2 and 1/3

I wanted to document some of my favorite things Carter is doing right now, especially since I haven't in a while, and I know they will all be changing soon!

• He is talking, talking, talking! I mean, obviously, he has been for a while, but I'm still blown away by some of the things I hear him say, and definitely the things he picks up! He just sounds so grown up most of the time with his choice of words and phrasing! I love it!
• He has an impeccable memory. This makes me very proud.... he gets this from me, for sure! He remembers details so well. I love nothing more than to hear him talk about something that happened a while ago, or to have him surprise me with an answer I thought surely there was no way he'd remember.
• He loves, loves, loves the Rangers! He will actually sit down and watch a game with Eric. He loves watching them bat, and especially hit. Any hit of course is a home run to him. I love hearing him say things like, "Oh, he caught it!" or "Strike, you're out!" And he loves Josh Hamilton! When he hits the ball, he'll say, "YAAAAY, Josh Hamilton!" And he actually recognizes him when he is on camera. See, I told you... memory. He spends a lot of his time in the car, in his bed, or just as he is playing chanting "Let's go Rangers!" or "Here we go Rangers, Here we go!" Seriously. He does it so much that the chant gets stuck in my head! I know this will be something that he and his Daddy bond over for many years to come, and that warms my heart! I'm sure it will be the same with the Cowboys once football season starts again.

• He already seems to love his baby sister. He talks about how when she comes out she will cry a lot, sleep a lot, get lots of diaper changes, how he will give her lots of hugs and kisses and snuggles. I really think he is doing a good job of understanding what all this means. He knows she is "coming out in October," and he knows to be gentle around Mommy's tummy because we don't want to "hurt Ella!" =)
• We are getting ready to make the transition to his big boy room! He's getting a twin bed and all new furniture so we can move his stuff into Ella's room. We already have his mattress, and he loves playing on it... he knows it's his "new big boy bed." I am excited about this, and I think he'll do well with the transition, but I'm also a little nervous too.

• He has gone through a challenging phase lately. Fortunately, it's been MUCH better the last two weeks, but for a few weeks there, I was pretty tired and desperate for a change! It is really nothing more than the typical "terrible 2s"... lots of fits, yelling NO!, and just generally being defiant on purpose. It's been hard trying to figure out the best way to deal with him, and Eric and I both have had to experiment a lot with finding a way to discipline him that he seems to respond to. Every day is getting better, so we are thankful for that!
• He is still loving the pool! I got him a puddle jumper to wear, and he adores it! He jumps off the side, loves to go under, and kicks his feet constantly in the water. I can see him really being a little fishy next summer after he learns a few more skills.
• We still have a lot of play dates and try to spend as much time with friends as we can, but we have definitely slowed down lately. This heat is brutal, and running around 7 months pregnant with a 2 year old in tow is not always fun. So, we have been a little more home bound lately than normal, but I guess that is just preparing us for what it will be like once Ella gets here.
• All this playing at home we've been doing, I've noticed that Carter is really getting into pretend play. Mostly with his cars and trains, but sometimes with his play food in his play kitchen. I love hearing his little imagination run wild when he's playing. And I'm so grateful that he plays so well independently. It allows me to be able to get things done, or just rest.... which I have been doing A LOT of lately!
• I put Carter on the scale this week, and he currently weighs right at 30 lbs.
• We are starting to talk and think about potty training a little bit, but in all honestly, it's not really on my radar all that much. I just feel like with the transition to a new big boy room, a baby sister coming, and all the changes our family is going to face over the next several months, it would benefit us ALL to give it some time, and revisit the issue closer to the end of the year. We are prepared with tons of potty books, a few potty seats, pull-ups, and some other potty training tools though, just in case he really shows a major interest anytime soon. But for now, we are content to wait. =)