Carter is 17 Months

Friday the 13th of September Carter turned 17 months old!  He was born on a Friday the 13th too! 

Carter is at such a fun age!  He understands SO much of what we say, and can communicate with words, signs, and pointing what he wants.  This is really nice, and he loves being able to talk to us!  I really cannot update this anymore with the words he says because he is adding so many new words to his vocabulary every day, it's impossible!  I do, however, want to remember a few things he says that we think are cute or funny.  He calls his paci "bobby" which is hilarious to us because he goes around the house looking for it yelling, "Bobby? Bobby? Bobby?" He calls Nora Kate's pacis "bebe bobby," and when he finds one he immediately looks for Nora Kate and tries to put (ram) the pacifier in her mouth.  We have really been trying to cut down the amount of time Carter has his bobby, so we have taught him to leave it in his bed.  So, now he puts it in his crib and says, "Night, night, Bobby!" If you were listening to Carter, you'd think we have a family member named Bobby that he's always talking about!  Another favorite that Carter has started using a lot this month is "right back!"  I have been holding up 1 finger and saying this to Carter for a while now when I'm just leaving the room for a minute so he won't cry at the baby gate in the playroom.  He obviously understands what it means, because now when he leaves the room or sometimes just walks across the room from me he will hold up one sweet chubby finger and say, "ri back!"  Carter calls every bug (and Dawson's hermit crab) bees, so he's constantly yelling out "bee!" and pointing!  If there's a spec of dirt or fuzz on anything, he points to it calling it a bee.  He won't quit saying "bee" until we point to it too.

One of the things I never want to forget from this age is how Carter sings the song "The Ants Go Marching."  If we say, "The ants go marching two by two" Carter yells, "Hurrah, Hurrah!" And he fills in the "hurrahs" at all the appropriate points in the song.  One day at naptime I turned on the monitor and it was quiet for a few minutes.  Then I heard Dawson sing, "The ants go marching two by two," and then Carter yelled, "Hurrah! hurrah!"  It was too cute for me to go in and tell them to settle down and go to sleep.  So I let them sing the song, then they got quiet on their own and napped!  Sweet brothers!

The biggest change in Carter's life this month was becoming a big brother the day after he turned 16 months old!  At first I felt horrible for Carter because he would just cry for me and say in a pitiful voice, "Mommy, bebe, Mommy, bebe, Mommy, bebe." Every time I was holding or feeding Nora Kate which was ALL the time at the beginning.  BUT as I have recovered and been able to carry Carter and do his normal activities with him, he is no longer jealous and doesn't get upset when I'm holding her and not him.  Carter is always such an active boy that I've been worried about him being gentle and calm around Nora Kate, but he really has learned quickly...although I still don't leave the two alone together in a room, mostly because he tries to be TOO sweet-rough hugs and snuggles, aggressively putting her bobby in her mouth, or climbing up the side of her bassinet or in her swing or bouncy seat with her.  He's so interested in her, and when Dawson holds Nora Kate-Carter ALWAYS wants a turn next.  When Carter wakes up in the mornings he says, "bebe? bebe?" and goes around the house looking for her until he finds her.  Carter will never remember being the youngest child since he was only the youngest for 16 months, but with his happy personality I think he will never care that he wasn't the baby of the family for long...plus he thinks he's Dawson size/age anyway!

 Carter keeps us laughing!  He's such a ham!  He loves to dance any time he hears music (Dawson's like this too), and John says they get it from me.  :)  Carter has learned more animal noises this month, and a few more signs.  He now signs hot (and says hot too) and then he'll proceed to try to blow whatever is hot...this started with food but now he does it with anything we tell him is hot! 

More random things from this month-

-He has learned to jump with both feet off the floor. 

-He has learned what candy is (thanks to having a big brother), and I truly believe he can hear this word from a mile away.  The only thing he gets more excited about than candy is blueberries! 

-He is FINALLY cutting more teeth.  Although he still only has four, he's working on cutting two more on the top!!!  We're so excited because I really think he will be able to eat more and better when he gets a few more teeth. 

-Speaking of teeth he LOVES to brush them. 

-Carter has also started telling us "pee pee," and going into the bathroom.  We have taken him to see if he needs to go several times, but I think he's telling us AFTER he has gone...I'm not trying to potty train him now, so that's fine.  But I am encouraged that it's a step toward potty training. 

-Carter LOVES to color.  Unfortunately one day last week while I was cooking dinner, Carter got a crayon and did a little art on the wall and playroom couch. So now we get to try to remove that art, but he does love to color on paper too!  :) 

-Carter also loves to read.  We read to him A LOT, and he will sit forever and listen to it.  Dawson gets books and "reads" to Carter too, and Carter just sits and listens as if Dawson is reading the correct words to the story. 

-Carter loves to "wrestle" and "play rowdy" with Dawson and Daddy. 

-He also loves to play chase in the playroom and run circles.

-Carter LOVES LOVES LOVES to sing songs.  He sings along with us and does the motions to the following songs:  The ants go marching, Bringing home a baby bumble bee, Old McDonald, Row row row your boat, Baa Baa Black Sheep."  It's so cute!

-Carter weighs 25 pounds.

We absolutely love Carter sweet personality.  He is so affectionate, wild, silly, cuddly, and precious!  Here are his pictures!

 

 

Carter 17 Months

Carter 17 Months

Why sit in the chair for pictures if I can stand and dance?!

Carter 17 Months

Why sit in the chair if I can pretend to ride the arm rest!?

Carter 17 Months with Siblings!

If I thought getting the monthly pictures of Dawson and Carter together was hard, hah!  It is not easy to get three kids not crying, sitting in the same chair, and looking close to the same direction!  But look at Carter's sweet smile...he loves his brother and sister!

Carter 17 Months with Siblings!

The day Carter turned 17 months we visited Lolly and Pop, and Pop showed Carter pictures in a photo album of me, Erica, and Logan when we were little.  Carter loved looking at the "bebes" AND some of the "bebes" even had "bobbys" in the pictures!  I just thought this was a sweet picture of Carter with his Pop!