Brookside-McCurdy Hike

Well we FINALLY had some good weather in the mountains last weekend. So we went out on a family hiking trip outside Bailey, CO to avoid the ski traffic. It isn't as "mountain-y" that way, but sometimes it's nice to just be out and only see 2-3 people. Plus as we were getting ready in the parking lot another K-Stater pulled in :)

It's been a long time since I've seen Snyder has happy as he was while we were out. Poor guy is still not taking to Carson very well. Hopefully with the weather getting nicer I'll be able to get out and take him on walks more often. In other news I've started working on Carson's 1-year book (so hard to believe). I also thought of a "theme" for our get-together when we head back to Kansas. Everyone always tells you how quickly time will go, but you just never really realize it until you experience it for yourself.

Last weekend Reid and I took advantage of his boss offering to babysit Carson and went out in downtown Littleton. Naturally the first 3 places we tried going to were busy, so we landed at this quaint place called In-Tea. It was also a Mardi-Gras weekend celebration, so later that night the area was going a "mardi-crawl" so-to-speak. Lots of bars had live music and bead stations. We did not hang around long enough to experience this...

Carson: 9 Months

Where oh where is the time going. Carson turned 9 months on Saturday and him and mommy celebrated by taking some pictures while daddy was playing in the mountains.

It seems like Carson changes by the week! We how have 2 bottom teeth and he is teething again like crazy...there is drool everywhere!! He has also adapted a new way of crawling. So funny. In the past week he has started babbling constants. We can pick out "baba" very well and he has even started saying "muh muh" here and there. Soon enough I'm sure he'll be talking our ears off. He also has started to show (what I think) are some signs of separation anxiety. He used to crawl all over the place and make you chase him, and now he's starting to crawl towards you, sit down and reach his arms up for you to hold him. He still let me drop him off in the church nursery but when I came to pick him up he instantly crawled right to me. Another thing Carson loves now is his bath time. He splashes like a crazy man and doesn't seem quite ready for bath time to end.

We are working more and more with finger foods and he does good with peas, chunks of ground turkey and pasta bits. His favorite thing to eat seems to be his oatmeal with fruit and eggs with avocado. And we are happy to say he is still gaining like a champ and the doc said he is up to the 25th percentile now. Our check-up went great, the doctor had no concerns and said he is doing fabulous with his mile stones.

Newborn: 8lbs 6.3oz and 20.5in

Two Weeks: 9lbs 1oz and 21in

Two Months: 12lbs 9.5oz and 25in

Four Months: 13lbs 13oz and 25.5in

Five Months: 13lbs 11.5oz and 26in

Six Months: 13lbs 7oz and 26.5in

Seven Months: 14lbs 5.5oz and 26.75in

Eight Months: 16lbs 15.5oz and 28in
Nine Months: 18lbs and 28.75in

Here are a few more pictures of all Carson was up to this past month. We can't wait to see what he's going to be up to next...

Mile High Sunshine

Denver is experiencing some unusual February weather so we are taking full advantage by being outside!! First though we had to go to our second swim class. Carson splashed more this time and even got dunked under water. He took it like a champ :) Later in the day we took Snyder for a walk to the nearby elementary school. They have a pretty fun playground which will be great for going to this summer.

On Sunday we took little dude to the Denver Zoo! The place is a zoo for parking, but Reid stalked a family to their car and we were off for an adventure. Most of the time Carson seemed more interested in the rails and barriers than the animals themselves. But once they got his attention he was attentive to them moving around. His favorite seemed to be the flamingos. I think its because they had them all cooped in an indoor room (for winter) so it was a bunch of bright pink things catching his eye. He did a lot better with the indoor exhibits than the outdoor ones too.

Can you believe Carson will be 9 months old this Saturday?! Time to start thinking of some ideas for a photo session. I'll leave you today with a new face Carson has mastered. We have named it the gremlin smile...

Splish Splash at Swimming Class

Our adventure to the pool today was a success!! I'm not sure why but the water was a little chilly, so it took Carson a while to get use to it. But he was still giving us smiles as we did our water moves. The class was singing songs and moving the babies around to the words. They even had a chance to stand on the side and jump in :) With the littler ones, you were just suppose to work on counting 1, 2, 3 JUMP! Little dude loved flying in the air.

Another thing Carson was good at was "swimming arms." We would move his arms as if he were swimming and his legs were going crazy kicking. I think we might have a future swimmer on our hands :) By the end of the class Carson was splashing his hands and getting Reid and I wet. So cute and I'm glad he warmed up to it because we have 3 more classes to go to!

In other news, I was adventurous the other day and let Carson play with colored yogurt while I cooked some apples and mangos. He was loving it for 10min or so, then lost interest. Not sure if the mess was worth his 10min of play!

While Mommy's Away...

Well I have survived my first time leaving Carson alone...for 3+ days!!! Last Tuesday I went out of town for work and left Carson in the caring hands of his dad and Nonni. Surprisingly I did quite well and never had that "aching, missing" feeling. The first couple nights I was relieved to not be on baby duty! I probably had more stress myself getting stuck on my layover in Chicago. Thank goodness for my sister-in-law who graciously came and picked me up in the frigid temps (at 27 weeks pregnant) and let me crash on their spare bed.

While I was gone Carson was busy learning new things. First came the clapping and Nonni also helped him learn to drink from his sippy cup. And she made some potpie which Carson found delicious! So spoiled!! I was so excited to get home Saturday morning to see his new tricks. We had plans to head to the mountains for some snowshoeing but the weather was not very favorable. We were able to go out before I left and we couldn't have had better weather. We went to Chicago Lakes near Mt Evans. Of course our "adventure" turned into a typical Jennings outing (can't find our final destination) but thankfully Carson was a trooper and didn't fuss at all on the 4+ hours we were out.

Well nothing else new to report with little man. Oh he has finally started falling asleep on his own for bedtime AND naps! We didn't really have to do any training, he just seemed ready for it. Stay tuned because Carson starts swimming lessons on Saturday :)

Carson: 8 Months

Our little cutie pie was 8 months old yesterday and I'm happy to report he's gaining weight like a champ! Way to go buddy...keep it up!

Newborn: 8lbs 6.3oz and 20.5in

Two Weeks: 9lbs 1oz and 21in

Two Months: 12lbs 9.5oz and 25in

Four Months: 13lbs 13oz and 25.5in

Five Months: 13lbs 11.5oz and 26in

Six Months: 13lbs 7oz and 26.5in

Seven Months: 14lbs 5.5oz and 26.75in

Eight Months: 16lbs 15.5oz and 28in

Carson has changed soo much since last month. He still only has his one tooth but a few days after Christmas he started crawling!! And it didn't take too long after that and he started pulling himself up and standing. The other day while I was working I don't think he played with one toy and just stood up on the ottoman the whole time. I love that he is so much more independent and entertains himself very well. This past month Carson also summited his first mountain and got to ride in his new backpack while we went snowshoeing. We had lots of visitors this past month too which made time go by so fast. And lastly Carson is excited to cheer on his Broncos next week in the Super Bowl :)

Happy New Year

What a year 2013 has been for our family! From finding out we were having a boy, to meeting that little bundle of joy and now watching him grow soo quickly, we sure did have a fantastic year!! Carson has now mastered crawling and sitting up. People keep telling me how life will get much more crazy having to chase him around everywhere, but call me crazy because I love it!! There is just so much more he can do to entertain himself now! He has also has recently started sitting on his knees to play with the toy Santa brought him.

Reid and I have big plans this year to buy a house! We have a saving plan established and we have are hearts set on being home owners by the end of the year. Wish us luck!!

Happy New Year family and friends!