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...)!

No More Socks Since I'm Mr. Chatterbox!

Been busy these last few weeks, so I haven't posted much... But I assure you that in the interim, Carter has been practicing his [incessant] chatter! The boy DEFINITELY got my talkative genes!

Exhibit A (which also shows off his upper range around the 15 second mark):


Exhibit B (which shows off his ability to keep talking even with a fist in his mouth...):


And also we've reached the point of the futility of socks. Yes, it's summer, socks are now OFF the wardrobe list. Carter has found his toes and anything covering them, well, gets promptly removed by him. Demonstrated for you in Exhibit C (socks since removed, but look at that reach for the toes!):



We've almost hit the 4 month mark, so I'll post again later this week. Just thought I'd share some of the fun!

Have a great night!
~kerrie

Like Father, Like Son

Quick post to let everyone know that Matt's first Father's Day weekend was, well, less than stellar... Both of my boys were laid up with a bug, so most of the weekend was spent lounging around the house, resting, and feeling under the weather. Bummer, eh? Happy to report that as I write this, Carter is back to his healthy, chipper self! Matt, well, he's off to the doctor; I'm positive he'll pull through...

Despite his grogginess, Matt was thrilled with his Dad's Day gifts, especially the great stuff from Carter! You see, with Mommy's help, Carter gave Daddy ALL of the illustrated kid's books by one of Daddy's favorite artists: Tony DiTerLizzi (might know him from the "Spiderwick Chronicles" books/movies). So I can already predict some great bed-time-story-fun in our little boy's future!

Finally, no photo of Carter and Daddy from the weekend, as the camera battery died (but I don't think you want to see the boys tucked up under the covers in their PJs...). Instead, here's a quick shot from last week of Carter attacking his giraffe (taken from his activity mat).
Matt's off at the doctor's office (evening appointments...awesome!) and I think it's time for getting some dinner ready! Hope all of the dads (especially mine!) had a great one!

Have a great week!
~kerrie

PS Carter also did really well for his second round of babysitting with our pals, Myja and Gundar (and their son, Noah). I was out collecting an award for "Young Engineer of the Year" for New Mexico (I LOVE that I still meet the "young" criteria...I feel so old and tired lately!!!). Looks like our guy is happy around everyone watching over him!

Sweet Dreamin'

It's been a whirlwind these past few weeks with travel, activities, and visitors! Carter got to meet Clay and Jill (Matt's buddies from Ft. Smith, AR), Kaleb and Robin (Matt's buddies from Ada, OK), the Book Club gals (Kerrie's buddies from Albuquerque), and even got his first experience with a sitter (Paul, Kerrie's co-worker, and his wife, Eileen)...All in the course of two weeks!

And how did he handle all of the excitement? Like a champ! But even champs get tired...so here's a shot of Carter recharging (or catchin' some Z's) with Mommy:

Looks like the 'ol "work/life balance" requires a little sweet dreamin' eh? Fine by me! Who doesn't like an early-evening nap?!

Hope everyone is gearing up for Summer (officially starts on Sunday) with some sunscreen and flip-flops! (Which also means that the monsoon season starts for us in New Mexico too! Yay for rain!)

Have a great day!

~kerrie

Talking....It's in the Genes

Well, the boys survived while I was up in Denver for work. The house was still standing, Carter had his bath, the laundry was nearly done, and Matt finished washing up all of the dishes. Maybe I should go out of town more often?! :)

This post is about genes...as in, which genes have been passed on from Matt and I to Carter. You see, EVERY time someone looks at a photo of Carter, they all say that he looks like Matt. Looks like Matt...Matt...Matt...Matt... NEVER, does he look like me.

Well, we figured out which genes he DID get from me...the talkative genes! I came back to town on Saturday night and it appears while I was out, Carter decided that he should try his hand at "talking." And talking... And talking some more... Apparently, at 3 months old, there is a lot that needs to be said!

I mentioned previously that we've been having "conversations" with him to help out his language skills, and well, it appears that it's been working! Here's a short video from last night of our conversation about the weather. Sounds like he knew today was going to be cloudly with a little drizzle on the drive in to work. Where he gets his information is anyone's guess...

For your enjoyment, here's "Mr. Talkative" and his weather report:

If he starts rambling off the winning lottery numbers, I'll be keeping that to myself... Here's hoping everyone is enjoying their week!

~kerrie