Carter's Harlem Globetrotter experience!

As Carter's 6th birthday was approaching, Chris and I were stumped on what to give him as a gift. We knew he would get toys from his friends, so we were looking for a different idea. When I heard that the Harlem Globetrotters were coming to Salina, we knew he would love it. It was a long time for a 6-year-old to wait from October to January for the show, but we watched some YouTube clips and saw lots of commercials that got him excited! The show did not disappoint--the players were hilarious and crazy talented--Carter was enthralled the entire time. We went early to interact with the players and get autographs. And to top it all off, Carter got to go see the same show in Wichita the next night for his friend, Joe's birthday! Here is a peek at Carter & Mommy's night out to see the Harlem Globetrotters... 

Wresling season.

Carter completed his second season of wrestling this winter. He wrestled in the 6 & under, 62 lb. weight division. We only went to three tournaments this year, as they are very long days of mostly sitting, and we don't want to burn Carter out at this young age. He definitely improved over last year and had about a .500 season. Win or lose, we're very proud of our guy for working hard and giving his best effort.

 

And may I just preface this post by saying...indoor sports photography is tough. Low lighting with fast moving subjects is a bad combo, so please bear with the photos...

 This little fan kept busy with many, many snacks.

 Carter was so blessed to have many family members come watch him at all of his tournaments.

This girl was a trooper throughout the long, noisy tournaments. How she slept through the chaos is beyond me...I know next year will be an entirely different story.

 Aunt Lou, Unc & Tyler even came for a couple tournaments! Aunt Lou made Ty this awesome shirt.

 Warming up with his buddy, Kelvin.

 Raising his hand for the win!

 Jace & Carter kept each other occupied during the long tournaments.

 Competing against one of his own teammates...

 Carter wins!

The highlight of his season--his first 1st place finish at the Garden Plain tournament! Way to go, buddy!

Hayden: 8 months

What's Happening with Hayden

Weight:  ??? (heavy)
Length:  ??? (short)

Milestones: Yikes! This month darn near got away from me! I never got her weighed, and that picture up there was taken dangerously close to NINE months, but we barely made it. Bad mommy!

Our sweet little Haydie is growing up too fast! We have got to get her crib lowered very soon, as she can pull up to her knees when she wakes up at night and peek right over the railing. Luckily she's not too daring yet, but I know those days are numbered.

She's sleeping so much better, thanks to the fact that she will now find her binky and pop it back in by herself. She'll ocasionally want one bottle at night, but not every night.

She is sooo close to crawling, but she's kinda lazy. She rocks forward from sitting all the time, but then plops right back to her butt. If we prop her up on her hands and knees, she just falls on her belly and whines to us (and of course we pick her up...she's our baby!). She never rolls over anymore either. That's OK, we're in no rush for her to be mobile. That just means having to chase one more child. ;)

She's not really interested in solid foods. I try over and over again, but she still takes just a few bites and she's done. She does, however, LOVE puffs! As soon as I pull out the container she's smiling and waving her arms.

She does this funny thing where she blows air (and sometimes snot) through her nose over and over while scrunching up her face...so cute!

She's starting to get a little bit of stranger danger, and won't let others hold her, especially if mommy is in sight.

She drinks 5 oz. bottles of formula, every 2-3 hours.

Favorite activities: Sitting up playing with toys, eating puffs.

Least favorite activities: Having her clothes changed and boogers picked.

Misc. update: She's wearing 9 month clothes, size 2 shoes size 3 diapers.

Hayden: 7 months

 

What's Happening with Hayden

Weight: 17 lbs., 12 oz.

Length: ???

Milestones: Hayden is sleeping a little better--that's all I'm gonna say--don't want to jinx it ;). She tried a few different veggies this month--peas (yuck!), squash (not too bad) and sweet potatoes (still thinking about it). She's a fairly clean eater compared to the boys...we'll see if that continues. She doesn't like to eat very much at one sitting. No matter what she's eating, about 6-8 bites is her limit, then she scrunches up her nose and turns her head. She knows what she wants.

She loves to drink ice water from our cups. It usually ends up with her having a soaked shirt, but she's all smiles afterwards and she lunges for more.

 

She's such a happy little girl...the boys go searching for her first thing every morning and she's usually craning her neck to find them as soon as she hears their voices. She's laughs out loud and she's loving to play peek-a-boo and patty cake.

 

My milk supply faded very quickly around 6 1/2 months. I stopped pumping at work, and just nursed her in the morning and at bedtime for a few weeks, but eventually couldn't even give her enough for those two feedings. Luckily it was gradual, and she didn't fight weaning at all, and she's always taken a bottle great. It's kinda sad for mommy though!

 

Favorite activities: Chewing/slobbering on anything, drinking water out of cups, peek-a-boo.

 

Least favorite activities: Getting her clothes changed and having her boogers picked. Whoowee, that makes her MAD.

 

Misc. update: Hayden's wearing 6-9 month clothes, size 2 shoes and size 3 diapers.

Hayden: 6 months

What's Happening with Hayden

Weight: 16 lbs., 12 oz. (70%)
Length: 23 3/4 inches (10%)

Milestones: Still not much sleep going on at the Allen house. In fact, I'd say it's gotten worse. Some nights, she wakes up twice every hour. Mommy's exhausted...good thing that girl's a cutie.
Hayden started sitting up all by herself! She's loved sitting in her bumbo seat for a few months now, but this newfound freedom makes her SO happy. It's so nice to let her sit in the bathroom playing with toys while I'm getting ready in the mornings.

She took her first little adventure out in the snow this month. She was less than thrilled...kinda like her mommy. Bring on the sunshine and the beach ;).

After many attempts with the rice cereal, we switched to oatmeal (spiked with a little apple juice), and Hayden liked that much better. We'll venture in to veggies next month.

She's still nursing, but my milk supply has started to dwindle, so we're supplementing a little with formula (gentle) to keep up with her appetite.

Favorite activities: Sitting up all by herself, chewing on her hands/feet, watching her brothers.

Least favorite activities: Being left on the floor for too long, being smothered by her brothers.

Misc. update: Hayden's tummy is SO much better now. We very rarely have to pull out the gas drops anymore. She's still wearing 3-6 month clothes and size 2 diapers. Her hair sticks straight up on her head...it's hilarious and really adds to her little personality. It's just at the right length that it will not lay down...so cute!

Hayden: 5 months

What's Happening with Hayden

Weight: 15 lbs., 8 oz.
Length: ???

Milestones: Well, I guess all good things must come to an end...that rock star sleeper I was bragging about last month?? She's nowhere to be found. Instead I have a sweet little cutie who wakes up a LOT, every night. She usually just wants her binky, but she can't seem to get the hang of grabbing it herself. She does have 1-2 bottles each night as well, depending on whether she goes right back to sleep or not.

She still cries when I leave her at Irene's, but we're learning how to fake her out. I've stopped taking her out of her carseat before I leave--Irene does it so I don't have to actually hand her off. That seems to be helping with the tears.

Hayden rolled over from her tummy to her back! She's only done it a few times, but she's good at it! She also tried rice cereal for the first time this month. She's not very impressed. She humors me for a few bites every time we try it, but then she makes it clear that she's done.

Baby girl found her feet and they are FUN! Every time she's on her back, the feet go straight up in the air or in her mouth. YUM.  I love this age :).

Favorite activities: Being held, sucking on her toes, playing with her feet and watching her brother.

Least favorite activities: Missing her binky at night.

Misc. update: Tummy troubles are getting lots better. She's wearing 3-6 month clothes and size 2 diapers. We think she's starting to teethe, as she's drooling lots (see her shirt above) and chewing on her hands/fingers all the time.