First Tooth

Look closely.
See it?
Right there, by the tip of my finger.
Come on, tell me you see it...it is there.
I promise!

OK, so it is a little hard to see but this is a picture of Carter's first tooth. He cut his lower left front tooth the morning of Friday, July 11, 2008.

No more big toothless gummy grin. I just love baby smiles - all gums and no teeth! So cute!

:(

His looks will start to change now from baby to little boy...I am not quite ready for this. Times seems to not care much about a mother's heart and marches on any way. He is such a sweet thing. There are many more to come (Emma cut hers two at a time - we'll see how Carter does).

Emma + Eggs + Carter + One Biter Biscuit =

A GREAT BIG MESS X 2!!

I will attempt to make this long story short (hopefully)...

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away (my bedroom) I was working with Sarah on her letters and sounds as she is wanting to read...

So, Sarah & I are reading in my bedroom, Emma is playing nicely in her bedroom (as I soon discovered things were not as I thought them to be). At some point in our story reading she must have used her stealth like ninja skills and escaped her room to the freedom of an unsupervised kitchen. With the kitchen universe at her disposal (since mom was distracted reading) she decided to venture into the usually off limits world of the refrigerator. Upon opening the door to the great unknown what does she see before her wondering little eyes but the carton of eggs (also a strictly off limits area). With no one to stop her from getting salmonella she opens the carton and stares at the strange white 'balls' inside...
"Hmmm, I wonder if dese bounce high?" her curious little mind asks and before she can stop herself she has grasped one and 'bounced' it to the floor below. Only it wasn't the floor it hit; it was the bottom of the refrigerator. The results were not what she had expected so she tried again, and again, and again. Silly mom that I am, I was not aware that she understood the concept - if at first you don't succeed try, try again. Well, she apparently does understand it because she tried to 'bounce' four eggs! Thankfully, it only took four for her to realize this was probably not the best idea. However, she now realized she had quite the mess and would probably be in trouble so she grabbed the dish towel and tried to clean it up. She soon discovered that this was a mess she could not contain so she left the towel in the eggs and the door to the refrigerator open and under her silent cloak she returned to playing in her room as if nothing had ever happened.

Some time after, Carter decided he was done playing and would like to eat. Sarah & I finished reading and left the confines of my room to head to the universe beyond where, upon entering the kitchen I crossed into a some parallel universe. It was my kitchen but it did not look like it had when I last left it. Needless to say, I was not happy! Nor did I find the momentary silver lining that would later cause me to laugh at said situation - which is why there are no pictures of the cracked eggs.

With Carter screaming for food and me screaming for Emma our quiet little part of the world spiraled into noisy chaos! I could not make lunch until the eggs were cleaned up but I could clean up the eggs while holding Carter. If I placed Carter on the floor he would be in the eggs mess and if I placed him in his high chair without feeding him I would certainly lose my mind to his crying before the cleanup was done. Then I remembered...A friend just sent me some Gerber Biter Biscuits that her daughter was not eating any more. I'll give him one of those. Free hands, quiet baby - PERFECT! Or so I thought...

I finished cleaning the eggs and stood up to see this...I am SO not into messes! Especially food messes...I think of all my friends I am the last one to let my children start feeding themselves and seeing Carter today reminded me of that.
Well, he was happy and quiet while I was cleaning up the eggs - I guess that makes it all worth it. I am thankful that he was half naked so all I had to do when I finished feeding him was stick him in the sink and hose him down.

For now, the equilibrium has returned to my little corner of the universe. Of course, I do not expect it to last long...especially since I hear the door to the girls room opening, meaning Emma is up from her nap.

Here's to a toddler's curiosity, a baby feeding himself, paper towels and nap time. I hope this post finds all things clean, quiet and well in your neck of the woods.

Happy Boy!

We were at our friend's Kim and Dan's house today for a BBQ. We were enjoying a laid back after the fourth get together with the Morse' and the Bedards. Dan grilled burgers and dogs. Leslie and I both brought pasta salad and I took cupcakes (YUM). Dan & Kim have a trampoline and Jason couldn't resist taking Carter on it. Well, as soon as Sarah saw daddy on the trampoline with Carter she thought she'd join them. As you can see, he was having a great time. What you can't see is that his big sister Sarah would jump up in the air and then land on her bum. The result...big giggles from Carter. This only served to fuel Sarah's desire to continue, which in turn made him giggle even more. This little activity produced some serious belly laughs from our sweet little boy.
I'll post more pics from the afternoon...the kids went swimming and diving and sliding down their ginormous inflatable water slide. Fun was had by all.

Carter Boy!

Hard to believe but Carter is 7 months old. He is sitting up by himself, crawling everywhere, standing in his crib and eating a ton of food. He is (almost) always happy and quite taken with his sisters.
Carter hit two major milestones while we were in Egypt. One - he sat by himself, unassisted (albeit for only a few moments) long enough for Jason to snap a picture. Two - he started crawling. Of course, I was excited however I was also wondering why he couldn't have waited just a few more days. Why did he have to crawl while we were in places where I could not (or maybe would not) put him on the floor...this made for some inventive ways of keeping him contained on a bed.
He started eating solid food (if that is what you can consider baby food) once we returned to the States. This was somewhat later than what his sisters started eating food but it was one less worry for me while we were in Cairo...how to mix cereal and clean his utensils and not have him getting sick! So, we waited! He seems to be making up for lost time - can he put the food away! He has always been a good eater and there is no sign of that changing anytime soon.
I suppose that is all for now. I have some back posting to do to get caught up but like my scrapbooks I'll start current and work my way backward.

PS. I am the photographer responsible for this picture. This photo would not have made the cut had it been taken with Jason's camera (not sharp enough). He is quite brutal when it comes to going through his work. I don't save all mine but ones like this that are not quite 'perfect' but cute just the same get saved. I can just see Jason shaking his head now and wondering if he has taught me anything...

Catchin' Up

Well, we have arrived safely back in the US after spending two weeks in North East Africa (NEA). The trip was good - hard emotionally, physically and mentally but good overall. Carter did pretty good flying considering we had long layovers going and his schedule was turned upside down. He had some difficulty sleeping at night, all in all, he was quite the little trooper.
Our entire team got sick (thankfully not all at the same time) so we rotated staying in the hotel and going out and accomplishing the task at hand. If you want to see some pictures from our trip head over to Jason's blog (http://blog.labombard.net). Why take my camera when he had his?
The girls are quite tan after spending days on end with Grandma and Papa in the pool. Carter is 6 months old now and started army crawling just before we left. He became quite proficient at that skill while we were in NEA. He is getting the rocking down on his hands and knees - I am sure it is just a matter of days now and he will be fully mobile on his hands and knees. I'll try to get a picture of him up soon.
Free time is over for me...time for lunch.
Have a blessed week.
Love,
Kim

Rollin', rollin', rollin'...

Carter is rolling over!
Today, I went in to get him out of bed and just as I walked in he rolled over from his back to his tummy. I was so excited! He then rolled back over to his back (a move he has had down for some time now) and then to his tummy again. Twice in a row! A little while later, during tummy time on the floor, he again rolled to his back and then to his tummy! For now he only goes back and forth...no rolling across the floor (yet).
That is all that was new today.
Hope y'all are healthy and enjoying the (dare I say it?) spring weather in MI/Canada. I am hoping for you that this is the break in the nasty winter weather.
Love,
K

Sunnyside Up!

Confession time - Carter sleeps on his tummy - I know, I know...babies are supposed to sleep on their backs. Well, all my children have slept on their tummies (the girls both still do). It used to be that when I would go in to get Carter he would pretty much be in the same spot where I laid him down. Then one day, I go in and he is at the opposite end of the crib from where I laid him; this happened around week 6 or so. Today marked another new milestone, I walked in to get Carter this afternoon and he was on his back. That's right - Carter rolled over! Now I know it is easier to go from front to back than from back to front but he stilled rolled over. Well, my minute is up - Sarah is begging to play crazy eights so I'm off to play cards.
Have a great day!

12 Weeks Old

Carter Boy! 3 months old. You are my sweet baby boy. I could not have asked for a better baby - you are such a special little gift from God.
I love you - Mommy

Huey, Dewey & Louie

Our three little ducklings all in a row. Emma has stickers on her face - always something! The only time her face is officially clean with nothing on it is right after she gets out of the tub. However, if you give her five minutes she'll have something on it (like stickers). :-) It is also the rare occasion that I can get her to sit long enough to take a picture of all three. Sarah loves to sit with her brother and get her picture taken.
Anyway, just thought I'd share this rare picture of the three of them together.
Enjoy!
Love from Sunny AZ!
Kim

11 weeks old!

Carter is now 12 pounds! He is keeping his weight right in line with his age. I had to post the picture of his rolls. It was a little hard to get a good picture of his rollie little legs(I did want a modest picture) :-) He is laying on the changing pad and watching me in the mirror on the dresses - that is why he is looking away from the camera. I hope this gives you an idea on his size. He is a solid little boy. He no longer has the infant feel when I pick him up - he is a good weight and doesn't flop around too much anymore. He is really picking his head and shoulders up now. His feet come up also - so he rocks on his belly. He is so cute. He still sleeps the majority of the day, which gives me a fair amount of time to devote to playing with the girls and trying to keep up with housework.
We have boot camp coming up for TOAG. We'll be doing some personality profiles and spiritual gift assessments. It should be an interesting weekend. Pray for safety, as we will be traveling an hour and half north into the mountains.
I guess that is all for now - see you next week (hopefully)!
Blessings,
Kim

10 weeks old

Time is passing so quickly. I can hardly keep up with the littlest man in my life. He is growing by leaps and bounds.
He is tipping the scales at 11 pounds. He is quite the chunk - he even has rolls. Who would have thought that Jason & I could have a baby with rolls. :-)
I hope that all our MI and Canadian friends and family are keeping warm. We thin of you often and miss you much.
Blessings,
Kim

Nine weeks old

Carter is cooing much more the last couple of days - he has a very sweet voice. He has been some what fussy the last couple of nights - most unusual for him. I mention this merely as something I noticed and not as a complaint. He is just starting to push himself over toward one side - nowhere near rolling over yet but just beginning. He is holding himself up on his forearms a little bit longer now also - probably not for full minute but close. Sarah is still so enamored with her little brother - not quite as much as when he first came home but she is very attentive to his needs.
I am now up to date on the blog...at least where Carter is concerned. There may be news from everyday life I have forgotten to mention but the news on Carter is all in.
I have friends coming over tomorrow night so we can work on our homework together, outreach and trip meeting on Saturday, and maybe more outreach on Sunday. We have a conference next week for TOAG, Monday - Thursday, it should be interesting. I am also going to be sharing with my MOPS group on Thursday what we as a family are doing and how God is using a stay at home mom of three to make a difference in His kingdom. Please pray that He will give me the words to share and that somehow I can encourage them. Just because you are a mom doesn't mean you can't be used in big ways.
I'll see you next week - same time, same station.
Have a great weekend!
Blessings,
Kim

Eight weeks old

WOW! We are already at the two month mark - whew. That went by FAST!
The picture is of Carter with my BFF Nikki's mom, Marilyn. Nikki's parents spend the winter down here in AZ and they stopped in for a visit. It was nice to see them and spend some time chatting. The girls enjoyed the visit but were not so thrilled that Aunt Nikki & her kids weren't here to visit (I have to say I agree) I miss you my friend!It is hard watching our kids grow up over the internet. :-(
Carter unofficially weighs 11 pounds - 11 pounds! He is a chunky little boy. He even has some rolls on his legs - very cute. He is officially out of newborn clothes and into 0-3. He has found his voice. He coos at me on occasion - he is still learning how to use it. Unless he is crying (hungry or poopy) he is quiet - this is nice since his sisters are only quiet when they are sleeping. :-)
We have started our first contact module in the outreach portion of our TOAG training. This part is a real challenge - please keep us in your prayers and pray that God would give us opportunities to meet cousins and begin building a friendship with them. We are very busy with TOAG homework - any free time (not that I had much) is filled with TOAG.
God is stretching our family in amazing ways. Check out Jason's blog to read some of what we are challenged with.
Blessings,
Kim

Happy New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Wow - another year gone. Time sure passes quickly. I do not recall it going by so quickly when I was a kid.
We had a party at our home on NYE - around 20 people came over. Some we knew some we didn't but a good time was had by all. We ate some good food, played some games, ate more food, talked, played some games...you get the idea. We toasted in the New Year with new friends while missing old ones. We hope you all had a safe & fun new year celebration.
It is hard to believe that Carter has already been with us for seven weeks. He is such a good baby. You may get tired of reading that - but there really is no other way to describe him. I could not have asked for a better baby.
He smiled at Jason today...Jason was quite excited. He has also found his thumb now, although he has an easier time just sucking on the whole fist. He is trying hard to make noises but nothing is coming out just yet...maybe next week. Carter is now moving from one end of his crib to the other. When I lay him down I place him at one end of his crib, by the time he wakes up fussing to eat he has managed to scoot himself all the way up to the other end. He will sometimes end up quite mad since he has worked himself in to the corner. Does that officially make him mobile? I am certainly not ready for that yet! It is hard enough to keep up with the two girls - I can certainly wait a bit before I am chasing after Carter too. I imagine once he is moving it won't take long before he is chasing after his sisters...great, one more reason for Emma to be screaming! :-)
It is all good - the kids are great & chasing after them keeps me young (at least that is what I keep telling myself).
Life is busy but we are enjoying all the blessings God has graciously given us.
I hope you to are enjoying your blessed life.
Love,
Kim

Six Weeks Old

Here we are at the six week mark. Carter is growing like a weed. He weighs about 9 pounds now, can hold his head up for a few minutes and has found his fist. He is very alert when he is awake. He has started following with his eyes. He sleeps great which is amazing because his sisters are not quiet! They can be running through the house squealing and banging things and he could be sleeping on the couch and never even flinch - it is amazing. I pray it continues.
It has been on the chilly side here. The little cap he has came all the way from Michigan - a gift from Granny (my mom).

Four weeks old

Carter is officially four weeks old. I just shake my head at the thought. He is changing so much. I don't have a baby scale to weigh him but I am guessing he is about 7.5 pounds or so. I suppose I could always weigh him on of the produce scales at the grocery store. :-) Although, that would mean I would have to go to the store with the kids - a trip that should be exciting when done with all three for the first time.
All the kids did great on car ride up north. THe girls sat in the very back and watched 2 movies on the way up and colored and slept on the way home. Carter did great his first road trip - slept almost the entire car ride (3.5 hours) to Williams & back home. Williams is a little north-west of Flagstaff. It is above 7000 ft. in elevation and there was snow. It was also quite cold (reminded me that I do NOT like being cold). He also slept the entire time we were on the train - hardly a peep out him. The girls had such a great time riding the Polar Express. We had hot chocolate & chocolate chip cookies, sang Christmas carols, saw Santa and each of the kids received a sleigh bell from Santa. If you are ever in the area while the Polar Express is running - I highly recommend doing it.
I hope you are having blessed holiday season so far. Are you ready for Christmas? I am as ready as I'll ever be this year.
Love,
Kim

Rained On!

We went to the Phoenix Zoo today for the first time since arriving Arizona and we got rained on! It really does rain here. Not often, mind you, but it does rain. We had fun in spite of the rain. We saw most of the animals - only one area seemed to be under major construction. It seems to be a small zoo but nice. The girls seemed to have fun. The giraffe exhibit was pretty cool. They have feeders up pretty close to the walkway as well, there is a lookout area you can climb to to watch them eat.
Carter is now three weeks old. I will begin to sound like a broken record soon - time is flying! He is such a good baby! He has really only kept me up all night a couple of times - for the most part he has been sleeping through the night since he was born. They do exist - babies who are good sleepers from the beginning. We are truly blessed.
Next week we are heading up north to Williams, AZ to take a ride in the Polar Express! It should be lots of fun. Be on the lookout for details.
Blessings,
Kim

2 weeks old

Another week has passed already. Carter had his two week appointment today. He weighed in at 6 pounds 12 ounces and was 20.75" long. He is now turning his head from side to side when he picks it up.
My mom went home this past Tuesday - I knew I was going to miss her. I do - mornings are rough and it has only been two days since she went home!
Jason's parents will be here in a week to visit. We are looking forward to seeing them. I am glad they are able to come out and see Carter while he is still so small and new. Having skype has been great - a way to stay visually connected across the miles.

7 days old

We have survived our first week. Carter is a sweet baby boy! He sleeps well & eats like there is no tomorrow. He does pick his head up - not for long yet but he is working on it. He is also smiling (and it isn't gas - sorry Jason). He really is perfect - I could not have asked for a better baby. Sarah is a great big sister. She loves to hold him and is always telling him she loves him. Emma loves him too - just not as gently. :-)
I am not sure what I will do when my mom goes home - she has been getting up with the girls (mainly Emma) at 6:00 or so in the morning so I can sleep! Thanks mom - you rock!

Introductions

Carter Joseph Edward LaBombard
Born: 11.15.07 at 7:58 am.
Weighed: 6 pounds 7.5 ounces
Measured: 20.5 inches long.