First poo......

in the tub last weekend.  UGH!  I've posted on all of his other "firsts" so guess I should share this one.  I've heard other friends complain about their kids pooping in the bath and thought, whew, we're lucky.  Well now we've experienced it too.  And yuck.  Thank goodness Lucas was there to help.  Carson was so upset though when he had to get out of the tub.  He cried and cried.  Thank goodness he wanted back in because we definitely needed two baths that night.....  :)

Santa plate

We picked up our finished Santa plate and ornament over the weekend.  Just thought I'd share the finished product!  We'll have to bake some cookies on Saturday to set out for Santa!!

Santa and Folepi's Winter Wonderland

On Monday, we headed down to Bass Pro to see Santa (and pick up a gift card for work).  I wasn't sure how Carson would do, but it went pretty well!  No tears at least.  He didn't want to walk down the long carpet to Santa so Daddy carried him.  He wasn't so sure about getting close....but Santa had candy canes!  They got a picture with Carson standing in front of Santa and then Santa was able to coax him onto his lap.  So we got two pictures! 

After that, we tried (for the third night in a row) to drive thru Folepi's Winter Wonderland.  Finally, there wasn't a long wait so we went for it.  We all had so much fun!  I forgot how big it is!  It was seriously so much fun to experience it all through Carson's eyes.  He was so excited by all the lights.  He kept saying, "Look at the lights!  There's so many!"  :)  He even started singing Jingle Bells (which I had no idea he knew!!)  All of a sudden we heard, "Jingle bells.  Jingle all the waaaaay".  Lucas didn't believe me until he did it again!  Then he part of "Twinkle twinkle" when we saw a star.  I just totally got a kick out of that!  Apparently they've been singing at daycare.  :)  Anyway, I was able to get lots of videos on my phone and to listen to his comments and exclamations is so cute!  Definitely helped get me in the Christmas spirit!

Hello Third Trimester!!

I hit 28 weeks on Sunday!  Woo hoo!  Home stretch now.  I have a long way to go, but I'm sure it's going to fly with the holidays and with work in Jan/Feb.  March will be here before we know it!!  So much to do before then!

And a pic w/ my favorite little guy.....

Meeting Baby Fletcher

We finally got over to visit/meet Baby Fletcher last Saturday.  He's totally adorable.  It made me miss when Carson was that tiny!  I'm excited to look forward to holding my own little bundle in a couple more months. 

I was really curious how Carson would react to Lucas and I holding a baby.  He really couldn't have cared less.  :)  Didn't bother him at all.  I think he was more interested in playing w/ Maggy.  He finally came over to see Fletcher and hold his hand.  It was pretty cute.  He kept talking about "Baby Fletcher" the rest of the day!

Holding hands

Introducing to Mickey Mouse

Uh oh.....

the shopping has begun.... :)

27 weeks

New pic.  My continued weight gain has taken residence in my second chin.  Sigh.  :)  Guess it's not that horrible in this particular pic, but real life.....it's there!  Haha. 

Conversations with Carson

Conversations from tonight:

On names:
Mommy:  "Carson, what's Daddy's name?"
Carson: "Lucas"
M:  "What's Mommy's name?"
C:  "Mommy"
M:  "What's your name?"
C:  "Carson Bland"
How does he know that???  He said it for the first time this past weekend.  That one kind of shocked me.  :)  He now talks about himself in the third person constantly, and it's usually "Carson Bland".  Haha.

Water temp:
C:  "Mommy, it's too hot.  No, it's too cold". 
M:  "Really Carson?"
C:  "Ok, it's just right".  :)

Swimming:
"I swim like a whale!"
"I swim like shark!"
"I swim like a big ducky!!"

Going to bed (after reading our book in which the little boy falls asleep at the end):
C:  "Mommy, I lay down now too"
M:  "Ok, let's turn off the lights then"
C:  "Mommy, rock a second and then I lay down?"  So cute.

I also got put into timeout tonight for stealing a bite of Carson's pineapple.  :)  

He's here!

So excited to welcome our newest "nephew" today!  Fletcher Samuel Bradstreet arrived at 8:18 AM.  He weighed in at 9 lbs. 5 1/2 oz. (exactly Carson's weight!) and 21 inches (Carson was 21 1/4").  He's healthy and beautiful!  Seriously adorable!  Mandy and I both commented that he reminded us of Carson - probably just the wonderful chubby cheeks and thighs!  (At least I hope that's it and Mandy and Lucas don't need to tell Bob and I anything.......LOL).  But we're all just so relieved and grateful to have him here and safe.  I'm very blessed to say that I've been there for each one of Mandy's four beautiful children to come into the world.  We're very lucky to have them as our friends/family.  :)  I can't wait to have Carson, Fletcher and Baby Avery all grow up together!

Big sister Madisyn

Big brother Dylan

Proud daddy

His hat says "Merry Christmas Mom".  So cute!

 

Emma

We had Emma cremated when she passed away in May.  We went through our local vet who uses a service in Champaign.  It took quite a while to get her back.  When we did, they were kind enough to send us a paw print of her.  That was very touching and very much appreciated.  BUT, we got her back in two large plastic urns.  I was  pretty heartbroken when I got home and opened them to see that it wasn't ashes, but more like big bone fragments or something.  We couldn't even fit ONE bag, let alone both, in the urn that we had gotten engraved for her.  Well, needless to say, it's something that's bothered us for months and we just weren't sure what to do about it.  We finally called Katy's Pets in Pekin (they specialize in private pet cremations) and told them our story and asked us if there was anything they could do to help.  They said that they would be happy to take a look and could probably grind down the fragments (as they would normally do as part of their process).  Anyway, we finally had the time to take her in.  The owner was kind enough to interrupt his lunch and take a look right away.  Within about 10 minutes, he came back with our Emma in ONE bag.  He didn't want to badmouth the other place, but he explained that her remains probably should have been in the unit for at least another hour and then ground down into finer, more ash-like cremains.  He was very disappointed that she was sent back in such an "unpresentable" condition.  Anyway, he was just so kind and didn't charge us anything.  We were so appreciative that he was able to help us.  I cannot explain the relief and gratitude we felt to finally be able to put her to rest in the urn we'd chosen.  :) 

Carson the Talker

It just amazes me how much Carson is talking.  He talks constantly.  I personally have no comparison to other kids, but different people have told me that he talks a lot for his age.  I don't even remember when he started speaking in full sentences honestly, but it just seemed like overnight, he did and now we have full-on conversations.  I love watching him grow up and turn into this awesome little boy.  We talk all the way to daycare each day and he tells me if there are ducks or geese in the water each day.  :)  We look for buses and police cars.  And when Lucas picks him up, he reports his day.  Every night at dinner, I ask him what he did at school and he always says, "I play Maxi-Dash" (his 2 buddies, Max and Dash).  But lately, he'll continue and tell us different things, like "I make gingerman (gingerbread man)" and "I play table toys".  At first, we didn't necessarily believe that he was telling about that particular day, but more just talking in general.  But things he says now match up to his "daily report" so that's pretty cool.  :)  I was able to pick him up the other day and he ran up and told me that "Bobby hurt my body".  I shouldn't smile, but his phrasing always cracks me up.  Then he said, "Bobby go timeout".  I thought maybe he was exaggerating again that someone hit him, but the teacher confirmed that Bobby had kind of smashed Carson's face into the mat and had gotten sent to timeout.  I guess I shouldn't find it so fascinating, but each stage is still so new to me and I love that he can really share his day with us.

He's also hooked on talking on the phone lately.  Neither one of us can be on the phone lately without him coming up and telling us emphatically that he NEEDS to talk to whoever.  He's picking up on names so much too!  Lucas was just telling me tonight that he grabbed the phone away when he heard that Lucas was talking to his friend Gus.  He ran up and said, "I need talk to Gus" and then proceeded to say hi to Gus and tell him all about his day.  Just love it.  :)

(I know this isn't an exciting post by any means, but just stages I want to remember.  :) )

Carson Quotes

Carson had a couple of good ones yesterday.....

One of his favorite games is to "trick" Mommy.  He'll always offer me something (food) and then shoves it into his mouth quickly instead of handing it to me.  It cracks him up.  Well, yesterday, he did his typical "Mommy, you want some?" w/ the devilish grin.  :)  Of course when I leaned in, he then ate it.  But this time his response was to say "I too funny!"  We were cracking up.  He really IS too funny.  I can't believe the stuff he says sometimes. 

Then as we were walking downstairs, I told him that I loved him.  He looked up at me and said "I love you too".  He says "I love you" a lot but there was something about the "too" in there for the first time.  Like it was a real, genuine response.  I know I'm emotional lately, but that seriously almost made me cry.  :)  It's pretty awesome being a Mommy. 

Handprints with Santa

We went to the "Handprints with Santa" workshop at Created Just By Me in Washington.  It's a paint-your-own-pottery studio on the square.  It was their first annual workshop.  Kids got to put their hand print on a plate next to Santa's.  The plates can later be used to leave cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve!  I thought it sounded like a cute idea so we gave it a try.  Carson was really good for the most part.  Santa arrived for pictures, but Carson had ZERO interest in going anywhere near him (so no pic w/ Santa).  :(  Disappointing for me, but I wasn't about to force him.  We already got good pictures w/ Santa when he visited daycare.  He got close enough to tell him that he wanted a Buzz Lightyear and then he asked where his present was.  LOL.  (After the pictures, they were each given a "present" - an ornament to paint).  He went straight to the ornaments.  After a very long debate, we traded in our Mickey Mouse for Goofy.  Carson helped Mommy paint and then they came around with donuts and juice for all the kids.  Mommy got a donut too and it was awesome.  :)  Carson had a minor meltdown shortly after that, but I'm glad that we went.  Pretty cute idea overall.  Can't wait to see the final product.  :)

"I hope someone is going to clean this off....."

 

 

"Santa's here?"

Santa!

"Eh.  I guess we can go see him...."

 

"Forget Santa.  Where's my present?"

 

 

 

Mmmmm.....donuts

 

Mommy tried....  :)

Santa pictures!

Santa visited Carson's daycare before Thanksgiving.  We got the pictures back this week.  Judging by the pics, he seemed to like (or at least tolerate) Santa much better this year!!

Baby Avery Appointment

I had my appointment with Dr. Mueller on Monday - 25w, 1d.  Time for my glucose test.  My dr's office now automatically does the 2 hr. test instead of just the 1 hr.  So I had to fast after midnight (no pregnant woman wants to skip breakfast - haha) and then get 3 blood draws - one before the lovely "orange drink", one an hour after that, and one an hour after that.  The drink wasn't bad at all.  Definitely sugary at the end but at least it was cold and I just tried to chug it and be done.  I actually didn't even feel that hungry, etc. while waiting.  It was kind of nice to sit and read for a bit.  The time passed quickly.  They called Thursday and said everything was normal.  Woo hoo.  I would've been REALLY sad if I had to avoid all the sweets around Christmas.  :) 

Avery's heartbeat was again 144 and my cervix measured at 4.1.  Uneventful appointment which is always good.  I scheduled my next appt. w/ Dr. T so I can ask her if we can go ahead and schedule the big day.........  :)

Lucas

I forgot to add to my "Carson quotes" the best one from last week. 

All of a sudden, Carson has started calling Daddy "Lucas".  LOL.  So Friday, he (Lucas) called me and my little man walked right up to me, reached up his hand and said very seriously, "Mommy, I need talk to Lucas".  LOL.  I handed him the phone and he said, "Oh hi Lucas".  I could hear Lucas at the other end saying, "No, it's DADDY".  "Oh, hi Daddy".  Since then, we've gotten a lot of "Where's Lucas?"  "Lucas watch football".  "This is Lucas" (to other people).  Lucas doesn't find it nearly as funny as I do.  ;)

Thanksgiving

Last week was Thanksgiving and a much appreciated short week at work followed by a few days off.  Carson "celebrated" his short week at daycare with his very first time-out.  :(  He was sent home with an "Opportunity for Improvement" report.  Apparently, he and a friend were fighting over a toy and Carson scratched him in the face.  :(  Disappointing for sure to know that he hurt someone.  But I'm hoping that it wasn't intentional.  They actually weren't even fighting over playing with it, but rather who would put it away!  We talked about it when he got home and told him that hitting is not nice, etc.  I just hope he doesn't do it again.  He seems to "get it" though because all weekend, different toys would fight and/or hit, and Carson would reply with a "No, no (Batman).  No hit (Megaman).  Time out!".  He would then put the "offending" toy next to the wall in time out.  Haha.  So I guess at least he knows it's wrong.  :)

We went to my grandma's for Thanksgiving.  Just us and my mom.  It was a nice visit though.  I think Grandma gets a kick out of seeing Carson.  He was excited to see "Grandma Rose" and "Grandpa Margaret" (lol).  (For some reason, he tends to call my mom "grandpa" Margaret.  He really struggles getting the "grandma" word out but we're working on it.  We're about 50/50 w/ Grandma/Grandpa.  :)  He was so good though and really excited to eat "TURKEY!"  He had his first experience w/ pumpkin pie and cool whip as well and that was a big hit.

Here he is yelling "Turkey!" in response to "What are we going to eat for lunch, buddy?"

Good thing he doesn't know how cute he is  :)

We got together w/ the Bradstreets Friday night for what probably will be our last get together before Baby Fletcher arrives on the 7th!!  We did take out and pajama night.  Perfect!!

How cute is Mandy???  We're 24w and 37w, respectively.

We decided to take Carson to see an EP tradition this year - the Festival of Lights Parade!  We haven't been for several years.  It's always so cold and we've seen it so many times.  But I was really excited to see it through his eyes this year.  The weather was of course awful.  It rained all day!  But we went to Mandy's mom's house - she lives on the parade route.  She has a get-together each year.  Everyone arrives before the roads close and they do soups, desserts, etc. while they wait for the parade.  We were able to walk out right when it was getting ready to pass by.  And due to the rain, there weren't a lot of people lining the streets, so we were able to stand in the bank drive thru area to stay dry but still be able to see.  Carson loved it!  Every float that went by, he'd turn and look up and say, "More, more".  I wish I would've taken my camera.  Mandy got a couple pics though w/ her phone.

He loves holding the umbrella!

Wet but fun!

Another pic of Mandy and I - not in our pj's this time.  :)
 

 

Sunday, we put up the Christmas tree!  We quickly realized that we need a bigger house and a nicer tree.  Haha.  But it was fun to do it this year with Carson.  We got him a Toy Story 3 ornament this year and he wouldn't let go of his "Woody-Buzz" for at least an hour.  He was really excited to help decorate the tree.  We did lose at least 3 ornaments in the process though.  It was decided that maybe it'd be better if he helped Daddy with the other decorations after that.  Haha.  But he's still talking about how he "helped mommy my Christmas tree".  So cute.  We did our tradition of watching "Christmas Vacation" while decorating. :)

I probably shouldn't post these because I didn't realize how awful the backyard looks, but oh well.  His smile cracks me up.  :)  And I know that we need a tree topper - the bow is temporary.  :)

Cheeeeese!

All of our Petsmart Santa pics of Emma :)

Random quotes from the week:
"Oh dear!"  This one's been coming out a lot lately.  Makes me laugh.
"Mommy, hold hand" - Uh, love that!  We've just sat and watched TV holding hands a couple times.  He's such a sweet boy.
"My house!!" - when we pull into the driveway.  :)