Carson and Kyndel

Carson loves to eat dry cereal or red grapes from a zip lock bag ( I have know idea why). Needless to say, while he is walking around or sitting on the floor eating, kyndel our dog is always close behind hoping Carson will share.

10 Random bits about Carson

Carson's was tagged by his buddy Caleb http://cooksadoption.blogspot.com/
The directions are to post 10 random bits of information about themselves and then tag 10 more people.

1. Carson's birth name is Renato Laz Aguilar.

2. Carson's birth mother's name is Esmirna Raquel Laz Aguilar.

3. Carson has 6 siblings; 3 brothers and 3 sisters.

4. Carson's favorite toys are balls (any kind), books and trucks.

5. Carson loves to be outside.

6. Carson has two Godmother's and one Godfather.

7. Carson's eyes are extremely expressive when he is trying to tell me 'something'.

8. Carson is very protective of his Mum (as he calls me).

9. Carson's middle name is Renato

10. Carson LOVES to skip naps on the weekends.

How do you answer the question..

Why did you decide to adopt? If I had a dollar for everytime I was asked "why did you decide to adopt" I would be rich. Please tell me how you answer the question.

Thank You

Thank you all for your prayers, emails and phone calls regarding Carson being under the weather. It was a rough 10 days however the Lord was faithful and answered our prayers. Carson is almost back to being his funny, smiley, sweet self. Thank You!

Carson's first Easter egg hunt.

Our annual Easter egg hunt was not on Easter Sunday this year due to my favorite brother's flying schedule. However, I'm thankful it was early since Carson was ill on Easter day. My Dad showed Carson how to hunt for eggs once and he was off and hunting. This year my niece Ali found the golden egg- Lucky Girl!

My sweet baby boy is under the weather.

9 days ago Carson was prescribed an antibiotic for 10 days due to a double ear infection. On day 8 of the antibiotic he started running a temperature ranging from 103 - 104.1, congestion, and cough. UH! Needless to say we were at the pediatrician's office today and he prescribed the 'z pack' for 5 days. Please pray 'this' antibiotic works, and we get a good night sleep.

Carson's first time painting easter eggs.

As you can see from the photos, I showed Carson how to paint the eggs once and he was off ...

Wordless Wednesday

A penny for your thoughts- Carson...

A must read story..

My sweet baby boy Carson,
I hope you never feel this way.
I love you so much.


A small touching story must read story...
A woman came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find his
5-year old girl waiting for him at the door.
Daughter: "Mommy, may I ask you a question?"
MOM: "Yeah sure, what is it?" replied the woman.
Daughter: "Mommy, how much do you make an hour?"
MOM: "That's none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?"
the woman said angrily.
Daughter: "I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make
an
hour?"
MOM: "If you must know, I make $100 an hour."
Daughter: "Oh," the little girl replied, with her head down.
Daughter: "Mommy, may I please borrow $50?"
The mother was furious, "If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then
you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about
why you are being so selfish. I work hard everyday for such
childish behavior."
The little girl quietly went to her room and shut the door.
The woman sat down and started to get even angrier about the little
girl's questions. How dare she ask such questions only to get some money?
After about an hour or so, the woman had calmed down, and started to
think: Maybe there was something she really needed to buy with that
$50 and she really didn't ask for money very often. The woman went
to the door of the little girl's room and opened the door.
"Are you asleep, girl?" She asked.
"No Mommy, I'm awake," replied the girl.
"I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier" said the
woman.
"It's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here's the
$50 you asked for."
The little girl sat straight up, smiling. "Oh, thank you mommy!"she
yelled.
Then, reaching under her pillow she pulled out some crumpled up bills.
The woman saw that the girl already had money, started to get angry
again. The little girl slowly counted out her money, and then looked up
at his mother.
"Why do you want more money if you already have some?" the mother
grumbled.
"Because I didn't have enough, but now I do," the little she replied.
"Mommy, I have $100 now. Can I buy an hour of your time?
Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with
you."
The mother was crushed. She put her arms around her little daughter, and she
begged for her forgiveness.
It's just a short reminder to all of you working so hard in life.
We should not let time slip through our fingers without having spent some time with those who really matter to us, those close to our hearts.

Do remember to share that $100 worth of your time with someone you
love.
If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could
easily replace us in a matter of days.
But the family we leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives. And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more
into work than to our family.
Thanks,

.

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18 month check up, double ear infection, and heart murmur

Carson had his 18 month check up yesterday at the pediatrician.

Our appointment was scheduled for 9:10a.m. Carson and I were called back to the examination room at 9:30am ( we had the first appointment of the morning). The LPN had me undress Carson to get his weight...a whopping 19.11 lbs.; his height 30.3 inches, temperature 98.6 and his head circumference, which I can not remember however, its growing with the rest of him. The lovely LPN exits the examination room and states in passing, the Doctor will be with you shortly. Its now 9:45am, I check my watch its 9:55am, 10:10am, 10:20am--Finally the Doctor enters the room at 10:30am. He apologies for being late and starts asking me questions about Carson's eating habits, playing and vocabulary..then he begins to examine him. He looks into his left ear and says "his ear is infected", and then he checks the right ear, and says "this ear is grossly infected". I wanted to disappear. I had no idea his ears were infected. Great, another dose of antibiotics. The Doctor began to listen to Carson's heart. He listened and listened and listened... He had a puzzled look and said- "I hear a heart murmur". I will have the referral nurse make a referral to Children's Hospital for you. Please do not lose any sleep, it might be nothing, however, I want to have it checked. So, needless to say, Carson is on Amoxicillin for 10 days and I am losing sleep.

Stages for children between 18-24 months

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
likes to imitate parents' actions
begins to show signs of independence; says "no"
has difficulty sharing
very possessive
finds it difficult to wait and wants things right now!
gets angry sometimes and has temper tantrums
acts shy around strangers
comforts a distressed friend or parent
refers to self by name
uses the words "me" and "mine"
enjoys looking at picture books
tries to do many things by himself
enjoys adult attention
enjoys simple pretend play like wearing hats and talking on phone
enjoys exploring, gets into everything, and requires constant supervision
generally unable to remember rules
often gets physically aggressive when frustrated - slaps, hits
shows affection by returning a hug or kiss
may become attached to a toy or blanket
INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT
has a vocabulary of several hundred words, including names of toys
uses 2-3 word sentences
echoes single words that are spoken by someone else
talks to self and "jabbers" expressively
shows preferences between toys
likes to choose between two objects
hums or tries to sing
listens to short rhymes or fingerplays
points to eyes, ears, or nose when asked
uses the words "please" and "thank you" if prompted
enjoys singing familiar songs
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
weight: 20-32 pounds
height: 30-37 inches
walks well
likes to run, but can't always stop and turn well
drinks from a straw
feeds self with a spoon
helps wash hands
stacks 2-4 blocks
tosses or rolls a large ball
opens cabinets, drawers, and boxes
bends over to pick up toy without falling
walks up steps with help
takes steps backward
enjoys sitting on and moving small-wheeled riding toys
begins to gain some control of bowels and bladder; complete control may not be achieved until around age 3. (Boys often do not complete toilet learning until age 3-1/2.)
IDEAS FOR CAREGIVERS
Enjoy dancing with children to music with different rhythms. Provide simple musical instruments such as a rattle or an oatmeal box drum. Now is a good time to teach children simple fingerplays such as "Eensy Weensy Spider."
Talk with children about everyday things. After 18 months, language development seems to explode. Children will be learning new words at a very rapid rate.
Read simple books with children every day. Choose books made of cardboard or cloth pages. Stories that have familiar objects are best. Encourage toddlers to turn pages.
Make your own scrapbook of objects or people your toddlers know by using a small, sturdy photo album.
Encourage language development by expanding on what a toddler says. When the child says "kitty," you can say, "Yes, the kitty is little and soft."
Play a simple game of "find." Place 3 familiar toys in front of a toddler and say, "Give me the --." See if he tries to find it and hand it to you.
Encourage a toddler to play dressup by providing a full-length mirror on the wall and a "pretend box" filled with caps, scarves, and old shoes.

DOCUMENT USE/COPYRIGHTNational Network for Child Care - NNCC. Part of CYFERNET, the National Extension

Do you think Guatemala Adoptions will re-open?

Lately, I have been thinking and praying about Carson being the 'only' child. At this time in my 'single' life I do not feel I am capable of caring for another child. However, in the near future when Carson is a little older I would love to adopt again from Guatemala. I would love for Carson to have a sibling from his 'Country'.
Do you think Guatemala adoptions will be closed 'forever'? What are your thoughts? Do you have any insight?

Happy 18 months sweet baby boy.

Carson is surely a gift from our Heavenly Father. Carson has physically been in my arms for 10 months however I feel as if he has been with me since birth. He has so many characteristics of our family. He loves to make people laugh, he is a jokester, and he is a love. Sometimes I just sit and stare in amazement as he examines a toy of his for minutes, trying to figure out how it works and how he can make the lights and sounds go off. His eyes get so fixated and you can just see his mind working. His eyes are so expressive and he uses them to communicate. And then he tries to tell me something like he knows exactly what he is saying, even though its gibberish. Thank you Father for blessing me with such a wonderful son. Please continue to watch over Carson and help him to develop into a faithful follower of yours. Lord please wrap Your arms around Carson's birth mother and let her know that Carson is healthy, safe, and loved. Also, please surround his foster mother with Your secure touch just as she did for Carson. Amen.


Our first professional photo together taken July 1st, 2007.

My all-time favorite song.

The lyrics below are extremely touching. The day I heard the Lord speak clearly to me about adopting, we sang the song below.

Here I am Lord
Words and Music by Daniel L Schutte
© 1981
Genesis 46:2
"And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night,
and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I."

I, the Lord of sea and sky,
I have heard my people cry.
All who dwell in dark and sin,
My hand will save.

Chorus
Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go, Lord, if you lead me.
I will hold your people in my heart.
I, who made the stars of night,
I will make their darkness bright.
Who will bear my light to them?
Whom shall I send?


Chorus
Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go, Lord, if you lead me.
I will hold your people in my heart.
I, the Lord of snow and rain,
I have borne my people’s pain.
I have wept for love of them.
They turn away.


Chorus
Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go, Lord, if you lead me.
I will hold your people in my heart.
I will break their hearts of stone,
Give them hearts for love alone.
I will speak my words to them.
Whom shall I send?


Chorus
Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go, Lord, if you lead me.
I will hold your people in my heart.
I, the Lord of wind and flame,
I will send the poor and lame.
I will set a feast for them.
My hand will save.


Chorus
Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go, Lord, if you lead me.
I will hold your people in my heart.
Finest bread I will provide,
'Til their hearts be satisfied.
I will give my life to them.
Whom shall I send?


Chorus
Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go, Lord, if you lead me.
I will hold your people in my heart.