The Start of Something Good

Last night was a milestone night in the Herring household!  Griffin and Carson spent the night in the same room for the first time!  For some reason I am just giddy over this.  I really think it's the start of something good; something awesome and fun!  For one, it means Carson is no longer sleeping in Mama and Dada's room...more restful for everyone!  (Okay, mostly just me since the other two people in the room can sleep through most anything.)  But most importantly, I feel like this is the beginning of such a special bond between brothers.  I picture them sharing a room for years to come, even when we have the space and it's not necessary for them to share...I'm picturing bunk beds, giggles, staying up late and getting into lots of trouble!

How cute are these two?!

 So, Mr. Carson has been sleeping through the night pretty regularly now for a couple weeks.  Woohoo!  He got to where he was only waking up once in the middle of the night (sometime between 2am and 4am) and once or twice he made it until 6am or so on his own.  We decided that we'd try to just stop feeding him when he woke up and let him cry it out (I know, I know...you're either for it or against it.  It worked with G so we decided to do the same with C.)  Once we committed to this, Carson would wake up between 4am and 4:30am, cry for 10 minutes or less, then fall back to sleep until it was time to wake up.  A few nights of this (3-4) and he as been sleeping through the night for almost 2 weeks now!

We have been talking about when we would put C in the boys room a lot lately and just decided that last night would be as good as any!  We asked Griffin if he wanted Carson to sleep in his room with him (we've been telling him since C was born that when he got a little bigger they would share a room) and he said, "Ohhh yeah!"  So after bottles, baths, jammies, stories and prayers, we tucked both boys in and shut the door...then immediately went to the video monitor to spy on them!

As usual Griffin did some talking and some singing to himself - well, I guess now to Carson.  I think he must have been excited because he seemed a little more amped up than usual.  G went on and on for about 45 minutes and we didn't hear a peep from Mr. C.  Once G finally calmed down a bit and was quiet, Carson piped up and started crying...loudly.  Chad and I think he was probably comforted by all of Griffin's chattering and was confused as to why it was so quiet all of the sudden!  Haha.  We were curious to see how G would react to C's crying...he was strangely quiet and stayed in bed, popping up every now and then saying, "What's wrong Carson?"  "It's okay Carson."  {So darn sweet!}

This is a picture of the screen on our video monitor.  If you can make it out, you can see G sitting up, looking over his bed rail.  {Note: NONE of the information on the video monitor screen is correct...do not call DFACS, it is not 82 degrees in that room!}

We let Carson cry on and off for about 15 minutes but when he didn't calm down I decided to go up there.  As soon as I walked in G said, "Carson is upset!"  I went to pick up Carson, (Griffin immediately jumped out of bed to help me) patted him on the back, a huge burp came out, I laid him back down and that was all we heard from the Carson man.  {I'm not sure if I've mentioned that he's a perfect baby yet, but he is...seriously.}    After that things were pretty quiet upstairs.  G still did some moving around but by about 9:15pm all was quiet.  Phew! 

I captured a few pictures of the boys when I went in to get Carson for his 10pm feeding.  I snapped the pictures, scooped up Carson in his swaddle, fed him in our room, then slipped him right back into bed.  Seamless!

I didn't hear a peep until 7:05am!!  I'm pretty sure Carson woke up first and woke up G.  Again, as soon as I walked in the room Griffin said, "Carson is upset!"  ...and then we started our day!

Tonight has gone well so far.  Things were much quieter upstairs...Griffin wasn't AS talkative (though I did hear him talking to Carson a few times) and there was no crying from C.  I think everyone was out by about 8:30 - very good considering they went down at 8.

All of my boys reading before bed.  Priceless!

So, here's to Griffin and Carson - BEST FRIENDS FOREVER!

The Carson Man

Just a few pictures of our 2 month old these days!  I swear he's getting bigger (and heavier) by the minute.  In an effort to give this child a nice, round head we've been spending time in the Bumbo seat lately.  He actually does pretty well in it!  I had forgotten about this little seat until I went back and looked at a post of Griffin right around this same age and he was in the Bumbo.  These pictures look pretty similar!  (Carson, I think you're actually doing a little better than your big brother was at the time.) 

Well hello there little stud muffin!  (Can I call my own son a stud muffin?)

That head is starting to get a little heavy to hold up, but he did a great job...and with a smile on his face too!

Again, working on that head...tummy time.  You're getting stronger and stronger!

Of course it helps motivate you when you've got fun train to look at.  That's Charlie and Molly...say hello!

And even though these pictures make it look like we're doing a good job on our homework of lots and lots of tummy time, we still spend a lot of time on our back.  Carson just loves his play mat and could stare at all of those bright colors all day long.  He's even getting to the point where he can reach over and/or up and grab the toys hanging down.  Go Carson...we are proud of you!

2 Months - Tummy Time Boot Camp

This week Carson went to see Dr. B for his 2 month check up!  Yes, 2 months.  By this time in Griffin's short life I had probably already done about 30 blog posts and taken 2,000+ pictures.  Well Carson, your life might not be as well documented, but that doesn't mean we're not enjoying every second.  It just means that life is busy and you have done such an amazing job of fitting in seamlessly with our regularly scheduled program.  (If you don't count the 8 uninterupted hours of sleep I use to enjoy.  That has certainly been interrupted.  I know those late night feedings will eventually come to an end though and some crazy people say I might even miss them some day.  We'll see.)

So, you did GREAT at your appointment.  Dr. B confirmed our beliefs - you are perfect!  She "oooohed" and "ahhhhed" at how strong you are, how you are doing such a good job of making eye contact and moving your mouth to mimic hers.  She did tell us that we need to really step things up in the tummy time department and turn your head a certain way when you're sleeping.  Translation - you're getting a lop-sided head!  Mama and Dada promise to work on that.  Even though you get pretty cranky after a few minutes on your tummy, we're putting you through tummy time boot camp...you'll thank us later!  (Really Dr. B didn't seem to concerned at all but it is something we're going to work on.) 

Luckily Griffin was along to help out with the check up.  I just love how Carson is looking at Griffin here.  They really do love each other. 

You have REALLY started to smile and coo lately.  I'd say it started at about 6 weeks and you are showing more and more personality each day!  So rewarding to get that sweet smile (even if there is usually spit up running down your chin simultaneously).

Griffin (the "yucky big brother" - he can't pronounce his L's yet) is trying to keep you happy while Mama is cooking dinner.

There's that precious smile! 

You are rarely without a bib due to the amount of spit up we see on a daily basis.  I try to remember to take it off for photos, but that's pretty risky.

I can't believe how much you've grown in just 2 months!  You seem chunkier bigger than Griffin did at this age, but the stats from your appointment were pretty similar. 

Carson at 2 months:

11 lbs. 15 oz.  (56%)

22.5 in. (32%)

Griffin at 2 months:

11 lbs. 1 oz. (40%)

23 in. (50%)

Some more about you at 2 months: you love laying on your play mat and looking up at the toys hanging down.  You love face to face contact and conversation.  We can get big smiles from you by just talking to you (in that silly voice that only parents can appreciate).  You are still waking up at night around 2 or 3 to eat (that has got to stop soon, right?) and then waking up for the day between 6 and 7 - though the past 2 mornings it has been before 6 thank you very much.  You do a FANTASTIC job of eating and going right back to sleep though, so I'm not going to complain too much (yet).  You love riding in the car - no matter how cranky you are you calm down or fall alseep as soon as the car starts moving.  I hope your love for the car continues because your brother certainly hated the car for a long while.  You're not much of a paci lover and I keep wondering if you're going to be a thumb sucker.  You like to suck on your fist, but can't seem to find the thumb yet.  We shall see! 

xoxo.

The Nitty Gritty

So, as promised, I wanted to give a detailed account of the day Carson was born so it can forever be in my memory book.  If I've learned anything the past month as a mother of two it's that my brain is pretty much mush these days so if I want to remember anything, I better write it down!  (Not to say that I'd forget my son's birth or the sheer joy I felt on that day, but the details....that's another story.)

A little about the pregnancy:

I've heard people say that you start showing much faster with the second child and, in my case, that certainly was true!  I feel like I started wearing maternity clothes right off the bat out of necessity rather than excitement (with Griffin I think I went out and bought something from the Liz Lang section at Target immediately just because I  could finally buy those cute clothes and have a reason for it.)  Not only did I get a "bump" much faster this time around, that bump just kept growing and growing and growing.....or so it felt.  I seriously felt like the size of a small house by the end of my pregnancy.  Other than my size, this pregnancy was pretty similar to my first.  No morning sickness, no real problems or scares (thank you Lord!) and didn't even get the zombie-like lack of energy in the first trimester this time around.  I did, however, start having trouble sleeping towards the end there.  I'll also mention that I had quite the love affair with Fruit Loops cereal during this pregnancy.  Now, they have always been a favorite, but I was a little worried that Carson was going to come out with a slight resemblance to Toucan Sam. 

Anywho...I kept telling my midwife that I thought I was going to deliver early this time around.  I really felt like that baby was going to come at any moment.  The entire last month I went to bed thinking that this could be the night!  haha.  So wrong I guess.  But since I kept telling her this, and since I delivered fairly quickly the first time around, she suggested that we go ahead and schedule an induction.  This way we'd be able to arrange for someone to keep Griffin and not have to worry about that.  I was more than happy to agree to this, so we decided to induce at 39 weeks.  Yay!  We scheduled the induction for April 25th.  I went in for a check the day before and all systems were a go for the next day!  I was suppose to go home and wait for the hospital to call me and tell me when to come in. 

Delivery Day:

I had very little faith that the hospital would call (with Griffin I ended up calling them because I was so antsy) but I made sure my cell phone was on ring and right by my bed that night.  Sure enough I got a call at 5:38 that morning!  The system actually worked and they wanted us there to check in at 8.  We showered, got dressed, finished packing a few last minute things, went in and gave our sweet G man a kiss and headed out the door!  (I should mention that Boo and Papa were staying with us and were in charge of Griffin for a few days.  So nice not having to worry about him and knowing that between all of his grandparents, he would get plenty of love while Chad and I were preoccupied.)

Okay, so the next few hours looked something like this:

• 8:15am - we arrived at the hospital for check in (a little late due to morning traffic). We got there in plenty of time to fill out a few forms and wait around for a good while!
• 9:15am - we got into the delivery room and settled in for the long haul.  We had no idea what to expect as far as how long we would be there or what the day would look like.  I just know we were both antsy to get the show on the road and meet our little man!  Once in the room I changed into my gown, answered a million questions so the nurses could fill out the paper work, got hooked up to all kinds of machines that would monitor me, the baby and pump all kinds of fluids into my body for the next few hours.  I had to have 2 bags full of Penicillin because I tested positive for Strep B...not harmful to me or Carson as long as I had this pumping through my veins!  Luckily I had my iPad with me and was content to kill time while communicating with the outside world through Email and Facebook.
• ~12:00pm - somewhere around noon my midwife came in and broke my water (SUCH a strange and uncomfortable sensation...am I peeing in the sheets or is that my water breaking?)  After she did that I was hooked up to Potocin - the magic meds that induce labor.  According to the machines I was already having contraction prior to this, but I couldn't feel a thing.  The Potocin would really get things going though and after an hour or so I was starting to feel those contractions, but the pain was still very manageable.
• 1:00pm - my mom and dad came to the room and brought a delicious Chick-fil-a lunch for themselves and Chad.  The heavenly aroma filled the room and I sat and watched them enjoy their lunch as I enjoyed some ice chips.  Meanwhile, the contractions are getting stronger and stronger so I decide to go ahead and ask for my epidural before the pain becomes too bad (lesson learned from last time).
• 2:00pm - Mom and dad went to the waiting room and the weird but oh-so-wonderful anesthesiologist came in and gave me a gigantic shot in my back that would bring me so much comfort!  After the shot Chad and I decided to rest as much as possible for the next few hours.  We turned the lights down low, Chad laid down on his bench, I got comfy in bed and we watched some "Friends" DVD's.  I think we had extra good nurse/midwife care those next couple hours because they wanted to come in and watch Friends with us.  Everyone seemed to linger when they came in to check on us.  haha.
• 2:30ish - I think my midwife (Barbara Snuggs) came in around this time and checked me.  She said I was about 4cm.  She didn't want to check me very often because of the Strep B, so I wasn't sure when our next update would be.
• 4:20pm - Barbara comes in again to check my progress.  She said sometime about my cervix being completely thinned (which means nothing to me) and then proceeded to tell a rather lengthy story about how a DIY hardwood floor project she was doing at her house.  While she was telling the story she was pulling a little table over to the bed and folding it out.  When she was FINALLY done with her story I asked her how many centimeters I was dilated and she said, "Oh girl, you're 10.  We're getting ready to push!"................SAY WHAT?!?!  Chad and I looked at each other, totally shocked and excited.  I called my mom in the waiting room to give her a heads up.  I think Chad called his mom as well (they were dropping G off at our friends Cliff and Erica's house and heading to the hospital).  A few ladies came in with all of the goodies needed to take care of Carson once he was out, the delivery nurse came in and grabbed one leg while Chad grabbed the other and we started to push. 
• 4:35pm - ....and then we stopped pushing because Carson was HERE!  Fastest delivery ever!  I was seriously in shock.  I couldn't feel a thing which was quite strange.  Since I had just gotten the epidural a couple hours earlier, the drugs were still in full force.  When Barbara told me to push I just made a face and a sound and pretended to push, not knowing if it was doing any good because I was literally numb.  Guess the sound and the face worked because our sweet little Carson just made his way out.  Hallelujah!

The next few hours (heck, the next few days and weeks) were a blur.  Our delivery room was soon filled with family, all anxious to see the new arrival.  We had fun seeing everyone pass him around, waiting for their chance to hold him.  We watched him get his first bath and go through routine tests and check...all to discover that we had been blessed with a perfect, healthy baby boy. 

Once the visitors headed home for the evening we waited in the delivery room for quite some time before we were able to get to our other room (can't remember what those rooms are called to save my life right now...I know they have a name...post delivery rooms?) Anyways, there was a shortage of those rooms at the baby factory and we were getting tired and very anxious to get up there and get settled in for the next 2 days. I think we finally made it up there around 9:30pm or so. Phew, once the excitement of the day had worn off Chad and I realized just how exhausted we were!

The next day we were so excited for Griffin to come to the hospital to meet his baby brother!  We weren't sure how it would go and didn't want to put too much pressure on Griffin, so Chad's parents brought him to the hospital, but then gave us some special time as a family of four to introduce the boys.  I wish I could say it was a sweet, sentimental moment but it pretty much consisted of G being really excited to sit on the hospital bed and play with the buttons.  Haha!  He was a little interested in Carson, gave him the obligatory kiss and attempted to sit still for .5 seconds to "hold" his brother but none of that lasted very long. I was quickly reminded that G is just a spunky, energetic 2 year old boy who doesn't really have the desire to be "mommy's little helper"....and we are totally fine with that!

By the time the 2nd day rolled around we were definitely ready to check out of the hospital and get home to resume our "normal" life.  Or to find out what our new normal was going to look like.....still not sure we know the answer to that yet, but we're getting there!

All in all, the delivery was better than I could have ever imagined.  Carson made it easy on us and we are hoping that he will continue to be an easy going kid.  So far he seems to be and we are so thankful for that.  He is fitting in seamlessly and we are really getting use to being a family of four.  We are so blessed!

Welcome to the World Baby Cason!

Twenty loooong days ago, baby Carson made his way into this world!  I can't believe he's almost 3 weeks old already!  There has been less sleep for Chad and I over the past 20 days, but for the most part, Carson seems to fit right in to this little family of ours!  He's pretty laid back and is really making things easy on his Mama and Dada.  He's even doing a great job of putting up with big brother Griffin (who is teaching Carson how to sleep through all kids of loud noises)!

Here are a few pictures from the last few weeks....I'll do a post soon on the "birthday" with all of most of  the nitty gritty details before my brain completely turns to mush and I forget everything!

In the labor and delivery room on the morning of induction...

...so very ready for the little human inside there to stop kicking me and make his appearance!

Carson's first picture!!!   Goo and all!

My AWESOME Midwife Barbara.

Bath time!

Proud grandparents.

A very hyper and sweet big brother!!

Heading home from the hospital...such a great and weird feeling...no more nurses to help!

Our AWESOME pediatrician Dr. B!

Carson has already had his first photo shoot...

...they turned out great.  I'll share more later.

Hello little 2 week old boy!  Carson was on his tummy before this picture was taken but decided to turn over to his back all by himself!!  Strong boy!

And here's our little man today.  If you want to know the truth he was working on a big, stinky diaper when this shot was taken.  The joys of parenthood are endless!

So, as I sit and type this with one hand and hold a squirmy baby in the other (my arm is killing me), I'm filled with happiness about the new addition to our family and excitement over the memories we will make in the years to come. 
WE LOVE YOU CARSON!

Quick Catch Up!

I know it's been a while, but I wanted to do a quick catch up on the past couple of months so we're all up to speed before the big arrival of baby Carson!  That's right, Carson will be here soon.  In 3 days to be exact.  Yes, this pregnancy has flown by in a blur but we are so ready to welcome the little bambino. 

Besides getting excited about being a big brother, here's a quick glimpse of what Griffin has been up to!

Dada took G to his first baseball game at Georgia Tech.  Griffin was proud to cheer on the Yellow Jackets.

The game was even more fun because they were with their best buddies Jack and Mr. Cliff.

We welcomed baby Jackson into the world on March 7th!!  Griffin was excited about his new cousin and Chad and I are thrilled to have a new nephew!

Ramsey and Jenna are doing great and make this whole parenting thing look easy!

With the warmer than usual weather we've been having, Griffin has enjoyed playing at the park and having picnics with friends....

.....and has taken time to just lay back and enjoy life.  So important in this busy world!  :)

He did a lot of egg hunting this Easter...

...convinced Dada to wear this silly hat (that G refused to wear)...

....and single handily ruined a potentially cute school picture!  (Seconds before this picture was taken Griffin had thrown his Easter basket - full of eggs - to the ground.  The general chaos in this picture makes me laugh every time I look at it!)

(How hilarious is this?!  Griffin wanted no part of this group photo session with his friends at school.)

Surprisingly, he did give the Easter Bunny a nice hug at our neighborhood egg hunt.

Another play date with neighborhood friends...and what play date is complete with out cupcakes?!

And just this weekend, Chad and I thought we'd treat Griffin to something really special and take him to the train museum (since the boy LOVES all things trains).  Turns out that G was terrified of pretty much everything!  I think the sheer size of the trains spooked him a little bit and the fact that there was a REAL train weeshing and blowing it's whistle nearby really freaked him out.  Poor kid just might have nightmares about this "adventure" for a while.

I'm pretty sure he doesn't want to take his eyes off the train for fear that it will start moving.  He made it clear he didn't want to RIDE any of the trains.  Sweet, sweet boy.

Soooo, there we are in a nut shell.  I've been spending the last week or so getting things ready for Carson and being an emotional basket case in general.  While I'm so excited to meet the new little man, I find myself getting sad about our last few days with Griffin as an only child and as a family of three.  We have (finally) gotten so comfortable in our life and our roles as parents only to have things change DRASTICALLY in just a few short days!  Even so, we are ready for Carson to arrive and shake things up a bit.  I know it will take time to find our "new normal" but we are all ready for that challenge and can't WAIT to see what God has in store for our family!