Thursday, December 15, 2011
Monday, December 12, 2011
Visit with Santa
Carter was a champ with Santa! Only two shots needed and this one was our favorite. It even captures Carter's signature drool right down the front of his vest. Merry Christmas!
New Toys?
We've had to get creative lately when it comes to entertainment for Carter. He's lost interest in most of his "real" toys, so I've let him explore household objects that seem to catch his eye. Currently he loves measuring spoons, the bulb of the turkey baster, and the laundry basket.
Unfortunately his interest in the basket didn't last very long as you can see the escape attempt.
Fortunately mom was there to catch him in the act. Back in the basket you go, buddy!
Unfortunately his interest in the basket didn't last very long as you can see the escape attempt.
Fortunately mom was there to catch him in the act. Back in the basket you go, buddy!
Friday, December 9, 2011
'Tis the Season
The Christmas season is here and we are loving the many celebrations and traditions that accompany this special time of year. I am especially enjoying the unseasonably warm Boston weather! I actually ran outside, in shorts, in Massachusetts, in December, and I was able to break a sweat while doing so! This might not seem terribly exciting, but it is truly a miracle when compared to last winter when we seem to get record snow falls weekly. At one point last year we even lost track of the Mini that was parked on the street because it was covered in piles and piles and piles of snow.
Beyond the great weather, we are getting into the Christmas spirit by focusing each day on Jesus Christ and the true meaning of the season. Each day we burn an advent candle to count down to Christmas day. While we burn the candle, we read a passage of the New Testament that highlights the Savior's life and ministry. This has been a great new tradition for our family as it allows us to turns our thoughts to the Savior daily and feel gratitude for Him.
We also thought it would be a great idea to make an ornament for Carter's first Christmas using the imprint of his hand. We of course bought a kit with the necessary items and figured it would be an easy breezy process to create a fun keepsake for Carter. Well, the box should have warned us that making this item with a child over 3 months is practically impossible, but like good first time parents, we were clueless when we purchased it so we were especially determined to make it work.
After several unsuccessful attempts of trying to get Carter to place his hand gently in the squishy material, we ended up with this:
Beyond the great weather, we are getting into the Christmas spirit by focusing each day on Jesus Christ and the true meaning of the season. Each day we burn an advent candle to count down to Christmas day. While we burn the candle, we read a passage of the New Testament that highlights the Savior's life and ministry. This has been a great new tradition for our family as it allows us to turns our thoughts to the Savior daily and feel gratitude for Him.
We also thought it would be a great idea to make an ornament for Carter's first Christmas using the imprint of his hand. We of course bought a kit with the necessary items and figured it would be an easy breezy process to create a fun keepsake for Carter. Well, the box should have warned us that making this item with a child over 3 months is practically impossible, but like good first time parents, we were clueless when we purchased it so we were especially determined to make it work.
Chris meticulously rolling the dough
Carter practicing his hand-printing
The hand-printing attempt (this was probably the 5th or 6th try)
That's right- a footprint! Only took us one try!
Monday, December 5, 2011
Monday, November 28, 2011
Friday, November 25, 2011
Happy Thanksgiving!
We have a lot to be grateful for this year! But mostly we are grateful for this little guy...
We enjoyed our trip to New Hampshire to visit with Nana and Grandpa Kellett, Aunt Cate, Uncle Jeremy and Aunt Liz, Great Aunt Cathy and Great Uncle Jim. The turkey and trimmings were delicious, Chris loved the bread pudding, and Carter especially enjoyed the attention from family members and hotel staff. Special thanks to Jeremy and Liz for hosting us in their hometown!
We enjoyed our trip to New Hampshire to visit with Nana and Grandpa Kellett, Aunt Cate, Uncle Jeremy and Aunt Liz, Great Aunt Cathy and Great Uncle Jim. The turkey and trimmings were delicious, Chris loved the bread pudding, and Carter especially enjoyed the attention from family members and hotel staff. Special thanks to Jeremy and Liz for hosting us in their hometown!
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Friday, November 18, 2011
Running Buddy
I've been running with Carter in the BOB stroller for a few months now and at first I didn't enjoy it very much, but now I have really grown to love it. It's a great opportunity for Carter to get outside and it gives me a chance to get a good workout in each day. With the weather changing and it getting pretty cold, I wondered if our running days were numbered. Fortunately we found this great sleeping bag that fits on the stroller so we can hit the trails rain or shine. Today it was sub 40 degrees, so we tested it out!
Ready to go, mom!
2 miles in...
I guess the sleeping bag was comfy enough! Not a peep out of buddy for the remaining 3 miles.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Family Photos 2011
For three years running we have taken Kellett family photos at Christmas time. I'm pleased we've kept the tradition alive year after year and even more pleased that we now have some really great family photos to share. Enjoy!
Photos taken by Seth Wood at Spy Pond, Arlington, MA.
Baby Scientist
We are fortunate to be surrounded by several great universities in the Boston/Cambridge area and they all do extensive research on babies and children. Carter was born at a Harvard affiliated hospital so we were put on a list to be contacted when opportunities for him to participate in studies were available. We've gone to the children's lab at Harvard a few times and at this last visit he got to wear this special cap.
This cap, which sits on the head much like a bathing cap, detects electrical activity in the brain when visual images are presented. I thought the study was particularly interesting as the researchers were looking to see if babies have the ability to estimate and make mathematical connections as adults do. Carter was into it for maybe 2 minutes at which point he became distracted by the room we were in and the chair we were sitting on. I have to give him credit for lasting as long as he did. He's always such a good boy and willing to go along with whatever we ask of him.
I also wanted to share this picture to document the never ending drool of this little boy. No teeth to report yet-- let the drooling continue!
This cap, which sits on the head much like a bathing cap, detects electrical activity in the brain when visual images are presented. I thought the study was particularly interesting as the researchers were looking to see if babies have the ability to estimate and make mathematical connections as adults do. Carter was into it for maybe 2 minutes at which point he became distracted by the room we were in and the chair we were sitting on. I have to give him credit for lasting as long as he did. He's always such a good boy and willing to go along with whatever we ask of him.
I also wanted to share this picture to document the never ending drool of this little boy. No teeth to report yet-- let the drooling continue!
Monday, November 7, 2011
Our little dragon
The best part of Halloween is definitely dressing up kids in costume. This was a new realization to me this year and so unfortunately for Carter, he had to endure numerous photos, parties, and activities, that all involved him being dressed in this adorable dragon costume, just to satisfy his mother.
We also took Carter trick-or-treating in Beacon Hill which was very festive and a lot of fun. The residents go all out for Halloween, dressing up, and decorating their homes. It looks a little something like this:
Most of all we enjoyed spending the evening together as a family and with friends from church. We also enjoyed eating all of Carter's candy since he's still working on the vegetable and fruit purée. Thanks for the treats buddy!
We also took Carter trick-or-treating in Beacon Hill which was very festive and a lot of fun. The residents go all out for Halloween, dressing up, and decorating their homes. It looks a little something like this:
Most of all we enjoyed spending the evening together as a family and with friends from church. We also enjoyed eating all of Carter's candy since he's still working on the vegetable and fruit purée. Thanks for the treats buddy!
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Crawling...sort of.
Just when I thought we'd have an immobile baby for a while longer, Carter decided to start doing this:
Oh boy! Here's to baby-proofing!
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Happy Halloween
Here at the Kellett household, we take our holidays very seriously. Halloween is no exception. This year we went over to the Parker's house for a good old fashioned pumpkin carving party. Cam and Emily were gracious hosts and we had a great time.
You already know about how we got our 2011 pumpkin, but would you believe that it would ever look like this:
It took a team effort to make this bad boy. Julie drew the design on the pumpkin while I held The Bear (aka Carter), then we traded pumpkin for Bear and I did the carving.
The carving began and after a battle with the pumpkin (and lots of sweating), the importance of using the right tools was proven, and we were all excited with the results.
You already know about how we got our 2011 pumpkin, but would you believe that it would ever look like this:
It took a team effort to make this bad boy. Julie drew the design on the pumpkin while I held The Bear (aka Carter), then we traded pumpkin for Bear and I did the carving.
The carving began and after a battle with the pumpkin (and lots of sweating), the importance of using the right tools was proven, and we were all excited with the results.
Special thanks to Great Aunt Becky for the skeleton outfit for Carter. He even glows in the dark!
Monday, October 24, 2011
Updated Stats
Carter recently had his 6 month checkup-- here are his updated stats:
Height- 27 inches; 50th-75th percentile
Weight- 20 pounds; 75th-90th percentile
Head Circumference- 17.5 inches- 50th-75th percentile
He keeps getting bigger and bigger (or heavier and heavier!). He's clearly thriving and taking his food very seriously. Thankfully he's not crawling yet, but he has figured out how to roll his way around the room to get to toys and he's discovered how loud he can be when he yells, "ba-ba-ba" and "ma-ma-ma". Currently his favorites are: his stuffed blue dog "Spunky", the TV remote, mirrors, walking/running in his baby walker, my blackberry, the swings at the park, and bath time. Six months is definitely a fun age as Carter is full of personality and curiosity for life!
Height- 27 inches; 50th-75th percentile
Weight- 20 pounds; 75th-90th percentile
Head Circumference- 17.5 inches- 50th-75th percentile
He keeps getting bigger and bigger (or heavier and heavier!). He's clearly thriving and taking his food very seriously. Thankfully he's not crawling yet, but he has figured out how to roll his way around the room to get to toys and he's discovered how loud he can be when he yells, "ba-ba-ba" and "ma-ma-ma". Currently his favorites are: his stuffed blue dog "Spunky", the TV remote, mirrors, walking/running in his baby walker, my blackberry, the swings at the park, and bath time. Six months is definitely a fun age as Carter is full of personality and curiosity for life!
Carter with Spunky
Fall Festivities
Fall has officially arrived in New England and we have been busy taking full advantage of all of the activities fall has to offer. First was hunting for the perfect pumpkin. We decided we'd make the hunt a true event by heading out of the city to a local farm where we introduced Carter to his first petting zoo and where Chris could indulge in some of his favorite fall treats- hot apple cider, kettle corn, and cider donuts. We really enjoyed the farm but unfortunately we arrived so late in the day that all of the good pumpkins were gone. We snagged a quick picture to document the effort and left without a pumpkin, but with full stomachs instead.
Carter is obviously thrilled about the pumpkins.
We did fortunately find a couple pumpkins at a stand on our way back home so overall the day was a success!
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Monday, October 3, 2011
General Conference Weekend
We made a quick trip out to Utah this weekend to meet up with friends and my family and also for General Conference. It was great to hear messages from the leaders of our church and we also enjoyed meeting up with family and friends. My best friend, Angela, her husband, and son, came in from Phoenix and we were able to get our little boys together for the first time. We had to document the occasion of course and here's what we got:
The first attempt with the boys on moms' laps.
The second, more successful attempt, with the dads.
We wish we didn't live 2600 miles away from little Riley Bear (and Angela & Travis!). Carter was amused by all of the interesting things 15 month olds can do. We can't wait until our next play date!
Friday, September 23, 2011
Solids
Carter is on the cusp of his 6 month birthday and each day solid food is becoming more and more interesting to him. He's had some rice cereal, but I'm pretty sure he knows we're holding back the good stuff. Since he has started to whine for food and grab it from our hands I felt like maybe the time had come to introduce a few new things. I have to admit I'm not very surprised by Carter's interest in food. He's been a serious eater since birth even making a high pitch squeal to tell me he needs more food (after he had already eaten 10 ounces.) So we gave in last night and brought out the peaches.
Not sure what to expect...
First bite...
Success!
Peach mustache. Happy boy.
Baseball Season
Only a few more games left in the regular season for the Sox and we have high hopes for our team! Especially this guy who has been cheering them on and watching games since he was born.
As a mom I was a little concerned about the amount of time Carter was spending in front of the TV because he and Chris were watching games almost every night. But then I thought, what great bonding time and who cares if it keeps them both entertained for a couple hours! Plus Carter mastered some very important skills as a result. Most important of all- pushing up and holding his big old head steady so he can see the action on the screen from the floor.
Can't you can see the longing for victory in his eyes? Please don't let this little boy down Red Sox!
As a mom I was a little concerned about the amount of time Carter was spending in front of the TV because he and Chris were watching games almost every night. But then I thought, what great bonding time and who cares if it keeps them both entertained for a couple hours! Plus Carter mastered some very important skills as a result. Most important of all- pushing up and holding his big old head steady so he can see the action on the screen from the floor.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Happy Anniversary!
Chris and I celebrated our 2 year wedding anniversary this past weekend in New Hampshire. It was so nice to get away and enjoy the great weather and picturesque surroundings near the coastline. We enjoyed the pool, the food, and the shopping! Here's to many more fantastic years to come!
Monday, August 15, 2011
The Stats
Carter had his 4 month appointment last week and here are his growth stats:
Height: 26 inches
Weight: 17 pounds, 2 ounces
Head Circumference: 43 centimeters
He is BIG! At 4.5 months these are Chris' stats:
Height: 23.5 inches
Weight: 16 pounds, 2 ounces
Head Circumference: 45 centimeters
He has outgrown his dad already (except his head size!) We think he's quite the expressive little boy!
Height: 26 inches
Weight: 17 pounds, 2 ounces
Head Circumference: 43 centimeters
He is BIG! At 4.5 months these are Chris' stats:
Height: 23.5 inches
Weight: 16 pounds, 2 ounces
Head Circumference: 45 centimeters
He has outgrown his dad already (except his head size!) We think he's quite the expressive little boy!
Monday, August 8, 2011
Cabo San Lucas 2011
A Nelson family tradition for the last 5 or 6 years has been an annual trip to Cabo San Lucas each summer. It's a great get away with lots of sun and it's a relatively easy destination to travel to (especially when you live on the West Coast.)
This year we were so excited to join Julie's parents and brother and sister-in-law for a much needed escape and some R and R. It was a relief to get out of the Boston humidity for a few days and get some down time by the pool and ocean. However, upon our arrival we quickly realized that our New England skin was not so ready for the strength of the Mexican sun (especially the fairest of us all, baby Carter.) Fortunately we had packed our 50+ SPF sunscreen so we were able to ward off the sunburn for the majority of the vacation. We did such a good job in fact that on our last day in Cabo, several people asked if it was the first day of our trip because we were so pale still!
While there were many activities to take advantage of each day, what we enjoyed most about the trip was great food, lots of sleep, and time with family. We also were excited to introduce Carter to two new firsts- his first swim and his first foreign country (and first stamp in his passport!)
This year we were so excited to join Julie's parents and brother and sister-in-law for a much needed escape and some R and R. It was a relief to get out of the Boston humidity for a few days and get some down time by the pool and ocean. However, upon our arrival we quickly realized that our New England skin was not so ready for the strength of the Mexican sun (especially the fairest of us all, baby Carter.) Fortunately we had packed our 50+ SPF sunscreen so we were able to ward off the sunburn for the majority of the vacation. We did such a good job in fact that on our last day in Cabo, several people asked if it was the first day of our trip because we were so pale still!
While there were many activities to take advantage of each day, what we enjoyed most about the trip was great food, lots of sleep, and time with family. We also were excited to introduce Carter to two new firsts- his first swim and his first foreign country (and first stamp in his passport!)
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