What a Week

Do you ever have times where you look at your babies and think, "You cannot possibly be growing up this fast!" I mean I know Carson is only three months old, but it is flying by. I just can't get over how big my sweet angel boy is getting. This was a BIG week for Carson.

So he has been talking so much but he gets so camera shy. So here is a video of about 5 seconds of talking and then 2 minutes of me trying, unsuccessfully, to get him to talk again.

Saturday morning I decided it was time for Carson to move to his room. So that was motivation for me to get the nursery all finished and move everything in there so then I was committed. It was hard for us to move him out of our room. We loved having him asleep right next to us and knowing he was okay but he was outgrowing his cradle and every little noise was waking me up. So he is now in his own room, Aaron wanted to sleep on the floor next to his crib the first night just to make sure he was okay.

Here are pictures of the completed nursery. I have so many people to thank for this nursery.

1- Ikea, thank you for making furniture that is cute and affordable.

2- Stranger who left this dresser on the side of the road where we could take it for free. We then refinished it, painted it, and Aaron put new knobs on it and I think it looks great.

3- The authors of so many books that I did not purchase. I would go up to Hobby Lobby read about cute ideas, like making the letters with his name, then go home and do it. Then go back to Hobby Lobby to re-read the sections when I had questions. (I live like 2 mins from Hobby Lobby)

4- The resale shop, for the changing table, laundry basket, and so many other things.

5- Ambyr Porter- for the bedding and rug under his crib. Everyone loves it. Although I don't really have his bedding set up because they say to wait on the bumper pads. Also for photographing baby Carson, that's where most of the pictures in our house came from.

6- Aaron for painting the nursery, hanging everything up in the nursery, putting up with me changing my mind a hundred times in the nursery, and well, paying for the nursery. :)

Then on Saturday afternoon while I was working in Carson's room, I turn around and there he is...rolling over!! My little baby rolling over. I just about died. I went and found the camera and sure enough he did it again for the camera. Aaron was so upset because he did something on a Saturday when Aaron was home and he had gone to the gym. But he did it again for Aaron when he got home. I know in this video I'm saying good job because that's what my book says to do, but in my heart I'm crying. I'm just not ready for my baby to get bigger.

He's finally able to find his thumb. He has been obsessed with his fist and occasionally found fingers but now he's got that thumb. He cries when he losses it. All of my efforts to make him a pacifier baby are gone. Now that he's got that thumb, the pacifier has gone from, "No thanks Mom, I'd rather not take it" to "As If".

And then my favorite of the week, I told you this has been a big week, just happened last night. some of my family has been in town and everyone came over to our house for dinner and I was saying how Carson was squealing a lot but not really laughing. So I'm cooking and my Mom is playing with him and all the sudden he starts just laughing, laughing. I couldn't believe it. He just thought she was so funny. So I grabbed the camera and got a little bit of it. Aaron was, of course, at work but he must've watched this video 25 times last night.

On The Road Again

So Carson made it through his second official road trip. The first one we went to visit my grandparents in New Mexico. (Mom, I need those pictures they are all on your camera) And we just got back from visiting Aaron's family in Arkansas. This was one of our best trips to Arkansas, we had so much fun. The weather was unbelievable. Aaron played golf with his Dad and brothers, we went to the park, went on walks, stayed up late, ate fabulous food, I got to run with my sisters in law, and just hang out. Carson was great and seemed just great in the pack-n-play.

Just a few pictures of the trip:

Carson reading and playing with his Aunt Marcie and cousin Scott

You didn't think we left Jo Jo behind, we had missed the sun shineSweet
Ana GraceLindsey and Carson, she's 20 weeks pregnant with her 6th

I'm shocked I have a picture of my mother in law since I saw her a combined total of like 45 minutes the whole week. This woman teaches more Yoga classes than you can imagine. I love this picture because Parker came running in the room, saying baby Carson, baby Carson. Scott loved holding Carson. He is a good big brother. I love this picture because doesn't it look like these two kids are Spencer and Kellie's and this is their beautiful little family? When actually its two kids from two different families...ha, ha I can't wait for you guys to have kids! I'm so happy that Carson has so many cousins that he will grow up with. I love that we both come from big families.

3 Months

So I'm a little behind on my blogging. We just got back from a trip to Arkansas to visit Aaron's family and I am still working on getting all those pictures edited (so much red eye with all these blue eyed kids) but I wanted to get Carson's 3 month post up before I forget everything. I knew I was behind on my blog life when Aaron made a comment about a friend's blog that he had read and I hadn't...:)

So my little boy is 3 months old and I can hardly believe it. I feel like he has changed so much this month. He is such a happy boy, I never get tired of just watching him smile at me. In fact much of my day is spent just us smiling back and forth at each other. Changes this month are:

I don't have his stats since he didn't have a check up this month but he still doesn't fit into his 3 month clothes so I'm guessing he's smaller than average?? Not sure really. Sleeping through the night!! Yay!! I'm not sure exactly when it happened but I know at his two month check up he still wasn't but later that week he started sleeping about 8-9 hours. So he sleeps about 12 hours waking up 1-2 times. During the day his naps never last more than an hour. And he usually takes about 3 day time naps. He still cries himself to sleep for his daytime naps (usually) but goes to sleep at night happily and peacfully. (I think this is becaue he has a full tummy) Except last night...not sure what his deal was but he did not want to go to bed at his normal time.

He rolls up on his side. At first he only did it on the right side but he has recently started rolling up on the left side. He spends a lot of time doing this.
He can smile on cue and I'm pretty sure he uses it to his advantage.

He still loves to hold onto my hair. He has since he was a baby, it is his comfort when he is tired.

He has started "talking" a lot. I'm convinced that he really thinks he is communicating with us. I love it because I feel like we are having conversations now instead of just me talking all the time.

No sicknesses this month but I am paranoid about swine flu every day.

He loves his baths, I mean really loves.

He has squealed a few times but I don't think he's given me anything I would constitute a laugh.Not much hair growth this month...maybe next month. :)

He loves for me to hold him standing up.

He loves taking walks in the Bjorn (thank you Brooke). He just stares at the trees and flowers.

Continues to be unaware of what the creature is that licks him and sniffs him.

He sucks on his fist constantly. I can't get him to take a pacifier, ever. He occasionally finds his fingers but oh I count the days until he can because without a pacifier it makes calming down more difficult.

He refused the bottle every time it was offered to him this month, making him unpopular among his babysitters. :) I don't know what changed.

We just think he gets cuter everyday.

Dear Hair...

Dear Hair,

I think its time we have a talk. Lets just lay it out on the table. There's only room for honesty here. I need to know, what I have done to make you upset! Why are you leaving me? One by one I see you continue to fall off my head each morning when I wake up, when I rinse out the conditioner in the shower, every time I brush you, while I'm reading, while I'm talking, everything. I am finding you all over the place, in the car, on Carson's clothes, on the kitchen floor - you are abandoning me! I have always been nice to you, taking good care of you but I can do better, I promise. Just come back to me. I promise I'll use only really nice shampoo and conditioner, I'll brush you always, I will trim you regularly and be careful during windy days. How can I convince you, what can I say to make you stay?

Love,

My head

PS - while you're on your way back would you mind looking for my stomach muscles and bring them along for the ride? Please tell them they are sorely missed. :)

Also thank you all for your fabulous comments, text messages, and phone calls after my last post. I loved hearing from you and knowing that everyone has their struggles. I read them again and again. It made me feel so much better.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

So it is crazy to have a baby. It is amazing how much it changes your entire world and how you do everything, including blogging. So many friends of mine, and friends of friends whose blogs I read:), had babies right around the same time I did. I was so excited to be able to read the blogs and relate to them on a new level. To read about the joys and trials of being a new mom or a repeat new mom for most of my friends. To find tips about sleeping through the night and comfort in knowing Carson is not the only baby that screams himself to sleep on a regular basis. And also smile knowing that each mother thinks her baby is definitely the cutest and sweetest. To sympathize with the remembering that once upon a time we actually did have muscles in our stomachs.
Instead I come out of reading blogs, not everyday people but some days, feeling discouraged. I know that no one intentionally does this, seriously I do, but some days I find myself doubting my ability to be a mother after reading every one's blogs. I come out of it feeling like I should be making all of Carson's clothes, I should have made his crib from wood, Carson should be walking by now, his nursery is no where up to par, I should have fun daily activities planned for Carson, I should be in better shape already than before I had a baby or at least making serious efforts to be, and have I mentioned yet that I don't sew or knit or anything like that, and mostly that I should be much more efficient with my time and not need my daily afternoon nap. :) Don't misunderstand that I absolutely love reading about all that everyone is accomplishing. I have amazing friends with amazing talents and I love sharing in their triumphs. I also love being able to share wonderful things happening in our lives, especially things we have worked really hard for. I am confident that this is some sort of hormonal post-partum thing I am going though. But, perhaps I don't post enough about the trials I face as a new mother and stay at home wife. I was recently going though a good friend's scrapbook for her daughter to get some ideas for Carson's and I loved how she wrote about the good things that happened but also the struggles they went through when her little girl was a baby. I found myself totally captivated in reading everything, laughing and relating.
So here it is, a little bit about the good, the bad, and the ugly happening with the Piersons right now.
Carson - He really is fabulous. He is growing like a weed. He sleeps through the night now, about 9 hours which has really made a difference in how I feel in the morning. But he still struggles some nights and wakes up at his routine 4 AM. Some nights I have the will power to let him cry some or try to console him with a pacifier, some nights I just nurse him without a second thought. He really is a happy baby, except when he's tired, he can scream it out.

Josie is a fabulous running partner, she really does wake me up every, single morning at 6 and runs with me rain or shine. Which we have been doing a lot of running in the rain lately. But at least once a week I come home telling Aaron that we are taking her to the pound. Of course we never would, I love that dog more than anything but she is definitely our high maintenance, high reward dog. She has mastered pulling herself out of her collar and is so much stronger than me that when she sees a rabbit, I don't stand a chance, she has dragged me through so much mud. Running is going good but I find it amazing how hard is it to get back into shape again. I was in better shape 9 months pregnant than I feel like I am now. But it is still my much needed "me time" of the day. And I am grateful for a husband that lets me be so selfish.

I love staying at home with Carson, really and truly I can imagine nothing more satisfying and rewarding. Some days I feel like I get so much done and am so efficient. I have projects going and love just hanging out with my little boy. But some days Aaron comes home from work and asks what I did that day and I stop and think....man what did I do today??

Carson has been a little sick, some sort of a virus they think. The main symptom has been bright green, mucous poop. (Sorry I know its gross, but so true) Poor little guy, it gave him a little diaper rash. I, of course, didn't even notice it for almost a whole day. He would scream when I changed his diaper and wiped him but I just thought he was being fussy about getting his diaper changed. Which he never does but ya know I didn't think too much about it. Then I was at my mom's house and she noticed it and told me he needed some cream. I felt horrible, but, of course, I didn't have any on me. "What? You don't have any diaper rash cream in your diaper bag? Are you sure?" Yep, pretty darn sure since I've never bought any and it never crossed my mind to buy any, so unless some baby fairy dropped some in my bag when I wasn't looking, I don't have any. I felt like such an unprepared mom. My new mom friend at my church would never have been unprepared like this. :) Luckily there's a Walgreen's on every corner here.

I have really struggled to make friends in my new ward at church, I know this is my own fault for not making more of an effort but I just don't feel like I relate well with anyone yet. I don't consider myself a shy person but I have to pump myself up to talk to other women. I find myself very intimidated by everyone, although I'm not totally sure why. Thus, I find myself sticking right next to Aaron during the meetings and waiting to leave as soon as they are over, which has never been the case before.

So there you have it, just a quick snapshot of the happenings in my life- all of it. So just in case you were having "one of those days", like I was, when you don't feel like the best mom, wife, friend, student, etc. you can know you aren't alone. And yet, while writing this, sweet baby Carson woke up from his nap and when I went in to pick him up he just smiled at me so big and cuddled with me while he woke up and I thought, "he thinks I am the greatest Mom in the world."

Oh Rise and Shout

The Cougars are out, that was such an exciting game. Aaron and I actually had tickets and then we returned them, we were so very sorry that we did. Everyone who went had such a great time. Sadly the only picture that we captured of the historic moment was Carson sleeping through it and his friend Julia trying to play with him. :) At least its a cute one.

Carson also experienced his first baseball game. It was Frisco's team and we sat out on the grass in perfect Texas September weather. I'm not sure he was interested at all but he sure looked adorable. We went with our friends Devin and Andrea and their adorable little Julia.

2 months

So Carson had his two month check up this week and I just can't believe he is that old, where does the time go? Quick stats on Carson are:

11 pounds 10 ounces (50th percentile)

23.5 Inches (75th percentile)

This is quite a jump from his 5th percentile and 10th percentile where he was for awhile. He has done a lot of growing and eating these past two months. Other fun things Carson started doing this month:

Smiling, he is such a cheeser. He especially loves to smile right after he wakes up and when he gets his diaper changed. Mom and Dad spend a lot of time talking to him so he will smile at us.

He follows the sound of my voice wherever I go, he always wants to know where I am.

He still has a hard time sleeping during the day, he fights his naps almost every time. And try as I might the easiest way for me to get him to go to sleep is to let him fall asleep in my arms, which I know I will later regret.

Formula is a no go for now. He won't take it and looks at you like what are you trying to feed me? Tylenol on the other hand, he gulps that stuff down. But he will happily take a bottle if it has my milk in it.

He is getting so active, he loves to just move, move, move. Which is so funny because he was so calm in my stomach. I think this means he is going to be a runner. This mat is his favorite place to work out. :)

He is a big show off. In public he just coos and talks to people the whole time.

He can't figure out what this creature is that keeps sniffing and licking his feet. He looks at me very confused when Josie does that.

He sure gets more fun all the time and I sure enjoy having someone who is forced to listen to every word I say. :)

His nursery is coming along. He has taken a few naps in his crib. Aaron says he's not sure he'll be ready for Carson to start sleeping in his nursery anytime soon. He sure loves having our sweet boy right next to our bed.

We were lucky enough to have Aaron's parents in town this past weekend and so we got a few shots when they were here with Carson.