The Carter Chronicles: Alright...time to catch up on pictures

It's been a busy month around here. We went from the ER to Maine to lots of new moves by Jackson. We've had a great time though, and here are the pictures to prove it!

Scott and I traveled to Maine to attend the wedding of a good friend of his from high school. It just happened to be near Colby which made me very happy! Maine is gorgeous in the fall and we had perfect weather. We were in Freeport (lots of fun shopping!) and Augusta the first few days and then traveled down to Camden, ME which is right on the coast. So absolutely picturesque! I only wish we had a few more days to enjoy everything. Here are some pics from the trip...

The Camden harbor was full of beautiful tallmast ships. We had intended to take a short cruise on one of them but ran out of time. Gotta leave something for the next trip, right?

This cool waterfall ran right through the middle of town -- right underneath several businesses. You don't think of buildings in Maine needing to be on stilts but there were a few here.

Beautiful ships, beautiful fall colors, beautiful blue sky -- doesn't get much better!

Main street in Camden -- quaint and perfect!

It's Maine so you have to have a few lobster traps. I won't mention how many bowls of clam chowder I had while we were out there. It's kind of embarrassing!

Scott and I spent some time at Camden Hills State Park. It had a fantastic view out over the coast and down on the town of Camden. The beautiful leaves didn't show up as well in these pictures but they really were gorgeous.

The view down towards Camden and the harbor.

The next day, and our last day in Maine, the weather was a little dodgier. Quite a bit of rain but we still had a good time. Here is the much more commercial harbor of Rockland, ME.

On our drive back to Portland, we stopped at Boothbay Harbor. The town was pretty much shut down for the season but it was still pretty.

We had such a great time, especially knowing that Jackson was on the mend when we left! I don't think I could have left him if he was still sick when we left. Of course, I called home to check on things at least twice a day. Grandma and Grandpa had a wonderful time although I think it took a few days to recover from the sleep deprivation. I know Jackson had a great time and he's looking forward to Thanksgiving!

As I wrote last week, Jackson was having some real issues sleeping but that seems to have turned around. We're back to basically sleeping through the night. Yeah!! He's eating really well and he seems to be enjoying day care. As hard as it is for me to admit, I think it's good for Jackson to be in day care. He gets more stimulation there than what I could probably give him. He is just such a curious little boy. He studies everything he sees and there is alot more there for him to take in. That being said, I cherish every single minute I get to be with him after work and on the weekend.

This past weekend I really wanted to get some fun fall pictures taken. I bought several pumpkins in various sizes, dressed Jackson up in an adorable bear outfit that his Gramma Carter bought him and Scott and I got everything set up outside to get the shots. Unfortunately, Jackson had other plans. The minute we set him down with the pumpkins he started crying. I tried everything, all of the little tricks we know, to get him to cheer up. Nothing worked so we gave up, me grumbling all the way back into the house. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and we can try again next weekend. I really want some cute pictures with him outside.

Here are some pictures of what Jackson's been up to this month...

We got out Jackson's new exer-saucer and he's loving it! I'm continually impressed and amazed at his development (I'm his mom afterall). He isn't rolling over yet but he "talks" all the time, is constantly smiling and has started to laugh a little bit. He is also pushing himself up on his arms and likes to "stand" on our laps. It is just so incredible to watch a child develop, to learn new skills and make new discoveries. While he hasn't figured it all out yet, he's beginning to realize that he can move around in the exer-saucer and play with the toys.

Chewing on his hand -- one of his favorite things these days. I'm petrified that he is going to get his hand stuck in his mouth.

I just love this picture!! Look at those eyes!!

Jackson is also getting really good at pushing himself up on his arms. He keeps moving his legs too and I'm sure that it won't be too long before he's scooting around. It actually makes me a little nervous to think about him crawling. He's so active now that I'm not sure how we'll keep up with him.