CARTER'S ROOM IN THE CHATEAU

November 2002

It's hard to believe that only one year ago this month we decided to start trying for a baby. And here we are with a 4 month old!

We can't believe how strong Carter is! He's holding his head up so well, and he had a special surprise for us on the 3rd. As always, we put him down for his nap in his crib on his back. There was the usual fussing, but we left him alone and he quieted down and fell asleep relatively quickly. When we tiptoed in to check on him, he had rolled over from his back to his stomach. After that nap, Carter rolled over onto his tummy almost every time we put him down to sleep.

On the 9th, Stacy headed out for a birthday brunch in honor of Jenny Parker. Brad took Carter for a stroll and then met up with Southey and Josh.

On the 11th, we gave Carter his first taste of rice cereal from a spoon at dinner time. He ate it, but didn't appear all that excited about it. We tasted it and frankly there wasn't much to get excited about -- very bland mush! On the 13th we ventured out to Ruby Tuesday's to see if it was possible to eat out with Carter in tow. We both got the salad bar in case we needed to make a quick exit, but Carter was perfectly content in his stroller, where he eventually drifted off to sleep.

The next night Carter got his first taste of bananas, which still did not impress him, although he ate them without complaint.

The 15th we packed up and headed to Williamsburg, our first overnight trip to Don and Marty's new house in Kingsmill. We set up the pack and play for its first use and Carter went right to sleep, completely unconcerned with the new surroundings and sleeping arrangements.

At his four-month check-up on November 18, Carter weighed 15 pounds and was 25 1/2 inches long. Maybe he was tired from the series of shots, or maybe he just knew that Stacy had hit her limit, but whatever the reason Carter slept from 10 PM until 5 AM that night. It wasn't the first time, but those uninterrupted nights are few and far between.

November 21st was the first time we saw Carter really push all the way up on his arms, with his head and chest off the floor. All that unhappy tummy time seems to have paid off. Carter is also a little more enthusiastic about his solids now, opening his mouth in anticipation of each bite. That night, everytime we checked on him Carter was in a different place in the crib -- he's getting to be much more mobile.

The next day as Stacy went to fill Carter's bath, she noticed there was no hot water. At about the same time we noticed that the heat was not coming on. The nursery, which is chilly on a good night, was uncomfortably cold. So while we waited for the repairman (who had cleaned the furnace earlier that day and apparently had let air into the line), Brad built a fire and put Carter in the pack and play in the living room with a lullaby CD. Very cozy! Carter fell asleep without too much trouble and slept right through the repair people trudging in and out of the house.

November the 24th was the first day of Carter's first cold. We noticed a little cough first and then we couldn't help but notice that Carter must have spit up more than 10 times during the day. None of this seemed to bother Carter in the least; he was busy pushing up on his arms and smiling much of the day. After a rough night, brad took Carter to the pediatrician who confirmed that Carter has a cold. Still, Carter remained happy, enjoying his cereal and carrots for dinner and loving his bath. He's learned to put his feet on the side of the tub and push his bath chair backwards. He slept very well that night, but we routinely jumped from the bed to check on him after each horrendous gagging cough.

The Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Carter and Wendy came to Stacy's office for the day (since we were going to be out of town for a long weekend, we figured this was a good chance to have the house sprayed for creepy crawleys). Stacy must have taken every piece of baby gear, clothing and toy we have - she wanted to be prepared for anything and it all had to go to Williamsburg for the long weekend anyway. Carter went down for a nap with a little fussing, but it could have been much worse. He got some good sleep and then we took him up to the Clerk's Office to say hello to everyone. Mi and Wendy played with Carter on his playmat and then we had a photo session in the courtroom with Judge Carter. Then Carter and I headed to Williamsburg when he was ready for his 3 PM nap. Brad met us in Williamsburg later that evening. Marty's dog Prissy was so cute with Carter that night -- she would push open the nursery door and walk over to the pack and play to check on him throughout the evening!

Carter started his first Thanksgiving Day early. After Stacy fed him at 5 AM and put him back down in the pack and play, he lay there talking and cooing to himself. They were the sweetest sounds, and eventually he put himself back to sleep. As it turned out, Carter woke up from his first afternoon nap right as we were sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner. We put him in his bouncy chair near the table for a while, but eventually he was ready to eat and had to be taken upstairs for his Thanksgiving meal!

The final "first" for the month of November was the night of the 30th. That was the first noght Stacy walked in to the nursery to check on a supposedly-sleeping Carter to see his little bald head above the bumper -- he'd pushed himself up on his arms and was quietly looking around the nursery.