Blink...9 Months Have Passed

The title of this post should actually be Blink...10.5 Months Have Passed!  I'm a little behind with my blogging (surprise), but I wanted to give the Carson Man a 9 month update (before he turns 1 on us!)

 

His stats from the 9 month check up were:

 

Weight: 20lbs. 2oz (37%)

Height: 27.5in (18%)

Head Circumference: 45.5cm (50%)

 

I'm convinced that his weight percentage was calculated incorrectly.  There is NOTHING below average about this kids weight.  He's a hoss!  ...a sweet, happy, flirty, cuddly, teddy bear hoss.

 

I love his smile in the reflection.

That tongue is always out!

We are lucky enough to see this smile a lot.

So, I'm trying to think about what Carson has been up to these past few months.  I feel like he is proving to be super smart.  (Said every mom about her kid.)  It has been so fun to watch him "catch on" to things.  He's clapping, waving, saying Dada and Mama (to no one in particular) and paying close attention to everything going on around him.  He loves playing with balls.  He likes to have someone sit with him and roll/throw the ball back and forth.  We have no doubt this child will be an athlete.  Carson is also the most ticklish human being I've ever met.  It's hilarious.  His "sweet spots" are his thighs and his ribs.  Chad can get the best belly laughs out of him!

 

Our first ER visit as parents.  C was running a super high fever (after hours, of course) and was just acting like a bump on a log.  Luckily it just turned out to be an ear infection, but it sure was scary.

Carson is a very tough little man.  He spends hours a day defending himself from his big brother.  Griffin has mastered the "box out" technique and puts his entire body between Carson and whatever Carson wants.  And, as it turns out, Carson is quite persistent.  Half the time G could care less about what C is going for, it's just the fact that Carson wants something and Griffin doesn't want him to have it.  {This drives me absolutely BONKERS!}  I spend so much of my day acting as a referee between these two that I'll probably put it at the top of my resume should I enter the work force again. 

 

We are fairly certain that it will only be a matter of months until Carson can easily shove Griffin out of the way.

"Mom?  What's he doing?" 

 

C-Man has 2 lone teeth on the bottom but the poor guy has FOUR about to break through up top.  That's not fun for anyone but I'm looking forward to the days of him actually being able to chew his food instead of inhaling it whole.

 

You can see that first little tooth popping up!

One of the most fun things for Chad and I to watch is the relationship between Carson and Griffin develop.  Though keeping things civil around the house is a big part of the day, there are so many sweet moments between these two.  If Carson is upset Griffin screams at Carson to be quiet will try to cheer him up by playing peek-a-boo with him.  He also loves playing "monsters" with Carson (see picture).  I'm pretty sure Carson likes almost everything about his big brother.  It will be so cool to see how their relationship shapes up as they get older.  I pray that they will be best friends and realize how lucky they are to have someone in their life who will always have their back.

 

Carson especially loved Griffin when he took the liberty of getting him more puffs!

 

 

This is their "monster" game.  Always in that same spot around the trash can.  Griffin says, "Ahh, a monster!" and Carson just giggles.  So cute.

Just like Griffin, Carson loves the Tupperware cabinet.  This is a life saver while I'm trying to cook dinner.

Carson loves the swing and has recently started enjoying the slide at the playground.

Fun at the park with Anna Robinson...

...and Leah Sineway.  Can you see Griffin under that pile?

Kisses for cousin Leah.

 

Carson is a good sleeper, but he has decided that he needs the whole room to himself to sleep soundly.  This means that Griffin has been sleeping on the pull out couch in Mama and Dada's room for the past...2 months??  Sheesh!  We're pretty sure that Carson would wake up during the night and see Griffin across the room and want to play and interact with him.  When he couldn't, he get would get SOOOO upset!  Haha.  So, in order for me everyone to get a good night sleep, Griffin is bunking up in our room (which he loves).  We will try them together again soon and see how it goes.

I just love this picture!  And if anyone is wondering where those thunder thighs come from (don't you dare say me)...

 

....pretty sure he got them from his Dada!  Anyone else think these two kind of look alike?

 

My sweet Carson, I can't believe you will be ONE in just over a month.  You are growing so fast, but your dad and I love nothing more than watching you turn into a smart, strong (maybe freakishly strong) boy.  You have the sweetest, happiest disposition and honestly, you seem too good to be true.  Your gummy smile, which we are lucky to see all the time, is the best and your chubby cheeks are just so kissable!  I know that with each new age and stage comes great things, but I'm pretty sure that if I could choose a time of life to hit the slow motion button it would be this one.  You are just so fun right now.  We love you more than you will ever know...until you have your own kids.  Then you'll understand.



Potty Training Boot Camp

WARNING: Potty training is NOT for the faint of heart.

 

About a month shy of G's 3rd birthday, we had a 3 day weekend and decided to tackle potty training.  Chad and I had both read and re-read some lady's words of wisdom - a lady who claimed our kid would be potty trained after 3 days - so we were ready for the challenge!  (Ha...rookies.)

 

A big part of this lady's strategy is throwing away ALL diapers the morning of day 1 so you know and the kid knows that there is no turning back.  Of course, being the thrifty people we are, we made sure to start this when we were just about out of diapers anyways.  You KNOW the Herrings aren't just throwing away a bunch of good diapers.  But, we understood the point of throwing away a few and Griffin was pumped up to start training.  He went around to all of our various bags to gather his diapers and then threw them in the trash!  No turning back.

 

 

 

We were stocked up on Thomas and Mickey Mouse big boy underwear.  Griffin was excited!  Another main strategy of this lady's method is to never insist the kid sit on the potty, not even ASK the kid if he needs to go potty, rather ask HIM to tell YOU when he needs to go.  (Ha!)  So, I wrote down our "lines" on a post-it and stuck it to the kitchen cabinets so Chad and I wouldn't forget.  Silly now, because I'm pretty sure those lines are seared in my memory for life.

 

"Remember to tell me when you need to go potty!"  (said in a nice, up beat, this-is-so-great voice.)

and

"Is your underwear dry?"  (Asked every 2 seconds and saying "yaaaay!"  high five, "I'm so proud of you!" when the answer was yes.)

 

Outside of that, the rest of the strategy was to pump them full of liquids, keep them in underwear only, follow them around like white on rice, watch their EVERY move and when you noticed they were about to pee standing in a puddle of pee, pick them up and RUN them to the potty to successfully finish peeing in the potty.

 

Griffin was excited about his underwear!

Dada and Griffin doing the "potty dance" together.

Sorry Calvin Klein, I'm not letting him do any underwear modeling - even though he's obviously a natural.

Soooooo, the first day we had about 7 accidents (read pee all over the floor - thank goodness for hardwoods) and ZERO pees in the potty.  Griffin never ONCE told us he needed to go potty.  Okay, we're fine with that.  It was just day one - we knew that might happen and we are still feeling optimistic and patient.

 

Pick a potty ANY potty! 

Carson was just rubbing it in that he still got to wear diapers and could pee and poop anytime he pleased.

More potty dancing.  "Do the {clap, clap} potty dance." 
Look it up on You Tube

 

The second day panned out exactly like the first day. Six accidents.  Zero potty success stories.  Patience is wearing a little thin, BUT we're still hopeful...waiting for that magic third day. "Remember to tell us when you need to go potty!"

Day three - more of the same. Except a few tears from mom. We were running out of paper towels, running out of patience and there was NO WAY I wasn't sending this kid to school tomorrow!  At this point I'm convinced G is just messing with us.  I KNOW he's smart enough to tell us when he needs to pee, right?!

 

Well, by the end of day three I had added a few of my own strategies (thanks to desperation and suggestions from friends and family), which included telling Griffin that he could have 150 candy corns if he just went and sat on the potty, 300 if he peed in the potty and 1,209 candy corns if he POOPED in the potty!

 

 

Bribery.  Now we were in business.

 

We finally had some success towards the end of day three.  Seriously felt like the longest three days of my life.  We never left the house and Griffin was never out of our sight.  Just sitting, waiting and anticipating was so STRESSFUL!

 

Day four I sent that boy to school with about five changes of clothes.  I stayed by the phone all day just waiting for the call to come get him (school has a 2 accidents in a day and you're out policy).  Walking up to his class room for pick up I was curious to see which of the five outfits he was going to be wearing.  Well, wouldn't ya know, that boy was in the same outfit.  I was PUMPED!  I asked the teachers how he did and they said he still hadn't gone to the potty.  That boy HELD IT IN ALL DAY!  Stubborn as a mule.

 

Anyways, we are about 2 months post potty training now and, looking back, I'll give this three day potty training lady some credit.  It took a FULL three days for us, but Griffin really did well after that.  We still have the occasional accident here and there and we're working on teaching Griffin to give us a little advanced notice when he has to poop.  I'm pretty sure he waits until the turd is about half way out and then decides to run to the potty.  (Too much information?  Sorry.)

 

I'll leave you with that beautiful piece of imagery.