The Terrific Two-Year Old!!

Well, we made it to two years old!  Still hard to believe time has flown by and our boy is two!

We celebrated with a dinosaur party!  This wild, outgoing boy was suddenly Mr. Shy when we sang "Happy Birthday" to him!  He had a blast with friends and family, and got more presents than any kid deserves!!

A few pictures:

The hit of the party was the "Dino Dig" where the kids dug for dinosaur bones!  Everyone had a "Dinosaur Nest" cupcake and Carter got his own dinosaur cake. 

So thankful for this little guy!  Hard to believe this sweet busy boy is the same 3-pounder that had tubes going everywhere when he was born!!

Nearly Two Years Old!

Carter is fast-approaching the two-year mark!  So hard to believe!
Over the last few months, he has learned and progressed at an amazing rate!  He now has many words in his vocabulary, and even know some sign language as well.  And though he doesn't always "say" what he wants, he knows exactly how to make it known to you.  He no longer uses a bottle.  He is at the beginning of potty-training.  (We are hoping eventually it will bother him to have poop in his pants!)
He loves anything water-related, and is an examiner of all bugs and animals.  He much prefers outdoors to indoors, and is always unhappy when it's time to go in.
We are working on using our "whisper" voice for church, although he hasn't quite mastered that yet.  And he is totally interested in the workings of everything.  Think you have "baby-proofed" something?  Just let him see you open it one time and he remembers how to get things open. 
He recently welcomed a new cousin, and he loves to give her hugs, but has a little trouble differentiating between "big" hugs and "gentle" hugs, so we have to keep a sharp eye out when the baby is around. 
His favorite thing is dinosaurs.  We are gearing up for a dinosaur birthday party, which should be a real hoot!
He is a connoisseur of corn on the cob!  He enjoyed the first Fourth of July he was able to participate in at the lake with our family.  Great Grandpa even let him drive the boat!
And he loves to do everything "just like daddy"!  He's got some big shoes to fill, because we think his daddy is pretty special!
Here are a few pictures!!!

Carter Welcomes Spring!

Carter is growing sooooo fast!  It seems like he learns something new every day! And he is actually starting to have hair!  Really blonde but it's there!  He is now the master of bubbles!  And who doesn't love bubbles? Easter was a big hit - new toys and lots of bubbles! 

He helped color easter eggs - sort of.  We handed him an egg and he hurled it into a cup of color with a huge splash!  There was color on us, the table, the floor, everywhere!  When it was all over even his tongue was blue! He has also figured out what a squirt gun does - a great discovery!  He and Great Grandpa enjoyed an I Spy book during church, and Grandpa Shane took him for a "big boy" ride on the Commander! Every time the took off, Carter just laughed and laughed - while his mom shouted things like "Slow down!"
He loves being outside, doesn't matter what he's doing, just so he's outside.  He is busy all the time.  Oh, if I had his energy!  We just love him to pieces!

Growing Like a Weed!

Well, Carter is now 17 months old! He is growing so fast, and learning new things every day, it seems.  He has a mouth full of teeth (and yes, he knows how to use them when he's mad) and eats whatever we all eat.  His favorite at the moment is popcorn!  Of course, we have to be the portion control or he'll have a mouthful before you know it!  And goldfish crackers.  He still takes a bottle a couple of times a day, which is the next hurdle.  I don't know why, maybe because he was a preemie, but he never wanted a pacifier, and never really had a "lovey" or anything.  But the bottle, well, that's it.  He really doesn't care if he runs out of milk, still wants that bottle in his mouth!  So that will be an ordeal when it's finally taken away.
He is the king of pointing and grunting.  I have told him eventually, he will actually have to say words and he just looks at me like I have worms growing out of my head. He knows exactly what is off-limits in my house, and guess what he wants to do? The most fun is turning the TV off and on, done with a big smile,of course! And most of my cabinets are harmless, except for under the sink where the cleaning stuff is kept.  He has no interest in all the other cabinet doors, only those.  So, still never a minute without having him in eyesight.
He is finally starting to have an interest in books.  Not to read, only to point out objects on the page and talk about them.  Reading will come, in time.  Right now, it's too slow-paced for him. 
My husband has a hunting show on TV, and the other night, we were watching it.  I said, "Look, there's Grandpa on TV.  And look, there's Grandpa on the couch."  He had the most confused expression as he looked at the TV, then to the couch, trying to figure out how Grandpa could be 2 places!  He makes us laugh every time we see him.  And there is such excitement, as everything is something new to be explored.  We worried when he came so early that he would be delayed in his development, but we really see no evidence of that. We thank God for this little blessing!!
A few every-day pictures!!