CARTER
Carter is 3 years and 8 months old now - almost 4! He is such a good little boy. He usually minds pretty well, and isn't really a fighter but he does have some stubbornness and he knows how to argue. Sometimes I will say, "You are not in charge." and he will say, "Yes I am!" Then when I give him that look and say, "What?!" he smiles at me. Little stinker!
He is still not a very good eater. He is more of a snacker. His favorite things to eat are mostly carbs - such as toast, crackers, pancakes and cereal (without milk). He also LOVES apple juice but we are slowing down on the juice based on his most recent (and first) dentist visit. If he can't have apple juice he will choose water. He is pretty picky about the fruit he eats. His moods switch from bananas, RED apples with caramel dip, strawberries, grapes (but not if they are too gushy. He says they have gel in them), and he will eat fruit leather. Cherry is his favorite. As far as vegetables go, the only one he will eat is avocado. He eats it mashed up on toast with salt and pepper. His other foods of choice are chicken nuggets with BBQ sauce, "Tacos" which are chicken and cheese rollups in a flour tortilla, Chef Boyardee Sphagetti, and the Ziti Noodles frozen dinner by SmartOnes. Isn't that lovely? He doesn't eat anything I cook. It is getting really old.
His first dentist visit... I did not expect Carter to handle going to the dentist as well as he did. He sat right up in the chair and got his teeth cleaned while I was in the other room getting mine cleaned. He ended up having 3 cavities! It shocked me because we have only missed brushing his teeth at night a few times. They said it is likely from all the juice he is drinking and snacking throughout the day. So, we are working on weaning that out. The day he got his cavities filled I gave him some vallium an hour before his appointment. It is suppose to make you groggy. So, I gave him one and he cried all the way to the dentist because I didn't let him go into the garage first! I put Paige in the car first and he started crying because HE wanted to be first. Once we got there he had some laughing gas too, and he really did laugh while he was getting his cavities filled. I felt bad for him but he did great!
Carter has been officially "pee-trained" for about 2 months now. He has no problem telling you when he needs to go pee, but poop is a different story. He goes in his pullup every time. I can't wait until he is all the way potty trained. When I ask him why he won't go poop in the potty he says, "because I don't like to." So, there you have it. The honest truth.
Carter has started taking tumbling. He goes with his friend Hunter. They are learning all kinds of new tricks - pizza rolls, cartwheels, bunny hops, backbends, crabwalk, etc. It is his first time in a group setting other than being at church. He gets exercise, is learning new skills, and is learning to take direction from teachers. I think it is great for him.
Today Carter was coughing a little bit. Then he suddenly said, "Those silly ants!" I asked him what he meant and he said, "Those silly ants are tickling me!" I am assuming he meant that the tickling feeling he was feeling in his throat before a cough was ANTS! I thought it was cute that he thought of that. Plus, the fact that he kept using the word silly.
Carter's other favorite things to do are: watch his shows, play the Wii (he is so observant and pays a lot of attention to detail), play golf with a "glub," board games, help me cook, make Paige laugh, go to Fat Cats or Toads, build towers, help me clean, play with his friends (he usually mentions Gracie, Hunter, and Ethan), paint, color (he colored a picture of California the other day), he always asks if we are going to Disneyland, he still loves slides - especially at McDonalds - which he just calls "Donalds," and he loves playing in the snow making snowballs while wearing his "glubs."
No more binkie! Yes, he is three but he has only been without his binkie (for going to sleep at night) for about 2 weeks now. He was a binkie baby from the start and I didn't have the heart to take it away when he was young. Then I got pregnant and was always too tired. Then I got pregnant again and was always too tired. No, I shouldn't make excuses. I kept setting deadlines and then pushing them back. I am a softy. I guess I need to change that! We tried all kinds of things to get rid of it. I cut the top off of one. I told him the binkie fairy came... You know what finally worked? Telling him he would have to get braces if he kept using it. He pretty much stopped asking after that. However, now he wants someone to sleep with him every night. It is good and bad! I love that he is such a cuddler, but I hate laying down when I am not ready to fall asleep. Then I get sleepy and don't get my free time after kids are asleep!
I just love my little Carter. Even though he can be quite the little spitfire sometimes he is such a sweet, and sensitive little boy. He has pretty good manners and makes me feel good when he frequently says, "Thanks mommy." He has lately become a little bit more shy until he spends more time with you. He is so handsome - even though he hates getting his hair cut. He loves me and often says that me and Mark are his best friends. He has also been the sweetest big brother to Paige. If she is crying he will come and let me know or he will go in and try to entertain her to make her happy. He is pretty good at it too. She seems to be very responsive to him and loves the attention he gives her.
Carter is the light of my life and I don't know what I would do without him. I love you Carter bug!
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