Big South Fork & Pickett State Park

My mom and I took Carter up to Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area and Pickett State Park today.

We stopped by the visitor's center when we got up there and had Carter's national park passport stamped.


Our first hike was to the Twin Arches.


The North Arch ...




The South Arch ...





Carter fell asleep when we were about 5 minutes away from the car.


When we got to the car I was able to get the backpack off my back without waking him up.


I didn't want to wake Carter up by getting him out of the backpack but little bugs were swarming around us so I put the backpack in the trunk of my Rav4 standing up with Carter in it. He slept for another 20 minutes like that while my mom and I ate lunch in the car.

Once Carter woke up we drove over to Pickett State Park where we did a few short hikes.


First we went to Hazard Cave ...





Then we went across the street to Indian Rockhouse (which wasn't too exciting) ...




Then we drove up to Natural Bridge which is just off the road ...


Carter and I are standing on top of the arch ...


Now my mom and Carter are on top of the arch ...


Carter's waving at me in this picture ...


We had a good day and Carter didn't fuss much at all. He really loves being in the backpack. He slept most of the way back to Knoxville which made the 2-hour drive really easy!

Smarty

Carter is figuring more stuff out. He has a bath toy that is a shape sorter.


If I put one of the shapes through, Carter will then put it through himself. The circle is easy but he still needs some help getting the others lined up sometimes. I can hand him the shape in any orientation and he will flip it around so he's holding the top of it so it can fit in.

For the last couple of weeks, Carter uses "uh-oh" anytime he drops something. We're still considering it his first word because he uses it correctly and regularly. He seems to be saying "dada" sometimes when he sees Brian. He makes the "mama" sound a lot but doesn't seem to be using it to describe me.

I went running today while my mom stayed home with Carter during his afternoon nap. This was the first time since we bought the jogging stroller that I've run without it. I really missed my little running partner!!! I felt like I was missing something the entire time. And I had a terrible stride. I don't know how to run anymore without at least one of my arms out in front of me pushing something!

Zoo

My mom and I took Carter to the zoo today.


The highlight of the visit was the elephants and the rhinos. The male elephant seemed to be interested in one of the females today. They kept wrapping their trunks around each other and even stood up on the bars that keep them apart.



Right when we walked up to the rhinos, one charged another one and they fought for about 20 seconds with their horns.


George, the baby chimp, was around again today. I think they redid the platforms in the exhibit since last week. The chimps were a lot more playful today.


We also got a free carousel ride again. The crazy guy that operates the ride seemed bored and offered us a free ride. Carter was getting tired at this point. He really enjoyed the ride but cried so hard when we were done and he had to get off.

In Need of Naps

Poor Carter hasn't been getting his regular 2 naps a day in his crib the last couple of days and he has been one very unhappy baby. After being a 30-minute napper for so long, Carter seems to be getting dependent on the 2 long naps a day now.

Yesterday he got his normal morning nap, then took a short 30 minute nap during a walk with my mom while I played my soccer game. I finally got him down in his crib for a late afternoon nap around 5:30 pm and decided to wake him up after an hour so he could eat dinner and still go to bed at his normal time. He was very grumpy for that hour and nothing could make him happy.

Today my mom and I took Carter to the outlet stores in Sevierville. I decided to let him take his morning nap in the car which ended up being about 3o minutes. He took a 15 minute cat nap while shopping and then another 20 minute nap on the drive home. He was absolutely miserable tonight. He barely ate dinner and was crying hysterically before and after his bath.

Tomorrow I am going to make sure Carter gets 2 good naps in his crib!

Maple Lane Farm

This morning Carter, Brian, and I went to the corn maze and pumpkin patch at Maple Lane Farms in Greenback, TN. We decided to go early before it got crowded and got there right after it opened.

Here's Carter as a farmer ...



Carter and me waiting for someone to show up and sell us tickets to the corn maze. We decided it would be easiest to carry him using the Baby Bjorn. We haven't used it about 4 months but it worked out well.


A combine harvester ...



We were the first ones through the corn maze for the day. We never saw anyone else the entire time we were in there.


Views from one of the bridges in the maze ...



The corn was 10-15 feet high this year. We went to another corn maze a couple of years ago during the drought here and you could see over most of the corn in the maze. This was a lot more fun!


In the maze ...


Finding one of the 10 posts in the maze and reading the next clue to figure out which way to go ...


Brian and Carter ...



I took lots of pictures of Carter with the pumpkins that had already been picked ...









We took a hayride out to the pumpkin patch where you can pick your own pumpkins that are still on the vines.


Carter and me with the pumpkin we picked out ...


Riding back from the pumpkin patch ...




In the afternoon we decorated our pumpkin with a "Mr. Potato Head" kit ...


We had a lot of fun at the corn maze and pumpkin patch. It was a beautiful day and we beat the crowds by getting there early.

My mom got here this afternoon for her week-long visit. She stayed home with Carter after he went to bed and Brian and I got to go out to watch the UT game and have some drinks. This was the first time we've been out like this since Carter was born. It was really nice!

So Cute!

It's really cooled off here so the last few days Carter has been in pants and long sleeve shirts. He is SO CUTE in these new "big boy" clothes! This is what he's wearing today (including some cool Levi's) ...




I like the "fish lips" in the last picture.

We've had a pretty boring week mainly getting stuff done around the house and playing inside. Next week though my mom will be here so I'm sure we'll be much busier!

New Foods

I haven't been posting about new foods lately because we really haven't been trying anything all that new with Carter. We have been giving him a little bit of food off our plates sometimes to try out, but he rarely eats any of it. He usually throws it on the floor and we have to dive for it before Charlotte gets to it. However, Carter does love various combinations of bread and cheese. He loves cheese quesadillas. And bread with melted cheese on it.

Tonight I did try something new that was specifically for Carter. Sarah recommended chickpeas as a finger food. They were something Mary Grace really liked. Carter hasn't been much of a fan of meat so far so I thought chickpeas would be a good alternative source of protein. Well, none made their way to Carter's mouth. Charlotte ate a few though. I'll try again tomorrow!