Thirty-Two Weeks Old

Hey folks! It has gotten cold here. I hope you are staying warm where you are. I have been wearing lots of hats these days to keep my head warm since I don't have any hair. I got into some of Daddy's hats the other day. What do you think?

Something awful scared me the other day.....packing tape! It makes the worst sound. I cry so loud everytime I hear it. Mommy and Daddy have been using a lot of it lately since they are trying to get moved out of this house next week. We will be living at our friends Kathy and Dave's condo for a month until our house is complete. Mommy and Daddy said that everyone can still reach us at the same numbers and address until we move into the new house.

I have tried pumpkin, pears and peaches. I liked them all but the pumpkin was bland. This is safety month at school, and we had a fire drill last week. My teacher said she put us all in a baby bed and rolled us out the door. She said we liked the ride. I have another sinus infection complete with something Mommy calls "green goo". I can even make bubbles come out of my nose! Hopefully this won't last long. Enjoy your week!

Much Love,
Carlisle Drew

One Last Beach Picture

Mommy and Daddy said I should share this picture from the beach just to show that there were other people at the beach besides me! We're a good looking crowd of beach bums, aren't we?!?

Much Love,
Carlisle Drew

Seven Months Old

Well, here I am with my dog again. I am seven months old! I am having so much fun! My new favorite things are a piggy bank and a stuffed dog. The piggy bank has colorful coins that teach me how to count and about colors. The piggy sings or talks when I touch her nose or put money in her slot. The dog has sat in my crib since I was born but I just now noticed it. He prays a little prayer. I have started reaching for the dog when I am in my crib. My eyes light up, and I get real quiet when he talks. Mommy and Daddy call it the creepy praying dog because this little kid's voice says the prayer. Mommy and I had another photo session (with the praying dog).

I have tried pears this week and love them. Mommy says pumpkin is on the menu for the week. I thought you just looked at pumpkins. My Memie passed through town this week and took home fabric to make me several dresses for Christmas, my birthday and one for next summer. Mommy said they had fun picking things out for me. I can't wait to wear them! Have a good week!
Much Love,
Carlisle Drew

Pumpkin Patch

Guess where I went this weekend? The Pumpkin Patch! Mommy and Daddy took me with their friends Abby and Jim and Shauna and Wes and their daughter Avery. I dressed for the occasion in a Halloween suit and pumpkin hat. There were lots of pumpkins! I saw chickens, lambs, roosters, doves, cows, bulls, sheep, and horses. There were lots of things to do to and kids everywhere. Avery and I sat in the corn trough and played. I also measured myself next to the scarecrow man. Daddy tried to swing with me on a tire swing, but we weren't ready for that. We ended the day with a hayride around the farm. Mommy and Daddy said next year when I am bigger, I will have so much fun here. Happy Fall!

Much Love,
Carlisle Drew

Thirty Weeks Old

Hi everyone! How are you? I am great despite this runny nose I have. I love school. Last week Ms. Linda took us on a stroller ride outside, and Daddy waved to us from his office window. I played with spinning tops and loved the swings. I was sent home with a "Happy" note. Yeah for school! Abby came over and played with me while Mommy and Daddy went out. I held my bottle by myself so she took a picture of it. Aunt Michelle came by before she left town to spend time with me. We went to a soccer game, and we all had to dress in warm clothes. It was cold! I wore this great warmup suit Emily gave me at the beach. On Friday Mommy and I went for a walk and locked ourselves out of the house. We sat on the front porch and took pictures while we waited for Daddy to come let us back in the house. Here I am in my first pair of jeans, and my tongue is hanging out because I can't breathe. I laugh when Daddy uses the sucker in my nose, but I scream at Mommy when she does it. Update on the food experiment: I have tried sweet potatoes, applesauce, squash, and baby food bananas. I love the Gerber bananas, though Mommy said they taste nothing like a regular banana. But an apple a day does not keep the diaper rash away! No more apples for me for a while! Daddy said I was pitiful with a red bottom. Well, I am off to more fun adventures!

Much Love,
Carlisle Drew

Twenty-Nine Weeks Old

Hello everybody! Sorry for my delay in writing but our digital camera took a dip in the ocean when Daddy went in after me as a fell face-first into the surf. So the camera is crippled (no flash). I will continue to write, but I may a fewer pictures for a while.

I started school! School is so fun! Ms. Linda is my teacher, and I have two classmates. I had a great day on my first day. I played, ate and napped. I enjoy the stroller ride as well. Ms. Linda said she thinks I am going to love school. Mommy wants youto know that she did okay leaving me. She didn't cry, but she did go buy a purse. These pictures are before I left for school and after I got to school.

Something weird happened this week. When Mommy and Daddy sat down to feed me, something orange was on the spoon instead of my cereal. It was sweet potatoes. I made a face when I ate them, but I kept asking for more because I know this is how I get to eat pizza and ice cream someday. The sweet potatoes have grown on me but not the bananas which makes Mommy sad. She loves banana sandwiches and wanted to share them with me. I will let you know what else they try to stick on my mouth as we go along.

Have a good week and enjoy the fall weather!

Much Love,
Carlisle Drew

More Beach Pictures

Happy Tuesday! I loved the beach so much that I wanted to share more pictures with everyone. People keep asking if other people went to the beach besides me, and the answer is they did. Here are Mommy and Daddy with me. As I receive other pictures, I will post them for you to see what a fun time we had!

Much Love,
Carlisle Drew

Twenty-Eight Weeks Old

Hi! I don't know what you have been doing but I have been on my first vacation...to the beach! I loved every minute of it, and there is so much to tell you that I may have to write two blogs about my trip! Daddy planned a trip to the beach for us with their good friends Jim and Abby and Jamie and Emily. All the adults gave me so much attention and said I was so good. Mommy and Daddy were so impressed with how I traveled in the car. I have only been in the car for 3 hours so this was a long trip. I napped and ate well while they drove. I had to share a room with them at the beach house...lucky me! They set up my pack-n-play in the closet and draped a blanket over the doors to create a "room" for me. I liked it and slept great that way and so did they.

We went to the beach every day to play. They would set up a sunshade on a beach blanket for me to play under. I loved the sand and even ate some! I didn't seem to mind the taste. I liked the salt water too. I liked sitting in the surf a little more than rides the waves. One day Mommy and Emily and Abby took me out in my boat, and they said I took a nap for 45 minutes in the boat. They were getting pruney from the water so they picked me up and carried me into shore boat and all! We saw so much at the beach: pelicans, seagulls, dolphins, crabs, mussels, rays. and lots of fish. Mommy said I got a little tan even with all the sunscreen and shade. Daddy taught me about the tides and how they work. We went out to eat, shopped and took long walks on the beach. I loved hanging out with Jim and Abby and Jamie and Emily. They thought everything I did was funny. They are very special to Mommy and Daddy and are special to me. As soon as I get a picture of the group, I will post it.

I do have another new thing I started doing this week. I can "razz" now which means I can stick my tongue out and blow. Mommy thinks it is cute because I stick my tongue out to the side and suck in my lips on the other side. She said she will try to capture it for everyone to see.

Well, have a good week. I have to unpack and get the sand out of my skin rolls.

Much Love, Carlisle Drew

Twenty-seven Weeks Old

Aunt Michelle!!! (or Aunt Chell as my cousins called her.) I finally met my other aunt who has been traveling the world since before I was born. I decided that she was really cool after watching her and Mommy and Daddy talk. She is so fun! She played with me and fed me and pushed me in the stroller. She showed us pictures and told us all about her travels. She has been lots of places: New Zealand, Australia, Bolivia, Chile, Thailand, Malaysia.............I just sat and watched her as she talked. I could tell what she had to say was really important. She promises to take me lots of places when I get big. Hopefully my first trip will be to see her in California. She says there are lots of fun things to do there. Mommy and Daddy hope she teaches me about bugs and animals and trees. Aunt Michelle joined us for a Labor Day party at Mr. Jim and Ms. Kelly's house for a shrimp boil. Them's good eats as Daddy would say. I almost got a taste when my pacifier fell in the plate of shrimp! Coming from the land of good food (Louisiana), Mr. Jim and Ms. Kelly know how to fix good food.

I also had my sixth month shots this week. Poo for those! I only cried for two seconds this time. Doctor said I am still growing though I have tapered off a bit since my last visit. My length is 27.25 (93 percentile); weight is 15.14 (50 percentile) and my head is in the 89 percentile).

Have a great week! I am headed to something called the beach. Mommy and Daddy said it will be fun. I hope they are right!

Much Love,
Carlisle Drew

Six Months Old

Hey there! Time sure has flown, but I have been having fun. I turned six months old this week! Can you believe it?!? I am sitting up more and more every day with only a few spills. Life sure is different from this position! Mommy and Daddy wanted to share with everyone a picture of the way I sleep...which they think is funny. Mommy says when she lays me down for a nap and turns the mobile on, I put my hands behind my head like I am getting ready to enjoy the show. Evidently, I end up sleeping like this throughout the night, and they think its cute. I also have really been enjoying my Johnny Jump-up. I can really get going in it. Daddy starts singing rap songs to me and throws his hands in the air to help me get excited. I have really been working on more sounds lately. I have been perfecting the "m" sound. Daddy promises that I said "Ma, Ma" very long and drawn out the other day, but what does he know. I purse my lips real tight like in the above picture.


The big news of the week is that I got to meet my teacher for the Dayschool I am starting, Ms. Linda. She was so fun and held me for a long time. There will be 2 other kids in my class. I am the youngest and will have to try and keep up with the older two - a boy and a girl. I am very excited about starting school.

Grandma and Grandpa came to see me this weekend and helped Mommy and Daddy pack some of the house up - there are boxes everywhere. They got to keep me while Mommy and Daddy went out and had fun, but I had fun on my own with Grandma and Grandpa. Have a great week!

Much Love,
Carlisle Drew

Twenty-Five Weeks Old

Hi! For all who were worried about my being sick, I can assure you that I am 100% better. The rash went away mid-week, but I sure do like the medicine which evidently has a better taste.

The big news of the week is that I can sit up. Mommy and Daddy are so excited, but I don't know what the big deal is. I just needed someone to put me in that position and get me off my back! Mommy put one of my blocks in front of me to prop me up as I learn to support myself on my arms. Daddy placed pillows on the floor around me because I did take a nasty spill that scared me one time. Mommy and Daddy laugh when I fall, but its not that funny. I am getting the hang of sitting up and like the view from here.

Friday night I went to my first football game, and boy, did I like it! There was so much to see and hear. We went to see two local high school teams play. One of them is the high school I hope to go to someday. Lots of people were so excited to see me (and Daddy and Mommy) there. Also this weekend Mommy and Daddy surprised me with a new toy that I can grow into - a splash pool! It is so colorful, and water comes out of these holes and splashes my face. At first I wasn't sure why Mommy and Daddy were so excited about the water, but then I enjoyed so much that I tried to drink it and grab it. The water wouldn't stay still for me to get a hold of it. Daddy took me out of the splash pool when I got "pruney". Mommy and Daddy said it will be big fun next summer when I am bigger. Have a good week!

Much Love,
Carlisle Drew

Twenty-Four Weeks Old

Hi! I hope you are having fun wherever you are. School has started here for the big kids. Mommy took me to lunch Monday with a group of senior girls she co-leads with Kelly. We had fun talking about what they wore on their first day of school. I got to see Daddy play basketball, but the loud buzzer scared me. Daddy was gone for 3 moons; that means he was gone for 3 nights, so Mommy and I played with friends this week. Mommy pulled out my highchair to use while I eat my cereal. I don't sit completely straight up in it, but I try real hard. I usually lean to the left. On Thursday, I got to go to dance with Mommy again. This time she wore me in a front baby carrier. She said doing plies and releves are difficult with an extra fifteen pounds! I loved being a part of dance class while she was pregnant and just wanted to do it again.

The two big things of the week are that I went to my first wedding, and I got sick for the first time. Friday I had a fever and broke out in a rash all over my body (you can sort of see it around my mouth in the picture). The doctor said my sinuses were swollen, red and goopy. She said it was probably viral. Mommy said I was so pitiful and if I had asked for a pony she would have given it to me! Luckily, my ears looked great! So it looks like I may be inheriting my Daddy's sinuses but not my Mommy's bad ears, yet! Papa Nick and Memie came to town for Mommy's friend Mindy's wedding. Mommy and Mindy have been friends since they were little. My fever went away so I was able to go to the wedding. The wedding was so pretty, and Mommy said I did a great job watching the ceremony. I even got to dance with Daddy at the reception for a minute. Have a great day!


Much Love,
Carlisle Drew.

The Twins Turned One!

My next door neighbors, Travis and Taylor, turned one year old Saturday! Yeah for them! They had a party, and I was invited. I took Mommy and Daddy with me. They had a monkey-themed party with a monkey cake, monkey cupcakes and banana splits! The boys loved the chocolate cupcakes but hated their party hats. After the big people ate, we went swimming! Daddy had never been with me swimming so he took me in the water while Mommy took pictures. They bought me this really cool boat that I just lounged in. I watched the big kids swim and splash while I chewed on my rattle. Daddy took me out of the water when my toes got wrinkly. I can't wait for the beach only Daddy said the water taste different. Happy Birthday to Travis and Taylor!

Twenty-three weeks old

Hi everybody! If you are keeping up with me, you will notice that we skipped a week. That's because I am really 23 weeks old. I learned that sometimes months have 5 weeks which confused me about how old I was!

Mommy finally got a picture of me in my baptismal dress. I was so excited the day of the baptism that I didn't want my picture made. So Mommy took me back to the sanctuary to capture the moment. Memie got to come along too. She and Papa Nick were in Nashville for a work trip, and Memie met us for a girl's lunch two days in a row. We had fun!

I also got to meet someone special in Daddy and Mommy's lives - Whitney. She works at AOTT headquarters and was in Daddy's youth group back in Jackson. She also has a sister with the same name as Mommy - isn't that neat?!? She came over for dinner this week, and I thought she was pretty great.

Daddy and Mommy have lots of brown boxes all over the place. The house was all nice and clean, but now it is messy and dusty. Daddy and Mommy want everyone to pray for me. I have a cyst on my little head that I have had since birth, but it has gotten bigger and is now infected and red (because they messed with it). So they are watching it and may have to take me to a special doctor to get it taken off. Don't worry; it doesn't affect me being happy every day! Have a great week!

Much Love,
Carlisle Drew

Twenty-one weeks Old

Well I don't know about you but I had a busy weekend! Mommy and Daddy took me to Jackson to spend the night with Memie and Papa Nick which was in preparation to go to Mississippi to meet the rest of Mommy's family (on Papa Nick's side). I got to meet my other great grandmother, Nana. She hooted when she saw me. We loved staring and smiling at each other. During our visit, I was not looking at her, and she yelled "Hey" at me which startled me - everyone laughed. I have lots of family! Aunt Kathy, Aunt Francye, Uncle Dennis, and then lots of cousins: Jeff and Lindsey and their children Riley and McKenley (Emily couldn't be there) and then Jason and Holly and their daughter Rheana and cousin Jaime. Betty Boop, Nana's long-time friend, and her sister were there too. I loved watching all the big girls play; then they all tried too play with me and everyone was taking pictures and it was too much! I couldn't take it. I hope to make it back soon to see everybody. Enjoy the end of your summer break if you are headed back to school soon!

Much Love,
Carlisle Drew

Five Months Old

Hello everyone!
As Mommy would say, it has been a quiet week.......even though I turned five months old! Can you believe it!?! I feel so wise in my old age. I went to see my oldest cousin Dylan play baseball which means I got to see the rest of my family - Holden, Grayson, Aunt Cindy, Uncle Scott, their grandma Mildred, Uncle Andrew, Grandma, and Grandpa. Kelly and Abby also kept me this week while Mommy and Daddy went out to dinner. I went to book club with Mommy and had fun, but I thought it was too quiet so I made some noise. Mommy said I probably can not go back with her to book club. I don't know why. I also went to vote with Mommy were I got a sticker for being the cutest baby of the day. How about that! I also tried the exersaucer and liked it. There is so much to look at from that point of view. I am loving rice cereal more and more each day and am noticing what Mommy and Daddy eat now. I would be willing to try it if they let me. Lastly, we went to see the new house and it has bricks on the outside, and there are wires all over the house. Daddy and Mommy say its exciting.

Have a good weekend!
Carlisle Drew