10 Months with Carter

July 28th-August 27th

We started out Carter's tenth month by going out on KY Lake on my Step-dad and Mom's pontoon.  Brent was working (as usual these days), so it was just Carter and I.  We met them at their camper and went out around lunchtime.  We used Carter's little life jacket for the first time, and he tolerated it pretty well. When the boat stopped and he was able to take it off, he was relieved!  Then he was free to crawl all over the boat and explore like he loves to do.  He even took his afternoon nap while we were pulling my sisters around on the tube!

The next weekend was our church's annual picnic. I had ordered little guy a car for outside so he would have something fun to be pushed/pulled around on.  I'm so glad I did, because he loves it!  I think he would ride that thing as long as we can keep it moving.  We also took the plunge and got the boys a Ranger so we could ride it out to town and could easily park and get around the crowds. Carter is obsessed with the Ranger...when he sees it he won't take his eyes off of it!  It's like he thinks it is going to leave without him. :)  It may have been an expensive toy that is mainly for his daddy, but our little guy definitely is making it worth it all.

Anyways, Carter's first Fancy Farm Picnic was actually cooler than usual.  Normally, it is miserably hot, but this year the highs were in the low 80s, which is a good 15 degrees cooler than normal, so that was nice!  We went out to the picnic grounds when his daddy got home from work.  We watched the takeoff for the 5k race with my family and Carter was just happy to ride around in his little car and watch all the people.  Carter ended up going home with my grandma that night so Brent and I could stay out past 7:30/8 PM for once! :)  We hung out with some friends/family until about midnight and we rounded up our boy and headed home for some rest.

The next day is the actual picnic when the BBQ goes on sale and bingo is played all day.  Brent's mom and dad came out to the house so Brent and I could go work selling raffle tickets for the truck we give away.  They brought him out for a bit and let him "play" the duck pond game where he just picked a duck and got a prize!  When Brent and I were finished at about 5 PM, we headed back home to round up our little man and bring him back out so we could eat some supper and see some more friends and family.  Carter did really good, he just really wanted to get down on the ground and crawl.  But the picnic grounds are all blacktop and there is trash everywhere by the end of the day so that just wasn't an option!  We managed to keep him entertained and he headed back home with my grandma again so mommy & daddy could have another late night!  And late, it was!  We way overdid it on the fun that night and ended up just staying at my grandma's too.

We made it in around 3 AM, and Carter was sleeping peacefully alongside my grandma.  She had a pillow on the far side of the bed so he couldn't roll off.  We just left him there and slept on the couch.  Well, around 5 AM, I hear a huge CRASH and I jumped up when I heard my boy's screams.  Turns out, little guy woke up and started crawling to the end of the bed, right off into the (hardwood!) floor, head first!   Poor thing got his first huge knot/bruise on his forehead.  I know it had to hurt, but he also was probably scared too!  I gave him  a bottle and he cuddled back up to me and we went back to sleep for a bit.  Talk about a wake up call for mommy!

This was later that day that he took his tumble...you can somewhat see the bump on his forehead! :(

I don't know if the fall helped push them through or what, but a couple of days later, his top TWO teeth finally popped through (on 8/5).  Another one on the bottom came through a few days later on 8/8 (our 4th wedding anniversary which we celebrated by ordering a pizza :)), and  the other bottom front tooth on 8/22...for a total of FOUR teeth this month!!  The first 3 that came through all at once really didn't make us all that miserable, but that fourth one that came through on it's own was terrible.  Carter was super whiny and was up in the middle of the night several times working on that one!

My toddler?

We went in for his 9 month checkup on 8/9.  Carter was up to 18 lb 15 oz, was 27 1/2 inches tall, and had a 17 in head circumference.  All of these are around the 40th percentile.  He always used to stay in the 5-10th percentile, but since we introduced solids he has been eating so much! While we were waiting to be called back, a lady called Carter a toddler and I about cried at how fast he has gone from in my belly to a newborn to a baby to...a toddler now??

Later in the month, daddy got another weekend off so we went to the drive in movie theater for Carter's first time that Saturday night.  My little sister Raylee went with us.  They were playing Turbo and Grown Ups 2, with the first starting at just after dark (~8:15PM) and the second after that movie and a brief intermission.  So, it is a late night!  But I  thought Carter would fall asleep if not before the first movie, shortly into it.  Boy, was I wrong! Little man fought his sleep as hard as he could...making it to nearly 11PM and about halfway through the second movie.  We couldn't believe it...and will definitely not be taking a trip back with him until at least next year!

Throughout the month, we spent a lot of time outdoors with Carter.  We rode the Ranger a ton, swang him in his swing, and pushed and pulled his little car around.  One afternoon, Brent got the itch to get his fishing poles out since he hasn't gotten to use them at all since he started his whack working schedule in mid-June.  So we took the Ranger to the pond out back and Carter loved watching Daddy fish!  He kicked back and ate his supper with mommy, then just played around with the steering wheel and watched Brent the rest of the time. 

Carter the first time we put him in his swing vs. the last time in his swing before we retired it!

Big changes came about in baby-proofing/safety this month.  We started by moving the crib mattress down to the bottom level since our little man was pulling up on the rails.  Then, we Brent installed the convertible car seat.  That made a big difference in how happy he was in the car, thank goodness!  I also put on a few cabinet locks...just in the most important spots for now, and Brent installed the gate for the bottom of the stairs.  

Carter is still getting bumps & bruises from all of his "adventuring," but thankfully it has not been near as bad as last month.  I did think it was super funny one night when I heard Brent telling Carter, "Bud your head is to hold your brain, not to bulldoze stuff with!"  He is still completely into everything!  And still loving those cords, but now starting to be obsessed with opening and closing doors too.  Of course, he can't like doing something that is safe!

He is now using walker more than jumper.  His play has gotten so much more interactive.  He will go round and round the kitchen island while Brent and I are eating (if he has already eaten...trust me, he doesn't miss a meal!) and giggle at us every time he comes around the corner and sees us!  He also loves to do this laugh/cough noise thing back and forth with us, it is so cute!  He randomly started clapping his hands a few days before his 10 month birthday...we hadn't even been working on that?!

Daddy is still on bedtime duty...sometimes I find them like this, though!

Sleep is still going great, with just a few nights of teething keeping him up.  He takes two naps, usually about 2 hours each.  Eating is never a problem...he will eat just about anything sat in front of him!  Although, this month he has started to show preference to certain things.  He is eating 3 meals and about 4 8 oz bottles per day. And as far as clothes, he is wearing size 9 months, 12 months, 6-12 mo, 9-12 mo, and still some 6-9 month things.   We still use Pampers Swaddlers in size 3.  

Likes: waving (and going!) bye bye, giving hugs & patting our backs when he gets snuggled up to us, giving high fives, throwing toys in the floor repeatedly (especially when he just really wants in the floor--like in restaurants & church!), his pacifier (gonna have to start working on getting that thing away!), banging his high chair tray for more bites, sleeping with his blankey/lovey in his face (giving mommy a panic attack!), watching cars drive by the house, and being outside in general.

Dislikes: Having his face/hands wiped (especially his nose!), napping, being told "no", running out of food on his high chair tray, when Mommy puts his lotion on him after his bath, and being fed food that is too hot or too cold for his liking.  Honestly, I really have to think when it comes to this category, he is really such a good, agreeable baby 95% of the time!