I beg to differ...

I don't think they look alike. So, you can decide for yourself. All photos were taken at four months.

Emma...

Carson...

Emma...

Carson...

I am sure that by now you've got the pattern down :)

I smell like maple syrup...

So, before I tell you why, I'll tell you how this came to be...

I've figured out that I better document now, because for some reason it is so hard to remember everything "baby." You know, you ask a fellow mom, "How old was he when..." or "How many naps did he take when..." or "How much did he eat when..." and they look at you like you've completely lost your mind. So, I document mainly for myself, and for anyone interested in reading, so here it goes...

It all started last week. It was the week that Carson was to turn five months old. I was beginning to think that my milk supply was diminishing. Rob was out of town. The timing is always that way isn't it? So, instead of freaking out, I gave it a few days.

Carson let me know by screaming that he wasn't exactly full, and so the journey began.

This also happened to be the same week that I decided that the paci had to go. He was waking up multiple times a night, and Rob or I would have to make the trek across the hall to give it back to him. I still had hopes of one day returning to our bedroom, but it wouldn't be until he was sleeping through the night, unassisted :)

So, being the mean person that I am, I took his paci away. I knew it would only take a few days to break him, and I am a firm believer that the few days of pain is well worth the long term blissfulness of a sleeping baby.

He was also used to being swaddled, arms tucked away, and since I felt guilty that I took his "soother/paci" away, I thought it might be nice if he had his hands to suck on. So, I took the swaddle away too.

Then, I realized that he needed more awake time, so I began working towards stretching him to a 3.5 hour routine, with the ultimate goal being a 4 hour routine.

No paci. No swaddle. New routine. No Rob. No milk.

Delightful!

It was an awful week to say the least. I'll spare you all of the details, but just know that by his five month birthday, I was in tears over my milk supply.

After talking to a few good friends, a few "middle of the night" feedings, a trip to GNC, a trip to Whole Foods, O.D. ing on herbal supplements, and a date with my pump after every feeding, I can now feed my child. Which, let me tell you is a wonderful, wonderful thing.

I had to work really hard to build my milk supply back up. It was well earned, and for the life of me, I really can't tell you exactly "why" it happened in the first place. Was it a growth spurt, my cold from a couple of weeks ago, my cut in calories, just a fluke? The list could go on for days...

So, I spent the beginning portion of this week working back towards the 3.5 hour routine, and everything else in between. I was terrified that all of the drama disrupted his "sleeping through the night," but I am happy to report that the last two nights, Carson hasn't woken up once.

He goes to sleep without his paci, sleeps through the night, but still loves the swaddle. So, swaddle it is. I guess he likes not having access to his hands. Rob and I have even made our way back to our master bedroom.

Have you figured out why I smell like a giant pancake yet? It was the herbal supplements. The smell was unbelievable. You would have thought I took a pancake, dripping in syrup, and smeared it all over my body.

Rob thought it was hilarious.

I was just grateful for my milk.

And, it's not the milk that goes with stack of pancakes either.

brother & sister

Well, she loves him for sure. And, the baby doll? Well, she makes baby number three for me. We bathe her, feed her, and she uses all of Carson's baby gear. I never knew I would have to share my stuff with a plastic doll. Notice the silly bands in the photo please. They are quite the hot item at our house these days.

We fianlly got Carson to enjoy the pool.

As long as he is in the shade and in warm water...

He is good!

His lashes are unbelievable.

And, I think he is just too cute for words.

She's quite a mess these days. She named her baby Rojo. Rojo Douglas. I laughed until I cried when she first told me her name. I guess Dora has influenced her.

And the swim trunks. We've never had mini-swim trunks in our house. It is so fun!

four months old

And, I love him to pieces! I can't believe how fast his first year is just flying by. I find myself wondering if it's even possible to slow things down :) As I look back at his fourth month, here are the highlights...

We maintained the three hour schedule for most all of his fourth month, with feedings at 7 am, 10 am, 1 pm, 4 pm, around 6 or 7 pm, and 10 pm, naps at 8:30 am, 11:30 am, 2:30 pm, and one cat nap around 5pm. He's still sleeping all night, but does wake up for his paci and has to be swaddled. Please don't judge :) Because of the paci replacing, we are still sleeping upstairs...

Towards the end of the month, I did notice that he was in need of more "awake" time, so I was beginning to think about working towards a three and a half hour schedule. Note to self, that I should have done this sooner :) He is usually all smiles and has kept his baby blues, which are just beautiful!

I've discovered that he is truly a "paci" baby and wants nothing to do with sucking his thumb or fingers. It's so interesting to me how different siblings can be.

We are working on tummy time, although his head is proof that he hates it. It is flat, and as usual, I am worried.

I was anticipating him rolling, sometime this month. Emma rolled at four and a half months, so I was patiently waiting....

Carson did find his feet this month, which is always a fun milestone. Now, he has two toys with him at all times :) And, he did finally decide to roll (from his back to his tummy) on July 17th, the day before his five month birthday. I guess he wanted to squeeze the rolling milestone somewhere into his fourth month. Well, he waited until the very last possible moment. Kind of humorous, don't you think? Has the sibling competition already begun?

He is so much fun to hang out with, and I love making him laugh. I think a baby's laugh is quite possibly the sweetest sound in the entire world. Don't you?

recipes, reunion, random thoughts & recovering

Here's my latest and most used recipe. It's oatmeal bars for breakfast. A good friend brought them to me right after Carson was born. She brought both dinner and breakfast, which was so appreciated! There's no better gift for a new mom than a meal or a clean house :) Emma calls them "opie meal bars." I adjusted the original recipe a bit, cutting out the oil and making them a little less crumbly for Miss Emma. I usually make a pan every Sunday afternoon, and that's breakfast for our family for the whole week. Here it goes...

Mix:

2 eggs

1/2 cup applesauce or cinnamon applesauce

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups milk

1 T cinnamon

1 T vanilla

Mix the above in a large bowl. Then add 4 cups old-fashioned oats, 1 chopped apple, and 2/3 cup raisins. You can even add a handful of chopped almonds or walnuts, if you wish. Spread evenly into a greased 13X9 pan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Refrigerate after it cools.

About two weeks ago, Emma visited her best friend's farm. She brought home eggs from the chickens and picked a watermelon, tomatoes, carrots, onions, and peppers from the garden.

I still think she was a farm girl in a past life :) I didn't get to go, but would love to go next time. Sometimes the simple life sounds so nice.

We had a mini reunion at my house last week. My mom, sister Lindy, cousin Coco, Aunt Marg, and Aunt Char came for a visit. Getting to see everybody was quite a treat. Everyone lives so far apart these days that our time together is so limited. Rob was in Seattle for most of the week that they were here, so it was all girls, plus Carson :)

The week didn't quite turn out how I had planned... For starters, I came down with a cold/sore throat/cough/aching all over. It was delightful! It's been over 10 days since it hit, and I am so grateful to be feeling some better. So, I was sick for their visit and the hurricane hit :) We had big plans to hang out at the Splash Pad, play outside, and feed the ducks with all of the aunts and cousins, but the pouring rain kept us stuck inside with alternative plans.

We did do some shopping, and I got to go without my children, which is always a huge treat for me :) We did some eating, some visiting, some margarita-ing and some painting! Once Carson was born, I was convinced that I had retired my paintbrush forever :)

They all helped me paint my bedroom, and I was ever so grateful. I would have never tackled it by myself with two kiddos, so I was thrilled to have their help. Aunt Marg and I did most of the painting, but everyone else helped with the kids, cooking, etc. It took a village to say the least.

I am ashamed to say that I don't have one photo from our week together. I think that the cold had me in the "don't do anything that you don't absolutely have to" mode. So, the camera remained put away. There were five other adults in the house, so maybe some of y'all got photos? If so, I would love to have them!

I did say recipes, so here's our latest~Eggplant Parmesan. My Aunt Charlotte brought me eggplant that she had grown in her very own garden, and I was so excited to cook with them. I used this recipe, but made some modifications. I breaded the first batch of the eggplant with Emma, and then my enlisted team finished the rest...

It was messy, but well worth the effort. The roasted red pepper tomato sauce was divine and will be my spaghetti sauce recipe forever. Rob said it was the very best marinara that he had ever had :) It's always good when they approve isn't it? The only shortcut that I took for the marina part was using the jarred roasted sweet peppers. As for the eggplant part, I used store bought breadcrumbs (some regular and some panko) and baked the eggplant, instead of frying it. Here are their finger in all of their gooiness...

And here are my faves. I should have a four month post of our little fellow coming soon. I am already wishing that he had either a "pause" or "rewind" button. He is just so precious and growing oh so fast.