Jolly Jumper and Backpack!

We had a very busy day today! We tried out Carter's new Jolly Jumper (thanks to Danielle and Marie) and we got Carter all set up in his backpack (thanks to Auntie Cathy and Uncle Dave). The jolly jumper was a huge success!!! He loves that he can jump and turn! The back pack is amazing! It fits Jaice great and it also fits me. We discovered that Jaice is much stronger then I am, so he can walk longer with it on! We plan on doing lots of hiking this summer, but for now we will do short excursions to get used to it ( and to build some strength so we can last longer than 45 minutes!)
Oh and the touques in the picture were knitted by Grandma Paquin! Carter's is adorable on him...Jaice looks handsome (he told me to say that)!
Enjoy!

Christmas time

Mmmm Oranges!

"A phone, just what I wanted Santa!"

What a busy week! Nana and Grandpa arrived on the 18th! We were all so excited to see them! The day before we bought a new Car!!! We bought a Toyota Matrix and love it! Without it Nana and Grandpa would still be at the airport!! They bought Carter his new car seat! He is all decked out now! He likes that he is more upright and can see better! I worked a few days over the holiday and Nana and Grandpa enjoyed having time with just Carter. We had such a great visit and were sad to see them leave this morning! We can't wait until we see them again!
Carter's first Christmas! It was a great day! Carter woke up at 5:30 am and Nana got up with him (what a great way to start the day) but she couldn't get him back to sleep so we were all up at 6:30 am! Carter got through his stocking and present from Santa and then it was nap time. We continued without him. After his nap we figured out how to work our web cam and skype and had a great video chat with Gran, Grandpa, Uncle Cale, Auntie Taryn, and Uncle Drew! It was so nice to see everyone! It made Christmas complete. We can't wait to see everyone in person again.
Carter is teething yet again.... poor little man! Gran suggested frozen mandarins and he LOVES them. We hope everyone had a great Christmas and are looking forward to the New Year!

Swimming lessons

Well I finally got some pictures of Carter at his swimming lessons! I stayed out of the water tonight so that I could get some great shots. He is doing really well and really likes the water. He doesn't have an interest in blowing bubbles yet, he would rather drink the water!
Enjoy

SANTA!!!

Well December is here! We still don't feel like it should be December yet. I think the lack of snow makes it feel like mid-October! Sorry to those in Alberta.... we know you are buried in snow! We put our tree up on Saturday. It isn't decorated yet, but it is up. Carter loves to sit and look at the lights. On Sunday we went to the mall to meet up with Auntie Cathy and Uncle Dave and we took Carter to get his picture taken with Santa. He didn't really notice Santa, he was more interested in the big Christmas tree behind the camera.
We started swimming lessons!!!! The first night we went, he tried falling asleep in the pool! This week he has started to kick his feet and move his arms while on his tummy. He was really watching Jaice tonight and trying to splash the water just like Daddy! We are going to try and get pictures on Wednesday. He is loving the water so much!
Last Thursday the doctor gave us the ok to start Carter on 'real' food! Boy was he excited. We started with sweet potatoes. He loves them. He gets so excited at meal time. Auntie Terry lent us a booster seat for him. He sits in it really well and eats like a champ! Tomorrow we tackle green beans!
Carter has started talking more and more. He is really starting to try and interact with other people. Jaice and I are convinced he says "hi" but it could be a fluke! He is growing so much everyday. The other night when I was checking on him before I went to bed, I couldn't believe how much he is starting to look like a little boy! We are loving every minute with Carter and are looking forward to so many great adventures coming our way!

Game day

Today was the western final in the CFL. The Rough Riders won!!! We were so excited! It was a great game and we enjoyed it as a family at home! We got some great shots of us in our jerseys! Next weekend is the Grey Cup! My dad is going and I am so jealous! We will be watching the game and cheering the Riders on!
GO RIDERS GO

Laughing

We finally got a video of Carter laughing! We had to distract him so he didn't see the camera. Once he sees the camera he stops and stares! He officially has 2 teeth fully in now!
Enjoy the video!!

4 Months!

Today we went for Carter's 4 month shots! He did so well. He looked mad when the first one went in and the second one he cried for about 15 seconds!!! What a brave little man! We got him weighed...........18 pounds!!!! He is still 27 inches long. He only has two more inches and he has grown out of his car seat....yikes! Time for a new one! He officially has a tooth!!! He has a second one just poking through! I can't believe how fast he is growing! He is still SO CLOSE to rolling over. When I go to get him out of his crib he is usually turned on his side, so I figure it is only a matter of time until he gets over. I am okay with him not rolling over yet ~ he is much easier to contain at the moment!
We are getting ready for Christmas! Jaice won't let us put up the tree yet.....hopefully in the next few weeks we will get everything out of storage and up around the house!
That is all for now!

TEETHING

Well we are in the teething stage! He is getting his two bottom teeth together! He has been a real trooper through it all. I am getting used to changing bibs every other hour or so. He is drooling so much! He doesn't seem to like the hard teething rings we have or anything frozen. He really likes chewing on his Tigger or a cold cloth. He is learning so much everyday! In the past few days he has figured out how to grab things and bring them to his mouth. He has been doing this for a while, but now it is a conscious effort! Watch out dogs. He is really watching the dogs now and they are starting to not mind being around his flailing limbs! Carter is SO CLOSE to rolling over. He needs to be tempted by something to get him up on his side (usually a dog walking by ignoring him). His arm gets in the way to get fully over. I find when we are at 'babytime' he is working harder at getting over so he can see what is going on! We are working on it. We have also been working on sitting up. He does great if Jaice or I are behind him and he is pulling his head right off his bed to attempt to sit up. Jaice and I are finding it such an amazing thing to watch him learn. He is our little thinker. He thinks out everything before he does it!
The Riders won their game on the weekend so that puts them into the semi finals in the west!!!! I am really hoping Carter's jersey fits him until the end of the month!!!! GO RIDERS GO!

Halloween!

Carter enjoyed his first Halloween. He made such a cute Tigger! In the afternoon we went to Tim Horton's to see daddy and then made a stop at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory to see Auntie Terry! Carter did well there! I think Jaice is super excited for the goodies Carter received there! He was so tired by 7 that he was fast asleep by 7:15!
He is teething right now and I can feel one coming up so he is a bit grumpy lately. Hopefully it comes through soon as I feel sorry for him.
Enjoy the pictures! We had a great day yesterday!

Family Photo Time

We went to a photo-thon in town here and got some photos taken. Carter was a bit grumpy so his expressions turned out quite hilarious!!! We did get some good shots and I am trying to decide what ones I like the best.
Things are going well here. We had a few sunny days over the past little while. It is pouring rain now though. Carter and I have been getting out more and more. He is staying awake for our walks so we spend a lot of time looking around and talking about the trees. Halloween is this weekend, so we will post some pictures of Carter dressed up at Tigger (thanks to Gran and Grandpa)!
Enjoy.

Exersaucer!

I thought I would share some pictures of Carter enjoying the exersaucer! Jaice got it put together.....it had way too many pieces in my opinion! His favourite part is the mirror! He will stare at himself and talk and talk and talk. He is figuring out how to grab at other things and is starting to figure out how to move around in it.

An afternoon walk

On Sunday we went out for a walk with my parents in Cathedral Forest. It was a beautiful day out. We got some great shots of Carter in the forest! He is still enjoying getting out and going for walks. We are going to take a break from the car for a little bit. I think he is getting a little tired of it! Mom and dad go back tomorrow, and we are sad to see them leave. We had such a great visit with everyone and miss everyone already. We are getting back into our routine and are going to go back to the pool this weekend.
Enjoy the pictures!

We are back

Apparently we are growing a giant! Carter is 12 weeks here and Kaylan is 2 weeks!

Spending time with Great grandpa.

Hanging with the boys!

We have made it back! The snow tried to keep us in Calgary a little longer....but it only held us back one day. We had such a great time in Calgary. It was a busy trip but we enjoyed every minute of it. Carter was so happy to see Gran and Grandpa. He FINALLY got to meet Uncle Cale and loved him. He had a lot of fun with Uncle Drew and couldn't stop talking with Great Grandpa! We had a great time visiting with Kristin and her new addition Kaylan. She made Carter look like a giant! We had a nice visit with Robyn, Dustin, Kristy, Bradley, Renee, and Patrick. We unfortunately missed the arrival of Grayson, but he is a cutie! We had a great thanksgiving dinner with family. Jaice had to come back early and missed turkey time with us but had his own with family in Campbell River! We all missed him and figured he would have finished off the leftovers for us!! I have to make him a pumpkin pie or two since he missed mine!

More swimming

We went swimming again today! I tried to get a video of him swimming but once he saw me he stopped swimming. Here is what we got! He really likes the water. He doesn't like going under too much! Jaice tried that last time.....he got really upset. That is something we will work on. We plan on going at least once every weekend until his lessons start. Once they start he will get to go twice a week and Jaice will be able to go with him once a week. I am bringing his swimming gear with us on our trip to Calgary next week. I will take him to the pool a few times while we are there.
We are excited to be heading to Calgary. They have forecasted 10+ cm of snow on Saturday....we don't know how we feel about that but we are still excited to come! Carter will get to meet his Uncle Cale and some other cousins! We are looking forward to Dieter and Erin's wedding. Carter got some new shoes (not green) for the wedding (can you tell he is Jaice's son!!). We will take pictures of him on his first plane ride and of him all dressed up for everyone to see!
Now we just need to find him some winter gear for this snow we are heading into!
Can't wait to see everyone!
Enjoy the video.

Swimming

We went to the pool tonight!!! Carter had so much fun. The kiddie pool has warm water so there wasn't a big shock going in. He wasn't too sure about it when we first went in. But we put him on his back and he started kicking and waving his arms right away! He got all excited and smiled away. Jaice got him swimming on his tummy. He did really well holding his head up and out of the water. He did try and drink the water a few times! I am going to take him a few more times before I put him all the way under. We didn't get any pictures because we were both in the pool with him. We are going to go again tomorrow. Because he can't start lesson's until November we will go on our own until then.
He is going to be quite the water baby!

Talking

Make sure you have the volume on for this video. He spends a good portion of his day talking to the fan. Notice he is on his play mat and there are things for him to touch and look at, but he chooses to talk to the fan instead!

We did it!

So Carter had his 2 month shots on Monday. He did great!! He was a little grumpy when he was getting them, but Jaice walked with him after and fed him and he was fine. He get really fussy again later and got a little warm, so we gave him some Tylenol and he was great again. They weighed him and measured him while we were there. He is still 24 in. and he is up to a grand total of 14 lbs 10oz! He gained 2 lbs in 3 weeks! My little porker!
We went to our first 'baby time' class today. It was great getting out with Carter and seeing other baby's. He is the youngest there by 2 weeks but is not the smallest! The baby that is 11 weeks is so TINY com aired to Carter. He is short though. It was nice meeting with other mommy's and getting to chat about what is happening with our baby's. I am excited to hopefully make some new friends and get Carter some new friends!
We are planning on taking Carter to the pool on Jaice's day's off this weekend. I am excited to see how he does. Some of the moms at the class were talking about the swimming lessons their little ones are in right now and I can't wait to get Carter in the pool! We bought him a swim shirt so that he doesn't get cold in the pool. We will take pictures of him in his swim suit! Well that is what we have been up to lately. We are getting excited to go to Calgary. We leave on the October 2nd. Jaice is only staying a few days but I am going to stay with Carter a little longer to visit with family and friends! I think Jaice is going to enjoy sleeping in and having the bed all to himself! We hope all is well with everyone!

Bathtime!

Well bath time is Carter's favourite time of the day! We finally got a video of him enjoying himself! He goes for his 2 month shots tomorrow, so wish us luck! We are taking him to the pool next weekend! Watch out Michael Phelps! (Hopefully without the whole bong controversy!)
Enjoy!

Morning with Daddy

I haven't posted a lot in a while, so here is some more! Carter's personality is coming out more and more each day. When he is awake he wants to be looking around and making sure he isn't missing anything. We ordered him a bumbo chair and it should be here by the end of the week. I think he will really like being able to sit up and be a little more independent. He is starting to use his arms to keep himself up. He will use them to pull himself up now, it doesn't last too long, but he is working on it! The dogs are still not too interested in him. Every once in a while Ewok will come and find me if Carter is crying and he thinks I am taking to long. I am quite impressed how the dogs seem to leave Carter's toys alone!
We hope everyone is having a great long weekend! A big happy birthday to Uncle Cale! We can't wait to see everyone in October!

Carter talking

Carter's new favourite time is around 6:30 in the morning after his FULL night of sleep. We got the pictures of him talking one morning. He also really likes going for walks with me and the dogs. We went out in the rain today and managed to stay relatively dry! Carter wore his new rain coat from Auntie Cathy and Uncle Dave.... it was a little bit (okay a lot big) but it kept him dry! We are keeping busy. Carter is pretty much on a routine now! YAY!! Bath, bottle, and book at 8 and asleep by 9 every night. He sleeps until between 5 and 6. I know I am SO LUCKY! We thought we would give a quick update with some pictures! Enjoy!

Carter's Big Day

Carter had a big, exciting day today! We went in for our 6 week check-up today. We both did great! Carter got weighed.....drum roll please......... 12lbs 10 oz!!!!! He likes his food! We also measured him and he is 24 inches long. Everything else is great with him! He also had his first night with a babysitter!!! Jaice and I went out for 'date night'. Danielle so nicely volunteered to come over and watch Carter. She said he did great. It was a late night for Carter but when we came home he was smiling! Danielle can come over anytime!! It might take a bit for me to get used to going out for longer then an hour without him.....i may have checked the time about a million times!
Carter also had his first 'play date' yesterday. He got together with his cousin Emile. He is almost 3 months older and they both just slept and ate! We are getting together again tomorrow. I am sure in time they will actually play.
We hope everyone is doing well. We miss you!

RIDER PRIDE

I was having fun with a new website I found and created this picture. The website is photobucket and it is a lot of fun! Now I know what I am going to do with pictures!
Enjoy!

Carter Smiling!

He has been smiling for a little while now, but I finally caught it on video! He is also following my voice and face as well as Jaice's. He is starting to grab at things on his bouncy chair.
Enjoy the video!

He did it!!!

Just a quick update..... Carter did a great job sleeping all by himself in his new crib in his own room!! He slept from 10:30 pm until 5:30 am! I didn't sleep that long, but now that I know he is perfectly fine I will have a great sleep tonight!

Carter's room

We finally have a room done for Carter! Jaice went out and bought the crib today and set it up! We are still working on the rest of the house, it is coming slowly. When I get everything organized I will put pictures on. Carter is going to spend his first night in his own room tonight....wish us luck. He has been sleeping through the night for about a week now, so we think it is time to try his own room.
I will update tomorrow on how it goes!

Carter

Carter is getting bigger and bigger everyday!

I weighed him on Thursday and he is up to 11 lbs and 14 oz. He is still eating a lot and lets us know when he is hungry.
He is still sleeping through the night. He wakes up around 3:30am and comes into bed with mom and dad. He then sleeps until around 7:00 am. We are really lucky and hope this is a permanent thing. We still don't have much of a routine during the day. We are still working on that!
His favourite time is bath time! He would stay in the bath all night if we let him. I am hoping this means that he will love swimming. We are signing up for swimming in November. They won't let us start until he is 4 months, so we are waiting.
We go out walking everyday. When it is just me and the dogs we prefer the sling! It is much easier to handle both dogs and Carter. We walked down town today and the sling was great and Carter slept the whole way!
Jaice is really enjoying work so far. He comes home smelling like coffee, it makes me want to take up drinking coffee! We are getting used to having one car. I am not really doing much away from home yet so it isn't too bad. I am going to start swimming in September to get out a little more; definitly looking forward to that.
That is about it for now! We will update as much as we can.
We miss everyone and hope all is well with everyone!
-Rachelle, Jaice, and Carter

Welcome!

Well we thought that this might be an easier way to keep in touch with everyone. We are now in Campbell River and we want to keep in touch with everyone. We will update as often as we can and keep the pictures coming. Carter is changing so much already and we would like to share him with our friends and family!
We are enjoying island living so far and are so excited to embark on this new chapter in our lives!
-Rachelle, Jaice, and Carter :)