Welcome!

Dear loyal readers,

I apologize for my shortcomings in the area of keeping everyone updated! As you may know, we've had a lot going on lately. The biggest change to our lives has been the addition of my little brother, Carter!

He joined our family three days earlier than expected, on January 29th. He was so anxious to meet us that he almost made his debut in the car on the way to the hospital! Luckily, Mommy and Daddy made it though, and he was born 15 minutes after they got there. He was almost the exact same size I was - he was 7 lbs 14 oz, and 20.5 inches long.










I was so excited to meet him! When I first saw him, I just kept repeating, "It's so cute!" I got to hold him and love on him for a few minutes, then I got bored.

Like me, he had a good case of jaundice and had to spend some quality time on the light bed. It gave him a bit of a nasty rash, but the doctors said that was normal. We had hoped they'd let Mommy and Carter come home the day after he was born, but since his bilirubin levels were elevated, they kept them a second night. By the next morning, his levels had dropped enough that he was safe to go home, with orders to follow up with the doctor the following day. So, they went to visit Dr. Todd Monday morning only to find out that the levels had shot up again, so he then got to lay on a little bili blanket like I did when I was a baby! Fortunately, it only took a couple of days for his levels to plateau, then start to drop, so he was cleared to start living life as a normal baby!



One of the most exciting parts of having Baby Carter home was that our car was rearranged. My seat was moved next to the window! I thought it was the coolest thing ever, getting to sit by the window and seeing the world pass by as we drove. Mommy even rolled the window down for me so I could feel the breeze as we cruised past!


Baby Carter makes so many funny faces. I love to see him scrunch up his face and stick out his tongue and purse his lips and just make silly expressions!


He still sleeps a lot, and I love to snuggle him while he sleeps! He really likes being wrapped up in his baby burrito. It makes him feel comfy and safe, and he looks super cute!

















We went downtown for the pre-St. Patrick's Day festivities. They let all the kids dye the water in the fountain green. It was so awesome! I got a little cup of dye and we all poured our cups in and the water slowly turned green. We even got green popcorn, and I got to meet a real life leprechaun. I thought they were a bit smaller, but I'll take what I can get!




One of my favorite things to do is snuggle with my Puddin'. I like it when he lays on my back! I ask Mommy to put him on my back every chance I get. I also like it when he lays on my tummy!

























We went to the hospital to visit Carter's future girlfriend, Loralye. She's Anakin's little sister. Anakin is my best friend, so that'll be cool. I like her as well, but I think I like Baby Carter better. Which is good, because Mommy and Daddy say I'm stuck with him.





He's getting really good at holding up his head! He bobbles it a lot, still, but that's normal. He can hold it up for a while though, before giving up and laying down! He really likes to be able to look around and see what's going on in his surroundings.




St. Patrick's Day was a big day at our house! Not only did we both look stunning in our green, but Carter smiled his first real social smile! He's still practicing, but is getting better and better. We all love his gummy little grin! He's starting to coo now too, so it makes for the most adorable combination <3



I'm kind of like a little Mommy to Carter. I like to take care of him and help him feel better when he's sad. If his pacifier falls out of his mouth, I put it back in for him. When he cries, I climb into his crib and give him hugs and try to comfort him. I even tried feeding him one day. That's what Mommy does when he cries a lot of the time. I rolled him onto my tummy, positioned his head over my nipple, and said, "Eat, Puddin', eat." Mommy picked him up before he got anything though, but I think he appreciated the thought if nothing else!

So that's all for now. I'll do my best to keep everyone posted a bit more, but you know how it is with a new baby - it gets tough sometimes!

Much love,

Alex (and Carter too!)