Watch Me Grow: 2 Months

Carson hit the 2-month milestone last week and had his 2-month check up this week.

I can't believe how much he is growing up! Sounds silly for a newborn, because he is still pretty small, can't walk or even sit up, but his development is ever-changing. This child is extremely alert it blows my mind.

Carson, you are learning to talk make noise, use your hands and fool your momma. You have a fake cry and enjoy using it to your advantage. You babble and coo constantly, and love to bat and smile at the hanging toys of your play mat. You've even started to hold and grip things like your paci, a toy handle or the edges of a blanket.

It's amazing what entertains you. You will watch and smile at the spinning toys on the swing for a good hour until you put yourself to sleep. It's so cute.

Now that you can see 6 to 8 feet and in full color, you can track me moving around the room. My heart just melts when you don't take your eyes off of me. You are becoming more independent every day.

Carson's 2-month stats:

Weight: 11 lbs. 4 oz. (35th percentile)
Height: 23.5 inches (70th percentile)
Head Circumference: 15.5 inches

In the Closet: 0-3 months, but quickly outgrowing this size due to length

Diapers: Size 1

Grub: Breast milk exclusively

Sleep: Sleeping through the night! About 7-8 hours.

New Activity/Development: Cooing, batting at toys, starting to hold things

Loves: His paci, activity gym, watching basketball with daddy, and the boob:)

Didn't know it was possible to love so unconditionally.

Oh, did I mention that you are sleeping through the night!? Woo hoo! We actually decided to stop breaking the rules of allowing you to sleep with us. We now place you in your crib asleep and you are doing great! 

Big Boy, you got your first shots. Oh man, was it tough to watch! Not gonna lie, I cried like a little baby. I hated seeing you like that. You also had a major meltdown that night, cried uncontrollably for a good amount of time.

Whew. Glad we got through that. Do I really have to watch you get shots every appointment from now until 2 years old?

Big boy and his band aids:(

Daddy and I were questioning where you went, but you returned a few days later, happy as can be!

I love you child.

1 Month
Newborn

TGIF

Fridays are the best, aren't they?

My Fridays haven't really felt like Fridays for awhile now. Being home makes the days runs together and I'm starting to forget how happy Fridays used to make me.

Anyway, something that doesn't make me happy today? A postage increase.

 via We Heart It

Yep, postage will increase another penny to $0.45 this Sunday. I personally think postage is getting ridiculous, making it a hard justification to mail out a mass mailing of any sort (Christmas cards, birth announcements, wedding invitations, etc.)

We've actually received several wedding invitations this past year that were online RSVP only. I've always loved receiving and sending mail. I like sending cards and notes to my loved ones and continually find myself searching for new stationary when I'm out and about.

However, with postage increases every year, e-cards and online RSVP's seem to make the most sense. What's your take?

Carson doesn't know how he feels about it yet. He would just rather gnaw on his hands.

 Nom. Nom. Nom.

There's that little dimple I love so much. He discovered his hands a couple days ago and can't keep them out of his mouth.

 

Notice the bib. We pretty much have to keep one on him at all times. My baby has issues with gas. And lots of spit up. Poor boy.

But he doesn't mind. He's happy!

Something else that makes us happy? Big Boy is sleeping SO well at night.

He went a full 8 hours the past three nights and he's not even 2 months old! Happy Momma right here.

I think I give this kid a million kisses a day. I just can't get enough of him.

He melts my heart. Every. Single. Second.

We have a special bond.

And always stare at each other for hours.

Love my baby.

I almost forgot the Friday Phone Dump!

Whew. That's a lot of photos in one post. All of the same precious booger.

Thanks for hangin' with me. Have a wonderful weekend!

The Feeding Palace

Carson and I have really enjoyed our time together. Being off work for 11 weeks is pretty awesome and allows us to run errands, go on lunch dates and do lots of laundry. Thanks to my spit up boy!

Yesterday, we met our friend Kathy at the delicious Spin! Pizza. Yum yum. Seriously love this place.

After I devoured my Sonoma salad, we headed to Buy Buy Baby. The fairly new baby store that shares the owners of Bed, Bath & Beyond. Big Boy was hungry, so we went straight for the feeding room.

To my surprise, this was no ordinary feeding room. It was the taj mahal of places to whip out your boob and feed your baby. TMI? Sorry, all modesty goes straight out the window after having a child.

Now, when you're breastfeeding, you get really good at feeding anywhere and everywhere. The random places I have fed include the snack closet at my office, the Kohls's dressing room, the Urban Outfitters dressing room, the car, the hospital and the doctor's office bathroom.

I like feeding him while out and about because it then buys us 2-3 more hours of running errands and getting things done without having to race home with a fussy, crying, hungry baby.

Back to the immaculate, every mom's dream room offered at Buy Buy. Complete with uber comfy gliding chairs, side tables, a changing station with an actual changing pad, and fun kid-friendly decor.

I was so appreciative of this room. It was cozy, comfortable and just what a mom needs while parading her newborn child around the city during errands.

Yes, I am blogging about a feeding room at a retail store. I was excited.

So was Big Boy.

Thanks for changing my diaper mom!

Thank you Buy Buy Baby for putting Babies R Us to shame. Your organized shelves, clean restroom, helpful employees, coupons, and resort-feel of a feeding room make a mom's life easier.

Breaking Point

We went to church this past Sunday, only Carson's second experience. I know, bad catholics right here. I'd say having a baby is somewhat of a good excuse, but then again, he's pretty easy to take places these days.

I'm not enjoying the response/prayer changes in Mass. For anyone that is catholic, you know what I'm talking about. How is something that has been so familiar to me for almost 28 years just going to all of a sudden change? I seriously don't know if I will ever adapt.

Lent is coming up. What will I give up this year? Two years ago it was chocolate. And last year, I was newly pregnant and sick as a dog, so I was lazy and didn't give up anything. Again, bad catholic. Do you see a trend here? :)

Anyways, we're in church. This past Sunday. Sitting in the worst possible seat in the house. Seriously, we couldn't have picked a more annoying... like nails on a chalk board annoying...spot to sit.

A family of eight was sitting right behind us, (that's six kids people!) that were extremely noisy and distracting. If I had to guess...they had a 4 month old, a set of twins about 2 years old, a 4 year old and a six year old. Now, I'm not here to judge because clearly, the parents had their hands full, but there was a slight issue with discipline.

The constant noise/crying was one thing, with them not even removing their child children or politely going to the sound proof room, but my experience with their 4 year-old was another.

Let me say one thing real quick. I love kids. I love watching kids in church. And I love having conversations with kids. I love kids. Ok, moving on.

Their 4-year old child was very interested in Carson. He wanted to smile at him, touch him and help him. And by help, I mean taking his hand, grabbing Carson's pacifier (that wasn't in his mouth) and trying to shove it in Carson's mouth. His intentions were good and I know kids don't understand, but it was the parents that bothered me.

Not only did they allow the youngster to repeatedly touch (less than gentle pats) Carson's head, they repeatedly let him take his germy slobber-covered hand and try to shove a pacifier in my baby's mouth. It took several interactions for the mother to even say anything, and she still continued to allow him to do it afterwards.

I was seriously cringing at the thought of the germs being transferred. Luckily, Brian took care of the situation by politely saying, "I don't think he wants that buddy."

Ok, maybe I'm being a little too dramatic. Carson is fine, doesn't seem sick. But it got me thinking.

At what point do you throw your hands in the air and stop trying to discipline your children? When you have six children? Or just when you have no energy left?

Since my baby is still little, I have no idea what it's like to raise a toddler. I am the least knowledgeable person when it comes to this matter, so I'm sincerely asking.

Does it get to a breaking point when you've exhausted all your energy and patience and simply stop trying? Maybe allow them to eat whatever they'll get down? Or let them sleep with you? Or let them have a pacifier when they should have outgrown it?

At what point do moms just say "to hell with it" and how do you get back on track?

Fulfilled & Fortunate

I'm having one of those days where you just feel extremely blessed. I assume everyone has these types of days. But, it's every day that we should be thankful for the small things we so often forget.

A warm house with a couch to snuggle up on when it's as cold as it is today, the means to treat yourself to a nice meal, our health and well being, and a loved one to share it with.

Sometimes, I find myself looking at Carson and holding back the tears because I feel so lucky to have him. I guess it's human nature to question why we are deserving of the things God has given us.

It might sound silly, but I was reminded of all these things when I received one of our hospital bills in the mail today.

A simple piece of paper gave me these feelings. How lucky are we to simply have insurance and our health? If you're like me, you tend to forget about the money that is taken out of your check every pay period and rarely go to the doctor.

I've never felt so blessed to have insurance when I received this bill.

I mustn't forget, a big thank you to those that commented on my last post or emailed me. Your encouraging words and support brought a smile to my face!

I follow an extremely uplifting mommy/photography blog with a little craftastic-ness thrown in. Enjoying the Small Things is contagious, addicting and always seems to brighten my day.

Anyways, Kelle does something called a "Friday Phone Dump," where she posts all the photos on her iPhone from the week.

Well, now that I have a little one, I tend to take more pictures from my phone. It's convenient, quick and we always send them to daddy.

If I forget to send a photo, Brian will text me saying "Where's my daily photo?" It's quite cute. Love that guy and how much he loves the photos we send him of our daily adventures.

Most are of Carson...sleeping, laughing during playtime, showing he's a momma boy, or staring at me with a look of, "Mom, you're crazy, stop taking my picture and let me go back to sleep."

Sometimes, I'll shoot off a photo of what we are baking, Jake being lazy (his new hobby since I'm home) or out and about. I've never been a phone picture-taker so it's new for me.

This might be a good time to say if you don't want to hear about my kid or see pictures of him, you might just go ahead and stop following this blog:). Of course I'll continue to throw in some DIY craft projects* and a recipe here and there, but the reality is that this little guy is the new chapter in my life and consumes all that I have.

That's the way it's supposed to be when you become a mom, right? :).

So, back to the Friday Phone Dump. Here's our photos from this week and a few from previous weeks:

Wasn't that fun? You should try it and post it on your blog if you have one.

So, did you notice how crappy my photos are? And that I don't have one instagram photo? Well...that would be because I'm the last lonesome blackberry user on this planet. {Gasp!} Yep, this girl right here doesn't have a touch screen phone. I swear, everyone has an iPhone except me.

It sort of makes me feel like a dinosaur or someone that won't let go of their video tape player.

I just can't bring myself to buy my own phone (and pay a monthly bill) when my work provides one for free. No iPhone for me unless the J-O-B decides to make the switch.

Happy Friday everyone! Have a great weekend full of laughter, blessed moments and good fortune!

*Stay tuned for some cute baby shower DIY projects. Being at home while helping to host a baby shower is super fun!

The Ugly Truth

Oh heyyyy. It's me blogging again already. Are you surprised?

Yeah, me too.

My baby has been so good lately that I have had more time to do domestic, house-wifey-type things.

Things like laundry, cooking, taking long walks, play time, organizing, and...taking down the Christmas lights.

Yeah, who wins the Wifey of the Year award? This girl.

I even had lunch with some girlfriends yesterday and had time to get in some shopping. It was superb. We are absolutely loving this weather.

So, shopping made me remember something I forgot to blog about. Although it's something I would prefer to forget.

This post should really be titled "The Truth Sucks."

Rewind to about 4 weeks ago. Brian and I were doing some last minute Christmas shopping and were in a hurry. He dropped me off at Crate and Barrel and headed over to Dick's with Carson. As I'm checking out at C&B, the cashier looks at me and says,

"When are you due?"

BAM!

Like a brick hitting me in the face.

After a few seconds of silence (I was in shock and embarrassed). I responded with, "Um, I had him 3 weeks ago."

Silence (from both parties).

Trust me, I wanted to hurdle that counter and go Teresa Guidice on her ass.

But I didn't. I smiled as she gave me a look of pity and apologized.

Moral of this story? Don't ever, I repeat, EVER ask a woman when she is due unless you absolutely, with 100% certainty know she is pregnant.

Lucky for that cashier, I wasn't just a gal with a few extra LBs or spare tire.

The truth and sucky part to this story? Your stomach doesn't return to normal right after popping out a kid. In fact, it takes a long time. At least for most.

But it's okay. I've come to terms with my muffin top for now. Thank god I can wear my fat girl jeans with the belly band and feel somewhat normal. The belly band sort of helps suck everything in.

This pregnancy stuff is life and body changing I tell ya. I'm convinced I will never wear a 2-piece again.

So, I didn't smack the bitch, but I wanted to.

In other news, sparkles are back in! I know they have always been somewhat in style, but I seemed to come across a lot more of them on my shopping outing.

I just love this sweater I got. Not too flattering for the belly, but I know with time, it will get better.

But this one does great things for the belly. Nice and loose fitting.

Love the pattern.

And I scored some jeans that actually fit me well for $19.95 at H&M. Can't beat that! No size reveal for you...ha!

I keep wondering when Kansas City is going to get winter weather. The large knit sweaters and Uggs are collecting some dust.

For now, I'll enjoy the amazing sunshine and my afternoon strolls with my baby. Only 5 more weeks until I go back to work. Not looking forward to that day. There will be monsoons and overflowing rivers. Being away from my little angel is going to be tough.

Although the truth can sometimes be ugly, life is sweet.

Something for a Soon-to-be-Daddy

When I was 9 months pregnant and carrying my haus of a child (yep, my sweet baby was 9+ pounds), packing a hospital bag was one of the last things I did. I know they tell you to have it ready within 6 weeks or something crazy like that, but I just somehow knew Carson was coming late.

As I threw in my granny panties and nipple cream (let's not sugar coat anything here), I decided Brian needed a Hospital Survival Kit. Let's be real, he was about to endure a fun-filled experience of his wife in labor and bear the brunt of my pain.

I envisioned f-bombs, insane hand squeezing, probably some name calling...mixed in with some, "Sorry to take this out on you babe."  I'm a sucker for pain and when you put that with my bossiness and dominant personality, you get a crazy pregnant lady with a spinning head like the chick in the Exorcist.

Lucky for Brian, I never got to the pushing stage and knew I wanted the drugs. And shockingly, I mentally controlled the contractions I had prior to the epi and was quite calm. I even surprised myself.

Back to the Hospital Survival Kit.

I gathered his favorite snacks (Beef Jerky, Zingers, Cheez Its, Reese's Pieces), granola bars, trail mix, some good magazines, Cherry Dr. Peppers, chap stick, Kleenex, movies, and adhered heartfelt, some funny, notes.

 

I really enjoyed seeing Brian's smile when I brought out the bag as we headed for the hospital to welcome our little one. I told him to read the notes only when he went for that item. So, throughout our three-day hospital stay, he not only enjoyed a snack (especially for the first 16 hours when I couldn't eat), but got to read a little note from Yours Truly.

And that's how you earn points with the soon-to-be daddy-o before cussing him out. :)

Writing in Circles

Wow, it's been a really long time since I have blogged. I've tried, trust me, but every time I sit down to write, my child pulls me away.

And I find myself writing in circles. And having posts that should have been published weeks ago. So the unfinished posts get deleted.

Sigh. Life as a mommy is tiring!

Well, y'all will just have to read a bunch of random crap about what's been going on the past couple of weeks. Hold on to your seats. It's really exciting {insert sarcasm here}.

Christmas
I can't believe it has come and gone. I didn't even get to tell my blog peeps Happy Holidays. Better late than never, right?

Front of our Christmas card/birth announcement

Back

We spent a full week in Wichita over Christmas due to an unfortunate stroke Momma K had. It was very scary for our family, but I'm happy to report she is much improved and on her way to making a full recovery. This is super cliche to say, but it's times like these that make you count your blessings and realize that life is too short.

Our extended stay gave all the grandparents and family lots of cuddle time with Big Boy.
  

 Grandma | Carson's Great Granny

My niece Kenzee | Carson's cousin

We also spent some time at The Ranch. Which wouldn't be complete without guns, loud explosions and hunting. This year, the boys busted out an AR-10, AR-15 and a small cannon. Yes, a real cannon.

I even shot the automatic guns. It was pretty exhilarating. The noise didn't bother Carson one bit. Thank goodness for sound headphones. :)

We also had a little time for gift exchanges. Although Carson didn't have a clue of what was going on this year, it made me excited for future years. I can't wait to see him rip open his presents on Christmas morning.

Little does he know, some of the things he received this Christmas were some stellar cowboy boots and a moving walking toy thing that is sure to make momma go crazy with all the songs and noise. :)

A few of my favorite gifts this year include:

 A photography book for my camera...the camera we purchased 2 years ago. I'm not much of a manual/book kind of gal, but this one is different. My wicked stepmother (I'm allowed to call her that because she calls herself that all the time:) it's a family joke) is an amazing photographer and knew this one is just what I needed. I'm about 1/3 of the way through, and so far I love it!

Check that out. Yeah-ya! Brian and I can't wait to cash this one in. What a creative/perfect idea from my brother and future sister-in-law. Thanks Amy (I know Ryan didn't have much to do with it!)

 

Parenthood
Has been fun. Challenging. Exhausting. Rewarding. Humbling. And so much more than that. It's something I can't even describe.

Carson is quite the growing boy. 

And I'm not talking about those scrumptious chubby cheeks of his.

He is quickly growing out of his clothes, losing his hair and sleeping more:). To be more specific, he's sleeping anywhere from 4-8 hours per night. Alleluia!

He also FINALLY got his first bath a few weeks ago. It took forever for that damn cord to fall off!

 Still in the sponge bath stage. Check out those monster feet!

 Splish splash. My first bath!

See his little dimple?! I'm not sure where it came from because both Brian and I don't have them, but I love it!

New Years
Celebrated with close friends, a low-key NYE was just what we needed. We even stayed until 2:00 am! Carson did awesome. He is such an attention hog:).

2011 was an amazing year for us. I'm sure 2012 will be just as exciting. Happy New Year everyone!