About Carson

The following are miscellaneous pictures of Carson from the past couple of weeks. He is manifesting his little personality more all the time. He has very definite ideas about what he does/doesn't like, what he will/won't do, and what he prefers to eat at each meal. Once he tells me he is "nun" (done), if I'm not fast enough to clear his tray, he does it for me and I end up cleaning the floor instead! He has an ever-growing list of opinions, and he even walks with purpose. If we can just direct him right, he will never stray!

These are some slippers he got for Christmas. When I first put them on, he thought he couldn't walk in them. He just stood there, very still, and smiled at us. We tried to coax him to come out of the room, but he thought his feet were stuck to the floor in those slippers. Finally he learned it was okay to walk, and enjoyed the slippers that one night. I haven't convinced him to wear them since.

Carson loves his daddy. There is something soothing about him that I don't possess. If Carson cries in the night, it's Andy who has the "magical" power to get him right back to sleep without picking him up.

This was a special Family Night with Grandma and Grandpa S. while I was in New York. They had a blast!

Aunt Luanne sent a fish t-shirt for Carson so he could be just like Daddy. Here he is wearing it. Sorry you can't really see the fish, but he had to put his hand on it to show me where his shirt was.

As I've mentioned before, Carson is wild about monkeys. I have no idea why, but a couple of months ago when we went to Denver, I got out some of Spencer's board books for Carson to enjoy. He fell madly in love with "Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed." Now he can't get enough of monkeys. Every time he sees a monkey, he giggles. As you see here, he even eats breakfast with his monkeys sometimes.

And here he is holding both of his stuffed monkeys, as well as his old favorite, a giraffe blanket. This is what he sleeps with every night and every nap. He must have them ALL. He gets whiny and upset if one of them is missing. He must hold them all for a few minutes upon arising, too. But only for a few minutes, because it's quite a load for a tiny boy!

And now a couple of fun anecdotes:

Carson started going to the nursery at church a couple of months ago. The first couple of times were great! He was happy and didn't seem to mind being away from Mommy for a little while. Then he noticed a pattern: "I have to wear a sweater, we sit quietly for a long time in a big room, then Mommy takes me to a room with lots of kids and toys and LEAVES!!" So now he hates wearing sweaters and as soon as we get to the nursery room he bursts into tears. Last week was a turning point, though. He only cried a little at the beginning and the end. I think he decided to take to heart the day's lesson: "I Can Be Happy." He came home with a picture of a smiley face he had colored. Things have gone better since.

Carson loves to take baths, especially since Santa brought the boys some bubble bath. Sometimes it's only Spencer who needs a bath, but Carson hustles in there and starts pulling at his clothes and whining to get in. One night, it wasn't even bath time yet, but he took my finger and led me to his room. He opened the drawer, pulled out a washcloth, and then took me to the bathroom. Chuckling at his enthusiasm, I asked, "Do you want a bath?" He literally shrieked with joy! I hope he still has such a desire for cleanliness when he's 13.