Carter: 5 Months Old

We will start with the pics, because they're just too cute!

Mom, you're funny

Big as my bear!

This angle isn't really flattering for anyone, Mom

Mommy's favorite

Cute face

No more photos please...LOL

Come here bear...

Carter, five months!  What a ride!

This month you've become a master roller.  Rolling right, rolling left and you are FAST!  You've also started pushing up into full cobra and trying to crawl.  Right now you get a little flustered that your arms and legs can't quite get you where you want to go, but we know you'll be mobile in no time.

You are really taking in the world around you and love to laugh.  You think mommy and daddy can make some awfully funny faces.  You are also very ticklish!  Especially on your back.

You're interacting with Louie even more, petting him and grabbing his poor little ears.  He is a good sport though.  He's learned not to lay too close to you lest he get pinched.

This month we started you on some solid foods.  We tried oatmeal cereal for a week or so, but it didn't agree with your tummy...lots of spit up.  Mommy bought you some sweet potato baby food and that seemed to work out much better.  It's so fun now to have you at the table eating breakfast and dinner with us.  You LOVE your food.  We tried to give you real sweet potato, but the texture was too much for you and swallowing it (even though it was completely mashed up) seemed to be scary to you.  So, we'll stick with the purees for now to keep you happy and enjoying your meals.

You're back to waking up once or even twice a night for milk.  I guess you're growing or just need some extra TLC from mom.  We're zombies, but know that someday you'll go back to sleeping through the night!

During the day we play play play.  You are really into your bouncer and all the toys on there, especially the light up Piano.  Yesterday, mommy took you to a baby shower and first birthday party then over to Grammy and Grampa's house.  You were such a good baby.  An entire day on the road and barely a tear shed.  I was hoping you'd sleep through the night after all that running around.  You did not.  Ha!

Carter, how did we reach 5 months already?  We are marveling at how you're growing and loving how you're so interactive now.  You're still just the cutest, sweetest kiddo.  You're finally getting heavier, but still a string bean.  Such a lean little dude!  We love you so much and wake up every day excited to experience the world with you.

Love,

Mom & Dad

Baby's First Christmas

Carter, your first Christmas was really fun!  We spent the morning opening stockings and gifts at our house before heading over to Bastani-land.  The day was filled with gifts, food and lots of love.  You got to meet your Uncle Daniel for the first time and you took to him right away!  He had you smiling from ear to ear!

Even though you slept through all the gift opening, you still had a great day.  You received lots of nice gifts like sleepers, slippers and a big stuffed Rudolph plush.   We cannot wait for more holidays with you, especially once you learn about Santa and can open your own gifts.  

For us, you are the best gift we have ever received and we loved celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior with you.  You're an awesome reminder of His great love for all of us.

We Love You!  Merry First Christmas! 

Opening gifts at home  

At home with our tree

Hanging with Grandpa

4 Generations with Grammy J and Great Grandpa Diven

LOVES his Uncle Dan and Aunt P 

Cute baby is really cute

Checking out Rudolph

2015 Diven-Bastani-Bruce-Howard Family Photo

Sitting with Dad

Ready for dinner!

Thanksgiving in Genoa

For your first Thanksgiving, Carter we went to Genoa to your Grami Pam and Poppy's house!  We were in for a treat because we got to also experience your very first SNOW!

The story is best told in pictures!

Carter 4 Months

FOUR MONTHS?

Carter you are now four months old.  A lot has happened since last month!

You are now confidently rolling from front to back and trying your best to get from back to front.  So far, you're teetering on your side.  You can do a full cobra on occasion too, I know you're just going to continue to get stronger and stronger.

You LOVE to make noise, most of which sound like Jurassic squeals from a pre-historic creature.  But we love them none the less.  It makes our hearts leap when we see how happy you are all the time.  You give out huge smiles and belly laughs freely!

You weigh almost 14 pounds!  You jumped way up in height since  your 8 week doctor's appointment, you're in the 66th percentile now!  Long and lean, not like your mom and dad, haha.

Carter, you are getting very very busy.  You love your baby gym and have started to tug and grab the dangling toys, you also like to crinkle the elephant's ears and make noise.  You're fascinated by the mirror and looking at yourself, probably because you're one good looking little baby and you know it.

We can't keep you entertained with any one thing for long.  You're trying to jump out of your glider and love to scoot scoot scoot down to the bottom of it anytime you're sitting in it, or a lap, or a chair.  You met Sophie the giraffe and think she's pretty fun to gnaw on here and there.

The big news is you are sleeping through the night with some serious consistency now.  Night before last you slept 9pm - 6am, last  night 9:30pm - 5:00am.   And for that, mommy and daddy are very grateful.  Some nights you still wake up for a 2 or 3am feeding, but that's ok because you eat and then fall right back to sleep for us.

We also transitioned you from your rock and play sleeper into your crib.  We were prepared for a few long days and nights, fortunately it was just one long day of short naps.  You figured it out pretty quickly.  First we stopped the rocking motion of your rock and play, then we moved you and your infant pad into the crib so it'd feel cozy and smell like you.  Then we removed the infant pad.  You're still swaddled up snug as a bug for now...maybe we'll tackle swaddle weaning next month ;)

Louie is still your best bud and you've figured out how to pet him when he is close enough.  It's pretty cute.  He loves you...or he loves that you are usually covered in milk which tastes good.  We're trying to limit the dog kisses on the mouth because they make us feel like negligent parents, but I read somewhere that pets in the household are good for babies, so when it happens we just try to get to you as soon as we can to stop the tongue kisses, haha.

Last but not least you're growing hair finally!  Somehow in this past month you got some eyebrows that look like little fuzzy caterpillars on your face as well.  Seems like your eyes will be brown, although sometimes when the light hits just right they look green.

Carter Michael, we are amazed at you and who you are turning out to be.  Your dad and I talk about you all the time and how incredibly blessed we are to have you as our son.  God was so good to us to give you to us.  You are the best baby and we love you so.  We're so excited to celebrate your first Christmas this month and all the new traditions our family is beginning like visits to Santa followed by Chinese food, a special book each Christmas from mom and dad and whatever else we happen to think up to make this season special just for you.

Love,

Mom and Dad

Two Generations...of Jingle Bears

On your left, Carter's Jingle Bear, a gift from his Grami Pam.  On the right, Corey's childhood Jingle Bear.  In the middle, the cutest Jingle Baby ever.  

Here Comes Santa Claus!

Baby's first Christmas means starting traditions for our little family.  One tradition we're excited to begin is a visit to Santa!  We went to see Santa at Blackhawk Plaza.  Big, jolly Santa met teeny, tiny Carter.  Carter was a champ, didn't even cry!  

Afterwards we went out for Chinese food for lunch.  I think that should be part of the tradition too ;)  The special thing about the particular restaurant we chose is it's the same place I used to go when I was a kid with my dad.  The same waiters STILL work there.  They met me when I was 9 years old and here I am 25 years later with my son.  Wild.

O Christmas Tree

This weekend we got our first family Christmas tree from the tree lot in town run by Boy Scout Troop 900.  They are just the nicest boys!

We actually bought the first Noble Fir our scout showed us.  The whole trip took about 20 minutes which was perfect for baby.

It was also Carter's first trip in daddy's truck!  I think that just might have been more exciting to Corey than getting the tree.