Ya Mon! -18 Months

Jordan and I just got back from Jamaica late last Thursday! We had such an amazing time! The company, resort, pool, beach, food, and drink(s) were better than we expected. We almost didn’t even know what to do with ourselves at first because we are not use to so much down time and use to chasing after a busy 1 ½ year old. But we got the hang of it very quickly. We started our day off at the breakfast buffet where we usually had made to order omelets, waffles, pancakes, french toast as well as a endless variety of delicious breakfast items. After that we enjoyed lazy days at the beach & pool sipping on any kind of fruity drink you can imagine (they put rum in everything) as well as endless glasses of Red Stripe. At night we enjoyed many of the restaurants they had at the resort – Japanese, Italian, French, Jamaican, Mexican, and buffet style (food was awesome!). After dinner you would find us sipping on martinis at the lounge & piano bar and we even danced at the night club a couple of nights. The resort was beautiful very high class & recommended by us if you are looking for an adults only 5 star vacation. We even ventured off of the resort for one day and got to experience Ocho Rios – we climbed Dunn River Falls, snorkeled, and enjoyed a boat cruise on the ocean. The weather was perfect in the mid 80’s (not humid at all) and the evenings were in the upper 60’s. It was so nice to reconnect as a couple and spend quality time together. Mollie and Karl are a fantastic couple to go on vacation with we all got along great and hung out everyday together as a foursome. I never doubted that we would have any problems as the four of us like to do a lot of the same things and have fun. Plus we always stay at their house when we are back for visits in IA. We decided we are going to do a tropical trip together every 2 years!

So you must be wondering how Carter handled all of this? He did great! No problems at all. The grandma’s were great about keeping him on schedule and he napped and slept great at night. He adapted well (even with the back & fourth between houses). They said he was a happy little boy & very easy to read as far as what he wants and he ate good too. He enjoyed playing with his cousins and especially bonded with his cousin Myla (Mymy) he even picked up a new couple of words – Mymy, up, & bomp. He was able to go to the park, play outside at Bompa and Grandma Wiebler’s new house, spend time with Aunt Brenda and Uncle Dave. Grandma Mary and Grandpa Gary took Carter to his friend Brody’s 2nd birthday party. We were told that Carter had a great time running around playing with the other kids and especially liked the balloons. Sometimes Carter can be shy when he meets new people so I thought he might be shy but he proved me wrong.

Of course Jordan and I missed Carter so much (at one point I wasn’t even sure I was going to be able to go with the trip) but I sucked it up & knew that I had to do this for myself, Jordan, and Carter. Once we got to the resort I was able to relax. I was proud of myself. I only called home twice. After the first call and after being told he was doing great it eased my mind even more. When we got back on Thursday night Carter was already asleep so the next morning when he woke up it was a moment I will never forget.

Thanks again to The Petersen’s for being such great traveling partners and for all the laughs and good times.

Thanks again to our parents for taking such good care of Carter.

Now it is back to the real world for us…

We also had Carter’s 18 month wellness appointment right before we left and he is doing great. He weighed 22 lbs 14oz and is 32 ½ inches long. He has gained a little over 14lbs since he came into this world (weight wise he is our little peanut) and has grown a little over 12 inches. He is in the 10% for weight and 50% for height. He is wearing 18 month size clothes and is starting to fit into is 18-24 month Gymboree outfits. He seriously is eating all of the time. As soon as I pick him up from Miss Janet’s I give him a snack and usually feed him dinner 30 minutes later. Since Jordan gets home a little later him and I usually eat together and 9 times out of 10 Carter eats again and sometimes has a small snack before bed. If he is hungry he will grab your hand & walk you into the kitchen & say “please” how can you resist that?

The doctor was also very impressed with the amount of words Carter knows (he said typically at this age they expect them to say at least 3 words ) and Carter knows & says well over 15 words. He really is starting to pick up on language – if you say a certain word to him he will repeat it. He still uses “Carter language” but does communicate with us with one to two word sentences. Carter also is getting to that stage where he wants to do things himself – he especially is getting good at using his fork & spoon when eating, he wants to walk to the car holding your hand (instead of you carrying him), he also tries to put his coat & hat on if you tell him it is time to go bye-bye and his other new thing is trying to open doors all by himself.

If you ask Carter where is belly, eye, nose, or ear is at he also points to the correct body part on himself. If he sees me brushing my hair he will go & grab his brush and help me same thing if I am brushing my teeth. He really is at a mimicking stage which is so cute. When we are reading to him we will ask him where certain things are at on the page and he will point to the correct item. Carter also has 16 of his teeth! The only remaining teeth are his 2 year molars which we hope hold off until 2 because poor little guy has had a lot of teething going on over the past couple of months.

As you can see Carter is really learning new things everyday and is really becoming a toddler. He is so interested in his surroundings & truly amazes me every day. From what I have read & heard 18 to 24 months they really start to take off with communicating.

We are looking forward to Spring so we can get the jogging stroller out and get active with Carter. He loves being outside and I know we are looking forward to taking him to the park and pool this Summer.

Hope you enjoy our pictures from paradise!