I realize I haven't posted in over a week. I also haven't uploaded any pictures to add.

I worked last Monday through Wednesday while my parents babysat. My mom and I went to see Sex In the City with a few of my coworkers. I really didn't want to go , but they convinced me to. I haven't been to the movies in about 4 years (last one I saw was Meet the Fockers). It was nice to get out, but being Carter's main food source makes getting out stressful.

We've had our good and bad days with Carter. Last Saturday night, he actually slept through the night. We have had a few other similar occurrences since then. (Last night, he ate at 7:00, fell asleep at 9:00, and didn't wake up until 5:00.) We have also had days where he has wanted to eat every 2 hours too. He is just unpredictable. It was great having my parents here. 4 extra arms really help. On Friday, my aunt and uncle from Florida came for dinner. They had been to Charleston and stopped by on their way home. I was happy to see them. Carter was especially grumpy that evening though.

He is smiling a lot now and cooing. It is the sweetest thing. He is also starting to watch the TV, so I bought him a Baby Einstein DVD yesterday. He seemed happy watching it for about 10 seconds then started screaming. We think his stomach was hurting, but we haven't tried it again since then.

Yesterday was an awful day for me, but Carter had one of his best days ever. He was really sweet, napped, and didn't cry very much. I'm not too thrilled about my teaching assignment for next year. Every time I hear it has changed, it has only been for the worse. I was having a pity party about that yesterday when we had a marinade explosion in the kitchen. We have a vacuum marinader (I think I just invented a noun). You put the meat and marinade in, vacuum the air out, and let it tumble. While it was tumbling, I heard a loud pop. I was feeding Carter, so I couldn't get up and check right away. When I did, the lid had popped off. We had marinade on the wall, Carter's car seat, on the counters, floor, cabinets, etc... Thank goodness Tiger had been locked up all day for getting into the garbage twice. eh would have had a field day with the raw chicken and marinade. I called Kevin and told him he just needed to come home to help me deal with my break down. (It was 30 minutes after he gets off of work) I did call the doctor's office yesterday to find out if they had my biopsy results. The nurse told me it was just lesion and to keep my follow up appointment for next week. I guess that's a good thing. We know it's not cancer, but I was never concerned that it would be.

We took Tiger to the vet today for his annual check up. I was dreading the logistics of having a baby and a cat carrier, but we made it. Carter fell asleep on the way home and has been sleeping for quite some time now. It has been 4 hours since he last ate. I keep waiting for him to wake up. I know he will be starving when he does. He doesn't quite understand that I like to change him before he eats. An overloaded diaper on Momma while she is feeding him doesn't sound very pleasant. I don't want to start anything new or do anything that makes a lot of noise.

He is continuing to grow like crazy. He has already outgrown a few of his 3 month outfits.

Boy was this morning eventful! (If you get grossed out hearing about diaper issues, don't read)

So, it is all my fault. I started eating dairy products again because I really didn't see much difference. I wasn't even extreme...coffee creamer, slice of cheese, granola bar. (Oh yeah, and chocolate blueberries, a lot of chocolate blueberries) Carter had 2 blow out diapers yesterday during the day. There really wasn't much in them, just went right up his back. When I changed him before his 5:30 am feeding, he was rather dirty and decides to pee while changing him...there goes clean diaper #1. So, I start getting the next diaper on him and dirtiness comes flying out on the bed and me....there goes diaper #2. I go wash my hands and leave Kevin to finish. He decides to pee again....there goes diaper #3. As soon as that one is on, he dirties again....there goes diaper #4. We stripped the bed, and I fed Carter. Kevin set up camp in the living room, so we could go back to sleep. Kevin had a nice bed on the floor, Tiger and I had the couch, and Carter slept in his bouncy seat. He woke up around 9:00 sucking his thumb so loudly it woke us all up. Went to change him before feeding him, and he peed on the clean diaper and actually got his clothes dirty this time. Get another clean diaper and hear him dirtying that one. This time, the 3rd diaper worked. He is determined to set a world record for quickly going through a whole pack of diapers. I'm thinking diapers costs may need to come out of his college savings account.

Well, I'm off to try to get the blue soap that stained my neck during my biopsy yesterday. Gammy and Poppa will be here in 6 1/2 hours!

Talking during bath time

Taking a bath

Sleeping in his swing this afternoon

Carter went 7 hours between feedings last night. I fed him around 8:00 and rocked him to sleep. I went to bed a little after 11:00 when I could tear myself away from the book I'm reading. (I am actually laughing out loud as I read it!) I thought it was pointless to go to sleep because he would be waking up shortly. To our surprise, it was almost 4:00 when he woke up to eat. Today, he has gone 4 hours between most feedings and has taken 2 naps. I think I have the wrong baby.

We dropped Carter off at my friends around 7:30. She has a 3 year old and a 6 year old. Her 6 year old had set his alarm to make sure he would be awake when we got there. I thought that was cute.

The biopsy went well. The radiologist told me the nodule looked benign. He couldn't promise, and my surgeon should receive the results in about a week. I wouldn't want to have to have that done daily, but it wasn't too bad. Kevin took the day off to go with me. It feels like a relaxed Saturday other than the 50 phone calls he has received from work. This afternoon, we went to Fresh Market to buy steaks to grill for Father's Day. Of course, while we were there, I HAD to buy an $8 bag of chocolate blueberries that I managed to eat half of on the way home. (And, why can't I fit into my pre-pregnancy clothes yet? I can't figure it out) I think I'm one of the few people who goes to Fresh Market just for the candy. Carter fell asleep on the way there and is still sleeping in his car seat in the living room. ( I am hearing a few grunts.) I decided to take the time to update the blog and upload pictures and videos. Check out flickr for what I haven't put on the blog.

I need to cook dinner tonight because the meat we bought will have to be frozen if I don't. I am starting to eat a few more milk products. I really can't tell if there is any difference. I have stopped eating peanut products to see if that will help. Who knows? I don't mind changing the diapers as long as he isn't having stomach pain from what I eat. It looks like we will be having an "Ansley dinner" considering it's 5:30. I will need to change and feed Carter before I start cooking. We usually eat kinda early here. My sister is notorious for eating dinner pretty late. When we do so, we fondly name our dinners after her family.

I have put a few more videos on Flickr. I do have more pictures and videos to upload, but this week has taken a turn toward chaos! We are looking forward to Gammy and Poppa coming to babysit next week and Dad's first Father's Day. I have to work next week. I will be leaving Carter with a friend on Friday morning. I just hope he is in a good mood and doesn't cry the whole time he is there. I am thankful I found someone to watch him while Kevin and I go to an unexpected appointment. For those of you who do not know what is going on, I have to have a biopsy of a nodule on my thyroid gland. My OB found it at my six week check up, I had an ultrasound, and visited a surgeon. I think the whole point of going to the surgeon was to just schedule the biopsy. I am really not concerned because bloodwork showed my thyroid is functioning normally. My OB just wants to be cautious and not ignore something that could potentially be dangerous.

I fed Carter around 7:45. He tricked me. It had been less than 2 hours since his previous feeding. Anyway, he did fall asleep, so I was able to get on the treadmill. I miss being able to run 3 miles at a time. I hope I can build back up to that. I am anxious to fit back into my regular clothes, but I have about 2 more sizes to go.

Carter with Aunt Beth:

I forgot to write about Aunt Beth's visit. Beth flew in for the night last Thursday on her way to a wedding in Beaufort. Carter and I absolutely loved having her here. We drove to Charlotte to pick her up and stopped for dinner in Fort Mill. Carter was so good the whole time. I'm trying to figure out how to get her to change careers from lawyer to my personal nanny. Nights are starting to go better here.


Last Saturday, we were able to put Carter down awake, and he put himself to sleep. We have also had one night where he went 7 hours between feedings! Of course, the first feeding was at 7 pm, and he didn't want to go back to sleep after the next one. He seems to be able to go a little longer now, but doesn't like to go back to sleep.

On Tuesday, we went the end of the year luncheon at my school. Everyone enjoyed holding Carter and seeing him. It was great for me to get to spend time with other adults. On Wednesday, we went to school for the last workday. I tried to clean up my classroom a little bit. I also had people willing to hold Carter while I got some work done. I was actually done by 11:00.

The colic seems to be improving. I don't know if we have just learned to soothe him better, or if it's true that it peaks at 8 weeks. At first, Carter hated his swing. Now, I can put him in it while I get dressed in the morning or when he is napping in the afternoon, and he usually doesn't get too fussy. I guess this is just him maturing. At the same time, I look at Carter and don't want him to ever grow up. Sometime, I surprise myself at how much I love being a mom. I have always had a hard time adjusting to change, but I really haven't since he's been here. I've learned to just go with the flow and have somehow found unbelievable amounts of patience.

I have added a few more pictures on Flickr than I have on the blog. you can just click on Flickr on the right to see them.

Today was a rough day. Carter had his 8 week well visit with the pediatrician. He is 13 lb 10.5 oz and 23 inches long. He is in the 97th percentile for weight and 90th for height. The doctor did comment that he is about the size of an average 4 month old. No wonder people look at me like I am crazy when I tell them how old he is! He had 5 shots and one oral vaccine. Poor baby, I've never seen him as upset as he was today. I brought him home and have been holding him and loving him. I did add a video of him smiling on Flickr.

You can see 2 of his 4 bandaids....He has identical ones on the other leg.

Here are the pictures I promised:

Another rough night combined with a rough weekend had us at the pediatrician again today. I am so thankful Kevin was home with me for three days. Carter was rather cranky through all of it, spitting up, explosive diapers, etc. She came to the conclusion that it is reflux combined with colic. I could have guessed that. We are going to try soy formula for a 2 days and see if things get better. If they don't, we will switch reflux medications. I will continue to pump just so I can still nurse if nursing isn't the problem. She also told me just to comfort him when he is crying. It looks like I will be holding him quite a bit for the next few months. I absolutely love my pediatrician. She is so understanding and seems to truly care. I will probably get a call from them tomorrow just to check on Carter. Also, I called at 9:30, got a 10:30 appointment, the doctor spent as much time with as as needed without rushing, and was out of there by 11:15. I wish this was the case with all doctors! He weighs 13 pounds 3.5 oz. He is definitely a big boy!

I do have pictures to post but have not had time to upload them.

Pictures from Saturday:

In one of mom's favorite outfits. He always manages to pee on it before we can get out the house. It must be because Dad thinks the outfit is too preppy.

After his bath:
Pictures from Monday:

When I put Carter in his swing he actually fell asleep (he usually screams). This lasted until after I took his picture.

Today:

Sleeping peacefully in his bouncy seat while Mom got on the treadmill for the first time in ages.

Wild man hair!

Hanging out with Dad.

Thank you for not commenting on the lack of posting. Carter was 6 weeks old on Monday. I could not even fathom how moms go back to work after taking only 6 weeks off. Yes, it has gotten a little easier, but I am still exhausted. Going back to milk products didn't not work very well. Within 24 hours of eating them, Carter was spitting up like a champ.

This week has been slow so far. Ran a few errands on Monday. Mom had to go to the doctor on Tuesday, and today, we did absolutely nothing.

My Mother's Day flowers. Now, they are nearly dead.

Two random pictures of Carter in his bouncy seat while I cleaned bottles.

He didn't like the new pacifier I was trying.

I know I haven't posted since Sunday, Mom and Alana. Can you forgive me? Hmm, this week.

Monday - Got new reflux medicine for Carter. He will actually swallow this one. Also went by work to help my substitute find some tests. After, we stopped by Mama Wanda's classroom where Carter gave himself a hickey on his arm while she held him.

Tuesday - Went for a walk then to Kohl's and bought some big girl clothes for me. I'm tired of maternity clothes but am still quite a bit large for my regular clothes. Went to Target and bought a baby bathtub. I figured it would be easier than leaning over my tub like we have been doing.

Wednesday - Can't remember. It must have not been too exciting. I think we went to Wal-Mart

Thursday - Went by work again to look up some names for awards and went to the library.

Today - Went to work to celebrate Mrs. Freeman's and Miss Erica's birthdays. We hung out with some other coworkers for awhile before our appointment at Belk to pick up some pictures. I think I have given up on the lactose free diet. I haven't seen much of a change, and I am miserable with it. Surviving without cheese or chocolate for over a week has been pure torture. I know Kevin won't mind if I start cooking real food again.

BIG NEWS: Carter smiled at me today! It wasn't a typical"gas smile."

Hanging out in his bouncy seat. He spends most of his time here if he isn't being held.

Playing with Dad during tummy time.

Looking at his giraffe.






Tiger watching closely. He doesn't like to miss much.

Things are looking up here. Since Carter started taking the Maalox, he can go 5 hours between feedings! We can't get him to take the Zantac. It smells horrible, so I imagine it tastes even worse. The first time we gave it to him, he spit it out and gagged. Mom almost cried with him. The doctor wanted me to continue trying to give it to him over the weekend, so I brought it back to the pharmacy to have them flavor it. That didn't work either. The pharmacist offered to call the doctor tomorrow to change the medicine to some that tastes a little better. I think I will call the pharmacist first thing. I don't enjoy wearing the medicine.

I enjoyed my first mother's day. I received flowers on Thursday. Today, I got money to have a massage. I think that is much needed! We thought we were going to have bad weather, so we didn't make any plans. I had wanted to go out to lunch or dinner, but with my new diet, I have no idea what I could actually order. We went shopping and bought Carter some more books. Kevin also grilled for dinner. Overall, we had a great day.

Carter and Mom in their favorite resting/napping/feeding location.

After a very rough night, I decided to call the doctor. Last evening, Carter was very unsettled. During the night, he didn't want to sleep very much. After I got less than an hour of sleep between feedings, I figured I should take him in to help my sanity.

First, he weighs 11 lbs 7 oz! The doctor thinks he has acid reflux. For this, she prescribed Zantac, I can give him Maalox, can't put his diapers on too tight, and he needs to sleep sitting up. She thinks he may also be lactose intolerant or milk products are bothering him, so I need to steer clear of milk products. I'm thinking this is a blessing in disguise because that eliminates most foods and almost everything I cook. Hopefully, this will help me lose weight faster.

He also has cradle cap. We have to use Selsun Blue in his hair for 10 minutes every other day.

At least I know that a more peaceful life may be on the horizon.

Taken on Monday

Taken Tuesday in an outfit from Kevin's coworkers

Taken today in Zachary's former Clemson outfit

We can't believe Carter is already a month old today! In some ways, it seems like we have had him forever and in other ways, we can't believe it has been that long.

Carter seems to have gained tons of weight over night. On Monday, I decided to weigh him on the scale with me. If my estimates are correct, he weighs over 10 pounds already! Sometimes, I think I will never be able to keep him fed.

Mom and Carter haven't been doing too much. Yesterday, Carter did go with me to get my hair cut. Later in the afternoon, we went to school for my students' field day. The kids were really excited to see him. I guess they liked seeing what made me such a grumpy teacher for the year. A few kids actually begged me to come back and teach them.

Tonight, Kevin took Carter to Petsmart. This is the first time I have been home without him. I was able to clean the floors, take a quiet bath, put laundry aways, and update my blog. It's weird.

We don't have many plans for the rest of the week. We are supposed to have bad weather, and I haven't quite figured out how I am supposed to take a baby out in the rain without him getting wet.

Gosh! You can see the mess in this picture. I feel like our life is totally chaotic and wonder when we will get things under control. I actually got up this morning, mopped, cleaned the kitchen, and did some laundry. That may have to do with the fact a friend is bringing lunch today. Also, Carter woke up earlier than I expected and was ready to eat. I don't know how to keep him full.

We are exhausted and like to get naps in during our free time. I was never a person to enjoy napping. I always felt lazy and thought I should be productive instead.

Carter and I ran a few errands yesterday. Yesterday evening, we took a stroll around the yard and met up with a few neighbors who were happy to see him. Today, we don't have any plans to go out. I thought about taking him for a walk later. I will see how tired we are.

Kevin really wants to go see Cowboy Mouth at a crawfish festival tomorrow, but the logistics terrify me. Will we be there during a feeding time? What if he needs his diaper changed? I don't think port - a - potties are appropriate or comfortable for either. I would like to see Cowboy Mouth as much as Kevin, but I just don't think we will be able to do it.

Playing with Dad on Sunday night

On Sunday, we went to Lowe's to buy more flowers for Dad to plant. Of course, we are supposed to have a frost tonight! Mom and Dad collected sheets from around the house to cover the new flowers and our cherished hydrangeas that look like they are full of buds.

Last night, Mom left Carter with Dad to meet friends for dinner in Rock Hill. It was a rough day. Carter was restless. He wanted to be held nonstop and was eating more often than usual. Carter's umbilical cord finally fell off during the night on Saturday. He got his first real bath last night.

Today was a lazy day. Dad was appalled when he got home to see Mom had left Carter in his pajamas from last night. We didn't do much other than nap and eat today.

We know our posts aren't as entertaining as Aunt Alana's, but we figure people are only looking at the pictures. Mom is also more sleep deprived than Aunt Alana.

I have been informed that I am not updating this as quickly as some people would like. (You know who you are!)

Sleeping very well in his swing:

Showing off his growing belly:

Yesterday, Carter experienced his first trip to Home Depot to buy plants. We decided to go ahead with our spring planting because we are having pine straw put down next Friday. Tonight, were really bad parents and took Carter grocery shopping at Wal-Mart. Both trips were rather uneventful.

Carter in his dinner time seat. You can't really see the tummy hanging out of his shirt.

Mom and Carter have been trying to take it easy this week. Yesterday, we ran a few errands. Mom felt guilty for taking Carter out in public. Yesterday afternoon, we met Dad at work, so his coworkers could meet Carter.

Last night was a rough night. Carter couldn't get enough to eat and seemed rather unsettled until 2 am. Unfortunately for Dad, Mom was sleeping so hard, she was oblivious to what was going on.

Today has been quiet too. We went to the post office to mail some stuff but did not get out of the car. After dinner, Mom escaped and went to Wal-Mart. She needed to replace the can of formula Tiger ate his way through. Tiger has been behaving rather badly. If animal control would have come by today, Mom would have thrown him outside. He has been banished to the laundry room.

Nothing too exciting here. We have noticed that Carter is starting to stretch a lot more than he did before. He grunts a lot too.