First Catch

     Last night Carson was sitting at his table and chair set and I started tossing a ball into his lap that would then roll off his legs.  I did this several times until he realized he wanted to keep the ball once it hit his lap.  So he started grabbing for it, too late of course.  Before I knew it he was sticking his arms out and was ready for the ball...and then he caught it!  He continued to catch the ball, sometimes one handed.  
     The winter season has finally brought colds on the whole family.  Carson and I have been fighting it since the beginning of the week and then Jason caught it a little later.  Thankfully it's not slowing us down :)
     This evening we were out to dinner at the Olive Garden and Carson got his hand in some Italian dressing.  I wiped his hand right away, but he still put it in this mouth and was surprised at the new taste on his tongue.  He proceeded to lick his hand and enjoy the new found flavor.   

Cheese please?

     Carson is picking up new signs every week.  This week he started signing cheese and please.  They are both great signs but sound very much alike.  I asked Carson to say please and he signed cheese...I don't think he quite understands the concept of please yet, but we're working on it. 
     Tooth #2 has popped through - YAY! - I'm expected #3 any day now, it's so close.  We have been having a lot of fun outside.  Sometimes it is the only thing that will make Carson happy.  He likes to walk on the sidewalks and has been pretty stable on the gravel too.  He still needs a hand when walking on the grass.  He knows where all the neighbor dogs live and wants to visit them every time he is out.  We often play with the neighbor kids if they are out at the same time.  The great part about living in Washington is that we get days where we can play  outside in December.
     He hadn't slept past 8 am again until yesterday morning.  On Tuesday night he came to Bible study with me and was up way past his bedtime, but since he slept in the next day I decided to experiment.  So last night I let him play longer, until he got tired and he went to bed at 8 pm, hoping this would result in a later wake up call.  The experiment failed, Carson was up at 7:40 this morning; still better than 7or 7:15, but I had really high hopes for after 8 am.  We went out to dinner tonight with friends and he didn't go down till 8 pm again so we'll see what tomorrow morning brings.    

           "Look Mom, I'm being gentle."                    Watching the Eagles game with Daddy

He loves a good shoulder ride

Sleep Words Sign Teeth

     Carson slept in past 8 am today for the first time since daylight savings.  It's amazing how nice it is to wake up to peace and quiet and not a talking/whining child.  I'm praying for a repeat performance tomorrow. 
     Carson is so close to getting words out of his mouth.  He'll say 'Hi' sometimes with a pretend phone to his ear, but will only wave to a person.  This week he started saying 'ba ba ball' and I swear I heard him say 'Bye bye' the other day.  Unfortunately he has picked up on 'No.'  Tonight he pointed at the blinds (which he is not allowed to touch) said 'No', made sure I was looking and then touched them ever so gently (hoping he wouldn't get in trouble). My parents' wishes have come true; I got a child just like me.  Carson started doing this yesterday with several things around the house.  I'm hoping to turn it into him understanding not to touch them, rather than him testing me and doing things he knows he shouldn't do.  He also picked up a new sign this week, 'bird' and we introduced 'cracker', which I'm guessing he might pick up quickly with how much he likes graham crackers.  He gets them as treats when Jason and I are eating dessert.     
     He's still working on his top two teeth, they are so close!  All three of us cannot wait for them to get through. 

Carson was determined to get into this tiny bin and nothing

was going to stop him...even his right leg! (11/27)

 We (I) made a Santa hat today, but Carson wasn't up for a picture with it!



Dancin' Feet

     Carson has found a love for Mariah Carey.  We were listening to music this week and old school Mariah Carey came on; his feet started moving and he got the biggest smile on his face.  He's always had a love for music, but Mariah has brought out something new in him.  I was able to catch a few moments on camera tonight.     

Apacifier Now - Day 5 (and final!)

     Wow, today was a little crazy.  Carson woke up at 7:45 am, the extra 30 minutes was nice, but there was a stretch from 3:30 - 5:30 am that he seemed to whine every 30 minutes.  We never had to go into his room, but it kept waking me up!  The morning was a little rough...he only wanted to be held.  He was still cranky after breakfast and feeling a little warm so I took his temp and he was running a low grade fever.  Even after Tylenol and Orajel he was not playing unless we were by his side and acting all out of sorts. 
     He laid his head on my shoulder at 11 am so I put him down for an early nap.  He whined for a moment and then was out.  Every hour or so he made sounds like he was waking up, but went back to sleep and didn't get up until 2 pm.  He was acting a little more like himself after his nap.  He ate lunch, but was warm again and was still running a fever.  After another dose of Tylenol and some cuddle time he slowly started to play again.  By the time Jason got home he was himself again and running all over the house.  It's so nice to have our happy Carson back!  He went down at his normal bedtime tonight without a sound!! 
     He went pacifier free five nights ago and I think (crossing my fingers) we're out of the woods!  I'm so proud of Carson for letting it go, Jason for his support and me for not giving in during some of the hard moments!

Apacifier Now - Day 4

     We all got a full nights sleep last night.  He woke up at 7 am which is still a little early for me (8 would be wonderful!), but was so glad I didn't have to get up at 5 am again.  Carson had his 15 month check up today.  He is weighing in at 22 lbs 8 oz and 30 1/4 inches tall.  Weight is in the 22nd percentile and height is 25th percentile.  He handled his shots very well for not having his pacifier!  He went down with just a few whines at nap time.  This is getting easier and easier.  It's so nice to be pacifier free and not having to worry about if it's in the diaper bag when we leave the house! 
     Carson took a 2 1/2 hour nap today :)  Followed by a VERY cranky afternoon and evening.  It was during all the crying that I remembered he always takes a good nap after shots at the doctor and then has a bad afternoon.   He was calm for moments at a time, but between the shot and teething nothing made him happy.  He went to bed at 7 tonight and didn't put up much of a fight.

Apacifier Now - Day 3

    (Yawn)  Carson woke up at 5:20 this morning.  I tried lying him back down, but he wasn't too happy about that.  So, I proceeded to apply orajel (a top tooth is coming in), change his diaper, hold him, but nothing seemed to keep him happy or asleep.  He ended up going back to sleep after 30 minutes of straight crying at 6:30 am.  Jason and I have gotten used to sleeping through the night so hopefully this won't last for long!   
     He was exhausted by nap time and already cranky before I put him down.  He started screaming as soon as I handed him his blanket and he pushed it away.  I put him in his crib and he screamed for four minutes (felt like half an hour) and then fell asleep. 

     He took a two hour nap today (yay!) much closer to his normal 2 1/2 hours.  Bedtime went well again tonight.  A little more crying than last night, but didn't last more than few a minutes.  Hopefully won't have another 5 am wake up call. 

Apacifier Now - Day 2

     Carson slept through the night!  He woke up at 7 am which is typical, but usually we get another 20 minutes of him playing in his crib and waking up.  There was none of that this morning, he wanted someone to come get him right away!  He finally went down for a nap after 35 minutes of screaming.  He was crying in my arms before I even put him in his crib.  We made two visits during his screams and then he finally wore himself out. 
  
     We got an hour and a half nap today, which was longer than Jason and I expected!  And he woke up happy which is always nice.  Jason is reffing a basketball game tonight so bed time was all on my own.  We sang a song, said our prayers and then laid him down.  He let out a few whimpers after I left the room and has been quiet every since! 

Apacifier Now - Day 1

     Carson has been fond of his pacifier since the first day they met.  They have spent every day and night together.  Some of their travels include California and Oregon, he wouldn't leave home without it.  Today Mom and Dad decided it was time for Carson and his pacifier to part ways.  They spent their last moments together at nap time this afternoon.  As Carson went to bed tonight he was given his night night blanket and then reached toward the crib for his pacifier, but it never came.  Normally Carson doesn't make a sound when he goes to bed, but tonight he cried and cried.  His mom went to his room and held him and rocked him.  He calmed himself down a little.  As he was laid back in his crib the cries came out again, but only lasted a couple minutes.  Three hours later he has only let out a cry once in his sleep, but Mom and Dad are worried for what the night holds.  Stayed tuned tomorrow to see if Carson made it through the night and what horrors nap time will bring, or if there will be a nap at all. 

Giving Thanks

   Today Jason and I are thankful for each other and our wonderful son.  We are thankful for the roof over our heads and the heat in our home, especially with the snow outside.  I'm also thankful that I haven't twisted my ankle on any of Carson's toys...yet.  We hope everyone is able to spend time with friends and family today!
   Carson started signing 'more' last week, but we didn't figure out what it was until a few days ago.  He also learned he can walk backwards.  The other night he started shuffling backward around the front room - almost running into things.     

Winter Wonderland

     We didn't get any new snow last night, but it started up again this morning.  I thought this was the perfect opportunity to try out Carson's new snowsuit and boots!  Here are some pictures from our fun in the snow. 

Visiting the neighbor dog

Helping Daddy clean off his car

Redecorating

     Shortly after Carson went down for his nap on Friday Jason asked how I felt about re-arranging the office.  I said fine, but asked when...  I left for 30 minutes to run an errand and came home to the office in disarray.  But I can't fault him, because like me, when he puts his mind to something he makes it happen.  So we spent all of nap time moving desks, the bookcase, and cleaning out far too much junk that I just needed to have over the years.  And nap time on Saturday going through more boxes.  After Carson was up from his nap yesterday I saw Jason sneaking upstairs with Eagles paraphernalia.  Next thing I know Carson has three new decorations in his room all in Eagles green.  The invasion has begun.  
     Carson is showing us everyday just how much he understands.  When he sees a dog, hears one bark, or notices a picture on his clothing he signs dog.  It's amazing to tell him to pick up his ball or bat or to get his milk cup and he goes right to it. 
     We got our first snow fall of the year today....maybe I should say snow flaking.  I took Carson outside and he kept trying to reach for the snow, but he couldn't get his hand to it in time.  I showed him the snow on his jacket and he just looked at it puzzled. 
     Here are some pictures from our visit to the Tacoma Children's Museum last week, a birthday party last night and others around the house.

Monkey

     Carson has always crawled on Jason and I but now he has taken to climbing.  He learned how to climb onto a small chair at Grandpa and Grandma's house (video below).  I'm not too thrilled that he stands up before he sits down, but we're working on that.  When we got home he tried to climb into his chair and table set that is a little bigger and he got his leg up on chair, but couldn't get the leverage to pull himself up.  Then before I know it he's climbing on his fire truck to get a better view out the window.  Last night he got a knee into the dishwasher and was on his way to climbing in with the dishes before I pulled him off.  It will only be a matter of time before he's on the tables.

Fall time fun

     Carson and I had a good flight on Thursday to Spokane.  We killed time at the airport with throwing the ball around the gate and chasing after it.  With only an hour flight there wasn't much time to get too squirmy, but it was still nice to have an open seat next to us.
     Yesterday we played in the leaves with Grandma and went for a walk with Grandpa.   

              He's an approved carry on!                          Playing at the gate

Enjoying the sunshine

     We made an effort to get outside the last couple days and enjoy the nice weather while we can!  Carson wanted to play in the sand box at the park yesterday that was more like the beach at the ocean...full of water!  I wasn't willing to deal with it so he had to make due with all the other toys.  Today we just stayed in the yard and played with the neighbor kids.  Here is a video of him on the sidewalk and watching an airplane.

Halloween

     Last weekend was busy for the family.  I went to Women of Faith in Seattle all day Friday and Saturday.  It was a great two days of speakers, music and fellowship, I can't wait for next year!!  That meant Jason and Carson had a boys weekend, that would have been more enjoyable if the little guy wasn't teething.  Jason showed Carson that he can make a noise by flicking his finger out the corner of his mouth.  So now Carson sticks his finger in his mouth and flicks it out.  He thinks it's the funniest thing.
     Carson went Trick or Treating to the neighbor's house and Jenny's (Jason coworker) and went to our church's Harvest Festival.  There wasn't a lot for Carson to do, but it was fun to walk around and look at the games and all the kids in costume.  We ran into a few other Batman's as well.

I don't know what I'm doing, but I'm ready to go!

Little Batman meet Big Batman

    

Our little superhero

     Yesterday Carson realized he can stand up on his own without crawling to something to pull up on.  He doesn't always remember he can do it on his own, but it's fun to watch him get more and more stable on his feet every day. 
     My moms club visited a retirement home today and took the kids in costume.  Everyone loved Carson as Batman.  I pulled out his costume a couple days ago and it comes with the 'suit', a cape, and a mask.  I tried putting the mask on him, but he didn't want anything to do with it.  So I tried on the mask and saw a face on Carson that I have never seen before.  He was so scared and started crying.  Thankfully he still came to me after I took the mask off.  We will not be using the mask this Halloween :)

Books, Cards and Invitations!

      As much as I love how scrapbooks look, I don’t have it in me to cut the pictures, boarders and put it all together.  So I’ve turned to Shutterfly (www.shutterfly.com) to put these memories together.  I started using Shutterfly books in 2009 after Jason and I went to Italy.  I put together a quick little book of all our highlights and was so happy when it arrived in the mail.  Since then I’ve created books about Jason's baseball career and a book for Carson with pictures of our family. 

      I’m now getting ready to venture into Shutterfly’s holiday cards! (http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-cards)  They come in folded, stationary (cardstock), and photo cards.  There are so many designs to choose from.  I kept scrolling through all the options finding a favorite one on each new page.  Not only do they look great, but several of the designs donate 10% of their proceeds to the American Lung Association or LiveStrong.

      Some of my favorites were Every Good Gift, Mod Love, Family Frame and the Christmas Letter Christmas Card that allows you to put your Christmas Letter on the photo card.  You can have 1 – 12 photos on a card depending on the design.  Somehow I will have to choose just a few pictures of Carson from the thousands we have taken this year!

      Having a special party in for the holidays?  Shutterfly also has invitations http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-invitations.

     Keep your eyes peeled for your mail in December to see which card I chose!

*I am receiving 50 free cards from Shutterfly in exchange for this post*

FETCH

Carson has two new favorite things; playing fetch and YELLING. 
    Everyone loves fetch.  Carson throws a ball (Lego, spoon, toy), goes after it, picks it up and throws it again.  He'll throw the ball on the floor or against the wall, dishwasher, cupboard, fridge, whatever is in the line of fire.  It's fun to watch him chase it and nice that Jason and I don't have to be involved to play!
     Carson has found his yelling voice; he's not crying or whining, just yelling.  He gets quite a kick out of himself too.  He'll yell at the top of his lungs, then smile and laugh.  Needless to say our house is getting louder and more dangerous.

Pumpkin Patch

     We took Carson to a pumpkin patch today and got some great pictures.  He liked watching the dog run around and touching the pumpkins.  He also found out it's a little hard to walk in the hay, but fun to play with once you're sitting on it. 
     Carson has been walking really well for a couple weeks, but hasn't figured out how to stand up from sitting; he has to crawl over to something to get up to his feet.  Today he was walking in the living room, stopped, picked up a toy off the ground and stood back up again.  We were so proud of him, usually in that situation he would go to pick it up and then sit down.  
     Tonight Carson confirmed that he is signing dog.  We went to a friend house and several times while watching their dog he would pat his leg :) 

When all else fails...pizza

     Jason and I did some redecorating in Carson's room last weekend.  We moved the queen bed up against the walls around the crib so he can have some floor space to play.  I'm also hoping the mattress and box spring can provide a little insulation to keep the room warmer in the winter. 
     I think Carson may have started signing the other day.  We were outside and heard dogs barking and he patted his leg (the sign for dog).  He also did the sign for milk while sitting in his chair eating - that or he was telling his milk  bye bye - but I'm calling it a sign.
     Carson is napping much better.  Whenever he gets his morning snack and lunch on time he sleeps really well.  If either of those are off it seems his nap is shortened.  But I enjoyed two hours and 20 minutes today of Carrie Time :)
     Carson has decided to be a little finicky in his eating lately.  Tonight he didn't want jar food, cereal puffs or yogurt (a usual favorite)...only his milk.  I was about ready to give up until I saw how big his eyes got when I pulled a pizza for Jason and I out of the oven.  I cut him up a few pieces and he proceeded to eat an entire piece of pizza!
     Jason and I are really enjoying being parents.  We typically spend our evenings on the floor and laughing with Carson....I can't think of any other place I'd rather be.

TP Trouble and 5 years

     Carson has never really got into the toilet paper before because I'm always in the bathroom with him.  However he was very sneaky this week.  While I was taking a shower, his ever growing arms were able to reach the toilet paper, and I caught him red handed.  
     Today Jason and I celebrate five wonderful years of marriage! 

Back home...again

     Jason and I had a great time in California.  The weekend was nicely topped off with wine tasting for the girls and an Eagles win on Sunday!  We had a looooooong drive home on Monday, 13 and a half hours.  It was made bearable with a stop at In N Out in CA and Giseppi's Pizza in Ashland. 
    We were both so excited to see Carson this morning.  I survived the weekend away :)  He is working on a top tooth.  I fought a finger into his mouth today and felt the ridge.  This has become a little more dangerous now that there is a tooth in there!

Back to Cali

Jason and I are enjoying ourselves in California.  He's glad to not be driving today and ready to take in the sunny, 80 degree weather.  Today we walked around Santa Cruz and out to the tide pools.  In the tide pools we saw little hermit crabs, sea anemones, and a sea star.  We skyed with Carson today and it was so good to see him!  Tomorrow is the big game... GO EAGLES!

Tooth Fairy

After 13 months and 8 days of life Carson has his first tooth!!!  It just poked through the gum so no pictures yet, but I'm sure I'll get one soon.  I have a feeling this tooth has other friends coming as well.  Let the fun begin!

Back Home

     Carson did a great job on the flight home yesterday.  He fell asleep just before the wheels left the ground and slept for over an hour.  Each day he is getting more and more comfortable on his feet.  Yesterday at our gate he saw another one year old playing in the walkway and he walked all the way over to him to play. 



     Here is a video of him feeding himself with a fork at lunch today!

Don't pay attention to the milk goatee :)

The Beach

     Today we went out to Ventura to visit my Great Uncle Bill and Carson got his toes in the sand for the first time.  He was very hesitant at first and didn't like the water coming up on his feet, but once he did some walking in the sand he got comfortable and then started walking out to the ocean.  Great weather, great food and great company!    

California

    Carson's first flight was a success!  A very nice Alaska employee helped me get the suitcase and car seat to baggage check.  Then a very nice man in front of us at security helped push all our bins through the line.  We met up with Grandma Thorpe at the gate and got some play time in before loading.  Our flight was packed and they said every seat was taken.  We kept waiting for our row mate to join us...but s/he never came!  We were so lucky to have an empty seat for Carson to crawl between us and play peek a boo with the row behind us.  He flirted as usual with the flight attendants and other ladies around him.  Carson got to play with a little puppy on board and a 6 month old baby.  He was an excellent flier and only got cranky at the end because he didn't take a nap.  After we landed we went to Great Grandma Thorpe's and had dinner with aunts, uncle, and cousins.