My 3rd Month

Hey Peeps! It's me again - Carter. I'm here to tell you about my 3rd month of life. I tell you what - life just keeps getting better! Here's my birthday picture...

This month has been quite an adventure.

I've continued reading with my parents. I used to read the stories right along with them, but I've gotten to where I let them do most of the reading now and I just look at the pictures. Every now and then I'll tell them what I think about the book, but mostly I just listen.

The parents and I headed down to Auburn the other day. My parents went to the game while me and Grandmama and Papa played. Mommy had never let me stay by myself with somebody...I didn't even cry when she left. I had a great time with Grandmama and Papa.

We also went down to Auburn AGAIN to meet my cousins who are both girls, Layla and Aubrey. They are cool I guess - for girls. They played with me and read with my parents and me.

They made me dress up and take pictures though, and I did not want to....I would rather have played back-yard football. Maybe next year if they try to do this to me I'll just tackle them instead. That would make a better picture, I think.

We all took our picture with Nana and Papa J too. They said we are all their grandchildren. I'm not sure how I can be a son, cousin, and grandchildren all at the same time, but I think it's pretty cool. Being so many people at one time must be one of my super-powers!

It's been pretty hot outside for most of my life so far. I really like the heat - it's calming. For a while there though it go cold - REALLY cold! I even had to wear a hat to one of daddy's softball games.

It warmed back up though, so I'm thinking winter must be over. Thank goodness for that! Mommy thinks that it'll probably get cold again soon - I don't know if I trust her though....I think she probably just wants to make me wear some of the clothes I haven't worn yet....Here's a random picture with me hanging out with a friend. This was in the front yard on a really warm day!

I've been loving life in my swing recently. Sometimes when I don't want to take a nap in my crib, I scream until mommy puts me in my swing. It's one of my tricks. She doesn't give in very often though - she's a tough old bird!!! I also like to spend some of my play-time in my swing when I'm really alert and awake. I really enjoy making faces at myself in the mirror and watching the lambs go around and around. I don't know who invented that swing...I'm thinking it must have been Baby Einstein.

I've really been working on learning new skills. Two of my brand new skills are laughing and sitting up in my Bumbo seat.

Laughing is so much fun. I don't do it very often yet - this keeps the p-rents in suspense. They try to do the same things to get me to laugh....they don't know that I'm onto them - nobody can make me laugh but me. I'll let you in on a secret though - I laugh more at daddy than I do at mommy. He doesn't get to see me as much, so I have to let him know how much I love him, so I laugh at his jokes. I haven't let them get me laughing on video yet though - I'm not ready to go public with it yet...

I am now also sitting up in my bumbo seat. It's pretty cool. Mommy says it builds my neck and back muscles, and I'm good with anything that builds my muscles. Strength/endurance training - that's what I'm talking about! I can sit up pretty straight a lot of the time, but my head gets heavy sometimes and I feel a little bit like the Hunchback of Notre Dame, but that's ok. Your head would get heavy too if it were almost half of your body weight!

I went on my very first family vacation last week. We went to the beach! My parents told me we were going to the beach, and I woke up there! They packed up the car and left at 10:30pm, and we didn't get to the beach until 4am! They said we didn't stop, but I wouldn't know because I slept the whole way there. I know they really wanted me to stay awake with them and keep them company, but they are crazy if they think I'm going to stay awake that late at night in the car. Mommy made Daddy and me go to the outlet mall the first day we were there. That wasn't very fun, but we tried to be patient. The rest of the time we had a blast! Papa and Grandmama met us there, and then Aunt Bebe and Aunt Anna Kat came later that night.

I wasn't sure what to think of all the sand at first, but I figured out that laying on beach towels isn't so bad - plus, if I acted really cute, people would just hold me!

Everybody said Aunt Anna Kat was my shade buddy.

Daddy took me out in the ocean, and put my feet in the water - brrrrrr it was pretty cold. I'm not sure why the water moved around so much. I watched it for a while, and I couldn't seem to figure out what was pushing it - I guess it was God!

Mommy and Daddy seem to love the beach. I have a feeling we'll go back.

Daddy got to watch the Auburn game on Saturday, but mommy had me out on the beach...I represented though...WAR EAGLE!

I FINALLY got to meet my Uncle Robert, and boy is he fun! I smiled at him all the time to let him know how much I like him.

Our trip to the beach was so much fun, and boy did I get a lot of attention. I figured out that vacation must mean the same thing as exhausting because it wore me out!!!

I think I've just now recovered.

So, they tell me that Halloween is coming up. I'm not sure what Halloween is, but I'm pretty sure it's the celebration of pumpkins.

My parents are dressing me in pumpkin clothes, they got a pumpkin, took all the "gook" out, and stuck me inside of it to take my picture. I was a little confused, but I it was pretty cool. I've never been inside a pumpkin before.

I rested my head on the top of the pumpkin, and then I noticed that if I put my mouth on it I tasted something. It didn't taste like milk at all, but it made me drool!

After they finished taking my pictures, they carved a face into the pumpkin. Don't ask me why....I have no idea! But I thought it was pretty cool. Fischer liked it too.

I hope you all have a great month. I'm planning on my 4th month being even better than this month. I'll check back later to let you know how it goes! Peace out!

HERE ARE SOME OF MY 3 MONTH MILESTONES:

- I was 13.5 lbs (50th) & 26.5 in. (95th).

- I'm sleeping 8-11 hours a night!

- I'm taking about four naps a day (anywhere from 1-2.5 hours)

- I'm holding my head more upright when on my tummy (somewhere between 45-90 degrees).

- I can stand up straight and hold my head up when someone is holding me.

- I am always flashing social smiles & talking/cooing.

- I giggle and laugh.

- I smile and coo when playing peek-a-boo.

- I'm ticklish on my sides and feet.

- I still "Read" books, but I mostly just listen and look at the pictures.

- I still kick and punch constantly...I like to kick daddy and then laugh!

- I get my parents attention by yelling and then smiling when they look at me!

- I like to watch anything moving around in the room.

- I look when I hear sounds.

- I love to chew on my arm and hands....they are so yummy!

- I hold onto things and put them in my mouth. My favorites are burp cloths and blanket friends (blankets with heads on them)!

Oh, and I almost forgot...

- I'm considering campaigning for governor of Alabama. With a smile like this, I'm sure to win!

10 Favorites after 10 Weeks

I started writing this post about a week ago, so even though Carter will be 11 weeks tomorrow, here you go :-) WARNING: There are some details about life as a mommy in this post...

There are so many amazing products out there now for new mommies and babies! We are 10 weeks into the adventure we call parenting, so I thought it would be fun for me to write about...

My Top 10(+) Favorite Products:

10. Nursing Cover Clips - $12:

Rather than paying $40-70 for the leading brand of nursing cover, there are these awesome clips that cost about $5-15! They make any blanket into a nursing cover, turn a burp cloth into a bib, clip things onto your diaper bag/stroller, and more! They are super useful not expensive!

9. The First Years Infant to Toddler Tub (with Sling) - $19:

This tub was a life saver. I actually started out with a collapsable travel tub, but after Carter's first bath experience, I went out and bought this tub. I became painfully aware of how important the sling is during the whole bathing experience!!! He slid around my old tub like it was a slip-n-slide! The sling keeps baby in place and drains the water out of the bottom. Now bath time is fun for both of us!!! Once he can hold his head up a little better, we'll loose the sling. I'll let you know how that goes. TIP: I have found that Carter gets a little cold during his bath, so after I wash his tummy (first), I keep a warm wet washcloth on it. This helps him stay a little warmer during the rest of the bath!!!

8. Cudoozle Nursing Pillow - $58:

This is like a boppy nursing pillow, but BETTER! I had actually never heard of these, and my sisters found them at a Baby Boutique in Auburn. I have become a fan though! Some of the highlights of this pillow are: it will not loose it's shape as fast as a regular nursing pillow because it is made of memory foam, it has pockets for things like lanolin/timers/nail clippers/etc., it comes with a wedge pillow that can be used by itself or in combination with the rounded pillow, and (last but not least) it is waterproof (underneath the cover)!!! The one downside is that there is not as wide a selection of replacement covers, but the patterns they do have are cute! (Replacement covers are $18)

7. Graco Pac n' Play Playard - $130:

We have a 2 story house, and this has been a life-saver. I have it set up as our downstairs changing station. When you are changing 10-15 diapers a day, you don't necessarily want to walk upstairs every time you need to change a diaper (although I'd probably weigh less if I did!). We love this playard for several reasons. I love the changer/storage, Carter loves the mobile (which - by the way - does not move on it's own), and we both love the nightlight/noise maker!

6. Sensible Lines Milk Trays - $16:

For all you mommies out there who pump and freeze - these are amazing!!! I was using milk storage bags to save milk until I found myself wasting precious ounces. You see, if you freeze milk in multiple ounces, you have to thaw it/use it in those same portions. I was freezing my milk in 4 oz. portions at first. Then Carter started needing 5-6 oz., and I found myself throwing away 2-3 oz. after feedings - SOOOO not cool :-) These trays enable you to freeze milk in 1 oz. portions, so you can use only what you need! You freeze the milk in these trays and transfer the "gold bricks" to a freezer-safe ziplock! No more buying expensive milk storage bags - yay!!!

5. Angel Care Movement Monitor - $140:

I would shout it from the rooftops - I LOVE THIS MONITOR!!!! It is not a video monitor, but it's BETTER! I don't really mind not being able to "see" my baby because by using this monitor, I know:

- That he is breathing!!!

- That his room is a good temperature.

- That he's not upset/needing me.

Yep, you read that correctly! This monitor can detect so slight a motion that it knows when baby is breathing (or -more importantly- not breathing!), it senses the temperature of the nursery, and it has a sound detector! An alarm sounds if the baby is too still (too deep a sleep or not breathing), if the room is too cold, if the room is too hot, or if it goes out of range. One other thing I love about the monitor is that the sound feature turns off when there is no noise present, so that I don't have to hear the constant static noise! It only makes sound when baby makes sound. Peace of mind...ahhhhhh...Genius!!!!!

4. Medela Pump N Style - $275:

I cannot speak for other breast pumps, but this pump is the BOMB.com (as my friend Bethanie would say:-) I have an incredible milk supply right now (Praise the Lord!), but with this pump, I am able to pump about 11 oz. in about 10 minutes! That's (basically) 2 bottles (for us) in just 10 minutes! This has made getting out of the house so much more convenient and comfortable! I don't mind nursing in public (with a cover), but it's not my favorite either!

3. Little Lamb Infant Seat & Swing - $50 / $125:

These products are both really great! They are soooooooooooooo soft, snug, and cuddly!

The seat goes all over my house. It's been in my bathroom while I'm getting ready, by our table while we are eating dinner, out on the porch while we are visiting, in the living room - where there is a GREAT view of the ever-enthralling CEILING FAN! :-) It's pretty much a second set of arms! It also vibrates and plays soothing music for the fussy times!

The swing is also great! It will swing side-to-side or front-and-back. It's got a separately controlled rotating mobile overhead, so sometimes I set him in the swing while it's still and just turn on the mobile! The music/nature sounds are very soothing as well. I find that baby product music has greatly improved since my sister was a baby. They are nice for even adults to listen to now :-)

2. Gilligan & O'Malley Nursing Tanks - $17:

These are sold at Target and pretty much what I have lived in for the past 11 weeks! They have a built-in nursing bra and are so very comfy!! I sleep in them and wear them around the house, but I can even put on a little cardigan over them and go out! I'm going to be wearing them under sweatshirts this winter too!

1. Lanolin & Lilly Pads $10 / $25:

First of all, I would recommend that if you are planning to nurse you get some Lanolin Nursing Cream and use it (very liberally)after EVERY SINGLE FEED!!! I used the Lasinoh brand and loved it! Tip: It WILL stain clothing (so be careful) because it's pretty much straight up grease!

Last, but CERTAINLY NOT LEAST, a friend told me about the one-and-only Lilly Pad Nursing Pads. They are my TOP #1 FAVORITE!!!! I was paying about $10 per month on disposable nursing pads until I found these. I had tried washable nursing pads, but they leaked - badly! These Lilly Pads are reusable, and they use pressure to actually prevent you from "leaking" rather than simply absorbing the leak like a big "boob diaper." I love them. Oh, and you can swim in them and (most importantly) go braless!!!!!! Let's face it ladies, nobody wants to wear a bra 24/7! I had worn a bra for 2 months straight when I found these....that was a happy day :-)

I also wrote a blog about the Belly Bandit which you can read HERE. It's another wonderful product!!!

10 Things I hardly Used OR Wished I had More of:

10. Sleep Positioner - We only used this for 2 weeks. It is nice to have, but not a must.

9. Boudreaux's Butt Paste - I have not used this very much - it's not "thick enough." Desitin Night Formula works better for us.

8. Fold-up Bath Tub - This bath tub was like a giant slip-n-slide for a newborn! (We now use the sling from our other bath tub in this one when we travel, and that works well, but not well enough for me to recommend buying 2 bathtubs....)

7. Clothes - I didn't need about half of the clothes I bought for him (even though they are super adorable and I got them consignment). He's growing out of things he's never worn!!!

6. Swaddler PJs - It's crazy, but he escaped!!! I went into his room and the velcro was secure around his body, and his arms were straight up by his ears! Hilarious.

5. Nursing cover - I borrowed one, and I'm glad I did. We just could not get the hang of nursing with a cover. He hates it, I hate it...it did not work for us. We've pretty much moved on to bottles when we are outside the home now, but I have the clip (mentioned above) for emergencies.

4. Washable Nursing Pads - Don't bother, they leak! Go for the lilly pads!!!!

3. Washcloths/Burp Cloths - I wish I had half of the washcloths I have and twice as many burp cloths - we go through so many of them everyday!!!!

2. Nursing Tanks/Tops - As far as I'm concerned, you can never have too many! From the milk spills, spit ups, bathroom "accidents," etc... you'll use what you've got!!!

1. Medela Pump Bottles - I only have 1 set, so I have to be very diligent about washing them right after I use them, so they are available when needed! I wish I had more!

I hope these lists were helpful to some of you, and for the rest, I hope they were entertaining :-)