Carter's Birthday Party and Now Paci-Free

This picture pretty much sums up Carter's birthday: he's holding up 3 fingers and stuffing his face with cake.

We celebrated Carter's birthday Saturday with 18 adults and 10 children. Fortunately the weather was perfect and so everyone was able to be outside. Every gift he received was automotive themed...except for one and it was train themed. Cars to be built from Legos, car puzzles, remote control cars. Carter was in heaven. One child, who also loves cars and is quickly approaching 5, asked us why Carter was named Carter. He thought we gave him the name because he is obsessed with cars. That's pretty funny.

One of the big events of the party was gathering up all of Carter's pacifiers and putting then in a box. We told Carter they were being boxed up to be given to Baby Drew and Baby Blake, two babies who were at the party. Little babies need pacifiers, big boys don't. He was very good about the whole thing and even collected the pacifiers from his bedroom for us. That night Carter cried for about 45 minutes, asking for a paci, but eventually fell asleep. Yesterday at nap, he asked for one and, when I reminded him that he gave them to Babies Blake and Drew, he said he wanted them back. He decided he was no longer tired but then later fell asleep when we went for a drive in the car. Sunday night he didn't cry or even ask for his pacis. It took him longer than usual to settle down and fall asleep but he did just fine. Today at school he took a nap without a pacifier like he's been doing it all along. Unbelievable.

I dreaded the day we took his pacifiers away because he was so attached to them. But it wasn't so bad. Carter is a great kid...he makes us look like better parents than we really are. What more could you ask for in a child?!