Our first photo Christmas card.

I have to say that I love love love getting all the photo cards from our friends and family each year and to see how much all the kids have grown. It's what I look forward to come December each day I get the mail! I was so thrilled that we were finally able to send out one of our own. They were mailed out this week and many said they arrived today so now I can post a picture of what it looks like. We hope you enjoyed seeing our baby with his chubby cheeks and ear to ear smile that melts our hearts each and every day.

Happy Holidays!!!

Carson + Santa = lots of tears!

I took Carson to meet Santa last week and it didn't go over so well. We got there just as they opened to beat the lines and make sure we had time for Carson to warm up to him if needed. He just wasn't having him. Santa scared him to death and he pretty much had a meltdown in the Santa house!!

I don't think Carson likes red clothing (see post below)....
I

Name Change.

Yes, I changed the name of our blog. I just thought the new one was more appropriate for the purpose of me blogging. He will always be little monkey toes but for now it's all about our Life with Little Man!

Cuteness.

We recently had a photo shoot done for Carson's fall/holiday/8 month pics and it really didn't go as planned. Why is it that the one day I have plans he decides he isn't going to nap? He was also getting a cold and teething so it was already a recipe for disaster. I was determined to get some cute shots of him in this little Santa outift I bought but clearly Carson had other plans. He was fine for the first part of the session since he was naked and I guess he just felt so liberated.....





But once we changed him into the Santa outfit, things quickly went downhill.....



Until the photographer gave him a candy cane and he was all smiles again....that's my boy!!!

LOVE.THESE.CHEEKS.

I took this pic yesterday and I just had to post because I cannot get enough of Carson's cheeks!!! Aren't they the cutest cheeks ever?!!!

p.s. yeah that's my husband on the floor in the background!!!

Carson's First Snow

Yep, that's right there's a first for everything when you have a new baby and you have to document the first time they see, do, and find new things.

Well we had our first snow on Wednesday and it snowed about 2 inches total - not too much but enough for us Marylanders to get excited over! I had to work so I asked Blair to bundle him up and get some pics for me since I knew it would be either melted or too dark by the time I got home. She went out a little early so the snow wasn't completely lying on the grass yet and I don't think Carson really understood why he was outside all bundled up with these wet white things hitting him in the face!

So here he is in his first snow...

Little Man has a Chomper or two!!!

Yes it's true, Carson has been teething and I had no idea! I just thought he was a little off due to his cold last week or that he just really enjoyed the taste of his hands. I had a feeling it would happen soon and I have often tried to look inside his mouth (when he will let me) to see any signs of a tooth coming through and than on Monday morning before work I saw the pearly white when he opened his mouth in laughter!!! I reached in there and that sucker is sharp. Wow.

I will try to get a pic soon but it's really hard to get in there so stay tuned!!!

Yay for toofers!!!

Somebody's CRAWLING!!!!

I cannot believe that November is already over and there are only 23 days until Christmas. November was a very special month and one we will never forget since Carson accomplished a few very important firsts!


He started by getting on all fours and rocking back and forth. It was absolutely hysterical to watch and we knew it was only a matter of time until he began to crawl. Than he surprised us by getting into a sitting position from the floor all by himself and mastering the roll/sit all in one movement! He than progressed to baby yoga poses and push-ups and than this past Tuesday he began to CRAWL!!!!!!

We were playing in his room before work and as I turned to put away some of his laundry I realized he crawled. I did a double-take...literally. I brought him up to our room to finish getting ready and he did it again and again and again!!! I was cheering and screaming with joy and he looked at me as if I had lost my mind. Within days he was a crawling pro and acted as if he had been doing it since birth.

This weekend was quite busy as we realized we can no longer just leave the room even to get a drink. He was quite entertained exploring the house and getting into places he had never seen before. Someone is in love with mommy's closet - must be all the pretty clothes and shoes!!!!


Here are a few pics of his yoga poses, the downward dog is his fave as you can see....and I also added a video of him crawling. Enjoy.

Happy Thanksgiving!

What a wonderful day we had and it was just the three of us! The weather was a balmy 70 degrees so we were able to spend the better part of the day outside. We have so much to be thankful for and enjoyed every minute of our day with our pride and joy, Carson.

I don't have much to update and I am super tired since Carson has an awful cold and cough and has been waking up at night and crying out for me to hold him. I am hoping it goes away soon so we can both get some more rest. Zzzzzzzzzzzz!!!!

Here is our sick baby on his first Thanksgiving...

What a big boy!

I just had to update today with this video I took of Carson doing his latest and greatest trick! Our big boy can now get to a sitting position from the ground without any help from us. He's been working on it for quite some time and began by lying on his side as if he was doing side crunches. On Tuesday evening as Dan and I were entertaining him and talking, we looked over in amazement that he was actually up in a sitting position. Blair didn't mention him doing it over the course of the day so it really brought tears to my eyes knowing that he did it for mommy first!

The next morning I asked Blair about it and she said he was sitting up in his crib after his nap but she had no idea how he got that way so she actually didn't witness the act taking place! So now that he has practiced for the last few days, he has become a pro. This is good and bad. Good that we no longer have to help him sit up when he is bored rolling around but bad because it means our baby is growing up. Oh and another bad I can add to the list is that he is so into his new trick that he is doing it each time he wakes up but for some reason it hasn't clicked that he can lie back down and go back to sleep. The same type of thing happened when he began rolling to his belly. He would cry for us to roll him back over until he realized he can do it by himself. Luckily it only happened for 2 nights...knock on wood but he slept like a dream again last night!

Here's a video for your enjoyment. Oh and I know the socks don't match the outfit...I didn't dress him. You all know me better than that! :)

Happy 7 months little man!

I cannot believe our little guy is already 7 months old. This time last year I was just starting to wear maternity clothes and feeling flutters. It's just amazing that those gentle flutters are now an amazing little boy full of energy!

We had a great 7 month birthday and went to visit my very best friend from high school (Kristin) who was in town with her 2 youngest (yes she has 3 kids!) visting her parents. We had such a nice visit and Holland (4 1/2) and Ryder (3 1/2) made sure to tell me they just washed their hands before our arrival so they were allowed to touch the baby. They could not get enough of him and were giving him lots of kisses and head rubs...well more head rubs than anything else! It was too cute.

A cute story from our afternoon that made me laugh and made Dan laugh when I retold it to him tonight. Holland asked me to guess her age and she told me it started with a 4!! I began guessing 42, 47, 49 and she was clearly getting frustrated with me for not knowing it immediately and told me she was 4 and a half! Ohhhhhhh now I get it. How cute that it started with a 4.

Here is a pic of my BFF Kristin, Holland, Ryder and Lolo (that's what the grandkids call her!)

6 Month Well Visit

So even though Carson is turning 7 months old this weekend, we just had his 6 month well visit yesterday. I have a love/hate relationship with these appointments because I love seeing how much he has grown and I love getting all my questions answered from our pediatrician, but I can't express how much I hate hate hate the shots!

I know I am doing the right thing by keeping up to date with his vaccines but they freak me out. I know I shouldn't get my medical advice on the internet but lately there has been so much media attention on autism and the speculation of it being linked with vaccines. Quite honestly, it scares the poop out of me!

So back to the appointment. I love our pediatrician and he always makes me feel secure and happy with how Carson has been developing. His first comment to Carson yesterday was "I like what you have done with your hair" since as we all know Carson's hair stands straight up like a chicken! Carson was such a big boy and barely cried at all for his shots. His stats are as follows:

Weight - 18 lbs 12 oz
Length - 28 1/2 inches
Head Circ - 44.5 cm

He is a big boy and is in the 90th percentile for both height and weight. Our home scale weighed him at 20 lbs which is great for Dan and I since it means we also weigh a pound less!

Sweet Potatoes Success

We have been feeding solids to Carson since he was 4.5 months old but he would cry and scream and push the food back out all over the place. Clearly he was just not ready but we followed the advice of our pediatrician and stopped for a few weeks and restarted at 5.5 months.

It was still a big challenge but we were consistent with doing it every single night and trying a new food every 4 days. The boy loves his fruit and he seemed to get really into it in the past week. Today I introduced sweet potatoes again and something just clicked with him. He was diving for the spoon, opening his mouth and making the sweet sound of enjoyment! I had tears in my eyes - I was excited that he finally "got it" but also sad that my little baby is growing up. Dan was at the grocery store so he missed the whole thing but saw the proof of the empty jar of Earth's Best Sweet Potatoes on the counter when he got home.

Carson will be 7 months old this weekend and it blows my mind. I took the day off tomorrow since we finally have his 6 month well baby visit and I although I am excited to be a stay at home mommy for a day I am not looking forward to his shots. Vaccines just frighten me even though I trust our pedi and know I am doing the right thing. Wish us luck and I will report back with his stats. We think he is 20 lbs and 28 inches so we shall see. Stay tuned.

Happy Halloween - a day late!

We were so busy yesterday that I didn't get a chance to post. We started out going to Canton Square at 9 am for a pumpkin patch in the city! The owner of one of the restaurants brings in 100s of pumpkins for the local catholic school and all the kids get to come in their costumes and leave with a pumpkin and candy. We got there right before all the chaos so I was able to get some pictures.

It was a great 1st Halloween for Carson and we can't wait for next year!

Explosion of the Carrots

I had to post this funny video of Carson eating his carrots. We've been having a lot of fun trying new foods but carrots were just so funny to him for some reason. We have now resorted to feeding him naked since the food just gets everywhere and I even need to change my shirt since he likes to laugh and spit on mommy too!!! Enjoy....I am warning you that his laugh is contagious!!!!

Hide and Seek with Mommy!

So now that Carson has become a rolling machine he likes to hide from me! He will roll up in his playmat or on whatever blanket he is playing on and laugh. At first I got scared when I turned around for a minute and he was gone but he really thinks it's funny!!! Here are some pics from the other morning...notice the sneeky look on his face. I am sure we are in for it when he starts to crawl....

Pumpkin Patch Fun!

We went to the pumpkin patch on Sunday with our dear friend Jody and her daughter Cati. The guys were at the Raven's game and missed out on all the fun! Carson enjoyed looking at the animals, taking a hayride on a tractor, and than sitting in the pumpkin patch.

Here are some pics from our outing...

It finally got cold so we were able to put his new shoes on him and he couldn't get enough of the packaging...

admiring the new shoes...

Just put him down with the pumpkins and he's not too sure what to make of it!

But he quickly caught on...

..although he still couldn't get enough of the new shoes...just like his mama!

Happy 1/2 Birthday!

Wow! We cannot believe it's already been 6 months since our little man came into this world and changed our lives forever. The time has gone by so fast and it brings tears to my eyes thinking back on the day I went into labor and after a long day of no sleep and pain, he finally arrived....perfect and healthy!

Every single day and every single month gets better and better and just when we think we love "this age" the best we are stunned that the next month brings even more fun and milestones!

In honor of the past few months, here is a slideshow to show you how much he has grown....

Carson - Thank you for being you and for bringing your mommy and daddy so much love and happiness. We love you monkey!

We've got a roller!!!

I am so happy to report that Carson is finally rolling! I have to admit I was a tad concerned at his lack of interest in rolling and when our pediatrician called him lazy but I think it just took him longer because he is so big so he had a hard time grasping the concept. But all is good now and he is no longer happy on his back since he can get a better look at the room from his belly! We have had a fun weekend watching him show off his new trick. It started Friday morning and the fun continues.

Check out the video by clicking here.

BADA BING!!!!

Okay so many of you know I am originally from jersey and I am italian but I had no intentions of Carson looking like a member of the Soprano family when I put him in this adorable track suit. We went to a festival last weekend and I got teased that I left his gold chain at home!!!

Nana turned 91!!

My grandmother (Carson's nana) turned 91 on Thursday!!! We went for a visit on Saturday and she was so happy to see Carson and to hold him. It brought tears to my eyes watching her kiss him on the forehead over and over the whole time she was holding him.

So here is Carson and his nana....90 years apart!!! Wow.

5 Months Old!

Carson turned 5 months old today! Our little man is growing so fast and continues to amaze us everyday. He was a bit tired when I got home from work today so I wasn't able to take his 5 month photo but I did take one yesterday when we were out on the deck playing around.

We also started giving him rice cereal on Friday which was hysterical! The look on his face was priceless when the spoon came up to his mouth with something other than milk. He wasn't quite sure what to think of it and we still get the "yuck" face each time we try. Here are some pics of him in his big boy high chair from Friday....

Getting ready...

Doing rasberries and spitting it out!

A match made in heaven!

Here are a few pics from Carson's first date with Mackenzie. She is one week younger than him to the day and they are destined to get married (shhh don't tell Will her other boyfriend!). We can't wait for the Moroney's to pay for the wedding. =)


"You caught us mom!"

Cousins

We went to Cara's on Sunday for a visit and to give my nephew Colin his birthday present. He just turned 5 and is such a big boy already. Gosh I remember changing his diapers not too long ago and rocking Ryan to sleep when I babysat him as a baby. Ryan (7 soon to be 8) and Colin (5) like to play with Carson and make funny faces to make him laugh. Ryan really wants hold him but doesn't quite understand he is a baby and not a doll that he can set aside when he is finished playing with it! We don't want to rush things but soon enough Carson will be one of the boys.

Here is a cute picture that Cara took of them hanging out....

4 Month Appt and Stats!

Carson turned 4 months old on the 10th but I just haven't found the time to update this blog...sorry Mom and Nancy since I know you like to come and check in on your grandson!

Anyway, he has changed so much and it seems like 4 months was a huge turning point. He still hasn't rolled over but twice but we are just letting him do it in his own time. Why rush it?! His new thing is always wanting to be sitting up and not just resting his back on one of us or the couch anymore ...nope...he actually wants us to hold him up in a sitting position. We can let go and he does sit unassisted for a bit too. Oh and this weekend he realized he can push off with his feet and legs. He pushes up on his heels (butt in air) and kicks off to land in a different spot. I had a dream he skipped rolling and crawling and went straight to walking so let's hope that doesn't come true!

We saw the pediatrician on Wed for his 4 month well visit and he checked out great! There was one exception though, our poor little man had a penile adhesion so he had to basically rip back the skin to separate it again. He was in a lot of pain and was pretty pissed off but it's better than having to get surgery later on to correct it. We are now watching it very carefully and treating it at every diaper change to make sure it doesn't happen again. So far so good.

Here are his stats:

16 lbs 2 oz
26" in length
I forgot the head cir but it was in the 50% percentile so it wasn't as big as I thought!

Basically we have a very healthy little man and we couldn't be happier.

So that's that for the 4 month appt, I will update more this week with some new pics of Carson flying, visiting with his cousins, and his date today with his girlfriend Mackenzie. Stay tuned!

GO RAVENS!!!!!

Yeah so we know it's only preseason right now but Carson is all about the Ravens spirit! Dan has made sure he has all sorts of gear to support our boys this season so in honor of our 2nd preseason game, check out Carson wearing his purple pride.

4 Months Old!!

Carson turned 4 months old on Friday! He is such a big boy and a sweet little angel and we cannot imagine our lives without him. He bring us so much joy that words cannot express and we love watching him explore the world and learn new things every day. I am tearing up just writing these words!

We love you Carson!!!

Anyway, here are a few recent pics of little man.

This is how Dan wraps him up for a nap when mommy isn't around even though I keep telling him blankets are a no-no!!

Carson's new thing as of the last 2 weeks is grabbing his feet. He holds them and squeals and shouts all of his vowels, it's just precious.

Pro Pics

So got the rest of C's pro pics and we LOVE LOVE LOVE them! I thought I would share a few of our favorites here.

Fuzzy Wuzzy

Sorry I haven't updated in a while. It's been so busy being back at work for the past few weeks but all is going well. Carson is growing so fast and I am still sad I don't get spend all my days with him but we have our special time together every morning and evening where we talk and catch up on our days er well... I talk and catch him up and he just coos and babbles at me!!!

Anyway, we had a photographer come to the house and take some pics before I went back to work and they really show off his fuzz coming in. He lost his dark full head of hair and it's coming in blonde. Who would have guessed I would have a blonde baby!!! We are awaiting the CD but here are a few sneak peek pics from the photographer. The toybox one is my fave. The photos are by MeadowsMoments.

Someone found his thumb!

Carson found his thumb last week and made mommy so proud! Now when the paci falls out 100 times a day we no longer have to play the pacifier game and constantly replace it. Here's a pic of him swinging along and sucking away....

Maternity Leave is O-V-E-R!

Yep, I officially went back to work today and it was one of the hardest days of my life. I was so sad last night and cried a little bit to Dan but this morning was even worse. I got up super early so I could be ready before little man woke up and we had breakfast and a nice chat about how much mommy is going to miss him! The best part of my morning was after I got dressed for work and walked out of my closet and Carson gave me the biggest smile as if to say "mommy you look so pretty" and it melted my heart!!!

Carson's nanny is named Blair and she is a very sweet girl and I know she will take good care of him. They did great on their first day alone and I am sure they will develop a special bond as time passes. As long as he knows I am the mommy, we are good!!!

Red, White, and Blue!!!

Yesterday was the 4th of the July! The day started out bad when I forgot to turn on the baby monitor in our room and didn't hear Carson wake up. He has been sleeping 11 hours straight so I "think" he was only crying for a few minutes. When he finally saw me appear at his crib he flashed a huge smile so I know I was forgiven! Later in the day we were hanging with the neighbors and were having fun when it was time for C's bedtime bottle. I went to find out where Dan was and accidentally whacked C's head in my rear view mirror. It was terrible!!! I cried, he cried and Dan just stood there not knowing what to do or think! He is ok, no bruises or bumps. Bad bad mommy. Must be more careful. Check out the pic of our cute little firecracker...

Oh the drool!

Hmmmm....they say it's the salivary glands developing but my goodness the drool is out of control!!! Let's just hope he's not cutting a tooth already. Every picture I take lately he is sucking his bottom lip and drooling. Here are a few examples...