Ha, Ha, Ha!!

Today was one of the most fun days of my entire Mommy Career. :) Carter is of course being more communicative. However he seems to have forgotten how to say "done" and instead prefers to just throw his food on the floor and yell. Ha! (Not really.) But I am used to cleaning the floor so that one is so minor compared to the awesome things he did today.

First, I pulled the ottoman back into the living room because I needed it to support my sewing project. (I am altering a dress for my brother Dan's wedding.) I forgot I left it in there till play time when Carter and I were crawling around on the floor. He saw the ottoman, and disappeared behind it. He was being so quiet, I didn't know if he was trying to take it apart again. With some concern I poked my head around the side, and there he was grinning and giggling that I found him. He was hiding! He hid a couple more times, and giggled his head off when he heard me calling for him. He even hid behind the toy box. This kid is so funny!

The funniest moment of the day came in the evening. It was one of those moments that inspire a laughing phone call to Grandma and Daddy. Carter has a non breakable mirror that he loves. He will kiss himself in the mirror all the time. And today he was carrying it around with him. At one point it was on the floor reflecting the kitchen lights on the ceiling. He got this awe struck look on his face and just stood there looking at the light. I picked up the mirror and moved it around, and he started talking and pointing and telling me all about the cool stuff on the ceiling. I got a big kick out of it. But soon he walked over to the mirror to kiss himself again. He picked it up and the reflection hit the wall. He was so fascinated that he tried to touch the light on the wall, oblivious that he was the source. He talked the whole time. It was like watching a cat playing with a string. Only this cat was also moving the string and telling you how great it was without any idea that he was the one in control. I was rolling!! Poor Carter has no idea how hilarious he is. But he sure is enjoying all the new things.

Oh, and finally, Carter has started a new phase where he is REALLY excited about things. Sometimes I will hear him making this sound that is a cross between a hoarse yell and a laugh. He is usually bouncing up and down while making this sound. And he is just SO happy!! He also loves to be tickled. These two things combined make me realize that I have one really happy kid. I don't know where he came from. I was never this elated by life, was I? Watching him makes me realize that there is a LOT in life to be happy- really happy- for.

Carter's "Done"

Here is another little Mommy Moment that I just had to share. Carter has learned a few words and his favorite lately is "done". He will tell me he is done with his cracker and throw it on the floor- because he wants another cracker. He will tell me he is done with his bath before it even starts- because he sees the water and knows what is coming and HATES baths. He will tell me he is done with a diaper change- because he doesn't want to lay down on the changing table, he would rather tap dance on the changing table. And it is with great relief that he will pronounce that he is done when the dreaded bath is actually finished.

Tonight I got a good laugh as he showed me a new one. We put him to bed with his usual routine, and a few minutes later I heard him playing in his crib. Suspecting a dirty diaper I stuck my head in. He was jumping up and down on his bed, holding the side of the crib. (This is not unusual. He does it when he is trying to get out a burp, or a little extra energy before crashing.) And we had this conversation:

Carter: "Mama, done!"

Me: "You're done?"

Carter: "Yea"

Me: (picking up his now empty bottle) "You need more water?"

Carter: "Yea"

I got him more water in his bottle, and he started again.

Carter: "Mama, Done!!"

And then I got it! He was done with sleeping! He wanted to go back downstairs and play again. Poor kid thought that just because he said he was done meant that he got to move on to another activity. My little boy's disappointment was my belly laugh for the day.

My little "Linus"

Growing up I was a huge fan of Peanuts. Charlie Brown and Snoopy and all the cool characters kept my interest for hours. I even had a Snoopy doll that I dragged everywhere. I think he finally came apart before I was done with him. Little did I know that I would end up having my very own Peanuts character in my family! Carter has fallen so in love with his blanket that he drags it everywhere. He reminds me so much of Linus that I had to take some pictures to show you. Please forgive if the pictures are a bit blurry. I had to take them fast because he would literally run at the camera when he saw me holding it. Case in point- this first picture. :)

He just LOVES the tag on the blanket. The rest trails behind....

It's like the train on an evening gown! Only totally much more Manly (don't worry Daddy). He is just so cute you want to run to him and hug him!! Why are kids so darn cute?!

This is Carter's favorite position. He usually has the blanket wadded up against his face. It used to freak me out that he would suffocate himself. But that is the beauty of a muslin blanket- it is light and he can breathe no matter what.

Carter is getting pretty fast too. This morning I left the gate open when I grabbed the mail. And before I could open the mail box Carter was at my feet trying to crawl out the front door! I will have to be a lot more careful now that he is so aware. Oh, and remember the ottoman with the button he would not leave alone? Well he figured out how to turn it over this morning. Poor ottoman nearly lost it's life. Carter started to take it apart, peeling stickers off the bottom and preparing to remove the cloth bottom. So we had to find the ottoman a new home in the basement for now. This kid will be an engineer or something one day. He has been turning all his toys upside down lately to figure out more about them. It's pretty interesting to watch.