A New Baby...

Todd and Alicia had their baby this morning! Congratulations... I cannot wait to meet Justin Glenn.

Fun times...

A little washed out, but maybe a little artsy??? Reese in the tunnel at the park.

The little bug all bundled up on Saturday. It was a beautiful day, but quite chilly. We enjoyed a walk to the park and then quickly headed home!

A Reese Moment...

For fun...

Just for fun and comparison... Reese doing what Carsten is doing now. Reese was the just about the same age.

Improvements...

Thanks for everyone's comments... It is so hard to imagine anyone is worse off than me when it is midnight and my baby is crying because he can't sleep. Today a friend called and her nephew is having brain surgery... I must remember it could be much worse and to think of those people.

Reese seems to be on the mend and I am going to try the saline solution on Carsten today. Jim is still sick, but so far I've not gotten it... Let's hope naps go well today!

Life...

So, life here is not good.

Total hours mommy slept last night= 2
Total times mommy wished she were asleep= 1 million
Total time Carsten woke up because he couldn't swallow all the gook running down his throat= 20
Total times Reese coughed in the night= 25
Total minutes of nap today=
= 30 for Carsten
= 0 for Reese
= o for Mommy
Total times Carsten cried because I had to wipe his nose= all day
Carsten's frustration with nursing because he can't breathe= complete

Add up all the above numbers and divide by sick daddy as well and life is not good today...
Now if I can keep this cold away from me maybe I'll be able to handle another night.

Taking advantage of the sun...

Just playing again with the camera and my two boys...

Carsten was a good subject today... Reese was not. I should be fair and say that it is because he has a cold--super runny nose, cough, and the mood to match.

Cousins finally meet!

So, after far too long we met up with our cousins...

Reese and Stella had fun and we are looking forward to getting together again so they can play more.

Carsten and Ivy were just interested in the fact that there was another baby and wanting their own mommy.

Playing...

So here we all are playing with the timer on the camera...

Reese...

Reese hasn't made it into the news here lately, so here are a few recent ones that I like...

Comparing...

Carsten-7 1/2 months

Reese-8 months

Which one likes it the best? Hmmm...

Eating???

Well, we tried... Last night we tried to feed Carsten rice cereal. The pictures tell the story...

Crawling... or Scooting?

So, here is Carsten doing the *scoot*... He has progressed from rolling as a means of transportation to staying on his stomach and using his legs, hips, and arms... very cute and rewarding as you can see...





































He just started this on Saturday. His other accomplishment the last few days is a growling sound that makes us all laugh!

Auntie Marilyn...

Auntie Marilyn is here and Reese is enjoying every minute. He spends much of his time in her room and trying to persuade her to play with him. I am enjoying having someone around to help hold Carsten--I think he is getting his second tooth...

More diapers...

Another diaper cake... This one was for Jeannie today. Fun times. Reese went to breakfast with daddy and then shopping while the girls had a luncheon.

More snow...

This is for all the grandmas out there... Reese in the snow this morning and all suited up! He is enjoying himself so much out there. I know this is probably boring for all of you folks that live where it snows, but we don't get much so we are enjoying the little we get!

Blog worthy...

Just had to share these... it is actually snowing here today. Note that the child has no coat on, but we had to get out there and enjoy the snow before it stopped. He is still outside as I write this, but the snow has stopped. We hope for more!

Finally I'm here again...

I seem able to keep up with everyone else's blogs, but I've been poor about keeping my own up... So, for a few updates and happenings...
Carsten had his 6 month doctor's visit today (at a little over 7 months old). He weighed in at 18 lbs. 2 oz. and is 27 1/2 inches long. He did amazing for his shots and hopefully they won't affect him too much later today. Our nurse does a great job giving shots--she has me hold him on one of my legs and then she straddles that leg and holds his legs with hers... then I cuddle him and hold his arms. If you can understand all that... Afterwords I nurse him right away and he does great.
So, Carsten is (this is really for my own records as well as your enjoyment)...

• Sitting up
• Rolling as a mode of transportation (he can get anywhere he wants by rolling!)
• With one tooth and another on the way
• Waving when waved at (somewhat randomly still, but very cute when he does)
• Not eating any food yet--don't know when I'll start that business
• Still sleeping great at night and takes 3 naps a day.
  

Now, for Reese... Let's see...
These pictures were when I was trying to get him to cross his eyes for a picture. He was supposed to be looking at the straw on his cup when I took the picture, but he was being uncooperative.

Reese is...

• An amazing talker--he adds new words to his vocabulary every day.
• A good brother--he is constantly loving on Carsten and is willing to do most anything for him.
• Still carrying a hammer everywhere--EVERYWHERE. We cannot leave the house without one and we must have one for bed and nap.
• Getting himself dressed
• Singing all day
• Amazingly polite--the other day he told me, "Thank you to knowing my clothes were dirty mommy." He said this after asking me if they were dirty.
• Still acting like a two year old most days, but the positives outweigh the negatives!
  

First Tooth...

Our little Carsten's first tooth broke the surface on Monday. You have to click on these pictures and see them big to get a glimpse... The only symptom he seems to have is that he wants to nurse more. He is the same happy guy that he always is.

New hats...

My cousin's wife made hats for the boys... They should be nice and warm the rest of the winter!

New Year's Weekend...

Well, we went to Bob and Wendy's this weekend to see Callie... We had a great time and got to see Nelson and Chad as well.








New Year's Eve we went to some friends and there were three babies right around the same age. Carsten is one month older than the other two. Chloe is in the middle and then Zachary is on the right.


I guess the moms were a little crazy trying to get all three babies smiling at once...









Reese's new buddy... Tika. Actually Nelson's dog, but she seemed to adopt Reese and Carsten while we were there. She was very protective of them.

And... Chad and Callie.

We celebrated Jim's 35th while we were there... Reese thought the *never blow out* candles were great!