Isn't this the Sweetest Pea you have ever seen!  Even then, at one week old, we had absolutely no clue how much joy this precious boy would bring into our lives! But this is just the beginning and we have a lot of story left to get to where we are today! 

Carson was born September 14, 2006 weighing 6 lbs 12 oz and was 18" tall. After a 3:00 am phone call from Rachael, Chip & I headed out for the seven hour drive to Georgia and then we waited - and waited - and waited!  We even had enough time to have Chuck flown in from a tournament and we still waited! FINALLY, Carson made his entrance and my whole life changed at that very moment!  

If the truth were told, my whole life had really changed 11 days before Carson was born when my sweet Mamma died and left us all wondering what in the world we were going to do!  One of my favorite songs by Sugarland is a song called "Hello" and it's about how no goodbye is ever really final, it's just a hello to a new place or time.  The song speaks of a 'sweet September wind' and how 'in the moment when one thing ends, is the same time that one begins' so with the September wind of 2006 I said goodbye to my Mamma and hello to the gift God sent to heal me! And he has not disappointed me!

A friend once told me that we are not designed to take on the greatest sadness and the greatest joy in our lives at the same time!  But God is good and with Carson, the journey has been a gentler one for me.  In fact, it was during the first week of Carson's life that I had a "visit" from my Mother! For all you folks who don't believe that those who leave us find ways to let us know they’re okay, we will call it a dream!  I was in Carson's nursery just holding him and rocking him and we both fell asleep.  I remember after the 'dream', I woke up and the first thing I saw was Carson's sweet face and I was so overwhelmed with tenderness for him and I knew at that moment my Mamma was okay and I was going to be okay. It was a bittersweet time because I wanted her to live long enough to meet him but I like to believe that Mamma and Carson spent a lifetime together in the 11 days that passed between her goodbye and his hello! 

And so his story goes until today when he is headed toward his third birthday!  He has been on more vacations in nearly three years than I have in my lifetime, including his first airplane ride to Orlando when he was only five months old! He is a regular beach bum when he visits Gulf Shores, he has been to Vero Beach, Florida , to Tennessee, to Stone Mountain, the Aquarium, the Pumpkin Patch and is the only kid I know who had been to Disney World three times before his second birthday!  You can’t imagine how excited we are about his visit this year for our trip to Disney. It will be the first time he is aware of what it’s all about and is anxiously waiting and constantly asking, “When we go to Didney cassel?”  “See Mickey & Goofy?”  It’s going to be awesome!!!

Carson has been calling me Nandee since he starting learning to talk and trust me, the fact that he is only learning to talk does not prevent him from chattering incessantly!  Sometimes we know what he is saying and sometimes we have no idea but he knows and that’s what matters.  His quirky way putting things keeps me in stitches, for example, he uses ‘my’ instead of ‘I’. “My mad, my hungry, My got boo-boo”! Rachael and Wade say they will be sad when starts to use “I” and I am right there with them.  For a while when he wanted you to pick him up, he would say “Hold you”!  It would melt your heart when he would hold on to my leg and say “Hold you Nandee”!  As his speech progresses, I want to always remember his little boy language like putting money in his “tiggy bank”, or he wants to play on the ‘pooter’ (computer), which is our activity we do when we are together! 

Before his first birthday, Carson had 17 teeth!  I think he was born teething.  I lost count of the ear infections but this February he had tubes and it has made all the difference.  At the hospital after the procedure he would hold his hands over his ears and say “Too woud, it’s too woud”!  But like every other childhood annoyance, colds, viruses, allergies, he never lets them get him down. He has two speeds, off and wide open.

When he was learning to walk, he never walked around anything, not a toy, not a piece of furniture, not a dog, nothing!  That is how he does everything, forges ahead and deals with the obstacles as they come along.

A totally social child, Carson is never intimidated to meet others and will often introduce himself to total strangers, “My Cahson”!  As long as he is doing the introductions its fine but Carson is not one who immediately loves, he is cautious and wary until he knows who you are and what relevance you have in his life!  He introduces himself to everyone because while he may not love everyone at first sight, he wants to be sure everyone loves him at first sight!  I appreciate that confidence in him and worry less about him than I would a child who falls madly in love with every person they meet!

Carson loves “The Backyardigans”, “Playhouse Disney”, “Poo”, “Tigger”, “Handy Manny”, “Dora” & “Diego” but most children grow up with these characters!  He is the only 2 year old I have EVER known who can sit perfectly still at the movies during a full length feature presentation and get upset when the credits roll!  He loves Madagascar, Bolt, Cars and most Disney movies.  He loves “moobies” and has an extensive collection of DVDs!

Of all the things Carson loves, he LOVES sports the most, all sports, but especially baseball!  He shares that love with his Daddy! It took him forever to learn his colors but he could tell you which ball belonged to which sport before he was 2!  He loves to play baseball, talk baseball, watch baseball, you name it.  They just recently fenced in their yard and Carson’s Dad is making him a miniature baseball diamond, complete with bench, chalk and bases!  A little boy’s paradise!  Whether it’s the Braves, the Biscuits, the Rays or his favorite, his Daddy’s team at South Paulding High School, baseball is Carson’s heaven!

There are so many things about Carson that are just the absolute best, the way he embraces life as if it were specifically designed for him to enjoy!  He doesn’t just love all his favorite things he has a passion for them!  He loves books and stories, he loves outdoors, and he is a seasoned traveler, DVD in hand, loves fishing and his camp house! He loves to cook and help do dishes and he generally doesn’t mind picking up his toys.

On March 30, 2009, Carson’s world was rocked slightly with the birth of his baby sister, Mary Claire. Sorry, ‘Meywee Qwere’! But as with all things, he took it in stride and now is a very protective big brother.  He will tell Rachael, “Her cwyin, go get her”, “be carefah wih her”. But like all first born children, he has chosen his Daddy to be his parent during this transition time demanding that Wade “put her down” whenever he holds Mary Claire!  She is almost two months old and it is obvious Carson already has a heart for her and I know he will always be her protector!

You cannot describe Carson in one word or a million words.  He is so many things both simple and complex. For those he loves, he loves them purely and with everything he has and we are all blessed to be a part of that.  Yes, I am finally getting to the end of this first installment in The Story of Carson but honestly, I could write a few dozen more paragraphs!  

How do I end this chapter in my story?  I end this chapter by saying that my grandson is a wonderful, curious, precocious little boy who thinks his Daddy is a hero, his Mommy is a princess and his baby sister is his!  Whether it’s Jumpin’ Joeys, Jammies for Jesus, Disney World, the Pumpkin Patch, the ocean, a baseball game or a bedtime story, I would bet you Carson believes all those things were made with him in mind and for him to enjoy and he is absolutely right!  He has heart and he has spirit and whether he knows it or not, he is my hero!