Carterito, these last few weeks have been whirlwind of both excitement and nerves. One thing remains constant however and that is your bright and shiny little personality. Hands down you are a spunky little firecracker and just the absolute biggest joy of our lives!
So many things have happened over these last few weeks. Just days before your 11 month birthday, you came down with your first bought of real Sickies. With a fever of 101.1, nose like a faucet and cheeks chapped so raw, the pedi diagnosed you with a double ear infection, double eye infection and a sore throat. For barely having been sick a day in your short life, C-man, you really did it up this time! You were sick for 8 very long days but you didn't let it get you down! Of course you were up for some extra Mama-snugs here and there, but you still managed to tear through the house at lightening speed. Mama learned you are not, I repeat, you are not a fan of eye drops.
Because Mama dropped the ball this month, she's writing your updates just sixteen days shy of your 12 month birthday. And? The Sickies are back. This time with an ear infection and strep throat. You proved to be no match for Super Antibiotic Omnicef but once we switched you over to Azithromycin, you are showing much improvement. As per usual though, you haven't missed a beat.
Except at 4am. This seems to be a new wake up time for you since The Sickies reared their ugly head. At least 3-4x per week you're up at this ungodly hour and you pretty much just want to hang out for an hour or two before falling back asleep in Mama and Dada's bed. Mama will thank you later for the wrinkles, grey hair and bags under her eyes.
You were baptized this month in a beautiful ceremony and celebrated like the little Catholic rock star that you are with a fabulous party back at the house. Some of your New Jersey Greats drove all the way from up north to share in this special occasion with you. You are such a blessed little boy, Carterito.
Onto the really good stuff! You took your second trip to the Beach Shack and loved everything about it. You loved crawling along the sand, rubbing your hands through it and yes, even eating it. You even loved standing in the tide. As the waves would crash around your ankles, you would shriek and squeal in delight. You are an even bigger fan of the kiddie splash pad at the Pool Club. We even caught you drinking from the fountain sprinklers like a little puppy dog.
You are absolutely fearless, my child. This is both a blessing and a curse.
You eat anything and everything. You are eating 100% table foods and some of your favorites this month include: Greek yogurt, limes, chicken cheese steaks, pasta, meatballs, cannoli filling and strawberries.
When asked, you can point to "milkies (bottles)," "sheeshee," "light," "fan," "mama," "dada" and "belly." You can wave Bye-Bye and 50% of the time will say "Bahbahabah" while doing so.
You say the following words on a fairly consistent basis: "Mama," "Dada," "Ish (Sheepie)," "Bye-Bye," "Hi," and "Nigh-Nigh."
Around 10.5 months, you started taking 2-3 unassisted steps throughout the house. Your Daddy and I immediately labeled you "The Drunk." Two days before your 11 month birthday, you started walking. And you've been full speed ahead every since. You took your first steps down the hallway in the kitchen. Mama cried big, fat, happy tears.
You LOVE to sing and clap to music. You love shaking your little body, bending your knees and doing this ridiculously cute shake with your arms. You kind of look like you're conducting an orchestra. Hopefully you refine some of these moves by the time junior high school hits. Junior High School Girls are not kind to boys who don't know how to dance.
You're wearing 18 month one-pieces, a mix of 18 month and 2T tops, 12 month bottoms and size 5 shoe. Speaking of shoes, Gammie bought you your very first pair of KEENS this month! Perfect for walking and stylish, too! You love having your shoes put on and you know that whenever Mama breaks them out it usually means you're going to play outside. Your eyes light up as big as saucers and as soon as they're on those big feet of yours, you book it for the sliding glass door to the deck. Like I said, you don't miss a beat.
Stubborn and impatient like your Mama, you've started throwing mini-tantrums this month. The minute we redirect you or tell you a simple "No!" the feet start stomping and you drop to the ground on your butt and holler like we just told you Santa wasn't real. I mean, seriously Carter. You just can't nosedive off of the kitchen stoop and you can't play in the dog's water bowl! I promise, it's for your own good.
Happy 11 Months, our little Carterito. It's been quite the month for you and quite the month for us as parents. Our hearts broke when we couldn't console you during The Sickies, but our hearts nearly burst to see how proud you were of yourself when you took those first steps. It just goes to show how much of a ride this whole parenting thing is. You are our number one, C-man. We love you more than you will ever know and as we careen towards your First Birthday... Could you just slow down a bit?