One Giant Post

I keep thinking about ALL of the different posts that I need to update to the blog. So for better or worse, I think I will try to cram it all in. Hang in there kids, it's going to be a doozie.

The weekend after Cayden's birthday we had family pictures scheduled. Anyone who lives in AR will remember this past summer with lovely memories of 100+ degree weather. Well, this day was no different. At 10am we set out for Tanyard Creek and it was already 85-90 degrees. Add no breeze, humidity, and it would have been no surprise if my hair wasn't also measurable by degrees. As in 180 degrees of poofiness. I digress...

We went with Calotype once again because we have never been disappointed. We had Cayden's newborn, six month, and one year pictures taken with them. I love working with Julie, and she always manages to capture the perfect moments.  Looking at these you would never imagine sweaty armpits, flushed faces, and stifling air. She's amazing. 

I didn't include all of them, but I wanted to give you a glimpse of the awesome results.

After that weekend it seemed like the days flew by, and it was a mad dash to spend as much time with Cayden as possible. We had several play dates with Millie, and just tried to enjoy our time before I went back to work. I am beyond thrilled that my cousin is watching Cayden again. I know in my heart that he would be fine at day care, but I can't lie and say it doesn't give me anxiety. So he will be with her for another year...Yippeee!

Cayden turned 13 months on the 14th.  Here are a few of his new things forgive me if I have already posted about this...

Words:
* Cat
* Puppy - sounds like Pup
* Pop - For Big Poppa
* Bababababa - Chicken clucks
* Lola - sounds like whoa-wah
* Baba - for bottle
* Ball - This happens few and far between.
* Yah-Yah

Food:
As I said before, he went cold turkey on baby food, so it's a scramble to figure out what to fix him. I want to give him good stuff, and different stuff, but when it comes down to it, sometimes toast or a samich is what's for dinner. Now I don't just give him toast...fruits and veggies too.

* LOVES toast, or bread
* LOVES mandarin oranges
* watermelon
* chicken
* pickles
* blueberry yogurt
* spaghetti/lasagna

He will eat almost anything you give him. He definitely has Heath's sweet tooth. I try not to give him bad stuff, but sometimes a trip to TCBY is needed! Ha!

Sleeping is going pretty good. He doesn't like napping at JeJe's house, but he's getting a little better. He goes to bed about 730 each night and wakes around 615 or 630.

I think he has had a growth spurt in the last two weeks. He walked by his Measure Me Ruler and he is up an inch from his birthday. He walks/runs everywhere!  This explains the bumps and bruises, and goose eggs on his head.

Big News: We are officially milk drinkers. Cayden is no longer on formula. My wallet appreciates it.
He has TWO molars. The only reason I even know this, is that he was laughing the other day while upside down, and I noticed a speck of white. I went in for a closer look and there was not one but TWO back there. So now he has six on top and two on the bottom. Four on the top right.

What Cayden Loves:
* Outside
* Mulch in the flower beds
* Turning the water on in the bathtub
* Heath's belts
* Anything with a strap goes around his neck
* Eating stuff off the floor
* Dogs/Cats
* Books about dogs or cats

What Cayden Loathes:
* Getting his diaper changed...not sure what this is about, but he's getting quite good at the alligator roll
* When I leave the room


Here are some stories from the  past couple of weeks that are worth documenting:

1. You can never say "Nose" around him. As soon as you say it, up goes the finger into his nose. And then he laughs. It is very difficult to not also laugh when he does it, so it just makes it worse because he thinks it's the funny thing to do. Heath and I joke about having a kid that bites, or pulls hair...Oh no...we have the nose picker.

2. Cayden loves to play with remotes, or anything electronic. The other morning he was at JeJe's house  sitting on the floor playing with the remotes. Well, JeJe looks up to quickly discover that Cayden has just purchased a boxing match on PPV. Wait, there is more.... As she skirted around the bar in the kitchen, and went to yank the remote away from him, she looked up to see that he was scrolling through porn, Euro Mom's I believe it was. JeJe quickly called the cable company, who I am sure were skeptical, and got the whole situation worked out.

It's hard to remember everything which is the problem when I wait so long to update this thing. Heaven help me if I ever had another kid. Geesh

I will update more. I will update more. I will. I will. I will. Maybe I need that pen that Professor Umbridge (Harry Potter) had to teach me a lesson, or at least to let the thought really "sink" in.

Blog Post Catch Up!

Now that I've finished my birthday update, I can get to all the other things that have been happening! After the 14th, the summer was quickly flying past me, so we tried to make the best of it! I was crazy, and took Cayden to Silver Dollar City in a super-fast drive there, play, and drive back sort-of-way. 

Once I finally took the decorations down, I let Cayden rip and tear them up!

 I thought that taking Cayden to the Midnight Madness would be a lot cooler. I was wrong. It was a million degrees, and Cayden was flushed by the time we walked from the parking lot to the ticket counter. And we parked close. I was dying. I hate hot weather. My body hates it. My maroon face, and seizing lungs also hate it. As soon as we got in, Cayden got some ice water, and we went straight for the splash park to cool off.

He loved it!

 At one point he was busy trying to figure out what was in the holes that covered the ground and water came out and popped him right in the face. He blinked and went on with his discovery mission.

 After changing clothes and eating dinner, we went to find some rides that he could actually ride. We came upon this sprinkler, and he bounced out of my arms and walked right into it. No fear, this kid.

 Everyone around him thought he was hilarious. We didn't stay too much longer, but we found two rides he could ride. He was indifferent. He didn't squeal with excitement or get scared, he just rode. And that was it. I was exhausted, with a major headache, and he needed to go to bed.

 Cayden has some new quirks. He gave up baby food cold. turkey. One day it was good, the next day it wasn't. So now I am faced with the task of trying to figure out what the heck to feed him. He's not really picky. He likes fruit, and samiches, and anything with marinara sauce. It just seems so stressful to plan dinners, and lunches, and breakfast. Ugh.

That's a green bean.

 In a last ditch effort, Kristin and I tried to schedule as many play dates as we could. Even if it was just a trip to the park, or hanging out at the house. They really do like being together.

 It can get a little "handsy" with these two. Always touching, sometimes pulling hair, sometimes biting.

 Cayden likes laundry. He likes to pull out unmentionables and carry them around the house. He likes to wipe the floor with wash rags. He likes to get in the basket and lay there. The first time he did this, he was in there for at least 10 minutes. In baby toddler world, it's quite a long time.

On Saturday, July 14th, he ate...

Cake! The birthday post is finally here! Because I am printing this blog each year to use as Cayden's scrapbook, I haven't been able to post any updates until I could get the birthday one out of the way!

The party went really well. There was plenty of food, plenty of cake, too many presents, and a whole bunch of memories. Be patient, there are tons of pictures, and I want to make sure I give credit where credit is due, and no it won't all go to Pinterest. HA!

I guess the idea of A Very Hungry Caterpillar birthday came from a picture on Pinterest. Melissa at Pink Pistachio created a wonderful party for her son's 1st Birthday. Once I saw what she did, I knew I wanted to use it has a jumping off point. After many searches on Pinterest, I found the cake I wanted. I usually go to a well known cake store a few miles down the road, but I knew that it was going to cost me a pretty penny. A friend suggested Bizzy B's, so I went and showed them what I wanted, and they said no problem. And by the way, because it is a 1st Birthday, the smash cake is Free! Sign Me Up! They did a FANTASTIC job!

Cayden's Smash Cake

Close up of the Caterpillar

This was after the party...when it gets wild!

 As far as decorations went, I made them myself. And let me tell you. Pinterest can be the death of you, when party planning. Everything looks soo good on there. And so easy to make. And sure! Why can't I do that too? Spoken by a crazy person.

Food Table. Cayden's board included 11 months worth pictures.

Full Cake Shot.

 Melissa at Pink Pistachio sold me the labels she used for her son's birthday. They were so cute! And I think it added just enough Hungry Caterpillar, so it wasn't total overkill.

Cayden is One banner!

Tissue Paper Poms. Easier to make than I thought, but a little time consuming.

Flag Banner.

 We invited several of our family and friends, and thankfully almost everyone was able to show up. To say that Cayden is Mr. Social, is an understatement. He was running around, playing with Millie, and in general entertaining his guests.

 Then came time for the cake. We assumed he would like the cake. I like cake, Heath likes cake; it's in the genes.

We gathered around our dining room table, which was covered with a table cloth, as was the floor. When everyone started singing Happy Birthday, Cayden had a look on his face that was a cross between "What the Hell is going on?" and "Why is everyone staring at me?" It was pretty funny.

Once he played with the cake for a minute, and then tried a piece he was hooked!

 I think he ate more icing than cake. Isn't that what you are supposed to do?!

 Cayden was spoiled by everyone's generosity. It was definitely a birthday to remember.

 My brother has been DYING to buy Cayden a motorized toy since birth. Literally. I have a feeling this is just the first of many to come.

 He's one. In case you were wondering.

 It's hard to believe that he is one, and we are in year TWO. Even though I stressed out about the party, it really was worth it. If stress and decorations are a measurement for love, then I love this kid to the moon and back. And I do. I've said it before, but he's the best part of me and Heath. I don't think we could love him any more, but we can always try.

There was one thing about Cayden's party that I splurged on. We hired a photographer. I even poked fun at other people for doing this, but when it came down to it, I wanted to enjoy the party, not rush around trying to get it all on film. Sue Lee did a GREAT job. All of the photos in this blog are hers. She was so sweet and was well worth it!