Carter & Friends

It's been a very social week for Carter! On Thursday night, Carter's buddy Ethan came over to play. Ethan is exactly one month and one day younger than Carter, so it's fun to get the two boys together. It's also fun because their daddies work together! (Ethan's dad, Drew, is Cary's business partner.) Carter and Ethan had a great time looking at each other and showing off their little tricks. The boys sounded almost identical with their coos and laughs, but they have their differences too. Carter crawls all over the place, and Ethan prefers to walk (with the help of his mom or dad). Ethan likes to stand and play (and holds himself up impressively well), while Carter was more interested in grabbing at Ethan's face, shirt, arms, etc. Both boys were so fun and we are excited to watch them grow together.

Friday, Carter got to see his friend Darrah. Darrah is the daughter of my friend, Tiffany. She was born in March and so she's not quite as active as Carter...yet! She was such a sweet little girl and she seemed just as interested in Carter as he was in her! The two even kicked a ball back and forth (with some help from their mommies, course.) Although Carter and Darrah were too little to truly enjoy the play date, I sure did! It's always nice get together with friends you don't see often... especially those who are experiencing this whole parenthood thing for the first time too!

Saturday was spent in Marshalltown for the State Softball tournament. Carter spent most of the time with his friend, Macy. Macy will turn one next week and is the daughter of our friends, Mike and Amy. She and Carter see each other quite often and are finally able to interact. The two played on a blanket and shared toys and slobber. As always, I loved sitting with Amy as we watched the kids get into things they shouldn't.

Sunday was the perfect family day. We started the day by going to church and Carter was a champ. Although we typically think his jabbering is adorable and funny, it's not so cute during a church service. After Carter's morning nap, Cary, Carter, Maddie (the dog) and I drove to Raccoon River Park. There was a dog show going on so we watched part of that. After watching the behavior of the show dogs, it was quite clear that Maddie could NEVER be let into a dog show. We barely can get her to sit on command. After laughing at the comparison between our dog and the other dogs, we walked to the playground to push Carter in the swing. He even had his first ride down a slide...on his daddy's lap. Later we walked down to the beach and Carter experienced sand for the first time. He was dirty and had sand in his mouth, but it was worth it! Sunday night we went to Jordan Creek and listened to the dualling pianos at the outside amphitheatre. It was a beautiful night and we had a great time sitting by the pond, listening to music and drinking a beer. That's what summer's all about!

Although the weekend was over, the fun didn't end! On Monday, my mom came to the house and watched Carter while I worked at school. Of course he was spoiled with my mom and they played the whole time. Mom took him on a walk and played on the floor with him. He always loves seeing his grandma! Then last night, Cary surprised me by taking me out for a last little summer date before school starts. While we had drinks and dessert at On the Border, Carter spent some time with his Grandpa Joe and Grandma Bobbi. They took him on a wagon ride and played with all sorts of toys. Apparently, he even snuggled up to their dog, Maizie.

Then this afternoon, Holly, Bobbi and I took Joey, Maddox, Carter, and Cary's cousin Jackson to the Science Center. It was a great trip, even though Carter didn't pay any attention to the exhibits. He seemed to enjoy riding in his stroller, watching his cousins, and crawling around. Holly and I decided that it was a fun day, but it will be even more fun in a couple of years when the boys can understand all of the exhibits and activities.

Unfortunately, the days of summer are winding down. I officially have two more days until I have to go back to school. I'm trying to absorb all of the Carter-time that I possibly can. I keep telling myself that I'll still have weekends and Fridays to spend with my little boy. But somehow, nothing beats the freedom of summer. It's been a great one with Carter John and I know I'll remember all of these summer "firsts" forever.

As for my favorite moment of the week...it was an encounter with Cookie Monster! Last night when we dropped Carter off at Cary's parents' house, Bobbi pulled out a little Cookie Monster stuffed animal that talks and moves it's mouth. Whenever Bobbi would bring Cookie Monster close to Carter's face and tickle him under his chin, Carter would laugh out loud. It's not all that often that we get a full-out laugh from him, so it really made my day. Nothing beats the sound of a child's laughter...but it's even better when it's the sound of your own child!