Gender Reveal Party

Last night we attended the gender reveal party that I talked about yesterday.  And, I am here to report that I was wrong.  It's a GIRL!!!  Oh how I am so excited to be start buying pink things!  I am not used to that, and I have a feeling I am going to have a lot of fun!  Carl has always said it's a good thing we didn't have a girl, because we would be so broke!  So, I am glad that my sister can pull through, and can satisfy my fix with providing me with a niece!

We all went over to Nathan and Diane's house last night for supper.  When we got there, we were all told to grab a cupcake.  And, that is how the gender was going to be revealed.  Inside of the cupcake was a little pink star that said "It's a Girl!" 

They also handed out little Hershey bars that said "HERESHEIS" and had the estimated arrival date on it.  August 17th.  That is the BIG day we are all looking forward to so much! 

Carson also went to the party with the most appropriate shirt around.  "BEST BIG COUSIN EVER"  I am sure Carson will show his little cousin a thing or two about how to get in trouble.  Ha. 

He also enjoyed some blue M&Ms.  I guess he was thinking the same as I was....he thought the little one was going to be a boy, too!

Carson also enjoyed some playtime with Uncle Chris.  I think they both enjoy each other's company.

We are so thrilled for Uncle Nathan and Aunt DiDi during this exciting time.  They are going to make wonderful parents, and soon will experience the world of parenthood.....which, is the best!  And, I am excited to spoil this little girl rotten!

In other news.............

Carson likes to try on Daddy's new boots.  They are about the size of him, and weigh about as much as him, too! 

Carson has also discovered that the tape measure is pretty fun to play with as well.  He will pull the tape out, and it retracts back, all by itself...and he thinks that is the coolest thing!  His eyes get really big when it happens, and he gets a look of complete amazement on his face.

Carson is really starting to get his appetite back.....and for that, we are very thankful! He is sticking with some of the comfort foods....one of them being toast.

And this would be a typical morning when Daddy is in charge......Carl will ask:  "Carson, you want to eat in the living room, and watch Sports Center, and ESPN?  Ok, we can do that buddy!"  Carl will then tell me....."Honey, Carson asked to eat breakfast in the living room, and you know me, I just couldn't turn that cute little face down, so I gave in and said yes."  Ha.  Ok, my dear.  Whatever you say!  :)  Apparently they have this 'Father-Son' talk that a Mom just wouldn't understand.  Or, so Carl says. 

This, my friends, is our handsome little guy all dressed and ready for church.  His cute little bod is enough to make your heart melt.  Every. Time.

Carson's new favorite thing to do is play with his barn animals, and line them up on his crib.  He will stash them in his crib while he is playing, and put them through the bars one by one.  So, he can play with them when he gets up in the morning, or after his nap.  He tries so very hard to line them up with his pudgy little hands, as drool rolls from his mouth, indicating just how hard he is concentrating on the task at hand.

I will say he does an excellent job, and I am very impressed because of how narrow the railing is.  His hands do sometimes get in the way, and knock a few over while he is putting another one up, but he just continues about his way. 

Then the 'boy' in him kicks in, and he will shake the railing, and laugh as they all fall down.  And, he will then start all over again.    

Carson was back at daycare today, and he had a great report.  I was so pleased to hear he had a good day!  I personally still don't feel as if he is completely back to himself, but we are hoping it will happen soon.  It sounds as if the weekend weather should be decent, and I think the fresh air is calling our name.  Along with a walk, and the park, and the windows are begging to be opened.  Our house is also begging for a fresh breeze to be rolling through it.  So, hopefully we will be able to satisfy all of the above! 



Life

Monday was a rough day....for all of us.
Carson was suffering from really bad diapers for 5 days, going on the 6th.  I decided to take him to the Dr. to get some piece of mind, and see if there was anything we could do to help him with whatever he was suffering from.  I was assuming it was some sort of virus, that was getting the best of him.  And, I hated it.

I brought him to what I assumed would be a regular doctor visit.  One that they told us he would be fine, and whatever was eating away at him, would just have to run its course, and we would be on our way.  But, I was wrong.

The nurse checked him over, and sent in the doctor.  That is when it hit me.  I was not prepared for what was going to be happening.  She said that Carson was very dehydrated, and they were going to admit him into the hospital, and test him for some viruses.  The thought of my baby being in the hospital was enough to make my heart sink, and want to vomit.  I knew I needed to stay strong, because I was the only person that Carson had to cling to.  But, it was hard.  A lot harder than I thought.  I started praying constantly.  That is all I felt I could do, as the rest was out of my hands.  And, in the hands of someone Wonderful, and who has complete control.  Carson was very shaken up, and was having a hard time catching his breath because he was crying so hard.  I thought seeing him like that was hard enough.....and yet the journey was just beginning. 

We went through admissions, got wheeled to room 441, and got checked in.  We got Carson into his lavender hospital gown, and tried to keep him calm.  That was a task that I felt like was impossible at times.  He was scared to death.....and, as was I.  In the meantime, Frannie had made it to the hospital.  And thank goodness for that!  The nurse then came in, and said that they needed to take him down the hall to put an IV in.  I wanted to lose it.  The thought of them holding Carson down, and sticking a needle in him made me wheezy.  They took him down the hall, and I left the room as well.  I went downstairs to meet Carl at the door, and left Frannie in the room to be the hero, and get him after he was done.  I needed a little time to re-group, and see my husband.  Carl wasn't feeling just the best either, as he was suffering from some sort of bug too, but I needed him there more than ever.  And, he was. 

After we got back to the room, we got the report that he did really well, and they were able to get the IV in during their first try.  Thank goodness.  Carson had the saddest eyes, and looked so scared.  I felt so bad for the poor little guy, and just wanted to instantly make him better, and head home.  Head home where he would be comfortable, and not be scared.  But, I knew that we needed to be there.  We needed to get him healthy, and he was in good hands.  They started him on fluids, and just monitored him from then on.  He wasn't able to use his left hand, as it was all bandaged up from having the IV in.  He wasn't too fond of the idea of only having one mobile hand.  I wouldn't be, either.  Carson also couldn't eat or drink anything for 4 hours after being admitted.  That was really hard.  All he wanted was his C-U-P.  It was a sense of security for him, that we weren't allowing him to have. 

We were there overnight, and through a very restless one, with no sleep.  Carl had to work that night, so that left Carson and I there alone.  Carson was in and out of sleep all night, and would freak out every time he was woken up by one of the nurses checking on him.  He woke up, looked around, and would get very worked up, because he was very scared.  I don't blame him one bit.  The poor little guy was in such a foreign place, and was hooked up to this machine that didn't give him the freedom and mobility that he was used to having. 

The following morning Dr. Sims made his rounds, and we got wonderful news.  We were given word that he was good to go home!  And I was filled with so much excitement.  It took about 2 hours to get all the discharge papers ready, and for us to get out of there.  But, I think we were all very pleased to head home.  Carson had a huge grin on his face when we got home.  I think he was so happy to be in his home, too! 

I think that Carson is really starting to improve, and is getting his appetite back.  We are pumping him full of pedialyte, and doing all we can to get him back to 100%.  We are all soooo excited to be healthy again, and we are hoping that time is soon! 

After seeing Carson in the hospital, it really makes me wonder how those parents see their children like that....day in, and day out.  They have to be so strong, and courageous.  It makes me very thankful for the fact that we were only there for a day. 

We are now home, and recovering!  That is an answered prayer in itself.


Tonight, we are headed to Aunt DiDi's house to have a little party.  A "Gender-Reveal" Party!!  We get to find out if Carson's new baby cousin is going to be a BOY, or a GIRL!  We are very excited.  My guess is a boy, so we will see if I am right.  Nathan and Diane have their appointment at 3:30, and the party starts at 5:30.  I am contemplating calling her, and seeing if I can squeeze it out of her to be the first to know.  My guess is, it will be a fail.....but it's worth a shot, right?!  ha. :) 

Best Friends

Carson and Tucker are best friends.  He really loves tucker.   And, I think that Tucker secretively enjoys Carson as well.  Ok, well at least I think that he does.  He may run away from him, or hide from him sometimes....but I think he does enjoy him.  Not to mention, Tucker is very tolerable when it comes to Carson.  Carson will lay on him, pull his tail, play with his mouth, poke at him while he is eating, etc....and Tucker won't do anything.  Other than run away.  I think that is his "warning" to us that he has had enough.  So, we usually try and keep Carson away from him.  But, you get the picture. 

Carson really is nice to him....sometimes.  He will pet him........

And shake hands/paws with him........

And give kisses.........

And lay by him (or on him)..........

And, pretty much act like he is putting a human muzzle on him.  You can tell in this picture that Carson is laughing, because he must find it funny.  Tucker, probably doesn't.  I can only imagine what is going through that little dog's head.  This is about the time that I intervene, and tell him to "be nice to the puppy"......

Carson also really enjoys feeding Tucker.  It is so darn cute to watch him do it.  He will grab the cup to feed him, and wait by the door while we fill it with food.  Then he will go and dump it in his bowl.  Sometimes he makes it in the bowl, and sometimes....not so much.  Regardless, I think he enjoys doing the task.  He will then put the cup back in the cupboard where it belongs.  This boy already has a chore under his belt mastered!  ha. 

Here are a few videos of Carson feeding Tucker. Check out for yourself how cute the task is :)

Carson still finds joy in trying on my shoes.  He doesn't really touch Daddy's boots much (maybe because they weigh about as much as he does) but he will always go for mine. 

This picture makes me laugh.  It looks like he is mad because I caught him trying on "girly" shoes, and his Daddy has told him that is not appropriate, because he is not a girl.  Or, he is trying to tell me he has to go to the bathroom.  Either one, it's cute......because he has the "you caught me" look on his face. 

And, who could resist a cute little diaper butt equipped with an adorable little puppy face on it?  Not me!

We have also discovered recently that Carson has quite the sweet tooth.  I think I have passed that not-so-good addiction, or craving, or bad habit, or whatever you want to call it, on to Carson.  Oops!  The boy loves desserts...especially ice cream, I can't help it.  Ok, maybe I could, because if *I* wouldn't be eating it to begin with, I wouldn't know he liked it in the first place, but whatever.  Details :) 

There's the "You caught me" look again!  I love it. 

I think it is amazing what excites you as you get older, and enter into Parenthood.  2 years ago, for my birthday, I was asking for maternity clothes.  A little different celebration than the previous year, as it was my 21st birthday.  Last year, for the my birthday, I asked for a new "big boy" car seat for Carson.  This year, I am asking for a bike trailer to pull our little guy in.  I absolutely love the transformation into parenthood.  Now, I am getting excited about a new highchair that just got delivered today.  I get so giddy when I hear the UPS truck stopping out front of our house.  I just so happened to be home today on my lunch break, for this beauty to be delivered.  Oh, how things have changed in just the past few years.  Who would have ever thunk that at the age of 23 (almost 24!) I would be looking at purchasing a minivan?  True story!  Maybe you just have to know me to really understand that this is kind of crazy to actually be happening.  Once the girl who swore to never own a minivan, is doing some hardcore research about them!   

And, it's ALL for this little soul.  This amazing little soul.  Who, has changed our lives forever.  I really do wonder everyday what we did without him.  He has changed us so much, but all for the better.  He has touched our lives so much in these short 17 months of living.  Its amazing.  Truly, amazing! 

Check out that raised eyebrow!  He is such a character.

He has also done a lot of falling down these days....on purpose!  I have no idea why, but he does it quite often.  He will prep himself, and then fall to his knees, and then to his belly.  Ohhh Carson, you are somethin' else :) 

Carson was kind of down and out today.  He wasn't really himself, and woke up covered in vomit this morning.  He had another little episode of vomiting this afternoon.  I am not real sure what is going on, but hoping it exits his system soon.  It sounds like he had/has a touch of the flu.  We are hoping he wakes up rejuvenated, and back to himself in the morning.  We think Daddy has the weekend off, so we have a lot of family fun planned that we hope he feels better for!