Room Pictures

Here are a few pictures of Carter's new set up. A big thanks to my Mom & Dad who are not only loaning us all of this furniture (it was used by both my brothers in their "kid" rooms, and is definitely well worn in!), but helped us to move it in and get it all cleaned up. It's really solid, sturdy, and durable, cleaned up really well, and makes the perfect room for a little boy! We love how it all turned out!

Carter's little reading corner.... I want to get him a reading pillow to set over here too.

Such a cozy little spot! 

 I need to find or make some cute little things to hang on his stars, or maybe come up with something new to put in that space all together. Also, the wall on the right hand side is empty, so we are going to put some sort of toy storage shelf in that spot so he can start housing some of his toys in his room. We need to free up some space in the playroom for some of Ms. Ella's baby things!

Carter's New "Big Boy" Room

We've made the switch!

A little background....
Carter has been so comfortable and content in his crib all this time, so much so that we have really put off making the switch to the big boy bed. My thinking was that he loves his crib, and he has never tried to climb out, so why rock the boat until we have to? (obviously, I KNEW we were going to have to by the end of the summer in order to get ready for Ella. No, I wouldn't keep my child in a crib forever). He has been really excited to lay and play on his new mattress (it's been lying on the floor in Ella's room for a week or two), but I wasn't sold that the switch would simply be that easy - just because I know my child. He is somewhat of a "nervous nellie." He is very cautious, apprehensive, and reluctant to try new things. I figured there was a chance that once he saw us moving his furniture out, moving new furniture in, and all the new bedding and everything else, he may decide he didn't like it.

So, onto yesterday when we were doing just that. He seemed very excited to help Eric move Ella's furniture over to her room and put his twin bed together. He also kept referring to it as "my new bed!" He did seem happy and excited, but I still wasn't sure he was grasping the entire concept and understanding the finality if his "baby bed" being moved to Ella's room. I was still nervous. We went to dinner, came home, played a little while, then it was bedtime. We did our usual bedtime routine. So far so good.... everyone is still holding it together. Well, except for me, of course! I cried as I gave him kisses, told him goodnight and left him in there with his Daddy to read books and sing songs.... what they do each and every night. What can I say... I'm a pregnant, hormonal and tender hearted Mommy! So Eric did his thing in there with him while I listened and watched over the monitor, crossing my fingers, saying little prayers, and hoping for it all to go smoothly. And I have to say, it wasn't so bad! There were a few brief moments where Carter seemed a little nervous.... he first wanted to keep his lamp on, and then wanted Daddy to sleep in his bed too... but Eric did a great job of talking him down and convincing him it was all going to be okay each time. Once Eric left, there were no tears, no whining, no movement, nothing. Just a quiet and tired little big boy who snuggled his lovey and Shamu, and went right to sleep! Around 12:30, he had a mini meltdown over some extra pillows that were in bed with him. He couldn't make up his mind if he wanted them in there or not, and it was about a 30 minute ordeal getting him to settle down and go back to sleep, but he finally did. And he slept until 7:00 this morning without another sound. AND he took a 2 hour nap in his new bed this afternoon with no problems at all! SO very proud of you, big boy!! You were very ready for this, and I'm so grateful you had a great night and day today!!

A BIG thank you to Eric... the best husband & daddy we could ask for. You kept me in check emotionally over the last few days, reassuring me that it's all going to work out and be JUST fine. AND, you handled our son beautifully in his huge moment of change. I don't think I could have done that myself. Actually, I know I couldn't have..... given the blubbering mess I was after leaving you two in there together. So thank you.... I love you and the wonderful Daddy you are.

Here are some pictures of him and his new bed. We are still working on the transition of all the clothes, books, toys, etc.... so I'll post pictures of that in the next few days once we get it all put together!

Helping Daddy put his bed together

All set, now time to play!

I wanted to sneak in and get a picture of him sleeping, but Eric wouldn't allow it. :)
So this is the best I could get!

 He woke up at his normal time, and happily played in his bed for about 15 minutes before Eric and I went in there to get him. Here he is just as we walked in.... so big!

Then before we even got our hands on him, he just slid right out of his bed on his own, like he had been waiting to do that for the last 15 minutes. I know one day soon he'll just do this whenever he wants, but for now, I like that he waits for us!

Bowling!

Some of us from the play group met up today and took the little ones bowling.... the first time for most all of them. Carter had so much fun! We'll definitely be taking him back soon.

Thanks to Laura for sending me a few pictures she took today..... I forgot my camera!

Getting ready to go!

 Yay! Way to go, buddy!

Little buddies!

 Check out their little bowling shoes.... SO CUTE!!

 And a few cell phone pics.

Setting up his aim.

Love these tiny shoes!

Splash Park Playdate with Gavin & Devin

On Friday, Carter and I met up with Eric's mom and our nephews to play at the splash park and have lunch. The boys had a blast, as always!

Carter & Devin.... Gavin on the far right!

 They couldn't decide... playground or splash park?!

 Love this picture of Carter & Gavin!

 Three silly boys!

 Some action shots!

 Last but not least, Carter & Mommy at lunch.

Thank you, Cindy, for taking these and sending them to me!

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. =)

28 Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along:

28 weeks, as of yesterday

Size of baby:

About 2 1/4 lbs, and almost 15 inches long, the size of a Chinese cabbage.

Total Weight Gain:

18 pounds... I'm going to try to keep it to 35, total. We'll see.

Maternity Clothes:

Still just shorts!

Gender:

Still a girl.

Movement:

Tons of movement. Sometime painful too.

Sleep:

Some nights I sleep great and then others I sleep horribly. I remember by this point with Carter, my hips were killing me at night. I guess just having all my weight on one of them all the time caused that. But so far, luckily, that hasn't been a problem. Just have a hard time getting comfortable.

Symptoms:

Hello back pain! And my feet are starting to swell a little too. Last week I noticed that I'm having more labored breathing also. FUN!

What I miss:

Sleeping on my stomach, not feeling so winded and tired all the time

Cravings:

I've had a few random cravings lately. Chicken fried steak (I had this one with Carter), onion rings, cheeseburgers, and my most recent has been a root beer float

Best Moment this week:

The house came off the market, and I made some much needed progress in Ella's room. Specifically the closet. We are moving the queen bed and dresser out this weekend, and will be moving her nursery furniture in there very soon!

What I am looking forward to:

Some sweet friends and family are throwing me a very small baby shower on August 21st. Can't wait to see everyone and gawk over the cute baby girl stuff!!

No picture this week, sorry. Just didn't get around to it. But I don't think I look a whole lot different from the last picture anyway. Next one! =)

House Update

You may remember that back in October we listed our house for sale. After 9 1/2 LONG months, we have reached the end of our contract, and are officially off the market. We had probably about 30 showings, lots of great feedback, and one offer/counter offer that turned into another higher offer (in May) that we ultimately decided was still too low and we declined. It has been really hard for us competing with the builder in our neighborhood, and I know that is ultimately what caused us not to be able to sell. That and the crappy real estate market. :( It's been a long and frustrating process, and I'm actually glad it is over... for now. Of course we're disappointed that we couldn't get it done this year, but we are also totally at peace with it right now. With our growing family, it will definitely be a tight squeeze in this house for another year or so, but we are happy with the fact that, financially, this will put us in an even better position when we do re-list, sell, and buy again. Not to mention the fact that the neighborhood is so close to being completed, that we're hoping the builder will be out of here next year when we try again. If that's the case, hopefully we can sell fairly quick. So our plan is to spend the next few months preparing for Ella's arrival, settling into our new life with 2 children in the fall and winter, and get the house ready to try again in the spring. Hopefully we can sell next summer, but only time will tell. Like I said, I am SO glad to be done for now, because I have been itching to get Ella's room ready. Yesterday was our first official day off the market, and I have already gotten her closet cleaned out and the furniture in that room ready to be moved out! Feeling better already! Anyway, just an update for those of you keeping up with us. Wish us luck when we relist in the spring. And, if you have any great realtor recommendations, please send them my way!

Family Trip to San Antonio

We have never taken a trip with just the three of us, so were really excited to get an opportunity to go on a vacation before miss Ella comes in October! We figured San Antonio and Sea World would be perfect, and it certainly was! We stayed at the Hyatt Hill Country, and it was wonderful! I would definitely recommend this place to any family visiting San Antonio. It's SO family oriented! They have a lazy river you can float down in tubes, a beach area, a marshmallow roast at the large campfire each night, a movie night on the lawn on the weekends, and it was about 3 minutes from Sea World. Perfect! Anyway, here are some pictures from our trip.

Carter and Me hanging out by the lazy river... our first day there.

 Having fun on the playground!

 Day 1 at Sea World!

 He loved the aquarium!

 Not a huge fan of all the shows, but we tried! He sat through about the first 5 minutes of each, then it was time to go!

He loved all the seals! 

 Feeding the ducks

 Cooling off with Daddy

 Daddy's turn!

 Splash park time!

Great day to end our first day!

 Hanging out in the room before heading to dinner.

 Day 2 at Sea World... it actually rained on us, and felt wonderful!

 More seals! He got to feed them this time, and he loved that!

 And he fed the dolphins, too!

 More ducks!

 Showing off his new Shamu!

 Look at him cuddling Shamu while he napped... how cute!