Night #3 Without the Be-Be

It is hard for me to blog about Night #3 without our trusty little friend since Carter slept over at his Mimi and Poppy's house. But by all accounts he did well and only asked for it twice. You know how it is when you are with grandparents....its always much more fun and exciting than at home. My mom did tell me that after one rejection of the be-be and being told he was a big boy Carter replied..."Then get me a big boy Be-Be." Shortly after that he fell asleep. So the nights are going well....it's the days that are difficult. Naps have become non-existent now that there is no pacifier to comfort him to sleep....this, of course, leads to crankiness and bad behavior. We did go all day, though, with only one mention of Be-Be so I guess we are getting there......I just hope that we all make it through this and by WE I mean ME and my sanity. There is one important lesson....do not rely on the pacifier. I was given that advice but didn't listen. After Carter is broken it's Eli's turn! I may just need a little recovery time......

Night #2....Still Be-Be Free

Night #2 proved to be a little easier. Carter only whined for about 1/2 hour for Be-be last night...not too bad. He seemed to understand that life with the pacifier was over and fell asleep and again slept through the night. That was last night but this morning has proved more challenging. He woke up earlier than he should have and couldn't get himself back to sleep without Be-Be. Whining, crying, begging and pleading ensued and when I wasn't budging he came out with "Call my Mimi, she'll get me a Be-Be!" Yeah right....guess he doesn't know his Mimi all that well. The rest of the morning has been rough as he seems to have fallen into a cranky slump......the first of many bumps in the road that he will encounter! The really super news in all of this is that teeth brushing seems to have become priority to Carter. Not only am I able to brush those pearly whites but it is pleasant and requested by Carter. Hooray....I hope this is a lasting routine! I will keep you updated.....Dr. Wyke said three days, right?

Night #1 Sans Be-Be

Last night began our journey into a pacifier-free world. I must admit I was expecting the worst....you know....screaming, crying, kicking, flailing of the body. A good old fashion tantrum. Instead Carter whined for a little over an hour for be-be....we held strong and keep telling him NO and reminding him that be-be was gone and he was a big boy that didn't need a pacifier. He eventually began to realize that he wasn't winning the battle and actually gave up! He fell asleep without be-be and proceeded to sleep through the night be-be free.....a true miracle!! Dr. Wyke told us that it usually takes about 3 days for children to get that the pacifier has gone on to a better place and they stop asking for it. One day down and (hopefully) only two more to go.

First Trip to the Dentist

Today Carter had his first trip to the dentist. We went to a pediatric dentist since I was nervous as to how Carter would do. The good news is that Carter did exceptionally well. He didn't put up to much of a fuss. This was major since Carter is not big on having his teeth brushed. He wasn't pleased with the flossing but handled it like a trooper. He did, however, like the cleaning part. He said that the brush tickled. He seemed genuinely interested in the whole process. The doctor and staff were very nice and had a lot of good tips on how to brush and take care of Carter's baby teeth. The bad news is that Carter does have one cavity starting in between his two front teeth. We will have to have this taken care of and have made an appointment for that to happen. I feel just horrible and the front teeth!.....they should be the easiest to clean. The really really bad news (for Carter) is that he HAS to give up his pacifier. He has only been using it for nap and night time but Dr. Wyke says it must go unless we want thousands of dollars in corrective orthodontic work.....I'm thinking OUT with the be-be. Please think of us this evening as we embark on life without the trusty comfort of be-be, I am sure the evening will prove interesting. Ahhh.....life goes on!

Happy Birthday, America

We celebrated the 4th of July at my Aunt and Uncle's campground. They have their motor home parked at a really nice place called Beaver Valley and the nicest thing is that it is just a short drive to Ottsville. We had a fantastic day......just good old fun. We spent the day relaxing......
.....and eating, of course!

We also explored the river bed at the bottom of the campground. The river was moving pretty good but we could still walk across in spots. Looking upstream was just beautiful and very peaceful.

Here are all the boys (from the left), Carter, Garritt, Bentley, Korey, Elijah and Brian. Garritt and Korey are two of my Aunt's boys.....or should I say men! I can't believe that they are all grown up. (I guess I am kind of dating myself now.)

Korey scales the rocks looking for frogs for Mister Carter.When catching frogs didn't work out, Korey and Carter overturned rocks looking for salamanders. Korey was able to catch one Sally which really pleased Carter.

Walking back up the hill was a bit challenging but we made it without too much moaning and groaning......thank you for that, Carter.

Brian and Carter enjoyed the swimming pool. Carter liked both the "big" pool and "baby" pool.

Ahhhh.....my husband.....the pyro! Brian held out for a few hours but it finally got the better of him and he had to get a fire started.

Carter and Poppy really enjoyed toasting marshmallows. Carter enjoyed the toasting process but really didn't enjoy eating the marshmallows.....he said they were too hot!

Rocket chills out and relaxes. He is so cute and loveable!

Thank you so much Aunt Cheryl and Uncle Keith for a fun day....we can't wait to visit again!!

Loaders and Tractors and Trucks...Oh My!!!

My parents live "out in the country" and they are lucky enough to have farmland all around them, it is preservation which means they will see NO new houses around them! A bonus to having a field in your backyard is the one day a year that the crop is harvested.....today the operation took place. We missed the huge tractor cutting the wheat down but we did see the baler come through and gather what was left behind, dropping bales of hay as he went. There was also a loader that picked up all the left over bales and loaded them onto the awaiting tractor trailers....really cool stuff. We enjoyed watching the farmer and his men carry out the task at hand. They worked like a well oiled machine and in no time it seemed the job was done and they moved on to the next field. Carter watched intently and made sure to wave every time the farmer passed.

Here Carter stands in front of one of the bales. I thought for sure the bale would be taller than him but as you can see I was way off! Always helpful, he pulled a large stick out of this bale....maybe we have a future farmer on our hands.

Eye See You

Today Brian, Carter and I had our yearly eye appointments. This was Carter's first "real" appointment. In the past the doctor has done a brief exams just to make sure there were no major problems.....today was no exception.....he passed the exam with flying colors. First let me say this kid is a scream, he walked right into the office like he owned the place and then began to get demanding when we had wait five minutes for the doctor. Once in the exam room he was really into everything that was going on....especially when the doctor performed the glaucoma test on both Brian and I.(You know that you are getting older when a glaucoma test is a requirement and not a choice.) He was as patient as a three year old could be and did really well when it was his turn for the exam. He listened well to the doctor's instruction and was rewarded with the opportunity to try out Dr. Callan's funny glasses and a trip to the treasure chest. I am so proud of my Big Boy!