Bellville visit

A couple of weekends ago Brian went with Kelly & Josh to load up the truck with furniture for Josh's new apartment. Carson and I couldn't pass up a visit with the Van Hooks so we came along for the ride!

Why don't friends with kids have time?

Wow, I found this article on a friend's blog. Wow, that is all I can say. I can honesty say that I have asked myself the question (before Carson), "What do stay at home moms do all day?" When asking myself this question, I never thought they "relaxed and enjoyed". I was just truly curious as to what they did. Although I am not a stay at home mom, I know that relaxing is not part of the job description...and I now know what they do. Ha!

A good read...

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJQyxIT1y5rLjsu5543V0JIJihYgnKOGJQVwlHDT-6eSOI5PbEFXaT0YGLp5RpfeGHVFKerm0iL0mxOqamjUePy0QcwIWPCAtXL3qzIyMFdxCvaa4Au_v1Ct1r4XQmVG1iqwpHmeBV-v40/s1600-h/article.jpg

Picky Eater

Yes, our boy is a picky eater. You wouldn't know it by looking at him :-) However, he isn't picky about the kind of food he is eating. He is picky about the texture of the food that he is eating. We have been working on introducing more "table food" lately. He has been eating finger/toddler snacks for a couple of months now. I can't figure out why he won't eat the rest. One day will be completely different from the next. Last weekend he ate half a banana - no problem. This morning he wouldn't even touch it. He even started to gag before I put it in his mouth.

If you have any hints, tips, or tricks on how to get Carson to eat more table food, I am all ears!!!

Here is a video I took last night of Carson trying his first Gerber Turkey Meat Stick (Sounds appetizing, doesn't it?) I took this video so his daddy could see it, not at all with the intention of positing it on the blog. But I just have to! This one is for you mom.

Beware, if you have a queasy stomach, don't watch ;-)

Tilty Cup

For those moms out there trying to transition from the bottle to a sippy cup check out the Tilty Cup. My pediatrician recommended it. The idea is that the kids do not have to tilt the cup up so high to get liquid out. So far so good. This is my 3rd attempt at introducing a sippy cup. The first time was hilarious. Carson started shaking it and the water went all over his head and he started screaming. I guess the water was a little cold. The last cup had a valve and Carson was not catching on to having to "suck". I have only tried the Tilty Cup twice, but he seems to take to it more than the last 2 cups. He has been using "soft spouts" on his bottles the last couple of months instead of nipples. If this Tilty Cup doesn't catch on I may move to the hard spouts that fit on to his bottles and see if he catches on. Suggestions and tips are greatly appreciated from those moms who have "been there and done that".

Weekend randoms

So my mom has told me time and again how much fun my sisters and I had in the kitchen with her pots and pans when we were younger. I believe it! I gave Carson a spoon and some Tupperware and he had a blast!

Check out the video! (Please ignore the blue tinting...I think my camera has been overused the past 10 months...ha!)

LOVE this picture!!!

I just love this video of Brian playing with a ball with Luke. Carson was watching and just eating it up. Check it out!

What's up with the remote control?

What is up with men and the remote control??? Do they come out of the womb with that innate desire to have control of the remote at all time?? Carson is obsessed with it! We actually took the batteries out of one of our remotes so he could play with it but he is no fool....he prefers the ones that actually work!

I love this expression on his face. It is so cute when he purses his lips together (even more than is shown here) when he is deep in thought. And then those cute little chubby fingers pushing the buttons.

This one is his favorite, can you tell? I think because it has colorful buttons on it. Now that I think about, we should think about investing in a Universal remote. We now have 4 remotes that control the TV, Cable Box, DVD/Surround Sound box, and now the Blu Ray remote. Ugh!

Hmmm...what happens if I hit the remote with this bat?

Fun in the tub

Carson loves bath time and he loves his new bath seat!

Check out the bubble Mohawk Mommy made!

Clapping...yet again :-) Daddy is working on "high fives" with Carson. He almost has that down. We are still working on waving hello and goodbye. He hasn't quite grasped the concept of when you do the gesture :-)

Wrapped up in his CARSON towel that Amanda made for him for Christmas. Thanks Amanda!

Monkeying around with Uncle Phillip

Carson loves it when Uncle Phillip comes to town!

Boys will be boys. Carson just loved this!

Too cute!!!

Carson just loves to clap! Funny story...I have heard that when babies learn something new they think about it all the time which can sometimes impact their sleeping habits (meaning they have a hard time going to sleep at night). Just the other morning Carson woke up at 4:00am and I was changing his diaper. He let out a few whimpers but had not yet opened his eyes. He was laying on the changing table and started clapping! He hadn't even opened his eyes yet. It was so cute. I guess he goes to bed thinking about it and wakes up thinking about it :-)

Laughing and clapping

Here are a couple of videos from this morning. Carson was enjoying a few laughs...at what, I am not sure. Probably the camera in his face. He loves to laugh and smile when Mommy turns the camera on.

This clip is of Carson's newest skill, clapping. He just loves to clap. He perfected this before the Gators' National Championship victory. Too bad he fell asleep before the game even started. But he has been clapping ever since!

Weekend at the ranch

We enjoyed a relaxing weekend at the ranch with Pepaw and Memaw. Well, not all of us relaxed the whole time. Pepaw put Brian to work unloading hay after their morning round of golf. I am sure Brian was thinking "what in the world is my wife doing taking pictures right now..." To answer your questions honey, I couldn't resist, you look "Hot!" :-)

This one is for you Susan!

Carson enjoyed sitting in his stroller watching Daddy work. Yes, a stroller is a necessity, even on the ranch! 25 lbs. gets heavy, quick! I learned to take a stroller with me EVERYWHERE!

Carson enjoyed his first ride on Tripoley, "Trip", Memaw's new horse.


He's a natural!

Then we enjoyed a relaxing evening by the fire. Carson loved the "Carson sized" chair.

Carson's dinner time is a little earlier than ours, so he enjoyed his out by the fire.

Then it was time for a little stroll to work off dinner.

I loved this one! Brian looks like the Jolly Green Giant here. Ha! Wish his expression on his face was a little different.

Carson and Pepaw being silly.

A kiss goodbye for Memaw.

We took time for a few last minutes photos before heading home.

Until next time...

Prayer request...

I must echo my friend Val when she said, "Blogging has a purpose." When reading Val's latest blog update I learned that late last week a beautiful angel was brought into this world, Harper. Harper is fighting for her life right now and her family needs your prayers. Please visit Val's friend's blog to read about her little Harper and send prayers her way. http://www.kellyskornerblog.com/

9 Month Update

I can't believe Carson is already 9 months old! Actually, he is in his 3rd week of his 9th month to be exact. I am a little behind in blogging. We have had a REALLY busy month. The good news is that we had a lot of fun traveling and seeing both of our families for Christmas in Florida and Lubbock. The bad news is that Carson was sick for most of it. After multiple visits to both his pediatrician and Ears, Nose, and Throat specialist, x-rays and CT scans...he was diagnosed with a severe Sinus Infection and Brochiolitus. After 6 weeks of illness, 7 days of breathing treatments and 3 weeks of antibiotics, Carson is finally healthy. Yeah! Obviously we were concerned that Carson was not getting better and seemed to pick up every little virus that came his way, we are comforted to now know that it is likely that Carson had a sinus infection that never cleared up which caused his immune system to be susceptible to everything. Our fingers are crossed that 2009 will be a healthy one for out little guy.
Carson is tracking to his usual growth pattern. At 9 months he was 25 lbs. (95th percentile) and 29 inches long (75th percentile). He is really enjoying being on the move! In early December Carson learned to pull himself to a stand. He now enjoys being on his feet and cruising. He has yet to take an unsupported step. However, that is in the near future, I am sure. He loves to walk while holding your hands. His new favorite gesture is to clap his hands. He opens one fist and closes the other to clap. He loves it! He also loves to make different noises and will imitate almost any noise you make (other than words). He does, however, say Mama. It really pulls at my heart strings in the middle of the night when I see him, from the monitor in our room, standing up in the crib crying "Mama, Mama...". He is doing really well at night, however, he does wake up on average once a night crying out for us. Once he gets back to sleep, he is good to go for the night. We are very fortunate that he gets a full 12 hours each night, usually only waking once.
We are hoping that the next couple of months slow down a little for us. Traveling and the holidays can be quite exhausting. We are looking forward to welcoming Mamma and Papa from Florida in March for their yearly trek to Texas and planning Carson's first brithday coming up in March. Stay tuned!

Here are a few of my favorite pics from this month...

Posing for a few pics in the backyard. I love these!

Carson was really good with his breathing treatments. He was such a good sport!