Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Animal Sounds
Here is a video of Carter showing off some of the animal sounds he knows (he also knows a sheep - I forgot to ask that one) ...
Keeping Busy
I've been trying to keep Carter active and out of the house as much as possible. If we stay home all day, Carter and I both go a little crazy. He usually ends up misbehaving more because he gets bored and I end up letting him watch too many cartoons because I'll need a break from all the screaming.
It's been hard though now that Sarah and Mary Grace are in Kentucky. And even harder now that Amy just had baby Alek. Carter needs friends because it's harder for me to give him all my attention and play with him when I often have to do something for Rylan. And it's still so hot so I don't like having Rylan out in the heat for too long. I can't wait for it to cool off a little so we can do things like go to the zoo again.
But I've been doing what I can. Here's a list of our outings / playdates the last week:
Carter did really well at the neighborhood playdate last Friday. I had never met any of the other moms before, but everyone was nice and easy to talk to. Carter wasn't shy but also behaved (no taking away toys from other kids or screaming or hitting because something got taken from him). Hopefully some of us will get together again.
Sunday was the first time I'd been to the pool since Rylan was born. It was so nice! I've missed going so much. Carter and I were going 3 or 4 times a week when I was pregnant. I think Brian took Carter twice right after Rylan was born, but he hadn't been in at least a month. I was worried that Carter may have forgotten what he'd learned so far this summer, but he hadn't. He wasn't scared of anything and had lots of fun. Rylan slept in his carseat in the shade with a fan on him so I was able to hang out in the pool with Brian and Carter the whole time we were there (about 45 minutes).
It's been hard though now that Sarah and Mary Grace are in Kentucky. And even harder now that Amy just had baby Alek. Carter needs friends because it's harder for me to give him all my attention and play with him when I often have to do something for Rylan. And it's still so hot so I don't like having Rylan out in the heat for too long. I can't wait for it to cool off a little so we can do things like go to the zoo again.
But I've been doing what I can. Here's a list of our outings / playdates the last week:
- Wednesday - Baby Bookworms at the library
- Thursday - Played in the driveway with water toys for a couple of hours
- Friday - Playdate at neighbors house with seven other kids
- Saturday - Creative Discovery Museum
- Sunday - Pool before bed
- Monday - Nothing :(
- Tuesday - Playdate with Mary Grace (Sarah and Mary Grace were in town for a couple days)
Carter did really well at the neighborhood playdate last Friday. I had never met any of the other moms before, but everyone was nice and easy to talk to. Carter wasn't shy but also behaved (no taking away toys from other kids or screaming or hitting because something got taken from him). Hopefully some of us will get together again.
Sunday was the first time I'd been to the pool since Rylan was born. It was so nice! I've missed going so much. Carter and I were going 3 or 4 times a week when I was pregnant. I think Brian took Carter twice right after Rylan was born, but he hadn't been in at least a month. I was worried that Carter may have forgotten what he'd learned so far this summer, but he hadn't. He wasn't scared of anything and had lots of fun. Rylan slept in his carseat in the shade with a fan on him so I was able to hang out in the pool with Brian and Carter the whole time we were there (about 45 minutes).
Monday, August 16, 2010
7 Weeks Old
Rylan is 7 weeks old today.
He is still growing like crazy. He can barely fit into his 3 month rompers - they are difficult to snap. He's been wearing 6 month sized onesies for a couple of weeks because he completely grew out of the 3 month sized ones.
Rylan should be wearing size 2 diapers but I had bought a jumbo box of size 1 diapers and don't want to waste them so I'm still using them even though they barely close around Rylan's waist.
I got on the scale with and without Rylan this weekend and the difference was 14 pounds. I put Carter on the scale and he's only 25 pounds. Carter was 13 lbs, 13 oz at his 4 month appointment. I'm really curious to get Rylan's official measurements in 2 weeks when he has his 2 month appointment. It's amazing how different he is from Carter.
Rylan is getting pretty good head control. You still have to be prepared for him to flop his head back if you're holding him upright, but he doesn't do it that often. He can lift his head up for a long time while on his tummy too.
Rylan is smiling more and more. He's definitely smiling in response to us now. If I get close to his face when he's calm and lying down and smile and talk sweet to him, I can usually get Rylan to smile at me.
He is still growing like crazy. He can barely fit into his 3 month rompers - they are difficult to snap. He's been wearing 6 month sized onesies for a couple of weeks because he completely grew out of the 3 month sized ones.
Rylan should be wearing size 2 diapers but I had bought a jumbo box of size 1 diapers and don't want to waste them so I'm still using them even though they barely close around Rylan's waist.
I got on the scale with and without Rylan this weekend and the difference was 14 pounds. I put Carter on the scale and he's only 25 pounds. Carter was 13 lbs, 13 oz at his 4 month appointment. I'm really curious to get Rylan's official measurements in 2 weeks when he has his 2 month appointment. It's amazing how different he is from Carter.
Rylan is getting pretty good head control. You still have to be prepared for him to flop his head back if you're holding him upright, but he doesn't do it that often. He can lift his head up for a long time while on his tummy too.
Rylan is smiling more and more. He's definitely smiling in response to us now. If I get close to his face when he's calm and lying down and smile and talk sweet to him, I can usually get Rylan to smile at me.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Hair and Pacis
Rylan is still working on losing the last of his dark hair. He currently has a strip at the base of his skull that doesn't want to rub off.
Carter pointing out the baby's hair to me ...
At least from the front Rylan doesn't look as silly anymore!
He has light colored peach fuzz all over his head now. The hair looks blonde but Carter was the same way when he was a newborn so we'll see what color it is when it starts growing out.
Rylan hasn't been a big fan of the paci so far. We haven't even tried to give it to him for 2 or 3 weeks. When we would give it to him, he would scream harder for a few minutes but would eventually start sucking on it and calm down. But he couldn't keep it in on his own and would lose it after a minute or two if we didn't hold it in.
We've pretty much decided to try to avoid giving Rylan a paci at all anymore. Carter is still using his for naps, at night, and in the car. We'd love for him to not use it at all, but I'm not ready to force him to give it up right now. I need the sleep I'm getting and know Carter would be up a lot for a few nights at least if we were to take the paci away. And I like my few minutes of peace that I get while driving. Rylan usually sleeps while I'm driving and Carter will be content with his paci.
I'm going to set a goal of having Carter give up his paci by his second birthday. Hopefully I'll be strong enough to stick to my goal!
Carter pointing out the baby's hair to me ...
At least from the front Rylan doesn't look as silly anymore!
He has light colored peach fuzz all over his head now. The hair looks blonde but Carter was the same way when he was a newborn so we'll see what color it is when it starts growing out.
Rylan hasn't been a big fan of the paci so far. We haven't even tried to give it to him for 2 or 3 weeks. When we would give it to him, he would scream harder for a few minutes but would eventually start sucking on it and calm down. But he couldn't keep it in on his own and would lose it after a minute or two if we didn't hold it in.
We've pretty much decided to try to avoid giving Rylan a paci at all anymore. Carter is still using his for naps, at night, and in the car. We'd love for him to not use it at all, but I'm not ready to force him to give it up right now. I need the sleep I'm getting and know Carter would be up a lot for a few nights at least if we were to take the paci away. And I like my few minutes of peace that I get while driving. Rylan usually sleeps while I'm driving and Carter will be content with his paci.
I'm going to set a goal of having Carter give up his paci by his second birthday. Hopefully I'll be strong enough to stick to my goal!
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Creative Discovery Museum
We drove down to Chattanooga today to go to the Creative Discovery Museum. It's a children's museum that is located downtown near the riverfront. We got out of the house at 9:20 am and it took about an hour and a half to get to the museum. We all went running this morning which gave us the later start. I've run 4 of the last 5 days. I've run the same 2.15 mile route each morning and have improved my time each day (I was almost 2 minutes faster today than I was on Tuesday).
I was really impressed by the museum. Most of the children's or science museums we've taken Carter to are either old and run down or geared toward older kids. This one had plenty of stuff for Carter to play with. The only negative was that they had a little too much squished into a relatively small building. Luckily, even though it was crowded since it was Saturday, it wasn't as bad as I expected and Carter didn't get run down too many times. He was generally able to play with what he wanted when he wanted.
When we got to the museum, a firetruck had just arrived at the entrance for kids to look at. Even though Carter loves firetrucks, he did not want to sit in the truck. He wanted Brian to get him back out right away. He had just gotten up from a nap so I'm going to blame his behavior on that.
Carter was very happy about the Chattanooga Fire Department sticker that he got. He kept pointing to it all day.
"Ooooooo, water ..."
There was a cool multilevel play area to explore ...
Going fishing ...
After getting a little damp while playing with the water again, Carter got to wear one of the cool smocks ...
"I know I need a haircut, but Mom thought this would be more fun. I'll get one next Saturday!"
There was a giant sandbox where you can dig for dinosaur fossils. Carter found an unoccupied corner ...
Carter liked the musical instruments ...
Especially this player piano that also included several other instruments connected to it ...
And of course he loved the trains ...
And the "go-go" (or car) ...
But what could make Carter stand like this for minutes with a look of awe on his face?
This guy!
The Grossology exhibit was at the museum right now. It was interesting. And gross. Especially the smells exhibit.
Cute kid in a tree ...
Carter loved counting this dinosaur's toes over and over again. (He can't really count yet but he'll point to each thing he's counting and say "two" over and over again.)
We spent about 3 1/2 hours at the museum. We had a small lunch (more of a snack) in the cafe (which was very reasonably priced). But after the museum, Brian and I were really hungry so we ordered lunch to go from Cheeburger Cheeburger. They have the best hamburgers and onion rings. You can choose from 50 different toppings for your burgers (including weird things like peanut butter). Even though it was 3 pm, there was still a wait for a table. Because it was Carter's nap time and we didn't think both kids would make it through a meal in a restaurant, we ate in the car while Rylan slept and Carter had a snack.
After our lunch, we drove back to Knoxville. We had a lot of fun today and I'm glad Carter got a day out of the house. I've been struggling to find new things to do since it's still so hot and there aren't a whole lot of indoor activities for Carter around here.
And congratulations to Amy and Chad who welcomed baby Alek this morning (and Caitlyn who is now a big sister)! He arrived a little earlier than expected but we've heard he and Amy are healthy and doing well. We can't wait to meet him!
I was really impressed by the museum. Most of the children's or science museums we've taken Carter to are either old and run down or geared toward older kids. This one had plenty of stuff for Carter to play with. The only negative was that they had a little too much squished into a relatively small building. Luckily, even though it was crowded since it was Saturday, it wasn't as bad as I expected and Carter didn't get run down too many times. He was generally able to play with what he wanted when he wanted.
When we got to the museum, a firetruck had just arrived at the entrance for kids to look at. Even though Carter loves firetrucks, he did not want to sit in the truck. He wanted Brian to get him back out right away. He had just gotten up from a nap so I'm going to blame his behavior on that.
Carter was very happy about the Chattanooga Fire Department sticker that he got. He kept pointing to it all day.
"Ooooooo, water ..."
There was a cool multilevel play area to explore ...
Going fishing ...
After getting a little damp while playing with the water again, Carter got to wear one of the cool smocks ...
"I know I need a haircut, but Mom thought this would be more fun. I'll get one next Saturday!"
There was a giant sandbox where you can dig for dinosaur fossils. Carter found an unoccupied corner ...
Carter liked the musical instruments ...
Especially this player piano that also included several other instruments connected to it ...
And of course he loved the trains ...
And the "go-go" (or car) ...
But what could make Carter stand like this for minutes with a look of awe on his face?
This guy!
The Grossology exhibit was at the museum right now. It was interesting. And gross. Especially the smells exhibit.
Cute kid in a tree ...
Carter loved counting this dinosaur's toes over and over again. (He can't really count yet but he'll point to each thing he's counting and say "two" over and over again.)
We spent about 3 1/2 hours at the museum. We had a small lunch (more of a snack) in the cafe (which was very reasonably priced). But after the museum, Brian and I were really hungry so we ordered lunch to go from Cheeburger Cheeburger. They have the best hamburgers and onion rings. You can choose from 50 different toppings for your burgers (including weird things like peanut butter). Even though it was 3 pm, there was still a wait for a table. Because it was Carter's nap time and we didn't think both kids would make it through a meal in a restaurant, we ate in the car while Rylan slept and Carter had a snack.
After our lunch, we drove back to Knoxville. We had a lot of fun today and I'm glad Carter got a day out of the house. I've been struggling to find new things to do since it's still so hot and there aren't a whole lot of indoor activities for Carter around here.
And congratulations to Amy and Chad who welcomed baby Alek this morning (and Caitlyn who is now a big sister)! He arrived a little earlier than expected but we've heard he and Amy are healthy and doing well. We can't wait to meet him!
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Fashion Police
This guy thinks he is the fashion police.
He does not like if there is a string hanging from a seam on his or other people's clothes. He does not like it if Brian has a shirt unbuttoned over his undershirt (don't worry, Brian doesn't go out like that or anything - it's just when he's getting dressed or undressed and Carter freaks out if he doesn't button it quick enough). He really doesn't like it if my bra strap is showing. He makes sure everyone's shirt is pulled down completely and not showing any skin (he didn't like when he could see some of my belly when I was pregnant - he was the only one short enough though to see under my shirt!).
Carter also HATES it when his face or hands are dirty. If he gets any food on his hands while eating, they have to be wiped clean IMMEDIATELY. He's almost as adamant about his face being clean. Today when we were playing outside, Carter's hands were wet from the pool. We started playing with chalk and he got very upset that his hands changed colors and had to get them cleaned off right away (there was a lot of screaming!).
Sometimes I think Carter is a little OCD. But he can also make a mess and love it. He's very good at dumping a box full of toys and just leaving them on the floor. He will sometimes line up his trucks or other toys but that's about as much order as he has in him.
Overall, I think he's just silly.
He does not like if there is a string hanging from a seam on his or other people's clothes. He does not like it if Brian has a shirt unbuttoned over his undershirt (don't worry, Brian doesn't go out like that or anything - it's just when he's getting dressed or undressed and Carter freaks out if he doesn't button it quick enough). He really doesn't like it if my bra strap is showing. He makes sure everyone's shirt is pulled down completely and not showing any skin (he didn't like when he could see some of my belly when I was pregnant - he was the only one short enough though to see under my shirt!).
Carter also HATES it when his face or hands are dirty. If he gets any food on his hands while eating, they have to be wiped clean IMMEDIATELY. He's almost as adamant about his face being clean. Today when we were playing outside, Carter's hands were wet from the pool. We started playing with chalk and he got very upset that his hands changed colors and had to get them cleaned off right away (there was a lot of screaming!).
Sometimes I think Carter is a little OCD. But he can also make a mess and love it. He's very good at dumping a box full of toys and just leaving them on the floor. He will sometimes line up his trucks or other toys but that's about as much order as he has in him.
Overall, I think he's just silly.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Exercise
I had my 6 week postpartum appointment yesterday and have been cleared to exercise. Woohoo!
So I took the boys running this morning. We did 2.15 miles (which is 2 loops in the back section of our neighborhood). I only walked the last bit of 2 big hills and finished in 25 minutes and 19 seconds. It wasn't fast but it was the first time I've run in a very long time, I was pushing two kids, and I'm carrying a lot of extra weight.
I'm at 142 lbs right now. I was 119 lbs when I got pregnant with Rylan so that's 23 lbs to go (though I'd love to get to 115). I think I was 164 lbs the day Rylan was born so I'm down 22 lbs. I haven't done anything though these past 6 weeks. No exercise and I've been eating a ton.
Hopefully exercise and watching what I eat a little bit will jumpstart my weight loss. Though I'm pretty sure the skin on my belly isn't going to recover. My doctor seemed to agree with me when I jokingly said I am going to need a tummy tuck. I just got too big with Rylan and have so much extra skin.
After Carter was born, I signed up for a half-marathon to keep me motivated to exercise. This time I think I'm going to sign up for the Cross Knox 10 Miler which is in 2 months (on 10-10-10). The race is almost entirely on greenways through and around downtown Knoxville. I've always wanted to do this race (I think this is the 4th year they are having the race) but have always had something else going on (or been too pregnant).
So I took the boys running this morning. We did 2.15 miles (which is 2 loops in the back section of our neighborhood). I only walked the last bit of 2 big hills and finished in 25 minutes and 19 seconds. It wasn't fast but it was the first time I've run in a very long time, I was pushing two kids, and I'm carrying a lot of extra weight.
I'm at 142 lbs right now. I was 119 lbs when I got pregnant with Rylan so that's 23 lbs to go (though I'd love to get to 115). I think I was 164 lbs the day Rylan was born so I'm down 22 lbs. I haven't done anything though these past 6 weeks. No exercise and I've been eating a ton.
Hopefully exercise and watching what I eat a little bit will jumpstart my weight loss. Though I'm pretty sure the skin on my belly isn't going to recover. My doctor seemed to agree with me when I jokingly said I am going to need a tummy tuck. I just got too big with Rylan and have so much extra skin.
After Carter was born, I signed up for a half-marathon to keep me motivated to exercise. This time I think I'm going to sign up for the Cross Knox 10 Miler which is in 2 months (on 10-10-10). The race is almost entirely on greenways through and around downtown Knoxville. I've always wanted to do this race (I think this is the 4th year they are having the race) but have always had something else going on (or been too pregnant).
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