100th Post - It's all about Cayden

It's the 100th Post!! Woo hoo! I'm sure that if I would have been a better blogging mom that I would have reached this milestone months ago. Oh well. Things have been very busy around our house the past month or so, and then you add the Holiday season, and it's like crazy busy! Cayden is giving us a run for our money as usual and every day I find something new about him that makes me think that he's not acting like my  itty-bitty boy anymore. pooh.

Cayden at 17 months~

Likes: Hats - Cats - iPad - crayons - Razorbacks - shoes - tomatoes - pickles - olives - cookies - trucks/cars - Heidi Klum commercial - puzzles - brooms/vacuums

Dislikes: Having the iPad or broom taken away from him - repetitive meals - Santa Claus - sleeping away from home - hamburgers

I think of things all the time that I need to mention in the blog, and yet I get here, ready to type, and my mind is a complete blank! We don't go for his 18 month appointment until January, but I'm thinking that he weighs around 28ish pounds. He has definitely stopped gaining weight at such a rapid pace in the last 6 months. I think walking/running as helped. Not that he was ever fat, just big, and muscly...like a football player. He runs everywhere. His attention span is 15 seconds unless you have an iPad in front of you. He loves animals, and is perfecting his repertoire of animal noises. He is working on adding 2-3 more teeth all at once, and last week his sleep suffered. At one point Heath was commenting on how we had reverted back to the newborn phase. I'm pleased to report that his sleeping is better now. Here is one crazy tidbit - the kid as been napping like a pro lately. Like 1.5 hour naps are standard these days. My how far we have come since 6 months old - whew.

He is obsessed with tomatoes. He would literally eat them everyday if we let him. I'm pretty sure this came from my DNA. I LOVE tomatoes. We actually tried blueberries this morning and he hoovered them down as well. There really isn't too much he won't eat. Hamburgers. McDonalds - 5 Guys. He won't do it.

He really likes trucks and truck noises. He plays with hats all of the time. Although his attention span is low, he does seem to favor certain things. We'll talk about the iPad in a bit.

Evidence of his "hat" obsession. Really if it fits - it's a hat.

He is getting better at playing by himself. When he goes in his room, I just let him go in there without me and play. It may only last 5 minutes, but I like that I don't have to be by his side every second.

The iPad. Ugh. Both a blessing and a curse. He loves the Elmo app, Disney Junior, and Peekaboo Farm. If you let him, he would play it for quite sometime. We usually only let him play in the evenings when we get home. I want him to play with puzzles and blocks first, and iPad second. But I think the ABC app is paying off. That or it's a fluke every time he picks out the letter D.

He likes putting shoes on and walking around in them. It's pretty funny.

This photo reminds me of a an early rap star. He's got the hat. The pants are a little baggy. He could be laying down the beat.

Rap stars are always connected to the fans. Nothing says "Gangstah" like a Christmas Dino on your shirt.

Running. I'm sure he was up to no good.  

 We made the rounds for Christmas. Cayden was spoiled and we all had a good time. With the threat of snow, we went home late Christmas Eve - Evening, and of course, it didn't snow. We also cut it short because Cayden - will not sleep at my mom's house. I have no idea why, or what the issue is, but it's terrible, and always puts tension in our trips. But we had fun while we were there! There were several big hits with presents this year.

The broom set. We were kind of joking with my brother when we told him to get Cayden a tiny broom. Well - he found one. Cayden LOVES it. It's his size, and not that he actually sweeps with it, but he likes carrying it around.

Another hit. He is this close to pushing those pedals and finding yet another way to speed through the house.

Cayden's ornament from last year. Mom let him play with it this year. This is why they don't let you drive at such a young age. There were four fatalities - pretty gruesome if you ask me.

He loves being outside and running after stuff. It doesn't really matter what it is - just running.

We got him a Little People Fire station - Another hit.

Auntie Julie and Uncle Wes never fail in the present department!

 The biggest hit was the indoor slide we got Cayden. I mean, we are his parents, surely we can pick on the ONE gift that he will love and cherish his whole life, and take with him to college, and pass down to his kids, and then they to their kids, etc. Maybe it's not quite that good - but it's good.

He we down the slide about 15 times in the first few minutes. The only teeny glitch is that he likes an audience. So we have to be in the dining room with him, viewing the awesomness that is the indoor slide.

He kind of liked the box the slide came in as well. Not as much as the slide.

Here is some potty talk. Cayden will sometimes signal you to change his diaper. You can tell him to go into his room and lay on the floor and this is the diaper changing position. I decided a month or so ago to just put the potty out. I've read that it's good for it to be in view, so that they can get used to it. When we first put it out, he would grab the blue bowl and put it on his head. Please refer to the "Hat Section" above. It's taken a backseat in the last few weeks, and hasn't gotten much attention. Until today. He decided that maybe something did need to go in the potty, and it wasn't anything in the pee or poop department. For some reason, he thought that wrapping paper made the perfect addition to the potty. I can see how much fun actual potty training will be. No worries though. I have no plans to actually potty train in the near future. 

Quick Update

There isn't too much to report from the home front this week. We enjoyed Thanksgiving with my family, which meant we had to stay overnight. In the past this has usually gone terribly wrong. Cayden refusing to sleep in his pack n play; Heath and I accepting defeat and driving home at midnight. Surely this time would be better....

It was..kind of. He did okay at first, but at 10:45 he woke up crying and just wouldn't calm down. I think he knew he wasn't in his own bed. By the time I got back, Cayden asleep on Heath, who was sitting on the couch. Once I returned I put him in bed with me, and Heath was left on the couch. Cayden slept until 6:24. Where was I during all of this? Well, I got the grand idea to hit Branson for early Black Friday shopping. In some ways it was a waste, in others it wasn't. It was just my mom and I, so that was a fun adventure for us!

We are starting to gear up for the holidays around here. Starting with Christmas cards. We are notorious for sending them out at the last minute. It's always my fault because I wait until the last minute to take pictures. Not this year! I just ordered our cards! Woo Hoo! While I understand there is really no way to top last year's card (it was fantastic), I took pictures knowing that this one would be good too.

Here is a sample of what we were going for this year. I love my camera 99% of the time. But every now and then I wish for something a little more on the professional side.

On a different note, I failed to mention one of Cayden's obsessions. It's hard for me to call it an obsession, but he is completely mesmerized by the Heidi Klum Jordache commercial for WalMart. You know the one where she dances. I'm not sure what it is about that commercial - is it her? is it the dancing? the jeans? Who knows, but for a kid who hardly looks at the TV for longer than a moment, he is transfixed by this. I think inside Heath is doing a "My kid is a stud" dance, at least until his son screams at the top of his lungs at the pink bikes in Walmart...yeah, that happened.



16 Months...And Yes, I'm Behind

I feel like such a slacker. It has literally been one month since I updated the blog. What the heck? I feel like a terrible parent. There was no 15 month update, I just breezed right by it. Anyway, enough of the self-loathing. Cayden is quite the character these days. More than once I find myself thinking that he is becoming such a little boy, no more baby here.

 His newest tricks. He loves to climb on his truck. It seemed like for a few days this was all he wanted to do, but of course he has now moved on.

Let me recap his 15 month appointment. We are supposed to be doing away with the bottles and going to sippy cups only. When we were told this, I was right in the middle of getting ready for a craft fair, and I thought, eh, we can wait. Well, we have waited, and really I haven't given it much thought since. I know it needs to be done, but I'm not just gung-ho. He stayed within his normal stat range. He weighed in at 26.10, and was 31 3/4 inches. By the way, I think their measuring system is a little flawed. The doctor thinks he is doing fine, looking good, all the things you want to hear.

That was until two weeks ago, when we were hit with our first ear infection, and a double one at that! Oh lord. Three nights of literally holding Cayden all night so he could sleep about did Heath and I in. It was somewhat reminiscent of the newborn days. Three days was plenty for me. He got the all clear on Monday, and I hope and pray, we don't have to do that very often.

 When I took this picture, I got kind of sad. There he was, sitting in his chair, eating from a fruit pouch like a big boy. He really is growing up so fast.  I had been a little concerned about the fact that he really doesn't talk too much. Oh, he babbles. A Lot. But few actual words.  But you can talk to him, and ask  him to do stuff, and he understands you. So, I would be more concerned if he didn't understand what we were saying, but since he does, I'll put my worries a way. for a bit.

 Cayden's BFF. Boy does this girl love her some Cayden. BTW- Parent fail. Took him to the fall festival without costume. Seriously, we were the only ones there without a costume. I really felt like the worst parent. But Millie looked cute, and I loved her outfit.

 There were about 15 shots where Millie was touching Cayden. Most of the time he doesn't really mind. He just looks at her like, "Why are you touching me?"

 We tried without success to get them to sit together for a picture. They are  movers and shakers!

 I'm not sure why, but this photo strikes me as super cute!

 Millie is throwing down her gangster swag. Is she warding off a rival gang fight? Practicing her rap skills?

Another cute one of Millie. I swear this post is about Cayden. But you can't help but love this girl!

 Cayden also loves hats. He likes putting them on. Taking them off. Putting them on you. Taking them off you. It's a vicious circle.

 We attempted our traditional Halloween photo. I'm pretty disappointed with the results. They are a little fuzzy, and the color is off. But we got it. I hope we get to do this for years to come. Won't that be sweet at their wedding?

Cayden's Likes:

Bath's in the sink - playing on the bed - playing in the toilet - outside - crawling under/into stuff - piggy back rides - chasing cats - attempting to eat their food - trucks/cars - iPad - books - being held at night (while you are supposed to be sleeping) - chocolate donuts - mac n cheese - baked potatoes - crawling on the fireplace

Cayden's Dislikes:

Being told he can't go upstairs - fruit punch - eating the same food more than once in a 24 hour period - riding in the car for longer than 20 minutes

Tricks:

Mimicking certain things: Yelling at the TV during football. Hitting the car seat when Daddy is yelling and hitting it too. That's right, we teach life lessons in this house.

Finding his belly button, and your belly button. Getting stuff out of drawers. Cleaning out the closet by pulling ALL of the clothes off their hangers.

Getting stuff he wants by just being cute.

Heath was in the UK for a few days, and while he was gone it seemed like everything became DADA. So now when he talks, everything his dada. He was pretty excited when Heath came home!

Potty training. No, I'm not trying it yet, but I think he is giving us signs that we should be thinking about this sooner than later. He pulls at his diaper when he pees. If you say that you need to change his diaper, he will lay down on the floor and let you change it. Maybe we'll try it during the Christmas break, but I was really shooting for more like next summer! ugh.

Thanksgiving is next week, I'm in denial. We have no Christmas tree. And I don't mean a live one. I mean we don't. own. a. tree. I think that when you have a kid, it's like a requirement. So that is on our list. Christmas cards. Need to do that, and come up with something as good as last year. Tough shoes to fill.

I will try to be better at posting. Hopefully it won't be another month before I do!

The Pumpkin Patch

I decided that this weekend would be perfect to take Cayden to the pumpkin patch. Well, I basically invited our family to meet Millie's family there. Heath was a little skeptical about exactly what Cayden would do at a pumpkin patch. I quickly informed him that there was plenty, and there would also be a Mule Train. He still remained a skeptic. I knew Cayden would love it because: A) It's outside B)There are pumpkins. C)Millie would be there.

The weather was Perfect! We arrived right when it opened, and thank goodness. The parking lot was already muddy due to the rain last night; I can only imagine what it looked like this evening. 

 Pumpkin patches are a great place to take pictures! The colors are great, the scenery fantastic.

 I think Cayden's favorite part was the wagon. No, this was not a ride. We decided that the Mule Train was a little too advanced for our kids. We really thought that it would circle the parking lot and come back - not so much. It went all the way around the field, which was too far for us. We always expect the worst, and we knew that one of our kids would probably make a jump for it - out of the mule train. Maybe next year?

 It's hard for me not to have a running "Cayden Commentary" in my head. I always wonder what he thinks about situations or people. He loves Millie. We have been working on saying her name. Here I believe he is thinking, "Uh, I don't think we are supposed to be standing, Millie. It's your fault that we can't ride the mule train."

 The joy on this kids' face. Love it! I have no problems with him being photographed in a carriage. Just think, if these two get married in 20+ years...

 We could never get them both to stick their heads out at the same time!

 As soon as he saw this chicken, he said "Ba-Ba." That's chicken speak.

 He's getting to be such a little boy. The clothes kill me. This was Cayden's first at many attempts to pick up the pumpkins. He's quite manly.

 "Hey, Mills - whatcha got there?"

 "Cay-Cay, I'm pretty sure I can pick this one up!"

 "See - Told Ya!"

 "Women are just as strong as men!"

 "Stand aside, pretty lady"

 "This here is man's work!"

 "I'm lifting with my legs, not my back! Did you know that's how it's done?"

 "UGH. Why didn't I bring my back brace?"

 "I meant to put it back down..."

 "Why is something so small, so difficult to pick up!"

 "Ta-Da!!! See, Millie...Man's work!"

 "Where would you like me to carry it?"

 I swear these two are so cute together! I like this picture because it looks like they are holding hands. They were really just touching the pumpkin.

 When Heath put him down in the middle of all of these pumpkins, he threw his hands out as if to say, "Which do I choose?"

 Like I said, he loved that cart. He was content to just ride around with the pumpkins!

We only stayed about 45 minutes, but we had a great time and hauled some awesome pumpkins home. I think Cayden had a good time! Tomorrow is his 15 month doctor's appointment, so I'll post an update later!