World Traveler

It has been another very busy month! We all flew to Palm Springs to spend Thanksgiving with my dad and Sabrina, and Carter and I flew to Chicago last week to visit Alanna and the twins. I was very anxious about flying with an infant. I assumed Carter would scream for the entire flight, and, on top of that, I was also afraid that he would contract the flu or H1N1 from someone at the airport or on the airplane. Luckily, neither happened. The flight to Palm Springs went pretty well. Carter never cried, but he fussed a little and refused to sleep. Of course, he also pooped about an hour into our flight; Jeff had to change his diaper in the world's smallest bathroom and could only salvage his jeans. The flight attendant said Carter was surprisingly well-behaved and that he made less noise than a cat sitting in first class! Although Carter was up several times every night, our week in California was wonderful. We spent as much time as possible outside, and I even have some very faint tan lines. The flight home was even better than the flight to Palm Springs. As instructed by my doctor, I fed Carter during takeoff, and he slept and didn't make a peep until we landed and I had to put him in his car seat. I couldn't believe our luck!

Since Carter did so well flying - and I hate driving to Chicago without Jeff - we decided to fly to visit Alanna, Lila, and Evan. Mike was in Florida for the week for work, and Alanna needed some company. Although I wasn't much help, I did keep her company! The twins have changed so much. They have grown and both weigh close to eight pounds now, but Carter still looks so much bigger; Mike actually nicknamed him "The Gentle Giant." Carter finally seemed to notice his cousins. He watched them constantly and didn't like when they cried. As you can see from one of the pictures, he also enjoyed stealing their pacifiers. He would take them out of their mouths and put them directly into his mouth! Alanna and I tried to stop him the first couple of times; then we just gave up. As always, it was very difficult to say "good-bye" to Mike, Alanna, and the twins. (Mike came home before we left and is responsible for Carter wearing a Bears jersey.) At least Christmas will be here soon...

Chicago, Part 2

Well, I just got home from my second trip to Chicago in less than a month! Jeff, Carter, and I drove down late Saturday night and came home on Wednesday. Mike, Alanna, and the twins are doing great. The twins are growing so fast, but they still look really small, especially compared to Carter. Lila weighs six pounds and nine ounces, Evan weighs five pounds and twelve ounces, and Carter weighs seventeen pounds and one ounce.

Carter is six months old today, and I don't know where the time has gone. He literally changes every single day. He now has two teeth, can sit without any support, and can stand with support. He loves sleeping in his swing, taking baths and swimming, playing in his jumper, hanging out in the Baby Bjorn, and socializing at his ECFE class in Northfield and his Bugs class at The Little Gym in St. Louis Park. He is generally a very happy baby, but he isn't afraid to let you know when he needs or wants something. In other words, Carter has a smile that can make your day and a cry that can break your heart.

The Cousins Have Arrived!

Lila May and Evan Michael McNamara were born on Wednesday, October 14. (They were so close to sharing my birthday!) Alanna's water broke at the hospital after her regular check up, and things went very quickly after that. She didn't even have time for any pain medication. In other words, she delivered twins naturally! I can't even imagine... Even though they were born almost five weeks early, Lila and Evan are doing really well. Carter and I drove down to Chicago last Tuesday to meet them and didn't get home until last night. Lila came home last Friday, and it sounds like Evan will be home very soon.

Of course I'm not surprised, but Alanna and Mike are awesome parents already. I am in awe of their dedication to those babies. When they were both in the hospital - and Alanna and Mike could have actually gotten some sleep - they spent all day and most of the night with their babies. They didn't want to miss a feeding or even just a chance to hold them. Now that Lila is home I think it's even more difficult for Alanna and Mike. They are happy to have Lila home, but they don't want to leave Evan "alone" at the hospital. They are so much stronger than they realize.

Carter really didn't know what to think of Lila. In fact, he pretty much ignored her; he would look at anything and everything but her. Maybe he doesn't want to share Alanna and Mike with any other babies. I know Carter is going to be very close to his cousins though. I can't wait to watch them grow up together, and I love sharing the miracle of motherhood with my best friend and sister! And now I understand how much Alanna and Mike love Carter. I did not to leave the twins. Today Jeff called me from work and mentioned going to Chicago this weekend...

Sleeping and Eating Update

Carter turned four months on September 13. That night, for the first time in over a month, I put him in his crib. It was a long night, but Carter did sleep in his crib all night. The next three weeks were very difficult. Carter slept through the night twice but was up several times during the other nights. When he woke up during the night he was mad and crying, so I usually had to feed him in order to get him back to sleep. He was like a newborn again! Things started to improve, and then Carter came down with a cold. He started out in his crib but seemed uncomfortable sleeping flat on his back. So I put him in his swing, thinking that I would only need to do it for a night or two. Well, each night got worse; he spent less and less time in his crib and more and more time in his swing. Even after his cold had cleared up, he still wouldn't sleep in his crib.

Last night was the worst! I put Carter to sleep at 9:00 P.M. He "talked" in his crib for a little while and then started crying. I let him cry for ten minutes and then went in to comfort him. He calmed down and fell back to sleep as soon as I picked him up, but he started screaming as soon as I put him back down in his crib. This pattern continued for hours. At 2:00 A.M. I finally gave in and put him in his swing. He fell asleep immediately and didn't wake up until 9:00 A.M. I really don't know what to do. I'm frustrated that after weeks of no sleep we're back where we started. I'm going to keep trying to put him in his crib, but I'm not going to beat myself up about it. And I'm not going to let him cry himself to sleep. I know some people might disagree with me, but I guess I don't think there is anything wrong with Carter knowing that when he cries someone will respond. And my doctor has assured me that you can't spoil a baby...

On a happier note, we started feeding Carter rice cereal and even some level one baby foods. My hope was, of course, that a little "food" would help him sleep. That hasn't been the case, but it has been fun to watch Carter eat. He isn't a big fan of rice cereal, but he has enjoyed some of his baby food. We're trying a new fruit or vegetable every three days. So far he has liked carrots and squash the best. My mom said Alanna and I were the same way. We ate so many orange vegetables that our skin actually started to turn orange!

He can roll!

Carter can roll - but only from his stomach to his back! He did it for the first time a few weeks ago. I was in the kitchen, and I heard Jeff say, "He's gonna roll!" By the time I got to the living room, I had missed it; Carter was already on his back, looking very confused. At first I didn't believe that he had actually rolled over. Since then, however, I've seen it for myself! He doesn't do it all the time, but he can do it. Usually he has to get pretty mad first though...