Happy 8 Months, Carter!

Dear Carter,
What a fun month! You're a true explorer now, and you definitely love your mobility. Here are a few highlights from this past month:

Weight: a whopping 20.7 lbs!
Height: not sure, but you're tall (everyone thinks you must be a year already!)
Nicknames: CarterMan (which Mommy sometimes sings to the tune and likes of They Must Be Giants' "Particle Man" song; I think Aunt JuJu first used this nickname), Buddy, Bud, Darlin, Little Prince, Booger, Little Man, Stinker, Lil' Monkey, Baby (how original!), Little Rascal (your Grand Dad's name for you), Precious (your Gram Me's name for you), My Handsome (Aunt Coco's name for you)Fave foods: bananas, prunes, harvest vegetables, sweet potato puffs, cheerios, turkey, water, cheese (except it's off limits now that we know it makes you very sick...milk allergy?)

Food dislikes: anything green

Favorite toys: fringe on the rugs, Sadie and Jackson's bones, door knockers on the armoire, laptops, and your new Fisher Price Laugh & Learn "Learning Home." (worth the investment!) You also still love your activity table. If you're in a low-key mood, you might look at a book. The only time you really sit still is when I put on Baby Einstein's "Baby's First Signs" dvd. Playtime with your pal, Ben

Favorite activities: bathtime, crawling, pulling up, opening drawers, looking out the back door, watching the dogs, pulling up grass at the park, playing with other babies, being tickled by Daddy, hamming it up for the camera.
Activities you dislike: getting strapped into the carseat, having your diaper changed, and occasionally, napping.

New tricks: waving bye-bye, pulling up on anything, climbing stairs, finding your paci and putting it in yourself, swinging in the baby swing at Homewood Park.

Other changes: This month, since you're now on the move, you graduated from the "Crib Babies" nursery at church to the "Crawlers." You also have cried a few times when we've dropped you off because you're more aware of us leaving. But on a whole, you love seeing other people! You can be almost asleep, but you'll perk up as soon as you see someone. We're pegging you as an extrovert already.

Mommy's favorite moments: I love the look on your face when you see your Daddy. You are in awe of him, and rightly so.

My other favorite moment was when I picked you up from Gram Me and Grand Dad's.... you hugged me so tightly, pulled back to look at my face, giggled with delight, hugged me so tightly again, and repeated three or four more times. I felt so loved and missed, and I loved your reaction to my return!

Also, you are laughing more and more as you develop your sense of humor. If I sing in a funny voice or make a face, you giggle uncontrollably. That gets me tickled, and on several occasions, we've laughed together for several minutes before we could compose ourselves. I felt like we were buddies, and I guess I never expected to share such funny moments with an 8-month-old!

Carter, Daddy and I continue to find such joy in your life. Thank you for giving us daily reasons to smile, laugh, and thank God for our blessings. We love you!

Happy 8 Months, CarterMan!
Love,
Mommy