What? Two Posts in 24 Hours?

I know, right? Are you as shocked as I am? Don't get to used to this. I'm sure I'll fall off the wagon once again, but at least I can say, "Remember when I posted twice in 24 hours?"

Today we went to Heath's aunt's house to celebrate Easter. Before we went, I took the proverbial Easter photo on the couch. I'm telling you. If Thanksgiving is for Turkey dinner, and Easter is for ham...We have a big ham in our house. His name is Cayden. 

 See that look? He does this often. He ducks his head down, and peers at you over his nose. Most of the time it doesn't have a smile with it, but lucky us, this one did.

 I think this could be an ad for Easter Peeps. I may feed my kid junk like Chickfila, but one thing he has been sheltered from is candy. An occasional marshmallow here and there, but nothing really to where he recognizes what it is. He was really intrigued with the peeps. Maybe because they were colorful? Once we fed him one though, he knew. He was hooked on their sugary goodness.

 Donald Duck getting a quick snuggle and a rock. Cayden rocked back and forth with him on the couch.

 Who doesn't love a good slide!?

 Cayden was having a great time swinging, until he fell off and hit his head. It was one of those where it sounded really terrible, but turned out just fine. Boys...

 The loot. Of course he needs every single bit of it.

 Remember these balloons? I can remember getting these all of the time. I'm not sure my luck was as bad as Cayden's though. He popped this green one in about 3 minutes.

 Derek was kind enough to give his blue one to Cayden. Literally, 45 seconds later, he popped this one too!

 I've got a golden ticket!! or Egg. Whichever. This find was a little guided, in that out of the picture are Ya-Ya and Aunt Debbie pointing him in the right direction.

 I mentioned before that Cayden isn't too interested in finding eggs. He found two and chucked them to the ground. As a good mom, I followed behind picking up the eggs and putting them with our stuff. I see this same routine with laundry in years to come.

 No, this is not an ad for Garanimals. What's Easter without a pinata? Cayden took a couple of good whacks at it, but then was distracted by other things.

 Once the candy was out, he became fixated on these little eggs. Like I said, he really has no idea what candy is, so he picked them up and hoarded them.

Easter Chick anyone? Debbie has a funny sense of humor. Like we would actually take a chick home. Cayden had the same idea. She tried to get him to pet the chick and he literally came out swinging. Anytime it got near him, he threw a punch or two. No worries. No actual contact was made.

It was a great day. It really crazy to think about how far you come in a year, and what the next year will bring.

Growing Up!

The past few weeks seemed to have been so busy! Between Spring Break, work, and just being pregnant, I feel like I hardly have any time!

Here is a quick pregnancy update:

Weight Gain: More than I care to mention. I haven't been quite as "aware" of my weight this time around as I was with Cayden. Last time it seemed like I weighed myself at least 3-4 times a week. This time, I have actually gone weeks without stepping on that thing. It's probably not for the better. The very last thing I want to do is make dinner. I really just want to eat sweets, which really isn't like me. I crave everything sweet. Girl Scout cookies. Yup. Popsicles. You betcha. Candy. Cake. Cupcakes. I want it all. 

Feeling: I really feel pretty good, other than it feels like my stomach weighs a ton, and sometimes that feels exhausting. I'm starting to get a little defensive when people ask me my due date because when I tell them, it feels like they are judging me. Example: When I say, "Oh, I'm not due until the end of June." My mind thinks that they are mentally sizing up my belly, and thinking that I am huge! The pregnant brain is a crazy and powerful thing.

Name: Beckham Connor. I probably should do an entire post about his name. It's taken us much longer to decide this time. And by us, I mean me. Heath named Cayden, and wouldn't take no for an answer. So, I joked about how he gave up all rights to naming our second child (Thinking it would be awhile before this point). Well...My turn came. And I felt a lot of pressure to come up with a good one. Not to mention that I had Heath come up with a list, and we didn't see eye-to-eye on any of them. Finally, I saw Beckham, and really liked it. I have no ties to soccer, although I do love Victoria Beckham's tattoos.

Good News: I had my glucose test. Once you have gestational diabetes you have a 40% chance of getting it again. Let's face it. The odds were against me. Between having it once before, and then my family history...It was inevitable... However, I got the all clear signal. Maybe the fact that I can eat sweets is the reason I want them so bad. I'm sure I can blame that darn pregnancy brain.

Okay, on to the more interesting person. Cayden. Boy, is this kid charming? When Heath and I get on to him for various things, he can just look so cute. We often find ourselves saying something like, "If you weren't so cute, you'd be in big trouble." Not that we don't tell him No and such, we do.

We got to spend all of Spring Break together with not much of a plan. My mom came over and stayed for FOUR days! It was great! I'm here to tell you, that boy loves his NeNe. When we are in the car... "NeNe?" When we see a red vehicle, "NeNe?" Although the weather wasn't that cooperative, we still got to get outside and visit the square and other things.

 He loves his shades. And the outdoors. His allergies are terrible. Part of me wants to just keep him indoors, but I know that this is cruel. I'm not sure if you can build up an immunity to allergies, but we just keep going out.

We went to NeNe's house today for a quick day trip. The weather was rainy when we got there, but by the afternoon it was really nice. The fields were green, the cows were grazing. It was perfect.

 We had Cayden practice his egg hunting skills. As long as they are in the open, he's good. You really only have to hide a few because once he finds one or two, he just throws them around like tiny footballs, and he's done. It will be interesting to see how this goes tomorrow.

 The weather was so nice, his belly wanted a first hand experience of the sun! I have no idea why he showed us his stomach.

 Cayden loves dogs. He's never really been up close and personal with one. Socks was more than willing to give him that experience.

 Photo opportunity by the flowering bushes. Check.

Not only did he enjoy running wild. He took a ride on the four-wheeler and swung in the hammock. He loved that hammock.

Quick Cayden Update: The past two weeks he has probably doubled his vocabulary. Is it all plain and clear? No. But he is trying, and for the most part we can decipher what they are.

New Words: Park, Cat, Dog, Biscuit, Bye-Bye, Night Night, Nick.

He can also identify all the letters in his name, and most of the alphabet. His favorite number is 8, although he can identify 1-8.

Entertaining Cayden

My mind has been wandering a lot lately. I think about the new baby and how we will manage with a new one and a two year old. I think about all the stuff I would like to get organized and cleaned out before he gets here. I think about the summer and what I can do with Cayden so that he doesn't get bored, but also things he can do without much help from me. I know I'm not going to be able to give him all the attention I give him now, but I also know that I never want him to feel neglected. My mission is to find ways to entertain him that don't involve the TV. There are times that Pinterest can be a detriment. It can be exhausting, without even having to do anything. But I have found a great list of activities for toddlers. Bingo! 

A couple of weekends ago, I busted out the shaving cream! I wasn't sure how Cayden would handle it. My first fear was that he would eat it. He does like toilet paper, so shaving cream may look like whipped cream and then it's down hill from there...

He loved it!

 He figured out that if you clap your hands, the shaving cream will splatter every where. This isn't a daily activity. I want to keep the novelty of it, so I probably will do this every now and then. But it does entertain him for a good 15 minutes. Which is quite long in my world.

 Boo. This game comes in a lot of different forms. Really anything he hides behind becomes a game of Boo. He recently started covering his eyes with his hands and saying Boo. I was washing his sheets the other day, and I went to put it in the laundry, and he insisted on playing with it. Okay? He drug it into the dining room, sat at the table, and basically hid under it. The cute part is when he says "Boo" it comes out in a quiet whisper. Boo.

 He likes to color. Heath has fears of markers on the furniture and walls, so when I first introduced coloring to him, I made him sit on a towel. This is our art place. He knows that he can't take the colors off the towel, and if he does, he's good about taking them back when you tell him to. We have been working on circles and colors. There was only one incident where he colored on the tile, and all I have to say is thank goodness for Washable Crayolas.

 He liked the chalkboard too! I was jotting down possible names and he decided to give his input. I'm not telling what the verdict is yet.

If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram you will be bombarded with photos of Cayden and his crew. The crew being characters from Winnie the Pooh with Mickey Mouse thrown in. On the weekends, they are every where! In the kitchen. In the chair. In our bed. Under the fort. He loves them, and I love that about him.

Boys are boys. Sometimes you just need to dump stuff out. And then not play with it.

Heath has been working a lot lately, so Cayden and I find ourselves eating for two. I cannot mention the number of times where I have thought to myself sarcastically..."Wow! I'm racking up the parent points here!"

Case-in-point: Cayden loves Chick-Fila. He calls it Bock-Bock (chicken noise). Earlier this week, we went to the mall, where he got a cookie (point #1). On the way home, he got Bock-Bock (point #2). I wanted Taco Bell. I have had some serious cravings for Mexican food lately. Not that Taco Bell is really Mexican, but anyway. As we were sitting at the window waiting for our food, Cayden is in the background saying, "MMMMmmmm" and pointing. I look around for the cows...and I can't figure out what he's doing. And then I see Dairy Queen across the way. Where he is pointing. Point #3. I swear, I have been there twice with him. And he now knows what it is. Crazy. And let me tell you, it makes you feel like a whale. What does my kid recognize? Fast food and the mall. Help me.

He has been working on his words lately and is getting better. We definitely don't have the S or C sounds down. But he's trying. His letter recognition is insane. I thank Elmo for that. He can recognize upper and lower case of a lot of them. I'm going to make him some flash cards to put around the kitchen.

Everyday I just think about how blessed we are with him. He's not the perfect sleeper, and I don't think he will ever sleep past 630am, but he loves to hang out in the bed with us in the morning, and I know one day he won't. He loves nose kisses and giving "knucks." And he screams for joy when I pick him up in the afternoons. I can't really ask for much more!

19 Weeks, a Gender Party, and other Tales

As of today, I am 20 weeks +, so I guess I should talk about the first trimester, right? I'll try to keep it brief and not too wordy because there is just too much to talk about. I know what you are thinking: "Well, if you would update more often, you wouldn't have this problem." yeah, yeah.

1st Trimester:

Weight Gain: 5-6 pounds.

Cravings: Tomatoes, Popsicles, pickles.

Symptoms: Definitely headaches. Definitely nausea. It was a little different this time around. I remember last time being nauseous, and not wanting meat. But this time it started sooner, and lasted longer, and never seemed to leave. I was tired.

It was a few weeks into the 2nd trimester that I really started feeling better, but now that we are well into it, I do feel like a semi-normal person. Which brings us to 20 weeks.

 Cayden really liked being a part of the picture process. While I love the idea of the chalkboard, I haven't quite gotten the picture to where I want it to be. Frankly, I don't want to be in it. So I have to figure out a way to get my belly and the stats in, but not my double chin, or goofy grin. Cayden can stay too I suppose.

Last week we had a doctor's appointment on Monday. THE doctor's appointment. We knew from the beginning that we wanted to have another Gender Reveal party. As we were driving, I was telling Heath that I've seen (Pinterest) where a lot of couples find out the gender, and then the party is the reveal for friends and family. I wasn't really going for it, but I think the idea stuck with him. My problem is that I can't really keep a secret that big, unless I don't know either. We explained our plans to the ultrasound tech, and started to check out the newest Baby C. I was awesome. I didn't look when I wasn't supposed to, I didn't ask leading questions that might reveal something I didn't want to know, I just stared at that little face, and quickly moving body. Heath however, started asking questions. Probing. He looked when he wasn't supposed to, and on our way out of the room, stopped the tech and asked her what it was. I just kept on walking.

So Heath knew. For almost five days. It may have been more difficult on him, than me. HA. Take that!

 I saw this idea for a Old Wives Tale board on Pinterest. It was fairly even. 5 for girl and 4 for a boy.

 We invited family and friends, and waited for the big moment to find out Baby C would be!

 Boy, oh Boy! I think I may have my hands full now! But I can't imagine not being excited for another boy. With a big brother like Cayden, there is no telling the trouble they will find!


Speaking of big brother. He put on quite a show with the ladies that night.
Millie and Tatum were in attendance, and after a few minutes of warming up to everyone, he was on fire. Running from room to room, getting bites to eat here and there...

 Sharing his chair with Tatum. Well, she was sitting in it, and he decided he should be there too. As Millie was leaving, I told Cayden to give her a hug. He proceeded to lean in to kiss Tatum, and then lean in to kiss Millie. I'm telling you, he is a ladies man.

He needs a hair cut. It's wild and untamed, maybe a little like him.
Tonight he was eating some fruit snacks and decided that his Rock n Roll Elmo needed one too. So he opened Elmo's mouth, and then closed it and said, "MmMMMMMM." Heath asked him if Elmo liked it, and he responded with a head nod, and a "Yeah!"

I should add that Cayden will be 19 months old on Thursday. He moved up to the Beasts class at Little Gym, which seems fitting. He is adding new words, which makes me a little less worrisome. In not particular order he can now say - Mama, Dada, wow, yea, NeNe, Pop Pop, Pup, Kitty (this sounds like hissing), duck, milk, baba, purple, blue, Lola, apple, and lots of other noises.

He has a new obsession with pig noises and really likes Peppa Pig. He snorts quite often. He likes to have Eeyore sit with him when we read books at night. Still in love with Lucky Charms, there is no killing that monster.

We are working on getting the nursery under way, but also trying to pick out a name. Since Heath basically named Cayden, I get the rights to name this one! We are still narrowing down the list! Lots to do, and I know time will fly!

We've Been Busy

We've been a little busy. I hadn't really said much about the letter making adventure because honestly it was taking over my life. The good side was that I got a TON of orders at the NWA Boutique Show...the bad side...I got a TON of orders. From Thanksgiving to Christmas I was in production mode. Weekends were spent cutting letters. As soon as Cayden was asleep, I was in the garage sanding, painting, glazing, etc. It got to be too much. I just finished my last piece, and I am DONE. Quilting will be my hobby of choice. It's relaxing. There is no pressure to sell anything. I can do it inside while Cayden sleeps. I'm feeling pretty good about the decision. Not that this really matters to anyone. Let's face it, you read this for the cute pictures and not the mundane stories I have. All of that said...That is the main reason I haven't been able blog much. Hopefully I can make a more concerted effort now. 

I've been trying to remember all of the hilarious stories about Cayden, and I know I am forgetting some pretty great ones. 

 He was a little hesitant with the snow. I'm not really sure what was going on in his mind, but he didn't want to walk about into it. I finally picked him up and planted him right in the middle. 

What did he really want to do? Play in the freezing water that was coming out of the gutter. With gloves on. He never touched the snow. He did walk around a little, but he just kept coming back to the water. He kills me. 

He is into climbing, among many things. But climbing and getting into unconventional places is a new hobby. He still likes the slide, but only with an audience. He really likes sitting at the dining room table. He'll jabber away, sitting there, and then get down, and go on his merry way.

He still likes hates and the iPad of course. His skills at electronics are a little scary sometimes. He knows the apps, knows how they function, and he knows how to maneuver around it. 

Funny story. Heath had to go out of town last weekend. Cayden likes suitcases. He enjoys pulling them around the house. As soon as Heath left, and we said Bye-Bye, Cayden went to digging around in the kitchen island. Seconds later he comes out with two black reusable bags and heads straight for his four-wheeler. He puts the bags over his shoulder, hops on his ride, and takes off. It was the cutest thing. He did it again later that week, but he changed his ride. 

His other unconventional place to crawl into. He stays for a few moments, and then on to the next adventure.

It's becoming more difficult to take his picture. Usually when he sees the camera, he drops what he's doing, and points to the floor. His meaning? He wants me to sit on the floor and show him pictures on the camera. That's why the Hug Big Frank picture is a little blurry. He saw the camera and immediately got up! 

Another past time favorite? Taking picture with my phone. Sometimes they are  of him, of the floor, the ceiling, a close-up of his pajamas, etc. I've deleted about 100 so far. Some I keep. 

When the temperatures got a little warmer, we went to the park. The park is great, but the big slides are too accessible for this little man. He decided that this was the slide that he needed to "slide" down. Crazy kid. 

Cayden had his 18 month appointment last week. 

Stats: 29.1 pounds. He has definitely slowed down in this department. He is down to the 85 percentile here. 34+ inches long and in the 95 percentile. He is very consistent in his growth. 

A few little milestones: He is officially off the bottle. It happened pretty uneventfully. Thank goodness. I was actually pretty leery of getting rid of the night bottle, but he takes the sippy cup just as well. 

He's forward facing in the car seat, which he loves. 

He said his first two syllable word yesterday - Purple. 

He knows things that I'm not sure if he should know. And really just points the finger at the kind of parenting we do. 

Anytime we pass Chick-fila - he calls it Bock-Bock (chicken sound).

He can spot Great American Cookie company.

He knows where the Lucky Charms are stored. Even today, as he's sitting in his chair at Gee-Gee's, he puts his hands up to his mouth, gets a very sly look in his eye, and takes one little finger and points to the cabinet. He knows.

We've also allowed him a little more independence. He's made two trips to Petsmart without the stroller. He holds our hand and loves pointing at the fish and any animal he can see. 

To the last bit that has been keeping us busy, or at least me a little more tired than usual. Cayden is going to be a big brother. Shocking, right? We've known for quite sometime and have been soaking it in. This is another reason for the lack of blogging. During the first trimester I was exhausted all of the time. We are excited and look forward to welcoming the next little one at the end of June!

I'll post about my pregnancy thus far....later. :o)