His most cheery and talkative times are first thing in the morning, and after every feeding. I love that I know when his belly is full because he turns away with a big old smile and starts jabbering!
At nearly 4 months, he is really showing us his personality. I think he's going to make sure his voice is always heard!
Don't mind my 'mommy-speak,' I'm sure it sounds a little annoying to anyone else, but Carson sure loves it, and he often tries to copy the inflection he hears in our voices. Love him, his chins, and his little lizard tongue!!
Our little dude is officially switched over to his crib. I wasn't sure I was ready for him to be out of our room, but he has been a little stinker with naps lately, so I thought maybe switching him to his crib for nights and not just naps could help. The jury is still out on my logic.
Anyway, he has made the transition without an issue, and I am surviving. I suppose we'll disassemble the cradle this weekend and put our bedroom back together... Weird. That went so fast!
Here are a couple pics of how happy this guy is when he wakes up in the morning... It's so fun to start the day with big gummy grins!
Yes, Mother's Day has passed, but I'm playing catchup tonight... I'm about to get sappy...
My heart is full. My kids bring me more happiness, laughter, and love than I would have ever thought possible. I have wondered to myself, "Wow, did my mom really love me this much?" I can't even put it into words the unconditional, unwavering, euphoric feeling of love I felt each time I held my brand new babies in my arms on their birth days, but those feelings have never gone away. Some days are frustrating, lots of things worry me, and my insecurities about whether I'm being a good mom creep in sometimes, but I would not wish away a single minute I've spent with my kids. Having this long maternity leave has really made me feel lucky to enjoy this stage in our lives for all its worth. Happy Mother's Day to me :)
This was a fun craft the kids loved helping with, and I will love these canvases forever! My Mother's Day gift to myself :)
Jeremy got me a living locket with each of the kids' birthstones inside, as well as a plate with their names on it, and a charm that says 'mom.' I absolutely love it, and I know I'll wear it all the time. He did good :)
Although Jeremy was gone fishing for the weekend, the kids and I still got to visit with the grandmas over the weekend. We spent a day with Grandma Lori, a lunch with Grandma Dawn and Missy and Drake, and stopped over to see Grandma Chris and Grandpa Randy. It was a great weekend all around!
This girl... She lights up our lives. At 2 1/2 years old, she is spunky, silly, snuggly, sassy, smart, stubborn, sweet, and so special. She has grown and changed so much since she turned 2, I would be sad not to write to remember her in this moment in time. So here's my little 'Ode' to Izzy...
We are constantly amazed at how smart she is! Isabelle is learning things faster than we thought it was possible for a two-year-old. Izzy's got her ABC's down pat and has for a while--not only the song, but she can identify all the letters and get them right most of the time, and she can recognize her name when it's written down. She's got all the numbers, colors and shapes down, too. She can count to twenty like nobody's business :) She loves puzzles, loves to color, write, and draw, and would sit at the table and do 'practicing' for hours. She's even starting to get the hang of how to hold a pencil or other writing utensil.
Her vocabulary is out of this world. She uses words like beautiful, delicious, humongous, and disgusting... to name a few. And what gets me is how she uses them correctly! It's so funny hearing some of the BIG things that come out of a human so SMALL! I love that she can say her prayers all by herself, she can hold a conversation, and she can always tell us what she wants. Well, sometimes we wish she'd use her words rather than whine, but you know, she's two...
A little dark, but gives a glimpse :) She gets a little distracted in the middle, but it adds to the cuteness!
She still loves to have her snuggles, especially if she's just gotten scolded for something or if she has just hurt someone. Her conscience is a healthy one :) A lot of times, she'll say, 'I'm not feeling so well," as she bawls about getting into trouble. I love to snuggle with her--she's still so little for her age, that she just melts into me...
Stubborn is a perfect word for her these days, too. She is a very independent little stinker, and really wants to do more than she is able. She can put her own shoes on most of the time (although often gets the feet mixed up), her undies, socks, and pants, but her shirts give her a bit of a challenge. When she's in a 'mood,' there is no helping her. The other night, she literally walked around the bathroom with her head and one arm through the head hole of her pj's, inside out, with the other arm twisted up into one sleeve. She looked and sounded like a wreck, but she wouldn't let me help her. Jeremy says she gets her stubbornness from her mother... hmmm...
She's a little putz... everything she does seems to take forever. And I mean for-e-ver. To eat a meal with her takes at least 45 minutes. And she usually doesn't even eat that much!
She always has crazy hair. She calls it 'wild' hair. It's just not all quite long enough to stay perfectly in a pony tail, and she usually plays so hard that it gets crazy on its own. She tries to put her own barrettes in, but you can imagine how well that goes. Oh, and she likes girly things... She LOVES to get polish on her fingers and toes, and she loves to hoard necklaces and bracelets, sparkly things, and dresses & tutus.
Izzy is fun-loving and goofy, and she makes us laugh all the time. I am really, genuinely excited that she is in the middle of our family and is our only girl. I have a feeling she'll be a tough little thing, and people won't push her around :) Her cute little voice and super sweet smile are already getting her out of trouble... when she smiles, her whole face smiles.
She idolizes her big brother. She copies him, and I mean really copies him. Especially if he is doing something funny, she even uses his mannerisms! She'll say what he does, use the same actions, and usually wants to be around him. Of course, they have their arguments and disagreements, but they get along really well most of the time. They are very different in a lot of ways, but have lots of lovable similarities :)
Her own mascara application... What little girl doesn't do this???
Mommy's girl!! See what I mean about those squinty eyes? I LOVE her!!!
Thumbs-up selfie with mom
She LOVES to color, and spends time at the table all by herself doing stuff like this!
Three whole months have gone by already for this little dude. C.R.A.Z.Y. Carson is definitely moving out of the 'newborn' stage and into the 'infant' stage. (As sad as that is for me to come to terms with... it is what it is ;) He's starting to be much more predictable and is loving interacting more and more with us all the time.
Stats:
-6 month clothes, and not too much room left in many of the 6 mo. onesies!
-size 2 diapers, but we'll only finish this box and he'll be on to 3's
-height and weight will be checked at his 4 mo. appt, but my best guess is he's around 16.5 pounds
-eating about 6 oz. 6 times a day (every 3-4 hours)
Sleeping:
It's the question everyone asks... "How's he sleeping?" The answer to that is: very well :) Carson hits his wall each night by about 8:00, wants to eat, and pretty easily goes to sleep. We try to put him down drowsy, but not all the way sleeping. He likes his nuk but usually spits it out fairly soon. Occasionally, we have to pop it back in for him to start the night. He sleeps for anywhere between 7-9 hours now!! If he fusses before 3 AM, I've been able to pop his nuk back in. But if it's after that, he wants to eat. He gets right to business and is back to bed in no time. The longest he's slept was from 8:30 to 6 AM. That felt good!! He still sleeps in our room, in the cradle. But, if he gets up in the night to eat, I often bring him into bed for the last part of the night. I love the snuggles, and he does too ;)
Carson is a great napper. He takes 3-4 naps, depending on what time he's up for the day. It's not uncommon for his afternoon nap to be 2 1/2 or 3 hours long! He naps in his crib, except for his evening nap, which we are required to hold him. I think it's a product of us being so busy in the evenings. It's more often that we're out and about than home, so he gets lots of evening naps in his carseat or snuggled up with one of us. We also try to put him down drowsy but not out for naps. I am really, really, really trying to help him be a good sleeper and set him up for good daycare habits and good nighttime habits.
He is still a fast nurser, and we do try to get him to take one bottle a day, whenever we can. I just gave him a bottle for the first time yesterday. He took it like a champ and drank every last ounce. He just stared into my eyes the whole time. It was and odd feeling, but great to know that he'll hopefully take a bottle from me anytime he needs. However, it's much easier to nurse him in public now than with the other two. I'm much more comfortable and way less concerned about what other people think. Plus, it's kind of out of necessity now... I've got two other kids to watch at the same time :)
Carson is just starting to be more interested in having something in his hands. And he's been bringing toys up to his mouth, too. I think he's pretty proud of himself, because his eyes get all bright and his cheeky smiles come out. He also loves to chew on his fists.
Our little chubbers is a very smiley guy. He LOVES when we get close to his face and talk to and smile at him. He LOVES being talked to. He jabbers right back, and he has lots to say! He's getting better and better on his tummy, but he has yet to roll over intentionally (we had one fluke at three weeks!!).
Cooper and Izzy are so helpful these days. They'll get diapers, they'll replace his nuk, they love to hold him, they have fun talking to him, and they love to have tummy time with him. They are very patient when he's hungry, too.
Story time is a blast with all three kids. Cooper and Izzy love books as much as they ever did, and Carson is following in their footsteps. He stares very intently at the pictures, and even seems to look 'around' the pages. He sometimes 'reads' with me, which is pretty darn cute. He's just starting to reach out to touch the pages.
Carson is a blast to have, and we couldn't be happier in our new normal. This next month, we're looking forward to hearing some real giggles (we get some chuckles now and then), having Carson ready to sit on his own in the Bumbo for a new view of the world, and enjoying more snuggles before the little hippo gets even bigger!! Love you, buddy!
The chubby legs and fingers just get me!! Okay, so do the cheeks. And chins.
Brotherly love
Our chubby little free loader
Loving tummy time more and more
Nice night for a ball game. He's a big softball fan already!
Chewing on those fists!
Wahoo! His first forward-facing stroller ride. He was cooing and squealing :)
We were so honored to be a part of their wedding on April 18. All three kids were included, and Jeremy and I were best man and bridesmaid. It was a really fun, and we could not have been more proud of the job our little cuties did. It's kind of funny, how before we had kids, we had fun at weddings by drinking and visiting with family and friends... now we fun seeing the kids have fun :)
Jeremy and I were very nervous and a little stressed out about how the day would go, but looking back, we had no need to be so worried. The kids did phenomenal with the crazy schedule of the day and the expectations everyone had of them. Grandma Chris was very helpful, coming to pictures to corral the munchkins, and taking them away for a while between 'events' of the day so they could get rest and play.
Cooper was a very responsible little handsome man. He took his job very seriously, and he cooperated for photos, which he always seems to hate. He actually smiled NICELY. We were so proud watching him take good care of his little brother in the wagon and lead his little sister down the aisle. After the ceremony, he started pulling the wagon down the aisle, only to stop about two rows in. He dropped the wagon handle and went back to his seat... to grab the ring pillow. Melt. My. Heart. He knew it was his job, and he had forgotten the pillow on his seat. Everyone in church chuckled as Cooper finished his job by grabbing the wagon and pulling Carson to the end of the aisle. Adam and Chelsea greeted him with high fives and smiles :) At the dance, he had a blast dancing and carrying around a ton of glow sticks.
Isabelle was adorable and did an amazing job as well. She loved getting her hair done and wearing a pretty dress. She LOVED the wand Chelsea made her, and she made sure to wave it around every chance she got. Her bouncy curls had everyone smiling. Explaining all the parts of the day to her was really fun, like what a 'bride' is, how Adam and Chelsea are married now, and Chelsea is now Auntie Chelsea. She didn't dance as much as we thought she would, but she was really tired by that point in the night. She wanted to be carried for much of the time after dinner, but that was okay ;)
Carson was his calm little self, and he was awake for the important parts--the photos and the ceremony. Although he was a bit fussy during the ceremony, he was a little angel for the day. His chubby little cheeks looks so cute with that little bowtie around his neck (or chins!!). It was fun snuggling with him between photos and the ceremony when we had down time, and it was fun seeing many of Jeremy's extended family meet him for the first time.
Chelsea looked beautiful, Adam looked happy (he was very smiley, which was so nice to see!!), and they both had a really great day. We are excited to welcome Chelsea into the family!
Here are some fun shots from the day.
The night before... Partying at the rehearsal dinner
Carson's Chariot
Izzy's first professional hairdo
"Izzy, your hair looks beautiful!"
Missy did a great job on Izzy's hair :)
Having fun in the groomsmen hangout before the wedding
Hanging with Uncle Adam
Carson getting ready for the ceremony
Mom and the boys
Izzy and the beautiful bride
The little cuties... after the ceremony--they cooperated so well!!
Welcome to the family, Chelsea!
Grandma Chris and Izzy at dinner
Dancing with Daddy
A lady's man! This was at the end of the night, after a messy bottle :)
