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.

Carter learned to laugh

Carter laughed for the first time at Gigi and Grandpa's house on June 28th at 13 weeks old.  Two days later, I caught his 2nd laugh on video.  He was in his activity chair at Gram and Poppy's house and he just started cracking up.  It was the most amazing thing.  This video is my favorite one yet.  

3 Months Old

    Last week we took Carter to see an American pediatrician for his 3 month appointment.  I was dying to know what percentile our little guy would fall under in the U.S.  In Hong Kong, the charts are based on Asian babies, so he's always at the top of the charts.  Currently, he weighs 15.11 pounds which is the 78%, he is 26 inches which is in the 93%, and his head circumference is 26 inches, the 70%.  Looks like Carter may be a basketball player one day!  I can't believe he's so tall.  It was fun talking to a doctor here and asking for advice, in HK they're too busy to talk to us for more than 5 minutes and the advice is very limited.  Carter has a clean bill of health.

Lake Trip with My Girls

Stephanie's parents were kind enough to invite us back to their gorgeous lake house for our annual girl's trip.  We had the best time ever.  It was over before we knew it and now we're all thinking about next summer.  I love you girls!

God has multiplied our small group of girls these past few years!

You crack me up, Aunt Beth!

Hands off Weston, Laura Kate is my girl!

America's Next Top Model Auditions

Cupcake Hangover

The girls threw a lovely shower for Julia and me.  Thank you so much girls!!

Beth painted the cutest frames for us.

Laura Kate is always a blur; she's so full of energy!

First Play Date

              While we were in Birmingham, we met up with my best friends Micheal and Erin to have a play date with all our little ones.  Carter bounced in his bouncy chair, while the bigger kids tore the room apart and suffered a few injuries.  Harper rolled down 2 steps and Nolan bumped his head on a table.  Cohen was very sweet and shared his toys with everyone.  After lunch the kids started to have a collective meltdown, so we decided to head back home.  Thanks Micheal for hosting!

Harper is my future girlfriend.  I like older ladies, isn't she cute?

Erin is my mom's friend from high school.

Nolan and Cohen.  When asked if they were buddies, Cohen said, "No."  Well, one day.

Loving that Ducky!

More ketchup please!

I hope we have another play date with my new buds.

    

Loving the Summer

I learned how to blow bubbles.

Mom took me to Pensacola and I slept most of the time.

I got to meet Mom's best friend, Aunt Micheal and her kids Cohen and Harper.  They were tons of fun.

Aunt Nicole came to see me and gave me an awesome floatie for the pool.

I had to wait 2 weeks to see Uncle Will because he was working in Texas.  He tried to feed me corn, so I call him Uncle Corn.

We went to Birmingham and I got to meet my Great Grandmother, Mimi.  She helped take care of me.

Uncle Dan and Aunt Leigh let me stay at their house for a week.  I hope I wasn't too much of an imposition. 

My cousin Courtney said I look like an alien, but I still love her anyways.  She is gonna babysit me one day, because Mom used to babysit her when she was little. 

First week back home

I finally got to meet my Poppy and Gram.  They have a really nice nursery for me with lots of toys and comfy crib to sleep in.

They even have a chair especially for me!

I had so much fun playing with Aunt Lori.

I love to wrap my hand around your finger and not let go.

I got to meet my Great Grandma Pat for the first time.  She really loves me.

I'm so excited because my Grandpa and Gigi have a swimming pool.  I took my first dip and it was pretty fun.

It's so bright and sunny, I can barely open my eyes!

I think I'm ready to go to the deep end, Mom.

Mom and Dad, don't you know I'm not allowed to have direct sunlight!

You guys, are crazy about me!  Let me see, what can I do that's extra cute?

My first trip to a place called Waffle House.  I ordered an All-Star Breakfast.

This is my Aunt Morgan, she buys me so many clothes!  At her house, I got to play with 2 cats and 3 chihuahuas.  I'm still coughing up hairballs.

Meeting My Grandparents

           This summer we journeyed across the planet to introduce Carter to his family.  My mom, was able to come to HK to meet him, but everyone else eagerly awaited meeting their 2 month old grandchild.  The trip couldn't have been smoother.  Being his sleepy self, Carter slept most of the 32 hour trip.  I fed him when we would take off and land, so his ears wouldn't bother him.  He only cried twice and that was nothing compared to the 2 year old sitting next to us.  That little boy was wild.  Believe it or not, when we came back to HK 2 months later, that same 2 year old was on our flight again!  Fortunately, he sat in another row.  By the time we reached Florida, Blair and I were exhausted, dirty, and ready to eat some BBQ!  I knew my sister, mom, dad, mother-in-law, and father-in-law were all waiting on the other side of the gate.  Carter had no idea what was going on.  There were tears of joy when they finally saw us.  It was one of the happiest moments of my life. 

Baby bassinet on the airplane