Well, just a flashback to some pictures I found from February that I never got around to posting! And eventually I will get caught up and post about my SIX month old (maybe by the time he’s seven…) but here are some pictures of him just learning to sit up in the bumbo at three months.
My little bobble head at 3 months old!
Nothing like a family tennis tourney to round out a perfect vacation!
Team Hamilton for the WIN!!
The weather in HHI was cool, windy, and rainy so we only actually went to the beach once fully dressed! Despite mother nature not totally cooperating, whenever our family is all together it’s always a vacation! There were more than twenty of us in town the same week and it was such a blast to meet new baby Finn, do community style dinners, walk around the island, and play lots of tennis.
While we were in HHI we wanted to take some updated family photos. The weather didn’t cooperate for us to go out to the beach, but we improvised at the house and came up with some great ones!
The Morgans, Hamiltons, and “Southern” Nathans
The Collars, The “Northern” Nathans, and Lynchs
Poolside-- can you tell the little boys were totally over it??
My Precious Parents
My Little Family
Then we decided to get a little silly and model our gorgeous Lily&Laura bracelets.
It is impossible to eat or drink anything around Nolan now
without him trying to snatch it out of your hand!
Forget trying to drink something while holding him!
“Gimme the Juice!!!”
When I found out almost our entire extended family was going to be in Hilton Head for the spring, we decided to have Nolan’s Christening at the same church where we had Carter baptized so as many people could be there as possible to share in our special day! I was so excited that Reverend Yongue would be doing the service and both our boys would be baptized in the same church. It meant a lot to me that he was able to do the service for us and that Nolan was able to wear the Christening outfit my mom originally made for Carter. My inlaws were able to attend as well so the church was packed as everyone witnessed us accept God’s promises on Nolan’s behalf. I was so grateful that both his godparents (Alex and Madison) could attend the service too and afterward we all went back to the big house for lunch and cake. Even though we waited a bit longer than is traditional for both our boys to get baptized, it was important for me to be able to share this important milestone with our families. We thank God daily for both of our amazing little blessings and continue to pray over both of them that they will grow into wonderful, caring, Christian men and when the time comes, profess their faith in front of God and their families. Thank you to everyone who was able to attend and celebrate! God Bless!
Lincoln’s brother Cole and his wife Leslie had a baby just a month after Nolan was born. Because they live in Wisconsin we hadn’t had a chance to meet Cole Jr. yet but in the middle of April they took a road trip down south. They came to town for baby Cole’s baptism and we were so fortunate to have my friend {and pro photographer} Lauren on hand to capture the cousins meeting for the first time. We weren’t able to take any photos during the ceremony, but Lauren came ahead of time to get family pictures for us! I love how they turned out and am glad the babies got to meet each other!
God Bless baby Cole-- April 20, 2013
Uncle Madison (the youngest brother) & Nolan,
Uncle Cole (the middle) & Cole, Linc (the oldest) & Carter
Love these sweet babies <3
I really can’t take much credit for potty “training” Carter because to be honest, he came about it all on his own! Around the time he turned two we started to have conversations about going to the bathroom in the potty instead of using a diaper. We weren’t shy about using the toilet in front of him since C had a tendency to barge in anyway. He was familiar with the process and we read lots of books about how big boys use the potty. I never really had any intention of pushing it, especially once I found out I was pregnant because it was just one more thing I didn’t want to have to stress about. We already had to transition to a big boy bed, get rid of the paci, prepare for a new brother, go to school, it was just too many big things all at once! Plus I knew once Nolan was born I would be a little preoccupied.
Little Man showing off his Big Muscles
Fast forward a few months and C started mentioning when he would need to poop. Of course I would run him to the bathroom if it meant not having to change a giant stinky diaper! He really got the hang of it and basically “poop trained” himself before his third birthday with the help of some M&Ms if he did the deed in the potty. I figured that was the hardest part of potty training (or at least the part all my friends were struggling with) so I didn’t care if he wore diapers for pee until he was in kindergarten hahaha Well, one Friday morning in April he woke up and announced he was going to wear underwear. I must have been crazy because we had a super full day ahead of us but I agreed and we we haven’t looked back. That day we went to playgroup about thirty minutes away, out to lunch, ran errands, and basically went about life as if nothing had changed. C did great and told me every time he needed to go to the bathroom and went willingly before we got in the car for our long drives. He had a tiny accident that evening when he sneezed and was begging for a diaper. We talked about why he wanted one and I finally got him to explain that he thought I would be mad at him for having an accident. Once he realized exactly what the word accident meant, he was back to being excited about wearing underwear! That was more than a month ago and I am so proud of my boy. I cannot believe how easy this was. No boot camp. No staying home for weeks. No laying tarps on my carpet and never leaving the house. I knew if I let my stubborn boy lead the way he would do it on his own time and I was right!
I may not have very much advice as far as potty training goes (except to be patient and let your little one take the lead), but here are Carter’s favorite books that we read about going to the bathroom.
All of these can be found on Amazon!
