Adventures in crawling

Carter is super-mobile these days, and it's a lot of fun. The two main areas he's allowed to roam freely in (because they're baby-proofed) are the living room/kitchen and our master suite. For the most part, I don't have to chase him around in those areas and constantly take things away or say no, which would be frustrating to us both.

When I shower in the mornings, I usually put him in the doorway bouncer that hangs in the closet door. He's never really been that interested in bouncing in it, though, and by the time I'm out of the shower, he starts whining to be let out. So on Friday morning, I decided to let him roam free during my shower, just to see what would happen. (Our shower is all-glass, so I could see him the whole time.) He stood next to the shower watching me, with his nose pressed against the glass for the most part. But then he ventured into the closet, and this is what I found when I got out of the shower:



I have a caption ready for that picture: "Daddy is right. You have way too many shoes, Mommy." ;-)

We went to IKEA on Friday afternoon, and one of the things I got was this play tunnel. I'd seen them there before and had been thinking it would be fun to get one when Carter started crawling. I was a little worried about how he would react to it, but he LOVED it!



He crawled right in, and giggles and laughs like it's the best thing ever. Here is a cute video of him in it last night:



It folds up easily, and it was really cheap. I love IKEA!

It warmed up yesterday afternoon, so we spent some time sitting out in the driveway out front. Carter seemed to have fun exploring. It's so amazing how compelled they are to explore at this age.



He seems to be coming out of the fussy stage he's been in lately, and will spend more time playing independently than he would a week ago. He just crawls all over the place and touches everything. He will come over to me or Doug every now and then as if he's checking in, and then go back to playing. He tends to be a bit clingier in the evenings, especially when Doug is out of town, but I'm able to cook without him hanging on my leg now. He's also sleeping a lot more soundly than he did a week ago, and goes to sleep without much of a fuss. For now, anyway. ;-)

Here is one more picture from a couple of days ago. I've been wanting to get him some toy cars, and they had these toddler cars at Target for really cheap (I think they were $3.50 each). He really likes them, though he mostly holds them and spins the wheels, and then chews on them. He likes it when I drive them all over him to tickle him.



He got this Bee-Bop Band set for Christmas, and he really likes it. I've been trying to teach him how to play the drum and how to hit the sticks together. He's catching on, and it's so cute to watch! I'll have to get a video of him playing the drum sometime.

He's had a runny nose all week, but I don't think it's going to turn into a cold. It seems like it's getting better now, and he is in a much better mood. He's a bit more patient when I come at him with the nose bulb now. Maybe he realizes it will feel better after his nose is suctioned out, heh. I had bought an automatic one that is battery operated and plays music to distract your baby. A COMPLETE waste of money, OMG. He is terrified of it. When the music starts, he will whimper in fear. The bulb is easier and faster. I should have done my research on that one. :-P