9 months

Carson has now officially been "out" as long as he was "in". I remember when he was born thinking how I carried him for 9 months -- and that his 9 month "birthday" seemed so so far away. But here we are in the blink of an eye. And I tell ya, I can't afford much blinking these days because Carson is gone in an instant. When he's on the bed, he's making mad dashes for the edge of it. When he's on the ground, he's bee-lining for the nearest deadly object. I don't know how any kid lives to see their first birthday. Now that mine's mobile, I see the world as one giant death trap - waiting to devour my son. A special note to the Lord on this topic: thank you for your mercies and protection over my son. I know that it is by your grace alone that he avoids the life-threatening encounters presented to him throughout the day.

So we had our 9 month wellness today with Dr. Saenz and here's how it went
Length: 30 1/2 inches (95th percentile)
Weight: 21 lbs 8 oz (75th percentile)
Head Circumference: 46 1/2 cm (95th percentile)
He also had some blood work done which came back good and got a polio vaccination -- which reminds me of a very blog-worthy story, though it's not about Carson: When we were in college, Daniel told me that when he was little his dad told him that the strings on bananas would give him polio if he ate them -- so he meticulously picked off each string of every banana he ate until he was in like high school and realized his dad probably just made that up to mess with him. Why he never thought to verify that with his mom, or even ask his dad if he was serious, I'll never understand -- but I'm glad that he doesn't have to worry about de-stringing Carson's bananas for polio since they have shots for that now.

Okay, so long post -- let's get on with my little tradition

Claps his hands
Always stands to greet us in his crib each morning
Rarely sits still for more than 30 seconds
Signs for "more"
Opens and closes doors and drawers all day long
Napping twice a day pretty consistently

How Dreamy

Click the picture to see our family photoshoot!

It happened

I just put Carson down for a nap and could hear him in his room making his usual grunting sounds signifying that he was not asleep. So I peaked in and saw him STANDING UP in his crib. He pulled up using his bumper, and then grabbed the ledge. Eventually Carson saw me, flopped down on his bottom and started laughing and bouncing up and down. Number 1 on tonight's to-do list: lower the mattress.

Uncle David and Aunt Amanda

We took our first road trip as a family (Wrigley included) this weekend to Longview, TX where we visited Daniel's brother, David, and his wife, Amanda. It was a jam packed weekend full of firsts for Carson and we all had a blast. Seriously, David and Amanda should think about opening a Travel Agency b/c they kept us entertained the entire time. Here's a quick summary of the trip:
- It took two hours to pack - who knew?
- Thank you, Lord, for our big car that fits our family, our dog, and a ton of other stuff
- We traveled at night after Carson was asleep (the trip took 4 hrs)
- We went to Louisiana - Carson's first time out of Texas
- Carson also took his first flight (Uncle David's a pilot)-- we'll have a whole separate post on this particular experience
- Carson went for his first swim in a real swimming pool (and kept trying to put his face underwater)

David and Amanda with their baby and ours

On the Boardwalk in Shreveport, LA



Mom, as you can see, I accidentally came home with the scarf you bought the other day. But don't worry, I'm making sure it gets good usage until I can return it :)

The Roberts take to the skies

This was maybe the highlight of our trip. David went to LeTourneau University in Longview were he actually majored in ... Pilot. I'm sure there's a more official name for it, but I'm a simple woman who just learned what a "hangar" was this weekend (it's an enclosed structure to hold aircraft in protective storage. thank you, wikipedia) - so I'll spare my simple readers the official jargon - Rodger, Rodgers? So as he's looking for a job in the commercial airline industry, he flies privately for this guy who owns a 6-passenger plane (once again, I'm sure there are some numbers associated with the plane describing its engine size and what not, but remember - I'm keeping it simple for you readers) so back to the plane. David can apparently take it out for a spin when he wishes -- or we stole it for a joy ride -- I didn't bother to ask which one.

So here's David pulling the plane out of the HANGAR (word of the day, folks)

A quick photo-opp before take off

"Control, this is Cherokee 21418, we are ready for take off"

Okay, so now we're in the air -- here's where it gets a little tricky regarding Carson's state of consciousness

Our trusty pilot and co-pilot. By the way, David let Daniel control the plane for about 5 seconds until I kindly (trying to hide the panic in my voice) requested that Daniel hand the reigns back over



Annnnnnnnd he's out! I mean, REEEEEEALLY out!

I was mildly concerned that something might be wrong with the tyke, because I literally could not shake him, his breathing and heart rate remained normal (yes, I was casually trying to check his pulse) so I didn't get too worried, and then he started sucking on his lower lip which gave me assurance that my son would, in fact, wake up eventually, which he did once we landed and the engine turned off. I guess when you combine the hum of the engine, the change in air pressure, warm temperature, and floating sensation it took him right back to his happy place and he entered probably the deepest sleep of his life.
All in all, it was a really fun experience. The best part was seeing David in his element -- talking to air traffic control in his pilot language, showing us the sights of East Texas from the sky, doing smooth 15 degree turns, keeping us alive -- it was all great. I guess nothing makes you look up to your little brother like putting your family's life in his hands!