Carson Anthony: 14 Months!

Carson is officially 14 months young!  The other day someone asked how old he was and my husband responded "1!"  I had to explain to him that we still go by months and he was like "I know, but I really feel like he's still just 12 months, time is flying!"  He's so right!

What Carson Loves Right Now: 

-Carson loves going down his slide.  Just recently learned how to go down without any help and he loves it!  He claps the whole way down and is so proud of himself!

-Carson also still loves balls.  We keep 2-3 in the car to keep him entertained while we're on the road and we have more than plenty at home as well.  He is really starting to get good at kicking and throwing the balls and he can also make baskets with his basketball hoop from Grammy!

-Carson still loves his blankie.  Every night we read a few stories in his glider and I always hang his blankie on the side of his crib.  He always reaches over and grabs it before we start reading.  

-Giving kisses and high-fives!  Carson loves to give kisses to things in books.  He especially loves to kiss the babies in his Baby Colors book!  He grabs it before bed every night and specifically loves kissing the purple baby.  I think he has his first crush.  ;)  He rarely gives one high five when you ask, he gives 2-4 and always with a huge smile!
-Carson also loves to dance.  He turns music on puppy toy and will start to dance right away.  He'll also dance to his baby/toddler music CD's, music on the TV, and even music he hears when we're out and about.  He seems to love the music they play at Kroger and the workers there love watching him dance!  :)
-Carson's favorite foods this month would probably be peaches and nectarines.  They've had a good supply of organic fruit at our grocery store and every time I bring home peaches or nectarines Carson can't get enough!
-Carson still loves our dogs.  He loves to chase them and terrorize play with them.  When we leave the house, I keep them in a smaller area so they don't have free roam of the entire house.  I've started to push their gate shut without latching it closed.  When we get home I tell Carson "let the dogs out" and he runs over and pushes open their gate and cracks up as they run out to greet him.  I love it!
-Lately in this hot, hot weather, Carson has been loving playing in the water!  Whether we're at the pool, a splash pad, or playing in our backyard, this kid is definitely a water baby!

What I Love Right Now: I'm loving how Carson seems to learn something new EVERY day.  It's crazy how their little minds are so absorbent.  He is literally like a sponge!  One thing I really love is when he is walking and reaches up for my hand.  Talk about melting my heart!  I also love watching him clap for himself with excitement when he figures something out.  Lately he's becoming a little cocky and claps after doing ANYTHING.  The other day he put a puzzle piece in the wrong spot, clapped with a huge grin on his face, and ran on to the next activity.  At least he'll have a good self-esteem, right!?  His personality is developing more and more each day.  I love his way of communicating with me - sometimes words, sometimes signs, sometimes gestures....ALWAYS cute!   

Some of our Biggest Struggles: I think our biggest "struggle" right now is that Carson is a daredevil and risk taker and I'm an over-worrier.  Not a great combination!  He loves running full speed and doesn't always watch where he's going.  He climbs on anything and everything.  He HATES when I try to stop him and turns into a screaming wet noodle.  I wouldn't consider this as much of a struggle as a energy-drainer for me!  He's definitely active and I get a LOT of comments like "Wow, he never stops, does he?!" and "He's go-go-go!"  I can't say I disagree with those people and even though it wears me out every day, it makes our lives very fun and interesting!

Exciting Milestones: Carson has started doing the sign for "all done"/"all gone".  Just like his sign for "more", he does his own version.  It looks a little like a shoulder shrug with palms facing up.  Almost like "huh?!" but it's adorable.  Carson also has learned how to make an elephant noise!  Talk about learning the hardest noise first!  I always make all of the animal noises when we're playing with toys and reading books.  The other day we were working on his animal puzzle and he picked up the elephant piece and made the sound.  I seriously about cried.  Too stinking cute!

Signing "all gone"

Carson went to his first parade for the 4th of July!  He loved it even though it started to rain towards the end.  He's a big fan of people watching and he loved walking around before the parade started.  

Physical Changes: Carson got his FIFTH haircut yesterday!  When we walked into the salon they were all excited "ohhh, we love first haircuts!"  I had to burst their bubble and tell them it was definitely not his first.  :)  Carson is also becoming more coordinated with his large muscle movements.  His walking is almost always running now and he is able to mimic simple things like arms up, marching movements, etc.  His 6th tooth should be coming through any day now...the gums are very hard but it hasn't popped through yet.

Things We're Looking Forward To: I'm still looking forward to Carson's speech developing more.  Lately he seems to get a bit frustrated when I can't figure out what he wants and I'm very anxious for him to be able to communicate what he wants!  My planner is full of playdates and fun activities so I'm also really looking foward to those!  Here's a look at some of our upcoming activities: pool, music class, splash pad, play cafe, zoo, library story times, children's museum.  Talk about FUN!  


This weekend we're going to my Dad's lake house in Michigan for our annual family reunion.  We took Carson last year when he was just 2 months old so I'm SO excited to take him back this year and see what he thinks of the cottage, the boat, and the water!  Here's a picture from last year: