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