4 months old

Now

Then

      
     My sweet boy is 4 months now, and it has certainly flown by.  Last month was the most exciting in his development so far.  Carter learned to laugh which was the sweetest sound I've ever heard.  3 months was such a cute age.  He became much more alert and responsive to people.  If you talk to him, he will usually give you a great big smile.  He has learned to hold his head up very straight and bat at toys.  For some reason, his tongue has been hanging out all the time.  It's pretty funny.  He loves to grab stuff and put it straight in his mouth.  He will try to pull your finger to his mouth and gnaw on it, if you let him.  He'll probably cut a tooth soon.  We'd been working on rolling over and yesterday he finally did it.  Sadly, I had to return to work and missed this little milestone.  I guess it's the first of many things I'll miss.  Thankfully, I'm doing ok at work and I think I'll be able to adjust soon.  It just makes my time with Carter more precious and special.  When I'm home, he'll stare at me forever and smile so sweetly.  I'm just thankful for the 5 months I had off for maternity leave.  What a blessing it was to spend everyday with Carter and see him go through so many changes.  I'm also thankful for spending the summer with my family.  The grandparents spoiled Carter rotten.  It was really neat to watch Carter get to know and fall in love with his extended family.  Talk about tears, saying good-bye just about killed me.  It's much harder now that we have a baby.  I felt guilty taking Carter away from his family.  When I told my parents bye, I was crying, then I looked down to see Carter staring up at me with the biggest smile on his face and I couldn't cry anymore.

That little tongue won't go back in.

       He did an amazing job traveling back to Hong Kong.  It only took him 3 days to get back on schedule.  I've moved him to a 4 hour cycle now, which means 3 naps a day and 4-5 feedings.  I'm very reluctant to give up any naps, it's the only time to get things done.   He has responded really well to his new schedule.  His 4 month check-up is next week, I'm guessing he's about 17 pounds.

Summer Fun!

Shopping at Destin Commons makes me awfully sleepy.

Great Grandma's Rule!

I love this outfit from Uncle Corn's mom!

Stomping on mommy is so fun.

I look just like Daddy.

I'm concerned about my precious skin, please get me inside the house.

Eat, Eat, Eat!! My first fine dining experience.

Ocean Club is cool because they have a fish tank.

My Gigi and Granddad treated me to an excellent rib-eye and grouper.  I give it 5 stars.

Oh no you didn't!

Toes in the Sand

     After seeing the beach at sunset, Carter was ready to get his feet wet.  So we loaded up the car with tons of beach equipment and headed out.  Gigi, Granddad, and Gram all came to see this monumental event.  When we first arrived, we lathered Carter up with some 50 SPF and that got him all upset.  I should have waited for him to calm down before taking the photos you're about to see.  Blair put him in the water and it was pretty cold from the rain we just had.  A concerned look never left Carter's face while he was in the water.  He has a hard time when it's really sunny; he looks down the whole time.  As soon as he was out of the ocean, he took a long nap under the umbrella.  I put him back in the water after his nap and he seemed a bit more comfortable.  He squished the sand between his toes.  One rogue wave managed to get us and Carter got soaked.  I know, terrible mom!  He barely even cried, though.  Overall, pretty successful day at the beach.

Two umbrellas make it all better!

I'm not feeling this, Mom!

Can I please get some shorts that fit?

Just keep me in the shade and everyone will be much happier.

Are you sure this is safe for babies?

My parents, they're pretty cool.

Still not sure about this.

I'm pooped!

First Trip to the Beach

         We've been home for 5 weeks and just got around to showing Carter the beach.  We went at sunset just to show him the water and sand.  He was really checking everything out. 

Wow, God is amazing!  The ocean is sooo big.

I can't take my eyes off of these waves.

Never let go Daddy!

I think I'll wait a few years before I take my first swim.

Tastes Good!

     Carter loves to put everything in his mouth now.  He is quite the drooler.  We kept waiting for him to starting sucking his thumb, but he kept it tightly tucked inside his fist.  He finally found his thumb at 13 weeks old, but he seems to prefer his entire fist. 

Destin Harbor

  Gram and Poppy took us to Harry T's on Destin Harbor.  We had drinks and appetizers while watching the boats go by during the 4th of July weekend. 

Biggest Nachos Ever!!

What a cute couple!

Tell me why I moved to Hong Kong again?

Crab Island is on the other side of the bridge and it was totally packed for the 4th.

     

4th of July Pool Party

      We celebrated the 4th of July with a huge pool party at Gigi and Granddad's house.  There were tons of people there.  Carter floated on his turtle for about an hour and seemed pretty comfortable in the water.  He wore his brand new sunglasses and looked adorable, as always.  Gram, Poppy, Uncle Will, and Aunt Morgan came to the party also.  Granddad made some delicious bbq!  That night, we went to see fireworks with Aunt Lori at Emerald Grande. 

I may live in Hong Kong, but I proudly wave my little American flag.

I love (tolerate) floating on my turtle.

No sun is gonna get me!

Gigi, Daddy, and me.

Posing for mom.  Me with beach ball.

Gram and me.

Favorites

Favorites while Carter sleeps:
The way he fusses until I get his blanket tightly swaddled and his paci in his mouth, then he quietly surrenders to nap time. 
The way he manages to shimmy one arm out of his blanket, almost every time.
The way he keeps sucking on his paci even when he looks totally asleep.
The way one arm shoots up and then the other, when I unswaddle him and then he stretches forever.
The way he looks at me after he stretches and a smile slowly spreads across his face.

Favorites while he eats:
The way he open and closes his hand while he eats.
The way he starts sucking on my shoulder if I wait too long to feed him.
The way he tickles my tummy with his sharp little claws, when I don't clip his nails.
The way his tummy gets really tight when he's done eating, like a little tick.
The way he'll smile at me while he's nursing.
The way he flails his arms and legs like he's in a rodeo.
The way he grunts and throws a fit when he can't get out from under my nursing cover.

Favorites while he plays:
The way his left leg moves in circles and kicks faster than his right leg when he's in his bouncy chair.
The way he squeals with delight while he bounces.
The way he sings along when I sing "Itsy Bitsy Spider" with squeals at end of every phrase.
The way his eyes dart from one thing to the next and I can tell he's really thinking.
The way he moves his head in a jerky motion and finally focuses on my face.
The way he loves to watch the fan and tries to fix his eyes on the TV, even though I don't let him.
The way he's always has a slight milky aroma (spit up).
The way his sticky little hands collect all the fuzz from his new clothes and blankets.
The way he blows bubbles and makes funny spitting noises.
The way his laugh becomes contagious.
The way his lip sticks out, then slowly turns into a frown,  next his face turns red and finally a high pitched cry works it way out when he's had too much.