The picture says it all.......

Yes, our little Carter is a "really big deal" and we also learned at his 2 month doctor's appointment (although we had our suspicions) that he is a really big baby as well.  Carter's two month appointment was scheduled a little later because our doctor was on vacation for most of July.  On August 12th he weighed 17 pounds 9 ounces (97th+ percentile) and measured 24 1/4 inches (90th percentile).  He also received three shots and was a brave little guy.  The doctor said that he looked great and is obviously growing well:)  Getting his official stats only confirmed what we already knew...he's a BIG Boy and quite the eater.  It's interesting to hear the responses from people when we are out and about.  They'll say how cute he is and ask how old?  When we tell them 12 weeks, the look of surprise on their faces is classic.  Some people have even called their friends or co-workers over to check him out.  Seriously,  I feel like we should wear shirts that say..."yes, our child is a big boy and we're proud of it."

Here are some other highlights from our last few weeks...

• Carter loves to laugh and is trying to talk more and more.  He'll babble and respond to your babbles with even more babbling. Watching Carter and Addy interact and "play" with each other is so much fun!

• Our festival season is in full swing.  We went to the county fair and the Illinois State Fair over several weekends.  Addy enjoyed her first snow cone and loved checking out all of the animals.  She also got to check out the butter cow at the state fair, which she wasn't all that thrilled over.

Checking out the tires of the combine at the county fair.

Yes, the cow is carved from a huge block of butter!

Trying to stay cool at the State Fair.
• We found a really neat nature center very near our house. I have heard about the area before, but had no idea there was so much for kids to do and explore.  We checked it out this past Sunday and Addy loved it.  Since Derek and I grew up exploring the outdoors we love to find places where Addy can do the same. 

Hanging out on a tree.

Loving the horse tire swing, which she named Bullet.

Addy and Derek took the hard way and Carter and I took the bridge!

• We have had some potty training progress!!  I don't want to jinx her, so I'm not going to say much about it yet(3 days accident free:), but I will keep you posted:)

Sweet Home Indiana--Carter's First Visit

During the last week of July we packed up our vehicle and headed to Indiana for a 6 day visit with our families. We headed out on a Tuesday night after Derek came home from work and we shoved the last of the baby/toddler gear in the back of our SUV. It's always a surprise to me to see just how stuffed full our vehicle is as we pull out of our driveway for a trip home. I catch a lot of flack from Derek for packing "too much," but you never know what you're going to need!

First we headed to Derek's mom's house in Evansville.  This was Addy's first experience sleeping at Grandma's house in something other than the Pack-n-Play.  She slept on an inflatable bed and did a great job!  Since it was so hot outside we decided to so some inside activities.  Addy loved playing with Grandma's toys.  In the afternoon after lunch at Chik-Fil-A (one of our favorites) we headed to Pump It Up.  We had never been there before and didn't know what to expect.  It is a warehouse with huge inflatables for kids and their parents to jump around and play in. Addy was a little hesitant at first, but after a little coaxing and participation by us she warmed up to all the bounce houses and slides and ended up loving them.  Derek and I had a great time too, but several of the items on the inflatable obstacle course helped to remind us that we aren't so young anymore. 

I think I can, I think I can....

After spending the day with Derek's mom we headed to my parents house to visit my family for a few days. As you can see in the picture, Carter's first visit to my parent's house included his very own cake, which he couldn't eat but we were happy to enjoy it for him and he did manage to shove his head in the yummy icing during the photos.    On Thursday my mom took off work to watch Carter, and we took off with Adalyn to Holiday World.  She LOVED Holiday World.  It was interesting to see the park through her eyes.  After working there for so many years (seven to be exact) I still tend to walk through the park with the mentality of an employee. There were even several instances when I saw trash on the ground and I has to remind myself that it wasn't my responsibility to pick it up, which I know is very sad.  So, it was nice watching her take in all of the excitement.  She loved Splashin' Safari and played in the water playground with her dad for quite a while.  She even went down a few of the water slides on her own.  Addy also enjoyed the kiddie rides and the fountains at Holidog's Funtown. 

We took a break midday and headed back to my parent's house so that Addy could get her nap.  Addy gets down right cranky when we are out and about and she doesn't get her nap!  After resting at mom and dad's Ashley came along with us back to the park for more fun. In the evening we stayed in the dry park and Addy rode most of the Kiddie Rides.  We also ate in the restaurant I used to work in--Kringles.  The highlight of the evening was taking Addy on the Frightful Falls log flume.  Since Addy is a tall two year old she met the height requirements and acted very interested in giving it a shot.  We were a bit nervous about how she would do, but she showed no nervousness in line and after going down the hill she asked to go again!  We finished a great visit to the park with Udderly Blue ice cream, which may have been Addy's favorite part!

On Friday we spent the day with my parents.  We considered doing several things but ultimately decided to stay close to home.  We actually went to the Candy Castle and Christmas Store in Santa Claus.  I have been wanting to go to the candy Castle for a while now, but never found the time when we were home.  It is a really neat place with great frozen hot chocolate.  Since we were in Santa Claus we decided to drop in to the Christmas Store and much to our surprise Santa was there.  Addy eagerly sat on his lap (another surprise!) and we took pictures of Addy and Carter with Santa. 

Addy's always manages to find the books and suckers someone into reading with her!

Carter modeling a hat at the Candy Castle

Later that evening we went to visit my Grandma Heilers.  This was the first time she met Carter and she hadn't seen Addy since we were home in April, so she was very surprised to see just how big both kids were.  We also went to visit my cousin who was recovering from back surgery after a crazy fall.  We were glad to see that she was up and about and doing well.  Carter got to meet several of my aunts and uncles, which is always a trip:) I caught some flack from my aunt Ruth for being late on posting to the blog and I'm sure that she is currently not happy that it has been three weeks since I last posted!  It was great to see all of them and catch up.

Visiting Great Grandma--She's got her hands full in this picture!

Saturday we spent the morning packing up our overstuffed SUV and headed back to Derek's mom's house to go out to eat and spend the night before heading home.  Sunday morning Carter and I headed to Red Robin to meet my friend Sheila and her mom for lunch. Sheila and I played basketball together at Olney and have been very close ever since. She hadn't met Carter before then and it was great catching up with her in person instead of on the phone.

Our trip home to Indiana was great.  As usual we didn't get to see everyone we would have liked.  It seems as though that's the way it always goes.  However, it was great seeing everyone we did get the chance to see and enjoyed the time with our families.  Carter did relatively well in car and seemed to really like his first visit to the Hoosier State!

Carter got to meet his Uncle Brian on this visit to Indiana.

Sporting the Holdiay World gear Brian bought him.

Two Months Old!

Carter is two months old today.  I can't believe we have had our wonderful baby boy for two months already!  He has brought so much joy and love to our family in such a short time.  Adalyn loves her baby brother and enjoys entertaining him and making him smile.  So far Carter is a very calm, mild mannered baby.  He is quite the eater and weighs about 15 pounds.  He is still eating every 2.5-3 hours and wakes up for feeding during the night at the same intervals.  Carter is a very smiley baby, especially when he has a full tummy.  He loves to smile at his sister and has also been getting excited at toys and reaching for them.  We look forward to watching him continue to grow and develop and cherish these days with our baby boy (yes, even the late night feedings:)

Survival Mode

About a week ago  Derek went on a business trip in Napa Valley, California.  He left very eary Thursday morning and got back very late on Saturday.  I was at home on my own with the kids, which was quite the challenge.  Thursday morning I immediately switched to survival mode.  Sure, Adalyn may have watched a few more cartoons than she is usually allowed to watch and both kids might have stayed in their jammies until after lunch, but we SURVIVED!  Derek's being gone certainly made me realize how nice it is to have him home in the evenings.  Bedtimes were a huge challenge on my own.  Carter still isn't sleeping through the night, and Adalyn has been waking up more often through the night since Carter has been born.  Needless to see, by the time Derek came home I was exhausted.  Even though Derek had a long day of traveling home, he let me sleep in on Sunday, which I greatly appreciated!  Sunday afternoon we headed to the Decatur Zoo.  The zoo was having a special event about keeping the animals cool and was giving out lots of ice cream to its visitors.  Addy loved her ice cream cones (yes, she had two!) It was a great way to end a hectic week! 

Addy loves to help me cook in the kitchen and helped me make a "welcome home" cake for Derek.

Derek and Adalyn checking out the goats at the zoo.

Carter and Addy's new ride

Festival season is just around the corner.  If you know us, you know that we love to attend the local festivals in our area.  Here is a picture of our friend Kim and Carter at the Sugar Creek Art Fair that we attended a few weeks ago. 

Carter continues to grow and grow.  He has grown out of many of his three month clothes and is filling out his six month clothes better than any other 7 week old I have ever seen.  Overall, he continues to be a very easy going.  He is smiling a lot now and loves to watch his busy big sister.  Even though he isn't consitently sleeping through the night, he has had some longer stretches without eating lately, which has given me hope that the light at the end of the tunnel is near.  For now, I will continue to take the four hour stretches when I can get them and remain thankful that he is sleeping as much as he is! 

It's never too early to put a bball in their hands (or feet)

Big Smiles!

Addy was a big help around the house when Derek wasn't home.  She has become more and more interested in playing with and spending time with Carter as he is becoming more and more alert.  It is a lot of fun watching her interact with him.  Sometimes she gets a little too rowdy and needs to be reminded that Carter's just a babe.  Potty training in the Freihaut household continues to be an intersting journey...full of highs and lows.  Last week we started a potty chart where Addy would earn stickers to work for a prize.  The prize was a set of Dora Mega Blocks that we found on clearance at Toys-R-Us and Derek just had to buy.  We decided it would make a good potty prize.   Addy is crazy about legos and loves to build things with her dad.  We put the prize on our dining room table and Addy sat and admired it many times throughout the days.  Needless to say it only took her a week to earn the prize and she was ecstatic to play with her new blocks.  After earning the blocks we took many steps backward and she is now on a "potty strike."  She wants nothing to do with sitting on the potty and is just fine with wearing her diapers.  We'll see if we can make progress in the next few weeks!

Catching Up

Yes...I am quite aware that I have not posted on here in quite sometime.  I don't really have any good excuses as to why it hasn't happened.  I just haven't sat down to write an actual entry.  Since a lot of time has passed since our last post, this post will be rather lengthy and have subtitles.  Don't worry, as we start to settle down into an actual schedule (I know I am dreaming here, but just let me dream) I hope to get back to blogging on a more regular basis.  Without further ado..read on to find about what is going on in the Freihaut household. 

Happy Fourth of July

Over the long holiday weekend my parents and sister came to visit.  They were on a week vacation from work and decided to spend it in exciting Illinois!  The motivating factor in coming to see was that they got extended time with Carter and Adalyn.  They got their fair share of time with the kids, as we kept busy and did lots of playing.  On Friday we had a picnic in the park and Adalyn got to play with Ashley in the splash park and playground. 


Saturday we headed to Logan's for dinner to celebrate Mom and Dad's 30th aniversary.  Ashley and I also headed to the mall by ourselves.  I was so happy to be able to manuever the stores minus a huge stroller or two kids.  We certainly were able to get around a lot quicker and take our time looking at things I would never to take time to look at otherwise. 

Thirty Years!

We celebrated the Fourth of July at home by grilling out, lighting a few fireworks and watching the fireworks displays of the small towns all around us from our back yard....which is one of the advantages of living in oh so flat Illinois!  You can literally see for miles and miles!  My parents and Ashley headed home on Monday.  We really enjoyed their visit and are excited about coming to Indiana to see them and our other family and friends later this summer.

Aunt Ashley & Carter

Playing in the backyard

My dad and Brian recently went to a Reds game and brought home shirts for us.  We are so excited that the Reds are actually doing well this season!  Let's hope it continues.  GO REDS!

Huey Fought the Deer..the Deer Won!
A few  weekendsago we headed to our nephew Cameron's first birthday party at his house in Indiana.  The original plan was for Derek and Adalyn to head there for the day and for Carter and I to stay home. saturday morning we made a last minute decision for everyone to go. We dicided that Carter would be fne on the drive and would probably sleep most of the trip and we would just hang out in the air conditioning for much of the party to keep him comfortable.  Carter did an excellent job on the trip and the party was a lot of fun.  Addy had a fabulous time playing with the other kids and swimming and playing on Cameron's new playset.  It was a successful day and we are really glad we all made the trip to see family and celebrate Cameron's big day.  He was a super cute birthday boy and handled all of the attention very well! I was so pleased with how the day had been going until our drive home when we hit a bit of a bump in the road....literally.  Just before exiting the interstate to begin the final 20 mile leg home, a deer jumped out in front of us and I hit him with the front right side of Huey (for those of you who don't know, we call our Saturn Vue, Huey:)  The damage the deer did was extensive and our vehicle had to be towed.  We were all ok and uninjured, but had to spend a bit of time on the side of the interstate waiting for the policeman and the tow truck.  We were happy to hear that the Vue wasn't totaled and it has already been repaired!

Cameron enjoying his first birthday cake

Happy Father's Day
We spent Derek's first Father's Day as a father of two at home relaxing.  We were a bit tired from our adventure to Indiana the day before and decided to stay home.  Derek enjoyed watching the White Sox game with his newest White Sox fan and we also grilled out.  Addy drew Derek a picture of the family that we were all impressed by.  It was complete with legs, arms, eyes, and mouths for everyone.  Usually Addy doesn't sustain long enough to get near that much drawing accomplished, so I must have caught her on a good day!

SIX YEARS!
Derek and I celebrated six years of marriage on June 26th.  Although it doesn't seem that long ago that we walked down the aisle, our lives have certainly changed (for the better) during those six years.  Six years and two kids later we are lovin' life and are excited to continue our adventures!

Lots of Visitors
During the month of June we were blessed to have many visitors come to stay with us.  Derek's mom came up with us after Cameron's birthday party.  In fact we were very fortunate that Derek was driving her car back to our house when I hit the deer because then we had a ride home.  While she was visiting we took the kids out and about to run errands and she watched Carter so that Derek and I could take Addy to her twos class. 

The weekend after Father's Day Cory, Courtney, and Cameron Freihaut came to stay with us for an evening on the way to a White Sox game in Chicago.  We really enjoyed their vist and Addy loved having Cameron at her house. 

Freihaut Cousins

Growing Like A Weed
A few weeks have passed since our last post and since then Carter has continued his rapid growth.  At his 2 week appointment on June 15th he weighed 11 pounds 10 ounces and measured to be 22.5 inches long.  He continues to gain strength and is starting to gain more control of his head.  I was jumping with joy when he slept five hours overnight this past Friday (July 2nd).  However, since then he has went back to his waking every three hours to eat schedule.  Hopefully we'll be extending those stretches very soon!  Carter has also started to pay more attention to people and their voices.  He has started to crack smiles when he is talked to and smiled for the first time last Tuesday (June 29th) when I was talking to him in the goofy "baby talk" voice. 

ONE MONTH OLD!

Little Mother Hen

Addy has really adjusted well to having a little brother.  She continues to be a huge help to me around the house, especially during diaper changes.  She loves to play with Carter and has really loved the fact that Carter has been more alert and wide-eyed during the last few weeks.  When Carter gets upset she sings her rendition of "Hey Jude" to soothe him.  We played/sang that song quite frequently to Addy when she was a baby because it was an instant soother for her.  It's very entertaining to hear and if I can ever get her to get over her aversion to cameras I will try to record it and post it on here.  Addy has also taken a liking to all of the "new" baby items around the house.  Even though most of the baby gadgets are on their second use, they are new to Addy and she is curious!  Just today she was yelling "help" in the play room and when I came in to rescue her she was in the bassinet part of the pack & play.  She has also tried to put Carter's diapers on her potato heads (she let us know that they don't fit) and she has climbed into the baby swing several times.

Since our last post we have also started taking Addy to a twos class that is offered through the parks and recreation department.  It meets each Tuesday evening and Derek or myself go with her.  The class focuses on art projects, stories, and songs that center around a common theme for the class.  We have had several classes and it has been a good way to introduce her to a structured classroom setting.  It is certainly interesting to watch two year olds interact in a classroom and I must say that storytime with a room of two year olds is a challenge for all involved--teachers, parents, and toddlers! 

On Sunday we took advantage of my parents being in town and left Carter at home with them as we took Adalyn to her very first movie.  Derek, Addy, Ashley, and I headed to town to see Toy Story 3.  We weren't sure what to expect from Addy, but she did a great job.  She did have to stand and move around through some of the movie, but for the most part she was very well behaved and paid attention to the movie.  She also took advantage of the all-you-can-eat popcorn and the fact that we let her keep her hand in the tub in exchange for being content.  It was good that there weren't more than 10 other people in the theater because Addy had the tendency to talk out loud and comment on the movie as it was playing. 

Our Little Bookworm

Addy continues to LOVE books.  She is always bringing us and anyone visiting a book to read with her. So, if you come to visit expect to read at least one picture book with our little bookworm!

Lots of things have happened throughout the last few weeks.  It is hard to believe that it is already July and that Carter will turn six weeks old this week! Wow,  time is truly flying by!

First Weeks as the Freihaut Foursome

Our first few weeks as a family of four has been wonderful.  It certainly has been a learning experience for all of us as adding a newborn to the family has certainly changed our well established routines. So many people told me that Addy will seem so old once Carter was born and they were certainly right!  She seems as though she had grown several inches and matured by many years in just a few weeks.  Addy is a wonderful big sister and loves to give Carter hugs and kisses.  She has also been a big help in getting things for Carter--diapers, wipes, toys, etc.  She thinks that Carter should always be played with, even when he is napping. 

During Carter's first week Derek was home with us and it was nice to have that time together as a family.  Having him at home with us was a huge help and also enabled us to give Adalyn lots of attention and allowed me to get some much needed sleep.  Carter is a  pretty low key baby, but also has quite an appetite.  He has been eating every 2-3 hours.  He does sleep in 2-3 hour stretches through the night and will lay down on his own, which is something Addy didn't like to do.  On Tuesday (6/2) we had Carter's first doctor appointment. Addy stayed home with her Grandma Freihaut. At the appointment Carter weighed 9 lbs 12 oz and measured 21.5 inches.  The doctor was very happy with his weight gain considering that he was nursing and said that his color looked very good.  After the appointment Derek, Carter, and I stopped for lunch at one of our favorite Bloomington restaurants--Meatheads.  Of course, Carter slept through the whole lunch date, but it was his first visit to a restaurant and his mom and dad enjoyed it.

When Carter was a week old the weather was beautiful and Addy had been itching to go out and about so we took the kids to the park for a fun picnic.  After eating and the playground we decided that since Carter was still sleeping we decided to take a quick trip through the zoo.  Addy loved walking through to see the animals and has been asking to go back everyday since we went there.  It is no secret that we don't stay home very often and love to go out and about.  Having to stay home more is one of the biggest changes that Adalyn has had to adjust to.  She is so used to us being on the go that she asks to go somewhere  multiple times each day. 

This past week was Derek's first week back to work. On Monday five of my friends from my second grade team came up for a visit. They brought us lunch and my good friend Kristi brought her daughter Charli to play with Addy. Addy and Charli went to Patty's together and have become best friends. Adalyn says that she misses Charli quite often and was so excited for her to come to her house to play. It was so nice of them to come up to visit and we loved having them. Seeing them made me think about how much I'm going to miss seeing them everyday when the school year begins. We are planning a trip to IKEA later in the summer. We have gone together in years past and it ALWAYS proves to be a great time. I am really looking forward to another fun-filled, crazy trip!

The rest of the week went pretty smoothly.  On Thursday I decided to tempt fate and take the two kids out and about all by myself.  We headed to Bloomington to look for a few clothing items for our picture appointment on Friday.  We made stops at several stores, ate lunch with Derek, and cruised the mall in our new sit-n-stand stroller. Other than having difficulty maneuvering the huge boat of a stroller through clothing racks and running into several obstacles, our trip was a success.  However, I did find out that taking two kids out on my own is much more taxing and requires more strategy than I expected!  I was exhausted from the morning activities!  On Thursday afternoon we made potty training progress when Addy went tinkle on her princess potty.  It was a breakthrough as Addy hasn't been to enthusiastic about going on the potty.  In fact, she has been just plain stubborn about the entire process.  We celebrated her feat with a sucker and by adding a sticker to her potty crown.  Hopefully this will start to be a more regular occurrence!

On Friday morning we took the kids to get pictures taken.  We took Adalyn for pictures when she was two weeks old and wanted to do the same with Carter.  I also wanted to take a family picture and several pictures of the kids together. All in all the picture session was successful.  I wasn't sure how Addy would act because she has been notoriously difficult for pictures.  She did much better than I expected.  Of course it took bribes of fruit snacks to get her to listen to the photographers, but in the end we got some good pictures!

After pictures Derek's work was having a picnic for the employees and their families at a park in town.  Derek was planning to take Addy and since Carter and I were already in town we decided to go for a while.  Carter slept in his stroller/car seat the entire time, but got lots of compliments from Derek's coworkers.  Addy was all over the place and had a blast playing in the bounce house with the other kids. They also had a face painter who volunteered to paint Addy's face.  Much to our surprise Addy agreed and Derek came home with a sleeping kitty in his car.  It was a fun time and a great way for Adalyn to run off some of the energy she accumulated throughout the week. 

Overall, our first few weeks at home have been successful and enjoyable.  Although we are still learning about and adjusting to being a family of four, we are loving every minute we spend together.