Big day...big tears...

This is me showing how well I walk with my walker toy and showing you why I'm not getting chubby!

This is me on my birthday playing with my new scooter/walking toy that my "Aunt" Katie gave me. I LOVE this thing!

This is me a few days ago playing with my favorite activity table. I like to wrinkle my nose at my Mama!



Today was a big day for me. I had my 1-year check up appointment at the doctor. Mama and Papa got to accompany me and boy was I glad. I didn't know what this doctor had in store for me, but I've gotta tell you that I wouldn't have been so agreeable to attending this appointment had I known I was going to get picked on. Let me tell you about it.

I got my head measured, height measured, and weight measured. I didn't pee on the nurse this time, but retrospectively, I think I should have. I am an impressive 31 inches tall and weigh almost 25 pounds! Mama had guessed me to be about 26 pounds, but I think I've been working too hard at the walking thing to gain weight very quickly. After the nurse time, I got to see the doctor. She was very nice to me, so I impressed her by showing her that I can talk (dik 'em--which is my version of get 'em), walk (I walked across the exam room from Papa to Mama), do Soooooo Big!, and wave bye bye. I was very well behaved and even laid very still while she listened to my heart for an extra long time because I have a murmur. Papa says that murmur is no big deal and that I'll grow out of it. It doesn't bother me at all! :-) Next, the doctor got me a very nice book. It's about penguins and there is a song online that goes along with the book. I love it!

Of course, they buttered me up real good, just to pick on me. I had to get 4 shots! I was only supposed to get 3, but Papa has shingles so Mama requested that I get the chickenpox vaccine too. I had lots of crocodile tears during the shots and for a short while after, but cuddling with Mama seemed to help a lot. Now as if this torture wasn't enough, I had to get a blood draw after the dreaded shots. I had to have my hemoglobin and lead levels checked. I just cried when they poked me with the needle, but sat very still and quite while they got two whole tubes of blood. I didn't care much for the bandaid that they put on my finger afterward and so I pulled it off. That didn't do me much good, though, because I was still bleeding and ended up getting blood on my new Cubs jersey, Mama, and Papa. Then they held me down to apply pressure and put another Band-aid on. I pulled that one off, too, so Mama just gave up and held pressure for a few minutes until the bleeding finally stopped.

Mama was feeling bad about me having to get shots and get a blood draw so she took me out to dinner with our friends Shukrije and Endrit. We had a really good time! We went to HuHot and boy was that food good! I had potatoes, noodles, beans, chicken, beef, and more noodles. All the while, Miss Shukrije was doting over me while Mama doted on Endrit. I didn't mind much because I really just wanted someone to love me up!

Tomorrow Mama, Papa, and I are going to the pool again. I'm hoping that Mama will finally get some pool pictures of me so that I can blog again soon and show you all how I'm such a fish! Wish me luck in making her remember.

Well, I'd better head to ni-night. I'm pretty sleepy from all my shots and from the two molars that I'm getting. By the way, incase you're counting, that will make 12 teeth for me!

Much love...

Carter Sherman

I'm 1!

This is my brand new pair of sneakers that my Papa bought me. He has the same pair! I love to chew on shoes and like to look hip, so it's a good gift all around. Thanks, Papa!

This is me rubbing cupcake all over my face. It was delicious--and so pretty I felt a little bad destroying it--but only for a milli-second.

This is me being silly after eating most of my very first piece of cake on my birthday. It was delicious and definitely gave me a bit of a sugar rush--as evidenced by my bedtime of after 9 that night--which is about 3 hours late for me!

Well it finally happened. I turned 1! My parents can't believe it, but I gotta tell you, I wish it would happen more often, because I had a blast! Not only did I have a small party on my birthday, but I had a HUGE party a few days after. I was given fantastic gifts, wonderful attention, and cake! My mama, who is helping me write this post, is very happy that it only happens once a year 'cause apparently it's a lot of work. I don't know about it, though, because most of it was done when I was sleeping. Also, according to Mama, none of the party could have happened without Gramma A so I've got to give her a big thanks. Also, Mama wants to thank Uncle Jess and Grandpa A because of the "Family Do" list that they completed for her. The favorite things that they did was fix the stoppers in the sinks in Mama and Papa's bathroom and remove the ugly sunburst from the garage door. Those were tasks that made Mama feel wonderful as they had been bothering her since moving into the house last May.

So, let me tell you about my birthday celebrations. On my actual birthday (July 30th), I got to go shopping with Mama and Gramma A and Jess in preparation for Jess's senior pictures and our family photos that happened on Saturday. That was pretty fun. I got to watch Uncle Jess get dressed up by Mama (much to his disdain). Then Mama and Papa took me out for a special family lunch at Old Chicago. I indulged on pasta, breadsticks, pizza, salad...and everything was so good! Then we went home and hung out as a family until I napped. For supper, Mama made me hotdogs and mac 'n cheese. It was my very first "kiddo" meal and I LOVED it! Gramma A told us that Mama and Uncle Jess loved their first hotdog too...until they regifted it later. I was lucky enough not to regift it. :-) Then for dessert, I got angelfood cake with confetti frosting (instead of my typical fruit). Boy oh boy was that delicious! I got terribly messy and even threw some cake and frosting behind me onto the new carpet. That was fun too! After the cake Mama had no choice but to strip me naked in the kitchen and then give me a nice long bath. After the bath, we opened presents. My favorite gifts of the day were new shoes, lots of baseball stuff, and a Sing-Along Stage. The stage has a mirror, microphone, and lots of songs that inspire me to sing and dance like a maniac. What a cool invention. My favorite thing to do with it is to shake the microphone, put my face on the mirror and say "bah, bah, bah". I'm pretty good at singing and dancing.

Finally, today, I had my great big birthday bash with all my friends and family. I had grandparents, great-grandparents, uncles, friends of my parents, and friends my own age! There were 4 of us babies that were born within 5 weeks of each other. We had a blast! We had some good food of beefburgers, fruit, veggies, chips, and cupcakes (definitely the best part!). Gramma A decorated the cupcakes like a baseball and put a "C" for Carter in the middle. They looked really cool and tasted even better! I destroyed my cupcake and rubbed it all over myself, Mama, and Gramma and had to have a bath while I had company 'cause I was so messy. I was kinda embarassed while that many people sang Happy Birthday to me, but it was okay. After lunch we all went outside and the big kids (parents) played yard games and us kids play BUBBLES! Mama got us giant bubbles and it was really fun. Everyone was thrilled to meet Alice too, which was kinda fun for me. I like showing off my giant puppy. :-)

Well, I am exhausted from my big day, so I'd better sign off. I want to thank everyone for making my birthday so wonderful and tell you that I look forward to celebrating your birthdays with you and am really looking forward to birthday #2!

Love to each and every one of you.

Carter.

Greetings and Salutations

Mama and I on the 4th of July. I'm wearing my "All Fired Up" T-shirt. And boy was I EVER!

Carter being "un" crabby in his crabby jammies.

Papa and Carter on the 4th of July.
Me chewing on my favorite bath toys.


Boy oh boy! I've got lots to tell you. First of all, let me inform you that this is Mama helping me with my blog again tonight. Papa is being the good "honey" and doing things on Mama's "honey do list". I don't know exactly what that means, but Mama tells me it's very important.

Today I had the most spectacular day. I spent the WHOLE day with my papa! Mama had to work and Papa had the day off. Mama had arranged for me to go to daycare so that Papa could finish charts, but he chose to hang with me instead. He totally knows what's cool. :-) We played tons and I practiced my walking. I'm getting pretty darn good at that, but lean just a little too far forward. Soon I'll be running around like a mad man. I can't wait for the running part because I know that my mama and papa will be exhausted while trying to keep up with me.



Monday I had another HUGE first. I had my first trip to Chuck E. Cheese. W.O.W. It was AWESOME. Papa recounted his trips to the Cheese for me. He said that Grandpa Sherman had a great disdain for the pizza. I thought it was pretty darn good. However, perhaps it was the show that was going on while I ate. There was Chuck and all his friends singing and dancing up on an enormous stage. I danced right along with them while I munched my very first pepperoni pizza and breadsticks. It was soooooo yummy! Then Mama and Papa put me on a bunch of rides and played a bunch of games for tickets. Those tickets yielded a very nice prize of Black and Decker tools. I have a hammer that I am especially fond of and carried it around everywhere including to Mama's very long doctor's appointment on Tuesday. I really love Chuck E. Cheese!

That takes me to my final exciting trip of late. We went to pick out/up supplies for my 1st Birthday Party! It was so much fun. I got all the stuff that I thought that my family and friends would need to have a kickin' good time at the bash. I know that some of it may be excessive--this became especially poignant when Papa was talking about needing jeans and Mama was talking about needing a swimsuit--but they chose to spend the money on me. My folks rock. :-) Nonetheless, I'm really looking forward to my birthday party. I have an awesome outfit and I think the plans will be super fun. I look forward to seeing all of you at the bash. (By the way, Mama says if you haven't RSVP'ed yet, please do so. She needs to order a cake!)

Well, I'd better part for the night. I'm getting rather sleepy and Mama has to work tomorrow. I hope that you all have a fantastic week and I hope to see you all very soon.

Love,

Carter

Papa's so darn busy...

The above pictures detail 1) Mama and Papa at the Cubs game last night, 2) me in my crib while Mama was cleaning my room. She put all my stuffed animals in my crib with me. Where's Carter?! and 3) me playing at Playland at the mall last week.

Greetings, all! I'm sorry it's been so long since I've posted, but I've been spending all my free time hanging out with Papa when he's around. Even though he's officially become a senior resident (year one is officially over!) he remains quite busy. That being said, Mama's going to help me with my blog today. I'll try to help her with the ins and outs of blogging since this is her first time. :-)

I've had some exciting things happen recently and I'd like to share them with you. First off, Mama decided to put me in the middle of the living room, stand me up, and then let go, and guess what?! I actually stood there--for as long as 5 seconds before realizing that the safety of my Mama's hands were no longer and choosing to jump ship onto my well padded bottom. Thank goodness for those thick and cushy Pampers. Second of all, I have been proving to Mama time and time again that nothing in the house is safe! I'm cruising with the greatest of ease so things up on the couch, chair, treasure chest, etc. are no longer safe from my exploring hands. Third, I have become quite a fish and Mama is so excited! I love to put my face in the water and "jump" (sit and then push off with my feet) to Mama and get dunked. I come up from under the water and don't even sputter or cough or throw a fit. I love it! Mama was really hoping that I would love the water and I'm coming through for her. Soon we'll bring a waterproof camera to the pool and post some pics for you all to see. Fourth, yesterday I had a fantastic day with Gramma A (mama's mama). Mama and Papa had another Cubs game to go to and since it was a night game, they decided to leave me behind. I must admit, I was a little disgruntled about missing my beloved Cubbies at first, but when I realized how Gramma was capable of spoiling me and how much fun we would have playing together, I kinda forgot they weren't even home! When I woke up at 7:00 this morning, Mama was there to greet me, but I gotta tell ya, she looked awful! She told me that she and Papa hadn't gotten home from Chicago until 3 am--way past their bedtime. I scolded her, but only for a minute, and then I took a nap this morning so that she could sleep. Then, when I got up for lunch, Papa got up with me while Mama slept a little longer. Finally, we went somewhere funny this afternoon as a family. Mama had to get her teeth cleaned! I went with so that I could meet the dentist and get my 8 toothers checked out for a quick minute before I have my first real check up at 2 or 3 years of age. I gotta tell you, though, I HATED it! Some lady was being mean to Mama--sticking weird poky things in her mouth and shining a big light on her. Papa had to take me out of the room to play in the waiting room and then truck until it was my turn. Finally, after 30 minutes of Mama getting "tortured" it was my turn. We rode in this really fun (so they said) chair, but I was scared and grabbed onto Mama for dear life! Then Mama held me on her lap facing her and laid me back so that Dr. Tu could see my chompers. I DON'T THINK SO! I exclaimed. I wanted nothing to do with this stranger and the weird mask. Mama, Papa, and Dr. Tu decided no more and just let me pick a cool toothbruth and toothpaste. We spent the rest of the day playing as a family. We tried going to the park, but it was just too cold. We ended up just singing and wrestling and playing in the living room.

Well, I'd better get going. I've gotta get Papa up for work. Please think of my Grandpa Sherman today. One year ago, he went to heaven and I'm missing him lots today. Have a great week and I'll try to post again soon!

Occupational Hazard...

Greetings and salutations,

I am here to dispel the US Weekly, National Enquirer, and other paparazzi-driven myths that may be circulating at this time. No, I have not been abducted nor have my digits been rendered useless. While functional explanations, neither is a plausible rationale for the significant delay in posting a blog discussion. With that said, the blog de jour today may actually serve as some moderate insight into my failure to update my faithful readership in a timely manner.

Often-cited scientific and clinic literature indicates that head injuries can lead to amnesia, otherwise known as a memory failure. This can take the form of a failure to form new memories (antegrade) or an inability to remember things that have happened in the past (retrograde). For instance, consider a lad carefully navigating the complicated world of ambulation. A fall may just result in, say, that individual failing to blog for a couple of weeks. That seems like a situation that could very well transpire.

As Papa informs me, it is my world and he is merely a squirrel trying to get a nut (He also insists that this saying is yet another inane pop culture reference from a hit song from the 1990s, a time when C &C Music Factory ruled the Top 40. Maybe Papa and I can bring back C & C Music Factory; you know, Chrispy and Carter Music Factory. I can bust a move and sell some downloadable MP3s. Yet, that is a topic for another day.). Back to the topic at hand, since the world is at my disposal, I have elected to focus my efforts on ambulation. The delightful art of crawling has been effectively mastered, the massive rug burns on my lower extremities serve as ample justification. Thus, I have attempted to channel the force to be able to walk. Really, it simply makes sound logical sense. If I am to utilize my intestinal fortitude associated with consuming massive quantities of astronaut food, I will certainly need the ability to moon walk in my repertoire.

But alas, I am learning that walking is a tad more complicated than the user manual indicated. While attempting to master the ability to overcome gravity with artful balance and then incorporating the swing-stance phases of the gait, the landing portion of the process was never enumerated. I have been through that blasted Walker's Operator Manual at least a dozen times and nowhere does it detail how one is to dismount from the ambulatory position. Nothing elaborate was needed, just a little guidance. I was looking for something to the effect of "This seat can be used as a cushioning device in the event of a crash" or "The side curtain airbags will be deployed in the event of substantial impact". None of that was to be found. Consequently, I was forced to improvise. Most of the time my gluteal region served as a suitable landing surface; however, there are other occupational hazards that were encountered.

This segues nicely into my first note home from "school". I guess it could have been worse; Mama and Papa would have been none too thrilled if the note was actually a reprimand, similar to when Papa attempted to glue a classmate to a chair...with a glue stick, for example. No, this informatory letter was explaining my inability to master the gravity portion of the ambulation process. It seems that in the process of dismounting my frontal cranial region came into unceremonious contact with a wooden bureau. The result of such a meeting is displayed below...(The arrow is not an MMA-inspired tattoo; Grandpa Sherman would have a coronary. Instated it is meant to focus on the ensuing insult.)

So goes the work of a yeoman. But fear not, trusty followers: 1) the memory is coming around and the blogs will return to a more regular schedule and 2) Papa is already looking for a helmet to prevent further injury. He mentioned something about a dual flap Chicago Cubs number...that would be fantastic!

Carter

Someone in heaven is always looking after me...