Florida - Day 2 - Sea World

Carter did great and slept through the night. He was up and ready to go at his normal time of 6 am. No sleeping in for this kid! The hotel had waffle makers and our little piggy ate 3/4ths of a waffle (he ended up eating these every morning and ended up finishing a few waffles).

Carter's poor nose was a faucet by now but that was the only symptom of his cold. It was really annoying for everyone though because he needed it wiped all the time and he hates having it wiped.

The weather was really nice on Sunday and we decided it would be a good day for Sea World. I had bought our tickets online before we left and the ticket is good for a second visit within a week. So since we figured we'd be coming back, we wanted to go there early in the trip.

We got to the park just before it opened at 9 am and were some of the first people in (this is when Carter's early wake up time is nice).


Sea World's newest roller coaster, Manta, is near the entrance of the park and since there was no line, Brian went on it first thing (I was a little jealous - hopefully we'll be back sometime when I'm not pregnant!).

Carter LOVED watching this ride though. He would point at the cars as they climbed the track. He would do this anywhere in the park that he could see the ride.


We tried to watch to see if we could see Brian (he ended up riding in the front and really liked the ride).


When the ride got close to us, Carter kept covering his mouth and squealing. It was very cute!



Carter and I also checked out the sea turtle and flamingo exhibits while we waited for Brian. Carter really liked the flamingos. He kept pointing and yelling at them.

Next we went to the Whale and Dolphin Theater to see the Blue Horizons show. The show has lots of dolphins and birds and people doing acrobatics. We thought this was the best show at Sea World and Carter really got in to it.

Here are some videos of the show and Carter's reaction. I did a poor job filming the performing, but you get a good idea of how much Carter enjoyed it.

After the show we walked around for a little bit to see some of the animals and Carter eventually took a nap in his stroller. We saw alligators, manatees, sea lions, and seals.



Carter petting a manatee statue ...


The sea lions and seals begging for fish you could buy and feed them ...


This is how Carter likes to sleep, with his hands behind his head ...


We stopped for lunch at The Terrace restaurant. We brought all of Carter's food with us from home and that saved a ton of money since it's so expensive to eat in the parks. Carter will sometimes share food with us when we go out, but it's really hit or miss. One time he'll love something and the next time we go there, he spits out the exact same food.

The park started getting a lot more crowded in the afternoon. We were really glad that we got there so early and were able to do so much without a lot of people around.

After lunch, we went to the children's area, Shamu's Happy Harbor. Carter rode the carousel first and loved it as usual.

We got our picture taken with Shamu ...


Carter really liked the characters at the beginning of the trip. Here's a clip of him giving Shamu "five" ...

There was a really cool, giant, multi-story rope playground in the children's area. We tried to let Carter play on it a little, but he was just too small to go anywhere.


Brian took Carter on the Jazzy Jellies ride. It went up in the air and you could make it spin. Carter wasn't all that excited by it, but didn't hate it either.


Next we went to the underwater viewing area of the killer whales. We were at Sea World on Sunday and again on Friday. It was Wednesday that one of the trainers was killed by one of the killer whales so we luckily missed all the drama at the park.

Carter liked staring at the whales and would occasionally point them out to us.



Then we headed over for another show at the Sea Lion and Otter Stadium. This one was called Clyde and Seamore Take Pirate Island. We weren't as excited about this show, but it turned out to be really entertaining.

Before the show started there was a pirate that made fun of people as they entered the stadium. Luckily we came in the opposite side so we were spared. He was really funny though.

The show was just okay at first - the acting was really bad.


Carter paid attention and chewed on his fingers a lot.


The show got good though when the otter unexpectedly attacked the sea lion! The otter wasn't supposed to be on stage but came out of nowhere and bit the sea lion's rear flippers. The sea lion got spooked and went swimming throwing off the entire show. The cast wasn't sure what to do and had to make up new dialogue. The otter also left a map on stage that was supposed to be missing for awhile. The cast did a good job being funny about the whole situation and making things up. When they started getting somewhat on track, the woman sneezed and forgot all her lines. Things just started going even more downhill from there.


Animals weren't doing what they were supposed to, such as going backstage instead of performing. And when one guy put his arm in a hole, it was supposed to look like it was coming out of another but the second guy forgot to pull up his sleeve. That led to more improvised lines and more laughter. The show ended up being really entertaining, but I don't think it would normally be all that great.


Carter liked that other people were laughing and clapping so much and that made him do the same things.

After the show, we went over to the Shark Encounter. We thought this aquarium was a bit lame, small, and overcrowded. We'd recommend skipping his exhibit.

Here's Carter checking out some of the sharks and rays outside of the aquarium ...



Carter fell asleep in his stroller after this and we sat on a bench and relaxed for a little bit. When Carter woke up, we started heading over to Shamu Stadium to see the Believe show.

Here's Carter and me on Shamu!


This stadium is a lot bigger than the others we were at during the day so Carter couldn't see as well. The show is slower with slow music and Carter got restless quickly. When he got cranky, we moved up to the top of the stadium where it was empty until the end of the show. Carter was much better up there. I think he was just bored (and getting worn out).


After the show, we went back to Shamu's Happy Harbor to see if Carter wanted to run around a little before we left. There was a fun looking sand play area but as soon as we put Carter's bare feet down on the sand, he screamed. He hated the sand for some reason. This kid does not look happy, does he?


We decided that it was time to head out since it was getting close to dinner time (4:45 pm) and we'd been at the park almost 8 hours. We ran by the hotel to heat up some dinner for Carter and went to Boston Market for dinner. Then we headed back to the hotel for a little play time and bath and had Carter in bed around 7:45 pm.

We had so much fun and the weather was beautiful - sunny and warm but got a little cloudy and breezy in the late afternoon to cool it off to a perfect temperature. We think Carter had a lot of fun too. This past week when there was a news story on TV about dolphins or seals (I don't remember exactly), Carter pointed at the TV and started making his "oooh, oooh" sound. He seems to remember the animals he saw at Sea World which we think is pretty cool.

Florida - Day 1 - Travel

Our drive down to Florida was uneventful. We left Knoxville around 7:30 am on Saturday (Feb 20th) and made it to Orlando in just over 10 hours. The drive felt short - I think Brian and I both just enjoyed sitting in one place for awhile! Carter did really well too. He would get pretty fussy when he was tired and had trouble falling asleep. But he eventually took 3 short naps. It was a beautiful, sunny day and just kept getting warmer and warmer as we headed south. We've had such a cold and cloudy winter that the weather put us in such a good mood.

When we arrived in Orlando, we checked into our first of two hotels down there. Brian had a lot of points from traveling for work so we split our trip between a Homewood Suites (using Hilton points) and a Staybridge Suites (using Holiday Inn points). We got 3 free nights at the Homewood and 2 free nights at the Staybridge (we paid for 2 additional nights at the Staybridge). We wanted suites with separate bedrooms (which require a lot more points) because it is so much easier when we can put Carter's playyard in the living room area and then go into the bedroom once he's asleep around his normal bedtime. Then we don't have to keep Carter up too late or go to bed at the same time as him.

We were staying on International Drive by all the convention centers so there were a ton of chain restaurants all around us. We decided to try Olive Garden across from our hotel because it didn't look too crowded. It was already 6:30 pm and past time for Carter to have dinner. We were told there was a 20 minute wait and decided he could make it that long. After 45 minutes we finally left. Tons of people that got there after us were being seated but we were eventually told we had to wait for a table instead of a booth because a high chair at a booth is a fire hazard. That's the first time we've ever heard that. Has anyone else run into this? We eat at booths most of the time when we go out (it's easier than finding a place to put the displaced extra chair). Anyway, I was mad because I didn't want to get Carter to bed too late on our first night and pregnancy emotions decided to kick in. Poor Brian. Brian dropped Carter and me off at the hotel so I could feed Carter and get him ready for bed, and Brian found a Chili's and ordered carry-out for us.

We finally got Carter to bed around 8:45 pm. Unfortunately I had noticed his nose starting to run on the drive and I could tell by bedtime that he had a cold. Perfect timing for our trip!

Another Vacation

We just got back from a second week away in a row. After getting home from Florida last Saturday, we flew out to San Francisco on Monday. Brian had to go there for a conference for work so we decided it would be fun for Carter and me to tag along. We flew back home today and are very happy to be back. We had fun, but I am so worn out. I'll post lots of details and pictures from this trip after I post about our Florida trip (I have A LOT of catching up to do!), but here are a few pictures from the trip.

Family Vacation

We've had a busy week ...





I'll post tons of pictures and videos from our vacation once we recover!

15 Month Checkup

Carter had his 15 month checkup today. He's finally starting to increase his percentiles instead of dropping!
Here are Carter's current measurements:

• Weight: 21 lb, 6.5 oz (11th percentile)
  
• Height: 30.5 in (31st percentile)
  
• Head Circumference: 47.7 cm (66th percentile)
  

Here are Carter's 1 year measurements for comparison:

• Weight: 18 lb, 14 oz (4th percentile)
• Height: 28.75 in (18th percentile)
• Head Circumference: 47 cm (68th percentile)

Carter got two new types of shots today - the MMR vaccine and chicken pox vaccine. So far he seems to be doing fine with them. He was very upset about having to get them. He cried a lot more before the shots than after (he was done crying within 10 seconds). He also was not a fan of the pediatrician today. He was very clingy to me and when I had to put him down on the exam table, he screamed and cried big alligator tears. I think he was thinking he was going to get shots (the nurse does them after the doctor leaves). Overall, Carter looks great. We of course need to work on getting him to drink milk and breaking him of his paci. I know we definitely need to have him off it a few months before the next baby arrives so we need to get working on that one!

I took Carter to Baby Bookworms at the library yesterday. We've been going about every 3 weeks or so. Lately he hasn't been too interested and won't sit in my lap. But yesterday he was perfect! Sat in my lap the entire time. Clapped at the end of most of the songs. Listened really well. It was so nice! He was being silly though by making an "aaaahhhhhh" sound a lot with his fingers in his mouth so when I was bouncing him, it sounded really funny. I think he liked all the attention he was getting when people around us laughed at him.

Here's a picture from today of my little Alfalfa ...

I wet down this section of hair several times but could not get it to stay down today!

DDDOOOOOOOG

Carter's most obvious word, other than dddaaaa (which is dad), is dog (pronounced by Carter as dddooooooog). He loves Charlotte a lot right now. He really likes when she gets crazy playful and is running all over but stopping by to get in his face. Carter thinks it's hilarious when Charlotte sniffs his mouth when he's walking around with food.

Tonight they were especially cute together. Right before bed time Charlotte was hanging out with us. Carter was doing a great job of petting her (instead of just hitting her). Carter always wants to sit right next to her and lean against her, but Charlotte always gets up right away when he does. Tonight though Carter was into trying to give her hugs. She sat still once and let him give her a huge hug. It was really, really cute. Then a few minutes later she tried to jump over Carter when he was sitting and totally took him out instead. He was a little shocked but got over it quickly and wanted to play some more. They are going to have lots of fun together this summer playing in the yard together!

I have not gotten many good pictures lately. We haven't been doing much away from the house with this cold, cold weather and Sarah was out of town for a week so that meant we were doing even less. And then I always seem to leave my camera upstairs when we're downstairs and vice versa so I never have it around when a good picture moment happens.

But here are a few pictures I've managed to get the last few days:

Happy Carter waking up from his nap ...


Eating Cheerios and sitting on his truck ...


Carter showing off his artistic skills ...


Carter has finally figured out how to use his sit 'n spin correctly. He can now turn himself around on it when sitting in the right direction (he used to only sit backwards and use his feet).

Half Way

I'm 20 weeks along today with baby #2. We hadn't done anything at this point to prepare for Carter's arrival. I feel much more prepared for the new baby. We've been working on getting Carter's new room ready so we can move him into it and then start redoing the nursery. We put together Carter's new crib and bookcase this past weekend. Carter seems to love the new crib and wants to get in it all the time. Hopefully he'll want to sleep in it too, not just play in it.

I've been in search of some new maternity clothes and have been reminded why I hate them so much. It's really hard to get tops that aren't tents and fit over my belly. I get a huge belly, but I don't fill in everywhere else too much. I ordered a ton of maternity clothes from Old Navy and returned almost all of it. I kept running into either the top being big enough for my belly but huge everywhere else (almost coming down to my knees and falling off my shoulders) or fitting enough everywhere except my belly where it seemed like I was about to rip the seams.

Jeans are even more annoying. I finally found some at Kohl's yesterday that are more of a trouser jean that fit well enough. I have to stop wearing my regular jeans because I end up leaving them unbuttoned and unzipped when I'm at home and I'm going to end up leaving the house like that by mistake!

Funny Things

Carter does so many cute and funny things lately, but when it comes time to do my post in the evenings, I've forgotten most of them. Here's a few I can remember right now ...

Carter likes to open the cabinet under my sink in our bathroom, put his hand under the pump of the lotion, and then rub his hands together. Do you think he sees me putting lotion on my hands way too often?

Carter loves to grab our hands right now and lead us around or take us to what he wants to play with - it's very cute. The last couple of days if I tell him something like "Hold on, I need to go to the potty" when we're playing, he'll get up, take my hand, and lead me to the bathroom. Then he'll either close the door with both of us in the bathroom or try to close it from the outside (even though he can't because his hand is in the way) to give my privacy.

Carter is very good at helping let Charlotte in and out. We keep an old beach towel on one of our bar chairs to wipe Charlotte's paws when she's wet. Once Charlotte is outside, Carter likes to pull down the towel and put it by the door. Once I spread it out, he stands next to it. When I let Charlotte in, he shouts something at her and points to the towel (he's imitating me yelling at her to come back to the towel because she usually just runs off to her food or somewhere else). Then Carter will close the door for me while I'm wiping Charlotte off.

This is gross, but when Carter had a cold last week, I'd often say "We need to wipe your nose". He's a fast little guy and before I could get a new tissue, he's run into the bathroom and pull a used tissue from the waste basket and wipe his nose for me.

It amazes me how much Carter understands. I hope he figures out how to use words himself soon so he's not so frustrated!

Eating and Sleeping

It's been a little while since I posted about Carter's current eating and sleeping habits and since I didn't take any pictures the last few days, I figured I'd write about those things.

Carter still isn't eating what we eat. I often feed him before we eat since Brian gets home from work pretty late. Though when we go out, we can usually give Carter a little bit of our meal and then also feed him something we bring. Once he does start eating more of we do, it should be easy when we go out because I never really finish my meal and also like my food a little plainer so it should be easy to share. That's not going to work out so well though once we have 2 solids eaters!

I think what Carter does eat is really healthy, though he still is missing out on some protein. He's getting better though. If Carter doesn't like something, he's quick to spit it out and not be willing to try it again the rest of the meal. He often remembers something he didn't like at a previous meal and refuses to open his mouth to even try it.

I still feed Carter some pureed vegetables and things like yogurt and applesauce. He likes to hold a spoon but definitely doesn't have the control to really use it yet. Sometimes I'll put something solid (like cheese) on the spoon for him and let him try to get it to his mouth. He's not too bad at that. Carter still requires a lot of attention during meal times because you can't just put a bunch of food on his tray. He'll try to stuff it all in his mouth at one time. So I have to give him one or two pieces of things at a time to make sure he doesn't choke.

Carter has been eating like a little piggy for the last month or so, but he's suddenly cut back a lot in the last couple of days. He ate a lot right through his cold but now that he's better, he's eating about half as much at meals and skipping some snacks. I think he's grown a lot in the last month (I no longer have to roll any of his pant legs and some are getting short) so maybe he's done with a major growth spurt.

We haven't made any major breakthroughs on the milk front. Though, today, I mixed in some milk with his water most of the day (1 part milk and 3 parts water) and he willing drank it. He still didn't drink as much as he does when it's just water, but he also didn't make a yucky face and put down his sippy cup right away. Hopefully he'll drink it like that again tomorrow. If he were to keep up with drinking that mixture, I'd slowly increase the amount of milk until he's drinking 100% milk, but I'm not getting my hopes up that it's going to work. Carter's 15 month check up is next week so I'll try to get some more recommendations from the pediatrician then. I'm so ready to stop breastfeeding. Carter is way too old and understands way too much to be nursing him still.

I finally have Carter back on two naps a day. He put up a fight for at least a week, but he's much happier when he's getting more sleep. One benefit of that messed up week of naps is that Carter's been sleeping a little later in the morning (now that I've written that, he's going to start getting up early again). He was waking up between 5 and 5:30 am with me getting him at 6 am, but lately he's been waking up between 6 and 6:30 am! I usually get him about 10 minutes after he wakes up (he'll occasionally go back to sleep for 15 minutes or so and I'll take that little bit of extra sleep if he'll give it to me).

19 Weeks, 2 Days

I had a quick appointment with my OB today. Everything seems good still. I'm up about 12 lbs to 131 lbs. My blood pressure was 108/62. The baby's heart beat sounded good. That's about it - it was a simple checkup.

I was looking at pictures last night that I took of my belly when I was pregnant with Carter. I barely looked pregnant in the picture that I took at 19 weeks. My current belly size is much closer to the size in the pictures from weeks 26 and 28. Hopefully my growing belly will slow down at some point because I can't imagine being bigger than I was with Carter!