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Carter ~ 22 months old

   Right before our eyes Carter is turning into a little boy, honestly he hasn't seemed like a baby for a long time now.  He's 22 months, which means party plans are underway.  I'm so proud of everything Carter has accomplished in the past few months.  This is the most exciting age, as far as language development goes.  I would estimate he has over 400 words and strings them together in simple 2 or 3 words phrases.  From the moment he wakes up, he is talking or should I say demanding what he wants.  Here is what he says every morning, (from the crib) "Mommy, Daddy" (walks in kitchen) "eat, banana, cereal, thank you" (sits to eat) "nummy cereal"  Imagine each word repeated at least 10 times.  He has pretty good pronunciation, so most people can understand him.  There are some words that are hilarious though, like granola bar "bala bala bah", pajamas "pajassies", butterfly "butterchassy", oatmeal "oat-mee-yall", blueberries "boobooberries", ambulance "amalance", and guitar "grintar" or
"tar".  Each day he learns new words and repeats everything we say, like "crap", whoops!  He imitates characters in books and people he sees, like our neighbor that has the loudest cough you've ever heard.  He'll cough right in his face and laugh, so embarrassing.  He loves singing "ABC's", "Twinkle, Twinkle", "Itsy-Bitsy Spider", "Wheels on the Bus", and "Old McDonald".  He gets the tune and some of the lyrics right, but he is oh so cute when he sings.  Lately, he loves counting things up to 2, like this "One, two bus, 2 bus."  He can count up to 10 like this, "1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 10".  He knows all his body parts, animal sounds, and the colors: orange, red, pink, green, and yellow.  I'm not claiming he's a genius, but he's certainly close.  We've already contacted Harvard for an interview.
   Carter loves Barney, Elmo, all things transportation and construction, his brown bunny blanket (which he sleeps with), BOOKS, playgrounds, throwing rocks, animals, and his pink tricycle.  Sadly, he's stopped eating half the foods he used to love and now is being pretty selective.  His faves are hot dogs, bananas, yogurt, spaghetti, cheese, eggs, all bread, rice, everything unhealthy like ice cream and "tandy" and anything dipped in ketchup.  I hope my vegetable loving boy will return soon.  Carter loves to eat and begs us relentlessly to share all our food with him.  His favorite words are "more" and "some", as he points to his mouth.  Physically, Carter is much less dangerous, but still clumsy.  He runs with his hands flapping in the air, as though he could fall at any moment.  Just this week he tripped 6 times in one day and got a goose-egg and gash on his head.  Dislikes: brushing teeth, getting fingernails cut, changing activities to a less fun one, and sharing mommy with little sister.  Tantrums have started in full force and there is nothing one can do to stop them.  Imagine the most shrill high-pitched sound ever and then Carter laying on the floor thrashing around, once for 20 minutes.  Our strategy is two-fold, ignore him, then re-direct him, or one or the other.  Who knows?!  We're pretty clueless with how to deal with the terrible twos.  We can usually expect at least one mini-tantrum a day that is brief, but LOUD!  Carter is very helpful and loves to tidy up, throw things away, sweep, and assist Mommy with Macy's needs.  He takes great pride in being my little helper, which I love.  I'm looking forward to Carter getting along with Macy and her being able to play with him soon!       

1 Month Old

     My sweet little girl is 1 month old today!  I'm sad to see her getting bigger and growing out of her clothes already.  This could be my last little newborn and I don't want to see this stage pass so fast.  I was shocked to find out she's 9 lbs. 5 oz., when she only weighed 6 lbs. 14 oz. at birth.  That takes the pressure off me, knowing that she is getting plenty to eat.  It's no surprise since she nurses for 30-45 min. every 3 hours around the clock.  At night, she will have one 4 hour stretch, so that mommy can sleep.  For the first few weeks, Macy had her days and nights mixed up, but now she is much more alert during the day.  We love seeing her bright blue eyes for a change.  Nights are pretty difficult for us because she will get really uncomfortable from gas and nothing we do can help her.  She will cry, claw, and kick with all her might; she even pulls my hair when she's really mad.  It's incredible how strong she is.  We got some gas drops that seem to be helping.  The good news is, Macy is not a spitter.  Carter would change outfits 5 times a day because he spit up every time he ate.  My friend says, they're either a spitter or a farter.  I think it's true, because our little lady will let one rip.
    Life has been crazier than I could have comprehended.  No one can prepare you for life with 2 kids under the age of 2.  Granted I have more help than most people, but somehow I still seem frazzled and unable to complete a task, other than nursing and diaper changes.  Writing this blog post alone, took incredible sacrifice and focus.  I have the utmost respect for all you moms who stay at home, more than ever, I see how miraculous you are!  Just being Macy's personal bodyguard takes all my time and I still slipped enough to let Carter throw an airplane at her head.  His favorite thing to do is poke her directly in the eye.  So the times of placing her in the bouncy chair or on the tummy time mat are few and far between.  Another big difference is not being able to nap when the baby naps, like I did with Carter.  I haven't napped since I was pregnant.  Parents of more than 2 kids, you are exceptionally amazing!
   Sweet Macy, we absolutely love you and can't wait to see your personality develop.  You are beautiful and perfect!  In 2 weeks, you'll get to meet all your grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins in America.  We can't wait for them to meet you.
                     And now we present our daughter, the head band model....

   

   
  

What About Me?

     My friends, which seem to all have kids less than 2 years apart, told me that my love would multiply once I had Macy.  I couldn't imagine feeling more joy than I did with Carter in my life.  At the same time, I fully believed my friends and trusted their advice.  Now Macy is only 2 weeks old and I'll admit I have shed more than a few tears over how Carter must be feeling.  I can see that this is a big adjustment for him.  He has been refusing meals (very unusual), slamming doors, throwing things, saying "NO" and "mine" for the first time, and using nursing time to get away with anything he can.  I have to protect Macy from Carter, so I'm usually holding her and to make it even harder, I'm not allowed to lift Carter, because of my c-section.  I read this tear-jerker of a poem tonight and it helped me gain a new perspective.

Loving Two

I walk along holding your 2-year-old hand, basking in the glow of our magical relationship. Suddenly I feel a kick from within, as if to remind me that our time alone is limited. And I wonder: how could I ever love another child as I love you?

Then she is born, and I watch you. I watch the pain you feel at having to share me as you’ve never shared me before.

I hear you telling me in your own way, “Please love only me”. And I hear myself telling you in mine, “I can’t”, knowing, in fact, that I never can again.

You cry. I cry with you. I almost see our new baby as an intruder on the precious relationship we once shared. A relationship we can never quite have again.

But then, barely noticing, I find myself attached to that new being, and feeling almost guilty. I’m afraid to let you see me enjoying her, as though I am betraying you.

But then I notice your resentment change, first to curiosity, then to protectiveness, finally to genuine affection.

More days pass, and we are settling into a new routine. The memory of days with just the two of us is fading fast.

But something else is replacing those wonderful times we shared, just we two. There are new times – only now, we are three. I watch the love between you grow, the way you look at each other, touch each other.

I watch how she adores you – as I have for so long. I see how excited you are by each of her new accomplishments. And I begin to realize that I haven’t taken something from you, I’ve given something to you. I notice that I am no longer afraid to share my love openly with both of you.

I find that my love for each of you is as different as you are, but equally strong. And my question is finally answered, to my amazement. Yes, I can love another child as much as I love you – only differently.

And although I realize that you may have to share my time, I now know you’ll never share my love. There’s enough of that for both of you – you each have your own supply.

I love you – both. And I thank you both for blessing my life.
Author Unknown