Lucky # 7

Carter Man

Hi, my name is Carter. I am 7 months old and I make dinosaur noises. Not just any kind, but grunts, growls and gurgles like a T-Rex. My mom calls me Carter-saurus-rex. This is also fitting this month because I also got my first tooth on the 14^th. My little chomper caused me to majorly drool for a while and be a little cranky but now that it’s in I am great. This month I have also totally figured out my jumper and I jump around in it like my brother. Together we are quite a site jumping, thrashing, and making the music go. Mom says when we jump together it sounds like a casino in the house. I really love my brother and we have lots of fun together. Any time I can reach and touch him, I do. I particularly like grab his ears and give him kisses, which leaves spit marks and drool running down his head. He doesn’t seem to mind but I think he looks pretty funny.  I also love it when he gets what mom calls the hicca-ma-burps. He hiccups, burps, and I crack up. I kinda crack up a lot. This is a pretty funny world we live in and I’m a happy guy. This month I also decided to grace my parents with my voice. I jabber and make noises all the time. I’m not quite as crazy about it as Brax, but I’d give him a run for his money. When I talk I like to move my mouth up and down and and Mom says I look like the nutcracker. The sound that usually comes out is super high pitched or squeal or a high pitch “Ba Bab Ba Ba”.

This month I started to eat more big boy foods. Braxton and I LOVE plums, peas, and prunes. We also like Banana Cookies (Baby Mum Mums in banana flavor) and are getting pretty good at eating them ourselves. I really like taking drinks out of mommy’s water bottle, but she said I need to practice with my sippy cup. I have also decided how handy my arms are. I can reach for everything! If it isn’t close to me, I just roll right on over to what I want. My favorite things to do are to reach out and unplug mom’s pump and steal Braxton’s binkie. Binkies are great to suck on, but even cooler to look at, play with, and wave around. I also like to make noises with my toys. I like to grab hard plastic toys and roll over to the jumpers, swings, or even glass on the entertainment center and bang my toys on them. I also have figured out how to throw a fit this month. I really don’t like it when mom takes things away from me, and so I SCREAM. She says things are not for babies or they are icky (Dudley’s toys) or something not safe, but I figure I’m going to get my money’s worth out of my voice and scream whenever she does that. Fortunately she usually gives me something else to play with, but Dudley’s toys are so darn fun.

BBoy

My name is Braxton and I’m a party animal. Mom says I’m her bruiser, which is sorta true. My motto is “Go hard or go home”. Why waste time being quiet when I can make all the noise I want? When I want something, I make sure you know it. And if I want someone’s attention across the room, I know who to make noise so they look at me. Sometimes I holler just because I can, or because I want my binkie. I love to shake my head if I am saying “No No no no” when I am being silly, and I kick my legs and wave my arms super fast and wild when I get excited and laugh all at the same time. Carter and I love it when mom sings (even if she says her voice is bad) and when someone says my name I am sure to turn and smile. I also like to flirt with the ladies. When we go out in the stores and everyone comes up to us, because lets face it most people have never seen a stroller that big, and well my brother and I are pretty cute. Regardless, I make sure to coo and smile at all the ladies checking us out. Mom says I have personality coming out my ears.

My brother likes to sit, I like to stand. Actually I really like to jump and anyone who holds me usually becomes my personal jumperoo. I hate to sit if I have uncomfortable pants on, and if someone tries to make me I arch my back and throw a fit. Really, this month I have mastered the art of throwing fits in general. For a while there I did not want to be put into my bear chair or in my high chair and I would arch my back and scream until my face and head turned bright red. If you have seen my cheeks, you know that’s a whole lot of red cheekyness. But towards the end of the month I realized it wasn’t so bad to go in those chairs because after all, it was leading me to food. Food is my friend. (My cheeks clearly prove that!) Even though I used to hate being on my tummy, these days I don’t mind at all. I have finally gotten the hang of rolling and pivoting, and I can really get to anywhere I want to with a few quick moves. I love to roll underneath things, especially our jumpers, swing, and bear chairs, but mom always moves me back into the middle of the room. I am doing a lot better sleeping now, but I absolutely love to wake up at about 6am and go snuggle with my mom. We are sack rats together and could sleep in all day, but Carter never lets us do that. I am getting better at going to sleep for my naps, but mom usually has to help me with my binkie once or twice before I actually fall asleep. Carter and I have figured out that our cribs are together and we like to talk to each other when we wake up from our naps. I am pretty lucky to have a brother like Carter and we have so much fun playing together, even if sometimes it means we’re stealing each other’s binkies.

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First bath in the big tub. Dad knew I
would have a camera so he rocked
swim trunks. 

September and month 7 was a great time in our house. The boys are changing by the second and every day I am reminded how precious each moment is because they are growing right before my eyes. They are reaching for everything, talking a ton, and have all but mastered sitting up. They love to take baths in the big bathtub, are liking Dudley more and more by the day, and have switched to 3 meals a day, 4 bottles, and nursing in the morning. We are still on the hunt for socks for their chubby feet, and Carter's hair is so long that we can't spike it anymore. They both are going down for naps awake and putting themselves to sleep, and continue to be creatures of habit. A routine has been the best thing I could have ever given them because they really do well when they can recognize what is happening next. They will go to anyone (thank goodness) but are both getting more and more clingy to Michael and I when they are sleepy or when their teeth are bothering them, but honestly I don't mind the extra snuggles. 

This month both boys are finally really playing with toys and have a rather large collection that continues to be added to all the time. They particularly like things they can bang together, bang on things and make noise, or toys that sing and/or light up. At this point we are showing signs of being “all boy” and in a few years I can only imagine the destruction in the toy room they will cause. When they are on the living floor completely surrounded by toys everywhere it is super fun to see which ones get their attention that day what they deem “grab-worthy” in that moment. Carter seems to be a toy hoarder and often snatches up Braxton’s toys (even sometimes taking them right from BBoy’s hand) and amazingly Braxton doesn’t ever complain. We are already working on sharing and not taking brother’s toys (At 7 months?!??! What?). 

Waking up in the tent
on our first day Camping
made for some happy babies.

This month they logged a little less travel, but completed a feat that was near and dear to my heart. We went CAMPING! J The weekend after Labor Day the boys and I packed up the van and headed out to Sandlake to meet my parents and Chan for our yearly camping trip. I grew up camping just about every vacation we ever had, and I love nothing more than to be outside around a campfire with family. I couldn’t wait to share this with my boys, and at 6 ½ months they rocked their first camping trip. Michael had to work that weekend, which was a bummer because Sandlake is one of the only places that I can actually get him to camp at, but that’s ok. The boys and I had a blast! They loved being outside and loved spending time with family. They slept in the tent with me with no problem, loved getting to sit and stare at the fire, and even made a trip into town with us to watch the Seahawks game at a little bar on Sunday morning with Grandpa and Uncle Chan. I told you, these guys are troopers. It got a little chilly at night so we snuggled them up with lots of layers and hats and gloves. I will never forget how cute their chubby little cheeks looked while they were dressed as if they could have taken on the abdominal snowman, but at least they were warm. They were too little to ride the Quads, but considering how well they did, I am sure this is just one of many trips in the near future for them.

All bundled and ready for dinner
while camping. 

The boys also attended their first WOU football game and several WOU Volleyball games this month. They loved both because there is so much to look at and so many people who come up to see them. Michael even took them to a volleyball game by himself when I was working. However, he had a little bit of help that night. Half way through my work shift I received a picture of the boys at the game right smack in the middle of the women’s basketball team who were there to support their fellow student athletes. When they get older I’m sure they’ll appreciate seeing themselves be adored by so many woman at the same time. These kids are more than loved by our WOU family and we’re so lucky. I know living in a small town has its downfalls, but this place sure is great to raise a family. 

So that’s it for my little goobers and their 7^th month. They are big boys, good eaters, and wearing 9-12 month clothes. They are napping great, riding in the car like champs, and keeping us on our toes every day. Our summer was fantastic, but our fall is shaping up to be just as awesome. I am looking forward to Halloween and some sweet costumes, more football games, more teeth, and even bigger babies. I am betting within a few weeks they are going to be mobile, and that is going to throw my world for another huge loop. Can you say baby gates? It is going to get real crazy, real fast. Regardless, life as Braxton and Carter’s Mommy is pretty darn good! I'm one LUCKY lady.

 See ya in a month…