The Zorio Family: Carter at 24 Months!

This will be the last official monthly update for our sweet Carter, and his next update will be at 2.5 years. It's unbelievable to think how quickly the past two years have passed, as it feels like Carter has always been a part of our family (isn't this neat how it feels like this so quickly?!). At the same time, I definitely feel like he is not a baby anymore (part of that is probably due to having Nora Kate, but also because he wants to be so big and do big things like Dawson!).

I love the age Carter is now because he's so communicative! He can tell us just about anything he needs/wants/ or just wants to tell us! I love hearing how he chooses to express things too! So sweet! He most definitely says WAAAAY more words and sentences than I could ever even attempt to record now!

Carter's 2 year check up was this morning and weighed exactly 29 pounds and is 34.5 inches tall, as compared to Dawson who was 35 inches tall and 29.5 pounds at this age. Carter's check up went fabulously. He is very healthy and developmentally right on track! Carter was his usual silly self, and he made Dr. Booher laugh several times. The room we were in had a forest theme with several animals on the walls including alittle squirrel with an acorn on one wall. Carter pointed to the squirrel and asked Dr. Booher, "See that squirrel?" The doctor replied, "I see that squirrel. He has a nut!" Carter then said, "Nooo, that an acorn! Not nut! Squirrel eat acorn!" The doctor was also impressed that he was very willing to say, "ahhhh" and let him look in his mouth. While Dr. Booher was going over everything with me Carter was drawing pictures all over the back of the autism screening questionnaire we had to fill out and telling us, "Carter drawing a cat! Meoooooow! Now drawing bear! ROAR! Now drawing Dino. Now drawing Nora Kate...haha drawing Nora Kate!" Oh, he was sillier than ever and thoroughly enjoying being the very center of attention and getting lots of laughs! Dr. Booher said, "Oh, he's very, very smart! You'll have your hands full with him!" Oh, Carter! :)

Carter has been doing an awesome job using the potty lately, and he has even been waking up dry about half the time.

At 23 months old, we decided to take Carter's paci (affectionately known by Carter as "Bobby"-where he got this name we never knew). I explained that Dawson, Daddy, and Mommy were big and did use Bobbys and that Nora Kate was a baby and used a Bobby. Then we went around the house and Carter collected all his Bobbys in a bag, and we told them bye bye. We said this was because he was big. He was totally fine with it! I was SO surprised! Sometimes he still talks about the fact that he's big and said byebye to his Bobby. He has never tried to take Nora Kate's to put in his mouth. I really have been beyond pleasantly surprised at how well this transition has gone!!! The only draw back is that it seems he just doesn't know what to do with his mouth at bedtime and naptime, so he talks and talks and talks to Dawson. I think this will change once he learns to just lay down and go to sleep...and, at least he's not crying, right?!

Carter loves to sing!! He picks up on songs so very quickly, I'm always impressed. His current favorites are ABCs, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and Rocky Top. He also loves to read...especially books about cars, trains, trucks, or animals.

Carter loves his big brother and his little sister! Sometimes I watch him with them and think he has the best of both worlds, because he can play with a big kid (so cool to him) and do big kid stuff with Dawson, but then Nora Kate watches everything Carter does in amazement because he's the big kid to her! With either sibling it's so sweet to watch him interact!

With the warmer spring weather, we have been enjoying a lot of outside play time. Carter LOVES playing outside, and I'm convinced that he (along with Dawson) would spend every waking hour out there!

Now that Carter does and knows so much I could really go on and on and on about him at this age, but I'll force myself to stop and move on to the pictures.

Really, it's unbelievable that our sweet baby boy is already two. The incredible joy of finding out that we were expecting Carter still seems so recent in my mind! He continues to be a joy to us, and we love him so very much!

I think this picture perfectly captures their personalities! Dawson is trying to pose perfectly for the picture. Carter is just laughing and having a good time. Nora Kate's attention is completely focused on her brothers!

Dawson 4.5 years. Carter 2 years. Nora Kate 8 months.