Sunday with the Holden's

With nothing on the schedule for Sunday and predictions of rainy weather all day, we decided to go take Carter to the Aquarium. After a quick morning play with Morgan, Carter was ready to see some sea creatures!

Here are a few quick pictures. It's amazing how much more animated Carter was compared to our last family visit in August.


As usual, Carter was mesmerized by the fish (and his bib which had an ear to chew on).

I believe this was when he asked if we could install fish tanks in every room of our house.

Carter showing off his mean Sea Otter impression.

We ended our visit at the touch tank (just a look tank for Carter at this phase). He loved watching all the moving parts. It was another fun family trip to Aquarium and I'm sure we'll be back soon!

Football Saturday

Saturday means college football. This week Tech was playing at home and the team called for a "White Out" so Carter decided to wear his white 'Yellow Jacket Baby' onesie for the occasion.

Since dad was wearing a fun hat, he decided to try on his GT Bee hat that Grandma Holden made. Very cute!

Luckily for mom and dad, Grammie Scott volunteered to watch the little guy so we could have some fun and Carter could avoid the scorching heat.

Things have definitely changed from years back. We got "crazy" and Mark popped open some sparkling Apple Cider ;)

Everyone looked great in their white and the pregnant ladies were champs in the heat!Too bad the game wasn't a 'W' but we still had a great time!

Plagiocephaly

What does that mean Carter asks???

Plagiocephaly, aka flat head syndrome, is exactly what the names says. It means the back of Carter's head is flat. We went to Children's (our favorite place) Friday to get Carter checked out based on a referral from his physician. It was our first visit so the Dr did an initial overview and then scanned Carter's head.

Based on his observations, Carter definitely has a flat spot and it is lightly more pronounced on his left side. Unlike a lot of patients, Carter's forehead is symmetrical and normal in size. Also, his skull bones are in great position so if we can just get them to fill out, he should be fine. Luckily for us, we are on the early side of starting this process. So we can hopefully avoid getting a helmet.

In order to track Carter's progress, they do a scan of his head to get some measurements. In order to avoid having his hair affect the scan, then cut a whole in a stretchy sock and put it over his head. Carter was a trooper and looked pretty cute in his stocking cap.He even gave me a half smile despite his shirt saying otherwise.

The scan pretty much confirmed what the Dr thought. Carter definitely has a moderate case of Plagiocephaly. His CR (Cephalic Ratio) is .948. This is his head width divided by the length. An ideal number is .78 but the Dr said if Carter progresses to .91 we are in good shape. His RSI (Radial Symmetry Index) is 15.3 which means his left side and right side aren't equal. An ideal number here is zero.

Our next step is to meet with a physical therapist next week to learn some techniques to help and get Carter checked for potential Torticolis (not likely but better safe than sorry). We then go back to the Dr in a month to check on his progress. The bright side to all of this is that this is completely a cosmetic issue. There is no impact to Carter's brain development.

Here's to hoping Carter's head grows longer not wider over the next month!

A Little Pre-Halloween Dress Up

As an ode to summer vacations past, Carrie gave us and the Dixon's these fun masks. As cute as Brittany and I looked in them....
Carter knows how to do it right. He had fun getting ready for his first Halloween!

All while showing off his sitting skills. Carter's excited it's almost October!

A Few Pics from Week 20

It's always amazing to me how much things can change from week to week with a baby. Here are a few pics of what Carter is doing during week 20 (my how time flies!).

He is a very happy baby. The ladies at daycare always mention his love of smiling and chatting with everyone. He likes to sit in the Exercauser by the door so he can great everyone when they arrive.He is finally starting to figure out his jumper. He will play in it for extended periods and laugh at himself when he makes it jump.

He is really improving at sitting up unsupported. He can do it for 10-20 seconds and can go longer when using his hands like a tripod. He enjoys sitting in dad's lap and watching football like a big boy.

Carter loves the mornings and enjoys hanging out and making faces at mom before we leave for school. He has started to develop separation issues and will usually cry once we get in the car and then stop as soon as he sees mom again.

We are continuing with the rice cereal and Carter is eating more each day. We will probably start to introduce fruits and vegetables in the next few weeks. He is still getting use to sitting in his high chair like a big boy.Carter has really started to use his hands and when he's not pulling out mom's hair he is grabbing at his toys. He likes to see how many things he can fit in his lap at once. Luckily for Carter he's an only child at this point and doesn't have to share!Once he has his stash together he likes to leave his mark by chewing on each one.

There aren't any visible teeth yet but Carter is drooling like a fool and enjoys chewing on his chew toys and his frozen teethers.So much going on in Carter's life these days! Stay tuned for frequent changes!

A Baby Shower for "Duke Tonto"

With being sick last weekend I completely forgot to post pics from the baby shower we hosted last weekend. Along with the Dixon's, we threw a shower for Mark and Carrie Whitney to celebrate their future little one. We picked a local bar where everyone could watch the Tech vs. UNC football game.

Before we left for the party, we made sure Carter had on his game day outfit. He was excited to get to watch his favorite TV show.... football.
Once we got to Ormsby's, we did a little decorating but not too much since this was a couples shower.
We did bring a traditional diaper cake decked out in GT gear that Grammie Scott made. How cute! Here is a pic of me, the mommy-to-be and Brittany.We learned a lot about Baby Whitney at the shower. We opened some presents including a Future job predicting t-shirt that Carter picked up while we were in Colorado. According to Mystero, baby has a future in Hog Calling. Mom and Dad are very proud.

We also helped the Whitney's pick out a name for their baby by playing the football squares game. "Duke Tonto" was the winning game and we're holding them to using it ;)

We had a great time hanging out with all our Tech friends. Luckily Tech won the game and the guys celebrated by some post-game shuffleboard, skee-ball and bocce ball.
We are so excited to have friends joining us in this crazy baby world. Carter can't wait to meet his future play buddy!

Eating Fool

Carter has taken really well to his rice cereal and his new extended bedtime routine. In fact I think he might even look forward to it.... Carter's night begins with some Exercauser fun until he gives us the "Is it food time look".
Then it's time for a quick bib change - bigger = better! Again with the "Is it food time look".Finally, once were in the high chair it's ready for food (sorry - I couldn't resist the cute feet picture).Once the eating begins, the smiling quickly follows..

Yummm... rice cereal! Too cute!

Carter and Dad's Day of Fun

So after a great day Saturday, I came down with a sinus cold (my first ever!). Needless to say I was not very helpful with little man so Colin decided to occupy Carter with a trip to the Aquarium.

Carter had a great time looking at the exhibits.
He was really quiet while in the exhibits but once he got out he was a "Chatty Cathy" telling everyone around him what he saw. It must have been so exciting because after 2 hours, this happened...

He stayed that way all the way home and then napped in his swing for a while.
Such a fun day for dad and baby.

Carter's First Food

Carter has been growing through a bit of sleep regression lately. Our wonderful 9 hour stretches of sleep have been replaced by wakings every 3 hours. Our pediatrician told us at Carter's 4 month visit to go ahead and start solids but we had been holding off. Well after a week of Carter's new sleep routine we figured we would give rice cereal a try to see if it helped him stay down longer. Here are a few pics of Carter's first meal!

What's This Dad?
First BiteHe made a sad face after each bite, luckily there were no tears...Not so happy about his new feeding methodNice and messy

I'm a champion eater!
Well after getting a few bites down it was time to switch back to the tried and true bottle.Much better. Carter slept really well after this meal so we'll keep trying and hopefully this is the fix for our restless nights! Stay tuned for more food eating fun!

Carter Loves His Exeracuser

Some family friends gave us an Exercauser their grandson grew out of this week and Carter has taken to it like a champ. He loves to play with all the toys and it's the perfect place for him to hang while mom and dad get ready in the morning.

Football Fun

Carter had a great time this weekend cheering on his football teams. Friday means High School Football and Carter was excited that he got an appropriate outfit just in time. GO LIONS!
Saturday, we hung out with some friends and watched the Tech game. While the outcome was unfortunate, Carter loved showing off his new Jersey onesie.

Sunday brings the Falcons and Pack. Carter borrowed Maddie's Cheese Head for the occasion.

I think he knows how cute he looks in his hat =)
Carter loves him some football!