Carson's First Christmas

We made it through our first Christmas as a family (mine and Daniel's 5th as a couple!) What fun to see so much family in such a short time. Carson did great traveling around the region and made out like a bandit where gifts are concerned! We were with the Belota family (my mom's side) in LaGrange on Saturday, the King family (Dad's side) in Houston on Sunday, The King Jr's (just my immediate fam) in Cypress on Wednesday and the Roberts (Dan's immediate) in College Station on Thursday. Here are a few pics from the week:

The entire King Family

Mostly we just remember the dogs at my parents

Relaxing/napping at my parents

More dogs at the Roberts'

And a fun photo shoot at home

Chatter

So this weekend Carson realized he has a voice, and boy does he like to use it! He's of course been cooing for a while now, but for whatever reason it has been nonstop starting this weekend. I love it! We've been traveling to be with family and he's seen and met a lot of people in the past week, so maybe that has something to do with it.

Also, an update on rolling over: he's only done it once more since I last wrote, so the skill has clearly not yet been mastered. On the other hand, he's become quite adept at screaming and yelling until we come turn him over.

I'm Still Beaming

Okay, so this morning Carson rolled over. It was COMPLETELY unexpected. We've been pretty intentional with tummy time for about a week and a half now and it didn't seem like he would be rolling over ANY TIME soon. Pretty much he just lays there and pushes up sometimes. But today I put him on his blanket and in about 10 seconds he was on his back. I hope I never forget the little image of him pushing himself onto his side - pausing for a brief moment, and then onto his back he went! I squealed and ran to him and he just gave me the biggest smile back. He's my little hero already!

How Dreamy

A day every mom remembers

I was feeling a little adventuresome/ambitious this morning as I was getting ready for the day. Something told me ... maybe the crisp air, maybe the fresh rain fall, maybe the short to-do list ... that today would be full of possibility. So I made up my mind and took the leap. I walked to my closet and dug up an old friend. Yes, my pre-pregnancy jeans. There I stood before the mirror with a look of determination. One leg in ... so far, so good. There goes the second leg and I've got the pants pulled above my knees -- do I dare go any further? Okay, a little wiggle and we've passed the hips (there's no turning back now), here comes the moment of truth. With a crazed look in my eye, I suck in and force that button through its hole like my life depended on it (and for a moment, it did) and SUCCESS!!! I have buttoned a pair of pants that does not have elastic around the waist! Was I comfortable? Oh heavens no! Did they look good? Not quite like I remembered, but I put on a baggy shirt and wore those jeans for the next 5 hours until I couldn't stand it a moment longer. So here I sit now in my stretchy pants blogging about the day's events. Maybe I'll try for 6 hours tomorrow.

No rest for the weary

Well it's time to confess that I've had an especially hard time not comparing Carson to all my other friends' babies (all the books tell you this will be an issue - but I didn't believe them). I guess now that I have numbers to deal with it makes it perfectly easy. And of course as the saying goes "comparison is the thief of joy" - and so, mine has been robbed. My main source of discouragement is in the realization that my baby seems to be the only one in the world who isn't sleeping through the night yet. How petty - I know - but I won't hide my shame from my readers. Four hours straight is pretty much what we can get out of our night owl. We've tried lots of tricks, but nothing seems to work. I would love some words of encouragement from some mommy friends and perhaps some advice as well (other than patience b/c I'm obviously lacking that -- I'm looking for something more in the quick-fix category like baby sedatives, but I don't know where to find them on this side of the border)

Dr Saenz and Carson (2 months)

We went to see Dr Saenz today for Carson's wellness visit and to get his first round of shots. Here are his stats:
Length - 24 3/4in (95th percentile)
Weight - 13lbs 15oz (95th percentile)
Head Circumference - 41.6cm (90th percentile)
So apparently (but not surprisingly) our baby boy is big which of course makes daddy proud!
As far as the shots go, Nurse Elisabeth was a pro and administered all 4 in about 10 seconds. Even more surprisingly Carson only cried for less than a minute before he had a smile for us again - what a tough guy! We're giving him some baby Tylenol just in case those smiles go away, though.

The Birth of a Smile

Workin Hard for the Money

I returned to work 3 weeks ago, but haven't had time to blog about it yet. First of all: my job. BC (before Carson) I worked full-time at Grace Bible Church for the college ministry - a job I'd held for 3 years. Sadly for me, it wasn't exactly the kind of job or lifestyle I could keep up with as a new mom, so I resigned my position and accepted an offer to work part-time as an accounting assistant to the church's finance director. Now I put in approx. 20 hrs a week at Southwood (the church's new campus which opened this fall). It's been good to be back in the mix, seeing and interacting with people in the outside world, but it has of course been challenging squishing 20 more hours in to my week somehow. Fortunately, I am not lacking help. Aunt Ashley (my sis) and Grandma Bel provide a tremendous service by watching Carson 2 days a week. The third day I bring him in to the office with me where he is welcomed with open arms by my understanding co-workers.

These are my best work friends, Pam (or Pammy, as I affectionately call her in my head) and Erin (who shares my office with me)

This is Marty, he has a job here too, but mostly does handy work for Erin and me.

Carson + Addison

Last Saturday we got a very special visit from my friends Beth and Sarah b/f the football game. Us girls and our husbands have all been friends since college. Beth and Joey are in the Austin area and Sarah and Nick up near Dallas - so Dan and I are always extra excited when we get to see them. This weekend Carson and I got to meet Addison, who is Beth's completely lovable 8mo old. Here are the darling pics from the meeting. Thank you, Miss Sarah, for your handiwork behind the camera!


Notice how Addison is holding Carson's hand already :)

Grow, Carson, Grow!

I don't know if there is an official length of time one remains a newborn, but Daniel and I think that Carson has outgrown that phase. Today he is 7 weeks old, no longer fits into any newborn clothes or diapers, and just seems different. Personally, I'm thrilled. I'll be the first to admit that I don't think I really love the newborn phase. Carson is more interactive, explorative, and energetic these days. It is so fun to just sit and watch him. I also know that these things are all just a taste of what's to come!

Happy birthday, Grandpa

Today is Bill's birthday and we got to celebrate over the weekend with the family (minus Aunt Missy who's studying abroad)

3 generations of Robertsereses

Add Uncle David to the mix

I'm bendy

Happy Halloween

"mom, get me out of this thing!"

Bath Time

Date Night

Of the many life-altering changes Carson has brought, "date night" might not be the most significant, but is certainly blog-worthy. We are among those most fortunate parents who have grandparents less than 5 miles away. Bill and Bel are truly more eager to take Carson off of our hands for a while than we are for a break. So we've arranged that every Thursday night, Bill and Bel will babysit so we can go on a date. Last week we had a great night out with our friends, Jerry and Pamela - we went to Ninfa's, then Cold Stone, then the church gym to play around with soccer and basketballs. This week was a little different ... we dropped off Carson, picked up some Chinese food to go, and went to bed at 8pm! I didn't even wake up at 10 when Daniel left to go pick him up. Essentially, I was able to sleep until 3am -- which is 7 hours of the most glorious slumber I've ever experienced. The most consecutive hours of sleep I've received before that was 3 in the past month - and 2 is much more average! So here's to one of the best dates we've ever had!

Road Trip

Yesterday Carson and I took our first trip out of town. I haven't left College Station since August and have certainly been feeling a little stir-crazy (most of my friends know that I love leaving town and taking day trips). We went to Plum, TX where my mom's parents live. (Plum is a small town outside of LaGrange and is about an hour and a half away) My Granny and Grandpa came to see Carson in the hospital, but never got to hold him because he was taken in to the nursery right when they got there, so I thought we'd make it up to them.
Our trip went very smoothly. Maybe too smoothly, because Carson pretty much slept the entire time and woke up only for about 10 minutes so his great-Granny could feed him. In the meantime, we had lunch, went for a walk, and went to see my Granny's sister, Marlene, to show him off. We'll be back up there for Thanksgiving, so even though he didn't see too much of the country this time, he'll get another chance soon.

check out the cute shoes!

The Pumpkin Patch

Yesterday Carson and I took a little field trip to a pumpkin patch right by our house with our friends, the Mortons. Shannon is one of my best mommy friends and has two little Morties, Elizabeth (4) and Abigail (9 mos.) We had a great time outside taking pictures (though, eventually both of our cameras ran out of battery power :)
Here are some of the best pics of the day.

A baby pumpkin the same size as Carson's head

We haven't quite been able to teach him how to pose for the camera - he was really squirmy

Abigail was all smiles for us


The Morton Fam

America's Next Top Model?

Brothers ... sort of

So how has Wrigley handled the new addition to our family?
It's been tough on him for sure. At first he was noticeably hurt by us bringing the new puppy (Carson) home. He wouldn't even really look at any of us. Slowly, he has adjusted, though, and now possibly even accepts the little guy as part of his pack. They aren't best buds yet, but I think that in a year's time, the two will be inseparable.

Lessons learned

Here's what happened when I carried Carson naked from his room to his bath. I forgot the warnings about little boys being armed and loaded.

Still alive... right?

Well, we've made it to the two week mark. I know I haven't given you guys an update in a while and I appreciate your patience as I try to figure out this mommy business - appearantly its either really hard, or I'm just a slow learner. Here's a breif update of what's been going on in our lives:
Week 1: We didn't get to leave the hospital until Sunday after Carson was born - that's 4 nights! Carson was struggling w/ jaundice and had to go under the lights. He also wasn't feeding well. Finally we got to go home, only to finish the week w/ daily doctor visits and of course, sleepless nights. It was definitely the hardest week of my life, I'd say.
Week 2: Much better! At Carson's two week check up, he still wasn't back up to his birth weight, but gaining - so that's good.
Here are a few of our favorite pictures captured during our first two weeks as a family:

The Short Version for the guys and those with lives

Went to the hospital at 12:30pm on Wednesday and things got underway immediately. Once I got my epidural, I felt great and just hung out for the next 7 hours as I dilated and contracted. We had family visitors and watched tv intermittently. Then at about 8:30, it was time to push. My epidural was wearing off quickly, so I was in pain and was more than happy to get this over with. Daniel was a complete champ and could not have done a thing better. Carson was born at 9:30 and was completely healthy. He was welcomed at the hospital by a family audience including his Granny and Papa (my parents), his Grandma and Grandpa (Daniel's parents), his Aunt Ashley and Uncle Lee, and his Great Aunt Ande! The next day we had about 20 visitors at the hospital, and then weren't allowed any the day after because we were so tired :) Tomorrow we go home with the little guy and are ready to learn how to be parents!

The Long Version (mostly for my memory's sake)

We woke up at 5 am on Wednesday to call the hospital (as we were instructed) to make sure there was a birthing room available ... well, there wasn't. Apparently all the pregnant women in the city decided to go in to labor that day - and the hospital did not feel that Carson's induction was as important as these "walk ins" who had NOT made a reservation! So we waited until noon when they finally called back and asked us to be there at 12:30. I was shown to the delivery room right away and made quick friends with Sammy, the delivery nurse. She was soooooooo wonderful and made us feel very comfortable. She also went and tracked down the greatest anesthesiologist in the world, Dr. Owens, who spent the hardest hour of his career administering my epidural. It was really complicated because of my back surgery 11 years ago which has left a slew of metal scraps and fused bones in the way of my spine! I was hooked up to machines and IVs immediately which showed that I was already having contractions (though I couldn't feel them yet). I finally started feeling them around 2:30 which is when the epidural took effect - so that was lucky. From that point on, until around 8 it was smooth sailing for me. For Carson, not so much. The contractions kept causing his heart rate to drop, so they would have to take me off the pitocin for hours at a time which of course slowed the whole process down. Fortunately, he was able to hang in there, so the threat of a c-section never became too real. I couldn't feel anything below my waist so I welcomed family visitors in and out of the room, we watched TV, and movies. That all went by really fast, and then, around 7:30 my epidural began to wear off (yikes) - which was a risk with the complications of its insertion. They tried to increase the dosage, but without success. By this time I was dilated beyond 7cm, and made it to 10cm in about 30 minutes. I was definitely starting to feel the pain, but had to wait about 30 mins to push for Dr. Jansky to arrive. Also, at this time the nursing shifts changed so I had to bid farewell to my beloved Sammy and was introduced to Sandra - who was completely different, but the Lord's perfect provision for this next phase of labor. We began pushing at 8:30. Sandra instructed me on exactly what to do, Dr. Jansky was a perfect mix between encouragement and business and Daniel was in the zone - doing more than I could have ever dreamed! I pushed for an hour - an hour I wouldn't mind forgetting one day, though parts of it make me laugh now. Eventually, Dr. Jansky went in w/ the forceps and fished him out. She kept exclaiming, "LOOK AT YOUR SON!" But I was kind of out of it and wouldn't say it was the most sentimental of moments. Daniel cut the cord, and got to hold him for about 30 mins before they took him to clean and test him. So, that's about how it went - or all I can remember, at least.

Getting Close

So I suppose that a week from today we should have a baby. This is one of the strangest feelings in the world to me and it's hard to process. I'm at an emotional crossroads of wanting to have this little guy out of me, but worrying that I might not be able to handle it once he is. I know that I will receive God's grace as I need it - so I'll try not to draw on something that will come when the timing is right. Life is changing so much already and we seem to mostly just be twiddling our thumbs waiting to meet our son.

My appt with Dr Jansky went well yesterday. I'm now more than 2cm dilated and 90% effaced (Lynn, I won't go in to details, but it's part of a lining in you that needs to thin out all the way b/f the baby can be born). I really wonder if I'll go in to labor before Wednesday and wouldn't be surprised if I do. We'll see I guess.

It is so awesome that God knows the exact moment when Carson will come into the world and that He planned it from the beginning of time! We hope to introduce him to you all soon!

Getting ready

I woke up this morning with some braxton-hicks contractions around 6:30. They were getting progressively worse so I started timing them. They were consistently 10 minutes apart for about 2 hours, but then they went away. It's so cool the way my body is getting ready for labor - I find it really fascinating - and wonder if I'll even make it to the 24th.

Dr. Jansky and me (36 weeks)

Today was a great checkup. Normal blood pressure and my pelvic exam revealed that I've only dilated a small bit over the past week (she said I'm "at a loose 1"), but I'm 75% effaced. Sooooo, she scheduled an induction for Wednesday morning, Sept 24!!! She wants to give his lungs a couple more weeks to develop, but is suspecting his weight to be around 8lbs right now - so the sooner we deliver the better -- and I agree! It's so fun to have this knowledge and puts my mind at ease knowing we've got 2 weeks to finish getting ready. I know anything could happen, still, but it's nice to have a plan :)

Belly Time

When I was in WI last month with my roommates, Holly and I did a little prenatal photo shoot. Here are my favorites - enjoy!

Dr. Jansky and Me (month 9)

Big news after this appointment!
Apparently, I've begun dilating - around 1cm and I'm 50% effaced??? (is that how you would say it?). Carson has dropped and is hangin out head down waiting to come! The Dr said that I could very well have this baby at 36 weeks - which is next week for those of you keeping track. So crazy!
Forget nesting - I am way beyond that -- more like building (or whatever is more intense than nesting). We have so much to do this weekend to finish getting ready. Of course the baby could still hold out for 2-3 weeks, but I wanna be ready just in case.
I really can feel the pressure "down there" and do feel a little like a walking time-bomb waiting to pop. It's all so weird.

Carson's Friends

This has been a year filled with more than just our baby. Many of our friends have been going through the same thing - and we can't wait for Carson to meet all of his soon-to-be playmates!

Abigail Hope Morton - Jan 18
Born to Matt and Shannon who I've worked under in college ministry for 3 years - and who live in our neighborhood so we'll get to see a lot of them!

Addison Grace LoSurdo - Mar 9
Born to Joey and Beth who have been close friends since college.

Zoe Karis Miller - Apr
Born to Kendall and Karis. Karis and I worked together in youth ministry at Grace for a year and have been friends ever since.

Elisha Dane Wilson - May 9
Born to Eric and Erica. Daniel and I were both close friends with Erica in college. We're now all blog buddies

Hallie Parker Bryant - May 27
Born to Jamey and Heather who we've known longer than we've known each other. We have worked together in college ministry for the past 3 years as well.

Adelaide Anne Peters - June 17
Born to Jon and Holly. Holly and I were college roommates and friends forever since then!

Owen Guy Mery - Aug 11
Born to Nate and Krista who are my sister's in-laws. We get to see them all the time and love having families growing together.

Juliet Caroline Sledge - Aug 11
Born to Toby and Lisa. Toby was one of the "older guys" in college Daniel always looked up to and its fun to still be running in the same circle today.

But wait, that's not all! After Carson comes, our close friends from college, Nathan and Melissa Hall will be expecting their son Pierson in mid-October.