Carter at 2 Months

Carter is starting to smile. It is the cutest thing. He will smile so big, his eyes will disappear, and his mouth takes over his face. He has what I lovingly call his "creepy old man smile". It's pretty funny.

He is a sweet little baby. He is a good napper and was recently diagnosed with reflux. He is on medicine for it, and it has helped a lot.

Carter was blessed on August 23rd, the same day as his cousin Marie. We were planning on using the same blessing outfit that Jackson wore, but when we pulled it out the day before the blessing, it was stained. Shauna and I had to run around town looking for a new outfit last minute. It was an adventure! We ended up finding a cute little romper for him. Thanks Shauna!

Both grandparents, and even Aunt Lisa, got to be here for the blessing. Carter is a very blessed little boy having so many people that love him.

The blessing was beautiful, and Carter looked so handsome for it. Special times for our family!

 

Cute Carter wakes up around 7-7:30 while Jackson is still sleeping, and that is our special alone time together. He will talk my ear off if I let him, and I think it is so cute. He then goes to sleep for a couple hours after that.

 

Poor boy had to get his 2 month shots. He was cranky a few hours after, but after a nice, long nap, he was good as new. The doctor was trying to get Carter to smile for her, but he was very seriously talking to her. No smile, just a serious conversation. The doctor laughed and said it is usually harder to get babies to talk and easier to get them to smile. Carter was being the opposite.


Carter's 2 month stats:
Weight: 14.11 lbs (94th percentile)
Length: 24.21 in (89th percentile)
Head Circumference: (47th percentile) -- Didn't inherit the Tedjamulia big head!

Carter at 1 Month

Carter is a little sweetheart. He is still an easy baby (although I wish he would sleep longer stretches at night). I forgot to mention that before Carter was born, I had hoped we would have another little boy with dimples just like Jackson and Daddy. Jackson has the biggest dimples, and I hoped Carter inherited them as well. Well, I noticed Jackson's dimples from the second they placed him on my chest at the hospital. So when I first saw Carter, I was slightly disappointed that he didn't have any. Fast forward 2 weeks, and I finally got a glimpse of his cute dimple. He only has one on his right cheek, like his daddy. Cute boy.

Carter at 1 month is starting to become more aware of the world. He is staying awake longer stretches at a time. I had to give up all dairy because it upset Carter's tummy. Oh well. I would rather have a happy baby than drink milk.

Ryan and I joke that baby Carter is an easier baby than Jackson was...and is STILL easier than Jackson is. Jackson likes to push our buttons sometimes, but we still love him.

Ryan has been so nice and lets me sleep some stretches at night. Poor guy must be tired at work. During the day, I will put on a show for Jackson when Carter is asleep and nap as well, so it hasn't been too bad. Love our 2 boys!

Carter's 2 week stats:

Weight: 9.81 lbs (80th percentile)

Height: 21.16 in (68th percentile)

Carter's 1 month stat:

Weight: 12.35 lbs (95th percentile)

Newborn Carter

Carter is an easy baby. (Knock on wood)

He already knew his days and nights the moment we brought him home. Actually, he just thought all day was sleep time. He would wake up every hour or two to eat, but would go right back to sleep. He, unfortunately, had jaundice, like Jackson did, so we had to put him on lights and go back to the pediatrician everyday for a week to check his levels. Poor little heels.

Jackson had a bit of a hard time transitioning from only child to oldest sibling. He would always say he had to go potty when I fed Carter. Every. Time. He has since gotten over that. Jackson has become a daddy's boy since baby has been born. He is also a sweet older brother. For the first month of Carter's life, he would call him "Baby Brother Carter". He was very proud of his little brother and would ask how he "got big".

My mom stuck around for two weeks after the baby was born and helped a ton! She cleaned, did dishes, grocery shopped, and cooked. We sure missed her after she left.

Ryan only got to take one day off from work to help out. Since he was a new employee, he didn't get paternity leave. Sad. Luckily, we had the baby on a 3 day weekend, so that helped.

Carter actually fit in his newborn clothes for a couple weeks. Oh! When we brought Carter home, he had the biggest blow out--all down his legs and up his back. It was so bad, I said forget it to the wipes and stuck him in the sink and washed him down. What a welcome home present!

It always takes a couple months to adjust to a new baby. Carter was such a sweet newborn, and we are so happy he's in our family!

Carter Michael Stephens

So I found a doctor that would take me. He is an OB/GYN at the hospital next to our house. His office is actually on the same floor as Labor and Delivery, so the first time I went there (with Jackson), I could hear a lady screaming in pain. It got me super pumped....

The first appointment with the new doc, I was 36 weeks pregnant. I was hoping he would agree to induce me early, since Jackson was 10 days early and almost 10 pounds. He was really nice and we went ahead and scheduled the induction for a week before the baby's due date.

My mom flew out two weeks later, and helped me a ton. I was big, but not nearly as uncomfortable as I was with Jackson at this point. I didn't really start feeling miserable until I was 38.5 weeks along. It was hot though. Summer in Utah...sometimes it would be over 100 degrees outside, and if I went out for even a little bit, it would completely wipe me out.

We did an ultrasound to see how big the baby was. The doctor predicted he would be around 7-8 lbs, so A LOT smaller than Jacks. *Phew* The doctor said I could still go ahead and get induced.

A couple days before the induction date, the doctor checked me, and I was only dilated to a centimeter and 70% effaced. He encouraged me to push back my induction date a couple days to make sure my body was ready for labor. I agreed. I really wasn't that uncomfortable, and I do like my sleep.

So, when I was 39.5 weeks pregnant, I was 3 cm dilated and 90% effaced. I got the thumbs up to have the baby the next day.

On July 3rd, 4 days early, I was induced.

I always heard that the second baby is usually easier to have, and this was true in my case. I would have to say the hardest part was the IV. The nurses had trouble sticking my vein. It took 3 nurses and 5 pokes for them to finally get it. I was super grumpy afterwards, not to mention nauseous. The first nurse was giving me a play by play. "I got the needle in. I'm fishing for a vein. Your vein keeps rolling! Sorry, I have to move the needle around in your hand..." I get queasy because of that and made Ryan get me a cold, wet paper towel to put on my head. They finally got it in. After the nurses left, Ryan checked out the nourishment room and was super excited about all the free coke he could have. I was still grumpy and did not appreciate his energy. Haha, poor Ryan.

Then the anesthesiologist came in and it took 3 pokes to get the epidural in. That one was my fault. I kept accidentally squirming away. I finally had to sit up and lean forward in Indian style, and that was much better.

Initially, I wasn't sure if the epidural was working because I could still move around pretty easily, and had feeling my legs (I later found out I was wrong. I couldn't feel a single contraction. Just the way I like it). My doctor had the day off that day because it was the day before 4th of July. He had no appointments, but he was in his office working on paperwork.

He came in, broke my water, and said he would be waiting for the phone call.

I tried to relax and rest. An hour or so passed, and I was still feeling queasy, so the nurse gave me zofran to help my nausea--it worked wonders. I told Ryan we should probably rest while we could. I turned on my side and tried to fall asleep. 20 minutes later, the nurse came scurrying in. She told us that based on the baby's heart rate, it looked like I was getting close to pushing. What?! They checked me not too long ago and I was on a 4. I thought it was going to take a lot longer.

She checked me, and sure enough, I was at a 9. I was stunned. What about my nap? She got everything ready for baby to come, and checked again, and I was a 10. Game time. The doctor came, and 20 minutes later, baby was here. (It took 3 1/2 hours of pushing for Jackson to come out, so this was way better). I had to get an episiotomy again. Bummer. But I can't complain because from start to finish, it only took four hours for baby to come out. Not too shabby. I kinda picture that since Jackson was so big last time, he made room in the birth canal for all his future siblings. All Carter had to do was slide down the birth canal. Jackson's birth was pretty traumatizing for me, so this was 100 times better.

Carter tried so hard to open his eyes and look around when he was placed on my chest.

He was such a chill baby, not to mention he had a ton of hair! We couldn't decide between the name Carter and Bryce in the hospital, so he was unnamed for a couple of days. He was also bigger than we originally thought. 8 lb 10 oz. I was amazed. I thought he was going to be in the 7 lb club for sure.

The post-partum yuckies were bad. Worse than labor. My uterus contracting was so painful. The next day was the 4th of July, and we had a really good view of the fireworks. My mom even made the comment that we should come back every year and watch it from this hospital since the view was so good, haha.

We came home 2 days after Carter was born, and it was history from there.

Introducing Carter Michael Stephens

Born Friday, July 3, 2015 at 12:01 pm

8 lbs 10 oz, 21 inches long

I'm Pregnant! And We Moved!

I'm pregnant! Well, I was....3 months ago. I haven't updated this blog for awhile obviously.

Ryan and I found out we were pregnant last Halloween! Can't believe it's already been a year! This pregnancy was very different than my pregnancy with Jackson. I was less nauseous, had no leg cramps (Hallelujah!), and did not feel as connected to the baby (people tell me it's because I already had one kid).

I was blessed to have a fairly easy pregnancy. I remember with Jackson, I swore right and left that he was going to be an only child because pregnancy was so difficult. Then again, I was horribly sick the first few months and then big as a barn in my last trimester and still had to work full time. Jackson WAS 9 lb 11 oz.

I knew this one was a boy before we had the ultrasound too. Or maybe it was just a lucky guess. After we found out this baby was a HE, we went and celebrated with smoothies. Yummy.

When I was about 6 months pregnant, Ryan found out he got a job in SLC, UT. When I found out, I cried and cried...like I couldn't stop crying for hours. I was so sad. It's good he got a job, but I was pregnant and 1. I had hormones and 2. I was counting on my mom to help me figure out being a mom of two. When we had Jackson, we lived in Provo, and I felt so alone and isolated. Those were hard months, and I didn't want a repeat of that. Ryan accepted the job, and I prayed that everything woul work out.

Soon after, Ryan graduated from law school. Smarty pants....

And then I had to move when I was 7 and a half months pregnant. Not the most ideal situation, but it had to be done. I wore myself out moving and was slightly terrified that I was going to have a baby on the airplane (hey, it happens!). I had a slight de ja vu moment when Ryan, Lily, and his dad drove across country, while Jackson and I flew. Didn't we just do this 3 years ago?

We finally got all moved and settled in. It took us awhile to adjust to our new home. We were pretty spoiled in Georgia. Jackson was very emotional for awhile, but he is much better now. He still talks about how much he misses Georgia though. Luckily, he has some nice cousins here in Utah to play with, and we manage to stay busy.

  

  

 

Next up on the blog...Carter's birth story.

3 Year Old Jackson

Jackson turned 3 back in November. He is a sweet little boy, but can be a handful at times. I realized he never really went through the rebellious stage. He never climbed out of his crib or took off his clothes. He never wrote on the walls or did anything that he knew was naughty. We were pretty lucky from that point of view. However, he has a little attitude sometimes, especially when he is tired or hungry (more like hangry). He likes to be defiant and say no to us. It makes me want to rip out my hair sometimes. But then, 2 minutes later he can be this sweet little boy again, so it's quite confusing. We love our little boy so much!

This is him blowing out the candles on his 3rd birthday. He actually made play doh cakes and pretend candles for weeks before his birthday to practice blowing out his candles.




Things you should know about 3 year old Jackson:

--Jackson loves to mother people. He will ask me if I'm okay or rub my back and give me hugs and kisses. The other day he was playing with his cousin, Kyan, and Kyan was feeling sad because his mom left to go to the store. Jackson said, "It's okay. Kyan's mommy will be back. Want to go upstairs? Yeah? No? Downstairs?" He was trying to comfort his poor cousin. He also would bring him toys to play with since Kyan had a hurt leg and couldn't do it by himself.

--He is pretty good at expressing his feelings. "I'm feeling sad..." or "I'm happy today!" I think he got this from preschool. He is a pretty sensitive kid and will cry when you say no to him. This is hard when his friends don't want to do what he wants to. He doesn't quite understand why they (or we sometimes) say no.

--He loves Mickey Mouse clubhouse, cars, trains, and toy reviews on Youtube. It's a real thing. Look up Disney Collector. She is one of his favorites. It's basically adults playing with kid toys. Whenever he watches one, he will turn to me and say, "Mom, I want that for my birthday."

 

Jackson insisted on sleeping with all of Grandma's Mickey Mouse stuffed animal in this tiny crib. He actually slept with them all night long. I was impressed.

 

Jackson loves riding this train whenever we go to the mall.

--Jackson will go to preschool by himself, but still hates primary. He will go to the class portion (not by himself), but hates singing and sharing time. I think part of the reason is because I am playing the piano and can't sit by him. He also wants people to stop singing. It's pretty funny and aggravating at the same time.

Jackson drew this picture after school one day and I was really impressed. It is a dinosaur with a long tail and clouds.

--He has a love/hate relationship with baths. He will refuse to take them some days. I think it's because he hates when water gets in his eyes when we get the soap out of his hair.

--Sleeps on a "queeng" size bed on the floor. It is a queen and king mattress topper stacked on top of each other. We are ghetto like that.

--Loves to sing and play play doh and paint. He also likes to cut with his scissors.

--Terrorizes the cat. He thinks it's funny to chase her and throw toys at her. He thinks he is playing with her. Poor guy needs a brother to play with (I'm working on it).

--Loves Chick-Fil-A!! He calls all fast food with chicken and fries Chick-Fil-A.

Jackson asked me to take a picture of this icecream cone and French fy at Chick-Fil-A. He also posed with his face this way on purpose. Goofy boy.

--He loves to play the old school Nintendo console at my parent's house. He especially loves Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (he has a TMNT shirt that he refuses to take off), Rescue Rangers, and Mega Man (which is so hard for us to play! That game is impossible to beat!) Occasionally he will let us play Mario, which is Ryan and my favorite.

--He understands the concept of money or "moneys" as he calls it. He loves playing Kindle games, but whenever he wants to buy a new game, he asks if it cost too much "moneys".

Playing Kindle after a haircut

--He says the funniest things sometimes. Jackson is a smart kid, and we love him so much.

I love this little boy to pieces!! He is so sweet (most of the time) and fun to be with. He is going to be a great older brother!

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Side note: Jackson is pretty good at using my phone. He knows how to take selfies, and here are some that I found on my phone. Sometimes his sequence of selfies make me laugh so hard I cry.

 

After about 30 of these pictures, this was then followed by 3 second video clips of him clapping and making funny noises. This kid cracks me up.