that slowly easing my way into the reading that I will become a little bit stronger and possibly ready to learn as much as I can. What I have enjoyed about the book so far is that it is written by 64 mothers who have gone through exactly what I am. It is so reassuring to know I am not alone. I read one mother's story who said after the diagnosis she looked down at her infant and asked herself "will he ever have a job?" That usually isn't a thought that immediately goes through a mother's head right after she has given birth but it is when you have a child born with special needs. It is a question I asked myself in the beginning also but now I am trying to slow down and enjoy every last minute of life. Carter brings out the best in Eric and I and I am sure he will do the same for anyone he meets.

I have so much to learn and I realize there is a wealth of information out there but I want to live in the moment. If you want to learn about Hawaii, you read a book about Hawaii and it is informative, but to go to Hawaii and stick your feet in the sand is breathtaking. Carter will be our teacher and we will learn about him as life goes on. A book can't help you raise your child, life experiences will help us raise our child.

Carters favorite part of the day. . . bath time!

Grandma, Carter & I

Carter & friends

Mama ventured out to lunch with Lisa, Brooklyn, Tiffany and Hayden. Our first lunch date! Brooklyn will be our future babysitter! Later on Grandma Anita meet us at Joann's to hold Carter while we shopped. Carter was covered in her red lipstick by the end of our shopping trip!

Already 1 month old!

I can't believe it has already been a month. I feel like just yesterday we were coming home from the hospital. I love watching Carter grow every day but I wish I could stop time because I want him to stay my little baby forever. We have been adjusting well to parenthood and enjoying every minute of it. Leaving the house is still a little challenging but we are managing. I usually pack enough stuff to hold us over for seven days and that's just going to the store. Ha! The biggest challenge for me is breastfeeding. I can see why people would give it up so easily but I am sticking with it. I have been pumping for bottles and breastfeeding. I am always just so afraid if I don't feed or pump on time that it will all dry up but so far so good. We seem to be on a pretty good system.

I spoke with Children's therapy center today which is a service that can provide classes for Carter. As of right now we are not facing any medical challenges which is a blessing but we are going to have him assessed just to see if there is anything we can work on with him. Carter has an evaluation at the end of January. I will keep you posted on how it goes. I am excited because the birth to three classes are provided in your home.

Well here are a ton of pictures to show you just how much our little one is changing so quickly. Carter is already starting to lift his head by himself! He is so strong, he amazes me!

**I am going to try and send out holiday cards (maybe), birth announcements and my thank yous very soon!