Moving day is almost here....

This week has been pretty quiet...It is the calm before the storm. There is so much going on in the next couple of days. Heath is going out of the country, we close on our house, we have to move, and then I go back to work. Seriously...This happens within 6 days of each other. If you came into our apartment right now...You would say that there was no way. The problem is that we only brought the essentials to the apartment, so its difficult to pack stuff that you use every day. I have already busted into some of the boxes that I have packed! But I don't want to complain...I am SO excited to move.

Cayden has been going through a rough patch the last few days. It seems that he really doesn't want to nap during the day. Not the he was a huge napper before, but he could pull off an hour or more. Right now we are at 45 minutes...tops! He is still sleeping pretty well at night. He averages 3-4 hours at a time. I know that there are babies out there that sleep through the night, but it could be worse.

Who said boys weren't fun to dress? Believe it or not this is a 0-3 month top that he is just now able to wear, and 3-6 month bottoms. They are soo cute!

One really great thing about this week is that my best friend Julie came into town. This was her and Cayden's first meeting. They hit it off, and she thought he was pretty cute. Then again, who wouldn't? They both decided to wear stripes today!

I'm sure next week's post will be delayed buy the unpacking process, and the getting ready to go back to work and not have a mental breakdown process. Again, I can't say it enough... I am SO SO SO grateful that my cousin is taking care of him. It really makes a difficult situation a little more bearable. Rationally I know that he is in good hands, and that he won't really remember me ditching him. Irrationally, I feel like a horrible parent who is abandoning their child. This state of mind reminds me of the ups and downs of being pregnant!

Being a parent is hard work

Being a parent is the hardest thing I have ever done. Although they are cute as buttons, there is no such thing as a perfect child. Today Cayden has decided not to really nap. I know he is super tired, but apparently he is not ready to sleep! He screams when I try to put him down, and once he's down the "nap" might last 30 minutes if I'm lucky.

However... He does stuff that makes me love him more than I could have imagined! Today we played together. I laid down beside him on the floor and had a grand ol' time!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

2 Months: Shots (Photos and Needles)

I have been begging my mom to find a baby picture of me. Ever since Cayden was born, all I have heard is WOW, he has your mouth and chin! Thanks, I think? Finally she found some pictures and sent them to me. Hmmm...do you think there is a similarity?

I think we definitely have the blank stare down. Obviously he is my offspring, but I also love that he has parts of Heath too. I think now he is starting to look more and more like Heath. We have reached the two month mark and Cayden is growing. I took a couple of different pictures. I thought it would be funny to see him in the same outfit as was featured in the one month shot. It was a snug fit, but I got him in it and snapped a few!

The two month mark has brought about a lot of changes. We are still working on sleeping, and really it isn't too bad. He averages about 4-5 hours at a time, and he naps really well during the day. He likes his baths, except for the drying off part...I'm not sure why he gets upset during this time? Maybe he's cold, maybe he knows he's about to be shipped off to bed? He is also starting to reach out and grab at stuff. It's not super fast, and you can tell he is really having to think about it, but it is so cute! He is in size 1 diapers, but Heath thinks it will be 2's in the near future...I don't think so. He is still wearing 0-3 month clothes, except for Gerber. Those things are SNUG, and short. I bought his first pair of jeans today. He probably won't wear them much just because they aren't great for changing diapers, BUT they will look great for family pictures!

With the two month mark also came shots. Ugh. I have been really dreading this. About a month ago he cried and a tear came out and it about broke my heart, so I knew this was going to be rough. He did really well during the whole doctor visit while we asked questions. He came in at 13lbs 2 ounces (80th percentile)...Anyone surprised? I mean, we call him Tank. He is 23 1/2 inches long (75th percentile). And that giant head I thought he had at birth (trust me, it was huge) is now measuring in at 15 3/4 inches and the 50th percentile. Speaking of heads, he also has a flat spot that we are working on correcting. Now for naps we try to put him on his side, and we have flipped his direction on the changing table.

Back to the shots: When I saw the needles come out, I backed up and let Heath take the lead. The first shot he screamed, his face went beet red, and he held his breath, so Heath had to blow in his face so he would breathe. UGH. Finally it was over! I did well...I didn't cry. Lord knows I wanted to. By the time we got out to the car, and down the road a bit...he calmed down. With the Eagles playing in the background, he uttered a few coo's. I knew he was going to be okay. He slept a little more yesterday, and we probably went a few steps back with our sleep training, because we cuddled him and snuggled with him a whole bunch! Oh well. It was worth it.

Poor thing. He wasn't crying here because of his shots...but it definitely adds to the drama..

On another note I ordered a new diaper bag. I wanted one that was floppy, and that didn't really scream diaper bag! It's washable, reversible, and has a lot of pockets! I love it! I will probably buy another one in the future!

Dear Cayden~

It is so hard for us to believe that you have been with us for two whole months! There are so many things that we want to remember about you at this age: We love how you smile and talk and squeal when you wake up from a nap. We love to give you kisses any time we hold you. Every thing you do, somehow it is cute and adorable...even the crying. We love watching you learn new things, and we can't wait to see how much you grow, change, and learn in the next month! Thank you for being a blessing to us! We love you!

Middle of the night multi-tasking!

Getting up in the middle of the night can be difficult, and sometimes it's really hard to stay awake. But I have found that with my iPhone, I have developed a routine:

1. Check email. Usually it's junk, but sometimes I get a note from another mom who is up in the wee hours too.

2. Facebook. Its funny...not too many posts at 2am. My friends need to get out more so that I can be Entertained!

3. Words with friends.

4. Barnes and Noble app. I love this one because I can catch up on the newest releases and read the overviews to see what my next book will be!

By the time I have completed all of these things, Cayden is done and it's time to go to bed! All to be repeated in four hours!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The House

I have been promising to post pictures of the house for awhile. Up until the last few days there really hasn't been much to see. Oh, there has been progress, but it was just hard to tell in pictures. They took awhile to prime the cabinets, and sand them, and that just doesn't translate into photo opportunities. Finally some work was finished that we are excited and happy to show off!


These lights, in my opinion, were one of the best choices we made when picking out stuff. They are big, and they look great! I love our house because it's not like all the other houses in the neighborhood...it has a English cottage feel to it. I am in love!

Obviously our kitchen. We had the island stained to match the hardwood floors, and it goes so well with the granite. Like many things in our house, the granite is one that you don't see too often. The store just got it in, and they usually only see it every 5-6 years.

Other view of the kitchen...in this one you can see the pendant lights. Most of the lights in our house are clear glass. I like the industrial feeling of seeing the light bulbs.

Here is Cayden's room. Only one wall is the navy color, the other three are the bluish gray. It turned out really well. I am so excited to actually be able to decorate a nursery. Finally, after almost three months Cayden will have his own room, and we will have a place to put all of his stuff.

Speaking of Cayden....

This outfit was the very first thing I ever bought for him. I love the leggings/leg warmers, whatever you want to call them, they are cute, and he actually likes them. I am in the midst of ordering some more!

8 Weeks

This week has been a fun. Heath has finally gone on paternity leave for two weeks! This means there is someone here to help me with Cayden, and to help with the housework. Let's face it...It's one or another in my world, and I usually go with the kid. Honestly, it's just been nice to have an adult to talk to as well.

With all the extra help rolling around, Heath and I decided to start "sleep training" Cayden, or for those in the know....CIO (Cry it Out). Are we horrible parents for letting our son cry? I don't think so. Here was our dilemma: As mentioned before, we would walk Cayden to sleep. For naps, at night...we were walking. Plus, I go back to work in a few weeks, and you really don't want to babysit a kid who needs to pace the floor. We knew that as soon as we just started putting him to bed...he would cry. I am extremely vulnerable to his cries, so I needed a plan of action! The first night he cried for 45 minutes (horrible), BUT we did go in and pick him up and soothe him every 15 minutes. Finally he went to sleep for.....SIX HOURS! It was a miracle! The next day for naps the longest he cried was 10 minutes, once, and the rest of the time it was minimal.


This is what we look at when he sleeps. The next night he cried for 8 minutes and slept for 7 1/2 hours....it was heaven. The third night he went back to waking every 3 hours, but I think he tummy was hurting. We'll see how it goes tonight!

This is not a cry...no no....it's happy tears for the big win! Who am I kidding? He didn't appreciate being propped up on that pillow.

Another Razorback outfit...from this angle his legs look soooo long!

We have our two month doctor appt. on the 15th. While I am looking forward to knowing his stats, I am NOT looking forward to the shots. I have heard things...bad things. Thank goodness Heath will be with me..I may have to leave the room.

The time I have with Cayden is dwindling quickly. I am on the fence about leaving him. I would love to stay home, but I love teaching. The good thing is that my cousin is watching over him, so I know he is in good hands.

The House: It is looking good! They finished painting this week, and it looks like an entirely different place. We are getting down to the finishing details. Everyday I want to go out and visit it...I can't tell you how excited I am to leave this apartment. If anyone can help it...they should never go from living in a house, to an apartment. It plays tricks on your mind! I could make a list of things I will NOT miss..but it would be too long.

Let's leave on a happy note: Cayden's room is our favorite. I will definitely be posting pictures soon!

7 Weeks

My friend Kristin has a super cute little girl named Camilla. Camilla is eight days older than Cayden. For the past few weeks we have scheduled "play dates" with each other. Up until today each time we got together our kids ate or slept. Real exciting stuff, but at least the moms got to hang out, chat, and not feel pressure to go to a place where our kids would inevitably cry. Anyway, today we had another play date, and our children decided to wake up and check things out.

Aren't they cute? Even at this age, you can tell...Future BFF's.

This is Cayden working on his pick-up lines. I believe he is saying, "Do you know the way to the gym?"

Heath's work picnic was this past Saturday. My only fear for Cayden was the heat, but he did really well. We were able to stay and hang out for a couple of hours, until he did begin to get a little warm. He was a big hit...everyone loves him. Can you blame them?

I love this outfit. It reminds me so much of Heath.

We spend a good amount of our day "talking" to each other. Much of it is one-sided, but he will flash that smile, and my heart melts.

Don't be mistaken...this is not a happy face. He was definitely over bath time. He wanted to be dry, and in a clean onesie.

Seven weeks have marked a few new items:

* He can coo and ooh, and aah. It is one of the greatest sounds. Sometimes I will ooh and coo at him, and I swear, he mimics me. He's advanced.

*I have a feeling he will be an early crawler. When we have tummy time, he can move. Watch out!

* He let me read him a book today. Twice. Usually he screams. Today he looked at the pictures.

* I'm pretty sure he is up to 12 pounds. Milk is good for the body, huh? I weighed myself, and then picked up Cayden and weighed again...12 pound difference.

House Update:

Painting is going on. Yippee! So far they have primed the cabinets and trim, and are working on staining the bookshelves, door, etc. Finally we are getting down to the nitty gritty. We are getting to see our choices come to life. I will post pictures next week.