My First Month

Hey Everybody, it's me - Carter... Mom's taking a nap, so I've decided to use this time to blog. Shhhhh...don't tell her - she doesn't think I'm "independent" yet, so she does everything for me, and I'd like to keep it that way for a while!

It's taken me a little while to get this whole "hand-eye coordination thing" figured out, but I'm getting there. I thought I'd tell you about the first month of my life. Let's start from the very beginning...my birth. It was pretty traumatic. I won't go into the "Saving Private Ryan" details, but let's just say, I'm glad I only have to do that once! It was nice to finally meet my mommy and daddy. I've heard their voices for a while now, and I was ready to see their faces. They seemed pretty excited to see me too!

We had to stay in the hospital for 2 days after I was born. While we were there I learned a lot. First of all, I'd like to take this time to tell all the babies out there to eat! Mommy's freak out when you don't eat. I wasn't hungry for the first 24-36 hours of life, so I refused. BIG MISTAKE! If you're not hungry - fake it! Your mommy wants to feed you right away - even if you aren't hungry! Second lesson that I learned was that mommy and daddy are used to sleeping through the night. If you wake them up - they say really funny things! Mommy asked the nurse if she was camping one night, and daddy told me, "It's not gonna rain like this" - whatever that means! The next thing I learned is that I must be famous because tons of people came to see me, brought me flowers/gifts/food, took pictures of me, and tended to my every need. Another lesson I learned in the hospital is that hallways must be very dangerous for babies! I was only allowed to go in the hallway in my wheely-cart. If I was out of the wheely-cart - people got yelled at. This brings me to the last valuable lesson I took from this experience which is that wheely-carts must be the safest mode of transportation!

I'd like to introduce you to the first love of my life (other than mommy of course).

Her name is Stewart, and I think she is beautiful. She was my night-time nurse while I was in the hospital. We had fun, and she told me she was going to take me home with her. Mommy got me first though - I wonder where Stewart is now... She better not be getting attached to any other babies!

Stewart gave me my first awesome hair-do. She REALLY wanted to put a bow in my hair. I told her I would karate chop her if she did! So instead she gave me a MOHAWK! That's right - chicks dig it.

After they figured out that I was perfectly healthy - don't ask me why it took 2 days - I finally got to go home. My home is great! I think mommy and daddy probably knew that I was coming because there was a blue bow on the mailbox and there are tons of toys!!!

Unfortunately, they also have a bunch of clothes. Mommy plays dress up with me all day / every day. I can't even spit up without her changing my outfit! She says I have to "smell good." We'll see how long that lasts!!! I'd love to smell just like our dog - Fischer. He's awesome! Mommy doesn't let us play very often, but Daddy lets Fischer lick me every now and then! While they're not looking I wrestle him to the ground! Here's a picture of when I first met him.

The day after we got home - they took me BACK to the doctor - even though I didn't get sick! I tell you what, these people are obsessed with doctors! Here I am with Daddy in the waiting room - it's pretty cool and colorful.

I like it a lot more than "the back." Watch out fellow babies - "the back" is no fun! They strip you down naked, put you on a cold scale to check your weight, prick your heel and make it bleed, etc... If you get mad enough about this whole process you can follow my lead and pee all over the place. They at least put your diaper on after you do this....can I get a little privacy, people?!?! It turns out that I was healthy - again!

Speaking of traumatic experiences...mommy and daddy gave me my first bath. It was pretty much the worst experience of my life! My mom had this bathtub that was pretty much a Baby Slip-N-Slide, and I slid straight to the bottom. Here's the summary: it took forever, I hated the water, I got cold, and the whole time they were trying to keep my umbilical cord dry while wetting everything else (yeah, I know, it doesn't make sense to me either....)! I say - I'm a boy - and boys don't need baths!!!

They wrapped me in a warm towel at the end of it all to calm me down...it took a while, but I forgave them!

I'm telling you - I've got to be a celebrity! When I was only 5 days old, I had a 3 hour photo-shoot! They called it my "newborn pictures." Here are some of the ones my mommy likes the best. WARNING: I am not wearing any clothes in some of these. Again, fellow babies, peeing is the secret to getting them to put clothes back on you!

At 12 days old, I went to Sunday School and Church for the first time. I honestly don't remember any of it because I was asleep the entire time. Mommy made me wear a sissy outfit that daddy wore when he was a baby. She says that she won't dress me like this my whole life, and I hope that's true. You can see how excited I was about it. At least there's a train on it and not flowers!

On August 20, 2010 I officially turned 1 Month Old! Mommy says that "time is flying." I'm still trying to learn this whole English language thing, and from what I can tell that expression doesn't make any sense - oh well! I think she means that I'm growing up fast! Here's my birthday picture. It was taken at night, and we had a seriously long day!

HERE ARE SOME OF MY 1 MONTH MILESTONES:

- I was 5 oz. past my birth weight at 6 days old, and I've gained almost 2 pounds since then.

- I'm eating like a champ (six 40 min feeds per day). I love milk!

- I'm sleeping 7-8 Hours at night.

- I'm taking four 1 - 2 hour naps throughout the day.

- I track movement with my eyes.

- I love my swing. I also like my play gym when I'm laying on my back - tummy time is over rated unless it's on Daddy's chest.

- I can hold my head up pretty well for short periods of time. I like to head-butt people when they are holding me!

- I grab onto things that I touch (shirts, mom's hair, my hair - which hurts by the way).

- I smile and "talk" a lot when my tummy is full (I also do some silent laughs / squeels because Mommy and Daddy like it so much).

Oh, and I almost forgot...

- I can beat my dad in ping-pong, pool, tennis, and basketball.

- I'm running a 6 minute mile.

- I wrestle with my dog, Fischer - and I win.

- I exude a sense of general awesomeness at all times - It's the hair.

I'm going to be dedicated at church in a few Sundays. I'm wearing the same outfit that Daddy wore when he was dedicated. It's white and sissy. Mommy took my picture in it, but I refuse to smile in sissy outfits - I'm determined to look as manly as possible!

Well, Mom's waking up from her nap, so I better go look "helpless..." my diaper needs changing!