Pregnancy Comparison...

This is me (almost) 33 weeks pregnant with Carter:

And this is me (almost) 35 weeks pregnant with Cooper:

Hello, Terrible/Terrific Two's

This little man officially turned 2 1/2 last month. I have heard about the "terrible two's" but thought, naively, that we might avoid them. Ha ha ha ha! Silly me :) This is, without question, the most exhausting and challenging stage of parenthood we've had since Carter was a newborn. That being said, it's also the most exciting and fascinating stage we've had yet! Here are a few highlights:

-The boy loves to talk. And talk and talk and talk. My mom thinks this is some form of hilarious payback/karma for how much I talked at this age too. She likes to remind me of how I wouldn't shut up the entire time she was in labor with my sister, Ashley. (I'm afraid that history might repeat itself in a few short weeks) Considering that Carter didn't really start talking until February of this year, I'd say he's making up for lost time.

He's extremely inquisitive and asks lots of questions. His favorite questions to ask when he hears ANY song are: "What are their names?" {the people singing} and "What they singing about?" And we aren't talking about Sesame Street songs... Have you ever tried to explain this to a 2 year old? Good thing I'm pretty creative :)

He also likes to ask me the name of every single toy he owns. He's not looking for an answer like, "That's a block" or "That's an airplane" .. he wants to know the NAME of the airplane. Like Bob or Fred or Larry. It's a bit ridiculous, but I really can't do anything but laugh since I was the little girl who also named every doll and stuffed animal I owned with a first, middle, AND last name. Ha!

Other funny things he's said recently:

{While crying because he didn't want to go to bed} "I don't like my big boy bed ANYMORE! I just like LIONS!!"

{At Sonic} Me: "Carter, do you like your milkshake?" Carter:"No, I just like lions"

{Walking out of Whole Foods}: "I just love you so much, mama!"

{At church when my dad called him on stage, Carter said right into the microphone}: "Hiii, Poppy!" As you can imagine, there was a collective, "Awww" by the audience. After we left the stage, he said to me, "Mama, I need a microphone!" Oh, Carter.

He LOVES to call me April. (In a very cute Southern accent, he draws out the "A" so it sounds like Aaaaapril) He often calls out from his room at night, "April! April! Come here, April!" One night he even said, "Jer and April! Come here, Jer and April!" It's honestly too cute for me to get upset about. I pick my battles these days.

-A few weeks ago, Carter decided he wanted to start potty training. I was planning on putting it off until after things were settled with Cooper, but he had other plans. The final straw for getting me to start was when he told his Sunday school teacher twice (the same day) that he had to go potty. We weren't working on potty training at all at this point, but you better believe I ordered a potty via Amazon the next day! I've heard that you'll "know" when they are ready .. and I took this as my sign. We have had pretty good success, in spite of my half-hearted attempts some days. I'd say he's about 75% of the way there.. not bad for a boy who isn't even 3.. and is pretty much training himself.

-We moved Carter to his big boy bed a few nights ago in order to put his crib in Cooper's room. Most days he says that he loves his big boy bed, but sleeping in it is still an issue. I have no further comments on his sleeping habits.. and only ask that you say a prayer for us over the next few months. I seriously have NO idea how we're going to manage Carter's lack of sleep with a newborn.

-As I mentioned before, Carter ADORES stuffed animals. If you knew me as a child, you wouldn't be surprised to hear that he has inherited this trait either. He has TONS of them.. both old and new.. and loves each and every one. He sleeps with them (when he actually sleeps), feeds them, makes them sing, reads them books, makes them cry and then rocks them.

-He also LOVES music. His current favorite (other than anything Sesame Street, which is still his total and complete obsession) is Taylor Swift. When he asks for her music it sounds more like, "Tay Sift!" He specifically loves the song, "Mean", to which he will belt out the chorus. He also is a pretty good dancer and will "shake his booty" to any beat. He did not inherit this from me. Or his dad.

-Words I would use to describe Carter at this age:

Inquisitive

Observant

Talkative

Funny

Smart

Energetic

Loving

Opinionated

Honeysuckle Giveaway

Honeysuckle, one of my favorite blogs, is having a giveaway!

Enter here and you could win some SUPER cute stuff! :)

Pinterest Love

Have you joined the awesomeness that is Pinterest? If not, you should! Check out Pinterest.com to see what all the fuss is about :)

I LOVE good quotes, so here are a few of my favs from my pinterest quote board:

*If you are interested in where these quotes came from, please visit my pinterest page and click on the individual pictures.. it will show you the original website.*