Something new

As I've written several times, Carson has always been a dream going to bed. Last night he started to cry about ten minutes after we put him down, we tried to soothe him but it was so not like him, that we assumed something was wrong and we picked him up and calmed him down, then put him to sleep. It probably took in total about 20 minutes, when usually we put him down, walk out of the room and that's it. Now, I know that 20 minutes may not seem like a lot to some of you, but to us it seems like forever.

I just put him down about 20 minutes ago (he was up on both elbows when I left the room) and he just started to cry. So Jeff and I decided we are going to wait about 5 minutes before going up to see what's wrong. In order for me to do this and not start to cry myself, I had to turn off the monitor and turn the TV up. So, we are watching the game and in 2 minutes I can turn the monitor back on. We've done this a few times in the past couple months and we always cave before our time is up. Let's see if we can do it this time.

Update #1: I turned the monitor on 1 minute early and it was quiet :)
Update #2: He started crying again, Jeff went to pat his bum, he's once again quiet.
Update #3: 5 minutes later and he's crying again. We are going to try and wait 5 minutes again
Update #4: We didn't last, Jeff had to pick him this time (he was screaming) and soothe him to sleep. 4 minutes later, he's in his crib and asleep.

So I picked up the book that had been on my shelf for a few weeks (because I haven't needed it) Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child and it says "The failure of children to fall asleep and stay asleep by themselves is the direct result of parents' failure to give their child the opportunity to learn these self-soothing skills". This is for babies 5-12 months.

If it keeps up, we'll know he's getting into a pattern and we'll deal with it. For now, it's only been two nights so I'm leaning towards him maybe not feeling well or perhaps has something coming on?

Any thoughts?

He's growing so quickly!

It's happening, right before our eyes and yet I don't always notice it.

He's been going in his exercauser for about 2 months now. He started off being wrapped in the seat with blankets in the front and back. He would just kind of sit there and look. He slowly started using one of the toys (there are 9 on this exercauser) and I think it was more random then anything. I was just doing the laundry, so I plopped him into the exercauser and when I came out he was playing with a toy I had never seen him playing with before. The sunshine, to be precise. Now, as I'm watching him, he's twirling himself around and playing with each of the toys. It's crazy. He's growing up so quickly and I'm afraid I'm going to blink and he'll be off to school.

I think I'll just sit and stare at him for a few more minutes before taking him out.

Sunday

It started out not so nice, but now it's gorgeus out there! I know I should just enjoy when Carson is sleeping, but sometimes I want him to be awake so I can take him out with me. I sat on the back porch for quite some time, soaking up the sun and enjoying a good book. We back onto a park (across the street) and it's packed with parents and kids. I want to go walking! Come on Carson - wake up!

(he was such a good boy at church this morning, took a 2 hr nap at grandma's and let mommy have a nice leisurely sunday morning brunch with Carrie, the twins, mom and grandma)

Guess what Carson did today?

He ate cereal. The past few days he's been starving, and waking up for a feed at midnight which hasn't happened in about 7 or 8 weeks. So, I decided, with the advice of our doctor, to start him on solids. He's 5 months on Tuesday, and I wanted Jeff to be there so we started a few days early.

And, he was ready. He ate the whole serving (the suggested "first" feeding size, 1 tbsp of cereal) and did very well! Most books I've read say to start at lunch time, so that's what we did. Most of the girls I know started at breakfast, but we decided to do it at lunch.

Visiting grandma (grandma loves him in light blue so i always dress him accordingly when we go visiting)

Being a good luck charm the night the Sens won game 1 in round 2:

Playing flying baby with Daddy:

Nothing to report.

The past few days have been filled with being outside. We normally strollercize Monday, Wednesday and Friday - but today I met Tarrah and we went to the one in Westboro. Then we hit up MEC, where they STILL didn't have the rain shield I'm looking for.

Carson missed his morning nap, so he was a bit cranky by the time we got home. After a quick nurse, he went to bed and is still sleeping.

I haven't napped in probably 2 months, but today, now, I'm exhausted! I was going to catch a quick snooze while he slept then I started looking online for gazebos (I need shade in the backyard) and checking expedia for flights to Vancouver, doing laundry and starting dinner - so, no nap for me.

Carson's decked out in his SENS jersey and shoes - we're all looking forward to the game tonight (I only really watch hockey during the playoffs)

Tomorrow - strollercizing and then maybe Kiddytown. And then it's the weekend - yay!

What's that?

You want to see new pictures of Carson? Oh. Ok.

Yo Homey, what up?




Concentrating sooo hard


Watching a soccer game with Nono

Like his Dad, he loves no pants

I always wait too long to put him into the next size sleepers - especially the Costco ones. I have three really really cute sleepers from Costco, size 9 months, and I just put one on him tonight and it fits perfectly in the length (except his arms). I wonder if his growth will start tapering off for a bit right now? He's still in 3-6 month clothes for the most part, but some names (Tommy, Gap, Osh Kosh) he's wearing 6-12 months, but he'll be in them for a while.

I just got back from BodyPump and I ran into the house and straight up to his room to see him sleeping. I always want to pick him up and just cuddle him while he's sleeping, but I don't. I just sit there for a few minutes and sometimes I even cry (Jeff laughs at me).

Night.

Back to Front

Last night, we put Carson to bed on his stomach. This morning, when I went to look at him almost 12 hours later, he was on his back. He was happy, looking at the mobile and grinned when Jeff and I went in.

Jeff had been worried that he would miss the first time Carson rolled over. Carson apparently felt sorry for his Dad and decided he'd do it when neither of us could see.

Update: I put the little booger down for a nap and his head was pointing towards the window. This is how we've been putting him down every night for the past almost 5 months. He wasn't really ready for a nap (it was past his second nap of the day time and way early for his third nap of the day time) so about twenty minutes later he let me know he wanted up. I went upstairs, opened his door and he had done a complete 180 and was pointing in the complete opposite direction. Not even sideways or anything, just completely the opposite direction.

He's on the move.

Birth Certificate

I'm blogging so much cause the lil guy is sleeping so much! I think the fresh air just knocks him right out. He slept from 7 till 6:15 this morning and then went back to bed after a quick nurse until 7:45. Wowee I'm feeling lucky these days :)

We just got our notice of birth registration in the mail (finally) and now I'm applying for his birth certificate. There is a long one ($35) and a short one ($25). I know we need the long one to get a passport, so for sure we are getting the long one, but any thoughts on getting the short one too?

Thanks :)

We are off to strollercize (I LOVE it) when he wakes up. It's at 10:15 so I'm hoping this is a short nap (who would have ever thought I'd be wishing for a short nap). This afternoon I'm going to try and assemble the gazebo-y type thing in the backyard. We need shade cause we will be spending lots of time out there.

The waiting is over

This 4 day weekend I walked a total of 45 km. The majority of the time I was on my own, with Carson. It's now my favourite part of the day. Him waking up in the morning is a close second. During my walks, I think (and sing, but that's another story) and I think and I think. I think about my family, my friends, my past, my future, things that have happened, things that might happen, what to eat for dinner, what I have to do when I get home... well, you get the idea.

I think at this point in my life, where I am now is where I've always wanted to be. I was walking along today, and this couple was coming up behind me (on the sidewalk) and rang their bell. SO I stepped to the side and made a little joke as they passed by. They ended up stopping and we chatted a little bit. It was a beautiful sunny day, I was out with my son, I was having a conversation with complete strangers (which rarely happens with me, I'm rather shy) and after I walked away I just thought wow. My life is great. I always felt like I was waiting for something. When I was in highschool, I was so excited for university. While I was in university, I couldn't wait to get a job. Once I got my job I couldn't wait to move up the ladder. Then I met Jeff and I couldn't wait to buy a house. Once the house was bought I couldn't wait to get married, then have kids. Well, now I'm here. I have it all. No really, I do. I truly am the happiest I have ever been. And what a fantastic feeling. If you would have asked me a year ago, I would have said yes - but I wish that blah blah blah But now? Besides the "I'd like to lose twenty pounds", there isn't anything I need or want. I'm here, I'm where I want to be. And it's wonderful.

I love being a mom. I love being the type of mom that I am. I love being able to teach Carson, to love him, to help him grow, to do all of it. I feel lucky that I've been given the chance to do this. Since I've had Carson, I've changed as a person. I'm more outgoing, more responsible, more confident, happier, more self sufficient, more independant, just overall better in every way.

And I can't wait to do it again.

Teepins

For the last ten years or so, the kids in our family have been calling "Sleep" "Teep" so instead of sleeping, your teepins. Hence the title.

I remember for about the first six weeks with Carson, he would just sleep in our arms, on our chest (wow, we miss that) and just anywhere and everywhere he fell asleep. If we had to get stuff done, we'd put him on his turtle mat after he fell asleep, or in the playpen, sometimes on the couch while we were sitting there... really, just about anywhere. Then at about 7 weeks or so, my mom suggested we put him in the crib for his afternoon nap. I wasn't totally convinced he would fall asleep there. But, he did. Then I just kept on putting him in his crib for every afternoon nap. And he sleeps. Sometimes he still needs some convincing to fall asleep (pats on the bum etc...) and other times he just drifts off to sleep himself. The big key with us was we put him down to sleep while he was awake. Drowsy, but awake. We didn't let him fall asleep in our arms and then put him down, we put him down while his eyes were still open. Now sometimes the little guy is so tired by the time 7pm rolls around that he falls asleep wile I'm nursing him, and then it's not like we wake him up to put him down, we just put him to bed while he's asleep. But that doesn't happen too often.

Now, the age old question is nature vs nurture and I don't if he sleeps so well because of what we have done, or if it's just who he is. I think it's a bit of both. Now, I love my son and I love holding him and cuddling him and entertaining him, but we often just let him be by himself. We'd put him on the floor on his turtle map, in his playpen with the toys hanging over him and now in the exercauser and jumperoo and honestly, he likes being by himself. If he's held for too long (especially playing hot baby at parties and get togethers) but even just by me, he gets cranky and wants to be on his own, stretching his legs and just minding his own business. When I put him down for a nap during the day he's propped up on his elbows and looking around, he is awake for a good 5 minutes and then just drifts off.

At night time, on the advice (and we saw how well it worked) of our friends, we established a routine around 9 weeks. Even though everything I had read said that was too early, we figured it's never too early to start, and why not establish a routine? So every night around 6:30 (earlier if he's tired-cranky early) we bring him upstairs. He gets a bath. Every night. Unless we are out and don't get home till it's really his bed time, but 99% of the time he gets a bath. We don't use soap all the time so he doesn't get dry skin. Then we bring him back into his room, I nurse him and Jeff gets a bottle ready. Once I'm done, I turn on his nightlight and leave the room. Jeff gives him his bottle, gets a burp from him, and puts him right into his crib. We turn on the CD (classical music) and leave the room. And that's it. Sometimes he cries and even though I had prepared myself to be able to listen to him cry, really I can't let it last more then 3 minutes (and Jeff and I are doing whatever we can to NOT go into his room for even just that long) and then we go in and pat his bum, soothe him, and when he's calm (not asleep) we leave the room. The biggest thing is, we never take him out of the crib once we've put him down for the night.

I don't know how much that is going to help anyone, but it's worked for us. Again, Carson is a really good sleeper and he may have been that way no matter what we did. But I'd really like to think we did something right :) Sonya - if you need more, let me know - you know where to find me. Kisses to R.

I thought...

That moms were supposed to support each other? I'm a pretty easy going mom and I'll try lots of different things with Carson, I'm always open to suggestions and advice from other mom's, what worked for them and what didn't. My two closest friends and my sister are always offering ideas and advice, especially when I talk to them about something in particular regarding Carson. And I love them for it, I don't always take their advice but I appreciate it.

Lately I've tried to help and have my advice shot back in my face. Ok, it was unsolicited advice but I was just trying to help. I guess I'm just going to answer - uh huh from now on, listen to what they say and just keep my mouth shut. I'm always just trying to help, I'm not trying to come across as "I know it all so do it this way", I'm honestly offering advice from one new mother to another. But, I think I've learned my lesson so I'm zipping it!

Another gorgeus day yesterday. Nadia and I set off for another strollercize morning. What an ingenius idea. There's a used children's store here in Ottawa (Boomerang) and they have a certified fitness instructor who comes out three times a week at this location (and twice a week at the other location) and goes through warm up and warm down with us and during the walk or run keeps biking by us offering encouragement and boosts up our motivation. Next week she starts with a yoga/pilates session after our walk. There are about 20-30 women (and a few men) who come out and then after the session I would say about half of the people go into the store and buy stuff! How brilliant! Nadia and I stopped in and bought a few outfits (I bought a book too), and saw lots of the other moms in there buying things. So, it's a surefire way to get mega business three times a week. Brilliant I say.

Then in the afternoon I went for another hour long walk. I think I've been tiring Carson out. The last two nights he's slept from 7pm till 6:30 am. Everyone is amazed at how well he goes down to sleep for his naps and at night. He's really a good sleeper. He just went back to bed without a peep, I'm going to jump in the shower and we'll go for a quick hour walk and then off to Carrie and Rob's for an afternoon BBQ with the whole family (minus Jeff who's having a great time in Niagra, they went clubbin' last night which makes me laugh). Tonight I'm making a yummy dinner and maybe sneaking out for a drink or two with some friends after Carson goes to bed (remember, I'm staying at my mom's).

Oh - and always remember, children learn what you teach them. If you baby them all the time and don't try new things, you'll never know how they will handle it. Give them a chance to prove you wrong and show you how resiliant they are.

It's amazing

What a little sunshine will do. I'm staying at mom and ricky's for a few days while Jeff is away in Niagra. Today we spent the majority of the time outside, we went for a short (distance wise) but long (time wise) walk with Ethan and Isabelle to the store to get some milk. Carson slept the whole time. Then we had lunch outside, Carson had a short sweet nap and then when he woke up, I put him in the stroller (without his cosy!) and we were off. We walked a total of 12 km and I ran for 6 of them! With the stroller! Holy. That was tough. But, I did it. I can't walk now, but that's ok :)

As I was walking I was just thinking about how much I'm enjoying my time off with Carson. I love filling the days full of things to do. He loves his stroller - just looking at the world around him. There's a little window in the sun canopy so I can look down at him and see if he's awake or asleep and often times he's looking up through the canopy at the sky. God I love that kid. I don't think my life could possibly get any better right now. Well, unless money fell from the sky, but short of that - nothing. I love it. And I love the sun.

Tomorrow is strollercizing. I must remember to put on sunscreen. I didn't today and I can feel my skin is tight and it looks a touch red.

Carson went to bed tonight without a peep. I love it. I love putting him to bed, watching him squirm to get comfortable, make his "I'm getting comfy" noises and then bam. He's out. Who knows how long it will last, so I'm enjoying it while I can.

Now I'm off, going to get into bed, read my In Touch followed by the new Weight Watchers magazine and then drift off to sleep myself. Nite!

Oh Mr. Sun Sun Mr. Golden Sun

How happy I am that you are here! There were so many people at Strollercize this morning it was wonderful - the sun was beating down on us, the kiddies were asleep and Nad and I had a good long talk :) Next week the pilates part of the session starts so I'm really looking forward to that. Strollercize is three mornings a week, throw in my 3 classes at GoodLife and I'm feeling pretty good these days. My pants are even getting loose, that's making me very happy.

What isn't making me happy is Carson's sleeping patterns. Last night - up at 2, 3, 4, 5 and finally for good at 6. One thing Jeff and I have always been rather proud of (who knows if it's all our doing or not) is the fact that Carson has always been good at soothing himself back to sleep. It's like he's forgotten how to do it. These days Carson is fidgety. He's never calm, he always have to be moving and isn't content for very long in any one place. This is all new to me and I'm not sure how to deal with it. I play with him, I read to him, I sing and dance with him (only with no one else around), I move him from station to station but it never seems enough. I was giving him a bottle this afternoon and he kept squirming off my lap and looking around, then he'd stretch the whole way back and looked up at me, and gave me this huge toothless grin and it made me giggle. Thing is, he's not overly cranky he just never seems settled. It's only been going on a few days now and we are getting through with no problem, I am just wondering if I am missing something. Is he teething? Is he ready for solids? I guess he's just always been the same Carson for so long that he's throwing me for a loop. Ha, he's only 4 months and I know he'll just keep on changing and I'm not panicking, I'm just marking the spot so I can refer back to this and remember what I'm going through at what age.

So I think Jeff and I have decided that we are ready to go with cereal. He's away this weekend and I want him to be home the first time we try it (how could you miss that?) so we will start next weekend. A few days shy of his 5 month birthday.

Tonight is Kate's bridal shower, tomorrow I'm off to my mom's till Sunday so I'll be MIA until early next week. Toodles!

So silly me I signed up for Adsense and now I can't get this ad down from my site - anyone know how???

Annabel Karmel

On the advice of good friends of ours, I bought the book "The Healthy Baby Meal Planner". It has gotten amazing reviews and there is also a website about feeding your little one.

http://www.annabelkarmel.com/Recipes/Recipes.aspx

I'm excited to start making all my own baby food (except not sure if I will be making my own cereal) and now I can't wait to get my new book delivered. I also bought "My Baby Can Talk" DVD, I'm going to try teaching Carson to sign. I've been reading such great articles about it and think it's actually a great idea. Thrown in a few Sandra Boynton books (Barnyard Dance, Pyjama Time, Oh my oh my dinosaurs) and I'm all set.

Carson woke up at 2am last night, he hasn't woken up for that feeding in at least a month now so that was kind of strange. Up again at 5 and then for good at 7. We are off to Kiddytown shortly to pick up a weathershield for his stroller and off for a walk ... rain or shine.

More snow in April

Then we had in December!

We were off to Kanata for a playdate today, then after passing more than a few cars in ditches, I decided to turn around and come home. If I had been by myself, I would have gone ahead no problem (but then I wouldn't be going to a playdate, now would I?) but with the little guy, all I could think about was what if we got stuck out there? What if we got into an accident? You may laugh, and I am normally not such a nervous Nelly but I just didn't have a good feeling when we started out and decided to go with my gut and come home. Which is really too bad because I was really looking forward to seeing Tarrah and Laurie and Carson was anxious to see Kailey and Alyssa.

I bought rice cereal and a little bowl and spoon set to start Carson on solids. I won't be doing it for about a month or so, but I saw it while I was grocery shopping and decided to pick it up. I like to be prepared :) Jeff would say it's just because I like to shop and buy things, and well, that's true too. The doctor said to start around 5 months but I'm going to start when Carson seems to be ready for it.

Jeff's golf trip this weekend was cancelled so now he and the guys are having a conference call to decide where to go instead. They make me laugh. Carson and I are going to go stay with my mom, cause I love being in that neighbourhood so instead of driving there every day, we'll just stay over. It gets Carson used to sleeping somewhere else then his crib (he'll sleep in the playpen) cause when we go to PEI in May (and for three weeks in July) that's where he'll be sleeping.

Weekend wrap-up

Saturday morning, sugarbush was closed (of course it was!) so we hit up Broadway's for breakfast instead with Rob, Carrie, Ethan and Isabelle. Then in the afternoon, Carson and I went out for an hour and a half walk while Daddy watched the hockey game. We got home, Carson watched the end of the game with Daddy (towards the end, when the Sens almost scored just yelled, scared the crap our of Carson who was then inconsolable and had to be passed to mommy), we had bbq'd burgers and after Carson went to bed we watched a movie (or, Jeff watched a movie and I slept through it).

This morning, church a 8:15, then to grandma and nono's for breakfast. Came home, Carson went to bed without a peep and now all the men in the house are sleeping and I'm doing laundry. When Jeff wakes up, I'm off to the gym and to do some groceries.

Definitely not the most exciting weekend but it was a weekend none the less. Next Friday Jeff is off to Syracure for a golf weekend so Carson and I will be flying solo. Then two weekends after that we are off to PEI and I'm super excited.

As always, I love Fridays

Jeff's putting Carson down, I can hear Carson whine when Jeff takes the bottle away to get a burp from him. I can remember Grant and then the twins doing that too. It's a sweet whine, because you know the reason.

Tomorrow I think we are going to hit up the sugar bush, spend some time outside (it's supposed to be 9 degrees, but really anyone can be a weather-forecaster cause it's never right) and then hopefully breakfast with Kate and LJ on Sunday morning after church.

Carson doesn't even cry when we put him down anymore, he just happily gets into his bed and drifts off. He's like his mom and loves his bed, and sleep.

Edit: We just booked a flight to PEI! That was the surprise that we've been planning on, we were kind of flip flopping for a few days but decided to go ahead and book it. We leave May 11th and come back onthe 15th. A short but sweet visit. Carson will see his Grammie and Grampie again and meet lots of aunties and uncles!

Firsts

First time wearing a two pc pyjama set to bed:



In his highchair (not that he needs to, he isn't onto solids yet but it's just another place for him to explore)


First time mommy took ridiculous pictures of Carson with bubbles on his head

I have to stop there or else I'll end up posting 30 pictures. They are all so cute I can't choose the best.

A few things

1/ My soup was awesome. Tons of beans, veggies, some chicken and a handful of soup pasta. So yummy!

2/ He's still sleeping (an hour and a half so far)

3/ I love Today's Parent. I just got it last night (my mom got me a two year subscription) and on the cover it says there's a guide to buying car seats, which is what I'm doing in the next couple weeks, so hopefully there will be tons of good info

4/ I LOVE my jogging stroller. I've been doing about a 10K walk every day and today I went down to my mom's house and walked all around Ottawa South, along the river, over bridges and through the grass. The stroller is such a smooth ride, Carson loves it - he just watches absoloutely everthing. I got a big piece (for lack of a better word) of lambskin that fits perfectly in the stroller. It keeps him warm in the winter and cool in the summer (the synthetic 'cozies' or 'snugglies' just don't do the same as the lambskin, it's worth the money). The sun shade on the stroller goes so far down that there is no sun on his face. I've been getting a great workout and having Carson out in the fresh air is a bonus!

Now off to look for something that I can't say because it may be a surprise for someone that reads this.

xo

This blog is magical...

As soon as I post about a problem I'm having, it seems to go away!

Last night Carson slept from 7pm till 6:30am, and although night sleeping wasn't his problem, he took another nap for two hours this morning, and then again for about an hour during our walk (I've been taking 2 hr walks during the day) and he's happy and back to his normal self (without the laughing though, he cracks a grin here and there but nothing like it was before).

And thanks for the advice on the screen behind the bed. It was down as soon as I posted about it, I knew it just didn't look right. I have a bunch of art that needs to be hung up so I'm going to wait to spruce up the guest room until I tackle that project and hopefully find the perfect piece to go there.

I'm making a big batch of yummy soup for my lunches and we are having steak for dinner, YUM!!!

Update: Going on hour #2 of his afternoon nap, he hasn't done this in 5 days so I think our baby is back. Yay :)

Who are you and what have you done with Carson?

Until about 4 days ago, Carson was the happiest baby on the block. He was a textbook baby, would nap when they said he would, would eat when they said he would, would go to bed when they said he would etc...

Then, ever since he got his needles last week he's been, well... cranky. He used to sleep about 6-8 hours during the day. Now he sleeps at best, 3. He used to play on his own and be happy, now he needs constant attention. He's OK for a few minutes in any of his stations but then he looks for you and wants to be held. As soon as you pick him up, he's all smiles. He used to laugh at the drop of a hat, now you almost have to do handstands to get a little more than a smile!

He's chomping down quite hard if I put my finger in his mouth, putting everything in his mouth, drooling tons and has gotten a few rashes, so I am thinking he may be in the beginning stages of teething? I have a couple teething rings that we've been giving him.

I'm also thinking he's self-weaning. Ever since I had blocked ducts (end of Feb.) it's been a downward spiral, a vicious circle. He couldn't get milk, so we gave him formula. Then because he took formula, my milk supply started to dwindle. Now he likes the bottle that much more and easily gets frusterated when nursing. He has 2 good nursing sessions during the day, with sufficient milk. But, the rest of the time he's being supplemented with formula. I'm going to keep nursing as long as I can, but I've accepted the fact that he needs his formula, he's a growing boy. I know I've nursed him for the most important period of his life and I'm proud of that.

Anyways, he's down for a sleep now after a bottle and a big cuddle from his mom. I doubt he'll be down for long so I have to run and get done one of the million things I normally do during the day, but haven't been able to because he hasn't been sleeping.

Thank goodness he still goes to bed easily at 7 and sleeps straight till about 4 or 5. He typically wakes up around 7 but doesn't seem to be sleeping as soundly between 5 and 7 as he used to.

Happy Easter

He's just too cute. This one is for you Grammie :)






Carson and I went on an Easter egg hunt this morning. The Easter Bunny knows my weakness! There was even one in the cereal bag and my cereal bowl. Now I'm not hungry for breakfast casue I ate chocolate. Good thing it's going up to 3 today so I can get out for a run. Carson is down for a nap, when he gets up we are off to church and then to grandma and nono's for a visit (our Easter dinner is tomorrow, not today).

Miss Sofia and Mr Carson

It looks like Carson made Sofia cry and is laughing that her mom is taking her away. I think these two are going to get into a lot of trouble together in the years to come!

Tiles

Old ones - EW!

New ones (just a sample leaning against the backsplash)

We just put our summer tires put back on both cars and it started to snow... hmmm.....

I think we are having dinner with friends tonight & just taking it easy. Same for tomorrow, same for Sunday. Monday is our Easter dinner at mom and Ricky's house. Right now I'm just checking for flights to Vancouver and Edmonton for this summer while Carson sleeps. Little bugger has been awake most of yesterday and the day before but then slept 13-14 hour nights (with a one time wake up to nurse).

I've just started sleeping with his door closed and our door closed so I only really wake up when he's really awake. It may sound selfish, but I have turned into a pretty light sleeper and every time he made any sort of noise (which he does when he's not even awake sometimes) I would wake up and it would take me quite a while to get back to sleep. So this way, I only wake up when he's really awake and wanting me. On the plus side as well, think i was going to him too quickly before, as soon as he made any bit of noise I was up and nursing him. Sure it was only once or twice a night, which is normal for his age, but once in a while he was waking up at 4am and then again at 6am and I was nursing him both times. I think I was getting to him too quickly at the 6am wakeup, because a few times he's done it again (woken up at 6am) but then goes back to bed. I don't want him getting used to a second nursing if he doesn't really need it. The last few nights, he's woken up anywhere between 4 and 5 am to nurse and then sleeps again till 7:30. A few times Jeff asked me if I heard him wake up at 6 and I didn't (but Jeff did) but Carson fell back asleep so... I'm sure not everyone agrees with my reasoning, but hey, we all do it our own ways, right?

Yay for long weekends!

That is all.

Look what daddy found in bed this morning

The needles didn't seem to affect him at all, he's been his normal happy self ever since. He was laughing this morning while we were snuggling in bed, so I called Grandma so she could hear him laugh. It's gotta be my favourite sound in the world.

15 what?

Update from doctors:

Weight: 15 lbs, 4oz
Height: 25.75 inches
Head Circumference: 16.5 inches

He's in the 50th percentile for the weight and the 55% percentile for height and I don't know about the head circumference.

He got his shots, screamed bloody murder and just wanted his mommy and daddy. Immediately fell asleep in his car seat and is now happily playing with toys while sitting in his exercauser.

(As a side note, if he's in the 50th percentile (which translates to the average) then why is he in 6-12 month clothing? Actually, I suppose he wears some 3-6 month clothes and the 6-12 is a bit too big, but he's growing out of some of his 6 month sleepers. I guess each make/brand sizes differently, even the weights don't correspond).

I'm glad it's over, he's happy and everything is perfect according to the doctor

Exciting!

1/ We are doing the backsplash in our kitchen! The previous owners chose an ugly tile with these uglier decorative tiles along the top. Bye bye ugly and hello new gorgeus tiles.

2/ We are having people come in to look at our basement and see how we can finish it. It has a finished basement, but it's only half finished. The other half is unfinished, which we currently use for laundry and storage. We have too much in storage only because we have the space right now. We want to make the basement bigger for a few reasons. Carson will be getting more and more mobile and his toys (stations) currently take up half the basement so I can only imagine how much room we'll need the older he gets. And, we will be selling the house in a few years so we have to increase the value in ours to stay on top of the market.

It's raining, so only a quick jaunt to MEC today. I got the rain protective shield for our jogging stroller so Carson and I can brave the elements.

Happy 4 month birthday Carson!

Busy weekend - I'm kind of happy it's over. Start of a new week, but it's a short Christy & Carson week because Jeff has a 4 day weekend! Carson is 4 months today and I can't believe how quickly the time has gone by. I love the age he is now, he's so much fun. He rarely cries, he's a happy, calm and relaxed baby. He's snuggly. Each day i don't think I could possibly love him any more, but the next day I do. I take too many pictures (I'm almost at 2000 I think) and want to post them all. I leave a wide variety on my camera and when I go through to try and make more room on my camera, I get lost for a few minutes while I am looking at them all. Yesterday I was doing exactly that and I started to cry, just cause he makes me so happy. I know, I know, it's silly. But, I'm a mom now and that's what we do.

We have his 4 month check up on Tuesday so I'll post the results, I'm thinking he's going to be like in the 95th percentile cause he's big. Some of the clothes he is wearing is 6-12 months, the 3-6 is getting a bit tight. We just got a whackload of clothes from Kaethe (her little Justen is pretty small at 13 months so the clothes he just grew out of, will fit Carson probably this month!)

And because it's April 1st...my mom was holding Carson and saying we make beautiful babies and she thinks we should just have one after the other. Jeff said "Funny you should say that.." my mom looked at me and said "Are you pregnant" and I just started to smile, and my eyes welled up, she started to get excited and then I said "April Fools". We got her good, it was fantastic. Having said that, I think I need to talk to HR and find out how long I have to be back at work before I can leave on maternity again. We are already thinking about baby #2.

Now, you don't have to look at the pictures if you don't want to but here are my faves from this weekend. Rob was flipping through the pictures and said he looks like he's wise beyond his years (or I guess I should say months)

Giving mommy a pretty serious look:


Evidence he's a thumb sucker!

His afternoon nap:

Lunch at Milestone's:


Sitting on Nono's lap eating his blankie:

We had the whole family over for dinner on Sunday (minus Dino and Alexis, but their kids were there!)
L to R Grant, Maya, Carson, Ethan, Isabelle and Sofia

Everyone left not too long ago, Carson's in bed and Jeff and I are downstairs relaxing and off to bed shortly.

Night!