Happy Father's Day, Ty!

The day I met Ty I went home thinking he was such a great guy.  The more I got to know him the more amazing I realized he was.  He always had a smile on his face.  The kind of smile that no matter what kind of a mood you’re in, you can’t help but smile back.  We started dating soon after and he was always doing things just to brighten my day.  With each milestone and next step in our lives together a new layer of his personality is revealed and I discover a whole new level of amazingness. 

The face I fell in love with!

He has been such an amazing dad from the moment we found out we were pregnant.  Every single doctor’s appointment he was there beside me.  The monthly appointments to the bi-monthly, he always made it work.  He induldged my continuous requests for pictures and even took every weekly bumpdate picture.

From the very beginning he made our baby a priority.  He was there the first time we saw Carter’s little half-inch long body.  We listened to Carter’s heartbeat together.  We watched his heart pumping blood through his body.  We held hands and looked away from the screen as our doctor checked Carter’s gender.  

Throughout our entire pregnancy it was always we and our.  It was never my pregnancy or my appointment.  People joked that when I was in labor I might turn on Ty, but I just never felt that way.  It was never what he did to me, it was always what we created together.  The day Carter was born he was the one packing the hospital bag while I was calmly getting ready for the day.  He was right beside me walking the halls, holding my hand, breathing with me.

When I first saw Ty with Carter I was moved by the love I saw in his eyes.  He had been a dad for 9 months, watching our baby grow and loving him with every ounce of his being.  Much of that love was put into Carter’s room and taking care of me.  Now we had our baby to pour our love into and it was an amazing thing to see.

I love watching Ty with Carter and seeing what an amazing dad he is.  When Carter smiles, he smiles.  When Carter laughs, he laughs.  When Carter cries, he goes into business mode.  He gets so excited for each milestone and looks forward to what is to come.  I know as Carter grows and develops, Ty’s love will continue to grow and develop as well.  When I see him holding Carter I can tell he is itching to teach him.  To give him those skills and life lessons his dad gave him.  To show him how to be a great man, a loving husband, and the best dad possible.

I look back at where it all began.  The day that we first met.  I knew in that moment Ty was a keeper, but he proves to me more every day how true that really is.  I love him so much and I am very proud of the dad his is now and the dad I know he will become.  Happy Father’s Day, baby!  

Happy Half Birthday!

Wow, that seems unreal.  It's so weird when people ask me how old Carter is and I reply with 6 months.  Six months seems so old.  There's no way my baby is that old, but here we are on his half-birthday.  Six months out from his first birthday.  He just keeps growing up!  I'm going to pepper this post with preview pictures from today's short photo shoot.

We have been blessed with a very happy and easy going baby.  He continues to amaze and impress me.  Ty had his first soccer game yesterday and we went to watch.  Carter very happily laid and played on his blanket in the shade.  One of the girls there watching her husband asked if Carter was always that happy.  I got to say, yes he is!

Today I ran a long run in the morning.  Right now that's 7 miles, so not really long, but I'm getting there.  Afterwards I really wanted some eggs, but we were all out.  Last year I joined "The Pancake Revolution" at IHop so they would send me a coupon for a free Rooty Tooty Fresh and Fruity meal (what I love and always get there) on my birthday.  Click here if you're interested. 

I LOVE free stuff and what I didn't realize was that they also send you a coupon on the anniversary of when you joined.  I just got my e-mail a couple days ago, boo yah!  So I took Carter to IHop with me.  He ate peaches while I enjoyed my meal.  I know I'm one lucky momma to have a baby who will happily sit in a restaurant while I eat.  It's so nice to be able to take him places by myself and know that I can handle it.  He sure makes life easy!  

He was all about pushing the blocks around which made it hard to get a picture, but so cute!

Carter's well baby check-up is on Monday, so I'm waiting to take the majority of his 6 month pictures until then so I'll have his official weight and height for the chalkboard.  I did take some pictures today and boy are they precious!

Water Baby!

Once Carter was old enough to appreciate baths he was always kicking and splashing and having a great time.  At the beginning of the summer I got him a baby pool for the backyard and he played in it for 45 minutes, just going to town.  He probably would have played longer, but I was afraid he’d get too tired.  Read about that here.

Can you tell who was more excited?!!?

Last night we went to a friend’s house for Carter’s first experience with a real pool.  The great thing about their pool is that it’s a salt water pool, so I didn’t have to worry about chlorine and chemicals getting on his skin.  But I was worried he might be too tired to enjoy it because he pulled his power nap schedule where his longest nap of the day was 30 minutes.

At first I got in with him and held him.  He initially seemed a bit confused and unsure of the water temperature.  Once he got used to the temperature, the kicking began.  We got out a baby floaty for him and he was gone.  He kicked his legs the entire time, actually moving himself through the water.  While he was in the floaty I would push him away from me and then pull him back and say, “Boo!”  He thought it was hilarious.  He also liked it when we would get under water by the floaty and then pop up by him and say “Boo!”  He is quite the character!

He played in the pool for almost an hour before I decided he needed to get out.  I knew much longer and he was going to be wiped!  Right before getting out Ty put him on his tummy with his face out of the water and it looked like Carter was really swimming.  I think we have a water baby on our hands and everyone else agreed! 

Swim lessons with daddy.

Last night was the most fun I’ve had in a pool since I was a kid.  I know I’ve said it so many times before, but watching Carter do something for the first time is the best feeling ever!  It is so much fun to watch his face turn from confused and curious to excited.  I just couldn’t stop laughing while watching his little legs kick in the water.  I love my little man and can’t help but picture him one day swimming all on his own.  I know when the time comes I’ll be ready, sunscreen in hand! 

Who is that Baby in the Mirror?

Carter has always loved looking into the mirror.  He used to look at my reflection in the mirror and smile ear to ear.  Now he's started looking at himself and will crack up laughing.  I like to sing him "Who is that Baby in the Mirror" to the tune of "How Much is that Doggie in the Window".  We rock toward the mirror and back as I sing.  The song goes like this:

Who is that baby in the mirror?
Who is that baby I see?
Who is that baby in the mirror?
He's cute as cute can be.
Bum, bum, bum (he bounces really big on each of these)

He also loves to play boo with the baby in the mirror.  I'll put him up close to the mirror and say boo, then pull him away again.  I know he doesn't know he's looking at himself yet, but he sure loves his reflection more than he likes looking at other babies.  Here's a video of us playing boo with the mirror.

Daddy's In Charge

I'm tutoring one day a week in the summer.  Ty agreed to come home right after work instead of running so I could meet up with my student.  I got home after Carter's bedtime routine should start, so Ty was in charge.  Today was the first time with daddy doing bedtime.

I came home, looked at Carter and the first thing I noticed was his hair was sticking straight out from the side of his head.  It's hard to tell in the picture because his hair is basically just fuzz.  Ty hadn't brushed his hair after his bath.  If it's not brushed while wet, it gets a little wild.

He was already in his pajamas which weren't the footie kind and he had no socks on.  He hadn't eaten yet so he ended up with bananas all over his jammies.  I was laughing at how ridiculous Carter looked.  Ty said, "You should write your post about how Carter looked when you got home."  I thought that was a great idea!

After Carter ate and got changed Ty brought him back into the kitchen.  I hid to pop out at him and Ty decided to hide and make Carter pop up at me.  Carter thought it was hilarious and laughed his adorable baby giggle.  I'm not sure what was cuter, Carter's laugh or the triumphant look on Ty's face when Carter laughed.  Overall daddy in charge day was a success although Ty may disagree.

Lions, and Tigers, and Bears, Oh My!

Seeing Carter watch and laugh at Harper got me thinking about how much fun it would be to take him to the zoo.  I really wanted Ty to go with us so he could experience Carter's first trip to the zoo.  We went today and had a blast!  Carter's favorite animals were the parrots and the rhinos.  Although he did fall asleep so he missed some really cool animals.

Carter was all eyes for the parrots.  He loved the sounds they made.  He had his serious face on the whole time and just stared.  One of them squawked really loudly when we moved on to look at other animals and he jumped. 

These pictures show how intently he watched them.

He enjoyed all the birds.  They didn't even have to move or fly and he was intrigued.  I think a lot of it had to do with their bright colors.  We could have spent most of our time in the aviary and he would have been happy.

I can't believe how big Carter looks here!

It ended up being pretty warm.  While we were at the zoo the temperature climbed into the mid 80's.  Many of the exhibits were inside which helped keep Carter cool and shaded so we carried him.  It was very sunny when we were outside, so we kept him in the stroller with the shade pulled to keep the sun off his skin.  When we got to animals, we would find a shady spot and get him out to check them out.

Posing in front of the pelicans.

After about an hour at the zoo, the fun had gotten to Carter and he fell asleep.  I was disappointed at first because I wanted him to see all the animals.  Then I remembered that Ty had never been to the Tulsa Zoo and he was really enjoying himself.  I told him we probably won't have another calm and relaxing trip to the zoo for another 15-20 years.  We enjoyed each other's company while Carter napped.

If you look closely at the giraffe on the left, he/she's looking over the fence.  The train had broken down right outside the giraffe enclosure and they were trying to get it to start again.  We were cracking up as we walked by because it was almost as though the giraffe was trying to give them pointers.  All the giraffes were intently watching the train.

Ty and I spent quite a bit of time watching the sea lions while Carter was sleeping.  I really wanted to take him back over to see them when he woke up.  They had been swimming while we watched them and one got up on the rock to lay out as we were leaving.  When we came back with Carter the sea lion was still on the rock in the exact position it was in as we left.  It reminded me of Skippy.  Pretty sure he was in the same place when we returned home from the zoo as he'd been when we left.  I just know Carter would have loved watching them swim from the lower viewing area where you see them in the water.  Maybe next time!

Carter wasn't too impressed with the penguins.  Actually Ty and I weren't either because they were just lazing around in the shade.  We were really hoping to see them swim.  Maybe it was too hot or sunny for them to be very active.  By the penguin exhibit they have a large rock showing the sizes of different kinds of penguins.  I told Ty we'll have to take Carter's picture with it each time we go to the zoo.  Right now he's close to the size of a Little Blue Penguin.  I even like the name of it!

We will also have to take his picture with the meerkat statue again.  The meerkats were so adorable, but they were small and farther away so Carter wasn't too interested.  His favorite animals were the big ones, bright ones, and those he was close to and could see really well.

It's hard to see the meerkats with the glare, but if you follow my gaze you'll find them.

Carter got hungry while at the zoo, so I nursed him.  We found a shaded picnic area off to the side where no one else was.  We picked a picnic table farthest from the walking trail and I faced away from the trail.  All of that wasn't really necessary because I had a cover-up on, but I always like to be as secluded as possible.  While Carter was eating I heard a woman yell, "Look that lady is breast feeding over there" in a disgusted voice.  I whipped my head around to look at her and she and the person she was with were both staring at me.  Seriously people?  This isn't an exhibit over here and it's quite natural anyway.  Some people are so strange! 

Ty was too busy taking pictures of the geese begging for food to notice.  It cracked me up because when they first came over he told them he didn't like them and to go away.  Next thing I knew he was snapping pictures!

As we were walking to the Elephant Encounter (elephants are my favorite!) we saw a rhino at the edge of its enclosure.  The rhino was eating greenery growing up against the fence.  We off-roaded in our Bob to get over there and it was so worth it.  Carter was amazed by the rhino.  I think he loved it because it was so close to him and it was so big.  You can see in the picture on the right how intently he stared at it.

Today was such a great day.  I love watching Carter look at something new and unfamiliar.  He gets so serious and just stares.  It was also such a blast to spend some quality time with Ty while Carter was napping in the stroller.  Ty was like a kid again when he saw animals he was really excited about.  I love seeing the adventure and joy he has in his heart.  It's one of the many reasons why I love him.  It's also why he and Carter will be partners in crime as Carter grows up. 

My favorite picture from the day, I caught them with the same look on their faces.  Not sure who enjoyed the rhino more!

Most of the big cats were lazing around in the shade when we saw them.  I got excited because I saw a tiger get up and walk to the edge of it's area.  I pointed it out and Ty exclaimed, "Well, hey there, buddy."  I could just picture Carter saying the same thing some day.  I joked with Ty that I did a great job picking a mate (gotta use zoo terms at the zoo, right), but it's definitely true.  When I think of Carter growing up to be like his daddy, there's nothing that gives me more joy.  Ty is a wonderful man, husband, and father.  I couldn't ask for a better example for our son. 

Days like today are what life is all about.  Being with those you love the most and creating memories as a family.  I love it when we are both with Carter as he experiences something new.  There is nothing better in the world than that.

Our Aquarium Visit

Posing in front of the sharks at the entrance.  I really struggled trying to get a picture.

For Mother's Day Ty got me a membership to the aquarium.  I've been so excited to go and took Carter for the first time using it this week. He has been once before.  Read about that trip here.

Carter was actually looking at the camera, but I accidentally cut him off.

We happened to go at the perfect time because there weren't very many people there.  Every time I've gone it's been a weekend and is very crowded.  When we pulled into the parking lot I was worried it was closed because there were hardly any cars, I've only ever seen it packed!  The best part of the lack of visitors was that I didn't have to feel silly taking gobs of pictures since no one was around to see me!

Carter was definitely more interested in the animals than he was last time.  He would look into the tanks and actually tracked some of the fish.  Although he did seem to enjoy watching the other children walking around squealing just as much as he did the animals.

The jelly fish are so cool and were one animal he really watched and tracked as they floated by in their seemigly effortless way.  Even when I turned him around to get a picture of him with them, he tried to crane his head back to peer at them.

I kept wishing I could get a good picture of the look on his face as he stared into the tanks.  He looked curious and I could see his eyes intently lock on and track different animals.  I was struggling one-handed since I was holding him with one hand and attempting to capture his face with the camera in the other hand.  I was also having difficulty with the flash on my camera.

The flash ended up creating this neat effect with his reflection in the tank.  Ty wanted me to crop it so you can't see his body outside the tank, but it freaked me out because it makes it look like he is in the tank.  Carter definitely liked the bigger fish.  He really watched the bigger ones like these.

I think the sharks creeped him out just as much as they do me.  Do you see their eyes?  Not for me!  He was quiet the whole time we walked through the aquarium and I read him about the animals which is uncharacteristic for him as he has discovered his voice and loves the sound it makes, especially high pitched, screechy sounds.  That was until we walked through the shark exhibit.  Then he began to make noises until we reached the end and walked away.  Smart boy if you ask me!

By far his favorite animal was the beaver.  It would swim right up to the glass and stare at him and he would stare right back.  It kept swimming laps from one end of the pond to the other and back.  Carter would track it with his eyes until he couldn't see it anymore and then light up when it came back into view.  We stayed at the beaver exhibit for a long time watching it swim back and forth. 

Before we left the aquarium I gave Carter a diaper change and he found a treat right there in the bathroom!  :o)