Spittin' and Rollin'

Over the last few days, Carter has been learning to roll over from front to back. Here's a little video of him in action (along with a nice spit up in the process!)

Catching Up and Carter 5 months

It's been a busy month! I just realized I haven't posted anything since Carter turned 4 months old and today he is already officially 5 months old! Time just keeps flying by. I decided to post pictures in a slideshow format because it's faster than downloading and I had too many to share. We enjoyed spending lots of time with family over the last month and are looking forward to several more parties in the few weeks. At times all the parties get a little overwhelming, but I am so thankful to have so many sets of grandparents that are still healthy and able to celebrate with!

My little superheroes
Carter at 5 months

Our sweet happy little Carter turned 5 months old today. I can't believe he's only been here 5 months because I can't imagine our life without him. He brings us so much joy everyday and it's so fun watching him learn and grow. Two weeks ago he had his 4 month check-up. Despite eatting pretty good, he's still not very big (14 lb., 7.5 oz...which is actually 2 lbs. heavier than Sam was at this age!) He continues to be a very happy and active baby... his little legs are constantly in motion. If you lay him on the ground he just kicks like crazy (this might explain why he doesn't weigh much). If you pick him up, all he wants to do is stand and bounce. He has the strongest legs and I'm so afraid he'll be like Sam and start walking at 9 months. He also continues to make the loudest noises and tonight he was literally screaming but he was happy the whole time. Sam just hates it when he does this (especially when he's watching cartoons!) Carter is finally getting the hang of eatting rice cereal. It's taken a couple of weeks for him to figure out the whole swallowing thing. The biggest problem now is that he gets so excited about the food that he squeals when I try to put it in his mouth and half of the meal ends up on me! I started feeding him already because I'm hoping this will help tank him up a bit at night. For the last 3 weeks or so he's been waking up in the middle of the night and wanting to eat. Since starting the cereal, he's doing better and last night he actually slept from 10-7! Hallelujah! He's also rollled over a couple of times from tummy to back, but nothing consistent at this point. He loves Sam and likes to grab at everything lately, including hair! The cutest thing is when he puts both of his hands on either side of my face. He'll gaze so sweetly into my eyes and then procede to suck my chin! So much for that sweet moment. :) He really is a good baby and we all love him so much!

4 months

Carter is 4 months old! A couple of weeks ago I had his pictures taken at Sears...I think they captured his happy personality quite well!

Life is definitely more busy with 2 kids, but we are adjusting and it helps that Carter is such a good natured baby. He is almost always very happy and smiles and laughs easily. He's discovered his own voice and can be very loud at times. Carter also loves to interact with us and giggles like crazy if you tickle him or sing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider". He loves to stand on our laps and has very strong legs. If I put him on his tummy on the boppy pillow, he is so strong that he launches himself over the pillow and ends up in the middle of the livingroom! :) Thankfully, Carter continues to sleep through the night but lately I'v been having to get up several times to put his pacifer back in. I would like to just throw that darn thing away, but I think it's probably too early yet for that. I thought he was going to be a thumb sucker, but so far he just continues to try and jam his entire fist into his mouth. This causes him to drool a lot and thus he's developing a red rash around his mouth. Other happening this month include: finding his feet (he likes to grab them and trys to pull off his socks), standing up in the exersaucer (he is very content to just hang out there and bat at the toys), upgrading to a size 2 diaper (I think he's about 14 pounds now), and clasping his hands together and grabbing things. People often ask how Sam is adjusting to a new baby. He's done very well and isn't jealous at all, but for the most part, Sam is rather indifferent to him. When little girls come over to our house, they all want to hold and kiss Carter. Not Sam. He will occassionally talk to him in a cute high pitched voice, but mostly he's just waiting until they can rough-house and wrestle. I'm not in any hurry!

Fall Fun

I haven't updated the blog in a couple of weeks, so here's some pics of our fun fall adventures...Sam up in an apple tree at Crane's Orchard. Every year we take our annual fall trip to Crane's to play in the orchard, go on a hayride, and eat at Crane's Restaurant...YUM! Since we went on a Wednesday evening (to avoid the big crowds and long lines) we were unable to go on a hayride, but Sam loved playing hide-n-seek in the orchard and climbing trees. Then we fatened ourselves up with every type of apple dish imaginable (spiced apple tea, apple dumplings, apple butter bread, etc.) Daddy and Sam walking through the orchard. Sam was pooped from all the running around. Last weekend, we enjoyed a "Family Movie Night". Sam loves to do this...we rent a kid's movie (Sam's choice was "Over the Hedge"..very cute!), blow up the air matress, and we all snuggle up to watch the movie and eat popcorn and Mike and Ike's candy.

Carving pumpkins! Daddy's job is to cut off the top and pull out all the yucky gunk. Mommy's job is to help cut out the face.EWW! YUCK!


My cute little pumpkins!


Sam was a very intimidating BATMAN!

Carter was a cute little sleeping froggie.
My Halloween cuties.

This is Sam trick-or-treating at a VERY scary house! There was screaming music playing and two spooky people in masks handing out the candy. Sam was so brave...he walked up to them all my himself, grabbed the candy, and then promptly ran back to mom and dad! :)

Later, we met up with Jon and Jen and the kids all went trick-or-treating at the grandparents' houses. Here's Sam with Mya the mooing cow. Owen was a little cow too...they were so cute dressed the same!

Great Grandma and Grandpa Kleinheksel

Chubby cousins!

Grandma Judy, Grandpa Ron and their grandbabies.

Crazy Weekend and Baptism

http://www.slide.com/r/AsTuZcfE0j8AUkakug3QrbeK2PqOdfjc?previous_view=mscd_embedded_url&view=original


This weekend was a bit of a whirwind...I'm NOT ready to go back to work tomorrow! Saturday we all headed over to Grandma and Grandpa Frego's house for another Michigan game (they lost again!). I think we've all decided to stop caring about the game and put more effort into our food because once again, we had a serious spread of snacks (potato skins, BBQ sausages, taco dip, veggies, cheese/cracker tray, etc.) To top it all off, Grandma bought a Captain Sundae icecream cake for dad's birthday! Happy 58th birthday pops! We all bought him a really nice fish fillet knife which I'm sure he'll put to good use next summer.

Then today, Carter and Owen were baptised at church and we had a nice luncheon afterwards at our church with both families. The boys both looked so cute in their knit outfits. I've included lots of pictures in the slideshow. Luckily both boys (and Sam and Mya) were super good the whole time! After the boys were baptised, Brian played his guitar and sang a solo called "Find Your Wings" by Mark Harris. It was really special and the words perfectly articulate how I feel in my heart about my boys and Owen and Mya too.

Verse 1
It's only for a moment you are mine to hold
The plans that heaven has for you will all too soon unfold
So many different prayers I'll pray for all that you might do
But most of all I want to know that you're walkin' in the truth
And if I never told you, I want you to know
That as I watch you grow...

Chorus
I pray that God would fill your heart with dreams
And that faith gives you the courage to dare to do great things
I'm here for you whatever this life brings
So let my love give you roots and help you find your wings

Verse 2
May passion be the wind that leads you through your days
And may conviction keep you strong and guide you on your way
May there be many moments that make your life so sweet
Oh but more than memories...

Chorus again

Bridge
It's not living if you don't reach for the sky
I'll have tears as you take off, but I'll cheer as you fly...

Chorus again

After the baptism/luncheon, I had a hour "break" and then Mom, Jen and I headed to Grandma K.'s house for a baby shower for Katy, the wife of my cousin Bryan. We had fun playing a bunch of shower games and then had MORE delicious food to eat. (obviously I'm not losing any of that post-baby weight due to all the parties lately!) Katy got a lot of nice gifts and we had a good time chatting about all our babies. The Kraker family has 3 babies due in the next 6 months! What a fun and crazy time in all our lives! Sometimes it seems so hectic, but I'm trying to remember to enjoy this season in my life and remember the words of the old adage that "they're only little once".

Maybe the last great weekend?

What a fabulous fall afternoon! Even though our Wolverines stink this year, we still had a good time at Grandma and Grandpa Frego's house enjoying family and food. The cousins, Carter and Owen wore their new Michigan outifts and Jen and I took lots of cute pics!

I love this one...kinda looks like Owen is whispering a secret to Carter!

I can just picture them as little old men some day, still hanging out together on a Saturday... watching football and drinkin' Natty Lights!

These are pretty typical pictures of Brian and Jon...sleeping through half time and the 3rd quarter.

After the game, we couldn't resist enjoying one last evening outside...the weather was so fabulous and I doubt it's going to be this warm again for a long time. :( Sam played in the yard collecting worms and got nice and dirty while Brian jimmy rigged a TV out to the deck! Later we roasted marshmallows and then put the kids to bed. Brian is STILL currently out on the deck in all his glory...watching football by a fire while drinking a cold one. :)

Baby Talk

Carter is really starting to interact and make the cuteset cooing noises. This video shows him "talking" with Brian. He just lights up when he hears his daddy's voice and gets so excited, causing Brian to turn into a babbling softy. I love how a baby can have that kind of effect on a man. So sweet.

Carter's 2 month checkup

Well, after pulling an accidental "no show" to his first appointment, I finally got Carter to his 2 month checkup...now that he's already 11 weeks old. Oops! Anyhow, he was his usual happy self and smiled at the nurses and doctor the whole time until they shoved 3 big needles into his thighs for his first round of immunizations. Poor little guy...he balled pretty hard and then promptly fell asleep. He weighed 11 pounds, 10 ounces and was 23 inches long. These stats along with his head circumfrence were all in the 25th percentile. Brian was not happy about the height percentile ("darn those Frego genes!"). I, on the other hand, was REALLY pumped that he has a little peanut head, especially after dealing with Sam's big melon and fighting with him for the first 2 years to get a shirt over his head! All in all, I'm just glad Carter is healthy and happy!

2 months old

Seriously...where does time go? My baby is already over 2 months old! Life with 2 kids is a lot more hectic, but we sure do love this little guy. Carter is a very good baby (keeping my fingers crossed) and usually quite happy. He smiles easily and likes to coo a lot and is even starting to giggle a little. He doesn't cry too often, and even when he does, it's not a very loud cry and sometimes we don't hear him until he gets really worked up. He's starting to sleep for longer periods of time, so mama is enjoying the extra sleep. He typically falls asleep around 8 or 9 and then I feed him again between 10-11 before I go to bed and he sleeps until around 3:30-4:30 (5:15 this morning!!but I'm not holding my breath). Unfortunately, he thinks it's time to wake up at 6:30 every morning, and as anyone who knows me can attest to...I don't do mornings! So, I do my best to cuddle with him in bed and try to help him fall back to sleep. Usually he falls asleep about the same time that Sam is waking up! Luckily our bedroom is next to the livingroom so my very independent 4 year old lets mommy get some extra sleep while he watches good ole' PBS and eats goldfish crackers. :) Currently, Carter's eyes are blue! Brown eyes dominate my family, so I'm so curious to see if his will stay blue or not. Brian and my Grandpa Frego are rooting hard for those baby blues to stay. Alot of people are commenting that he's looking more and more like Brian too. I still see a lot of similarities between the boy's baby pictures, but if those eyes stay blue, then I think he'll probably look like his very handsome daddy. :)

He's not a real cubby baby, but you just gotta love those sweet baby rolls. I estimate that he now weighs over 11 pounds.

I adore watching him sleep...so precious.

Sam is such a good big brother. I can't wait to see these two interact as Carter gets older, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to have my hands full with two boys!

A healthy happy heart!

Today Samuel had a check up appointment with his cardiologist, Dr. Lee (one of the most fabulous, genuine men I know). After a 30 minute ultrasound, Dr. Lee commented that "Samuel is truly amazing!" He had me in tears as he explained that it has been a "pleasure" for him to watch Samuel grow up and basically defy all the odds that were stacked against him at birth. We thank God for leading us to Dr. Lee and Dr. Bove (the surgeon at U of M) that have been instrumental in repairing Sam's heart and allowing him to be the carefree and VERY ACTIVE little boy that he is today. We honestly never expected him to be so full of life and I have to constantly remind myself that his energy is a huge blessing. In addition, Sam's blood/oxygen saturation levels were holding strong at 97% (as I've mentioned before, after his last surgery, the doctor's said is would be good if he could hit 90%). Again, God has been so good to us! To celebrate the great report, Sam and I stopped by the Meijer gas station for a big ole' donut. Am I a good mom or what?! :)

1st Day of Preschool

My handsome little man had his first day of preschool today. Where does time go? Wasn't it just yesterday that he was my baby and now he's all grown up with a big boy backpack ready to go to school! It was a very bittersweet day. I knows he's ready for it all, but am I?

Samuel was very excited about his first day of preschool, but mostly because his daddy got to attend as the parent helper. I have to admit, I was a bit jealous that he got to go rather than me, but I'm so glad that Sam has such a great daddy to look up to. He thinks the world of Brian and mimicks his every move (scary!).

Here's Sam getting ready to walk in the doors of his preschool classroom. He's so darn cute with that big boy backpack!

Here's Sam with his teacher "Miss Deb". His name was chosen to help with an activity requiring him to dress a felt doll in the appropriate clothes for today's weather. Apparently he was quite shy and not at all excited about all eyes being on him in front of the entire class (hum, wonder who he gets that from?)! Eventually, with the help of Super Dad, he warmed up and did a great job!

Feeling more in his element, Sam had a great time meeting new friends at "playtime".

Overall, it was a good first day and Sam says he wants to go back again on Friday.

I guess it's the beginning of the end and I'm going to have to learn to just let go...

Easier said than done.

Go BLUE!

Go Blue! The Wolverines got their first win of the season this past Saturday, despite what looks to be a frustrating rebuilding season. Whatever the outlook, you can be sure to find the Frego/Beckham family parked in front of the TV at Grandma and Grandpa Frego's house every Saturday this fall. It's a family tradition that we all look forward to. We are especially looking forward to a new style of football, thanks to the hiring of a new head coach, Rich Rodriguez. The old school days of Schembechler/Carr are gone! We'll give the Wolverines a one year grace period to adjust to the new philosophy, but next year we expect big things! In the meantime, we'll just enjoy another fall season of college football, including all the antics involved in a typical Sat. afternoon ... approx. 14 people packed into Grandma and Grandpa's livingroom to watch the big game; Mya and Sam wrestling on the floor; dad yelling at the ref's or coach or whoever he can point a finger at to place blame for another idiotic Wolverine screw up; Grandma shuffling in and out of the kitchen to replentish the coffee table buffet of fabulous snacks; Brian falling asleep at 1/2 time and most of the 3rd quarter; and of course, Grandpa leaving the room anytime the Wolverines blow another big play! :)

I couldn't resist this picture of our little Diva Mya...wearing her Wolverine poncho, accessorized with the perfect floral purse! :)