two months

July 23, 2013

Weight: 15 pounds 10 ounces (97%)

Length: 25 ¼ inches (100%)

Head circumference: 16 ½ inches (100%)

Dear Charlie,

We are all so very thrilled that you’re in our family and we love getting to know you more and more each day. You are an absolute joy! You are growing everyday! You wear size 2 diapers and 3-6 month clothes.

You’ve had some exciting milestones this month. Just before you turned 5 weeks old, on June 26, you smiled for the first time and haven’t stopped smiling since! You give out smiles freely. What a joy it is to see your whole face light up when we talk to you! You are such a happy boy and are becoming very social. You hold eye contact, smile, and coo at us when we talk to you. You also rolled over from your tummy to your back for the first time on your five week birthday. Since then you’ve rolled from your back to your side as well. Your baby acne cleared up at six weeks old. The doctor gave us some eye drops to help with your blocked tear duct. Some days it seems to be getting better.

You still enjoy snuggling and being held. You also enjoy lying on your back, especially on your changing pad. It’s one of the best places to see you smile! You like to relax in your vibrating chair and sit in your highchair during our meals. You’ve also started sitting in the bumbo in the kitchen and do really well holding your head up in there. One of your favorite things is bath time. It seems to be really relaxing for you. You like to scoot down into the water.

You’re still an excellent eater and usually eat every two hours during the day and have started an eat/wake/sleep rhythm throughout the day. During your naps, you are able to fall asleep in various places and sleep through lots of noise. You do really well at church. You normally sleep in your car seat during the singing, wake up and eat during the sermon, and let lots of people take turns holding you afterwards. Then, you’re ready for another nap just in time for us to go out to eat. You do so well going out and about and sleep really well both in the car and in your stroller.  Your naps while we’re out are usually quite a bit longer than your naps at home. You’re still sleeping really well swaddled in your rock ‘n play at night, and have already slept eight hours several times. What a treat that is to your mama!

This month, Daddy started working on his Doctor of Ministry degree and was gone to Nashville for classes for two weeks! He missed you a lot while he was gone and couldn’t believe how much you’d grown and changed when he got back. While he was gone, Pops and Granny came and stayed with us. We enjoyed spending so much time together and I really appreciated all of their help with you and Carson.

You are such a sweet boy and a joy to everyone you meet. We’re so very thankful for you!

We love you!

Mama, Daddy, and Carson

one month

June 23, 2013

Weight: 13 pounds 2.5 ounces (100%)

Length: 23 ¾ inches (100%)

Head circumference: 15 ¾ inches (100%)

Sweet Charlie Boy!

What a joy it’s been to have you here for a whole month! You are the perfect addition to our family and we love you so very much. After a couple of days in the hospital, we came home and Carson greeted us with a celebratory cinnamon cake and lots of excitement!

You are a good snuggler and like to be held, which we LOVE, but you also enjoy time in both your swing and vibrating chair and end up napping in them quite a bit during the day so that you’re downstairs with us. You are able to sleep through a lot of talking and playing. You like to lay on both your back and your tummy when you’re awake. You are really good at holding your head up already. You are pretty laid back and easy going. Your big brother loves you so much, and it’s easy to see that you love him right back. He gets really close to your face, talks to you, sings to you, and gives you lots of hugs and kisses, and you are patient, really seeming to enjoy it most of the time.

You eat every couple of hours during the day and usually sleep between each feeding. Feeding you has been a joy! You’ve got a good latch and strong suck. I’m thankful it’s gone so well. You’re beginning to stay awake for a bit longer each time during the day and we love to see you open those sweet eyes. You like to look at the light and move your head towards our voices. You are already a rock star sleeper! We swaddle you using the swaddle me blanket and you sleep in the Fisher-Price Rock ‘n Play Sleeper in your room. The Rock ‘n Play’s bassinet shape is cozier than your crib and is more comfortable for you. You usually eat at about 9:00 at night and don’t wake up until about 3:00-5:00. Then, you sleep until 7:00-8:00 in the morning. We are thankful that eating and sleeping are both going so well!

You are a big boy and are in the 100th percentile in weight, length, and head circumference. You were not able to wear newborn sized diapers and clothes and are already growing out of many 0-3 month clothes that Carson wore until he was 2 ½ months old! We’re finishing up this pack of size one diapers, and you’ll start wearing size two tomorrow. We’re thankful you’re such a big healthy boy! Your circumcision and cord both healed at 2 weeks. You’ve developed baby acne on your face and neck, but thankfully, the doctor said it’s normal, won’t bother you, and should clear up in another month or two. You’ve also got a blocked tear duct on your left eye which causes yellow goop to come out of your eye. The doctor told us to massage it and that it should heal on its own.

You’ve already gotten to know all four of your grandparents. They were here for your birth and took turns staying with us and helping during our first couple of weeks at home. You’ve also met lots of friends from church. You had lots of sweet company both at the hospital and at home the first couple of weeks. Everyone was excited to meet you and loves you already!

Your first outing when you were 10 days old was to Loco FroYo with Mama, Daddy, Carson, Pops, and Granny. Then, you went to a hotdog supper at church the next night. You went to church on a Sunday morning for the first time at 2 ½ weeks old. You went on your first road trip when you were only 20 days old, and it was a 7 ½ hour drive! Our dear friend Lloyd from Hohenwald, TN passed away and we went so that Daddy could help with the funeral and so that we could see his sweet family and let them know how much we love them. It was special to be there to celebrate such a good friend’s life. You did a wonderful job traveling and meeting so many new people! I’m so thankful for that.

Charlie James, you are an absolute joy. I was nervous about having two kids and learning how to balance my time and energy giving you and Carson plenty of love and attention, but it has been an absolute joy and not as difficult as I imagined thanks to two sweet and patient boys who love each other! It’s also been made easier by our sweet family and friends who have spent extra time with Carson so that we could rest and have plenty of time getting to know you this month. They’ve also been really helpful in cooking for us, so that I could spend time with my boys and not have to worry about cooking. I am very thankful for your grandparents and for our sweet church family and for the love they’ve shown us.

You’ve transitioned to life in this great big world so well this first month, Sweet Boy and we are so very very thankful you are ours. Our hearts are overflowing with love and thanksgiving for you, Baby Boy!

We love you!

Mama, Daddy, and Carson

more books!

Two bloggers whose writing I enjoy and learn from just released ebooks. I read them both in just a couple of hours, and though they are short, they are both filled with much insight and inspiration.

The first is by Jamie Martin. She blogs at Steady Mom. Her tagline reads: "on the journey toward intentional, professional motherhood," and though I haven't been reading it for too long, it seems to be an accurate description of her blog. Her ebook, Mindset for Moms: from Mundane to Marvelous Thinking in Just 30 Days focuses on the power of positive thinking for moms and was a blessing to me. It was clear that she worked hard not to waste words, and therefore was able to share a lot of wisdom very quickly. I appreciate her reminders to live in the present and to develop a constant attitude of thanksgiving. Practicing positive thinking and looking for everyday blessings really can transform our lives in wonderful ways. I'm going to add her other book, Steady Days, to my long list of books to read.

The second is by Amy Julia Becker. She blogs at Thin Places. She writes about faith, family, and disability. She looks at life critically and challenges typical ways of thinking. She has a daughter with down syndrome and much of her writing hopes to inspire people to rethink the ways we think about disability, realizing that God creates everyone perfectly to be a unique blessing to the world around us. Why I am Both Spiritual and Religious was inspired after the popular you tube video "I Hate Religion But Love Jesus" went viral. She suggests that people want spirituality without religion because they've experienced religion without spirituality. Using the "Be still and know that I am God" passage as her framework, she makes a case for Christianity as a spiritual religion. She does a great job of explaining why we need both and how either one, without the other, is meaningless. I look forward to reading A Good and Perfect Gift at some point, as well. It's about how having a daughter with down syndrome shaped her faith, and I'm certain it will be a blessing.

If you're looking for a quick read that inspires you and makes you think, I recommend either one of these. Happy reading, my friends:)

book review: parenting with positive guidance

As Carson leaves babyhood behind and enters the exciting new world of toddlerhood, I've been thinking a lot about discipline. I want to discipline him in a way that encourages self-control and motivates him from within, rather than simple compliance in the moment as a result of some external motivation and/or punishment, and I've struggled with how to go about it. I want my interaction with him to align with our family values, rather than contradicting them. For example, I don't want to spank him while teaching him that hitting is not how we solve problems. I want to use logical consequences and take advantage of teachable moments. It's easy to begin feeling overwhelmed with the great responsibility of raising a human being, so I'm thankful for all the help I can get!

I was excited when I saw that the author of one of my favorite blogs, Amanda Morgan, wrote an ebook on discipline, Parenting with Positive Guidance. Because I always enjoy and learn from her blog, I had high expectations for her book, and it did not disappoint. It's a quick and easy read, with only ten chapters and 100 pages. The chapters are organized in three sections: Building Discipline from the Inside Out, Inside the Toolbox, and Bringing it All Together. She includes both theory and practice and offers practical ideas without pretending there's a one-size-fits-all solution for every child or every family.

One of the things that stood out most to me was when she explained that we have to teach children appropriate social skills just like we teach them to read or tie their shoes. Learning takes repetition, and just like reading and shoe tying are not learned overnight, neither are social skills. Children aren't just testing our patience and being ornery when they repeat inappropriate behaviors over and over and over again, instead they're learning what behavior is acceptable, just like they repeat various sounds over and over before combining them to read words and practice looping their shoelaces over and over before mastering shoe tying. I hope that recognizing this basic principle will help me be more patient as I teach Carson appropriate social skills. I realize that disciplining is hard work, but I hope that by being proactive and "teaching for long term growth rather than controlling for short term results [I] will be able to step back more and more as [he] becomes increasingly capable of monitoring [his] own behavior."

I recommend this book to parents interested in an intentional and logical approach to discipline. In addition, I also recommend her blog, Not Just Cute: Intentional Whole Child Development. As parents and teachers, it's easy to spend time on activities just because they're cute, rather than choosing developmentally appropriate activities that foster growth and learning. In the same way, it's easy to see young children simply as cute, rather than recognizing them as complete people. Amanda titled her blog "Not Just Cute" because she writes articles and highlights activities that are more than just cute, because young children are so much more than just cute.

spontaneous watermelon picnic with my boy!

playroom

For the seventeen years I was a student and the seven years I was a teacher, I loved this time of year. Last year was the first time since I was four years old that I didn't go back to school. My big preggo belly and I still browsed the school supply aisle, but since Carson was born on the first day of school, I didn't have too much time to miss it. I was busy getting to know my precious miracle and learning how to be his mama.

Back to school is always full of excitement, new beginnings, and new relationships. Teachers anticipate getting their class list while children anxiously wait to find out who their teacher will be. The pointy new pencils are excited to gradually transition from an awkward fist to a graceful home between the thumb and fingers as their owners become increasingly comfortable with them and learn to form the letters that represent sounds, then combine them to form full words, which they'll then put together to form complete sentences, paragraphs, and eventually even complete stories. The full boxes of sharp crayons are eager to dance between chubby fingers as children draw pictures to represent their hopes, dreams, and fears. It's a special time for all involved.

I don't have a classroom to prepare this year, but as my baby becomes a boy, I'm having lots of fun preparing space, materials, and opportunities for him to play and learn. The previous owners of our home converted the garage into an extra living space. We've enjoyed the space; it houses our treadmill, games, and a few other odds and ends, but since we first moved in and long before I was pregnant, I've been mentally transforming it into a playroom:) I don't typically spend much time or energy on decorating, but play spaces are different! I enjoy walking up and down the hallways at schools and churches and seeing all of the different ways teachers create environments that promote security and learning. I have fun browsing the internet for various play and learning spaces. Providing pleasant space for children to play, discover, explore, and learn is one of my very favorite things.

We used baby shower gift cards to get the toy cubby shelf, deciding it was a more organized option than a traditional toy chest. My parents gave us the glider and Keith's parents gave us the couch with hide-a-bed. Using Christmas money, and after much searching, I found just the right fun and colorful rug so Carson would have a soft place to play. For the past several months, the toy shelf has been on the wall on the left side of this photo with the couch across from it on the opposite wall and the rug between the two, but as Carson became mobile, his favorite place to go was straight through the room, past the soft colorful rug, past the blocks, books, and puzzles, straight to the treadmill and toolbox. These, of course, were not safe play options for my wee one, and spending time in the playroom became more about me saying no than about Carson playing, discovering, exploring, and learning. So, one day a few weeks ago, I had a idea! Why hadn't I thought of this sooner?! I moved the couch and the toys to create a wall blocking the alluring treadmill and tempting toolbox. Sure they're still back there, and he's tried to maneuver his way back toward them once or twice, but they don't dominate his attention the way they once did. Instead, his focus lands on his legos, tractor, or xylophone. It's amazing how a simple furniture shift can change the dynamic of a room and the experience of the people in the room.

During our recent trip to California, I spotted these fun alphabet cards, and my sweet husband sneakily added them to his Amazon cart and surprised me with them. When my mom was here a couple months ago, she helped me hang them. Then last weekend, Keith mounted these gutter book cases so that Carson can select a book by looking at covers, rather than spines. He can easily reach the bottom gutter and I can change them out every week or so. The top one is out of his reach, but is a fun way to display some of his books and stuffed characters, and of course, they too are easy to change out from time to time.

Creating an organized space for my sweet boy to play, discover, explore, and learn is one way I've made my life lovely:) If you've never read Heather's blog, check it out! Her story will touch your heart, and her sweet spirit and desire to make life lovely and enjoy the blessings of each day are a rare treat.

a whole year old!!!

august 2, 2011

26 pounds 7 ounces

30.5 inches

Precious Son of Mine,

I can hardly believe you are a whole year old!! I remember clearly the absolute joy and immediate love I felt for you when I held you for the very first time one year ago. What an amazing miracle and precious gift from God you were! Over the past year, as you have grown more and more each day, my love for you has also grown more and more. I am so very thankful that God has blessed me with you. Along with being Daddy’s wife, being your mama is my very favorite job! I love love love spending my days with you, watching you learn and grow and play. I am so very thankful that you are such a happy, healthy boy. You have no idea how much joy you bring to everyone who meets you!

This month you’ve continued to grow bigger and learn new things. You wear size four diapers during the day and size 5 at night. You wear 12-18 month clothes. People always comment on what a big boy you are and how healthy you look, and many people point out your adorable chunky legs! I love to squeeze them and kiss them!

Sometimes when we’re sitting in the floor playing, you crawl over and plant a big open-mouth slobbery kiss right on my mouth! It absolutely melts my heart, and I love that you are learning how to show love in new ways. You have lots of fun and like to clap, wave, point, and dance! Your knees start bending and your arms begin to wave as soon as a new song comes on. We love to watch you dance. You love photos, especially ones of you! When you see one, you excitedly point and grunt. You like to look at them up close and touch them.

You are an excellent sleeper! You take two naps each day usually for about 1.5-2 hours each time, and you sleep for 11-12 hours at night. We are proud of the good sleeper you’ve become. After a couple of books, a song, a prayer, and a few snuggles, we lay you down in your crib. The calm time together just before laying you down is so special to me. You quietly play with the stuffed animals in your bed before drifting off to sleep. You usually wake up cooing happily, ready to have some milk, and if we’re lucky, a few more snuggles, too!

Toward the end of July, Mama and Daddy were invited to attend a retreat for ministry couples. We were excited about the chance to be with mentors that we love and respect and to get to know other couples in full time ministry, but we were a little leery of being away from you, our precious baby boy, for four days and three nights. After thinking it through, we decided to go for it. The retreat was in Texas, so Pops and Granny were eager for the chance to have you stay with them while we were at the retreat!

Before we left for our trip, we switched you to your big boy car seat, and you seem to enjoy it. We left on a Sunday, and before heading to Texas, we went to St. Louis to visit Bobel and Reenie. The grownups went to a U2 concert to celebrate Bobel’s birthday and you stayed with a babysitter. I was a little bit nervous about how you would do staying with someone you didn’t know for the first time, but you did great and had fun playing with Bonnie while we were at the concert. The next day, we had fun playing with Bobel and Reenie. On Tuesday, we headed from St. Louis, MO to Royston, TX. We drove through Oklahoma so that you could mark a couple more states off your list. You’ve now been to nine states: TN, TX, AR, MO, CA, NM, KY, IL, and OK! You did great on the long road trip. We thought it was neat that you got to see both sets of grandparents in one day, your city grandparents and your country grandparents! Aunt Misty took off work so she could stay there and spend time with you, too. Before we left for the retreat, our friends, Bob and Kay, came over and we decided to give you a haircut, but this time we didn’t just trim around the edges with scissors, instead, we used clippers and gave you a short/big boy haircut. I wasn’t sure we should do it, because your head full of hair had always been such a big part of your look, but I decided to go for it, and it looks adorable. It made you look quite different. You look older, but just as cute. I think it makes you look even more like Daddy! The next day, we headed east to the Texas Hill Country, and you stayed in West Texas. We had a wonderful time at the retreat, and you had lots of fun with Pops, Granny, and Aunt Misty. You even got to go to the Mahaffey family reunion and meet lots of cousins while you were with them. They sent us lots of pictures while we were apart, and that made it easier to be apart.

After the retreat, we met you in Weatherford and spent time with some good friends before heading home. We stayed the night with the Graves and with the Riches. You had fun playing with Lynlee and Kyndall and with Jaxon. We are thankful for those two families. They have been good friends of Mama and Daddy’s for several years, and we’re thankful you can be friends with their children, too!

Being away from you for the retreat meant it was time to wean you. So, in mid-July, we started gradually replacing your nursing times with milk in a cup, and after a couple of weeks, just in time for the retreat, you were drinking all of your milk from a cup like a big boy. We worked hard to make nursing work when you were a newborn and it was a special part of our first year together that I will always treasure in my memory, but I am so thankful that you transitioned to whole milk so well and are growing up just like God made you to do! You drink a cup of milk when you wake up in the morning and after both naps. You still enjoy meal time. You’re a great eater. You love bread, crackers, and fruit. Your favorite vegetables are carrots and sweet potatoes. Your favorite meat dish is cheeseburger pie. We’re working on teaching you not to throw your food and cup in the floor, and you’re getting better.

You are still a fast crawler, but you’re walking along side a wall or table every chance you get. You hold on using only one hand now and are getting to be quite quick and steady! You still love to push your diaper box or anything else you can find: a chair, a stool, a basket, anything you can scoot and push as fast as you can. You aren’t walking all of the time, but you did take your first steps this month. While you were staying with Pops, Granny, and Aunt Misty on Friday, July 22, you took four steps, and a little while later, you took seven! We called you a little stinker for taking your first steps without us, but we were so proud of you, and it wasn’t long until we were able to see you take a few wobbly steps here and there. We are so proud of you; walking all by yourself makes you look like such a big one-year-old boy!

We celebrated your first birthday with a party on Monday evening, the day before your actual birthday. We had a cake shaped like a one and a little cake for you to smash. We also had some of your favorite snacks: watermelon, blueberries, and goldfish. Bobel and Reenie got to come to the party, and several friends from church came too: Ronnie, Angela, CW, Laquita, Lloyd, Nita, Kaye, Lindsey, Margaret, Vickie, Rick, Ann, Jon, Michelle, Tabitha, Hannah, Emma and Bo. When we first gave you your cake, you carefully picked the m&ms and icing off the edge and ate it, but with a little prompting from Kaye, you started patting the cake and quickly tore right in, making a big mess! Everyone enjoyed watching you smash your cake! Then, you opened presents and got lots of fun new toys and books! It was a special time.

The next morning, on your birthday, we greeted you with balloons and sang “Happy Birthday”. We had blueberry pancakes for breakfast. Bobel and Reenie stayed for a few hours and gave you a couple more presents to open. You opened cards you’d gotten in the mail from family and friends. Daddy got to stay home, so the three of us enjoyed the rest of the day playing together.

What a year! My heart is overflowing with lots and lots of love for you, Precious Boy!! We are so very thankful that you are part of our family. We pray for wisdom and discernment as we guide, love, and nurture you from a baby to a boy and eventually to a man. It is a big job and we are honored to take on the challenge!

My prayer for you is the same as it was a year ago: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God!

I love you. I love you. I love you.

Mama

eleven months

july 2, 2011

24 pounds 8 ounces

29.5 inches

Sweet Carson Clark,

June was a busy month for our family, and you continued to grow and learn during our adventures! You’re getting to be a big boy! You wear size four diapers and 12-18 month clothes.

One weekend, Reenie came and visited. She kept you while Mama and Daddy went to Nashville to go out to eat and to a concert. We had a good time, and you had lots of fun playing with Reenie.

One day you were standing up holding on the bathtub and you fell and busted your lip. There was so much blood; it scared us, but it didn’t keep you down for long. You still have a scar on your lip where that happened.

A few days later, we took a big trip! We rode on an airplane from Tennessee all the way to California. It was a 4.5 hour flight and I was nervous about how you would do sitting still in a small space for so long, but you did great! You ate snacks, read books, looked around, and even snuggled up on Daddy and took a nap. While we were in California, Daddy went to the Christian Scholars Conference and we spent time with family. Granny and Aunt Misty joined us from Texas, and we went to the mountains with Aunt Paula, and cousins: Staci, Wyatt, Racquel, Nicole, and Reid. It was beautiful there and we enjoyed relaxing and playing with cousins. You learned to climb stairs while we were there.

When the conference was over, Daddy flew back home to Tennessee, but you and I went to Texas with Granny and Aunt Misty. You did great on the plane again. You slept in my lap most of the flight. Pops didn’t know we were coming; we surprised him on Father’s Day! We had lots of fun at Pops and Granny’s house. Aunt Misty took off work for a couple more days to spend time with us. It was a special time. While we were there, you befriended their dog, Dakota. You got really excited every time you saw her, and you loved for her to lick your hands and feet. One morning while we were at their house, you woke up and just weren’t yourself. You didn’t want to play or eat, two things you normally love. Instead, you just wanted me to hold you. While I was holding you, I noticed that you felt really hot, so I took your temperature and you had a fever of 105! Poor buddy, no wonder you weren’t acting like yourself. We called the doctor and she said to take you to the emergency room. They ran lots of tests and decided you had an ear infection and strep throat. They prescribed some medicine, and you began feeling better pretty quickly, but it took several days for your temperature to go back to normal. After a few days, Pops got sick too, so Granny took us home by herself. After being gone for 15 days, we were happy to be home and see Daddy. We got back at 11:00 pm, but you woke up and crawled as fast as you could around the house rediscovering all of your things.

One of our very favorite things you learned to do this month is clapping! You love to clap, and once you begin clapping, you look around the room waiting for everyone else to join you. You’ve also started waving and pointing. You wave at people in the grocery store and they talk to you. Everyone thinks you’re so cute! You point and grunt or squeal at food and at young children. Our sweet friend Kaye is still one of your best buddies. She is your honorary Hohenwald aunt and you always have lots of fun playing with her. Your joy is contagious, and your big smile lights up the room.

You are still a curious little guy, and you love to learn about the world around you. You love to open drawers and pull everything out. You are such a fast crawler and still always crawl with your right knee down and your left foot up. You like to get a book, block, or lid to put under each hand so you can slide instead of lifting your hands and crawl even faster. You love to pull up on anything you can get a hold of and walk beside it while holding on. This month you started letting go and standing up without holding on, and later on in the month, you started standing up all by yourself without holding on. You discovered a new favorite toy this month: a diaper box! It’s the perfect height for you to stand behind and push. You love to push the diaper box and walk. Sometimes you get going so fast you’re running. It is super cute!

You got two more teeth on top this month. That makes six teeth: four on top and two on the bottom! While your new teeth were coming in, you went through a biting stage. You left bruises on Mama and Granny and you made Pops bleed when you bit him during church one day. We’ve been talking to you about not biting and you’re doing much better now.

You nurse four times a day, once before breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and again at bedtime. You’re enjoying lots of different foods, too. You’re such a big boy and don’t eat any pureed food anymore. You like to eat table food like Mama and Daddy. You tried pancakes, pizza, and ice cream for the first time this month. Your favorite foods are saltine crackers, goldfish, watermelon, blueberries. When we take them out, you squeal, shake, and point with excitement and anticipation! It is fun to see you so excited! When you’re ready for more food, you point and squeal or grunt to show us what you want. You still drink water from a sippy cup with a straw and throw it on the floor when you’re finished.

We planted a garden and you like to go outside to check it and water it. You still like to play outside, but it’s gotten so hot that we don’t go out as often as we used to. When we got home from our trip there were ripe squash, zucchini, and tomatoes ready to pick! We enjoyed having a garden. You really like eating the homegrown tomatoes.

You still like to play in the kitchen and listen to music while I’m cooking. I found some fun CDs from when I taught first grade that we’ve been enjoying. You like to smile and dance to songs like “Who Let the Dogs Out” and “Chicken Dance”. As soon as the music comes on, you start moving your arms and bending your knees. It is so cute to watch you dance! You play happily if I’m up and moving, but if I sit down to do something, you’re ready for me to pick you up and play with you! We love listening to all of the sweet sounds you make. You squeal, grunt, do the motor boat, and say “mama” and “ababab.”

You had been sleeping through the night for about 11 hours each night for a couple of weeks before our trip, but you had trouble sleeping while we were gone. We think it must have been because you got sick, were teething and because you were in different places and out of your routine. When we got home, it didn’t take you long to get back into a normal sleeping pattern. We are so proud of you for learning to sleep all night! You usually go to bed about 9:00 pm and wake up around 8:00 am. You still take two naps each day, usually about an hour and half each. We read to you before naptime. You sit still and listen as we read. You love to sit in one of our laps, point to the pictures, and turn the pages.

We are so very thankful for you, Baby Boy! We take seriously our role as parents and pray for wisdom as we guide, teach, and protect you.

Lots of love,
Mama and Daddy

ten months

june 2, 2011

about 23.5 pounds

28.75 inches

Carson Robert,

You are growing up so fast! This month it seems like you’re already beginning to transition from baby to toddler. Maybe it’s because you’ve traded in footie pajamas for two piece jammies and are sleeping all night more often than not, or it could be the speed and ease with which you crawl and pull up. Maybe it’s all of the table food or the babbling that’s sounding more and more like talking. Whatever it is, you are more and more fun every day! We are trying hard to savor every moment and new stage, because you’re growing and changing so quickly! It’s been fun to see you become more independent this month. You’re still curious and work hard to learn about the world around you.

You are a fast crawler and always crawl with your right knee down and your left foot up! When Daddy gets home in the afternoons, you crawl as fast as you can to greet him! It is the highlight of his day! You still love pulling up every chance you get and are cruising more and more. You stay busy pretty much the whole time you’re awake!

You are such a happy boy! We are so thankful for your good health and sweet spirit. You bring so much joy to our lives and to the lives of others. When you smile, your whole face seems to smile. Many times, you smile so big that it makes your eyes close. You like to smile back at people when they smile at you or talk to you. You’ve started smiling when we’re walking in the door to church, because you’re so happy to be there! You smile and reach for Madelyn, your sweet cradle roll teacher. You’ve started laughing more and more this month, too! Sometimes you laugh when someone’s being silly, when we sing to you, when I dance for you or with you, when we tickle you, when we give you kisses and zurburts, and when we squeal back at you! You’re a great squealer! You like to look at yourself in the mirror. You touch the mirror, smile, and make sweet sounds.

Some of your favorite toys are books, keys, your purple rectangle, your plastic eggs, Sophie the Giraffe, your blue teething ring, and your airplane puzzle piece. You like to play outside. You crawl around in the grass, pull weeds, play with dirt, and try to chew on sticks! We’ve been enjoying the beautiful spring weather and taking morning walks around the neighborhood. You love to ride in your stroller, feel the breeze and sunshine, and listen to the animals and cars. You help check the mail every day. You always carry in a piece of mail and sometimes there’s a piece of junk mail or catalog that you get to crumple and tear up. You really like to play with paper. You like to play in the kitchen while I’m cooking. You love to play with open drawers and take out lids and towels. You still enjoy your magnets, and playing with the dishwasher is a treat for sure! You don’t like the sound that the blender makes, and sometimes it makes you cry. We know you’ll get used to it before too long! We like to listen to music while we’re in the kitchen. You really like TJ McClouds’ Playground and Andrew Peterson and Randall Goodgame’s Slugs and Bugs.

You like to go with me to Walmart. You look cute sitting up in the shopping cart and looking around. There’s so much to see! A couple of times, you’ve tried to stand up in there, which was scary! You smile at everyone and lots of people talk to you while we shop. You make grocery shopping lots of fun!

You got two teeth on top this month. Just like on the bottom, the right tooth appeared about a week before the left. Now you have four teeth and it’s made biting and chewing lots of fun! You started eating table food this month. We’ve done a combination of feeding you purees and letting you feed yourself finger foods. You really like feeding yourself and seem to favor your left hand when you eat. Mealtime has become messy with scraps of food on the floor afterwards. You’ve tried so many new foods this month! You love fruit. Blueberries are your absolute favorite! You squeal and shake with excitement when I get them out, and it’s adorable! You also really like watermelon raspberries, blackberries, and banana. You eat watermelon from a fork, but you take off and use your fingers for anything else we’ve given you on a fork. Sweet potatoes are your favorite vegetable. You will also eat green beans. You also really like bread and crackers. Goldfish crackers are right up there with blueberries. They’re one of my favorites, so I figure you’re excited that I finally share with you after all these months of watching me eat them. As soon as I walk to the pantry and shake the box, you squeal and shake with excitement! You also like ritz crackers and saltines. Sometimes, I dip saltines in pureed veggies for you. It’s messy, but lots more fun than being spoon fed! You like to eat bits of bread, bagel, bun, roll, and pasta. Your dairy favorites are yogurt and cheese, and your favorite meats are chicken and ground beef. Poppyseed chicken and baked ziti are two of your favorite dishes. You seem to think it’s fun to eat what Mama and Daddy eat. You’ve gotten really good at drinking water from your sippy cup. The one with the straw seems to work best. You take a big drink then throw your cup on the floor!

You wear size four diapers and 12 month clothes. You’ve been sleeping so well this month! About the middle of the month you started sleeping through the night more often than not! This has been a fun milestone for Mama! You usually go to bed between 9:00-10:00 at night, and in the mornings you usually wake up between 7:30-8:30. You take two naps a day, usually 1.25-1.5 hours each. We read to you before your naps. You sit in one of our laps, point to the pictures, and turn the pages. Sometimes you even kiss the people in the pictures. We love reading with you! You nurse four times a day, once before breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and again at bedtime. We love to hear you. You babble (/b/, /g/, /m/), squeal, grunt, laugh, and make your motor boat sound.

One of our very favorite times of the day is bath time. Since the weather’s been warm and we’ve been spending more time outside, you take a bath almost every night. You use your ducky tub now, and you love to sit up and splash. Playing in the water is lots of fun! You like to stand up and hold on the rail on the side of the tub. Sometimes you crawl out of the duck so you can touch the shiny silver drain. After I bathe you, I pass you off to Daddy and he dries you off. You and Daddy love this special time together and I love to hear the sweet giggles coming from your room as he dries you off and plays with you.

It is a joy and honor to be your parents. You make life extra special, and we are so very thankful for you, Baby Boy!

We love you!!

Mama and Daddy

nine months

may 2, 2010

21 pounds 5 ounces

28.75 inches

Sweet Carsy,

Nine months sounds so old! Time is flying and you’re growing up on us, Precious Boy! We are so very thankful to have you in our life! We love to play with you and watch you investigate your expanding world. We enjoy sitting with you and reading you books. You still love to touch and help turn the pages. We love watching you play with your blocks and puzzles. You have one stacking puzzle with different colored shapes, and every single time you play with it you take off the purple rectangle first. You love that purple rectangle and carry it with you all around the playroom. In fact, there used to be two purple rectangles, but you took one of them somewhere and hid it, because we can’t find it anywhere! You look like such a big boy sitting up and playing all by yourself. You aren’t at all wobbly anymore and quickly learned to sit up all by yourself from your belly. In addition to the toys in your bedroom and the playroom, you also have baskets of toys on the bottom shelves in the living room and kitchen. You like to sit and take each toy out of the baskets one at a time. Granny got you some letter magnets for the refrigerator and you love to sit and play with them while I’m cooking. We find those magnets all over the house, because you take them with you as you crawl from room to room. You also like to open the bottom drawer and take out the plastic lids while I’m cooking. The kitchen seems to be one of your favorite places.

You have become an expert crawler! You’ve increased your crawling speed this month and crawl from one room to another a lot more frequently. You are a busy boy with lots to see and do! Sometimes you still crawl with your belly on the floor, but recently you’ve begun crawling on all fours more and more. Sometimes you crawl with your right knee down and your left foot up; as if you wish you could start walking.

You started pulling yourself up to standing early this month and it quickly became your very favorite thing to do! You pull up on anything and everything including the open dishwasher door, open dryer door, shelves, dressers, the coffee table, chairs, stools, in your crib, the bathtub, the toilet, and even some flat surfaces like the oven door. The other day I left the toilet lid up and you pulled right up and stuck your hand in the water before I could get to you, oops! Since then, I’ve been more careful. You like to take magazines, phonebooks, and cookbooks off the shelves and crumple the pages. We attempt to redirect your focus to your toys, but you sure do love to pull them down. Usually we get to you before you start crumpling too much, but you have pulled the covers off a couple of them! You’ve tumbled to the floor a few times after pulling up, it startles you sometimes, but doesn’t bother you too much most of the time. One day, though, you fell forward on to the front of the rocking chair and got a knot with a bruise right between your eyes. As the month progressed, you gained more control and got better and better at going from standing to sitting. You like to cruise along the side of what you’re holding on to. You also learned to roll over from your back to your belly this month and you love it. It has made changing your diaper a bit challenging, because you flip over and try to escape!

Another milestone this month was teeth! After lots of hard teething work, two little bitty teeth finally broke the surface on the bottom middle, but you don’t show them off too much and would prefer we didn’t try to peek at them! You still eat three times a day. You love fruit and will eat quite a bit of it. You can easily eat two bananas at one meal! You tried blueberries for the first time this month, and they quickly became another favorite. You still don’t love veggies, so we usually mix some apples or bananas with them to make them more appetizing! You like to sit in your highchair and chew on cold celery or eat puffs while we’re eating. You’ve gotten better at using the pincer grip to pick up puffs, and sometimes you eat 30 or 40 during one meal. You started experimenting with a sippy cup this month. You are really good at getting the water out, but you usually get more on your bib than you swallow! All of this eating has really made you grow! You now wear size 4 diapers. Many of your 6-9 month clothes are getting too small, and you’re wearing more and more 9-12 month clothes. You’ve had even more full nights of sleep this month, but most nights you still wake up once during the night. You don’t have a regular bedtime, but you usually go to bed between 9:00-10:00. In the mornings you normally wake up around 8:00. We love to listen to you playing happily in your crib when you wake up in the mornings. When we greet you in the mornings or after a nap, you are often sitting up or standing up now. You take two naps a day, usually totaling 2.5 hours. We had to move the mattress down in your crib because you were pulling up to standing and we didn’t want you to climb out.

You nurse five times per day, and I am thankful for this sweet and still time with you. Sometimes, after you nurse, you give me sweet kisses and let me snuggle you close for a few seconds before you’re off to play and explore!

You are talking more and more this month, too! You are still saying “mama,” and I am confident you know what it means! You say it most often when you want me to hold you or feed you. Your talking transitioned from cooing to babbling this month. You say “aba aba aba.” You can wave and say “hi” and “bye bye,” though you don’t always do it at the appropriate time and certainly not on command! You’ve also had lots of fun learning to make new noises with your mouth, including one that sounds like a motor. We absolutely love to listen you to, Baby Boy!

You still love your church family and usually handle being passed around from one person to another really well. We’ve had a lot of fun company this month! You were able to spend time with both sets of grandparents this month. They all love you so much and really enjoyed playing with you and watching you learn! We’ve loved and treasured each stage of your sweet little life, and this one is no exception. You are at such a fun stage of development. We can already tell that you’re loving, sociable, determined, curious, and independent. It is exciting to see you grow into the person God created you to be!

We love you, love you, love you!

Mama and Daddy

eight months

april 2, 2011

about 19-19.5 pounds

28 inches

Dearest Carson,

Your eighth month was another special one full of growing and learning! You continue to be a happy and curious little guy! We absolutely love to see your smile and hear your sweet sounds. You’re still wearing 6-9 month clothes. You wear size 3 diapers during the day and size 4 at night. The size 4 will last all night, and you really appreciate not having your diaper changed in the middle of the night. You still usually wake up once during the night, but you’ve slept a full 8-9 hours several more times this month! You usually only take two naps each day now, and are nursing 5-6 times a day. Early in the month, something exciting happened that changed your world; you learned to move forward! After a couple of months of scooting backwards, it was exciting to be able to get where you wanted to go! Instead of the traditional crawl, you crawl with your belly on the floor. As the month progressed, you got faster and faster at moving forward. You really like to get your hands on anything electronic. You spend a lot of time crawling and diving towards the XBox, TV remotes, cell phones, computers, and electric cords. We spend a decent amount of time redirecting your attention and trying to show you that your toys are lots more fun than all of that stuff! You still enjoy your books, puzzles, blocks, and rattles. Your teeth didn’t seem to bother you as much this month. You’ve felt good much of the time and have spent more time playing independently. You started going to the cradle roll class at church on Sunday mornings with Madelyn this month! You sit in the little seat as she teaches you to pat the Bible and plays and sings with you. Sometimes she feeds you your breakfast, too. Another milestone this month was related to food! We introduced you to fruit this month and you love it! You’ve had pears, apples, peaches, and bananas. You open your little mouth like a baby bird and wait for the next spoonful of fruit. You still don’t care too much for vegetables, but sometimes we mix them with fruit and that makes them better. By the end of the month, you’re eating three times a day! You usually have fruit and cereal for breakfast, vegetables for lunch, and fruit and cereal again before bed. On the day before your eighth month birthday, Pops and Granny came to visit and you learned to sit up independently. They teased that you wanted to wait and until they got here to reach this milestone! You’re a little wobbly, but if we help you position your legs in front of you, you can sit and play for a long time. Sitting up on your own makes you look like such a big boy! You are growing and learning so much, Baby Boy! We are thankful that God blessed us with you! Being your mama and daddy is an honor and a joy! We pray that we make wise decisions as we love and care for you.

Much love,

Mama and Daddy

seven months

march 2, 2011

about 18-18.5 pounds

27 ½ inches

It’s been another special month with you, Baby Boy! You are a curious little fellow and are always on the move! You love to explore your surroundings and grab anything within your reach. You like to be on the floor scooting around on your belly. You’ve gotten even better at moving backwards, but haven’t quite figured out what to do with your arms to crawl forward. You spend a lot of time getting stuck under the furniture because you back up under it! You like to get up on your hands and knees in the crawl position or on your hands and feet like you’re going to bear crawl. We keep baskets of toys throughout the house, so there’s always something handy for you to play with while you move around on the floor. You’ve sat up without support for several minutes a few times when I’m sitting behind you reading or playing, but if only if you’re really focused on a toy or book, otherwise you’re way too busy to sit still. You’re still wearing 6-9 month clothes and size 3 diapers. You sleep on your belly and move around a lot. Sometimes you sleep with your booty sticking up. We took the bumper pads out of your crib, so sometimes your feet stick out the sides of your crib while you sleep. You’ve slept all night (8-9 hours) several times this month, which is very exciting! You respond to us and greet us with so many wonderful smiles! What a treat it is to see your sweet face light up! We love to listen to you make sweet sounds, too. You’re still saying mama and really do seem to know what it means now, which is so very special to me! Sometimes when you want me to pick up, you look at me and say “mama”! It is absolutely precious! You still make us work for your laughs, but it is totally worth it! We love to hear you laugh. Lately, you’ve laughed most often when we let you “fly” above our heads. You still like to put things in your mouth. We love to watch you chew on your toes. It is adorable! Teething has been tough this month. We watch you gnaw on things and know that your gums are hurting. You get some relief from teething rings and cold wash cloths, and we’ve been giving you Tylenol some, too. You and I love reading books together. You like to rub the pages and make squeaky sounds, open and close them over and over, and turn the pages as we read. I’m glad we have board books, because your little fingers crumple the pages in a regular book. Speaking of your fingers, I think those sweet little hands are my very favorite part of you! They are miniatures of your daddy’s, and oh how I love to feel them, see them, hold them, and kiss them! You continue to stay awake longer and nap longer, so you’re only nursing about six times a day now. One of the biggest milestones this month has been introducing you to vegetables. I’ve had fun making your baby food. So far you’ve tasted butternut squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, avocado, and green beans. You haven’t been a huge fan of eating solid food so far. Many times you push it out with your tongue, spit it out, wipe it out with your hands, or put your head down, but you’re beginning to tolerate it more and more and are swallowing a lot more than you did at first. You seem to like the sweet potatoes the most so far. When you’re sitting in your highchair playing, you like to drop your toys on the floor and have us pick them up! You still love spending time with your church family and let everyone take turns holding you. You stayed with your first non-family babysitter this month while Mama and Daddy went out to eat to celebrate Daddy’s birthday. You had lots of fun playing with our good friends Kaye, Lloyd, and Nita while we were gone. Bobel and Reenie came to visit one weekend and celebrate Daddy’s birthday. You had fun showing them how much you could move! At the end of the month we made an unexpected trip to Texas. Our sweet friend Rex from Maryneal passed away and Daddy was honored to be able to preach his funeral. You were able to see our sweet church family in Maryneal, where Daddy preached before you were born. They loved getting to see you and hold you! While we were there, we stayed with Pops and Granny. Aunt Misty took off work for a couple of days to see us, too. You had lots of fun with them. They were surprised how much you’d grown and all that you’d learned since Christmas. It is a long drive from here to Texas, but you did well in the car. When you got upset, we sang to you or played music for you. Your favorite song is “Playground” by TJ McCloud. You liked to hear it over and over, and if we let it stop or go to the next song, you started crying. It was neat to see how much it relaxed you.

You continue to be an absolute joy! We are so thankful for your continued growth and good health and try not to take that for granted. You are a blessing from God, and we pray that we can bring honor to him in how we love, nurture, and teach you.

We love you more and more everyday!

Mama and Daddy

baby food!

I've been enjoying making Carson's baby food. It is super easy and SO much cheaper than buying it ready-made. With this website and this cookbook as my guides, I've been cooking and pureeing away. All you have to do is cook the vegetable, put it in the blender, add a little water, and puree! Pour it in ice cube trays, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze over night. Then, label a gallon freezer bag and pop the frozen cubes inside. Each day, take out a couple of cubes so they can thaw. Easy peasy!

Now, if only convincing Carson to eat it were that easy....hopefully he'll get the hang of it before too long!

five senses: see

Another fun sense to explore is seeing. I’m amazed at the concentration and focus such a little guy has as he explores his sense of sight and learns about the world around him!

For a while now, Carson’s sense of sight has drawn him to look at bright lights and contrasting colors. He follows things he sees with his eyes. We have lots of fun experimenting with his sense of sight by playing peek-a-boo. One of the newest ways we’ve played with his sense of sight is with bubbles. He lies on his back, I blow bubbles towards him; watching them seems to relax him. The very best part of his developing sense of sight is the way he responds to things he sees. When we smile at him he smiles back!

He uses his sense of sight when we read books. Because our extended family all live in different states and Carson doesn’t get to see them too often, I made him a book reminding him of how much his family loves him with a page featuring each grandparent and aunt so he can see their sweet faces with his own and be reminded of how much they all love him!

His sense of sight is encouraging him to move, too! When he’s on the floor and sees a toy in front of him, he wants to get it! The problem is, right now, he goes backwards when he’s trying to go forward. Poor buddy. This can be frustrating, but I know his sense of sight is what’s encouraging him to move and it will be the thing that motivates him to master forward crawling before I know it. My baby boy is growing up quickly!

five senses: hear

Another way Carson is learning about the world around him is through his sense of hearing. He began hearing our voices even before he was born, so once he was born they were another way of providing comfort and safety. Talking, singing, and reading to him not only calm him down, but they are also how he begins understanding language.

talking

singing

reading

In addition to our voices, Carson enjoys toys that make noise. He likes things that rattle, squeak, and jingle.

I drink ridiculous amounts of peach tea, so I toss 3-4 of these handy dandy cylindrical containers in the recycling bag every week. I knew there had to be some way to repurpose them, because, after all, cylinders are the coolest three-dimensional figure:), since they’re the only one that stacks, slides, and rolls! Finally, I had an idea; these would make fun rolling shakers for Carson! I filled one with rice and one with pasta for two unique sounds and secured the lids with packing tape.

Then, I found some cute scrapbooking paper, cut it to fit, wrapped the shaker in paper, and covered it with packing tape (to protect it from slobber, of course!).

Carson's having fun exploring his sense of hearing (and touching and seeing, too) with these free toys! I wonder what other trash can become a treasure around here?!