Spring Break PT 2

Ok...so this wasn't really University of Minnesota's spring break, but it was Alpine School District's spring break.  Even though I don't work for them anymore I am still reaping the benefits!

My sister, Lindsay, is now a teacher in Alpine and had a break, so we (of course!) had to do a girl's week.

Lindsay, Carson, and I, all flew home to Virginia for the week.

Wow. Flying by myself and with a social little baby was a lot harder than I anticipated! But boy was it worth it!

We had the best week ever!!! To sum it up in a few words: nails/lunch/shopping/relaxing.

Carson takes 2 naps a day now, so after each of his morning naps we would go out to lunch and then go do a girly activity (AKA get nails done or go shopping).

Then, during his afternoon nap we would watch Pretty Little Liars (my new fav TV show), nap, or relax.  

I love that we had a routine down even though we were only there for a week.

None of us were good at documenting the week, so here are a few photos from our phones.

Lots of hanging out and playing.

Lots of watching Carson laugh at and try to get to Sadie.

And lots of eating out.

 

 

 What a fun weekend!  Miss you already mom and Lindsay (and dad).

Easter

Easter was really fun this year.

I went all out and made Steve (slash me) and Carson a basket.  

I didn't expect Carson to care so much because he didn't really care at Christmas.
But this little boy went crazy over his basket of toys.

Steve explaining to Carson why we really celebrate Easter.

 

Good thing Carson learned to army crawl just before Easter so I could hide his basket behind him and watch him try to find it.

Like I said, Carson went crazy over all the toys inside.

A little pre-church photo shoot with mom.

Sadly, the only photo we got as a family was this one taken in church.

Spring Break

For Spring Break this year, Steve, Carson, and I took a mini vacay to Duluth, MN.

We had heard lots of good things about Duluth from fellow Minnesotans and decided to check it out.

We absolutely loved it.  It is located right on Lake Superior and there are tons of things to do in the little city.  We'd love to go back when it is warmer and enjoy the outdoor Duluth experience.

We drove up Friday after I was done nannying (around 4). Our Spring Break was definitely not Spring, see for yourself.

We had to get a shot of our very first stay in a hotel as a little family. 

We swam in the hotel pool a few times.  Carson was pretty speechless (because the water was a little cold), but he loved when we held him in our laps in the hot tub.

In Duluth, we took a scenic drive around the lake,

toured a mansion (where the last living heir got mysteriously murdered...it was pretty cool),

 had some yummy eats,

and went to a boat museum.

It was fun, Duluth.  Hopefully we'll see you again when it's warmer!

8 Months!

Seriously...where has this year gone?

Every day I look at Carson and think he is bigger and less of a baby. 

I can hardly believe he has outgrown this "baby" stage so quickly!

He weighs 19 lb 6 oz and I think that's around the 25-50 percentile. Not sure of his height, but we will get those stats next month!

This past month Carson has made big strides in his mobility, but he is still not crawling! I have said since he was a baby that he would be a late crawler because he is so content in our laps, and I guess I was right!  He loves to roll and crawl in circles.  He pushes up on his hands and loves to be on his belly but will NOT let us help him get up on his knees. I guess it will come someday.

He is a baby after his mama's heart. He can now say mama and mean it! Usually when he is really sad and upset he will call for me and it is one of the most adorable things I have ever seen (besides when he kisses me).

Carson cut his first two teeth this month!  I actually didn't even realize he was teething until I reached in his mouth and found a tooth one day.  The other one came shortly after.

We have gotten rid of the binky for good. We took it away while he slept so that he would stop waking up for it. He adjusted really quickly but decided he doesn't want it at all anymore. This makes going out a little harder because I don't have anything to use as a plug.

Carson loves to wave. He doesn't understand what it means but loves to do it at random times. He will wave while drinking a bottle, or when holding a toy with one hand he will wave with the other.

I think he is going through the whole separation anxiety thing.  He gets very upset when I set him down to play which makes my day a bit more complicated.  I can usually distract him with toys or let him a cry a few minutes and he is fine.

When we got rid of his binky we substituted it with his monkey.  He loves that thing and cuddles up with it before going to sleep and usually uses it as a pillow.  This was his first nap without binky and with monkey.

Going through the whole separation anxiety thing means a lot of time spent with mom in the baby carrier :)

This picture speaks for itself...Carson loves himself a little too much!

 My Valentine

 The next two pictures may be hard to see, but Carson is covered in water.  We decided Minnesota was getting a little too cold outside so we played with water inside.  He had a blast.

Becoming a pro at using the sippy cup.

 

7 months!

Well we are on the downhill to one year old!

Each month gets more and more fun and less stressful with Carson.

This month:

Carson has learned to give kisses. He will grab my face forcefully with both hands and lay one on me. One time he had been crying in his crib for a while and when I went in to pick him up he grabbed my face and smooched me. He is so sweet.

He is officially a tummy sleeper. As soon as we put him in his crib he rolls over and goes to sleep.

He is in size 6 and 9 month clothes and size 3 diapers.

He eats breakfast, lunch, and dinner now!  Usually just puree fruits, oatmeal, and veggies.  I also let him have a bite of my food now and then.

Carson is sleeping wonderfully at night. Usually 8:00-7:30.

He takes 3 naps a day at 9:30, 1:00, and 4:00. His first nap has been around an hour and a half lately and his last two are between 30-45 minutes.

He loves being on his belly all day long. It's hard though because he spits up a lot so I can't put him on the ground for a while after he eats.

He can crawl in circles while he plays but has not figured out how to move forward.

Carson is sitting up really well but will still take a hard fall sometimes. I can't wait til I don't have to worry about it!

He went through a phase when he said babababa and mamamama all day long. After I taught him "mama" he would start screaming it all the time.  Not exactly what I had in mind.

Carson's favorite toy is his jumperoo. He seriously gets some massive air in that thing.

His second favorite toys are all of his books. He loves books and has fun grabbing them out of his book basket and trying to look at them.

Now enough of that. Here are some fun pictures from the month.

 These first few pictures are from our friend Stephanie.  She did an amazing job!  You can check her out at stephaniehydephotography.blogspot.com

My happy, crazy boy

Sippin some DC

My 2 favorite boys

loves his books

learning how to make a mess

can't keep his eyes open with a flash...just like his mom