Happy 11 Months, Carter!

Dear Carter,

It's hard to believe that you used to be much smaller than your yellow bear! In order to truly show how you've grown and developed and to capture the energy and agility that you now possess, I had to include the whole sequence of pictures that I took while trying to capture your 11-month photo. :)You love to clap all of the time, especially when you know you've done something well! You have just started signing "more" and "to eat." You babble often, and occasionally you've surprised us with some words: socks, clap, Jesus... But we haven't been able to get you to repeat them, so I think you just happened to say them correctly by accident while you tried to mimic us. The funniest time, however, was around Christmas when Grand Mary and Papa were here. We were all watching you in the bathtub, as you were splashing, sliding around, and having a grand ole time.

Grand Mary asked, "Carter, are you having fun?"

And you lifted your fists in the air and said with extreme enthusiasm and volume, "YES!!!!"

It took us ten minutes to stop laughing! We know you didn't know what you were saying, but the irony and coincidence of your response was so perfect!

You recently discovered that you like to play with my hair, especially if I have a clip in it. At least now, you don't yank it like you used to.


You've become very attached to your daddy and prefer him over anyone else. He loves you so much and treasures every moment he has to teach you and play with you. One of my favorite moments from this month was on Christmas Eve when he pulled you onto his lap and read the first few chapters of Luke to you so you could hear the story of Jesus' birth.

This month, we visited a pediatric allergist and discovered your allergies to milk, eggs, beef, peanuts, and wheat. Luckily, the wheat allergy is so subtle that we do not have to avoid it completely. Many sweet moms, some whom I don't even know, have offered their advice, food suggestions, and encouragement as we've made changes to our cooking and your diet. I have been so grateful for their help!

In the spirit of Christmas, or Christmas colors at least, I gave you a treat since you miss out on many "good" foods. An oreo!! And one with RED icing at that. :) One of the few sweets that doesn't contain milk or eggs. This is what your daddy came home to a few weeks ago...
I think Daddy was a little concerned until I told him what you had eaten (and were wearing!). A mess indeed, but you sure did enjoy it!

It was so much fun to take you with us this year to pick out our Christmas tree. Since it was already dark, you couldn't really tell where we were or what we were doing.But you sure did like the end result when we got the tree home and decorated it!Luckily, you didn't try to touch the tree as often as we thought you would. Next year may be a different story.

We also went to the Zoolight Safari at the Birmingham Zoo. This is where your daddy took Mommy on one of their first few dates. We bundled you up for the cold weather.
You can't really tell from this picture, but the zoo had lights everywhere! It was fun watching you take them all in.
You rode your first carousel! Once we began moving, you leaned your head back to watch the ceiling move. It was also adorable when you spotted Daddy with the camera on one of the rounds....you called out "daaaadddddaaaaa!" And followed him with your eyes until you could no longer see him.
I think the ride gave you an adrenaline rush because you definitely perked up when we got off. Until then, you had been pretty tired and subdued. Here's the smile we love!
Parts of the zoo were open, so we saw some llamas and sheep. You were definitely intrigued. We'll have to go back in the spring to see ALL of the animals!
This month was so special, Carter! We especially enjoyed celebrating the Christmas season with you. I have posted pictures of the holidays in another post. I know you won't remember your first Christmas, so I hope the stories and pictures we share will portray the joy you brought to our lives this year. We love you!

Happy 11 months!

Love,
Mommy