The Big 3-0!

Happy 30th Birthday Mike!

We hope you have a great birthday and since you are so busy today we'll plan to celebrate this weekend! We love you! -A and C

Home Sweet Home.

That's right. We're finally home. We made it back to Texas Monday night and have spent the last two days or so unpacking and getting back into our normal routine here. It's nice to see Mike and Carter is as in love with Mike as ever, but in the scheme of things it's a little sad to be home and have to get back into the old routine. I miss the beach already.

The flight home was a lot different from the flight to Myrtle Beach. If my flight there would have been like the flight home I told Mike he would have had to drive out to bring me back home. So to say the least, not a very fun flight home for either one of us, or the large gangsta man we sat by, who completely ignored us the entire time while I fought to keep Carter from trying to steal his ipod that he was blaring gangsta rap on. The combination of my growing belly and the lack of space on the plane to stand up and move around made the trip hard on both of us. I've never been more grateful to hear the captain announce an early arrival. Thank goodness Mike was there early as well to handle our bags and show us some much needed love.

I know I've said this is my last few posts, but we did have a really good time. I miss my mom. It was so much fun just to be there with her and hang out. I loved that we were only ten minutes, if that, from the beach. I loved that she was willing to jump in the pool with us, chase after Carter on the beach, dig in the sand with us, make her awesome peach pie for us twice, make blueberry pancakes in the morning, or at night if I had the craving, go shopping with us to find shoes for Carter and his chubby feet, eat at Chick-fil-a with us several times and most of all that she put up with us destroying her apartment on a daily basis. We hope that you are enjoying a little more peace and quiet and are also enjoying not having to watch for scattered toys everywhere you step when you come home from work. We miss and love you and can't wait for you to come out here to visit next time.

Here are a few scattered pictures from our trip.

Little Stud Muffin. He was a social butterfly on the beach.

Climbing into this chair took a while and once he was there, he wasn't going anywhere else.

The little things that he finds entertaining.Carter also loved to chase the birds on the beach... ...here he is dragging my mom with him to chase the bird above. Notice in the picture below Carter is sitting on my pregnant tummy.
We managed to make it to the beach at night a few times. This was the time of day everyone took their dogs on walks, therefor Carter and I followed many dogs walking on the beach. He missed his puppies at home.
After swim lessons and the beach we went out to lunch. Carter only made it half way through lunch before passing out in the high chair. Notice the straw still in his hands.
How could we go three weeks without a balloon? Thank you Red Robin for providing this happy toddler moment.
He managed to crawl into the cabinet, just couldn't get out afterwards.
Carter loved Nicks family sauce with pasta. I think he ate an entire bowl of pasta that night.

This makes me laugh... He walked around laughing when I put his swim trunks on his head. At this point he was ready to take them off.

Ramblings.

I can't believe we've been here for over two weeks. Time is really flying by. The first week here was pretty rough, adapting to a new place, new schedule for Carter and my mom working a ton. This past week has been the exact opposite. We've had such a great time and have gotten into a new little routine. Although it doesn't involve the gym for me, it does however involve a lot of beach and pool time, and that seems to be an ok substitute for us. I'm really enjoying the time with my mom. I know it's hard for our parents to be so far away from us and their grandchildren, and you really can't get to know grandchildren in just a few days. I'm so grateful that she's had so much time to really get to know him, and likewise, I'm glad that he now knows my mom and trusts her as well. We've seemed to avoided the normal tourists things while here and have really enjoyed the quieter beaches where more locals and families hang out. We've been able to shopping and out to lunch, two of my favorite things. :) Although, we're having a great time, it makes me a little sad to not have Mike here. I know he could use the vacation and would have a great time chasing Carter up and down the beach. I'm proud of him for sacrificing his time away from work to study. I just pray that all of these sacrifices will pay off and he'll pass this exam.

In the last two days the reality of having another child has really hit me. I know it seems strange that it's just now becoming a reality, but this happened last time with Carter too. I always feel better once I hit 24 weeks, something about the ability of the baby surviving if something were to happen gives me so much hope. The reality of all of this is hard to ignore with the growing tummy quickly outgrowing the pants I originally packed for our trip out here. I'm nervous to say the least. Carter and I are in a good routine, I feel like I can handle him and I love the one on one time I get with him. I'm afraid of the transition from one child to two. How is he going to adjust, how will I, and how will I be able to care for the new baby and him? It's also hard to think that he will be different than Carter, the new baby will look different and have a different personality. I'm overwhelmed just thinking about it. But at the same time I also have this emotion of such gratitude and peace that fills my spirit when I think about the blessing of having another child. I was just so grateful to have been blessed with Carter, it seems like a miracle to have gotten pregnant again and the possibility of having another sweet little spirit to join our family is an amazing feeling. It's hard not to be overwhelmed with the constant flow of mixed emotions hitting me, thanks to these pregnancy hormones. I hope and pray that our new little boy will make it to us, that he will be blessed with a healthy body and mind. Until then, I know I need to really cherish the time I have with Carter and look forward to the time I'll have with both of them.

Yesterday during the late afternoon while I was talking on the phone, Carter crawled onto my lap and snuggled with me, laying his head on my tummy, like he was listening for his little brother. This is so rare. Carter never stays still for long these days. It was such a wonderful feeling to have Carter snuggle, and to look down and see my growing belly and my little man together. Carter stretched his legs out and let me rub his belly and he fell asleep. This was one of those moments when you want to stop time. I just wanted to stay in that moment forever. I am so grateful to be a mother, to experience the miracle of pregnancy, of having a little spirit grow inside of me and to see our other child grow and develop into his own person.

Carter at the beach. When did he get so big?

Carter discovered the fun of the turtle outside of the pool. He carried it around all afternoon and took all of his toys over to it so he could sit in it and play. I almost caught this smile right on. They have these big chairs at the pool by the flowers and tons of butterflies floating around. He was a happy baby today.
Look- Bruise free! I think he's finally got the walking thing down and we've managed almost a month without a black eye or large bruise. You're looking good little man!

Baby Swim Class.

This morning was day two of Carters baby swim class. We decided to sign him up for the class once we got settled here. Before he didn't care very much for the water. If we put him in the pool he would warm up to the idea and float in the turtle for a while. But once we got here he discovered his love for the pool, and instead of running away from it, he would immediately run for the pool stairs and want to stand by himself and splash. Not really understanding the concept of when he puts his face into the pool water he can't breath at the same time. That was the deciding moment, that afternoon we did a little research and found the local rec center had a class for infants and toddlers. It's nothing too advanced, we're really working on getting the babies to kick and paddle, working on holding their breath when going under water, trying to blow bubbles and getting comfortable with the water and trusting the parents in the water. We play a lot of little games with them and Carter loves it when he gets to go after the little floating balls. He also loves to splash and watch the other babies in the class. Since Carter was little he's always tended to keep his mouth open when smiling, laughing and just in general all the time. This really hasn't changed, so it's been a challenge to figure out how to get him to shut his mouth. This morning the instructor got him to do it and put him under the water for the first time. He did great! Then I felt more comfortable and was able to do the same a few times. The class is really more for me, so I learn what to do with him in the water and what things we can do to help our baby learn to swim and float. If he loves the water this much (still doesn't like splash pads all that much) I think the best line of defense will be to teach him to swim as early as possible.

A Change of Mind.

Since our first visit to the beach here Carter has changed his mind...

and now totally loves it!

He's become a little beach baby. He runs to the water, laughs when the surf comes in, tries to get everyone to hold his bucket, flicks sand with his shovel, chases after bigger kids to play with, and relishes in the adventure of playing in the water shower at the end of the boardwalk before we get back into the car. Vacation just got a whole lot sweeter. We miss you Mike!

Beach.

Well, to be more specific, our first time at a beach warm enough to put on our swim suits. (Oregon in April really didn't count... it snowed.) These are the pictures I mentioned two posts ago that my mom took during our first trip to the beach here at Myrtle Beach. The only time Carter smiled was when we were leaving and he also wanted to be held the entire time we were there. We are attempting the beach again tomorrow morning. Hopefully he'll like it better this time.

PS. Thanks for letting me steal your boardshorts Mike. Even though you weren't able to wear them to the beach I plan to make them very useful. :) We love and miss you honey and wish you were here. XOXO

Pat on the Back.

I know we've all had those moments when you want to give yourself a pat on the back. I had one of those this morning. My mom is working crazy hours as an ER nurse here and therefore we have to be quiet in the morning so she can actually get some sleep. So this morning, I got myself ready and pretty (a challenge with Carter screaming to get into the shower and then screaming to be held while I got dressed) then got Carter dressed and hair spiked, and we went to church by ourselves! I managed to navigate to the church building and make it there 5 minutes early. Unfortunately there were no seats left by the door, so we had to sit on the other side of the chapel, but the good part of this was that where we sat Carter was pretty much trapped. This is the "pat yourself on the back" moment... we managed to stay in the chapel for all of sacrament! We don't ever manage this at our home ward with both Mike and I, so I was amazed Carter hung in there with just me. Now you might ask if we managed to stay for all three hours, Sunday school and relief society. Don't get too crazy on me... I managed an hour by myself and didn't want to push my luck... Although the thought did cross my mind to put him in nursery. :)

Happy Sunday to each of you! Hugs, A

We're Here.

Well we survived the plane ride and are now at the beach safely with my mom. This is the first summer I get to be a stay at home mom and take off for a few weeks. I remember our first summer in Houston being completely envious of the moms at church who were able to take off with the kids for a few weeks to stay with their families. I've always had to work and therefor had to work with the typical two weeks off a year. Not this year. Carter and I are staying with my mom for a few weeks to give Mike a more productive study environment at home while he takes two more sections of the CPA exam. Although, I was envious, I have to admit it's a lot easier to travel and be out of town when you don't have kids. So I guess it's a trade off. So we'll get to spend some time with my mom and enjoy the beach and a little less humidity.

I was so nervous about flying by myself with Carter on my lap being 21 weeks pregnant. Lucky enough I was able to catch a direct flight. At the last minute, really the last minute, I was one of the last to board the plane, Mike asked the gate lady about my seat and if there was a possibility that I would have a seat empty next to me. Thank heaven for wonderful husbands, the gate attendant moved me to the first row and I had an empty seat next to me as well for Carter. To make the situation even better, there was an older couple sitting across the isle and the grandma loved Carter and was gracious enough to watch him while I use the plane facilities. Which I was so very grateful for, it was a small plane and to say the least it was one of the most unsanitary restrooms and I don't know how we both would have fit in there. All in all, we survived. Carter didn't freak out, was a little unruly at a few points and managed to sleep for the last 20 minutes of the flight.

It's nice to spend time with my mom and it's so nice to have Carter spend time with his grandma. He warmed up pretty quickly to her, but for the most part he's attached to my hip. A lot more clingy than he ever is at home. Which makes me miss Mike even more, an extra set of hands would be so nice. After all Mike is the "fun" one, and I'm the one that takes care of his needs and gives him the reassurance he needs. I'm pretty sure he misses Mike too. The only thing he managed to say all day was "da da." So we've called Mike everyday and Carter gets to talk to him on speaker phone, by talking I mean hold the phone up to his ear and listen to Mike talk to him.

We've been to the beach once since we arrived and Carter hated everything about it. Literally everything, the sand, the water, the waves. I would put him down and he would immediately yelp and put his arms up, then if a wave would come in and even touch his feet he would try to crawl up my leg. The only time he smiled was when he left the beach and walked on the boardwalk to our car. My mom took pictures and I'll post them later when I can figure out how to do it on her computer. He does however love the pool. He's a smart kid, I don't really want to swim in the ocean here either. I like water that I can see my toes in. So we've made daily trips to the pool to help pass time while out here. There are no 24 hour fitness facilities here so I am desperate for activities in the morning to kill time.

Sorry about the lengthy post. My mom is currently at the hospital working and its just me and a sleeping Carter and four tv stations. I miss my husband, my dvr, my bed, the gym and kids club. I really wish I had photoshop here so I could make a dent in all of the little projects I want to complete before baby two comes. But we'll make the most of what we've been given here. Does anyone have any book recommendations? I'm really contemplating rereading the Twilight series before the last book comes out at the end of the summer, unless someone has a better suggestion. :)