Tubes are in!

Carter had his tube surgery for his ears on Thursday and he is back to his normal self and pretty much was back to normal on Thursday afternoon.

We got to the hospital at 8:30am on Thursday and checked in and were taken back into a patient room around 9am (at this point I was very nervous and anxious). Carter was having a blast playing with a balloon that the nurse gave him and of course flirting with all of the nurses. The anesthesiologist came in and went over the procedure with us at 9:20 (and tried to ease my mind) and the ENT doctor came in at 9:30 to reassure us and see if we had any last minute questions.

At 9:39 they took Carter to the OR (this was a VERY VERY hard moment for me)and Jordan and I went out to the waiting room. At 9:52 the pager the hospital gave us went off to let us know Carter was in the recovery room. A nurse took us to see him and of course he was crying (and I was too) but he was very happy to see Jordan and I. We comforted him and talked to the doctor and nurse and everything went great!

We were discharged about 10 minutes later and were home and sitting on the couch at 10:20. Pretty amazing that the entire procedure and recovery took less than 30 minutes. Carter took a nap right when we got home and was running around and climbing and playing after lunch.

It is a relief to have this over with and we are just saying our prayers that this is the answer to his ear infection problems. Now if we can just get done with teething :)

Thank you for your calls, emails, text, and facebook messages!

I also want to point out that it is currently a SNOW Blizzard in Minnesota today. We already have received over 6 plus inches of snow and it continues to come down. By no choice we are having a snow day today!

As long as this weather doesn't happen when we are traveling for the holidays I am okay with it!

First Hair Cut! and More

We took Carter this past weekend to get his first haircut. It wasn't a major haircut really just a trim and shape up. Carter did GREAT and we didn't really think it was going to make a big difference but it did. He looks like a little boy.

We took him to a Kids salon in Savage and they did a great job. The salon is catered towards children so there was a ton of things that got Carter's attention while Christine (his stylist) did her magic. We were impressed with how well Carter did and even more impressed with how great he did when she used the clippers around his ears and neck. We are going to continue to let his hair grow and see what it does. He really does have a lot of hair it is just so blond and thick that it is hard to see in pictures. Christine even styled his hair into a "mohawk" that looked adorable!

We also took Carter to get his first birthday pictures. (I know 3 months over due :) I was really worried with how they were going to go since he is all over the place and won't hold still. But my little man surprised me again. He did amazing and was a perfect model and ham for the ladies taking the pictures. They loved him! We had a hard time picking out the pictures and I think this is the most we have ever spent. We were even able to get a couple family shots. We don't have a scanner at home so I am not able to post any at this time. But trust me they are great!

I took Carter for his pre-op appointment today for his tube surgery. It went good and the doctor said Carter's right ear is red and possibly could be turning into an ear infection (left ear was fine just had fluid). Thank goodness he does not have other symptoms associated with an ear infection (fever, runny nose, cough). He received the go ahead for his surgery and Jordan and I are just praying that this solves his ear problems!

Carter is also getting ALL four of his molars right now and has been a trooper. You never would be able to guess. I just keep giving him a cold wash cloth to chew on and have been giving him teething tablets that dissolve in water before bedtime. It really is amazing everything a child goes through in the first year plus of life. I don't think many adults would be able to handle it :)

Please keep Carter in your thoughts and prayers tomorrow! He is going to do great.

14 1/2 Months

We hosted our first Thanksgiving and I must say it turned out great! I was very nervous about cooking my first turkey but it turned out great. I found the hardest part is coordinating everything to be done at the same time but we got it all worked out. Of course we had way too much food and are still eating left overs almost a week later. It was so nice to have everyone travel to us for a change. Carter especially loved having his cousins (and grandparents too) at his house to play with!

The big Hawkeye party turned out great and was still a lot of fun despite the devastating loss....

Carter is going to be having his tube surgery for his ears next Thursday December 9. Even though it is a very normal procedure and quick (10 minutes) we ask that you keep him in your thoughts and prayers. We hope this will end our ear infection problems!

We are trying to get started on Christmas shopping and December is a busy month for us! We look forward to being back in Davenport for Christmas (weather depending) and hope to see all of you!

Enjoy these pictures from last week and weekend! I took Carter to see Santa yesterday and he did pretty good for the first 30 seconds or so and starting crying after that. So it will be pretty interesting on Christmas Eve to see how he does.

14 Months

Carter is officially 14 months. It really is scary how fast the time goes. Jordan and I were reflecting on how much our lives have changed over the past 14 months and how far we have come as parents in this time frame. More importantly how much our little miracle has grown, developed, and amazed us over this time.

Carter is working on a couple of new teeth right now. This will make 9 & 10. His teeth were really coming fast but he hasn't had any new ones come in since July so it has been awhile. We have been dealing with double ear infection after double ear infection for the past 7 weeks. Poor little guy has had about 5 double ear infections during this short time period. We are finding as soon as he gets off of the antibiotics the ear infection either comes back or it never fully healed. Only one time did he have other symptoms associated with the ear infections (of course this was when we were back in Davenport). The only way we know something is going on is by his sleeping or should I say lack of sleeping. We are meeting with a Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist on Monday to discuss Carter's ear infections and the possibility of tubes. Most likely he will be getting them. It is scary to think of your baby boy having to have surgery but from talking to our pediatrician and other families and my mom (who takes care of babies every Wednesday who get tubes) we know that it is the best decision for Carter. It is also the second most common surgery (after circumcision). We will keep everyone posted on what the next steps are.

We are looking forward to hosting our first Thanksgiving at our house next week. We have a lot of family coming in town from Davenport and even LA! We are also looking forward to our second annual Iowa vs Minnesota tailgate. It is going to be a very busy weekend!

We wish you all a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving. I know we have so much to be thankful for!

13 1/2 Months & More

As you can see things have been very busy around our house considering I haven't updated the blog in almost two months! Not even sure if anyone reads it so it may not be a big deal :)
Anyway, with both of us starting new jobs and traveling out of town for weddings and to see family it is no wonder. So much is new with Carter I don't even know where to start. The first major milestone is that he is walking! And has been officially walking 100% since October 2, 2010. He was so close to walking around his birthday and even at his party but didn't quite have it figured out. Boy what a difference a couple of weeks makes. No turning back now! Our little man is all over the place. He also has mastered the stairs going up & going down them. He also is starting to try and climb on any and everything. He can now say a total of 5 words: mama, dad, hi, ball, and dog. No new teeth to report yet but Jordan and I both think he has some coming in by the way he keeps putting our hands & his hands and everything else in his mouth. Carter is a dancing machine. I have never seen a kid dance so much in my life. Every time he hears music (even if it is just a commercial on the radio or tv) that sweet boy of mine starts moving. Adorable. We are also finding that since Carter does not use words yet he is speaking to us by yelling, crying, or throwing a fit on the ground. According to the books this is normal and is how babies/toddlers communicate until they find their words. Carter is also getting over a double ear infection right now but has been such a trooper.
I don't have any Halloween pictures to post yet but he went as a lion. We actually were able to go trick or treating in Davenport last Saturday. Which was great because Carter was able to go with his cousins and visit his grandparents and both of his great-grandmas. Carter just helped us passed out candy at home because we had just returned from being in Iowa for 9 days but he had a great time.
We took Carter to a pumpkin patch one of the first weekends in October and had a great time. It was 86 degrees when we went so that was pretty crazy. Side note it has been and amazing Fall in MN. Anyway, the pumpkin patch had a petting zoo for kids, apple orchards, of course a pumpkin patch, rides for kids, and even a tent where they had a singer who specialized in children songs. Of course Carter loved this. We had a great day as a family and look forward to taking Carter next year when he will be all over the place.
We are looking forward to having Thanksgiving at our house for the first time (wish me me lunch) as well as having friends and family in town for the big Iowa vs Minnesota game the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It is going to be a great weekend!
We are really just enjoying time as a family and watching our amazing son turn into a little person. He is such a joy and miracle!
Jordan and I just booked a trip to Jamaica with Mollie and Karl. The trip isn't till March but gives us something to look forward to as well as time to get beach ready!

Enjoy the pictures!

12 Months

We had Carter's 12 month wellness appointment last Friday. Carter now weighs 21 lbs and is 30 inches long. He is in the 10% for his weight & 70% for his height. He really hasn't grown much since his 9 month appointment but doctor said that is fine. We were shooting for him to be 22 lbs at 12 months but again Carter is a healthy boy and we have no reason to be concerned. He recieved 4 shots and didn't even cry must be because of his Hayek legs :)

Carter has taken about 10 steps on his own and once he realizes what he is doing he immediately drops down on his butt. We are in no hurry for him to start walking but I think he is close. He continues to blab away and is very clear when he wants something from dada or mama and he can now say ball and dat (which I think means what)? Jordan is also proud because when you say "touch down IOWA" Carter puts his hands in the air and makes a field goal sign. Carter also, loves to dance whenever he hears any type of music (in the car, at the store, restaurant, on the tv) he starts shaking it as I call it & gets moving. We have a couple of videos so we need to post them soon. Carter has 10 teeth now and it seems that new teeth keep appearing. Now that Carter is over 20 lbs we are putting him in a "big boy" car seat. I am going to the police station later on today to get them installed. If anyone needs recommendations on rear & forward facing carseats just ask I feel like an expert :)

Jordan started his new job yesterday and I am starting my new job next Monday. Jordan enjoyed last week off and I am enjoying this week off. It would of been nice to enjoy sometime off together but it didn't work out that way. We are both really excited for our new opportunities and I am excited to be able to work less and spend more time with Carter. It might be a little stressful for awhile but we hope to get in a routine quick.

I have included some pictures of Carter on his actual birthday as well as from his war wound he got in August.

First birthday Party!

Life has been super hectic around our house so this post is coming 2 weeks after we had Carter's first birthday.

We had Carter's first birthday party Sunday of Labor Day weekend. Even though it was 10 days before his actual birthday it worked out really well for us to have it on a holiday weekend so our families could travel for the special day. We had a BBQ at our house, that included a jumper for the kids, (hit of the party), tons of food, and of course beverages. We had a great turn out with about 30 guests as well as some party crashers who saw the jumper and joined in the fun :)

Anyone, that knows me knows that everything has to be perfect meaning Carter's outfits have to match, pillows have to be in a certain way, this list could go on & on but you get the idea... it is really called OCD :) So with my OCD I had to make sure that all of the decorations for the party were perfect and matched everything down to the napkins & silverware. I found this great site called Lepoppy Design and had her make all of the decorations for the party. They tuned out great! I wish I could take credit for them but they were worth the money I paid :) Jordan thinks I went overboard and asked me several times if we are going to do this for every party. Your child only turns 1 once....

Anyway, it was a great day and even though Carter had no idea what was going on he had a blast. Thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate the best year of our lives.

Here are some pictures from the party as well as some of the decorations... I have to learn how to upload pictures from the video camera because that is where all the good ones are at.

Happy First Birthday Carter!

This is going to be a quick post as things are extremely crazy busy in our house right now... details to follow next time. But I wanted to take a quick moment to wish my baby boy a happy first birthday! This day is bitter sweet for me as I can't even believe how fast this past year has gone let alone that I have survived it! Carter is truly the best thing that has ever happened to Jordan and I and we are truly blessed! We love you so much and have been celebrating the best year of our lives for 2 weeks now. I promise tons of birthday party pictures and updates soon!

Congrats Endo's

Jordan and I just want to say congratulations to our very good friends Mike and Angelina on the birth of their son Haddon Jack! He was born yesterday and weighed 7lbs 3oz! We are so happy for them and welcome them to the wonderful world of parenthood! We are looking forward to having boys so close in age. Can't wait to meet him soon

11 Months!

I swear I say this every post but Carter is 11 months and I seriously have no idea where the time has gone. Hard to believe my baby boy is going to be a toddler soon (tear).

We have been super busy this summer & it looks like it is going to continue to be busy for awhile. We were back in Davenport for Bix last month and had a great time! We had lots of family time and were able to see friends. Carter was able to meet his uncle Mike! Grandma and Grandpa Gorsh came up the weekend after Bix to help watch Carter so Jordan and I could go to a birthday party on Friday and a wedding reception that Saturday. It was so nice being able to spend time together as a couple and I know Mary & Gary enjoyed every second with Carter.

We had our first trip to the ER for stitches about 2 weeks ago. Carter had a fall and had to get 4 stitches above is right eyebrow. Not a big deal at all and he was such a trooper. He really has no idea. The stitches are starting to fall out & the scaring should be very minimal. From what everyone keeps telling me it won't be the last time boys are wild.

We are looking forward to a family wedding in Madison in one week and very excited to have family and friends come in town for Carter's FIRST birthday party Labor Day weekend. The party planning is well on the way and Jordan thinks I am going overboard but your son only turns one once! Can't wait it is going to be great.

Carter continues to amaze us everyday he is learning so much. He pretty much only eats baby food out of a jar at daycare and eats only table food with us. He is doing great and we are making sure that we give him a variety of foods. He continues to walk around anything he can pull himself up on and is even starting to stand without holding on to anything. I am predicting walking very soon. But really no hurry. He is also talking up a storm (baby talk at least). He says mama and dada and continues to wave hello & goodbye & points at everything. I have noticed that he is starting to understand words and actions. It is truly amazing how much babies develop and learn in the first year of life.

The pictures are from a family photo session we had and I had a couple of pictures from the ER on my phone... they don't show the stitches but clearly show what a happy boy he is.

Almost 10 Months!

10 months next week... I am seriously getting teared up writing this and thinking about how fast the past 10 months (pretty much 19 months) have gone. Pretty soon we won't be able to call Carter a baby he will be a toddler. The saying is true "time flys when you are having fun" and fun we are having.

So much is new with Carter I don't even know where to start. We have been super busy this Summer. We were back in Davenport in June and on our way home we stopped in Iowa City for lunch and took Carter to Kinnick for the first time. We have a couple of pictures but we haven't uploaded them from the video camera yet. I can honestly say that it was probably the most excited I have seen Jordan. So proud to take his son to Hawkeye nation. I know he is looking forward to taking him to his first game in the future.

This past holiday weekend we had some friends over on Saturday to grill, Sunday we took Carter to his first Twins game & he loved it (don't worry he still rocks Cubbie gear but he was born in MN and deserves to cheer for a winning team). No fireworks this year for us but we look forward to taking him next year. It was a great weekend!

What is new with Carter:
:He is officially crawling (the real crawl) and there is no stopping him
:He discovered the stairs last week and can crawl up them all (we try to always be one step behind him just in case he falls back)
:The baby gates are up and he gets very frustrated with them
:He is cruising/pulling/walking around everything and anything
:He loves table food and we are having a hard time getting him to eat baby food out of the jar he seems to only want what mom & dad are having
:He loves feeding himself & has mastered picking the food up on his own with his pointer fingers and thumb
:He now has 6 teeth (and we think #7 is on the way)
:He LOVES music whenever he hears any kind of music he kicks his legs & gets his body moving
:He loves books & being read to

At Carter's 9 month wellness check up he weighed 19lbs 14oz (which was 3 weeks ago so I am sure he is over 20lbs now) this was in the 25-50% but doctor was not worried at all considering everything we have been through he said that he likes to see babies around 22lbs at the one year check up and I don't think we will have a problem with that. Carter was 30 inches long which was in the 75% to 90%. SO he is a long skinny boy according to the charts :) We go back next week to get his shots because he was running a low fever at the appoinment so they didn't want to treat him. Doctor said Carter is where he is suppose to be & doing great!

Jordan and I are amazed by him everyday and love seeing his personality come out. This is the best age & from what we hear it keeps getting better.

Looking forward to a trip back for Bix in a couple of weeks. Carter is looking forward to meeting his uncle Mike for the first time!

Almost 9 months

So Carter is about a week from officially being 9 months old! We are super busy the next couple of weeks so I thought that since I had a couple of minutes tonight I would write a quick post.

Carter has mastered the "army crawl" and is still so close to the crawling without dragging his legs. He will figure it out and from what I have read it is perfectly normal for some babies to just army crawl and not the normal crawl (whatever that means right). Still so cute to watch. He is super quick and we are finding that we can't turn our backs on him anymore. He also is really getting good at pulling himself up on the window, coffee table, and chairs. Really over the past day or so we have noticed him getting bolder about doing these things. He also has learned to pull himself up from the sunken living room to the dinning room. We purchased some baby gates a couple of weeks ago & I think it is time for Jordan to install them especially since we have a 4 level split house.

We started slowly introducing him to table food (bananas, peas,& mashed potatoes) as well as jarred meat (yummy :) He is doing pretty good & is learning how to mash the food up with his tongue & gums.

Carter's is also about to get his 5th tooth! The top right tooth is just breaking through the skin! He has been handling this pretty well. He can also wave bye-bye and now we are trying to teach him how to blow kisses.

He has his 9 month wellness check up next week so we are anxious to see how much he weighs & how long he is. I know he is over 20lbs for sure and Jordan and I both think he grew a couple of inches over night this weekend.

We are really looking forward to the Petersen family coming to visit us this weekend. It has been way to long since we have seen them! Can't wait! We will be heading back to Davenport next Friday for my brother Rich's wedding reception. We are really looking forward to seeing family and friends. We haven't been back since Easter!

The pictures are from Carter's 9 month photo sessions we had yesterday... they turned out pretty well.

8 Months

Yes, Carter is 8 months old. Jordan and I were just talking over the weekend and we are just amazed at how fast the past 8 months have gone. We really wish that we could just freeze time and Carter at this fun age. I laugh because really the first 2 plus months of Carter's life are a blur.

Every week we seem to get busier & busier but that is normal for this time of year.

What is new with Carter:
:he now has four teeth (one of his top front teeth finally came thru the skin)
:just got over a double ear infection
:weighs 19 1/2 pounds
:can pull himself up onto the window in the living room and any toy or object that is off the ground (of course we are right by him when he does this :)
:he is still trying to figure out the crawling thing (he is so so close) but I am in no hurry for him to start
:he can do "paddy cake" all by himself (daddy is now trying to teach him to wave bye-bye & hi)
: he can say "mama" & "dada" (has been saying mama since March & dada for about a month :)
:he is a happy little guy & has recently learned how to scream and is always talking up a storm
:he is doing great with stage 2 foods and we are going to slowly start introducing him to table food
:he loves the neighbor kids & being outside

Other than that this is the quick version of what is going on in our house. We are looking forward to a long weekend with several visitors. Our next trip to Davenport will be the weekend of June 18 for my brother Rich's wedding reception.

I also want to say congrats to the Endo's on finding out they are going to be having a baby boy in September! Carter is so excited to have another friend so close in age. Congrats to Bryan and Jessica on finding out they will be having a little girl in August. Another girlfriend for Carter.

Congrats to our good friends Aaron & Jessie on the newest member of their family! Alvia Ann born last Sunday. We can't wait to meet her!

We recently purchased a HD video camera so we hope to start posting some videos of little JJ soon. We have been naughty & haven't taken a lot of pictures the past month so here are a couple.