Carter

After the many updates on Owen and my pregnancy, I figured it was time to give an update on our other little guy. He's still growing like a weed and weighs in just under 30lbs. Not sure of his exact height since we haven’t measured him since his 2yr check-up.

He has a pretty full vocabulary and talks in full sentences. He also picks up new words immediately, so of course we have to be REALLY careful what we say around him. He's known his full alphabet for quite some time, but now is actually using it. I’ll let him send his daddy instant messages while he's at work. I'll tell him which letters to hit and he does the typing, so he's also learned "enter", "space" and "period".

Being on the computer is one of his favorite activities. We got him his own QWERTY keyboard that has oversized keys for toddler fingers and also a toddler size mouse. (It also came with a mouse pad that holds a picture and the only 4x6 picture we had handy was that of our friends NJ and Sebrena's little girl Kaitlyn, whom Carter's only met once in person, but adores through the internet. So he loves using his "Kait-Kait" mouse pad).

Anyway, the site we go to the most is Sesame Street, which has games specifically for toddlers. Many are as simple as just hitting any random keys on the computer, but others take more control, like using the mouse to select the correct matching pictures, which he is now able to do completely on his own. We're not trying to turn him into a computer/video game junky, but rather teach hand-eye coordination and basic computer skills that he will need in the future anyway. Plus the games are educational. He also loves to play the Nintendo Wii, which isn't so much educational, but very good for hand-eye and body coordination too (we also have Wii Fit which takes full body movements).

Other activities he enjoys are playing with Legos, Play-doh, and coloring, cutting, and gluing paper. He also really enjoys playing outside. He loves going to the park and playing on the swings and going down slides and through tunnels. At home he likes to blow bubbles, play with his t-ball set, “mow” with his bubble mower, ride his electric 4x4 “atv”, and draw pictures with chalk on the driveway. He also really enjoys helping with chores around the house: loading/switching/sorting/folding laundry, washing dishes, cooking, and sweeping. Next is teaching him to make his own bed. :)

Yesterday I noticed when I laid him down for his nap that he had several spots on his belly. On further examination I found them on his arms, legs, back, bottom, and face. He’d had the chicken pox vaccine, so we were unsure what could cause so many spots all over his body. Ryan took him to the Dr. this morning and discovered that our little boy is covered in bug bites, likely from chiggers. We figure he got them from playing in the backyard in just his swim trunks running through the sprinkler and sliding in the grass.

And finally, his latest “cuteness” started today. While coloring, I told him to write his name. He scribbled a little and said “Carter James Herman”. I then told him to write mommy’s name. He’s been saying for some time “Mommy Mindy, Daddy Ryan”, so he knows our names. So he scribbled some more and said “Mommy James Herman” and then scribbled some more and said “Daddy James Herman”. I had him “write” our names again this evening for Ryan and this time we were “Mommy James Mindy” and “Daddy James Ryan”. So apparently everyone has his middle name. :P