Happy Halloween!

Below are some pics of Carson in his Halloween costume....his look says it all....he is wondering if his mother's brains have gone to grass. Seriously mom?? People dress up like monkeys and travel to the homes of strangers, begging for candy? Only in America!

Plans for today include a Teenie Weenie Halloweenie party at St. Rose hospital with all of Carson's baby friends from our mom's group. Later we will be going to Town Square to their Halloween party when Jason gets off of work. We'll see if the monkey costume lasts the day....or if we have to switch to Kobe Bryant. :)

What a little pumpkin!

Smiles and ears

Here's our man in his ears....practicing for Halloween!

A wonderful visit

My mom was here this past weekend and we had the best time. Carson loves his grandmas and it was so fun for him to spend time with one of them this weekend. We spent most of our time at home....just being dudes....now that we have Carson to entertain us, no show in Vegas can compete with the fun we experience when he is making us laugh. Carson is into everything these days! He is grabbing objects and pulling them into his mouth like crazy. He's definitely an explorer...we may rename him Christopher Columbus. :) He gurgles and goos all day long and it is hilarious. He is able to "swim" from one toy to the next and he can sit alone for quite awhile before he topples over. Once mobility comes into the picture, I have a feeling we are going to have a major busy body on our hands! Also this week, Carson has taken his belly laughing to a new level. He laughed the entire way home from the mall yesterday with his Grandma. For some reason, Grandma C. and Jason can make this boy giggle like no other.

Carson and his Grandma - They are totally buddies. Thanks to my mom for the best visit!!

Playing in his Baby Einstein...Carson is so dang happy playing in there.

With Daddy in his Kobe jersey...If the monkey costume doesn't work out, Carson will be mini-Kobe for Halloween. I mean....they really look alike, don't they??

Below is a sample of the giggles we are getting these days.....Sorry for the retarded camera work at the beginning....it cleans up nicely afterwards. I'll stick to my day job...camera work is clearly not my strongest skill. :)

What's new!

Carson has a couple of new skills. Yesterday he rolled from his back to his front for the first time! His other new fave thing is squealing. It sounds like we have a bird in our house! He shrieks this extremely high pitched shriek and it is completely hilarious. Also, Carson has learned to fall asleep completely on his own. He is becoming such a big boy that he no longer needs to be rocked to sleep all the time. I can't believe he's almost 6 months old. We are going to Whole Foods today to get some new foods for Carson. This week we are going to try pumpkin, butternut squash, and apples.... Some fall flavors for our little buddy!

Never too old for a little JT...

Jason took me to see "Justin Timberlake and Friends" on Friday night as a 30th birthday present. What a husband I have! We had dinner at Koi at the Planet Hollywood first and were joined by good friends and fellow music lovers Rob and Sandy Kouchoukos. I stood next to Robin Leach at the bar (Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous? Luxurious!) and we saw Simon Cowell's girlfriend, Terri Seymour, at the restaurant. Those were the only celeb sightings of the night, other than the concert, which was attended by JT, Rhianna, 50 Cent, Boyz II Men, Adam Levine, and, last but not least, the Jonas Brothers (who, Sandy pointed out, we are more or less old enough to be the parents of). One of the reasons that we love living in Vegas is all the shows that we have access to. I get regular opportunities to see JT....what could be better?!?

Rob and Jason take in the Jonas Brothers...immediately after this was taken, they proceeded to the bar. :)

At Koi

I think Sandy and I danced the entire time. Hopefully we didn't embarrass our husbands too much. It was our second time seeing JT together...Sandy smooth talked our way into his concert at House of Blues in 2006.

Just another day at the valet at PH.

For my fellow JT lovers...a sampling of his duet with Adam Levine of Maroon 5. It's a rough life...someone's gotta do it!

Not sleepin'

This is a picture from one of Carson's scheduled naps yesterday.

His smile is to say....Dream on, Mom! I ain't sleepin' worth a darn.

Sometimes this boy just will. not. nap. during the day!

I think his brain is too busy sorting out all the new things he is learning.

On the way to New Jersey...

Carson ate some prunes this week. Not because he wanted to.....but because he had to. Since beginning to eat several new foods lately, there was a bit of a....ahem.....delay in the food processing center also known as Carson's butt. In order to keep things moving, we decided to give Mr. Stinky Fish some prunes. And sure enough, Carson took a big New Jersey the very next day.

FYI, I have learned since becoming a mother that the discussion of the baby's bathrooming habits are fair game conversation pieces. Or maybe I think it's fair game, but it's really not? As the CEO of Carson's life, these activities are a major part of my day. Ahhh, yes.....I went from ear wax to poop! Such a glam life I lead! :)

Carson takes Huntington Beach!

Here are some pics from our fabulous trip to Huntington Beach this weekend to see our good friends Deana and Jason. Carson was perfect the whole weekend - he loves traveling and loved his accomodations at the Bickler house. We had an amazing time!

Above: Carson, Daddy, and Jason - his buddy

Our next house. :)

Carson enjoying the Pacific Ocean

Enjoying time with Dad on Deana and Jason's patio.

We went out on Friday night, sans Carson, to a restaurant in Newport called Javier's...Jason's sister Joanna was nice enough to babysit for us. We loved the restaurant and loved the people watching...It was fun to get out and enjoy an authentic SoCal scene (including Cougar watching!)

Carson LOVES Deana. They did raspberries to each other all weekend. :)

Strolling along the PCH with Dad.

He loves Mummy

We're having a great October so far here in the desert. The weather has turned around and it feels so good to go out for walks during the day without feeling like you have 100 hair dryers blowing on you at all times. October is always a gorgeous month here in Vegas.

We just wrapped up a weekend visit with Carson's Grandma Barbie and it was fabulous. Carson had so much fun playing with her, as always! Next weekend, we are road tripping to Huntington Beach, CA to see our good friends Deana and Jason Bickler. It will be the Stinky Fish's first trip to the beach! The weekend after that, we have a visit coming from Carson's Grandma Caryn. What a fun month of adventures for our little guy!

While Carson's girlfriend Avery lives in Spain, he hangs out with his other girlfriend, Angelina, who lives down the street from us. Angelina and Carson met in breastfeeding class and have been good buddies ever since. They've now slept through a couple of closely supervised dates....you've gotta watch kids these days....:)

Carson and his Grandma - Thanks for the wonderful visit Barb! We loved having you here with us!

Now that it's October, we are busting out our Halloween outfits. Here Carson models his "I Love Mummy" outfit from Auntie Lisa Kasten, including mummy booties on his feet. Could he be any cuter, really?

In other developments this week, I got together with my neighbor Courtnee on Sunday and we made our own baby food. As a result, Carson now eats sweet potatoes, with avocados next on the list of foods for him to try. So far, he has loved everything he's tasted. Also, this weekend brought the arrival of yet another bottom tooth in his mouth. This one must really hurt because he has been fussy for a few days now. Poor guy! His room is now stocked with baby orajel, teething tablets, and baby tylenol. But even his "bad" days are my best days ever! We love this little munchkin more than words could ever say!!

Nanners

Carson's first taste of bananas. Loved 'em!

5 months old!

Incredibly, Carson turns five months old tomorrow. He has amassed an amazing number of skills in the last few weeks. He has learned to belly laugh, sit alone (for 30 seconds or so), and pull hair and necklaces. He is still quite the little orator and gives several speeches a day about various issues. Carson loves his oatmeal cereal, though it has made what comes out his other end quite smelly! This month we are going to try some new foods to complement nursing, so we are looking forward to that.

Here are some photos of Carson's latest adventures.

We eat books.

Watching sports with Dad....He has a beer....I have some toes!

A surprise visit this week from Grandma Barbie and Auntie Jenny! What a lucky guy!