Raining Petals

Monday, September 27, 2010

The Boy

Carter, Carter, Carter. So much energy and life bundled into a sturdy little body. He has suddenly had a growth spurt both upward and outward. He is all of the sudden very thick and dense. Seriously, it just happened one day...no gradual increase or anything...just "poof" he is bigger now. He is heavy and isn't easy to lift. I went to pick him up the other day and realized I should be picking him up as often as possible and doing repetitions with him. I think he weighs about 41 lbs. This change has been the impetus for comments of him being a brute and a football player. I get laughs when I say he is in gymnastics. I laugh, too, watching him. He certainly does not have the build of a gymnast but he does have great athletic ability. He is actually quite good at gymnastics and gets the skills down more quickly than the 3 little girls in his class. He can roll and flip and run and jump. His balance is great and got laughs out of everyone watching when he jumped from one balance beam to the other without so much as a wobble. So it will be interesting to see where he progresses to and what he actually becomes fond of and wants to pursue.



The fact that this boy is always hungry might have something to do with it. His appetite is insatiable. I will feed him lunch and within 15 minutes he will claim starvation has set in. We have had to have many discussions about eating and when we eat and why. As a mom it is hard for me because there are times when he gets upset because he says he is really hungry and wants something but I know he just ate. So it tears me sometimes trying to decide if I should let him eat something else or have him wait. Usually I explain he will have to wait until it is time to eat again and distract him with an activity. I seriously do not like this part of life.

Carter is very social. I like seeing this part of him because I was so shy and reserved. I never ran up to kids and asked them to play with me. I still don't:) Lucky for me, I was often the kid who got ran up to and asked to play. Still am:) I always said yes because I was too shy to say no. So I had to play with someone whether I wanted to or not if they asked me.

Carter is on the look out for a friend wherever we go. The other day we were at JoAnn's craft store..or is it fabric? Anyway, he eyed an older boy. I am estimating the age of the boy to be about 8. I watched Carter do his sizing up and staring the kid down. He test drove him a little bit...like a "warming" up if you will. Then once the boy responded positively Carter talked non-stop and had the boy following him wherever he went...which was usually about 12 steps behind me. He chattered the entire time as each boy took turns showing each other "cool" things off the shelves. Carter broke away for a minute and ran over to me and exclaimed, "Mom! I made a new friend!" and then turned and ran back. I knew it was coming...a few minutes later Carter brings the boy up to me and says, "This is my mom!" and gestures towards me like I am a prize in the Showcase Showdown. I smile because Carter is still proud of me and not embarrassed of me...yet. I laugh because the response of each new friend is always the same. They stand there awkwardly and stare at me. Usually for a couple seconds too long. Then they take off back to whatever they were doing.

Carter is loving and kind but he can get a little competitive and wants to be #1 and "the best" which can drive me nutty if I am listening to his banter with another child. I try and tell him everyone can be the best...but he doesn't fall for that. He will tell me I am wrong and that he is "The King". He has a little sassy mouth which can be embarrassing when used on another adult. My jaw drops often as I am in awe of his audacity, as I would NEVER have sass mouthed an adult when I was younger. I cured that when I was a teenager though.

Carter loves to play board games and will ALWAYS be up for a round or two if presented to him. Some of favorites right now are Hi Ho Cherry-O, Operation, and Cranium Cariboo. He likes to cheat though so keep a close eye on him.

Graphic novels and comic books are his interest at the library. However, he will still let me read cute picture books and will laugh his head off when his daddy reads to him in funny voices. A favorite book right now is "Joe on the Go" by Peggy Perry Anderson. It is cute but I am convinced Josh's narrating skills can make any book a favorite.

Carter still loves playing on the computer and really likes any chance to play any gaming system. We have a Gamecube that I bought super cheap. I wanted a system that I wouldn't worry about getting damaged but still offered entertainment should we need it on a rainy day. For Carter's age the Gamecube has been perfect. He loves it. He doesn't over-do it on playing it...maybe once a week for an hour or so. So, it hasn't been a problem in our home as far as "time consuming" or having it be the only thing he wants to do.

Lately Carter has also gotten good at playing with toys. I used to think toys were pointless things but now Carter actually gets toys out and plays by himself for at least an hour or so at a time. I love to hear his imaginary conversations and adventures going on down on the floor. Some of his favorite toys right now are Mighty Beanz, marbles, and Littlest Pet Shop. I wish they didn't make LPS so girly. Boys like animals too and have fun playing with the sets and all that stuff. Yet everything is so purple and pink and floofy. Makes it hard for Josh to allow:)

I could go on and on and on. But I better stop now because I do know that while I could read about Carter for days...I have already gone over my time limit when it comes to others.

I love you Carter. You make me smile. You make me laugh. You keep me on my toes and astound me on a daily basis. My life is amazing because you are in it.







10 comments:

munge said...

I love Carter too and could read a lot more about him. I love the pictures too. What a great boy!

Jenete said...

The part about the boy at JoAnns made Jeff and I LOL:)

Unknown said...

NOOOO KEEP GOING! I need more pictures. I love the one where you can see his sweet little freckles.

julie said...

I LOVE reading about Carter...in fact, I have too many comments I just want to call you. I can't remember any of it now, because each thought got pushed away by a new one as I kept reading.

Oh I remembered one..I so believe you about Josh's narrating...he's an actor..I need lessons from him...

Anyway..I do love this blog and was entertained by both you and Carter.

Shawn and Megan Atwood said...

I really think Carter and Ryker would get along! They are both very social, looking for a friend wherever they go, and they both love to eat! THey could be best buds:) Ryker has almost eaten us out of house and home:)

Us Bailey's said...

Aren't little boys fun! Carter is such a cutie and getting so big! I love hearing all the stories about him. He sounds like quite the character! Good luck keeping up with him!

Dixie said...

He's definitely a boy! Despite his playing with 'floofy' LPS toys. haha! He sounds like a super cool kid. A kid I'd like to meet one day:)

Bradbury Bunch said...

What a little stud-muffin! How many hearts has he broken so far???? Seriously! He's beautiful-in a handsome way of course! :) Tell him someday I'll take him on Hi-Ho Cherry-o! Blog on friend...blog on! :)

Levi and Amanda said...

What a cutie! He and Jonah have a lot in common :) He is just adorable!

Cassie said...

I've seen your parents at costco the past two weeks. Your dad didn't recognize me. (not that he should) I guess costco is the place to be, I see a lot of people there.