Carson - 11 Months

Stats:
Weight: 20.2 lbs.
Height:

• Carson is so feisty. She has flipped a switch in the last week or so where she will throw a little mini tantrum if she doesn't get what she wants. Also, if we tell her no or move her hand away from something, she swats at us. We've also both taken a few slaps to the face. Not sure if they were completely intentional....yet.
• She literally puts everything into her mouth. Everything. It is a full time job.
• Carson and Reed have a love/hate relationship. She is either in awe of him and whatever he is doing or she is really angry at him and trying to bite or hit him.
• She is a pretty good eater, although I think it's time for me to give up the easiness of the pouches and go straight to all table food for her. She's ready. Time for me to get ready. She loves blueberries, which is no surprise considering her brother loved blueberries as well. She absolutely devoured a few pieces of watermelon the other night....she's definitely kin to her Nana.
• She does not like it if I put her down and walk away. Nope, not at all. She screams like a crazy person.
• She flew on her first airplane a couple days before her 11 month birthday. She screamed a good amount of the flughts. Oops! (She is currently snoozing on the flight home....let's hope it stays that way or at least she wakes up in a good mood. ; ))
• She is so close to walking. We just knew that she would start walking while we were in St. Thomas but no such luck. I am sure it will be soon though. She has taken a few steps.
• She loves to play ball. She will throw/roll it to you if you roll it to her.
• She has recently started waking up every morning around 6:30. Yikes! Go back to sleeping until 7:30 or 8, sweet girl! She is still asleep in the evening by 7:30.
• She says dada and sometimes mama. Mama is more like mamamamama. She also says "hi" and "hey" and I swear that she sometimes says "hi dada" when Chris enters the room. She is definitely starting to pick up on other things as we are hearing more and more sounds from her. She will be talking our ears off like her brother before we know it.
• She loves to wave and flirt with anyone and everyone that gives her attention. She really is a ham.
• She gets mistaken for a little boy all the time. Doesn't help that almost everything we have, car seat, stroller, etc are gender neutral. I also don't dress her in all pink all the time. Throws people off. If only she would wear a bow. She likes to eat them instead of wearing them. Sigh.
• She loves bathtime. If the water is running, she wants to get in. She has even started trying to climb over the side of the tub to get in. Sometimes she ends up trying to climb out of the tub by the end though, because she doesn't like when we dump water over her head.
• She is literally into everything. She can pull the outlet covers out and she is all about opening every cabinet and drawer. 

Grandmother

My precious Grandmother, Mary Frances Hardeman, passed away last Saturday evening with my dad, her son, by her side. To say that she was a wonderful lady is a complete understatement. She was extraordinary, especially to those who knew her best.

Here are a few things that standout to me about my wonderful Grandmother.

My Grandmother loved, loved, loved her family more than anything. And we loved her so!

My Grandmother absolutely loved to travel with my Granddaddy. They traveled all over the world, mainly on cruises. I believe their favorite part of the cruise vacation was the chance to dress up and dance in the evening. My grandmother and grandfather were so smooth on the dance floor. They must have certainly been the envy of all those around them. 

My Grandmother was also always very well put together and so very pretty.

My Grandmother and Granddaddy lived just down the street from us growing up. My brother and I spent lots of time going back and forth from our house to theirs. My Grandmother's absolute favorite story to tell was of the time I woke up and thought my brother and I were home alone and we walked to her house approximately 1/4 mile from home. I was probably 4 or 5 and my brother was 1 or 2. Eek!

My Grandmother also loved to sing to me and my kiddos "down the road boys, down the road boys, down the road". Her sister would sing this to me as a baby and I would dance away, so she loved to sing it to Reed and Carson and watch them dance.

My Grandmother was never one to let anyone go hungry. If you came to her house, you were definitely going to be offered something to eat and drink. My aunt mentioned at her funeral that was probably the reason she stayed so skinny all those years, because she was always feeding others.

I have honestly struggled to find all the right words to truly convey who my Grandmother was and all she meant to me. The pastor at her funeral said that my grandmother was empowering and it totally clicked for me. She made me feel so special and loved. She continuously encouraged me no matter what I was doing and always, always made me feel like the very best mom to my children. I can only imagine that's how she made everyone else around her feel. We were so blessed to have her in our lives. I can only hope to be half the blessing she was to me to all those in my life. I certainly want to leave a legacy similar to hers. She has left a gaping hole in our family, but we can hold on to the wonderful hope that we have Jesus that we will be reunited again one day.

The below pictures I took on the last day that I saw my Grandmother awake. This was the last time she spoke to me or looked at me. The last time she held and talked to my kiddos. I am so glad we had these moments. Her and the kids were singing Pat-A-Cake. : )