Houston. . .I think. . .I liked you!

Lots and lots of updating.  Here is the first one.

For Presidents Day Weekend (yes the four day from last month!) Carl and I flew to Houston.  This was Carl's first flight!  He did amazing.  And since momma is such a cheapo it took a really long time to get there.  Had a few stops on the way there.  But he did great.  He slept a little bit of the way and then played the rest.  Best compliment ever that was not directed at us; (couple getting off of plane) "Wow, I didn't even know a baby was on the plane!"

When we landed at Hobby we made our way over to get our rental car (an hour later) we loaded up in this!

Never again will I rent from Advantage (paid way more than I was supposed to and didn't even get the car I reserved) at Advantage they pride in taking advantage of their customers.

Anywho, Houston was amazing.  In the seventies and some humidity!  I went running a couple of days and I found it rather enjoyable, more so than Portland!

Loved seeing my brother and stepmomma and Carl loved all the attention from Grandma and Uncle D.

We enjoyed watching my brother inhale a fried twinkie (yuck!)

We enjoyed some funnel cake for ourselves. Yes Carl had some funnel cake and I do believe he was in heaven!!!

Carl enjoyed some bathtimes with Grandma! Momma did some shopping at Old Town Spring, Galveston,and the Galleria. Oh how I love shopping!

I would like to interject right here and say that the whole time we were there Carl and I practically lived in shirts and shorts.  It was weird seeing people from there wearing jeans and jackets.  Especially at the beach.

Galveston was awesome.  Went to the Strand and did some shopping there.  I bought myself the best bottled water, in a glass bottle from Norway!! YUM!!!  It tasted soooooooo pure!

Carl got a free toy because he was just so darn cute!

After some time at the Strand and filling up with some yummy food at the Spot, we made our way down to the beach. And Carl was just so cute. Enjoy the following pics taken all at the beach!

From there we headed over to Kemah!!!!  The little brother and I went on the roller coaster while Carl hung out with Grandma and Juan. 

This picture here gives the best representation of Carl's time in Houston. Hanging out with Grandma and getting all the food he could possibly want!!! :)

Houston was amazing. Great food and great people. Traffic was crazy and reckless but I can't wait to go back again. Not because of the funnel cakes, shopping, or the Gulf. Because of them!! I love and miss them already and can't wait to see them again and hopefully next time my little seester can be there too!!

Percentile down!!!

So last month, about four weeks ago (I have been terrible at updating), Carl had a check up with Jeni (Dr. Wheby's amazing assistant, love her, love them both). 

When we walked into the office the ladies were so shocked to see him so big!  And of course Carl was all smiles and flirtatious. 

Dr. Wheby was able to see him for a second and she commented that she could tell he was looking really good.  I am telling you, Dr. Wheby is like the Yoda of neurosurgery!  Anyways Jeni came in and checked him out.  She conducted milestone checks, reflexes, etc.  Then came the head measurement; *drumroll please*

87%

This means that his body is essentially growing into his head.  Before the hydrocephalus his body was pretty proportioned, 10% across the board.  After the diagnosis it was at 95% but the shunt placement wouldn't shrink his head back down.  We pretty much had to wait for this moment.  Jeni let us know that we will most likely see this trend for the next year while he is growing. 

We are so blessed for this victory!  With a hydrocephalus diagnosis we take it day by day, but for now we are resting in the blessing of perfect health!!

1, 2, 3, 4 , 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. . .10!!! TEN!!!

Carl is ten months old!! (back on the 26th)  It is difficult to wrap my head around the idea that in two months my little boy will be turning ONE!!

So what has Carl been up to the last month?  MOVING!!  He has long mastered rolling and crawling so he moves extremely fast and there is no sense in corralling him since he just moves what is in his way!  The days of being able to clean and accomplish a lot are long gone.  But I pray soon we will transition into "help mommy" stage.  I am also learning there is no such thing as baby proofing!  We did some basics; electrical plugs, and moving heavy stuff on the lower book shelves to different areas, and making sure there is nothing that can hurt him seriously is within his reach.  But that is about all that we can do. We have dogs and I have resolved myself into knowing and accepting that Carl will get hairy, no matter how much I vacuum.  As he is growing I am trying to let go of little things.  It's is HARD!!!

The past month or should say the last few days Carl is learning how to take steps.  When holding him up he now takes steps and he has learned that if the ground is smooth he can just scoot his feet out and slide!  He loves it!

Carl is pretty much eating whatever (no not steak).  He has those two little teeths and his gums I am sure are made of steel so he is good at chewing and eating.  He is really good at EATING!  He loves to eat all the time.  So I am quite surprised that he is the 10th percentile in weight! In addition to eating food he is still nursing!  So talk about quite the food intake! 

This past month Carl had his first fall, and of course it happened with me and it about gave me a heart attack. My son while in my watch with me right next to him fell off the changing table!  He cried for a few seconds but was fine and long recovered before my heartbeat stabilized!  It made me realize that everything in a child's life happens in a SPLIT second!  And I am preparing myself for the next 18 years of bumps, bruises, and scrapes.  And if you know who is father is; there will be lots of those!

I think the scale is lying!

A little over a week ago Mr. Carl had his nine month old well baby appointment.  The most exciting part of the appointments is to get the measurements.  I was rather shocked to see the scale saying Carl only weighs 18.2 lbs.  He seems so much heavier!  The appointment was supposed to be low key.  Just a check up and no shots.  That is what I told Carl.  But since we are flying to Houston next month to see Grandma and Uncle D, I went ahead with the flu shot.  So now I am the mom that lied to her child.  But Carl didn't seemed phase.  It was only the one little poke and there were no tears!!  He let out a little bit of a whine but then went back to his giggly smiling self!

So as far as the weight goes he dropped a bit on the scale.  From 25th to 10th percentile.  But there are no concerns because Carl loves to eat and he eats all the time.  Along with eating he is a mover.  He keeps mama moving!   And he keeps us laughing! 

Christmas Weekend

I just want to say this Christmas by far was the best Christmas ever!!!  (except for the Christmas that Jesus was born, of course!)

What made it awesome was not the gifts or food.  What made it awesome was the feeling inside my heart, and family.

I am so thankful for my husband, and son.  When I was opening presents Christmas morning with John and Carl I was filled with joy, peace, and happiness.  All the little and big blessings we received this past year was brought into remembrance.  I wouldn't want to re-do this past year, but God was faithful and brought us through many trials.  That morning we opened presents and laughed and it was an amazing to feeling watch our son sit there with innocence in his eyes as he was presented with gifts and the best gift of all was his health.  Last year we were scared and nervous not knowing if our precious boy would be okay.  But God walked us through it all.  That was the best gift of all.

After opening Christmas presents that morning we went to the Claxtons (John's sister) for some yummy Christmas dinner.  And I got to hang out with some of the funniest kids ever.  I got to teach Alex the politically correct word for individuals without homes is homeless not "hobos".  And I taught Lucy a new kind of praise, "Hallelujah" and "Preach it Pastor".  She was super cute!

Christmas continued on Sunday.  We got to celebrate with some of John's cousins and aunts at the Vander Schaaf's.  Gotta here the best stories (thank you Karla), and enjoyed some amazing food (the trifle was amazing (good job Reed and Bridget).

And then I got to wrap up the weekend celebrating Kabbiba's 30th birthday bash!!!

I have the best family and amazing friends.  And being able to celebrate Christmas with the ones I love was a blessing.  There was many I didn't get to celebrate with, but they were in my thoughts!

I pray everyone had an amazing Christmas weekend, and I pray we can keep the Spirit for the days, months, and years to come!

Only Three More Months!!!

Carl is NINE MONTHS OLD!!!  Where has the time gone?  Since it is going by quickly I know I need to get on to planning the 1st BIRTHDAY PARTY.  But in the mean time I am going to enjoy every second with this little guy.

•  He is about 18 lbs.  We get mixed comments of "Oh he is so big", or "He is so tiny".  I think he is pretty heavy, but I have to trot him around. :)
• He loves to eat!  His food consists of baby food, regular food, boobie food; with him anything goes.
• He is a good napper.  I put him down and he plays for a second then he is out like a light.  When it is time to wake up he greets me with a little giggle and a smile.  Then of course he wants to snuggle with me for a bit.
• He "crawls" all over the place.  (His crawl consists of a low prone army crawl)
• He has one tooth that has broken through, it peeks out just a bit.  Can't wait to see that toothy grin!
• Speaking of grins, he likes to grin with his tongue out.  (The best pic of this eludes me, but trust me I will capture it!)
• He talks alot!!!  He babbles (likes to say Da Da, working on Ma Ma) and will just make random noises.  He used to just do it at home, but now he is very loud almost everywhere.
•  He wants my constant attention, this is a blessing and a curse.  But I love it!

What a sharp tooth you do have!

Finally, finally, finally!  Carl's first tooth has broken through!!!  There is still a lot more going on in that little mouth of his, but it has finally cut through.  This journey has been a long one.

Our journey for teeth started back in August.  There was the little sign of drool, then he wanted to chew on everything, and every so often when he would nurse he thought it would be a good idea to try and gum me!!!  He learned very quickly that was not part of the plan.  But these little signs brought nothing.  Then there were the days when his gum would swell up but a few days later he would be fine.

Then there was the Saturday after Thanksgiving (and the night before) he was miserable!!  He was up most of the night crying and he spent that morning and early afternoon crying unless he was held constantly.  This was so stressful due to it being Friendsgiving.  But we survived.  And I thought his tooth would have broken through that weekend or following week, but no dice!

And for the next few weeks he was okay, there would be moments his gums would bother him but he soothed with frozen blueberries (they are his favorite!)

There is still more journey to come, and I know it won't be that pleasant but today made me happy to see and feel that tooth break through.  And yes it is sharp, thankfully no issues with nursing yet, so hopefully you will start to see pics of toothy grin from Carl soon.

But for now you get this. 

November You Have Treated Us Well

This has been an amazing month!!!  It has been a busy one.  We took another trip to John Day to see John's mom.  Fortunately she still remembers who John is, and for me she just looks at me.  Now that we have Carl she looks at him the whole time.  This visit Carl was very interested in her and he kept trying to take her blanket.  That got her to laugh a little bit.  In addition to seeing Grandma Lois, Carl got to hang out with two other amazing people, Uncle Nick and Aunt Linda!  We all love getting together with them.  They got Carl his first toy tractor!  We spent the afternoon hanging out and talking.  Aunt Linda held Carl while John made him laugh, and Uncle Nick and I talked sports!  I sure do love seeing them.

Then two weeks later we took a trip to Seattle.  I love visiting Seattle because the trip usually means I am seeing my family.  That weekend I got to see my step-momma!!!  It has been a few years and I was so happy to see her.  And I know she was excited to see me and her mom and brother and sister, but I am sure she was most excited about meeting her grandson. :)  He sure did love her.  At lunch they just talked and laughed.  That weekend was definitely a cold one for Seattle.  That wind was very arcticky (I know not a word.)  So Carl was all bundled up the first time this year!

That following week was definitely a cold one here for us in Portland.  I was hoping for snow, but we only got a dusting and then it was freezing temps for a few days.  Carl hung out inside while I braved public transportation for the commute.  It was packed!! Nobody wanted to drive themselves into work.

Then of course we are wrapping up the rest of the month with one of best holidays ever; THANKSGIVING!!!  A holiday where we get to be gluttons for just a day, or in my case two days. LOL!  Seriously though, I loved Thanksgiving this year!  I think having a child puts a new spin on the holidays.  You are definitely filled with more excitement and joy.  I have a lot to be thankful for this holiday.  I have a little boy that brings so much joy into our lives.  And I am so thankful for the doctors and medical technology that exists today that have saved my son.  And I continually pray they find a cure for hydrocephalus.  I am also thankful for John.  He is such an amazing husband.  At times in our marriage it has been hard, but he is my best friend and I look forward to each new day with him and the years to come.  We have been together for six years now.  The Monday after Thanksgiving marks when we first started dating.

This year we went to Kayleen's for the feast.  We enjoyed food and games.  My nephews sure did crack me up with their antics over Catchphrase!  Then as a big group we played Apples to Apples Bible Edition.  Miguel and Kayleen were trying to own that game.  The last time I let them sit next to each other! LOL!

This face just cracked me up!

We had another Thanksgiving hosted at our house.  I call it Friendsgiving.  Since my house is small we only had a few friends over and it was last minute.  So I am hoping next year it is bigger.  This was my first turkey that I made and Giada De Laurentiis from Food Network provided the amazing recipe for it!!  It was so moist and yummy!!!  Definitely making it for the years to come.  Carl did not have any turkey but he enjoyed some yummy rolls and potatoes and then proceeded to fall asleep in mid meal.  It was pretty cute!

The Friday after Thanksgiving I bought Carl a couple of Christmas presents.  Thank you Black Friday specials, and Friday also marked Carl's 8 month mark.  I can't believe he is getting so big!!! I can't even begin to guess what he weighs now.  I do know he is about 26 inches or longer.  He sits up now all by himself.  He is almost crawling.  Right now he practically gets up in a push up position.  It is quite humorous.  He is also an eating machine!  When we eat he wants to eat.  When we're not eating he wants to eat.  He is nursing, and eating food.  He is feeding himself for the most part.  And of course he is moving all over the place and talking up a storm!  The sad part of this month has been teething.  He has been teething the last few months, but now it has kicked up a notch.  The night before Friendsgiving Carl was up all night!  He was so miserable and nothing seemed to soothe him.  The teeth started showing themselves but the gum is covering them up again!!!  Poor guy.  But he is still as cute as ever even in the midst of teething pain!

The day of Friendsgiving.  He was miserable, up all night and crying most of the day.

Daddy was exhausted too!

The best way to wrap up the busy month was seeing Santa Claus!!  Carl didn't fuss or cry.  He didn't really smile either.  He looked more intrigued.  He was more excited about the Christmas Tree and the lights.  So there will be a lot of Christmas festivities for us to do this year!  I CAN'T WAIT!!!

I love love love this picture!

It happened again!!

Yep life got busy and I neglected the public by not posting updates.  The joys of life!!!  So there are few things I would love to share with you!  Some are short some are long.  Instead of doing separate blog postings I will just have five different sections!  Neither section really relates to one another except they all relate to the Driskill family's life.  So read the whole thing or read whatever section you would like.  It will go as follows; Utah trip, 99 mph, He Really is 7 Months, Halloween,  and Kicking off November.

Utah Trip
Back on the 14th I took a "quick" drive down to Utah where I spent the weekend.  It was my first time back there since having Carl.  It was the first time my sisters, grandma, and great grandma got to meet Mr. Carl.  I was also able to squeeze in some short visits with my buddies Shay and Peter.  The trip went by in a whirlwind.  I filled my trip with food!  Leatherby's, Best Burger, Training Table, and Dee's.  I was sad that I was not able to hit up some other Utah faves.  I have this rule when I go anywhere outside of Portland I will only eat food that I can't get there.  So Utah is full of places that I can go to.  Besides eating I went and saw my grandma, and great grandma.  I love those women to pieces!!!  And before leaving Utah my sister Brandi and I took our kiddos to go do pictures.  Below are some quick pictures of the visit and the professional ones too.

Meeting his GG for the first time (great-grandma)

Codi and Carl  (CC Cousins)

My grandma with her great-grandbabies.

Three generations

Carl and Aunt Nikki

How ferocious!

Rawr!

Brandi and I and our kiddos!

99 MPH

Life is going going and going.  When I open my eyes it isn't a day that has past it is months!  That is what it feels like anyway.  I started my new job the end of September as a Social Worker.  I only work two days a week, but I love it.  And in the future I do hope it will be more.  But right now it is perfect.  The days I don't work Carl and I spend going to Indoor Park and Book Babies.  It is quite interesting to see how social he is. When I am not filling my days with work and family I am trying to spend my time with my hobby of photography.   This is my favorite of October!

Working on a quote for this. . .

He Really is 7 Months Old!
On October 26th Carl turned 7 months.  Everyday he is doing something new.  He makes everyone laugh and smile and it is crazy to think that our world existed without him.  At night as I am putting him to bed I will just stare at him and I know that God has something amazing planned for him that I can't even begin to daydream about it.

So what is Mr. Carl up to?  He is rolling everywhere.  We can't turn our back on him, if we do he has moved several feet.  One day I went into the kitchen and when I came back out he was gone.  It definitely gave my heart quite a jump.  I quickly found that he had rolled underneath the coffee table.  When I found him he gave out a big squeal of delight he thought it was the funniest thing.

In addition to rolling over Carl is rather talkative.  He loves to babble and he is possibly saying Da Da.  I say possibly because he will say it whenever, but when John goes to grab him or says hi, he does say Da Da.  It is rather cute!!!

He almost has his two bottom teeth.  His bottom gum is super swollen and those teeth will break through any day now.  I do feel bad though because it appears to be absolutely miserable.  He isn't too fussy because of it but there are times when he cries and cries with no comfort. 

So stay tuned to for an update on his pearly whites!


Halloween
Carl's first Halloween!!  Definitely not a night full of trick or treating but the weekend was exciting and makes me look forward to next year's Halloween.  We went to the Pumpkin Patch on Sauvie Island with John's Aunt Marcia and Uncle Dick.  It was super fun.  We got there before the weather was crappy.  We went on a hayride and picked out some pretty good pumpkins!  Before we left we enjoyed some pulled pork sandwiches and an elephant ear!

After the pumpkin patch we went back to their place to carve some pumpkins and eat the pumpkin seeds!  It was a great start the weekend.  Later that day instead of dragging my hubby to a Halloween Party I took him out on our first date since having Carl.  We enjoyed dinner and then after a nice drive through the city we decided we were old and ready to go home.  So we stopped at the grocery store and picked up some goodies then went home.

This year there was no trick or treating but Carl still had a costume.  Enjoy the pictures.

Definitely looking forward to the rest of the year.  Carl's first Thanksgiving and Christmas is just right around the corner!!!!