Growing up on Maui

Yesterday.  16 weeks.

From Karin:

I wrote this on Wednesday, Carter's 16 week birthday.  Since then Blogger has been down with some "technical difficulties" that made this post disappear.  They have promised all day that it would be restored, but I have given up on the engineers at Blogger and I am re-posting it myself.  Thanks to PK for helping me find the text I had written....sorry to keep you waiting.  I'm sure you've all been on the edge of your seats.

Carter is 16 weeks old today and the first thing you need to know is that he is the best baby in the world.  I'm talking gold star, one-in-a-million, first prize at the state fair baby.  He's like the Cadillac of babies.  And despite all of his amazingly good qualities, there's one thing he won't do.  He won't slow down... he is growing up way too fast.

Since we're in a rental house, we don't have a scale, or a ruler for that matter, so I can't tell you how big he is, but I do know that he is growing out of clothes that were way too big when we got here and he's into larger diapers.  He is built just like Davis was at this age...not too chubby, long and lean, but really strong and stable.  He holds his head up, tracks you as you move around the room and loves to kick his legs.

I looked back through the blog and realized that Carter has not gotten a lot of press coverage.  He just doesn't do very much, although that has been changing recently.  He is rolling over, he's become very chatty with his coos and shrieks (I think he still surprises himself!), made his first raspberry sound yesterday, "plays" with some of his toys and every now and then, you can get a real belly laugh from him.  

In addition to all of his vocal and physical growth, he is just the sweetest, most laid back and easy going baby.  He's happy just about anywhere as long as there are things to look at and he can eat at regular intervals.  He naps wherever we put him and he is sleeping through the night.  We have dragged him everywhere... in the car seat, in the stroller, in the Bjorn...and he rarely complains.  Yesterday, we spent 10 hours out of the house on a long adventure to see a different part of the island.  We were in and out of the car 6 times, had a picnic, shopped in some galleries and hiked down 200 feet of rough lava to see the famous Nakalele blowhole.  So he's in the sun, strapped to the front of Peter getting jostled around and intermittently sprayed by sea water and it just doesn't phase him.  Whatever.  That always seems to be his attitude...a total go-with-the-flow mentality at 3.5 months.  I think Hawaii must really be rubbing off on him.

What follows is a tribute to my sweet baby boy, Carter.  I want all of you who love him and miss him to feel like you're still getting to see these wonderful early days.  And don't worry...he'll be home soon.

Right before we left Milton.  9 weeks.  You will soon realize that this photo is out of order, but I thought it HAD to be the first picture you see.

First trip to Nantucket.  8 weeks.

Bundled up for a walk in Milton.  8 weeks.

HEELLLLOOOOOO Hawaii!  10 weeks and lookin' cool.

Snoozing on the beach.  10 weeks.  BTW...since Davis is STILL sucking his fingers, we're trying to make Carter a binky baby.  We'll be able to just take it away some day, nice and easy, right?

No photos please!  Wooing the paparazzi at 11 weeks.

Cooling off on a hot day.  12 weeks.

Sneaky, sneaky.  In a binky free moment, the baby finds his fingers.  13 weeks.

Unfortunately, you have to listen to my voice (and then Davis mimicking me) throughout this video, but it's a good chance to see Carter just being Carter.

Hanging out at the playground.  It's just not as fun when you're strapped in your carseat.  Someday, kiddo, someday.  14 weeks.

The rolling, smiling blue-eyed wonder.  15 weeks.

Bundled (and underwhelmed) at the top of Haleakala.  Either that, or the lack of oxygen at 10,000 feet made him sleepy.  15 weeks.

Loving his bath.  15 weeks.