Monday, December 29, 2008

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

Monday, December 22, 2008

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.

Friday, December 12, 2008

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!

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

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.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

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.