Mimicking

I forgot to add, that on my birthday, we started waving to Carson and he waved back. He doesn't do it all of the time, but I know that he is starting to mimic a lot of things that we do.

Lately we've been trying to teach him "Uh oh". When he drops a toy off of his highchair, he looks for it on the floor and then looks at me, and then back at the toy, waiting for me to say, "Uh oh". Then after a few rounds of fun, he'll look at it and when I don't answer right a way he says, "uh uh". So, he's getting there. It's so fun. It's incredible how fast they learn. One day they don't crawl, the next they do! He still isn't crawling yet, but he's pulling himself up on things onto his knees. He needs to figure the rest of it out and he will soon.

I'm 23

Today is my birthday…and Gina’s. We had an awesome day. Not only did my work give me the day off, Gina’s work gave her the day off as well. We asked for money from my parents to go clothes shopping. I haven't done that since before I was pregnant. Although the lingering baby weight was depressing, it was a lot of fun and we found really good deals and we each brought home quite a bit of clothes. We are quite the bargain shoppers. Then we got home and we each went our separate ways.

I mentioned to Dave a few months ago that I love seafood and I wish that he would take me to Red Lobster, and I got my wish. Most expensive meal ever! We won't be going there again any time soon, even though the food was soooo sooo good....for me. Dave was an awesome sport to take me there. He likes seafood, but not as much as I do.

Gina got a cricut for her birthday. In ways I am very jealous because it is so cool! I would love one. In other ways, I just want the Memory Mixer because I hate making messes and I am so impatient with things that I end up throwing barely started projects across the room. Just ask Dave. She also got some money from my parents.

I got a jogging stroller. Way cool! It has an ipod hookup with speakers on it. Now I hope I use it! I just need to get motivated, but I think hating the fact that I am getting HUGE is a good motivation for me. I also got some Disney movies. I love them! I can't help it! I also got some money for shopping and Peggy and Randy got me the box set of ANNE OF GREEN GABLES!!! I LOVE THOSE MOVIES!! I want to start watching the 13 hour series, but first I got to find the time.

I have to say I had an awesome time turning 23!

Carson's First Easter

Easter was very fun and exciting for Dave and me because it was Carson’s first Easter. We got him a basket with some food and a binki clip so he could keep his binki with him and not drop it all of the time. As some of you know, Carson has not taken a binki yet. If you hold his hands down away from his face, he’ll suck on it, but when you let go he brings his hands back up and takes that binki out of his mouth and turns it all around and chomps on it. He is so funny. I think he got that from me. I hate sucking on things like hard candy. I always bite into it. I like chewing on things and keeping me mouth and hands busy.

Well, back to Carson’s Easter. We say the Tickle Me Elmo Extreme and it was on clearance. We wanted to get it for him for Christmas, but they are 50 percent off now, so I am glad we waited. I think this toy is actually for Carson’s Dad, even though I get a kick out of it too. Carson just sits and stares at it.

My sister and brother in law got him this adorable Easter outfit for church. They knew I was sad because I meant to get him a suit at Sam’s Club, but they sold out. So she bought him this adorable sweater instead. Carson looks so good in light colors. It totally brings out his coloring in his face. Blondes look good in pastels. My parents got him some cute polos. One is orange and the other is green. They also to him a shirt that says "Hanging With My Peeps" and it has baby chickens on it. Cute cute! They also got him Lightning McQueen pajamas, which Carson is in desperate need of.

We also got Carson a walker. He is to that point where he refuses to crawl, but is still trying, yet he pulls himself up on things and stands there for long periods of time. He loves to walk! He gets a kick out of it, so we bought him the walker. I can’t wait until he figures it out.

It was a very fun Easter, even though Carson and I were a little bit under the weather, but it was nice. We ate with Nana, Papa, Aunt Noel and Uncle Andrew. It was a fun time for us as parents.

Goblin Valley

Two years ago, Dave and I went with his family to Goblin Valley the Saturday before Easter. So this year Dave’s family thought it would be fun to go again. I feel so bad. With Carson having croup and me not feeling 100% up to par, we had a hard time deciding if we were going to go. We woke up that morning knowing that we would regret not going and spending time with his family. We always feel that we don’t get to see them enough as it is. We went and Dave missed the turn off, so we got to Green River, knowing that we had passed it. It was a good thing that we got to Green River at the right time because Carson was getting really tired of being in the car. We spent the right amount of time there as well because Carson wasn’t feeling well, and neither was I. We were there about 45 minutes and I forgot it takes about 3 hours to get there, so it was a lot of time in the car. Yet, every minute was worth it. I know we would’ve had nothing else to do that day and it was fun being able to do something different. It was fun seeing all of the kids get really excited about rocks. Oh, to be a kid again. It really is the perfect place for kids to run and climb around. Next year, if Dave’s family decides to go, it will be really fun because Carson will be able to walk around on his own for a bit.

Uh-oh

Today you said "Uh-oh" for your first time! We love you and are so proud of you Carson!

The Temple

I was very happy that Dave and I got to go to the Jordan River Temple to do a session with the adults in Dave’s family. Doug and Angela, Randy and Peggy and Dave and I all went. It was really hard for me to go. I had a really hard day at work that day and we definitely not in the mood to go. I wasn’t feeling well because I started to get sick and I just wanted to be lazy that night. I knew that Satan worked on me really hard and didn’t want me or Dave to go. I am glad I pushed through my horrible mood and went because it made me feel so much better. It made Dave and I feel a little bit closer together because we had both been apart taking care of Carson all week long. The temple sure is a place of love and beauty.

Croup Plus Teething Equals One Poor Little Boy

I had no idea that the first word of my title even existed until Carson decided to obtain it from somewhere. This week is what I would like to call “The Week from Hell”. After going to work on Monday, my sister had told me how grumpy Carson was. She called me once during that day in a panic telling me that she couldn’t get him to calm down. The word “teething” came to my mind and told her to give him some teething tablets. Well, the moment I got home from work, he never quit fussing. I had a long day at work, so I had Dave help me get him to bed that night and he would not let us put him down at all! About 7 minutes after putting him down, he would start to scream. Dave and I were up all night trying to figure out what we could do. We gave him Motrin and Tylenol. We did what we could. He started his fever around 2 in the morning. Nothing was working! Dave finally got him to go to sleep around 4 in the morning. Dave was sweet and let me try to get some rest for work the next day. Dave went to school and I thought he went to work, but he actually stayed home with him for the rest of the day. I got home off of work at 5. I wish I would’ve told Dave to take him to the doctor, but we thought it was his teeth.

Well, that night was another long night for Carson, yet my parent’s took him for most of the second night to help us out. It got worse. Bright green goop was coming from his eyes and you could not get his nose to stop running either. Again, he was up all night screaming and crying. All my parents could do was hold him. I got a call early the next morning from my mom to come quick and call the doctor. I got him in later on in the afternoon and it was diagnosed as Croup. He was given a shot of dexamethasone which is a steroid to open up his airway. The doctor told me that it should take affect in 6 hours. It was nice because Carson slept a while after he received his shot, so we got some rest as well. After he woke up, again the screaming continued. I tried feeding him some food and he was still screaming. All of the sudden, the word “hydration” came to mind. I ran out the door. I grabbed Pedialyte, Gatorade and Propel. The only thing he would drink was Propel. I have never seen a baby drink Propel so fast from it’s original bottle. Carson guzzled it down and the screaming and crying stopped, but he was still a little fussy. I knew the Holy Ghost helped me that night. I was praying on the way to the store, asking Heavenly Father for revelation and I had already received it. I was so blind. I am grateful that I had some help.

Dave and my dad gave him a blessing and the fussing stopped immediately after. Although that night, I was up with him until five in the morning. I stayed at my parent’s house so Dave could get some rest. He has been uphill since then. Dave and I are even on the mend…well, I have started to get sick, but I have things I can do to help me. I wouldn’t wish this on anybody.

We love being Carson’s parents. Although it was a hard week, it was worth it. Spending time with him and holding him all night is something you don’t get to do very often…which is a good thing, but it was nice to be a hero to someone.

The Easter Bunny

Today we took Carson to see the Easter Bunny. My sister Gina works at Harmon's so she always tells us about their upcoming events. When she told me that they were having pictures with the Easter Bunny, Dave and I had to give it a shot.

I actually thought that he would be more frightened with the Easter Bunny than he was with Santa, but Carson didn't seem to mind. He was a really good sport. Carson is doing well. He is getting fevers with his top tooth teething experience and is a very fussy boy, but when that motrin kicks in, he is back to his happy ole self.

It's Time Again

Well, Carson has been chomping, drooling and crying, so I guess we all know what that means. Carson is getting his top two front teeth. They look like they are about to pop out at the same time, so it will be fun to see which one comes in first. The tip of both of them are showing right now, so mom and dad can't wait until they both cut. Then we'll have our happy boy back once again. Yet, as I am typing this, he is in the background laughing at funny noises his daddy is making.

We are going to Maile's (our niece) birthday this Friday. We are so excited to see the Park family. We really don't get to see Dave's side of the family as much as we would like. I think if I didn't live with my sister and my parents didn't babysit for me for work, I bet we would see them about as much as the Park family.

We are so excited that Carson is getting his two front teeth! His bottom two already add so much character to his cute little face as it is.

Update On The Park Family

Okay, I feel horrible about not being able to blog very much anymore, but we moved in with my sister and brother-in-law, so we don't have the Internet. I am working 3 days a week now. With working and being a mom, it's hard to find some time to come down to my parents and use my laptop here to blog, but I remembered my computer before I left for work this morning, so I am glad that I can hurry and catch you all up on what's going on with the Park's. I am currently work Mondays at Jordan Valley and Tuesdays and Fridays at Utah Surgical Center. I am still trying to decide about which place to work at, but working at both has been okay so far. I don't like working 3 days a week with being a full-time mom, but it's nice to get out of the house at least 1 or 2 days a week, but 3 is too hard. It's just early. I am not a morning person...unless it's waking up to my baby.

Dave is still treading through school. He just got through with his midterms two weeks ago, and feel that he is doing well. Of coarse, he is still working at Usana and he still really likes it there. He is so busy. I feel like I never see him.

We went to the Little America this past Friday and spent the night just to have a little getaway. It was hard leaving Carson for the first time, but he went through a week where he was waking up at least 6 to 8 times a night. The room Carson is staying in has a light dimmer, so we can dim the light and leaving it on and we used to have the humidifier going every night for him, so we turned that on and he is sleeping really well. He sleeps from 10-5 and then we feed him, but he goes back to bed until 8:30, so that's nice. I really don't even think he needs the bottle. We've been able to get him back to sleep before we get the bottle ready for him, but we just pop it in his mouth, but that needs to stop because we need to wean him off of that.

Living with Gina and Beau has gotten a lot better. I think I was just homesick for the first few days, but we are adjusting well. We feel really welcome there and it's been nice having people there to help with Carson and my sister and I have a lot of fun when we both have the same day off. Dave is so busy that he is hardly there, except for the weekends. We try to keep our stuff out of the way and try to help them with the chores and stuff. We keep calling to see if there has been any apartments opening up, but still there hasn't been anything yet. We hope to hear something soon though!

Everything is going well. We are pretty much up to the same stuff. We are just happy to have a roof over our head and we are still having fun being parents!

When Dad Feeds Carson...

Dave can blame it all on how bad Carson hates carrots and prunes all he wants to, but I would have to say that this happens quite frequently when Dad feeds him...just kidding. Carson does not like carrots and he wasn't too excited about prunes either. Yet one day he will be ecstatic about one food and the next time you feed it to him, he won't like it as much. He really likes the tropical fruit medley, but he only likes it cold. He loves the banana orange medley. I think that is his favorite. He hates the vanilla custard. It's funny though because he cringes every time the vanilla custard goes into his mouth, but he opens his mouth for more. He likes the usual, sweet potatoes, banana's, garden veggies, etc. He doesn't really like applesauce though. He is funny. I love how he already has his little personality and food preferences.

Carson's Great Grandpa Logan

To start my story, I thought I would go into a little history my Grandpas. My Grandma has been married 3 times. Her first husband's name was Burt Noorda. They had two kids, my uncles Steve and Rick. He went to WWII and died by jumping on a grenade, saving a bunch of people. Even though I never knew him, I still admire him and love that story. Then she married my grandpa, Burton "Bud" Unck. Together they had my dad and four other uncles of mine, Dave, Norm, John, and Glen. Seven boys! Then my Grandpa passed away due to heart conditions. Russell M. Nelson operated on his heart. I love listening to him speak at conference time knowing he was one of the many people who helped my Grandpa. Then, she met Kenneth Logan. He is the only Grandpa I have ever known. My mom's dad passed away when I was only 2, so I don't remember him at all. Grandpa Logan is from Pennsylvania. He is so smart! He always told me stories of his home growing up. He even wrote books about his life and they are all published and in hardback. I have always wanted to read them. Anyways, a few weeks ago my mom called me up and told me some bad news. My Grandpa was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and to top it off, they also diagnosed him with Alzheimer's disease as well.

The good news is that a couple of days ago, my mom called me up and said that Grandpa Logan's doctor said his MRI showed that he had a stroke, which has been causing dementia. He still has Parkinson's disease to a certain extent.

I am grateful that it isn't as horrible as we thought. When we went up there the last Sunday in February, he was really alert and he had lots of nice things to say about Carson. He has been a really fun Grandpa. We have gone on many trips to Moab with him and they were all a blast. He knows everything there is to know about Moab. He has taken us on many trails that I never knew existed before. He is 96 years old and still going strong. He has been an awesome Grandpa to our family for the past 27 years! We love Grandpa Logan!

Rolling Over

Carson has officially learned how to roll over from his back onto his stomach today. We were at family home evening at Nana and Papa's house and when everyone went home, he rolled over. He can only do that if he rolls to the left. He is almost getting ready to crawl. He gets on his hands and knees and he rocks back and forth because he is ready to go. So, he is in that stage where he is a little frustrated and he'll quit sometimes and just roll over onto his back again. It's stll amazing how fast they learn things though. We are so proud of him, even though 2 people at the hosptial that have kids about a week older than Carson and they are already crawling...oh well...we are still proud of our boy! He is so full of surprises. We love our little boy!

His Little Corner

Carson is so funny! There is a corner on the Beau and Gina's couch that you can set Carson down on and he will get so comfy, he falls asleep with ease. Usually we have to rock and bounce Carson to sleep or put him in front of his music box, but not on this couch. Some things kids do.