Monday, June 29, 2009

The Meeting

Carter & Liam met for the first time this weekend.

I can already imagine the trouble these two will be getting into together!











Saturday, June 27, 2009

Odds & Ends

Here's a few of the pictures that have been piling up over the past week or so:


"There's nothing better than a warm blanket after a bath."









"Training for the next Olympics."





"Giddy up!"





"Wazzup???!!!"


"I've got the whole world in my hand..."

Sunday, June 21, 2009

I received this note early this morning...

Daddy,

Happy Father's Day!!! Mommy took me shopping and I helped pick out the cards and gifts from Athena and I. I had to take a cat nap but up until then, I was really involved. I hope you have a great Father's Day...I look forward to all of our father/son moments. I already think you are the best and coolest dad around. HAPPY FATHER'S DAY, Daddy.

Love,

Carter & Athena



Friday, June 19, 2009

Rodin's sculpture...


...would've looked much better had he been able to use this model!

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Paging Dr. Pavlov



For some strange reason, this is the face he usually makes whenever he hears his mom's voice.

What could that mean? Hmmm.....

Monday, June 15, 2009

Welcome to the Family!

Hi, Liam. I can't wait to meet you.

Love,
Carter

(The Last) Baby Shower

Well, this past weekend marked the clsoe of our Baby Shower season.

I had been working with Ann (unbeknownst to Nichole) to arrange a NNY baby shower. Planning was going fine and we were shooting for a late May weekend to surprise Nichole with, but she & Carter decided to "alter" those plans.

After the dust settled we finally decided on a date and threw the "surprise" element out of the window (just in case Nichole had anything else up her sleeves).

Despite the forcast of possible thundershowers, the day could not have turned out any better.

Once again we were blessed with many wonderful and thoughtful gifts from our friends and family.







Looks like our little man partied a little too hard!





Thank you to everyone who came and thank you, thank you, thank you to Ann & John for being the ever-wonderful hosts!

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

OMG, my water just broke!

Nichole just got back from Carter’s latest pediatrician visit.

His weight has increased by almost 20% and he’s gained an inch since his last visit (I’m not surprised, though…I’ve been known to do that during a single Thanksgiving dinner).

She did have a funny story to share. After Carter got stripped down and weighed, Nichole carried him back to the examination room. It was at this point that she felt something wet “down there. The first thought that popped into her head was “What the French!? My water just broke…again!”

As it turns out Carter was just relieving himself (he waited until after he got weighed so it would look like he was bigger). Both Nichole and the nurse had a good laugh about this.

The funniest part of it was Nichole was wearing her flip-flops. Just think of the noise that is made when you put them on just after you get out of the shower…

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

We Learn Something New Everyday

At first we thought Carter didn't like being clothed. After changing him, we would swaddle him and lay him back down in his crib. Throughout the course of his nap, he would squirm & wiggle until he not only was de-swaddled, but half-undressed (or is it half-dressed).

Now we've come to realize that he hates being undressed at all. He let's out blood curdling screams when we are changing his diaper and won't stop until the last snap of his onesey is snapped. You can imagine what bath time is like!

Of course we don't like it when he screams (for his sake...we feel bad), but Athena takes it really bad. Two times in the past day whenever Carter is screaming, Athena has come over and kissed the top of his head...and he stops screaming!

I think the two of them are going to make a great team.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

I know, I know…

... it’s been a while since I’ve posted.

My excuses are lame, but I’m sticking with them. Work’s been “hectic” to say the least and Carter is really pushing for his new 1-hour “I’m bored, let’s hang out” cycles. I don’t mind those during the day, but it’s the 1, 2, 3, 4 o’clock time slots that are challenging.

Last Friday my work was so generous to throw a baby shower for us. Carter got to meet a lot of my coworkers and was constantly “oohed” and “aahed” over by many of the lady’s. Off to the side, I whispered to Carter, “Now you know what Daddy’s days are like.”

After this we headed south to Upstate New York so Carter could meet the rest of his family.

Up until this point, we had consistently made this trip in just over 3 hours. We always challenged ourselves to find new ways to trim an extra minute or two with every trip. Needless to say, this trip set us back…waaaay back.

We knew, but didn’t quite fully grasp the quantitative effect of what we now refer to as “The Carter Factor”.

The great thing about the little guy is that he loves to communicate with us. He gladly alerts us of when he is hungry, when he needs a change, or when he just wants to be held. And we are just as glad to accommodate him. We have a wonderful working relationship in this aspect.

And, just as with almost any working relationship, lead time is a hot topic. The supplier (us) wants a longer lead time where as the customer (Carter) wants a shorter…MUCH shorter lead time.

The time between when he signals for a meal, change of clothes, or cuddle time can only be measured with what I can only assume to be as-of-yet to be discovered “negative” time unit.

The nations’ top scientists are working on this as we speak. Until then, we are trying to hone our perception skills to predict when a “signal” may be given.

So, after applying “The Carter Factor” to our previous travel time of 3 hours, our new challenge is to make the trip in under 5 hours.

We stayed at Casa de Bissonette so naturally Nichole’s parents, PepĂ© & SunamĂ©, were there. Uncle Jay made the trip in from NYC and Aunt Meme visited as well.

This gave Nichole a well earned break, as Carter was rarely out of someone’s arms. He ate all of this right up and was a constant source of entertainment. Pretty impressive for someone who can’t walk yet and sleeps half of the day.

We did find out that he does travel well. The slight rocking motion that the vehicle provides has the tendency to put him to sleep. The same can be said for Nichole.

Our little guy has experienced quite the action-packed first 4 weeks. His fan club is growing at an exponential rate and with every stop we make he adds to his wardrobe.

Oh, and here are a few pics from the weekend: