Carson goes to A&M

This past weekend we took our first road trip as a family! We went to our old stomping grounds, Texas A&M. It was Carson's first trip there (outside of the belly) and it was really sweet to take him around to special places on campus. We even took him to some spots where I had bridal pictures taken. I thought that was pretty neat!





Bridal shots and pictures with the baby in the same spot on campus!

Felt Flower Tutorial #1

I've been making tons of crafts lately for Christmas...many include little felt flowers. Here's my first of several tutorials on how to make them! I think that you will find the pictures to be more helpful than my written directions.

This one is like a poinsettia or something...I also made one using the same technique with rounded petals.

Cut out 5 petals.

Sew one stitch through the bottom of each one, stringing them together.
Be sure to sew each the same way.

Scrunch the petals together and pull string into a loop. Tie in a knot and trim string.

Spread out petals into flower shape.

Attach to something like a wreath, head band, barrette, packages, etc...

9 Years Ago...

9 years ago today Ross asked me to be his girlfriend! We were juniors in high school. Here's our first picture ever taken together! We are in Mrs. Cook's history class.


(and a few other high school ones thrown in for good measure. They are all scans...sorry they're so scratchy looking.)

*Jr. Prom*

*Sr. Homecoming*

*Sr. Prom*

Blog worthy news!

Carson slept from 11-6 last night!
That is BY FAR the best night yet!!
Way to go, baby boy!

***sMiLe***

Happy Monday!


Love, Carson

2 Month Stats

I can't believe that our baby boy is 2 months already! He had his 2 month check up and shots (eek!) this week. Here's the rundown.


-13.4 pounds, 75-90th percentile
-24 inches long, 90th percentile
-lots of smiles and laughs
-cooing and making cute baby sounds
-tracks movements like a pro
-starting to grab things
-sucking on hands
-sticking tongue in and out, in and out
-loves to sneeze :)
-pretty good head control


-likes: laying on his changing table, holding Daddy's thumbs, car rides, mobile, blowing air on his face, swing, vibrating chair, walks, baths
-dislikes: tummy time and gas...that's all we can come up with!

Here's a little video of him laughing and cooing on his changing table. It's his favorite place!

Under construction

I'm messing around with new templates and backgrounds...
My apologies if it gets all messed up.
Recommendations for good background sites?
(besides shabby blogs and cutest blog on the block)

Words

James 1:26 Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.

Lately I have been contemplating my use of language. I mean, I hardly ever, ever, say "bad words" and when I do, I immediately regret it. I instead, use my "Baptist curse words" to release frustration. These include: crap, sucks, pissed...you know...the ones that you can get away with saying with your youth group friends. I mean, most people (except for my mother) wouldn't consider those bad words and...by the world's standards, they are totally fine! The thing is, as a believer, I am not called to live by the world's standards. I am called to live by a higher standard, a standard set by Jesus...and frankly, I just can't see him walking around saying any of those words so, I'm thinking that I shouldn't say them either...I'm committing to work on it because I think that a pure tongue is a resemblance of a pure heart, plain and simple.

*Family Pictures*

Our amazingly talented photographer friend, Leslie, came from California to take our family and baby pictures. Here are some of our favorites!

This is a love story.

Before Carson was born I had this vision of the love I would have for him. I expected them to place him on my chest and for me to be as full of love for him as I would ever be in my life. And I was...or so I thought. At that moment, full of tears and joy and pain and awe, I saw my sweet, precious baby boy and thought, "I could never love you anymore than I do now." You see, I thought that my love was complete, at 100%, but I was wrong.

As the days went on, I got concerned. I didn't feel like we were connecting as much as I expected us to. In hindsight, he was just in "newborn coma" and I was just plain exhausted. We didn't have time to connect. I mean, his eyes were hardly ever even open! But now, ooooh, but now...we are connected. We are like one.

It seems like each day I think, "I could never love you anymore than I do now." And then, the next day, I think the same thing and I just smile. I love him so much. I wish that there was a better way to say it because that doesn't seem to even scratch the surface of the feeling. This is a 100% unconditional, unselfish, unwavering kind of love. (wow- that sounded like a line from a country song) I mean, I love him when he's crying, screaming his head off with crocodile tears streaming down his round little cheeks. I love him when he's pooed half-way up his back side and barfed all over his carpet at 3am. I love him when he's sleeping and his tiny little chest rises and falls. I love him when we are in the bath and his eyes get wide when he feels the water. I love him when he is on his changing table, cooing and laughing and smiling. I even love him when he's screaming at the top of his lunges in Target and people think I'm a horrible mom.

It is truly unfathomable how great my love is for this precious baby boy. My heart aches with how deep my concern is for him and it is just amazing how my love for him grows each and every day. I know that the Lord has given us, as parents, a never ending supply of love for our children. I know that, no matter what he does, I will never be able to love him less. (I may not like him for the moment, but that's another story.) I am thankful for the ability to love. I am thankful for the chance to be a mother. I am thankful for our son.

And, you know what I'm excited about? I'm excited for when he reciprocates...for that hug or kiss or "I love you." I mean, wow. What a day that will be! But for now, each little smile is enough for me to know that he loves me too.

Got scraps?

Got scraps? Make this! Today I used up some fabric scraps and a foam ring to make this festive little Christmas wreath. (sorry for the pic...it's from my phone)

Favorite things

Here are a few of our favorite things

Medela bottles are the best. The nipples on them seem to be the easiest for C to use. They are softer than the others we have tried. We have both the glass and plastic ones.Medela BPA Free Breast Milk Bottle Set - 8 oz.

His swing! What a life saver!
Fisher Price Take Along Swing - How Now Brown Cow


These are our favorite things for him to sleep in. They don't have buttons or snaps so they are perfect for those middle of the night diaper changes. There is just an elastic band around the bottom to keep it snug.
Carter's Sleep Gowns (couldn't find a link)

The zippers on these make them so easy to dress him. We love these! We have them in a variety of colors.
Carter's Striped Monkey Cotton Sleep & Play



I love this! It helps me so much when we are shopping. I can hang my clutch and diaper bag from the buggy and free up space for groceries or strap it to the stroller and not have to carry it.
The Mommy Hook

Baby picture preview!

Over the weekend we flew in our dear friend, and ah-mazing photographer, Leslie to take some super sweet baby/family pictures for us! Here's the sneak peek! Ohhh...I can hardly wait to get the rest! Take a looksie!

Unconditional Love

Sheer frustration but absolute, unconditional love.
The story: Today was one of those hard days, but I learned a lot. It seems that hard nights are always followed by rough days and this was no exception. This morning I wanted to go to MOPS for the first time since he was born. It was a lofty goal, being that it starts at 9 am, but we made it! Side note: MOPS is very difficult for me. Strangers scare me. Meeting new people scares me. Large amounts of people scare me. Trying to start up conversations scares me. Add all of these together and it's basically my worst nightmare. Now, add a new, squirmy, grunting, pooping, loud baby in a quiet room and ta dah!! You get a hard morning. After the awkward small talk over breakfast, the speaker began...and so did Carson. *moan*grunt*fart*squeak*repeat* Now, you'd think that a room full of mothers would be the most understanding place in the world. Or not. So, I took Cars into another room to feed and change him. (and to avoid the glares, I mean, glances from other moms) He was doing better so we tried again. Well, that lasted for all of about 3 minutes. I ended up leaving early and crying in my car. Cool, huh? I mean, way to hold it together, be strong, etc. And...of course, he stops crying and starts being all happy when we get in the car so I set lofty goal #2...Sonic and Target solo with the little man. We got half way through getting a drink and he starts super-fussing again. Ok. I get the point. It's time to go home. We went home, nursed, had lunch and crashed out on the couch. He slept on my chest and let me tell you, it was way better than any speaker at MOPS.

The evaluation: Today I learned that it's ok if my plans change because of my son. He comes first. I was so frustrated with those other moms and was in total "momma bear" mode. I mean I was MAD! As trying as these times are, I am so very, beyond words, in love with Carson. I am truly learning the meaning of unconditional love. He can be spitting up, pooping, screaming and snotting all at the same time and I still can't get mad at him! I think that The Lord gives us patience beyond what we could ever have on our own. He gives us compassion and strength. He gives us love. Carson can be testing me to my absolute limit but then I look at his sweet little face and melt all over again. Not mad. Not frustrated. Not at my wit's end...just smitten. Just a momma loving her baby boy. Just doing the best, the one million percent best, that I can to be the mom that the Lord has prepared me to be. So you know what? Target can wait. MOPS will be there again next time. The dishes can be put away later. For now, my son needs me to lay on the couch and let him sleep on my chest...and that's exactly what we will do.

sweetness

me: "ross, what do you want for christmas?"
ross: "nothing. i have a baby!"
:)

Thankful

Last night I was fixing a bottle for Carson and, of course, I couldn't fix it fast enough to make him happy. He was throwing a royal fit that was, quite honestly, breaking my heart. His screams and wails were painful to hear. It made me think about how terrible it would be to be a mother who couldn't provide food for her baby and who had to listen to those screams knowing that they couldn't be satiated. It was a heartbreaking thought that made me very grateful for what we have, down to the simplest of things like formula and breast milk. Thank you Lord for providing us with food for our baby.

New accessory

Thanks to some wicked-awesome tendinitis,
I now have this new super cute accessory.
Boo.

Dear Santa,

I've been a really good girl this year. Please add these to my Christmas list. Plus, for every pair I get, a child in need will also receive a pair. I think it's a win-win.

Needed: Picture Ideas

Ok creative friends...

This coming weekend, our dear friend Leslie is coming to TX to take family and baby pictures for us! I need creative/cool ideas for those pictures. Thoughts? Please?

First time to church

This morning we took Carson to church for the first time. It was pretty difficult; we ended up in the cry room but hey, we tried. E for effort, right? Here he is modeling his "little man" outfit...what a stud!

One Month

In the first month, I have learned...

-how to do my hair and makeup in ½ the time
-getting out the door takes way longer…good thing I can get dressed faster
-that someone needs to invent a way to teach babies to change their own diapers
-sleeping for 4 hours in a row is an absolute luxury
-my husband is the best daddy ever
-my son has “momma wants to take a nap” radar
-I have to get out of the house at least once a day to stay sane (even if it's only to Sonic to get a drink)
-it's ok for him to cry while I take a shower or eat. I have to take care of me before I can take care of him.
-Huggies leak. Pampers don't.
-babies can get serious distance on projectile spit-up
-baby-daddy baths are just about the sweetest thing I have ever, ever seen
-I love breastfeeding him. It makes me feel so connected and I love that it makes him happy.
-in the words of Ross..."he goes through more outfit changes than a Madonna concert"
-sneezing while spitting up is not a good combo
-earplugs are life savers
-I have fallen way further in love with my husband
-laying on the couch with Carson on my chest is the best. thing. ever.
-it's amazing how human instincts guide you to care for your children
-if you drive recklessly around us, I'm likely to seriously harm you
-texting and talking while driving is no longer acceptable for us
-there aren't enough ramps for strollers
-not all places have baby changing tables in the bathrooms (but the car works fine)
-his swing is worth its weight in gold
-most stuff can be accomplished with only one hand
-for now, making dinner several times a week is a thing of the past...as is keeping a clean house
-making that dinner and keeping the house clean are not as important as taking care of my baby
-baby shots are way worse than adult shots...and I cry at both
-pictures really bring out circles under the eyes :)

Mad Cow

Here are pictures of Carson on his first Halloween
There was lots of crying
The costume literally stayed on him for ONE minute
Good thing it only cost us $5
It was worth it
Happy Halloween?

Updates

-Today he's 3 weeks and 3 days old.
-He's outgrown newborn diapers.
-I have 3 lbs to go until I'm down to pre-baby weight! (although I plan to keep going)
-He sleeps from about 10-2 and 3:30-7ish, as well as periodically throughout the day.
-He rolled over twice a few days ago but, I think it was a fluke thing.
-He's super strong.
-He grunts while he sleeps...like a lot.
-He laughs and smiles while he sleeps, too...just not as much as he grunts.
-Daddy can't wait to get home every day to see him!
-Ross and I "fight" over who gets to hold him.
-We've made several outings on our own and I'm pretty excited that we can do it!

hardest mom day so far

day 21: wow. today has been BRUTAL. we were up from 2-9 last night. i'm not sure what was wrong with the little guy! he would sleep for a few minutes at a time and then wake up and cry, cry, cry. he's not much of a crier, so i'm not really sure what was going on. then, all day today he's been super cranky! why??? add to that the suck-tastic diapers we are trying to use up and we've had two blow-outs in the last few hours. fabulous. he's finally asleep now and i got some time to eat a bite...right after a super wind blew down the back fence...completely flat...yeah!

Sunday Stroll

Today we went for a Sunday stroll in the park. Daddy had the camera...here's what he captured. Just look at that sweet little boy! OMGoodness!!


Big stretch!!

Happy Momma!