You Feel Lucky, Punk?

Picked up Carter from school on Friday afternoon and one of his teachers "styled" his hair up in a mohawk. Truly funny, because that's about the only hair he does have...a small swath right down the middle!

Anyway, snapped just a few pics, and this one made me laugh...the boy takes after his mother, and has that great squinty-eyed, smiling, mug. Enjoy!
~kerrie

PS Got to see Amelia & Shawn's new baby girl, Greta, this weekend...SUCH a cutie!!! And so tiny! Carter was never that tiny! Congrats again...she's a keeper!

Mom, My Teeth Hurt...

I previously posted that Carter's bottom 2 teeth are comin' through...well, it's made him a tad, um, cranky at times. We're still pretty blessed, as he has quite a happy disposition, but this teething thing is chiseling away at that happiness (for all of us...).

Main source of comfort for Carter is jamming his fingers in his mouth. Exhibit A (and note the huge jean shorts...size 9-month one-sie looks snug and the size 6-month shorts look like gangsta baggy pants!):And if the fingers aren't available, the toes will do. As shown here in Exhibit B (check out the adorable baseball socks!):
In other news, been working on some back strength and doing a little sittin' time in the bumbo seat. Fun all around, see:
But sometimes, when the teeth keep pokin' through, Carter gets a little pouty (check out the size of those cheeks!):
Maybe chewing on the fingers will help?

Or this stuffed giraffe?

Or perhaps the feet...ah yes, that's the ticket:
Until all of Carter's teeth come in, we'll just grin and bear it. Hope everyone had a nice weekend!
~kerrie

Dr. Teeth and the Carter Mayhem

Happy to report (well, maybe "happy" is the wrong word) that Carter is cutting his first two teeth!! Yep, the bottom two are poking through and we're experiencing the joy of teething at the Greenfelder house! He's getting a little relief by chewing on everything in sight (including being able to put all 10 fingers into his mouth - which he demonstrated for Paul and Eileen on Saturday night).

Until they pop all the way through, I won't be able to take much of a photo. Instead, I'll leave you with this exciting video of the dude and his jumping skills!



Adios!
~kerrie

PS Certainly only the die-hard Muppet fans will catch my punny reference...I am just SO witty, eh?

Carter is 5 Months Old!

Wholly moly! I can't believe Carter is already 5 months old!! In just a short amount of time, the lil' guy has REALLY shown that he's got a super-sunny disposition! The teachers at Carter's school even tease me when I pick him up on Friday afternoon that he "cried once on Tuesday." He's just such a happy kid! ...even now that he's started teething!

Here's a quick run-down of Carter's highlights from the month:

• As I am typing this, he just rolled over from back to front! Oh lordy, he's getting mobile!

• We just boxed up his 6-month clothes and he's in 9-month sizes (and his PJs are getting quite snug since he's so tall...I'm guessing he'll be in 12-month PJs next week...)

• He's on his last pack of size 2 diapers, so will start size 3's this week (for 18 pounders...he's just shy of that mark)
  

• He eats like a horse and is now into the "big" bottles (5 oz... minimum...per feeding)

• He's sleeping through the night (except with this ear-infection crud, he wakes up coughing here and there...and well, since he's up, might as well eat...ugh!)

• He's already an expert hiker (see previous post from the Sandia Mountains)

• He's solved the world's climate problems and is eliminating noxious gasses (oh wait, he's EMITTING noxious gasses...definitely Matt's kid! Just kidding...only seeing if you're reading...)

• He's successfully eating 2 tablespoons of rice cereal (yum!) each day and will start a second feeding tomorrow

• Finally, he's mastered the jump-a-roo and can squeal in delight for a solid 15 minutes!

Couple quick pics before I call it a night. Here's the "official" 5-month photo (in his John Deere one-sie, just for Grandpa! And those pigs represent the only farm animals we have around this house...):
And a quick series of photos showing some jump-a-roo action (luckily it has a nice round base, or he'd be flopping all over the living room! And ignore the background junk...that's my sewing station):


Hope everyone is keeping cool and enjoying the end of the summer months!
~kerrie

Chill Out, Dude!

Another interesting weekend with Carter and another visit to the doctor's office. This time, we were dining with some friends (I say "dining"...but we really crammed the food in our mouths and jetted within 5 minutes of being served...very, very bad guests are we!)...anyway, Carter started feeling a little warm, so we checked his temperature at Jim & Wendy's. The lil' guy was around 102...

Here he is looking a little bummed about it:
After some Tylenol, his fever went down and then broke around 10PM Sunday. I worked from home on Monday and toward the afternoon time, it shot back up to over 103. So we took him over to Urgent Care.

While they won't officially blame anything on teething, they said that part of the reason it was so high was indeed from teething...until they peeked in his ear. Yep, he has an ear infection. However, the whole time we were in the patient room, Carter was kicking around like a goon having a good 'ol time. The least he could do was ACT sick, eh?

So we've got him on his first-ever round of antibiotics and it seems to be working perfectly. Carter slept through the night and seems to be on the mend. Here he is feeling a little better about the whole situation:
In other news, getting some great rain storms here in Albuquerque for the end of our monsoon season! Our garden is getting out of control (need to look to see if my cantaloupes are ready...the bunnies ate all of my peas...*sniff*) and the astro-turf lawn is looking as green as ever! We're getting some fun stuff together for the Luau in August. Check out this sweet parachute I'm sewing - rough edges still, but should have it done tomorrow - it's for the kids and tossing the ball all around like grade school! Kitty-Kitty has been enjoying the slickness of the fabric, too:
Time for some shut-eye! Hope everyone has a terrific night!
~kerrie

Beautiful Day for a Hike!

This morning the whole fam went out to the east side of the Sandia Mountains for a hike along the Bill Spring Trail. We joined a group from work as part of their annual summer exercise challenge. The weather was beautiful, although the humidity was slightly up due to yesterday's rains.

Matt balanced the weight of his water pack on the back by carrying Carter on his front. While the lull of the hike put Carter to sleep for most of it, he was awake for some of the more scenic vistas.

Couple family shots for you, a few shots taken along the hike (a random cactus area and shot of a nice vista showing the Sandia foothills), and finally a shot of the whole group (includes Heidi, Kelly, Marie, Destiny, Ed, Maggie the Dog, Piper the Dog, Ella the Dog, and Richard took the pic for us - he's in the background of the shot with Matt and Carter above).




Amazing that we have such pretty places to hike just 30 minutes from the house, eh? With the monsoon season wrapping up, we'll be able to do a lot more hiking since the weather will start to cool off. Figure we should get Carter to love the outdoors as much as us as soon as possible, right?

Have a wonderful night!
~kerrie

Jump! Jump! Jump Around!

Carter has reached the point where he can hold his head up plenty fine on his own. So we decided it was time to bust out the 'ol jump-a-roo! Let's just say that the jump-a-roo was QUITE a hit with Carter!

Grandma C must have pegged him as an expert jumper WELL before he was born (...which was when she bought him said jungle contraption ...we love toys that take up half a room! Only kidding! It's hilarious to watch him squeal in delight and play with all the different gadgets!!)

A few photos from his first "outing" as the jump-meister (Above - big smile to show Grandma how great it really is! Right - action shot..."look at me!" Below - funny face trying to figure out just what the plastic bee - black and white polka-dot thingy - is all about!)


As soon as he REALLY gets a hang of the 'ol jumping part (he's just a tad too short to really get a good footing), we'll get a video up here. Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!
~kerrie

PS If you haven't figured it out yet, you can click on the photos (in any post) to make them bigger. I always reduce the file sizes so I don't use up so much space.

Play Me The Maracas, Boy!!

Final post for the evening (boy, I've been a posting fool!)... If only I could cue the "Mexican Hat Dance" tune, this post would be even better... Speaking of, I'm pondering making some enchiladas for dinner this week. Our green chiles out in the garden are GORGEOUS! And probably hot as snot!

But I digress...

Out shopping today for some new PJs for Carter (he's about to outgrow all of his 9-month PJs since he's so tall!) and found some cute Mexican-themed toys, including a pinata (hilarious!) and some maracas. Didn't take but 3 seconds for him to figure out that if he shook the maraca, it rattled and "made music!"

Here's a short video of his version of the "Mexican Hat Dance"...note the dramatic pauses...obviously to keep you interested in what happens next (I think he's keeping time with his right leg...)!



Just had to end the weekend with a little silliness! Hope everyone has a great week!
~kerrie

PS Wonderful, wonderful news from our great pals (and best man/maid-of-honor from our wedding) Chris and Renae out in Oklahoma! Congrats on the soon-to-be baby no. 2!

Jayhawk Babies Love Their Rice Cereal!

Previously I've mentioned that we've started Carter on rice cereal...and it wasn't going too well. Looks like we've turned the corner and he's starting to get the hang of it!

Here's a shot of him PRE-breakfast today (nice and clean!):
(Posing in his "Jayhawk Baby" bib...thanks Grandma C! And the red towels help him stay propped up...he's not quite big enough to keep from slumping over to the side...)

He's got the hang of the open-the-mouth-and-let-the-spoon-in....but still having some trouble keeping him from spewing all of the cereal back out (loves blowing raspberries while eating...not exactly conducive to healthy ingestion of breakfast!).

But Matt is a pro baby-feeder and has helped Carter join the Clean Bowl Club. Here's a POST-breakfast shot from today (ALMOST as messy as his Mom...):
Quite proud of the little guy! Can't wait to start on colorful foods...oranges...greens...should make for some cute, albeit messy, photos :)
~kerrie

Zerberts?

Is it just us, or is it nearly impossible not to blow raspberries on a naked baby's belly? Well, since Carter was primed and ready (lookie how he's filling out...losing the belly chub!)...
Matt went in for the...."zerbert"??? What the heck is a zerbert, I asked...and well, here's the demonstration (which Carter LOVED!!! Giggled and giggled and giggled....):



Guess we were on the same page, eh? Raspberry, zerbert, schmert, anything to make the baby giggle!
~kerrie

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

What a fun filled weekend! Friday night started off with a bang! My company picnic was held at the Isotopes Park (minor league baseball) and Carter was REALLY excited about seeing his first game! He slept...

But only for a bit...then he got to cuddle with pretty much ALL of my co-workers. And my co-workers' spouses. And my co-workers' kids. And Carter loved the attention! Up until about the fifth inning, it was blindingly sunny and nearly 100 degrees. But we put on our happy faces for a quick family shot:
By the time the sun went down (and the temps lowered to 90-something), he was pretty zonked, but managed to keep his eyes open for the photo shoot with Orbit, the Isotopes mascot! (And no, I'm not posing...just tucking my beer behind my back...hehehe!)


Moving on to Saturday afternoon, we went out to a local park for a picnic put on by Carter's school. While he's a little young to be bouncing around in the "jumpers" (is that just an Albuquerque thing? Seems like they're EVERYWHERE here!!), too young for getting his face painted, or snacking on a hot dog, he DID enjoy basking under the umbrella and munching on his little bear (while Dad enjoyed a snow cone):

Here's a funny shot with Mom - note the lovely spit-up hanging off his chin. I've already said it...our kid is the Spit-Up King!
Anyway, it was great to get out this weekend and enjoy the warm (ok, scorching) weather! Hopefully you had some fun in the sun too!
~kerrie

Roll Over Beethoven, er, Carter

Been a little lax in my posting, as work and life have all been pretty busy for us lately. Whoever finds the magical "balance" to all this will be a gazillionaire! I know it gets a little easier (my folks are saying "HA!" to that!), but in the end, it's all worth it, right?

Anyway...back to today's post...

You see, Carter has been trying like heck to roll himself over. He gets his little leg going (looks like he's trying to kick-start a motorcycle or something) and his technique paid off today! One time only, but he did it! I was folding up the laundry and had him on his belly and before I knew it, I wasn't folding anymore, I was cheering my boy on!

Daddy missed it (still out back working on the yard...), but we know it's just the beginning of his mobility! We tried again later and instead of rolling over, he just stuck out his tongue in concentration and decided giggling was more fun than any 'ol rolling over.

Had the camera nearby when we were trying for the repeat performance and got this goofy shot (yes, tongue still hanging out in utter concentration...and the afghan is handmade by Aunt Katrina):

Carter has really beefed up his giggling (especially when Daddy blows raspberries on his belly) and is quite a peach to be around (except when he's fussy from some pre-teething). We're gearing up for the big Greenfelder Luau in August, so he's working on his charm for all of our guests :)

Hope you have a great week!
~kerrie

PS Another THANKS to David for some super-babysitting-time while we went out to the Mayor's Charity Ball on Friday! Carter even sent us a text message after sundown saying what a great sitter David was! Who knew our boy was so techno savvy?!

Our Little Cereal-Spitting Pterodactyl

I mentioned previously that we're going to start Carter on cereal. Well, let's put it this way: Cereal feeding sucks! While Carter has quickly figured out that he's supposed to open his mouth for the spoon, he ain't havin' no rice cereal...milk is just fine, thank you! He yaks up most of what goes in, but we've managed to keep a couple spoonfuls down over the last few days.

But, knowing that solids eating is just around the corner, we WILL prevail! We have LOTS of bibs, washcloths, patience, etc. so we'll keep on, keepin' on!

In other, non-cereal-related news, Carter has REALLY perfected his upper range. Matt says he sounds like a pterodactyl, but we'll let you decide. Here's a fine video of his "victory screech":


Hilarious, huh?! I just love it how he keeps going even though he's almost out of breath!

We'll be over at Kristin and Justin's for some tasty grub this afternoon and enjoying the final day of the long weekend! Hope everyone has a great Sunday, too!
~kerrie

Fun In The Sun (And In The Pool!!)

Since we had such beautiful weather yesterday (until the early evening when we had a few sprinkles...never know what you'll get here during monsoon season)...anyway, we busted out the baby pool for Carter! Daddy got to work on the yard (he's putting down new weed fabric and sifting all of the rocks) and Carter and I got to play in the water! Good deal, eh?

I'm going to fill this post with photos (and a couple short videos) so you can see for yourself just how EXCITING AND FUN it really was!

Starting off, we tried propping him up in the Bumbo seat (since he can't quite sit up by himself yet) ... problem here...can't reach the water:
So, new plan...we'll just have Mommy hold him up:
Seems to be working ok...now Carter can reach the water. Hmmm, wonder what happens when I slap at the water?
Well...let's just say that Carter figured out how to get more water OUT of the pool than IN the pool! Here's a quick series of photos demonstrating the fun:
Let's see that in real-time! I present to you: Pool Time Fun - Part 1 (and notice the utter concentration on Carter's face):


Continuing with Pool Time Fun - Part 2:


Needless to say, I should have worn my swimsuit. I was drenched by the time we finished up (all of about 20 minutes). So we went back to the store and bought a bit bigger pool and today (weather permitting), I'll be sitting in the water with him. Should have a good time for all!

Rounding out our Independence Day, we watched a [free] fireworks show that our neighbors put on. Carter did well, wasn't scared, and stayed awake (barely) for the fun. Next year should be even better when he can actually focus on something more than just a few feet away!

Hope everyone still has all 10 fingers and all 10 toes and enjoyed their Fourth of July!
~kerrie

PS For those that haven't been to our house, no, we don't keep our lawn that impeccable...it's AstroTurf :)

Carter is 4 months old!

Well guess who turned 4 months old today?!? That's right, it's Carter! Time sure flies when you're having fun, eh?

Let's see...what has our little boy accomplished this past month? First and foremost, he's grown to just shy of 15 pounds (puts him in the 50th percentile for weight) and 27 inches long (puts him in the 95th percentile for height). So we've got a tall, skinny boy!

Here's the "official" 4 month shot (thanks Kristin & Justin for bringing the "Wicked" one-sie all the way back from London!!):
And the butt shot (with a shot of the "flying monkey" handmade by Beth...and the gorgeous quilt, handmade by Sarah!):
Carter continues to grow like a weed and has moved into his 9-month-size PJs since he's so tall. Here you can see him in a pair of our favorites (the "Bubble PJs") that we just retired:

If you've been reading the previous posts, you'll know that the lil' guy has turned into quite the chatterbox! Each day when I pick him up from school, he's rambling on like there's no tomorrow. The girls love him (and he's really fond of the ladies, too) and he's quite the happy baby! Guess we got lucky, huh?! One of these days we'll have the camera nearby and catch a video of his laugh...hilarious!!

With the long holiday weekend ahead, we're going to take a day trip to Santa Fe so Carter can experience the "art scene." Never too young to get them interested in the arts, no?

And finally, since he can hold up his head pretty well, we'll be starting him on cereal in the morning! Here he just finished off a box of Kashi (from CostCo nonetheless!) when we weren't looking:

(Only kidding! He'll be on rice cereal...we just couldn't resist the pose!)

Here's wishing everyone a safe and fun Independence Day! Remember, also, to support your "independents" (you know, your local businesses!)!
~kerrie

PS Yes, he does still have Grandpa C's hair...(not much of it...)!