Buggy Bumper Blog

Just FYI: I started making baby blankets and burp cloths in addition to the shopping cart covers. Keep me in mind if you are looking for a baby shower gift. You can see some samples of my work by clicking on the link on the left hand side of this page titled Buggy Bumpers.

That's the sound of the train

After Dinner Party

Just a little Clip

Super Bowl Sunday

Here is a picture of the boys wearing their 3D glasses on Sunday during the Super bowl. The commercials and previews the glasses were meant for were a little bit dissappointing, but we were prepared nonetheless.

Moving up to a Big Boy Bed

It's official. Carter has now gone from being our little boy to a big boy and has a new bed to prove it. I still haven't gotten around to taking a picture of him in it, but when I do, I'll post. We left the crib in his room for the first week of the transition with the advice of a friend of mine. She warned that the first week may be a little rough. However, I am pretty sure that Carter was ready because he slept better then he has in long while. Once he was in the new bed, he never went back to the crib. Now if we can only get him potty trained......

Christmas 2008

What a great Christmas! We started the holiday at my mom's house in Indiana. Then, we drove down to Georgia to spend Christmas with Jeff's family. We were fortunate that the weather cooperated and we had a fairly easy road trip. Jeff's Grandparents were able to make it and that made Christmas even more special. While Jeff's Dad had a short visit at the hospital, he was out just in time for our visit. We are so thankful everyone was present and healthy for this Christmas. Carter even had the opportunity to play with Grandaddy's trains and take a ride in his MG.

All Aboard!

Last weekend, we took a trip up to Green Bay. The railroad museum put on a special Polar Express train ride for kids. Well, anything to do with trains is right up Carter's alley (and Daddy's) so we got tickets and made a day trip out of it. They first read the Polar Express book aloud and passed out hot chocolate. They had people dressed up in costume to wait on the kids and then the conductors with lanterns. It was very cute. Then they took a ride on the polar express train. They were each given a bell and refreshments on the train ride up to the north pole. The final stop was to see Santa. This time Carter actually sat on his lap. Yeah!

Visit with Santa 2008

On the way to see Santa, we explained to Carter that he would have to tell Santa what he wanted for Christmas. Carter without hesitation said, "I want choo choos." When we finally got there and it was his turn to sit on Santa's lap, Carter quickly ran up and said, "I want choo, choos," and then ran back out of line. He was a little too nervous to sit on Santa's lap, but he would go to Mrs. Claus because she gave him a candy cane.

One sick kid, or mom, not sure which......

Dr. says that Carter has an ear infection in both ears. Looks like we caught them early, but are bad enough to warrant a round of antibiotics. Along with the ear infections, and probably the cause of them as well, is a terrible upper respiratory infection. I tend to be too sensitive about these types of issues and take his illnesses personally. Like it was something that I did or didn't do that caused him to get sick. Did I take him outside and not bundle him up enough, was he outside for too long in the cold, did I cause him to get sick by running the warm humidifier too much, or is it my fault because we did too many playgroups with other kids. Now I grapple with what to do to prevent this from occurring again or if there is even anything different that I should do. Do the benefits of having him socialize with other kids outweigh the negatives of the constant germ passing? Oh what I wouldn't give to be a man. To just make a decision and worry about the consequences later. To lay my head down to sleep, and my brain actually shut down. I'm not sure who is really worse off, now that I am reading what I have written, me or Carter. And just in case you weren't sure, that is a rhetorical question :)

He's Ready for Star Search

How Sweet!

These days, Carter has found joy in playing with a flashlight in the evenings. We occasionally will turn down the lights and let him flash the flashlight around the house as a wind down activity before we put him down for the night. Needless to say, he treasures his flashlight.

This morning, I packed Carter up and told him we were off to do a little Christmas shopping. He insisted that the flashlight came along for the ride. As I was driving, he again asked where we were going and when I told him once again that we were going shopping to buy presents for Christmas, he asked, "presents for me?" In which I responded with a list of people we had to buy for and said that maybe we would get him a present as well if he was good. Then, he asked "Will we get a present for you?" When I told him no we were shopping for other people, he said "I'm sorry mommy, here you have my flashlight." Seems so silly I know, but to me it meant a lot especially since I knew how much his flashlight meant to him. I had to blog this in hopes that I will find a way to save all the blogs I have created thus far, and keep the memories of special moments such as this one.

Trick-or-Treat 2008

Our town does Trick-or-treat every year on the Sunday before Halloween. Here are some pictures from our day. We were lucky enough to have Grandma Laura and Grandaddy in town for the special day.

Sending a Message of Love

Ahhh, Fall is in the Air!

There is so much to do for kids this time of year that we just can't make it to everything but, we are definitely doing as much as we can before the dreaded winter. This weekend, we took Carter to the pumpkin patch where we took a hayride out to the patch and Carter actually got to pick his favorite pumpkin. What fun! There was so much to do there that Carter didn't want to leave. He fed the animals in the petting zoo and pulled a wagon around filled with his picks of pumpkin. Then, after surviving the worst temper tantrum known to man, we were off to our next destination. The local fire department was having an open house and were giving rides in the firetrucks. As we pulled up to the firehouse, Carter shouted, "look Mommy, the firetrucks aren't sleeping anymore." Usually when we pass the firehouse he wants to stop and see the trucks in which I typically reply that they are sleeping in the firehouse right now. He was so happy to see the firetrucks actually awake, that his tears from leaving the pumpkin patch quickly went away. Below are some pictures from our day. Also, there is one picture of Carter sporting his leaf hat that we made together one day this week. The only color of leaf that we weren't able to find was orange. Carter is on the look-out for that perfect orange leaf to add to his hat now. We have decided to mail some of the colorful leaves to some of Carter's friends back in Texas since we know it is something they don't see very often. Jeff and I find it so funny that something that we often took for granted like the change in leaves, is something that we now spend so much time appreciating. Ahhh, Fall is definitely in the air.

Apple Picking

Today I took Carter apple picking. It was a really fun day. They had a tour where for a minimal fee a tour guide explained about the importance of bees for the apple orchard, showed them a Johny Appleseed movie, and then let them pick apples. They even had a hay maze and small petting zoo. I was hoping that if Carter picked the apples himself, maybe he would have more of a desire to eat an apple. Mission unsuccessful. But the experience was fun nonetheless.

Nothing should come between a boy and his cars

Buggy Bumper

Look what I made! This is Buggy Bumper number one. Hopefully, there will be many more to follow.

Happenings...

Over the past few weeks, we have been spoiled. We had Jeff's mom Toni, my mom, my sister, and my friend Christine each stay a few days with us within the past few weeks. We even had the opportunity to take a trip to Indiana to visit with several of Carter's cousins that he has never met and to Madison to visit my Aunt Jen and her children Owen and Audrey. We couldn't be happier that Carter is getting the opportunity to feel what it is like to be surrounded by family and friends. Growing up with family around, just gives Carter a sense of belonging and security that we felt was so important for him to have. We are so grateful!

On another note, the weather here in Wisconsin is already started to chill. We woke up this morning with a cool house and were saddened to find that it was only 50 degrees out. We are sad to see the Summer pass as we have had so much fun being outside getting to know our neighbors, playing in the parks, going to the zoo, riding bikes, and taking nature walks. At this point, I just hold onto the hope that we will have at least a few days of mild weather this fall so that we can enjoy the change in colors, the fall of leaves that bring along fun craft projects, and the joy of picking apples/pumpkins, and the taste of yummy apple cider.

Carter had his first swim lesson last Saturday. He loves the water but doesn't particularly like the teacher touching him at all. I guess it is my fault. He probably has picked up on my fear of strangers. Which is good and bad I guess.

I have started a new business venture in an effort to bring in a little bit of extra income to fight against the rise in fuel, grocery, and every other thing that costs. I am making/sewing baby shopping cart covers which I am calling Buggy Bumpers. My mom made me one as a gift for toting Carter around and I just got so many compliments on it that I decided to make them myself. They serve to protect babies/toddlers from the nasty germy shopping carts that they tend to lick or chew or whatever else they do. I am currently working on getting a blog site set up with pictures and fabric choices. So keep me in mind if you are in need of a unique baby gift. I'm selling them for $65. They are reversable and can be made in whatever theme, pattern, or color of fabric you would like. I figure if I don't make any money at all, at least it will be a good hobby to do while Jeff enjoys his various hobbies. Here are a few pictures.

We're Diggin the Park

Carter is just about big enough that he can go to the park and climb/slide by himself now. This is apparent as I hear him saying "I do it" more and more now signalling that he wants to try something on his own. It's the toddler Independence I have heard so much about. While finding that fine line between a good parent and an overprotective parent is difficult, I think that Carter is growing more and more each day.

On another note, we have an appointment with the children's Ear Nose and Throat surgeon on Monday to gain information about Carter's ear pinning surgery. We have decided to hear what the surgeon has to say and then make up our minds as to when/if he will have the surgery at all. Knowledge is power I guess, right? I certainly could use the power these days.