Christmas Eve Eve was spent at our house with Uncle Teddy, Uncle Jay, and Mac (Eddy). Carson had a blast opening his gifts and the hit of Christmas was the Weeble Tree House from Bo and Jay! He missed his BB since she was at home in Louisville sick.
Ok, I admit it, I'm a slacker! It's been a pretty crazy few months for us mainly because Carson has been sick every other week, or so it seems! I apologize for not being more on top of things lately so this is going to be an update on what we've been doing lately.
Thanksgiving was a wonderful, relaxing experience for us. Carson was finally over RSV so Jason, Carson, Maggie and I went to Townsend, TN to the Maple Leaf Lodge, www.mapleleaflodge.com. It was so nice just hanging out and not having anywhere to go! Carson enjoyed his first 
Thanksgiving where he was able to eat real food! Of course Carson didn't care that it was Thanksgiving, he just wanted to EAT. He's doing wonderful with all the baby signs that related to food!
We tried and tried to get the perfect Christmas card picture but at this age, it just isn't possible. By now you've all received the card so you know how it turned out. Not to be left out, Maggie also had her own photo
shoot. It's amazing how much she doesn't change year to year. Can you believe it's taken me 10 year to realize that?
Carson enjoyed his first visit with Santa this year and surprisingly he didn't cry as many kids do.
Merry Christmas from our family to yours!!!
With Love,
Jason, Holly, Carson and Maggie
Happy Halloween from Carson Bennett Winn!!!
Carson enjoyed his first experience trick or treating although it was very short lived. He only went to two houses. I love this picture of him walking up the walk for the first time in his costume. He was so excited that when he dropped his bag he didn't even notice it. As you can see, Carson was a frog and Maggie was a construction worker. After all these years of dressing up, Maggie still hates it! Carson did enjoy creating the trick or treaters at our house. Carson Beck (aka, "the other Carson") came over for a few hours and the boys had fun playing.
Sickness hit the Winn family hard this month. First Carson came down with croup which turned into an ear infection which finally turned into pneumonia! We spent one night at Vanderbilt Children's hospital a few weeks ago. As you will see in the attached pictures (from my camera phone), Carson and I slept together in his baby crib. He's really become attached to his mama these past few weeks. Carson is finally on the road to recovery. His doctor suggested keeping him home from day care this week just to make sure his immune system was better before exposing him to more "daycare" germs. Carson takes a breathing treatment every four hours to help keep his lungs clear.
This week, as I was off taking care of Carson, I got sick too. I just knew I had the flu and there wasn't much that could be done about it but after a few days of still feeling bad, I finally went to the doctor and boy and I'm glad I did. I had strep throat, an ear infection in both ears, and PINK EYE. And at some point while all of this was going on, Jason was sick with an ear infection too. Whew, I'm glad this month is almost over!!!
As most of you know, Carson Bennett Winn (CBW) has a friend named Carson Bradley Beck (CBB) and they were born on the same day at the same hospital! Well, since it was CBW's first birthday, it was also CBB's first birthday and the boys attended each other's parties and had a blast! At CBW's party, Jason's neice Caroline arrived and I introduced her to the "other" Carson which was CBB and she said, "where is the REAL Carson?" Too cute! So, based on this "other" Carson joke, CBW wore a name tag to CBB's party that said "I'm the other Carson!" Here are a few pictures of the boys having fun!
On Friday evening, September 30, we celebrated Carson's first birthday with family and friends. It was a great night of love, laughter, and especially celebration of our little boy's first year of life. It just doesn't get any better than this...
We love you very much baby boy. Thanks for making our lives complete!!!
September 29, 2005 -
Carson is 1! It's so amazing to believe it's been 365 days since Carson came into our lives. We are truly blessed to have such a wonderful baby boy. It's been such fun!
On this day, Carson's actual "birth"day, he celebrated at his school with cupcakes for all his friends. We then went home and celebrated with more cake and presents. BB & Mac surprised us by coming in a day early - they couldn't miss Carson's big day!!!
Game Day at the Winn House,
Go Steelers!
Jason is a big Steelers fan and has been looking forward to opening day for a few weeks. Many people ask “why the Steelers,” and Jason always responds that if you grew in the 70s it was either the Cowboys or the Steelers and he picked the Steelers.
Now that there is another man in the house, Jason was looking forward to us “getting into the game” as a family. Luckily the Steelers beat the TN Titans, 34 to 7 or we would have all been down in the dumps ;o) I drew the line at taking Maggie for a walk in our matching jerseys, that was just too much!
Jason is proud of his new baby. He left today to go ride for a bit and decided that taking a cigar along for the ride was too dangerous. Good thinking, Jason! Be careful, you have a real baby at home now.
After church we headed to Dotson’s in downtown Franklin (Eddy Mac’s favorite) and ate a big breakfast! Carson must be going through a growing spurt because this morning at Dotson’s he ate an entire pancake (shaped like Mickey Mouse), a nutra-grain cereal bar, lots of puff cereal, and a biscuit. This was of course after his 8 oz bottle he had early in the morning and an oatmeal he ate on the way to church. This little boy can eat!!!
Carson is now 11 months old and our time with him is just flying by. He's all over the place and should be walking any day. He can walk with help and can stand unassisted for long periods of time. He has even taken a few steps on his own but after about 3 or 4 he gets nervous and sits down. Jason and I are headed for vacation on the 3rd and I'm sure he'll start walking when BB and Mac are keeping him.
Today was a very busy day for Carson Bennett Winn. My cousin, Mark Hollingsworth, and his wife Amanda and new baby Jake, stopped by for a visit on their way from Memphis to Knoxville. Carson didn't have much to do with Jake. In fact, I don't think he even really knew he was here. I'm sure all that will change when they both get a little older and can truly "play" together.
After Mark, Amanda, and Jake left for Knoxville, Carson and I headed to "My Gym." My Gym is a gym for babies and Carson goes each Monday with his friend Carson Beck.
And finally, after a few hours at school (so Mom could get some errands done), Carson went swimming with Carson. The pool we visited today had a baby pool and Carson enjoyed that a little better than the "big" pools he's previously been in. Being late in the day, Carson was tired and wouldn't smile me at all. We got home at 6:15 and he ate and went straight to bed!
On August 1, I lost someone very dear to me, Susan Wollaeger. Susan was a wonderful, loving and very caring friend. She never forgot a birthday or other event and always made you feel very special. Susan was one of the most creative people I knew. We've been friends since the mid 90s when we both worked in visual for the Bombay Company. I have so many wonderful memories of Susan and will cherish them forever!
Holly and Susan in Phoenix, February 2003
I'm so thankful for the few days I spent with Susan in late June. Although she was very different, every now and then I'd see a glimpse of my old friend Susan and remember all the fun times we shared together.
Susan, Ashlea, and Holly at Ashle'as baby shower in Lexinton, May 2003.
Today Jason and I celebrated our 11th anniversary. It's hard to believe we've been married 11 years and together for 5 years before that! We've been very blessed and are thankful for all we have each and every day!
Today was wonderful in so many ways, not only was it our anniversary, but Mom and Eddy surprised us today by coming to plant some flowers are work in the yard for us on our special day. Teddy came out for lunch and he and Carson had fun playing. Carson was thrilled to show Uncle Teddy how he could walk behind his walker.
Carson and Carson Beck (CB) got together for a little impromptu play date today. It was late in the day and Carson Winn (CW) was almost ready for his bath, hence, the diaper!
As you can see, CW is walking behind his walker and CB is crawling behind. Do you think CW is saying, "you can't catch me?" I don't know about that CW, CW is a fast crawler.
The stare down -
Finally, a smile out of at least one Carson.
For more information on Carson and his other friend Carson, check out the Beck's blog at www.thebeckblog.blogspot.com.
July 25 was a sad day. Carson and his friend Owen got together for one final play date before Owen packed up and moved to Atlanta. They had such fun actually "playing" at our house since Angela and I usually take them to a restaurant. We'll see Owen again but it will be awhile and maybe by then Carson will be walking like Owen.
Angela and I were friends the entire time we were pregnant so the boys have been friends from birth! We've had the boys together numerous times and it is always so hard to get them to sit still for a picture...finally we got it right! The crib is where we should have been putting them all along.
So goodbye dear friends, we will miss you greatly but we will be down to Atlanta to help you organize, decorate, and of course shop!!! Thanks so much for your friendship, we love you!
For more information and to keep up with Owen, visit his blog at www.owenstone.blogspot.com. Keep in mind Owen's Mom, Angela, stays at home so his blog is much better than ours!
Today was a lazy day mainly because of the heat. It's just too hot to do anything. We did manage to get outside to snap this almost 10-month picture after church.
Today was Hawaiian shirt day at Primrose Academy, Carson's school! Not only did he go in a Hawaiian shirt, but also Hawaiian shorts and a lei. Thanks to BB and Tine (Edward and Brenda) for the great outfit from their recent trip to Hawaii.
Ok, Ok, I do realize I've left Maggie out of the past few Carson updates. She is still around and loving every minute of Carson crawling after her - ha! Maggie has adjusted just fine with a baby in the house. I have to say we were a little worried but she's done great, in fact, she is even a little protective of Carson.
Happy July 4th!
June 29 was Carson's 9 month birthday and since then we've been a busy, busy bunch, especially during the 4th of July holiday.
Our friends, Brad and Jennifer Beck, and their baby Carson (same name/same age/same birthday) came out to Westhaven for the cookout. Even in the extreme heat, the boys were little angels as always. We all came back to the house to escape the heat and cool off!
Carson went for his 9 month checkup last week and was was. His stats are:
Weight = 20 pounds, 4.5 ounces (50th percentile) and Height = 29 1/2" (75th percentile)
Also since the 9 month birthday, we've had other "firsts." On June 30, Carson went to his first baseball game. Our friend (and neighbor), Russell Branyan who plays for the Milwakee Brewers, was in town to play with the Nashville Sounds while he was on rehab for a hurt finger. It was a late night for Mr. Carson who is usually in bed by 7:00 pm.
On July 3, after another day at the pool, Carson had his first "real" dinner when we ate. He's gotten pretty good at feeding himself lately so the doctor said it would be ok to start him on some soft food. He ate cold spaghetti noodles, turkey vienna sausage, and cheese - - yum! Carson isn't sure about the textures of this "real" food but he did seem to enjoy the noodles. Earlier in the day we gave him some fruit and he didn't like that one bit. Hopefully he won't be a picky eater like his Mom.
