All I want for Carsyn is her two front teeth

Poor Carsyn- the top two teeth have been coming in this week..three months after the bottom two! She has not been a happy camper! I think it explains why she has not wanted to eat though because all of the sudden Tuesday she started eating again! All of her veggies and pretty much anything I put in front of her! She still doesnt like the highchair for eating but she is getting a little better! She doesnt like for me to help her eat anymore at all! AND she will not eat babyfood either only "real" food! The food on my plate is EXTRA APPETIZING! Hopefully the little toofies will finish coming in soon!

We have been eating most meals outside on the deck because it has been wonderful weather and it doesnt matter if the deck gets filthy as opposed to my new rug ;)!
Carsyn has gotten so filthy playing outside that she now has dirt under her little fingernails and I have to dig it out!

Carsyn's naps are now great! Three hours in between wake ups but she only sleeps for an hour each time. Although at night she has been creating this habit lately and I dont know why or how to stop it. She wakes at between 5ish and 530ish I let her cry/fuss for up to an hour and she doesnt stop...then I go in to see if she is ready to get up. I pick her up and she goes to sleep in my arms within 10 minutes and I put her in crib and she wakes up and starts screaming. I let her cry for a few minutes and she goes back to sleep until 7?! Any answers?

Fun Weekend and Countdown to Fall

I LOVE FALL! And apparently Carsyn does too because for the past 2 weeks from the moment she wakes at 6AM she is throwing a fit to be let outside. I am not kidding!
A FIT!!! I have finally given in and since the weather is almost perfect we spend almost all day outside. She gets disgustingly filthy but she is happy AND if Carsyn is happy everyone is Happy! I have to watch for the acorns going into the mouth but she stays pretty content!


LET ME OUT!

I'm Outside and Lovin it! Look what I found!

Saturday my mom met us and we headed to Jackson. We had lunch with one of my best friends from highschool(now lives in Dallas) Lauren Spencer Cook and her husband who are expecting their first baby in March! Awww look at the baby bump!! Then we headed to Florence (my hometown) to pick up my mom's birthday present that I got her......

Lilly!!! Isn't she precious?!




Lilly's mama and her litter

Lauren, Mikel, Carsyn, and baby cook Jr

Then we proceeded to head back to Mccomb via Brookhaven and stopped at their fall festival. I have never in my life seen people sooo enthralled with a puppy. At least 30 people probably commented on how cute she was and asked questions about her! My goodness! Both Carsyn and Lilly did well through the travels and the festival. We were home by dinner time. Sunday was family work day (mostly for daddy! hee hee)after church and the weather was absolutely fabulous! Carsyn spent probably 6 hrs outside just sitting and crawling on a blanket! Completely Happy! She did get some bug bites...they seem to LOVE her!

The house is finally getting together. I think by this next weekend's post I should be able to put up some pics! Fingers crossed!

Many of you know but in case you don't I have been doing photography for the last few years. Here is what I have up my sleeve Super Excited!

Carsyn is giving me a time with feeding. She does not want to sit long enough to eat and she will not stay in her highchair very long. While she used to love her vegetables and fruits she now refuses them a lot of times. However in a restaurant she eats great?! And her veggies?! We are about to start working on eliminating the bottle..not sure how well that will go?! She loves her cup but also her baba!

Carsyn has now started dancing...guess "She get it from her mama" HA HA!

Fall is my FAVORITE time of the year and we have lots of family festivities during the coming months. The only bad thing is it goes by too quickly because you are always anticipating the next fun activity!!! Take a look at what is in store for us....

Sep 29th Daddy's 29th Birthday! One more year to the big 30
Oct 1st Nonny and Aunt Jan's birthday!
2nd week Oct- Lap baby reading starts at Library!
Oct 9th Canton Flea Market
Oct 11th Summit Fall Festival
Oct 15th CiCi and Pop's birthday!
Oct 22th MY BIRTHDAY!! :)
Franklinton LA Fair, Miss State Fair
Oct 31st Carsyn's First Halloween!!
Sometime in Oct Danny and I will take our first overnight get-a-way probably to Vicksburg...
And I am sure lots more that I am forgetting! October is a busy and FUN month!
Lots of blog worthy subjects!

I have gotten a little crazy with the "autumn" decorating on my front porch and I plan to have a hay bale and scarecrow scene in my front yard for picture taking so if your family wants to come have their family photo taken let me know! It will prob look a little like this pic I took a couple of years ago....

What did Carsyn get into today?????

I forgot to add these from the last post...




What did Carsyn get into today you ask.....

At 8AM while I thought she was with her daddy and he assumed she was with me she knocked over the dog water bowl and was drenched and had to get a change of clothes and new diaper.

At 11:30AM while playing on the back porch because she had been throwing a fit to be outside she was covered in dirt after a short 30 minutes of play. Clothes had to be taken off and body parts washed off.

At 12:30 explosive diaper and remainging clothes to come off and new diaper.

At 4:45 while playing on back porch again and getting filthy found flower pot and dug around in it and grabbed big handfuls of dirt. Wiped off...

At 5:00 found the bucket of grease from the grill and knocked it over and was immediately stripped of clothes and thrown into the bathtub!!!!

At 6:30 was put back in bathtub to wash hair.

At 7 BEDTIME THANK GOODNESSSSSSSS!!

This is our life

Today was a great day...beautiful weather! I know it is probably just a tease to have 75 degree days and 58 degree nights already but I am loving it while it is here. I LOVE fall!
Carsyn loves outdoors! She would roll around and crawl in the dirt and grass all day if I would let her. And eat every acorn and leaf in sight!!! We have had some good naps- 2 a day usually 1hr or so each. She is now going almost 4 hrs between nap 1 and nap 2! This allows for a little more freedom to be out of the house!

Today we ran some errands, went to lunch with daddy, and took a stroll down the main street in downtown Summit. It is quaint. Check out our new residence--a far cry from Airport Blvd in Mobile but nice none the less! ( I didn't do any artsy pics because people were staring at me wondering what I was doing so I only snapped a few!)

When we returned Aunt Mo and CICI were here to hang out on the porch and enjoy the nice weather. Aunt Mo taught Carsyn to play the guitar. ;)

I am going to fill you in on the further insurance debacle that I have been dealing with in my next post!!!



On the move!


Walking here I come!


FALL Means cute new shoes from TARGET!!! Aren't they precious!


Mommy's new sofa table! Yeah finally a piece of my furniture!


Being cute at the Ace Hardware....


Downtown Summit(down the street from our house)

9 MONTHS and trip to Mobile

The time that it took for me to carry Carsyn in my belly sure seemed to go slower than these past 9 months that she has been in the world! She is now her own little person with her own opinions!

We headed to Mobile for her 9 month check-up and to take care of a few other things. Why did I not change her doctor to Mccomb you ask? Well, trying to get individual insurance is not only an aggrivation but also insanely expensive. I was trying to find the best route and I had a feeling that the insurance would not be effective in time for her visit. I had kept her on BCBS of Al so that I could still go to her doc in Al. Also she missed a shot at her 6 month and was going to receive it at 9 mos and I didnt want to chance an error in medical records being forwarded. To give you a short synopsis on the insurance situation that I have been dealing with....after a month of going back and forth with Assurant Health the day I was to receive confirmation (one day before the doctor appointments, both me and Carsyn) I was informed that because I had a C-section they were shooting my deductible for maternity coverage up to $15000!!!!! No I didnt add an extra zero....15 THOUSAND dollars! That is more than it cost to have Carsyn! So needless to say I had to cancel my very important dr appt until I get BCBS of MS coverage. A WHOPPING $475 a month for the both of us!!!!

So we headed to Mobile at 7:40 Thursday morning and arrived just in time for the appointment at 11. I had a list of questions prepared for the doctor...see below

1. Her left eye still waters...what gives? Does she have allergies?
Well I still think it is just a typical infant drainage problem but if it still persists at 12 mos I will suggest a visit to the eye dr.
2. She has terrible ear wax problems that are hereditary anything I can do?
Her ears look fine...no you cant do anything.
3. She sleeps around 11 hrs at night but still wakes sometimes. And her naps sometime only last 30 minutes? Any suggestions?
Put her down awake and dont go get her unless something is wrong. Be thankful for the 30 min nap it is fine. ( I dont know if I agree with this because she goes back to sleep after fussing so I will continue this)
Even after she cries for an hour at night still dont go get her?
Nope
4. She is such a restless sleeper- any problems this my indicate.
Nope babies are terriby restless sleepers that is why it is not good to sleep with them.
5. Is it normal for food to still be in stooles?
Yes especially carrots, corn, and peas.
So long story short he said she was fine and healthy and no worries. She weighed 23lbs and is 28.5inches...much smaller than I thought! He was amazed with her developmental stages and said that she was doing great! He suggested getting her off of the bottle as soon as I want but he didnt tell me what to put in the sippy cup and she can't have milk yet?! He gave a pamplet on discipline and infant dentistry. She also had to get the make-up shot but only cried for a second and then was smiling again!

After the doctor we went to lunch with my old co-worker Joe! It was good to visit with him :) and hear how the office had been since I departed. I stayed with my good friend Mary Caron (the girl who initiated my original move to MObile) and got to visit with other friends. I rode by our old house to see what the new owners had done. The feeling was like seeing your first real ex-boyfriend with his new girlfriend! :(

While Carsyn did not nap nor sleep well on our trip I did not allow myself to stress out over it. During the night I started her out in the pack and play but it is just too small for her so when she awoke I moved her into the bed with me. All kids like to sleep with their parents right? Nope, not my angel. I think she is such a restless sleeper and moves all night that when she awakes away from home she gets scared and doesnt know how to go back to sleep. This time though instead of trying to get her back to sleep like I normally do I just let her sit up and play until she finally laid herself back down and went to sleep. Luckily she did pretty much sleep the entire 2hr 45 min trip back to Mccomb the next day. Before we departed Mobile I went to get my haircut by my fave hair stylist. Let's just say that a tired 9month old does not sit well in a hair salon even thought my friends Kristy was with me and tried to help her! When Carsyn is tired she only wants Momma. That was the fastest haircut I have ever received!

I am really glad that I have allowed myself to "Let Go" about Carsyn's schedule and sleep. I feel like what I would assume a smoker finally kicking the habit feels like. It had such control over me and I have been a much more patient parent now that I can relax better. Last night upon returning home I thought since she was so tired that she would sleep hard and long, but nope she woke at 12, 2, and 3. At 3 she was screaming hysterically and cried for 45 minutes. I finally caved in and as soon as I picked her up she went back to sleep until 7:30. While I agree with the lesson of let them put themselves back to sleep I have come to the conclusion that all babies are different and the same thing doesnt work for all. Apparently I will just have to help her from time to time and it probably wont stop until she is a teenager!

Well tomorrow is Sunday so Daddy will be home to play with us! New post later! :)

Where do I begin

I have had so much on my mind lately regarding Carsyn. Everyday I will think- Oh I need to write about that in the blog and then the thought disappears when it comes time to write.

As EVERYONE knows my child might be one of the worst sleeping babies on the planet. For 9 months I have allowed myself to become CONSUMED with trying to get her to sleep, keeping her asleep, doing everything in my power to make sure she gets her required amounts of sleep. The EXPERTS tell you your child needs to get at least 13-15 hrs of sleep a day, well folks, my child is the one in a million that can make it on 12hrs most of the time. I think I am finally throwing in the towel and giving up on worrying. I had gotten to the point where I didn't want to leave my house so as not to disrupt sleep time or leave her for someone else to tend to as I know how difficult getting her to sleep is. You all know that I have been letting her cry for months but for some reason she doesnt get the hint. They say after 3 days they should be taught BUT NOT my angel! As the control freak that I am I wanted to manage it and not rely on anyone else to help. I am trying very hard to learn to LET GO! Friday night Danny and I wanted to go do something but we didn't have an available sitter so we thought about taking Carsyn with us to a friend's house for dinner. While many parents can probably do this easily it is difficult when your child goes to bed between 7-7:30. I know most of my friends put there babies down to sleep during this hour so hopefully you can feel my pain! I decided to risk it and take her with us promising to be home by 8:30 for her to go to bed. We did just that and well lets just say the night/morning was not good. I don't know why but she awoke 6 hours later at 4 screaming her head off and I didn't get her back to sleep until almost 6 and then she awoke at 7. This just goes to show all of those people out there that say "keep her up later and she will sleep better and later" that this is not the case! Any who...I had already planned to go to Hattiesburg on Saturday(another instance where I fretted about messing up her naps but decided to roll with the flow)so needless to say I was exhausted and dreading the ride over. Luckily she slept the entire ride and was good to go. She only took a 30 min nap in the afternoon but took another 30 min nap on the way back home to Mccomb.

Danny had called and told me that he had scored free SAINTS tickets on the 40 yrd line 9th row and asked if I would consider going on Sunday. Now this was really a chance for me to learn to let go! This was the first time in 9 months that I have been in another city for an entire day away from her- not able to control her feeding or sleeping. Some may think I am silly but I am sure there are some other mommies out there that can understand what a big deal this was! I am hoping to take a weekend trip with Danny next month without Carsyn so this was an opportunity to dip my toes into the pool of "let it go!" All went well and we had a good time and Carsyn was alive and well taken care of when I got home just in time for bedtime. And I survived too!

Today I was able to have a little more patience when she refused to sleep or eat after having my break the day before. Which leads me into my next discussion- eating....

Having a child and wanting to do the best for them yet not go over the top is a very difficult task! I have started trying to give Carsyn whole foods. I had read up on the Internet different foods that other mommies had fed their babies at this age so I thought oh this might be fun! I cringed with every mouth full of substance scared of her choking but she did fine....until diaper duty! I FREAKED out when I changed a poopy diaper and lets just say there were still remnants from lunch that had not been digested. I have cut back a little on those foods but we are still trying out new ones. Feeding has become a new obstacle as the busy baby does NOT want to stop crawling to eat. Once again I have had to tell myself to relax as she will get the nutrition she needs even if she refuses lunch once in a while. A baby will eat when they are hungry I keep reminding myself.

In addition to her new changes Carsyn's intelligence baffles me! She is so observant and doesn't miss a thing. She knows Yeah! means something positive and No! means negative! She talks all of the time in babynese and can stand by herself for about 30 seconds. She will take one step before falling down but I think walking is just around the corner. She now will crawl into another room when I am in a different one however I will usually here MMMMMMMMMaaaaa shortly after. She also follows me around from room to room now which saves me from having to lug a 25lb baby everywhere! I have started baby proofing the house as I caught her going for an electric outlet the other day...an instance where NO! came in HANDY!

We head to Mobile this week for the 9month doctor visit and a check-up for me! This should be interesting....but I will try to GO WITH THE FLOW and not worry! :)


Looking at Miss Pam's chickens and rooster


"Uncle Blake" and Carsyn



Carsyn and Daddy trying out the 4-wheeler

Can you say Cabin Fever?! Stupid Gustav...

On Thursday I took Carsyn to the park to play and that has pretty much been our only time out of this house since AND its TUESDAY NIGHT!!!! We went to church on Sunday and to the inlaws for lunch but only for about an hour. Other than that In the house ALL DAY! Sunday night was supposed to be mine and Danny's August date night since we never had one this month but due to the massive hurricane evacuees we didn't want to attempt the traffic. My mom arrived on Sunday as was planned for our date and ended up staying until today due to the weather. Things could have been a lot worse so I shouldn't complain. We were able to maintain power while my in-laws did not. So last night we all gathered here for dinner and played a ROUSING game of Train Dominos. I didnt hit the sack until 11:30 and then at 3:30 I was awaken by a Tornado alarm that sounded like it was in our house! If you have never heard one just imagine an ambulance siren in your room! Danny, my mother, and I all jumped out of bed to run to the TV- I paced around for an hour waiting for it to pass. While they continued to blare the siren numerous times. My first thought was GREAT Carsyn will surely wake up from this! And then I thought what if a tornado does come...will I have time to run to her crib and grab her before it comes. As a child I was not around tornados much until I moved back to Mississippi and the first year back was the year in Florence when there were numerous deaths as a result of a tornado. I can still remember the first time they made us get in the hall at school- I was like What the heck is going on?! My dog is outside! So needless to say I don't fare well with blaring tornado warnings. As I got back to sleep around 4:45 I was awoken an hour later when Carsyn decided to wake at 5:40. It was a long night. My mom took over at 6:30 but I got up at 8 again to help with nap time.

The bad weather continued into today and more tornado sirens went off- I started to think there was somebody down at City Hall who was pulling the siren cord just for the fun of it! If you recall me discussing how I felt like we lived in a treehouse...well that is not good with a hurricane! See below for the limbs we get to pick up this week, luckily none came through the roof or windows!

I have discovered an odd fact about my child's sleep habits. While for the past 9 months I thought she was a catnapper at times when she only slept 30-40 min I now have learned if you leave her alone for 10-15 minutes of, yes crying and playing with her teddy, she will put herself back to sleep almost 90% of the time. At bedtime and naps she almost always awakes exactly 30 min later but she will go back to sleep on her own. I swear if she would just sleep she would be an angel of a baby but this sleep situation is so nerveracking. I know it is difficult for others who may babysit her to listen to her cry but the doctor says that some babies just have to cry back to sleep. *sigh* As if I enjoy listening to my child cry but by coming back in the room she just gets more distraught.

The house is coming together bit by bit...we now have blinds in all rooms except the ones that will have roman shades. And we have a BEAUTIFUL entertainment center! Yippie! Hopefully I can show some pics soon! Couch should arrive this week?!

We have made it our first month living in Mccomb. So far so good. They dont call it the hospitality city of the hospitality state for nothing! The small town commodory is very infectious and everywhere I go people swarm to talk to Carsyn. She is developing quite the self-esteem and she loves the attention! Now if we can just meet some other mommies and have some playdates. I do so miss my friends in Mobile although you guys didnt have babies to play with either ;)


At the park in the swing!


No I dont think she is trowing up a gang sign


Carsyn's new fave thing to do and "trick" is to clap for herself when you say Yeah! or Pattycake! So cute....


Thanks Gustav!


Yuck!


Cabin Feve...even the cat was going NUTS!