Kid Update

Last time we were at my parents' house, Spencer found one of my dad's Car and Driver magazines. He kept turning the pages and yelling, "Yeah, baby!" Guess he likes sports cars.

Carson is developing more of a personality all the time. When he finishes a meal or snack, he hands me his cup and says, "All done!" Last night Andy was changing a stinky diaper and (of course) exclaiming about how bad it smelled. He pinched his nose and said, "P-U!" Carson thought that was so funny, he started pinching his little fingers together near his nose and giggling. Sometimes, for no apparent reason, he opens his mouth wide in a shocked expression and then laughs. We call it "deeply shocked." He's such a little clown. He's been taking lessons from his brother.

By way of information, Carson is doing great with physical therapy. Our second appointment was Monday and the therapist was quite impressed with his progress. She keeps telling me how smart he is. He is now able to pull to stand, sidestep along the couch, and sometimes pivot around corners. We are encouraging him to crawl, since this helps him move his limbs independently and bring his legs and hips in more. He gets so excited when he knows he's doing something new. He claps his hands and his face beams like the sun.

Carson's Capers

Here are some silly pics of Carson. He LOVES shoes, and every day pulls a few pair out of my closet to try on. He particularly likes the high heels. Sometimes he brings them to me while I'm doing my hair. So I usually end up standing in the bathroom with one high-heeled shoe on. Spencer will ask why I'm only wearing one shoe, and then he thinks it's so funny when I explain.

Carson is becoming an independent little creature. He likes to feed himself sometimes (not always), so I try not to look.

Spencer put Carson in this barricade one day while he was innocently sitting on his bike. He didn't seem to mind, though. In fact he got kind of a kick out of it.

One evening Carson was getting tired and was so cuddly with me, I asked Andy to take a picture. Spencer, of course, had to involve himself, too.

Couch Potatoes

Sesame Street is once again a huge hit at our house. Spencer took a break from it for about a year, but now he's back into it again. Carson also thinks it's great.

Carson was particularly tired one day, so I turned on the show for Spencer and started hauling Carson off to bed. As soon as the TV was out of his line of sight he got really mad at me. He wanted to stay and watch!

This is Spencer's "TV-watching position." He can assume it in less than one second, I swear, and he doesn't make any adjustments for comfort, either. It's amazing!

Carson's starting to get the hang of it.

Strike a Pose

Carson has fallen in love with this little bench of Spencer's, so like the good brother he is, Spencer consented to let him use it for a while. When toys are too boring, sitting on a bench makes him happy.He's all ready for a little girlfriend to put that arm around. "Hey honey...."

Spencer sort of wanted to sit there together, but Carson doesn't like sharing "his" seat.

Summer Fun

Carson hadn't been to the pool for a long time, so we all went together. He enjoyed trying out his new baby float. Spencer needs almost constant practice at swimming. He gets so nervous about going underwater! We're going to do more swimming lessons in October, if it works out.

Here they are hanging out in the backyard, watching Spencer and me play baseball.
Giving Spencer a big, sloppy kiss. It wasn't well received.
Playing "dentist" on everybody.

The Criminal

Yes, that's me--I'm a violator of the law of the land. About three weeks ago, I was driving Spencer to his haircut appointment when I saw the flashing lights behind me. Apparently the hill I was descending has a speed limit of 30 mph, and I was doing 42. In other words, I fell into a speed trap. So I appeared in court today with the rest of the local felons to plead my cause and beg for traffic school. We all sat in our own row. The room was dead silent. I sat there with the druggies and the drunks, clutching my flowered purse and hoping it would be over soon. The judge was totally stereotypical, too. He was an older guy, balding, with the dark-rimmed, rectangular specs. He had a grouchy look, a gruff voice, and hardly looked at anyone. He asked how I was, and for just a second I considered divulging that I felt like a real criminal, but I decided he wasn't the type to indulge any kind of joviality. So I took care of my business and hurried out of there. I'll be completing my traffic school in about a month. I plan to do something fun afterward so it doesn't seem like a complete bummer of a day. I don't have a mug shot to put on this post--sorry to disappoint. Maybe next time....

Naptime

Here are my latest favorite sleeping pictures.

I thought he was so cute with his hand pressed against his chubby little cheek.

Sometimes Spencer gets up way too early (like 6:45), so Daddy volunteered to take a quick nap with him. Dads get all the perks!