Thin Mints and pop-tarts

Carson should be the poster child for Girl Scout cookies. :) He loves to share my Thin Mints and even got mad at me last night when I put them away. Goodness!





This looks like a happy boy to me!! He most certainly loves those cookies.



Strawberry pop-tarts are the best! They seem to be even better when they are mine rather than Carson's. :)

Carson in the toilet

Here is my precious Carson brushing his teeth. I gave him an old toothbrush, since I really don't want my new one in the toilet. You see, I had to replace my old one after he dropped it in the toilet. We have to constantly watch him to make sure he doesn't put anything else in there. Or, I heard him splashing in the water and turned to see him bent over the toilet seat. What a boy!

Carson Stew/Daddy time

Carson has become quite the cook, as this large pot will tell you. He not only makes delicious meals in the kitchen, he is mobile all the way to our bedroom. Yes, the house is his and he destroys each and every room he enters.

Last night, Carson's stew consited of car keys, a binkie, and a bluetooth. It tasted great! He made sure I had samples.

Linda was sick yesterday, so Cj stayed home to try to finish recovering from the adult version of RSV. Yuck-ola! I caught this pic of them before I left for work. Cj would have LOVED more nap time as Carson ran him ragged. It was my turn last night at the store - I had to chase after Carson thru the aisles as he took things off the shelves and pulled the birthday cards and envelopes out of the stands. It was great. Just proves that they don't stop moving, even when you want them to!

Carson and talking

I am posting the latest article from babycenter.com. I get weekly emails from them letting me know about Carson's age and what to expect. They are great emails, and I have been getting them since the beginning of my pregnancy. Anyways, Carson had been babbling a lot, and he does some of the signs they mention below - arms up to pick him up as well as pushing things away, nodding his head for yes, and reaching for things he wants. He grunts and groans to make noises for things he wants or to let you know he's frustrated when you don't know what he's saying. Man, we are by the book on this one! I just wanted to let you know that we all need to work on showing him some signs and teaching him "adult" words and not "baby" words.


Your 13-month-old's language and cognitive development: Can we talk?by Dana SullivanReviewed by the BabyCenter Medical Advisory Board


HighlightsNew this month: Can we talk?What you can doOther developments: Intonation awareness and object permanence
New this month: Can we talk?
Around 13 months, many toddlers have vocabularies that consist of three or four words. Yours can probably say "mama" or "dada," and something like "ta ta," for thank you, "ba" for bottle or ball, and "bye-bye." But don't be upset if she can't. She's still in what experts call the "passive" phase of language acquisition. That means she's soaking up all the words and speech around her, and filing the information away for later use. Even if she doesn't say any words clearly, she can probably communicate her needs with gestures (holding her arms out so you'll pick her up), sounds, and body positions, such as turning her head away from something she doesn't want.
What you can do
If you've already got a little talker on your hands, encourage her to keep trying new words by labeling as many actions and objects as you can. Use clear, simple speech, and an "adult" voice. Talk about where you're going as you strap her into her car seat. While you're at the grocery store, tell her what you're looking at ("Let's get some bananas," or "Here's the milk"). Talking to your child, even if she can't fully respond, makes her feel like she's a part of what's going on around her and makes her want to participate in the conversation. Singing songs, especially ones with gestures, such as "Itsy-Bitsy Spider," and "Wheels on the Bus," make speech fun and interesting, too — plus they introduce your child to music.The other side of talking is listening. If you want to encourage your child to talk, listen to her as she "converses" with you just as you would if you could understand every word perfectly. Keep eye contact and respond with smiles and nods, and she'll want to tell you more and more — and she'll be learning valuable lessons about listening carefully while another person is talking.Even if your 13-month-old says just a few words, she can probably communicate many more. Have you ever noticed how babies even younger than 13 months will wave good-bye, blow kisses, and nod or shake their head to say yes or no? They're talking with gestures that they've observed you using. Recent research suggests that children are capable of assigning different gestures to dozens of words — but it's up to you to teach them. If your toddler seems frustrated by her inability to make you understand her needs, try making up hand signs to help her. You might hold your thumb to your mouth to signal the word "drink," for instance. For a few days, whenever you hand her a cup, show her the gesture and say the word at the same time. Within a few days, she may surprise you by using the sign herself to ask for a drink. (Get more information on how to teach your toddler signing, and learn about its benefits.)
Other developments: Intonation awareness and object permanence
Just as she imitates you when you pet the dog or water the garden, your 13-month-old is listening closely to what you say to her and how you say it so she can give it a try, too. Next time you hear her babbling, listen to what she's "saying." You'll notice that her intonations sound very conversational, even though she's not speaking any words. When you ask her a question, she'll probably respond with a series of babbles and gestures, signaling that she understands what you're asking. Also observe how differently she responds to a frantic "No!" when you warn her away from a hot plate or an unfamiliar animal, and to a more cajoling tone to get her to stop tugging on your leg. If you notice a difference in her reactions, that means she's realizing that intonation plays a role in communication.At 13 months, children are testing their powers of observation and they're beginning to understand that objects are permanent. In other words, she's beginning to realize that a toy still exists even when she can't see it. Out of sight, out of mind can no longer be a family motto!To test whether your child understands object permanence, roll a toy under the couch and see if your toddler looks for it in the right spot. Or hide a stuffed animal under a blanket for her to find.A word of caution: Your toddler is honing her problem-solving skills, doing things like trying to fit objects inside others, turning on switches, and twisting stove knobs. Since she can't recognize danger, be sure your house is adequately childproofed.

Cameras

So, I am trying t figure out how to transfer the photos from my memory card to a CD to free up room on the memory card, which is completely full. Frustrating because Carson and Tanner are doing cute things that I can't get pictures of. I figured out how to download all of the photos, but the stupid CD drive keeps saying there is no disk in there when I know there is - I just put it in there!! It is driving me nuts! I hope Cj can figure it out soon because I would like my camera back.

RSV Update

Okay, so the RSV definitely got worse as the week went on. Carson had a temp of 99.8 on Tuesday, but Linda let him stay at daycare. On Wed, she called because his temp was 101 after naptime. Above 100 means you have to go home. His wheezing was worse, too, so Cj and I took him back to the doctor. It's a good thing since his oxygenation had dropped 5 points. They gave Carson a breathing treatment and it brought his levels back up. Now we are proud owners of a breathing machine. Carson crashed about 6:30 that night. He has been getting up 3-4 times a night for a drink and his binkie. He goes right back to sleep after that. It's just the getting up that many times that's a killer.

Cj stayed home with Carson for 1/2 day yesterday then Grampy came over and Grammy joined him when she got off work. Carson did really well, and felt so good that he stayed up until Daddy got home and fed him a bottle. Then he crashed hard.

Linda gave Carson 2 breathing treatments on Friday for his wheezing, and he took a good nap there. He needed it! He kept playing then stopping to lay on the floor. After about 10 seconds he would pop up in fear that he might fall asleep.

We took both boys shopping yesterday, and Carson would run and fall then lay down in the middle of the store. Everyone thought it was quite entertaining.

Christmas and New Years

Now that we got the icky part out of the way, I thought I would pass along a couple of happy photos to cheer everyone up. Christmas was a blast with Carson being into the bags and paper, not really caring about the gifts. Tanner was fun to see on Christmas morning for the first time.

Carson and Cj celebrated the New Year with a lot of giggles.

Carson was a good boy and helped Mommy with the housework before he played. :)

Carson crash/RSV

Okay, so it's been a really rough 24 hours. Cj took Carson to the doctor today only to discover this hacking cough and runny nose is RSV - a total panic attack in my book. I know the least and the worst of it, and my best friend confirmed the wide range of possible outcomes. However, I am trying to be optimistic, as Dr. Blume said that Carson's oxygenation is 99% and he seemed positive about the recovery. He did say that the next 48-72 hours would most likely be worse before it gets better, then Carson should cough for the next 2 weeks before being well again. Gee whiz! My poor baby...

As if this wasn't bad enough... Carson has 2 molars and a front tooth coming in. The molars are progressing well, and the front tooth just popped thru. The kid is going to have a mouth full of teeth by the time he's 18 months. And, I have heard that the I-teeth are the worst. Great!

Oh, it still gets better... last night when Carson and I were playing, he slipped and hit his 4 top teeth on our end table. There are teeth scratches down the table - no kidding. So, I freak out while trying to stay calm as I have a screaming baby with blood coming out of his mouth. I stick my finger in there to check to make sure his teeth are still in tact, and I withdraw a bloody finger. Now I'm really upset. Once I finally calm Carson down and get control, I call my mom. Carson and I then took turns sucking on an ice cube to see if we can get something cold on his mouth to control the swelling. Cj and I agree that this kid needs a helmet!

Too funny

Okay, so we all know that we do not have a starving child. Carson went over to Cj's plate and stole chips. He turned around and shoved them in his mouth then came back for more a couple of minutes later. It totally cracked me up. Here's a pic of the thief in progress:

Here's the picture of him enjoying his new found snack:

Too bad CJ didn't find it quite as funny as I did.

Grampa bellies

Carson and Grampa (at Cj's graduation party in May 2008)

Things went well yesterday with Grampa and Carson. They had a lot of fun playing. In fact, Carson was asleep on Grampa's belly when Cj got home. What is it about Grampa bellies? It used to seem that was the only way we could get Carson to sleep when he was first born - put him on Grampy's belly. We used to threaten to call Grampy in the middle of the night if we couldn't get Carson to sleep. Luckily for him, we never did.

Carson and Grampy's belly (Christmas 2007)

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When Cj and I were discussing these things, Carson was sitting around with his shirt off and we decided that he has a "grampa belly" too. :) He has a Grampy haircut, but that seems to be getting better. He is slowly, but surely, starting to get more hair. It is a strawberry blond color with curls in the back. I love it! I'm wondering if it will stay that way, or if it will become darker. I think his eyes are pretty set in bright blue, just like his daddy's. We are going to be in so much trouble with girls later!

Carson's "grampa belly"

New Year's 2009

I have decided to start a blog for our family. It seems that everyone else has one, and I thought this would be an easier way to get more updates out there for all to see. Also, this means I don't have to wait so long in between photos and funny stories. :)

Carson is at home with Grandpa Ron today. Things seem to be going fine, even though there was some fuss when I first left home. They are enjoying lunch right now, and Carson is even getting most of it in his mouth! That's always a good sign.

Carson and Tanner had fun on Christmas. Carson was busy opening everyone's presents for them, except for Tanner's of course. It was fun to have both boys Christmas morning.

Tanner is ready to get back to soccer practice. I think he is ready to go back to school, but it may only be to see his friends.

Carson is saying Mama and Dada all the time as well as running around the house. He's definitely the boss! He makes sounds a lot that sound like words, and we just say they are. He loves to dance, and I got some GREAT video from Christmas. I don't think we have ever laughed so hard.

As the days continue, I'm sure I will have more to share.