Surgery Update

Carlisle had a new set of tubes put in and his adenoids removed yesterday. He did he really good, the surgery went well, and other than being mad when they woke him up after the procedure, he has not really acted like he just had surgery.

He slept through the night and is in great spirits this morning.

Thank you to all for the thoughts and prayers.

Latest Happenings

Its been awhile since my last post, and Carlisle is growing and changing so fast. We spent a few days at the beach Labor day weekend, and Carlisle took his first boat ride on Lake Murray on Labor Day with his friend Henry. He loves the water and sand and enjoyed cruising on the boat.

Carlisle's ears- well, after suffering yet another ear infection, we've been to the ENT who recommended Carlisle get another set of tubes and have his adenoids removed. He is having this done on Wednesday, so please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

Carlisle is walking more and more. I need to get it on video, but every time we pull the video camera out, he just stops and stares. He is nervous to let go of your hand, but if he isn't really paying attention he walks 10-15 steps without realizing it. I am expecting him to let go and just take off any minute.

Carlisle's favorite toys right now are the following: a rocking horse at school, pots and pans, his melissa and doug puzzle that makes animal noises, and books. His favorite activities include riding in the stroller (or shopping cart at Target), being pushed around in his wagon, swinging on Henry's swingset, or sitting in his rocking chair by himself having the chair rocked. We may have to start hiding his stroller because he has started to try and climb into it when he sees it and then whines when we try to remove him from it.

Here are couple of pictures:
Playing on the beach:



Carlisle cruising on the boat:

Carlisle and Henry cruising:


This is Carlisle sitting in Raleigh's bed reading his book. Raleigh, our dog, was not happy about this at all.

Wagon Time

Carlisle got a radio flyer wagon for his birhtday. He loves to push it around and especially loves to sit in it and have someone push him around. Henry came to play and the boys loved to push each other around- and in Henry's case, run the wagon around.

Another Ear Infection

I have not posted too much about Carlisle's trouble with his ears, however I need some advice. Carlisle has struggled with ear infections since he was born. It is a joke in our family that we are on a first name basis with our pediatrician, because we see him at least once a month due to Carlisle's ear infections. Carlisle got tubes and we thought that had done the trick... However, we only made it about a month without an ear infection. Luckily, for the most part, the ear infections do not bother Carlisle. He does not run a fever and is not fussy. We know he has an ear infection only because his tubes cause fluid to leak from his ears.

Carlisle went back to the doctor today due to the fact that both of his ears had begun to leak. The doctor confirmed- another ear infection (in both ears). Our pediatrician has said it is time to re-visit the ENT to discuss next step... Anyone who has dealt with this after tubes- any advice?

Birthday Details and Latest Updates

Carlisle's birthday was several weeks ago, but I wanted to do a post about what we did on his birthday and a little on his small birthday party- mainly so I will remember and so I will have it when I turn this blog into his baby book.

On his actual birthday, Carlisle went to school as normal and then we took him out to dinner at Casa Linda. We then came home, opened presents and gave him a cupcake. He was way over the cupcake though and barely touched it.

Carlisle with his presents from us- he got a chair, a swing, a water/sand table, and a singing cookie jar.







Here he is with his cupcake:

This was the extent of him eating the cupcake:


The Sunday after his birthday we had a small gathering to celebrate his birthday. It was nice party, and Carlisle had a great time. I had a giraffe theme because Carlisle loves giraffes. Here are some shots:

I put together all of his monthly shots and displayed them on the mantel:


Giraffe flower arrangement:


Each of the kids attending his party took home a pop-up book (the book was about a turtle but it had a giraffe on the cover and one of the pop-ups was a huge giraffe)



His cake:


Eating cake:


Opening presents:

Stats

Carlisle had his One Year check up today. He looked good and did pretty well with his immunizations. Here are his stats:

Weight: 21 lbs 2 oz. (30th percentile)
Height: 31 inches (80th percentile)
Head Circumference: 18 5/8 inches (80th percentile).

I am going to do a long post about Carlisle's birthday and his party but wanted to go ahead and put a couple of pictures up:

Excited about cake:


Enjoying his cake:



His birthday outfit:



The kids playing in the ottoman- who knew a piece of furniture could be so fun!



Carlisle and Henry playing at the splash/sand table.

One Today!

One year ago:


And today:


Dear Carlisle,
It is hard to believe that it has been one year since you entered our family. We could not have been more blessed. You are an amazing little boy who makes us so incredibly happy. Here is a little bit about your first year:
1. You are very laid back. You take everything in stride and adapt to any situation very easily.
2. You are an excellent sleeper.
2. Your favorite books are Goodnight Moon, That's Not My Monster and your new favorite- Pat the Bunny.
3. Your favorite foods are blueberries, green beans, and yo baby yogurt. You are a good eater, but do not really like meat yet. You also really liked baby food and we just recently were able to wean you off of it.
4. Your favorite activity is to chase Raleigh around the house.
5. You do not like being on your stomach. Thus, you really don't crawl. You scoot.
6. You want to walk but are nervous to let go of our hands. You push your toys around the house, and can walk holding onto one hand, but you are not quite ready to take off.
7. You love a camera. You will stop whatever you are doing when you see the camera and give a huge smile.
8. You love to be outside and watch all the birds and squirrels.
9. You talk all day long. You seem to have your own language. The words we can make out are: babba (bottle); daaaag (dog); mama; dadda, baawl (ball) and hi.
10. You love to clap and have just started to wave bye bye.
11. You have had some health issues- ear infections, RSV, reflux, gotten tubes, had a stomach bug and had hand/foot/mouth. However, even with these issues, you didn't let it dampen your spirits.
12. You seem to favor your left hand.
13. Your favorite song is if your happy and you know it clap your hands. Even if you are upset and I start singing that song, you will immediately start smiling.
14. You love your bath.
15. You are currently obsessed with Raleigh's food and water dish, the refrigerator, and the cabinet doors.
16. You hate to wear shoes.
17. You no longer like to sit still to get your diaper changed or get dressed.
18. You love to hang out with your cousins DJ and Tony, and your friends Henry and Ward, and all of your friends from school. You also had a blast with your cousins Finley and Roan while at the beach.
19. Your current favorite trick is to take a bite of your food and then "share" a piece with Raleigh. You will even pretend to put the food in your mouth and then when you think we are not looking, you will toss it to Raleigh.
20. You love strings and cords and mom's necklaces.
21. Your absolute favorite "toy" is your Yanni's David Yurman bracelet- no other bracelet holds your attention like her Yurman! Your other favorite "toys" include all electronics- laptop, cellphone, blackberry, cordless phone, remote control, etc...
22. You have your top 2 and bottom 2 teeth and you have 4 more coming in.
23. You like to brush your teeth as long as mom sings the tooth brush song.
24. You like to ride in your stroller and love to stroll in a buggy through Target.
25. You love to pull hair and take off people's hats.
26. You are very quick with a smile.
27. You are a good napper at home (twice a day), but at school, you have started taking one long nap a day.
28. You like to bang your head into things- leaving nice bruises on your forehead.
29. Your favorite restaurant is Casa Linda. They are very nice to you and bring the food quickly so you don't have to wait too long to eat. And you really like their chips.

You are amazing to watch and you constantly change and grow each day. We love you so very much and thank God every day for you.

Love,
Mom and Dad