Open Wide...

We made a family trip to the dentist this week. For Ryan & I, it was just routine cleaning, but for Carter, it was his first trip to the dentist chair. It's always 50-50 on how these experiences will turn out, but Carter did great!

The biggest challenge for him was reclining in the chair, he wasn't so sure about the moving chair. But he did get to wear those cool shades, so that made up for it.


After they counted his teeth, he actually let them clean and polish his teeth, aka "use the tooth tickler" and "mr. thirsty" .


He was also very excited to get his goody bag with a "Mater" toothbrush, toothpaste, & floss. We were so proud of our big boy!

Carter's Big News

Believe it or not, this post will not be accompanied by any pictures. I will respect Carter's privacy, however, I feel that this momentous event deserves some attention. Drumroll please......

Carter is "tee-teeing" in the big potty! This might be too much information for some, but for us, it's quite an accomplishment.

Anyone that has older children will tell you that if you just wait until they are completely ready, potty-training is a breeze. So that was my plan, wait it out and hope that he gets ready sometime before Kindergarten. That was the plan....

It must have just been a mood I was in, but a few weeks ago at the store I had to buy more diapers, and something just snapped in my head. I decided I was done buying diapers (for a while, at least - don't worry, grandmas). I would just "bite the bullet" and get him potty-trained. I went into it knowing that it would be a challenge and tried to mentally prepare myself for many accidents and frustration. But nothing could have fully prepared me for what was in store.

This past Monday was officially "Potty Day" for Carter, the beginning of this adventure. I won't go into too much detail, but by Wednesday afternoon, I was ready to throw in the towel. I had known it wouldn't happen overnight, but after 2 1/2 days, I felt like there was no progress whatsoever. He would sit for 10 minutes, then get off the potty and wet his underwear. I could handle it a few times, but after 2 days of that, I was pulling my hair out. Ryan can attest to my frustration. I knew he had no more knowledge on the subject than I did, but I would implore him for help and advice on how to make this work.

Then Wednesday evening, something must have clicked in Carter's brain. Since then, he hasn't had any tee-tee accidents (I can't say the same about the other, but he'll get there). Again, I realize this might seem trivial to some, but for a kid that, prior to Monday, had never used the toilet properly, it's quite an accomplishment.

It will be a little while before we would dare to say he is officially potty-trained, but we're well on our way. You can start taking bets on whether the next post will be filled with excitement over his continued progress, or frustration that I spoke to soon...

The Best Costume Ever

We're not really big Halloween people, and honestly, I haven't come to terms with my opinion on the holiday in general, but for a 2-year-old, dressing up is always fun! Last year's costume didn't turn out so well - we were going for a monkey, but the outfit ended up being a little small and everyone thought he was a bear...and a girl. Not good. I felt the need to redeem ourselves and make this year extra fun for Carter.

In keeping with his love for his Aggie jersey, and after stumbling upon a crazy maroon Afro wig, we decided to go all out and let him be a "Crazy Aggie Fan" for Halloween. This involved face paint, the crazy hair, painted overalls, a giant foam thumb, and of course, the jersey.

We took him up to our church's Fall Festival which had lots of games, rides, and candy. He had a blast! Here are some pictures to walk you through the evening....

He enjoyed getting his face painted and sat incredibly still to make sure Mommy didn't mess it up.


The final product:


And the backside...


Carter is bravely attempting to slide down the giant slide...after five minutes of waiting, Mommy ends up climbing up the slide to go down with him :)


Here are a few of the little toddler games he played:





(The crazy hair came on & off through out the evening.)

After the first slide debacle, Daddy convinced Carter to try another one. He finally did this one all by himself!


Carter loved his Aggie overalls, but as the evening progressed, he couldn't wait to get home and take them off!