A Letter to Carter at 10 Months

Oh, Mr. Man, you are such a blast!  That personality of yours is something else.  You are easily entertained and quick to laugh.  I am loving that you are still extremely cuddly.  You love to be held and when you're tired you cry if I try to put you down.  You'll reach your arm around my neck and play with my hair very gently now.  Before you would always pull it like crazy and rip a bunch out.  Then you snuggle your head down in and I'm in heaven! 

There's still been quite a bit of clapping this month and you have also picked up waving.  Instead of waving your hand, you wave your entire forearm, it's adorable!  When I pick you up at daycare you wave to me and frantically reach for me sometimes throwing yourself on the floor to get to me.  With all that desperation and throwing your body, you'd think you would be crawling, but still no dice.  You still prefer to roll or scoot everywhere you go.  You can pull up onto your knees and do that quite a bit.  You have also taken a few steps while I was holding your hands.  After the first few steps you realized it was more efficient to hop which was hilarious! 

Bathtime has been even more fun this month.  You have saved your poo for the tub a couple of times which makes things interesting.  While in the tub you love to play with your letters and numbers.  I put them on the wall and you love to reach up and pull them down.  When I pull you out of the tub and onto your towel you put your legs straight out to stand and drip dry a little bit before I dry you off.  Splashing has gotten even more intense with water sprayed all over the bathroom.  

This is your "get anything I want" pose.

Sleeping has been a bit all over the place again this month.  You were sleeping through the night.  Then all the sudden you were waking up once a night.  Instead of going right back to sleep you would be awake for 2-3 hours at a time not showing much interest in sleeping.  There were a few nights you went back to sleep, but then woke up 3 more times.  It's been a bit frustrating and confusing, but we'll get it figured out!

Your favorite toys are cars or anything with wheels, your baby doll, and books.  During your 10 month photo shoot you rolled over to your book case, pulled out the bath book version of "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish", and played with it throughout the rest of the shoot.  I love the pictures that resulted!

 

Something new you've started this month that cracks me up is sitting with your legs to the side like the little girls in my class do when they're wearing a dress.  One day you moved to sit like that and have been doing it every once and a while since.  It's either that or your legs spread wide with a toy in the middle.  You are a hoot!

You still LOVE to stand.  I'll hold your hands to help you pop up from a seated position to a standing position and you will stand by something for support.  You actually do better popping into a standing position from sitting down than you do popping up to a sitting position from laying down.  When you are standing you love to bounce and it is precious.  I'm tempted to turn music on just to make it look like you are dancing!  You have even let go of what you were holding to while standing and stood on your own for a couple of seconds.

Napping at daycare is all over the place like it always has been.  You usually take two naps and have gone to a longer hour and a half to two hour nap most days followed by a short 30-45 minute nap in the afternoon.  At home on the weekends you take 2 good naps.  You are usually awake for 2-3 hours, nap for an hour or 2, are awake for 3-4 hours, and take another 30 minute to hour nap.  We still start your bedtime routine between 7 and 7:30 and you are asleep by 8 or 8:30.  

Meals have been the same this month.  You still eat rice cereal or oatmeal cereal in the morning for breakfast after you nurse.  At lunchtime you have 4 ounces of a fruit or vegetable puree followed by a bottle at daycare.  At home you get a cut up vegetable or fruit and then nurse.  At daycare you get a snack with the other kids around 3:00 of rice cereal and puffs.  For dinner you eat cut up chunks of food with a side of yogurt or cottage cheese.  The batch of puree we are finishing up will be your last.  Then I plan to cut up your food and send it with you to daycare for lunch.  You don't eat purees at home anymore. 

You've had an easier time eating table food because your top 2 teeth have come in.  they are still pretty short, but look adorable!  Your daddy and I crack up because you grind your top teeth and bottom teeth together sometimes.  You are also gnawing on anything in sight: your highchair tray, the edge of the table, your finger, grandpa's finger, toys, anything that is within your reach!  Your gums are all swollen so we're thinking you may even get some more teeth soon.  For a couple of months you've been giving open mouthed slobbery kisses which I love.  I can't remember if I've mentioned them before.  Now you sometimes scrape your teeth across my teeth or bite down a little when you do it.

I tried really hard to get a picture of your top teeth.

These pictures were the best I got.

The new things you’ve had this month are pumpkin, graham cracker, papaya, egg yolk, and broccoli.  So you’ve had apples, avocados, rice cereal, bananas, pears, sweet potatoes, squash, green beans, apricots, mangos, nectarines, peaches, plums, prunes, carrots, peas, zucchini, chicken, tofu, plain whole milk yogurt, Cheerio's, cantaloupe, grapes, kiwi, asparagus, eggplant, mango, cottage cheese, pumpkin, graham cracker, papaya, egg yolk, and broccoli.  Whew, that's a lot! 

You didn't have a well baby appointment this month and I ended up weighing and measuring you by myself.  I'm sure the measurement wasn't too accurate, but I did my best.  I measured you at 29 inches long.  According to our scale you weigh 19 pounds. 

Same as last month, you are wearing mostly 9 month and 12 month clothes.  You have some 18 month jammies you wear, but you definitely have room to grow in them.  Your feet are starting to catch up.  You are now in 3-6 month socks.  You still don't fit into any of the size 3 shoes we have.  This month I've been loving your little jeans on loan from a co-worker.  You look like such a little man in them!  They look so cute paired with your blue and gray striped onesie.  I don't know what it is about stripes, but I think you look adorable in them! 

Every day when I get to daycare to see you, my mood completely changes.  In that moment I am so happy.  You bring so much joy into my life and I know you do to many others as well.  You are still just the sweetest, most amazing little boy!  We have enjoyed watching you grow and are looking forward to all the fun milestones to come!

Now on to daddy:

Happy Halloween! I am especially excited this year because you and I are dressing up and running together in a Halloween 5k race. We will both be pilots and I am making a WWII era fighter plane that attaches to the front of your stroller! It will be so much fun. Hopefully you and I can win the costume contest together. I think having you on the team makes our odds really good!

It has been so much fun helping you stand. It seems to be one of your favorite things to do. Lately you have been taking steps in the direction you want to go. Some are normal steps, some are crazy long and wide steps that throw you off balance! Whether you tumble to the ground or we catch you, you think its hilarious!

Just recently you have been having some struggles at night. It is hard to not be able to comfort you and help you get back to sleep but we must let you learn to soothe yourself! So very hard to do.

You still always greet me with a smile and little giggle when I come home from work. I love coming home to see you but you make it special as I walk through the door. It won't be long before you are hopping up to meet me at the door!

Next month you will get to see your Uncle Paul and Aunt Amanda. They are so very excited to get to see you again. I am sure they will want to hold you and play with you but they are going to have to wrestle your Grandma Cox for you!

You are growing up so fast sometimes I wish we could take a step back and slow down the experience but honestly, each new day is a complete joy.

Love you buddy!

See you later!

Running 10 Months Postpartum

When I wrote my first postpartum running update my plan was to write an update at 6, 9, and 12 months postpartum.  I didn't get around to writing about running at 9 months postpartum, so I'm going with 10 months postpartum instead.  At 10 months postpartum I'm feeling awesome!  I'm back into good shape and am sneaking closer to my pre-pregnancy race times.

Where I'm at 10 months postpartum:

• Running 5 days a week
• Long run built up to 12 miles with a half-marathon under my belt
• Weekly mileage ranges from 20-30 miles.  Some weeks it's under 20, but most weeks I hit at least 20 miles.  A 30 mile week is really rare.  Most weeks I'm around 25 miles.
• Pushing the stroller plus Carter's 19 pounds
• Pace is typically around 8:00-8:30 per mile, but is faster without the stroller.  My pace really depends on what type of workout I'm doing.  Recovery runs are in the 9:00-9:30 range.

Postpartum Race PR's at 10 Months:

• 21:23- 5k
• 1:38:05- half marathon

I set some goals at 6 months postpartum and have hit all of them.  I built my mileage up to 30 miles, but haven't kept it there consistently.  My long run is 12 miles.  I built my tempo run up to my 8 mile goal, even surpassing it with a 9 mile tempo and my pace was under the 8:00 goal.  Do I have set goals going on from here?  Not really.  I'd like to keep running 20-30 mile weeks, hitting 25 miles on average.  I'd also like to keep chipping away at those postpartum PR's.  Now that I'm approaching the 21:00 mark in the 5k, I'd like to break 21 minutes.  The great thing about all this running while breastfeeding?  I'm down to 9 pounds under pre-pregnancy weight!  Right now I weigh the least I have since graduating college.  We'll see if I can maintain that once Carter is weaned!

Linking up with Ashley for Move it Monday!

A Family Weekend

This weekend Ty's parents and grandparents came to visit.  They got in late on Friday night so they went straight to their hotel rather than coming over to our house.  I joked with Ty we know where we rank because they didn't come over since Carter was asleep.  The next morning I was in Carter's room changing his diaper when the doorbell rang.  Ty had run to the store and I needed to finish up the diaper change so the door wasn't answered.  Next I heard someone knock on the door and a few moments later the doorbell rang again.  This was all in the amount of time it took me to snap Carter's diaper on.  It gave me a good idea of how desperate they were to see little Carter man! 

Grandma and Great Grandma feeding Carter breakfast.

We had a lazy weekend just hanging around the house, playing with Carter.  I pulled some toys we bought at a garage sale this spring out to play with.  Carter loved riding around on his little car.  One of his other cars converts so he can stand and push it.  He preferred for it to be on it's side so he could play with the wheels.  At one point he even pulled up onto his knees and bounced while holding it.  As always Carter faked everyone out looking like he was about to crawl, but at the last minute plopping down onto his belly.

Of course anytime Carter has visitors they bring him presents.  This time he got some toys and clothes from his grandparents along with toys and his first pair of cowboy boots from his great grandparents.  The boots are absolutely adorable.  They are made out of fleece with grippy fabric on the bottom for walkers.  The moment we put them on Carter I couldn't wait to get a picture of him wearing them, a diaper, and nothing else.  Imagining his chubby thighs and those boots, too precious!

I die just a little bit from cuteness!

  

Watching everyone love on Carter and seeing him surrounded with so much love is truly amazing.  I mean the boy constantly has so much attention!  At one point Sunday morning his grandma and I were both on the floor with him while everyone else sat around and watched him play.  He will never be able to say he wasn't loved or lacked attention.

Grandma loves to feed Carter!

Reading a book before bed with GG.

I pulled out some Halloween decorations and let Carter play with them.  I put a toy inside a pumpkin trick or treat container and he loved reaching in to fish it out.  He also liked rolling the pumpkin around.  I'm sure when he gets older he will love using it to collect candy even more!

It's so much fun when Carter, Ty, Rocky (grandpa), and Verl (great grandpa) are all together because you can see the family resemblance so strongly!  When Rocky holds Carter I am always taken aback by how much they look alike.  Sometimes Carter's hair looks like it has a tint of red in it, just like grandpa!

Grandpa and his little look-alike.

Excited to see great grandpa.

We had so much fun with Ty's family and are already looking forward to our next visit in November.  We will be going to see them.  And the best part?  We will get to see Paul and Amanda for the first time since last December right after Carter was born.

What in this picture doesn't belong?

Fall Break Day 2

This morning started a little earlier than yesterday with a wake-up cry at 4:30 am.  I made a deal with Ty a while back that if Carter wakes up after 4 in the morning I get to bring him to our bed so I can nurse him while laying down.  So Carter came to bed with us, nursed, rolled as close to me as he could, and went back to sleep.  He didn't wake up again until 8:30.  We started our day playing and cuddling in bed again.  Seriously wish we could start every day that way!

We played all morning, read books and went for a run.  Harper went with us on our run which makes Carter laugh so hard.  In the car as he was laughing I looked to see what he was doing, only to see his hand stretched out of his car seat toward Harper and she was licking it.  Lovely.  I'm sure that's only going to get worse as he gets older. 

I had a 3:30 appointment at Carter's doctor for him to get a flu shot so of course he didn't fall asleep for his afternoon nap until 2:30 since we needed to leave at 3:00 for his appointment.  I hated waking him up especially to go get a shot, but it had to be done.  I'm used to him getting multiple shots in one appointment so it was really nice only getting one.  She had the shot in and done before he even got a full cry out.  I praised him, told him how sweet and brave he was, just like I always do.  This time he looked up at me as I talked, smiled, and that was it.  I couldn't believe it.

After his doctor's appointment we headed for the aquarium.  Each time we go he responds to the fish a little bit differently than the last time.  Today he looked at the fish and smiled.  He even laughed at a few of them, one being the sharks.  Seriously?!!?  That's one brave boy! 

I've loved every moment of these past 2 days.  Do I really have to go back to work on Monday?  I'm already looking forward to Thanksgiving Break to have a few more extra days home with little man.
 

Fall Break Day 1

Today was my first full day home with Carter for fall break.  There's something about being home just him and me that is completely divine.  My other co-teachers have been texting and posting pictures of their trips/vacations over fall break and although it looks like fun, there's no way I'd rather spend my break than hanging out with Carter.  No traveling, just chillin in the house.

This morning Carter slept late.  I woke up a little after 8:00 and he slept until 8:30!  I really needed that extra sleep.  With the half marathon this weekend and Carter waking up multiple times I was wiped!  Then follow that with conferences Tuesday night and I was worn out!  When Carter woke up I brought him in bed with me to nurse and then we snuggled and played peek-a-boo under the covers.  Lazy mornings playing in bed are my favorites!

Then we just hung out around home, looking out the window, playing with Harper, and attempting to interest Carter in crawling.  I even had a dream last night that he crawled for the first time.  Needless to say, I'm eagerly awaiting that milestone!  He's still not too interested, but he fakes me out from time to time.

Playing with the hair he ripped out of Harper's tail.

Poor Harper, he got the chunk before I noticed he had ahold of her tail.

I had grand plans of grocery shopping and going to the aquarium, but neither happened.  We did go on a run though, so that was a win.  While we were making dinner Carter happily sat on the floor playing with a piece of tupperware and a spatula.  Love my easy to please little man!

Waving Baby

This morning when I dropped Carter off at daycare he waved at me shaking his entire arm up and down as I left.  He's all about slapping things, so I assumed it was just coincidence and he didn't mean to wave.  Then this evening when Ang got home she walked in the door and waved at him and he waved back.  I guess waving is his new thing and I'm loving it because it is super adorable!

Mr. Man is so close to crawling.  He's finally getting frustrated trying to get things by rolling and will fuss going for his toys.  He's also getting up on his knees, rocking, and pushing forward.  When I'm sitting on the ground by him, he will do that toward my lap and try to pull into my lap.  It is so heart warming.

Getting that water bottle!

Goodness, the little guy is all about chomping on things.  This evening he spied my water bottle which has a soft, silicone straw and went to town on it.  I had to dump out the water because he just wouldn't stop playing with it.  Not that he didn't have a teething ring, it was sitting right next to him.  For whatever reason he will choose to chew anything over something specifically made for teething.  Kind of a trend there since he also prefers to play with trash over toys.

Nom, nom, nom!

Ignoring the teething ring right next to him.

Conferences and Some Poo

This evening I had parent-teacher conferences after school.  I got a bit choked up leaving Carter at lunchtime knowing I wouldn't see him again until after 7 pm.  Ty had agreed to stop by school to pop in and say hello in between conferences since he drives right past my school to go home from daycare.  I was completely booked all evening with conferences so it went by so fast!  I finished up a conference and walked the parents out only to be surprised by Ty standing in the hallway with Carter.  It was crazy how excited I was!  Tomorrow I have conferences in the morning and can leave at 12 pm and then Thursday and Friday we are off for fall break!  I am so excited for 2 and a half extra days home with Carter!!!

Check out my teeth!

Speaking of little man, his top teeth have officially popped through his gums.  I've been watching those white little buds underneath his gums for a while.  One day while nursing he bit me and I had a mark above my nipple.  I knew they must be just skimming that gum.  Now you can see them pushed through and he's gnawing on everything!  This evening when Ty was feeding him he had to take the tray off because Carter was leaning forward to chew the tray.  Thankfully the new teeth also mean more sleep!  Carter has slept through the night the past two nights.  He has been sleeping so much.  Today when Ty picked him up he was napping, at 5:30?!!?  He took 3 hour+ naps at daycare today.  Say what?!!?  Mr. Man must be growing or somethin!

He fell asleep on me after nursing at lunchtime.

He even stayed asleep when I laid him in his crib.

We had a first tonight.  I was giving Carter a bath.  As I drained the bath tub he pooped.  He wasn't too happy about the situation.  Especially because the water was all drained out of the tub and I didn't pull him out because I needed to clean off his bum and legs.  Ty and I rocked some great teamwork.  He used a Target sack to clean the poo out of the tub (straight doggie poop bag style) while I held Carter and pulled some poop out of the drain.  Good times!

I can't wait to spend some extra time with this little man!