Carter is technically the oldest, because his head was the furthest down the birth canal. Because there were two babies, however, he was coming down at an angle and his head became jammed during labor. Have I ever mentioned that my pregnancy lasted 37.5 weeks and I begged my doc to induce me because it was the hottest, most humid day of the year? Anyway, I was induced and went pretty quickly into my 24 hours of labor. Then it was finally time to push, and I did that for 3 hours. I was about ready to throw in the towel at that point - no sleep, no food, and the exhaustion one gets from having contractions for so long made me a bit crabby. The doc told me my 3 hours was up and it was time for a C-section. She could have told me they were going to use chains to pull them out and I would have been fine with that. I just wanted to be done with the whole ordeal.
Thirty minutes later, little Carter came out squeaking at the world via C-section. He had (and still has) a bump on his head from the many hours it was wedged in the pelvic canal. He was a crabby baby, which we soon found out was due to reflux. He also wouldn't nurse, so I gave up and starting pumping into bottles for him (and eventually his brother, because it was just easier that way). Carter had many doctor visits his first year of life and spend several months sleeping in a bouncy chair in his crib. He puked all the time! Like 30 times a day! We actually put a tarp on the living room floor in order to save our carpets. Then, at about a year of age, the reflux suddenly stopped and he's hardly thrown up since.
Carter was a pretty typical toddler, but at about 15 months he turned into the World's Pickiest Eater, a title he still holds to this day. It probably explains why he is so skinny, but food is just not a priority with him. He would rather go without eating anything than force down something he doesn't like (which is almost anything that isn't pizza, peanut butter, or cereal). We've fought many battles over this and have finally decided to give up. With 3 other kids needing our attention, this was one thing we decided to let go.
Now Carter is almost ten. TEN! He is still skinny and still has a bit of a squeaky voice, but I can now see in him the young man he will soon be. He loves soccer, tolerates piano, and will play touch football - but don't tackle him. He is a little dramatic about getting hurt. Carter is also an excellent student and a rule-follower to boot. What teacher wouldn't like him?
He loves a good joke and will read the funnies whenever he finds a newspaper. He has also read all of my Calvin and Hobbes comic books. I just love his laugh - it is infectious. Interestingly, he isn't much for hugs (hmm.. where did he get that from?), but will sometimes, even now, come up and hug me or grab my hand when we are walking. But these things have to be on his terms. Carter is responsible, independent, and unsentimental. He "fake cries" at sad movies (like Old Yeller) that make the other kids cry for real.
His brother is showing an interest in girls, but that is not Carter's thing. He would rather play or watch sports. Or read. But romance - absolutely not. Good thing, too, because he does not dress well. I am no fashionista, but even I am embarrassed sometimes by his too-short jeans and old t-shirt outfits. Look at the photo - his t-shirt totally clashes with his shorts! His travel tastes are also interesting. He LOVES the suburbs. He wants to live in Maple Grove forever. Not a fan of the country or the city. His idea of a perfect vacation would be to travel to another suburb, like Plymouth (MN).
I love this age because kids think they can do anything with their lives and haven't had reality beat that out of them yet. For awhile he was going to be a professional football player. (Remember how he doesn't like to get tackled? According to him, was too fast and would never be tackled! Easy!) Now he will be a professional soccer player. And why not? He thinks he's good at everything. I'll let him hold on to that for as long as possible.
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