Happy Birthday, Carson!: Eight Years of Parenthood

Eight years ago today we became parents. Our rainbow baby, Carson, was born on a Sunday morning just before Sunday School was starting. If you don't know what a rainbow baby is, it is the baby born after a previous loss (such as, in my case, a miscarriage). Like all my pregnancies, the first one was a surprise. I was not planning to become a mother yet, and I was caught off guard. Once I was over my initial shock, I got really excited about it. Unfortunately, well, it wasn't going to happen that time. But that experience showed me just how much I really wanted to have a baby. It changed me in many ways and helped me mature and be ready for the next time. But nothing could have prepared me for this journey of motherhood I am on now. I look at these smiling faces in this picture and barely can remember how blissfully unaware we were of what was to come. Just a few days later we would receive a call that altered our reality, the call about PKU. It was rough at first, but we became pros at the whole diet control thing. Then just a few years down the road we ended up on a totally new path when we found out Carson has autism. Two devastating blows to our rainbow dreams. But here we are, 8 years later, walking hand in hand through this incredible journey with the most precious soul God could have created. I know everyone that knows him well completely adores him. I also know most people only see the best days and the best posts on facebook and the best photos. But please know that our journey is not all sunshine and roses and happy smiles. It is hard. And some days Carson and I both shed lots of tears. The happy smiles and sunshine and roses are what makes it worth the tears and the screaming and the hard times. I just hope that I can help someone else by being honest about our struggles. Hold your head up high and know that you are never alone in whatever you face. God is with us and sends His angels to us when we need them, sometimes in the form of family or friends or a song or even a post on facebook.

Thank you to everyone who has wished Carson a happy birthday today. I know EVERYONE in the whole school knew what today was!! LOL He is the sweetest, kindest, most loving and funniest little guy and I love him to pieces! I am SO proud of all he accomplishes by overcoming his obstacles on a daily basis. I am eternally thankful for all the angels God puts in our path who help him, or as I call them, our "team". We have teachers and therapists and nutritionists and doctors and FAMILY and friends...all who are AWESOME and special to us! God has truly blessed us in every way and given us everything we need to help Carson reach his fullest potential. It isn't easy most days. It has taken hard work to get where we are and that will continue. We are up for the challenge!

Happiest of happy birthdays to my wonderful baby boy Carson Allen!!!

Friday Fun: Random Silliness!

At the end of a very stressful week, it sure is nice to look back at all the pictures and at least remember the silly times that made me laugh!


Hello? 

The Cow and the Chicken are Maggie's favorite buddies.  She frequently gives us collections of things to hold, so this is Daddy's animal collection.

Wearing Nanny's glasses

Photography by Carson...at Walmart (Papa Steve, you made the blog!  or at least, part of you did!  lol)

Inspecting a lady bug...and talking to it

Why do boys always have to spit?

Bouncy castle fun at the autism support group picnic

Socks are my least favorite part of laundry

Icing fight with my brother on my birthday

Happy Birthday Mommy!!!

Here, put these on

Another Carson masterpiece.  Apparently, bugs can smile and say "Cheese!", because that's what Carson said when he took this picture.

TGIF!!!  Everyone have a great weekend! 

Carson's Third Birthday...with Friends

Wow! I can't believe Carson is already 3!!! Carson's third year of life was yet another year of ups and downs. During this year, Carson presented with a delay in his speech and had to go through much testing. He had his hearing tested, his speech, language, and cognition tested, and even a blood test on some of his genes. The only action being taken at this time is that he was enrolled in the Early Intervention program to receive speech therapy. A therapist came to our home and worked with Carson every 2 weeks until his recent birthday. Now we are waiting for the school system to take over his therapy on a weekly basis.

Carson's Second Birthday

This year Carson's birthday was a little less crazy, but still alot of fun. I decided to have a party just for the kids, my friends who have children close to his age. Then on his actual birthday I had some of the immediate family over for cake and ice cream.


Saturday, August 13th, was the day we had Carson's "friend" party. I wanted it to be small and simple, since it was my first party with kids and I had just found out a month before that I was pregnant again! LOL! I didn't want to overdo it. I just wanted to see how it would be and if I could do it. I wanted to have all the stuff I knew Carson liked to play with, so I chose the Beach Monkey theme. We had beach balls, bubbles, and balloons, three of Carson's favorite things. We also had it outdoors at our house, another first, and had a kiddie pool with a palm tree in the middle that cascaded water from it, and of course he loved that (running water, that is!). It seemed like all the kids had a great time.


For snacks, I made all low-protein foods that Carson and Noah could share with us. I made low protein chocolate and butterscotch chip cookies (which were the biggest hit), low protein tortilla chips for the boys and salsa (store bought), and a Chex party mix from Rice Chex, gluten-free pretzel sticks, and low protein bread cubes. I also attempted to make ice cream from coconut milk, but this is a work in progress. I still didn't get it sweet enough. Shaunna's boy, Lucas, picked up right away that it didn't taste the same. But he loved the Chex mix!

A big thanks to all who came and helped Carson celebrate and have fun at his first kids' party: Shaunna, Lucas, and Callie; LouLou and Chloe; and the Martins, Jimmy, Julie, Cady, Anna, and Noah. We had a great time and hope you did too!





The Three 2-year-old Amigos: Noah, Callie, and Carson


Callie teaching Noah how to blow bubbles


Noah and Carson enjoying some favorites: balloons, bubbles, and of course, cookies!


Showing the love: Thank you for coming to my party Noah! As Carson would now say, "Aww..."


The men (Daddy and Jimmy, Noah's daddy) chasing the beach balls as a storm is blowing up


And for the final entertainment of the day, Marty will demonstrate for the Martin family how to feed grasshoppers to his pet garden spider! EWW!!!

On Carson's actual birthday, August 16th, some of the immediate family came over and had cake and some ice cream and brought Carson presents. We were blessed to have Uncle Eric home with us and he was able to come and visit. Carson was thrilled...just look at the expression on his face when he first saw him! We miss Uncle Eric so much!!!
Others who came were Granny and Pops, Nanny, Nana and PawPaw, and Uncle Jason. I made Carson's low protein cake again and did maybe a slightly better job of decorating it this time, but nothing fancy. It also had a better texture and tasted better this year. I am growing into my role as Carson's low protein chef!


Carson enjoyed looking at his food through the balloons


Carson's favorite new toy that sings his favorite lullaby. He sleeps with his "Elmie" every night.


PawPaw showing Carson the new Johnny Tractor book Granny got him, which is now his favorite of all time and we have read it 10,000 times!


"What's in that BIG box?"


Carson supervising PawPaw and Dada putting together his new slide


Always the engineer: Carson has to see how everything works, including where the bubbles come from on his Bubble Mater!


It's also fun to make someone else do the work, Uncle Eric, so I can see the bubbles!


Enjoying the new slide


A beautiful sunset at the house giving a nice ending to a very happy birthday!

Carson's First Year

And what a year it has been! Full of ups and downs...mostly ups. It flew by but at the same time it feels like he's been here forever. Strange isn't it?

As I reflect on the first year of Carson's life, my thoughts of course immediately go to PKU. As much as you try to make life adapt to your new normal and not make it a big deal, it becomes that much more an important part of every day life. I spend alot of time planning and researching and shopping, even just thinking about things Carson can eat and things he will need in the future. I make it a priority in my life so hopefully it will be easier for him when he gets older. Even so, this is something I LOVE doing. I am enjoying every minute of it, and I do not view it as a burden at all. It is fun for me to shop for things and try new foods, and I am going to try to make it fun for him too. Just like every other part of life, I see it as an adventure. We have all come a long way from crying in that doctor's office; now our visits to the clinic are spent chasing Carson around the room!

Babies grow SO fast and make such tremendous leaps in development their first year. It has been a miracle for me to actually witness this for the first time. It seems like just yesterday I could lay Carson down for a nap on the couch and not even worry about him rolling off, and now he can get himself down and walk away! I suppose the main step he hasn't made so far is talking. No actual words yet, just babble. But like everything else we've been through, I know he will do it when he gets good and ready.

One of the neatest things about Carson's first year of life is how many places he has been. Marty made the comment one time that Carson has been to more states in his first 9 months than many people have ever been in their whole lifetime! That's true. I know that he will never remember it, but we have lots of pictures and videos to show him when he gets older, as proof! So far Carson has been to Texas, Utah, New Mexico, Wyoming, South Dakota, Colorado, and Florida. He has seen the Alamo, Yellowstone National Park, Mt. Rushmore, the Badlands, Crazy Horse, the Rocky Mountains, and a Gulf Coast Beach. That sure is alot of traveling for one little guy! I look forward to the future and hope that we will get to take him to many, many more places.


For Carson's first birthday party, I tried to keep it as small as I could and invite only immediate family. On his birthday, Monday, August 16th, 2010, I grilled a Carson-friendly meal and made a low-protein birthday cake.
We had grilled squash, zucchini, carrots, and pineapple; white rice with strawberry pineapple salsa, and jerk chicken (only thing not Carson-friendly). Carson still ate mostly baby food, so he tasted of some of the rice, but nothing else. He of course played in his cake, but did not eat any of it. Those in attendance were Nana and PawPaw, Granny and Pops, Nanny, and Uncle Jason.










The weekend just before Carson's birhtday, we had celebrations with other sides of the family too.
On Saturday, August 14, we had a get-together at Papa Steve and Glenda's with Grandmother, Uncle Eric (who was home visiting...yea!), Aunt Nissa and cousins Ellie and Parker (who just moved back from Texas...yea again!). We got to swim in the pool, which is Carson's favorite thing (water)
and Parker taught Carson how to climb a step.



On Sunday, August 15, 2010, we went to Papa Green and Nanny Judy's after church with Granny and Pops, Uncle Darwin, and cousin Caleb.




All in all, it was a very eventful birthday weekend...a fitting way to wrap up Carson's First Year.

To Carson, I want to say Mommy loves you very much. We are so blessed to have a little boy like you. You are the sunshine in our lives that lights up every day. God made you perfect no matter what anyone else may say. I'm so thankful for our first year together and thankful that I get to be your Mommy. I am having so much fun and I enjoy every minute I get to take care of you. I pray for God to always bless you, keep you safe, happy, and healthy. I love you! Happy First Birthday!