THREE YEARS OLD

October 29th marked a big milestone.  A huge milestone, actually.  My baby turned THREE years old.  It doesn't seem possible, and I am struggling a bit with saying we now have a 3 year old.  Up until then, when people would ask me the question of "how old is he?" I responded with, "almost 3."  That response didn't seem to phase me much.  But now that I have to respond with "three!" that one is hard.  Carl constantly tells me that I get way too emotional over the little things.  I get all defensive, and usually shoot back with something in regards to him turning 30 in less than a week.  Ha!  He is having a hard time with the fact that he will no longer be twenty-something, so I can usually have him stop in his tracks when I come back with that.  :)

Carson is learning new things everyday, and it is so much fun to watch him grow.  His personality is like no other, and I love that about him.  He is still his shy self, but will open up when his comfort level hits a high point.

He loves his brother, so much.  I see a relationship developing between these two precious boys before my eyes, and I think my heart does a little happy dance every time.

Carson loves to be around familiar settings.  He is not one to run off and try something new, or be the first in line for something that is classified as "different" in his eyes.

Brother has got to be one of the best snugglers.  Ever.  Although W is giving him a run for his money, I will forever be grateful that I have 2 snuggly little boys.  Having Carson fall asleep on your chest is on the top of my all time favorite things.  He buries his head in, snuggles with his blanket, and follows with "I cumpy (comfy) Mama, I love you!"  All of my stress and thoughts of the day instantly melts away when I hear that little boys sweet voice.

He is big into tractors, trucks, combines, trailers, boats, books, and puzzles right now.  He is all boy, through and through.  We went combining a few times with Papa this Fall, and C Man was on cloud 9!  He was so in awe, and loved every minute that we were in the combine.  He was so busy steering, watching where he was going, looking behind us through the window to see the goods, and wondering when the next time was that we were going to unload through the auger.  I love to see the wheels in his head turn when he experiences something new.  After we were done combining, he went straight home, found his combine and wagon, and went right to work.  He has been doing that ever since, and I love to watch him play.  Carson can also spot a tractor, combine, or wagon from miles away as we are driving down the road.  He yells out with much excitement in his voice..."Look Mama, a combine just like Papa's!"  And he couldn't be more right.  That brings joy to my soul, as I was raised on the farm, and always enjoyed those special Fall memories.

Carson can also spot a boat from miles away.  He loved going to Prairie on the weekends this year to spend some quality time on the water with Papa and Frannie.  Grandpa has a red boat, and he will find a red boat just like his to compare it to.  It's amazing how much he focuses on the little details.

A favorite book of his right now is "No, No David!"  I personally think he likes the book so much because he can read it all by himself.  There aren't many words in the book, other than "No, No David" and he will point out the different things that David is not supposed to do.  (Carl says it was a book written about Carson.  Because everything that David is doing that he gets scolded for, Carson does---to a T!  Haha.)  It is so cute to sit and listen to Carson flip the pages, while he repeats "No, No Dabid (David)" on each and every page.  The very last page of the book is a picture of David sleeping, and his Mother says "Good night David, I love you" and Carson says that part in such a cute voice.

Carson is POTTY TRAINED!!  We are in underwear all day long, and pull ups at night.  He occasionally wakes up wet in the mornings, but not usually.  He wakes up 1-2 times during the night to go to the bathroom.  I was very impressed with this about him.  And while I love that he gets up to go, I may secretly want to stay in my nice warm bed instead of getting up to help him go to the bathroom :)  He still has to get down going "number 2" on the toilet, but I think that will come.  We have occasional accidents with that, so I am hoping he gets over that fear soon.

C Man's vocabulary is growing by the day.  I love to sit and listen to Carson have a conversation with someone.  All of the little words that were once omitted  are now included in his sentences, and sometimes we just can't help ourselves---and laugh at how cute he is.  He is so funny with some of his words, and repeats ev.er.y.th.ing!  One of our favorites is...."Oh, come on!" when he is frustrated.  We just laugh, because hearing a 3 (I almost typed 2 there! Eeek!) year old say that is just funny!  Another favorite is "yes, are" which should really be "yes I am."  We do correct him, but I really am going to miss his vocabulary when he outgrows this stage.

Wee Lad loves to play....all the time.  Carl and I love to sit and do puzzles with him, play farm, tractors, or just roll his cars around with him.  Carson also loves to color, and read us books-- and nothing makes me more happy than that time of the day.  He is also a big helper in the kitchen.  He loves to help make supper, or bake goodies with me.

He is big into Toy Story and Thomas right now.  Every night before we go to bed, we read a book, and watch a show or movie to wind down.  He usually asks to watch Thomas, Toy Story, or Elf.  C man is also into singing songs right now.  He has always loved music since he was a little baby, and he loves to sing "ring around the rosy" and do the actions.  I have so much fun singing and dancing with him during the evening hours.  He can count to 10, if he so chooses to.  Right now, he thinks it's funny to say "one, two, porteen (fourteen), porteen, porteen.  And then he fake laughs, because he knows it is wrong.  He doesn't know all of his ABCs yet, but we are working on them.  He knows the tune of the song, and I love to hear him attempt to sing it.  He is also in love with the color blue right now.  I have no idea why, but he always talks about it.  When I asked him what kind of birthday party he wanted, he said "a blue birthday party."

Carson loves to play outside, and we are constantly trying to be outside as much as possible.  Carl and I have both discussed how much we feel Carson's mood changes when he gets outside.  He is care-free, there is no whining, and he is definitely in his element when he can get some fresh air.

For documentation reasons, I am going to add in some fun facts about Carson that I know I will love to look back on.  Carson is currently wearing size 2T clothes.  He still fits in to most 24 month pants, and most 24 month shirts/sweatshirts.  Although, I have been buying most 2T and 3T stuff.  Some 3T shirts fit him, but most are a little big yet.  He is also wearing size 6-7 shoes.

Eating wise:  there is more of a "lack of" to document, than any improvement to speak of.  He likes hot dogs, spaghetti-os, pasta of any sort, bananas, toast, pizza, and Easter eggs (which are scrambled eggs! Ha.)  He doesn't generally try anything new, and will go without any supper some nights because he just doesn't eat, or doesn't like what is on his plate.  He would actually prefer to snack all. day. long.  We don't let him do that, so he is strongly encouraged to eat during the main course meals.

The 29th marked a big day for Carson, and myself.  He is the little boy that made me a Mama 3 years ago, and he will forever hold a special place in my heart.  I still remember that day at the hospital.  It was such a long day, and he finally made his arrival at 11:45pm that night via an emergency C-section.  Love at first sight would be the best words to describe my first view of his precious little face.

The Lord has blessed our family in so many ways, and he is one gift from above that I thank Jesus for every night.  He is one of the best things to happen to Carl and I, and I will forever love him, and give him my all.  I am constantly trying to be the best Mama that I know how, and I do it all for him.  I tear up just thinking about him growing older, and yet I am so intrigued by watching him learn new things.

Here is to another fabulous year with our Wee Lad!  Happy THIRD birthday to an extremely special boy!  We love you so much, Carson David Brouwer.

Six Months

Last Saturday, the 27th, was a big day for us.  Weston turned a half year old, and we were preparing for Carson's big birthday shindig that took place at our house that evening.

Ohhhh, my Dearest Weston.  Where do I even begin with your sixth months of living.  A lot happened this month, that's for sure.

I am going to start out with the monthly questions, and then roll into the big things that happened this month.

-Weight:  As of his 6 month check up, he weighed in at just over 17 pounds.

-How much is he eating now:  During his entire 6th month, he was eating 5 ounces every 2-3 hours.  On his 6 month birthday, I decided that it was time to bump up to 6 ounces, in hopes that he would make it a little longer in between feedings, and sleep a little better.  We are achieving the first thing, but not so much the second.  

-Wears size 3 diapers.

-How long does he sleep at night:  A quick run down:  W goes to bed anywhere between 8:00-9:00 at night.  He is up about midnight, and 3:00 for a feeding.  He is usually up at about 6:00 for the day.  His bro has a similar story.  Between the two Wee Lads, I feel as if I am part of a circus during the night time hours.  But when he is sleeping in my arms, it is so heavenly.  And yes, we have yet to put Weston to sleep in his crib awake.  This Mama rocks little W to sleep every night, and I have no regrets on that decision one bit.

-What size of clothes is he in:  He is wearing mostly 9 month clothing.  He is hanging tight to a few 6 month stuff, but not much.  I have even put him in some 12 month pants, because I have them from Carson, and they seem to fit him pretty well.  Some are a little long, but from all of the washings, they seem to fit more like a size 9 month.  

-Facial Expressions: He is still full of them, of course.  I am currently in love with the look of "I know I am getting into something I shouldn't"...or that's what it looks like, anyway.  He has got to be one of the happiest, and most content babies I have known.  And it just so happens that the Lord blessed US with HIM!!!  We are so lucky.

-Learned anything new this month: See below. It was a big month!

W is a drooling fool these days.  A bib is now a requirement for each day, not just an accessory.

-Is Weston a good traveler:  W is proving himself to be a wonderful traveler after all.  We had a rocky month or so, but now he is content as can be in his carrier.  During all of our traveling, we hardly hear a peep from the little guy.  

-Did Weston celebrate any holidays this past month:  He didn't celebrate any big holidays during his 6th month, but next month is a different story.  Well, not so much holidays, as big events.  His Big Brother's THIRD birthday, Mom & Dad's FOURTH anniversary, Daddy's THIRTIETH birthday,  and Thanksgiving. Phew.  That's a lot :)

-Recognize anyone new:  I can tell when Weston hears a familiar voice, as his head will turn in a quick motion in an attempt to find that specific person.  I love it when I say his name, and he has a big smile while he is scouring the room to find me.  It makes my day.  He also recognizes his Daddy's, and Big Bro's voice.  The smile is so evident that he is in love.  

-Anything else:.......................

First thing first, he got his first tooth this month!  At 5 months + 1 week, his first bottom tooth popped through.  And about a week later, the other little bottom tooth came through!  That in itself is a big milestone.  And to be completely honest, his personality shined through and impressed us once again during this time of teething.  We didn't even know, nor could we tell by his attitude that he was teething.  Other than the little fever that he got, that we only assumed had to deal with teething, we had no idea that little white thing was about to show it's existence for the first time.  He continued to smile that big happy smile, and continued to be as content as could be.  Nothing shakes you, baby.

With his two little teeth, also comes the discovery of his tongue.  It is constantly out these days, and it is pretty darn cute.  I think he likes to feel his tongue against his little toofers.

Next big thing, he is moving!  He isn't full on "crawling" yet, but he can get to where he wants to go---and rather quickly, may I add.  He has the army crawl down to a T, and can pull his body forward with his fore arms in a quick motion.  With his big bro in the house, and him being 3, we are not used to having our house being "baby proof" but he is proving to us time after time that we need to do that.  Pronto.

We introduced baby food to W for the first time this past month (week to be exact) and he has had no objections---at all.  He seem to really enjoy sweet potatoes, squash, green beans, and peas.  Weston also really enjoy the little "puffs" and yogurt melts that have landed in his mouth to dissolve.  He gets really excited when I get the yogurt melts out of the cupboard, and place a few on his highchair tray.  I love to watch him learn and try new things, and try so hard at the different tasks.  Recently he has been working on grabbing the little puffs and yogurt melts to place them in his mouth.  He has been successful a few times, which is so fun and exciting to see.  He is constantly amazing us, and I love to see him in action.

He is sitting up all by himself as of about 4 weeks ago.  I feel like he has gone to a whole new level of contentment now that he can sit and play with his own toys by himself.

W really enjoys his jumper seat, and spends a lot of time in it.  I feel as if he really enjoys it, because he doesn't miss a thing.  He can see and hear all that is going on in the room without having to move much.

Weston is still in love with his Big Bro.  Carson truly is a great big brother, even though he pulls on his hands, steps on his back, throws things at him, and tries to push him off the bed.  Carson will share with him, can make him giggle every time, reads him books, and tries so hard to comprehend that he is little, and can't quite catch a ball.  I feel as if Carson and Weston are both so eager to play with each other.  You should see the look on Weston's face when Carl and Carson are wrestling.  It's a look of "why are you leaving me out" and it's almost funny to watch him evaluate the situation.  He almost has a sad look on his face, and tries so hard to crawl to get in on the action.  I know that once the boys are both old enough to play, they will have so much fun together.  They will be the best of friends, I am sure.

I love to do a little comparison between Carson and Weston.  Not because what one child did is right or wrong, or because I prefer one over the other.....but because it is fun for me to look at how much they differ, and how much they are alike.  For example....looks.  I see a lot of resemblance!

A few areas I have thought about........

Pacifier:  Carson was very dependent on his pacifier.  He was our "plug" baby, from day one-actually.  Weston, on the other hand, has never sucked on a pacifier before.  He will give it two sucks, and spit it out instantly.  It's almost as if he doesn't understand the concept, or know what to do with the silly thing.  I have mixed feelings about this.  I sometimes wish W would take one, to get him calmed down when he is upset, or to get him back to sleep in the middle of the night, instead of needing a feeding.  But then again, that just means that "taking the pacifier away" is one task that will never need to be added to our "to-do" list at a specific age with Weston.  And that?  That part makes me happy.

Sleeping:  Carson was our great sleeper at Weston's current age.  He would go to bed around 7:00-7:30 at night, and sleep until about 7:00 the next morning.  There would be a few interruptions in the middle of the night, and would occasionally need to be fed, but otherwise his pacifier would put him back to sleep.  Weston, on the other hand, doesn't seem to like sleep as much as, ohhhh let's say-- his MOM!  Ha.  Weston goes to sleep about 8:30-9:00 at night, and is up about midnight, and 3:00 for a bottle.  He is then up for good about 6:00-6:30.  He also doesn't nap near as much as Carson did, either.  Carson used to (and still does!) take a good 3 hour nap.  Weston is content with a cat nap in the morning, and maybe an hour nap in the afternoon.

Baby Food:  Weston is showing a lot of interest in baby food.  He opens his mouth for everything, and I am having so much fun feeding him.  I have never experienced the fun of feeding with Carson, because he never showed any interest.  He went straight to table food, and spit out any and all baby food that was inserted into his mouth.  We wasted a lot of money on baby food when Carson was little, to say the least.

Crawling: Carson never army crawled like Weston is doing.  He went right from "rocking" to full on crawling.  Weston is definitely "rocking" but then flops on his belly and figures out he can get places.  I truly feel this is a strong will of determination on Weston's part to keep up with Carson.  And his love for any toy that is not his.  Oh, and food.  He can get from one side of a room to the other in about 5 seconds flat if he sees some sort of food that has been placed on the floor.  More than likely by his brother who doesn't understand the concept that A) food is only to be consumed in the kitchen, at the table.  and B) You can not set anything on the floor that you do not want your little bro to get.

This month was a big one, and I am sure the months to follow will be the same.  There is so much to document about him growing up, as I feel like he is doing it all too quickly.  I sometimes tear up when I think about him being 1/2 year old already.

We are so blessed to have W be a part of our family.  He has got a constant smile plastered on his face, his giggle is to die for, and his personality is like none other.  Thank you, Weston, for being you.  You make this Mama's day with just one glance.

Pumpkins

Carson recently came home from Prairie with Frannie and brought two pumpkins with him.  One for himself, and one for Weston.  Both sized appropriately for the difference in the body size of my two precious Wee Lads.

Weston eats everything these days.  As in, anything that comes within reaching distance, his hands will get it. He has go-go gadget arms, I swear.  So it was no surprise that the stem of this pumpkin looked appealing to chew on.  Carl put a stop to it very quickly---no worries :)

A few weekends ago we decided to do something with the pumpkins.  Carson wanted to paint his, and Carl was going to decorate Weston's.  I found some paint in the closet, and let Carson have at the pumpkin--with zero guidance.  No direction what-so-ever.  Carl and I both agreed that this was one activity that Carson could do all by himself, and he could create it whichever way he chose.  A little creativity never hurt no one.  So Carson dipped his brush in each color, and went at the pumpkin.  In the same. exact. spot. each and every stroke.

 "Mom, no more pictures!"  And so it begins, already.  I am not ready for him to refuse pictures just yet!  Bummer.

Carl did turn the pumpkin a few different times.....to broaden the coloring space a bit, but Carson repeated each stroking motion the same each and every time.  We were both smiling, and a few occasional laughs were heard as we watched the color change constantly on that little pumpkin.  I mean, when you mix the primary colors, and a few extras---repeatedly, you get quite the interesting color.  One that no-one could probably ever re-create....even if they tried.  And that is the beauty of that pumpkin.  It is Carson's, created by him, designed by him, and done all by himself.  I love it.  Oh, and come to find out, I found paint that was not washable.  The paint was still holding strong on his little belly numerous days later.  We tried to scrub, but that stuff clung tight.  Lesson learned.  Crap.

Weston's pumpkin, on the other hand, didn't turn out so cute.  Carl thought it would be funny/neat (whatever the heck word you want to use) to draw a mean face on a cute little 5 month old little boys' pumpkin.  Who does that?  Carl does.  It didn't get it's picture taken, because I want to throw the silly thing away.  Carl says "Halloween is not supposed to be all butterflies and smiley faces, you know!"  And I will constantly dis-agree with that.  I don't like mean, gorey, bloody, Halloween things---apparently.

Carson and I had a lot of fun creating a special little pumpkin treat bag full of goodies for our family members, and neighbors.  We made a few batches of the Halloween mix, and delivered it to cousins, grandparents, friends, and neighbors.  I love to watch Carson hand over a treat bag with a little grin, and responding to their thankfulness with a soft and shy "You Welcome."

Happy Fall Y'all!