A Star is Born

Here's some footage from Caden's Christmas Program on 12/8/11.

Little Lion King

Happy (belated) Halloween!!!

Yes, we're still alive

Is there ever a blog post that I don't start out apologizing for how long it's been since my last post? It's called a toddler, people. He keeps me hopping. I'm lucky to find time to brush my teeth every day. I don't sit around watching TV and eating bon-bons at night while procrastinating on my blog updates. Really, I don't.

I am Caden's favorite escort. With the help of my hand (finger), he leads me all over the house and all over the yard. We don't stop until we pass out at night from exhaustion - both of us. One of these days he'll start walking without asking for my hand and then I'll miss these days, so you won't hear me complaining in the meantime.

Did I mention Caden had ear tube surgery on July 5th? Pretty sure I missed informing you of that. Reference paragraph #1 for my excuses. We took some pictures of our groggy little guy as he came out of surgery - still feeling the effects of the anesthesia. Somehow the right ear tube became "blocked" with mucous that didn't drain properly 6 weeks after the surgery. The surgeon attempted to clear it with ear drops and antibiotic (infection in the middle ear to complicate matters), but with no success, so we headed back to have a second surgery on Sept. 16th to "re-do" the right tube. So far so good with the new one! Aren't his Looney Tunes scrubs adorable?

Caden's recent interests include clocks and American flags. He can spot these items from miles away. We have a few small flags that he will carry around with him all day long. He's very patriotic. He's also has the typical boy interests, such as lawn mowers (his parents may be the only people on the planet who can actually interpret when he's saying this word), cars, trucks, buses and tractors.

Caden was holding steady with 6 teeth for the longest time (well, since his first birthday), but in the last week, he has been sprouting teeth like crazy. Speaking of crazy, I stuck my finger in his mouth in attempt to conduct inventory. It was a brief attempt; hence, only an approximation of roughly 4 or 5 new ones.

After ear issues that lasted for months, combined with recent teething, we were thrilled that Caden slept for 11 hours STRAIGHT last night. It was pure heaven. It was the first time I entered into a deep enough sleep to spark a dream in months. It was wonderful. I dream of more nights like last night.

After much prompting from my husband, I joined Facebook about a month ago. You'll be pleased to hear that I'm ignoring Facebook as much as I've been ignoring this blog. Sorry for those of you who had high expectations that I would actually use it. Maybe when Caden turns 18. No promises.

Happy 1st Birthday Baby Caden!

Okay, so he's not a baby anymore, is he? What a fun year we've had with Caden in our lives! He is truly a blessing.



Caden may not look too thrilled about it being his birthday in this picture. However, keep in mind, that he was so excited about it being his birthday EARLIER in the day, that he decided a half hour nap was all that he needed. Turns out that it wasn't enough. So, he was a bit sleepy tonight. Daddy mowed the lawn, which is one of Caden's favorite past times in terms of entertainment, so that was a hit with him. He had his favorite meal of mac 'n cheese. Yum!

At one year old, Caden:
* says several words including: Hi, Dada, Mom, Door, Baby, Tickle
* waves bye-bye, especially when he presses the button in the garage to open/shut the door
* still army crawls - we're certain he will skip the stage in which he uses his knees
* prefers to "walk" around with his cute little hands wrapped around our fingers while he leads us around the house. Favorite rooms include the bathrooms, mostly because his voice echos.
* LOVES, LOVES, LOVES his blanket
* is still a stinker when it comes to napping, although we have been able to pull off 2+ hour naps on the weekends during the past month. Whoever gave the advice "sleep when your baby sleeps" never met our son.
* is showing a stubborn side and is resisting our attempt to transition to whole milk. He's also very skeptical of any new table foods that we offer him. Favorite treats include chocolate shakes and hot fudge sundaes. Oops, were we supposed to wait to offer ice cream until AFTER he turned one? Too late...

Our Little Walker

Here's a short clip of Caden's new favorite thing to do. This will keep Mommy and Daddy in shape!

That's right... We took a trip to Vegas in late June. Kind of an early Anniversary gift to eachother. A good test to be away from Caden for four nights but he was in good hands with grandmas and grandpas (and Lexy too).

During our time there we experienced a wonderful dinner at Top of the World Restaurant at the Stratosphere with a beautiful view of Las Vegas and sunset. We saw the Cirque du Soleil show "O". We both agreed the best show we've ever seen. We also saw a comedian and some other shows, took in time by the pool and, of course, did some gaming. All in all, a good trip!

Caden loves his Daddy!

Miss Nebraska 2011

One of Caden's favorite full-time teachers in the infant room - Miss Kayla - was crowned Miss Nebraska 2011 last night. We are so very excited for her! However, it's bittersweet, as Kayla will no longer be caring for Caden as she'll be tending to her new gig.

The prior Miss Nebraska was crowned Miss AMERICA last year. Maybe Kayla will repeat that trend when she competes at the Miss America pageant in January.

If you are interested in checking out Kayla's blogspot, you can follow it at:
https://missomaha2011.blogspot.com/

Omaha Relay For Life

Caden met a new friend at the Omaha Relay for Life this weekend. No fear!

Memorial Day in Minnesota

Same story, different day. Yes, I'm behind with updating the blog AGAIN.

Caden and I have been battling the flu this past week. To complicate matters, poor Caden has also been battling ear infection AGAIN. We're off to see a ENT (ear/nose/throat) specialist in a few days.

We had a GREAT time to Minnesota over Memorial Day weekend. Caden LOVED playing with Addeson and Hadley. He had big belly laughs when intentionally throwing things off his high chair tray and watching the girls pick them up...repeat, repeat, repeat. This game has not been as fun with Mommy since we've returned home! I don't pick things up as fast as the girls!

Long Overdue Update

I'm finally getting around to reporting our almost 10-month-old's 9 month check-up results! At Caden's 9 month check-up, his statistics were as follows:
* 31.5 inches long (110%) - the average height of an 18-month-old; and by-the-way, pretty much HALF way to my adult height
* 22 lbs., 7 ozs. (77%) - basically, a long and lean machine
* Fluid in his ears and another round of antibiotics...interesting given I had taken him to the doctor TWICE the week before and the P.A.'s we saw wouldn't give him anything...we are headed back to check his ears next week, and if there is still fluid, we're going forward with tubes!
* Between Caden's 6 month and 9 month check-ups, we had been to the doctor's office NINE times. Did I mention we are considering ear tubes?
* no shots (yay!)...a simple finger prick and Caden never batted an eye - tough guy


Although Caden wasn't able to hunt for his own Easter eggs this year, he kept a watchful eye on his cousin, Evan, filling up his own bucket. Next year, Caden will provide a little competition!




We had a nice Mother's Day and enjoyed a yummy buffet at Chances R restaurant. Caden was great and sat in a high chair for over an hour...playing with some toys, but mostly just people watching (like mother, like son).



We enjoyed a visit from Grandpa Ron and Grandma Nancy and Great-grandma Sally the weekend between Easter and Mother's Day. Caden loved all the extra attention.

An evening with Miss America..and other more important happenings

A few weeks ago, Mike and I enjoyed an evening out, thanks to Grandma Donna taking care of Caden. I had to put on a dress, hoisery and lipstick - all items that I haven't worn since B.C. (i.e. before Caden). Before heading out the door, Caden couldn't take his eyes off me. It was as if to say "what have you done with my Mamma - she doesn't normally look like this!?!?".
Our evening included a photo opportunity with the current Miss America. (Fun Factoid: She's the first Miss Nebraska to ever win the title.) By the way, she's the one on the left.


Although Caden has had another two ear infections since my last post, he CURRENTLY is infection-free. Ahhhh, it's wonderful. For everyone.

As he approaches his nine-month milestone, he is learning how to sit up (a bit more steadily) and how to army crawl. If he doesn't feel like army crawling, he's mastered rolling so well that it's sometimes easier and faster.

He's loves his baby foods - especially fruits, and even tolerates vegetables a bit better. What really gets him going - melted frozen yogurt!



His two bottom teeth are coming in nicely. Now if only another tooth would surface? We seem to be stuck on "pause" when it comes to teething progress!



Caden is an excellent typist. He enjoys helping Dadda check his fantasy baseball team's statistics on ESPN.com.



Have a great week! Happy Spring!

Giggle Monster

Here's our own little "Giggle Monster". It all started when we first pulled off his socks to change him into his PJs. He couldn't get enough of it so we kept repeating. These are the moments that warm your heart!

What's Caden up to?

For the first time in a month, Caden is not on medicine, whether it be inhaled through the nebulizer or swallowed by syringe. He might actually be disappointed as he's yet to meet a medicine that he hasn't enjoyed the taste!

Some of his recent antics include:

* He loves to say da-da-da-da and repeat, repeat! This could be the result of someone in this house prompting him to say this for the past 7 months.

* He loves to roll and wiggle to cover all surfaces of his crib. He reached through the slats and got ahold of the video monitor cord today. We discovered this when Mike took a look at the monitor and realized he was watching the ceiling! Note to self - tape cord to wall to secure from little fingers.

* Speaking of fingers and hands, he loves to clap your hand (High 5!) because he loves the noise it makes. He'll do either hand - right or left.

* His favorite "toys" have become the magnets on the refrigerator, my People magazine and a nearly empty Diet Coke bottle. Who needs Toys 'R Us anyway?

* He popped his first tooth this week. It's no longer an option to let him chew on our fingers!

* He strongly dislikes vegetables. Give him any type of fruit and he inhales it. Try to sneak in a bite of peas and he's done eating. He might even spit at you. Apparently, he likes peas as much as his Aunt Marcia and Aunt Cindy.

Single White Male...

...looking for someone fun to play with and ideally having similar interests, including bottles, musical toys, stuffed animals, soft blankets and fruit-flavored baby food! Isn't this the cutest ElIGIBLE BACHELOR you've ever seen?! We sure think so!

RSV

As you will recall from the not so distant past, Caden had his 6 month WELL baby check-up. Including that visit, we've been to the pediatrician's office four times in less than two weeks, with 3 of the 4 visits due to a not-so-well baby.

After a sleepless night, ear infection was diagnosed and amoxicillin prescribed. We thought we were on the road to recovery! A week into the medicine, Caden developed a cough and was again running a fever, so this worried mama insisted we go back to see the doctor over the weekend. We were assured his ear looked better and he was just fighting another cold.

His cough continued, but we sent Caden to day-care on Monday and Tuesday anyway. When I picked him up on Tuesday afternoon, I was advised of a confirmed case of RSV in one of the other infants in Caden's room. While feeding and playing with Caden last night, I was certain I heard him wheezing as he breathed. Mike initially thought I was being a hypochondriac until he listened for himself. Sure enough, he began to share in my concern. Luckily, Caden made it through the night okay.

As soon as the pediatrician's office opened this morning, we were back on their door step. We spent nearly 2 hours in the exam room while the doctor was very thorough in evaluating Caden's condition and he confirmed that, yes, Caden also has RSV. Boo!!!!!!

Caden was given a nebulizer breathing treatment before we left and a nebulizer machine was sent home with us to continue the treatments for the next two weeks (or until he is cough-free for 24 hours). The breathing treatments must make Caden's lungs feel better as he sits surprisingly still for 10 minutes each treatment.

Thank goodness Daddy is able to use some sick time from work to take care of Caden for the next week while he's banned from day-care!

Here are a few pictures of our sick, yet still adorable, Caden:

January Re-cap

While we've been away...

January has been a busy month - some good busy and some not so good.

For the not so good...
After battling 10 days of back/leg pain that had me unable to walk, I had microdisectomy surgery on January 17th to remove a herniated disc. Yep, it was the same disc as last time (18 months ago for those of you wondering). My surgeon said it was the largest herniated disc that he's operated on in over a year. Not a title I'm thrilled to hold. Luckily, I'm now on the mend. And luckily, Mike and Caden were great buddies while Mommy's mobility was quite limited.

Now, for the more pleasant, GOOD stuff...
Caden had his 6 month check-up this past week and his stats confirm that he continues to grow like a weed! He is 18 lbs. 9.5 ozs. (67%) and 29.5 inches long (110% - basically "off the chart"). No wonder this 6 month-old "baby" is wearing 12 month clothes! With Daddy's soothing hand to hold, Caden survived three shots with ease (while Mommy looked away and swooped in with the bottle when it was over).

Caden's pediatrican mentioned (warned) that Caden would become more and more mobile in the near future. We didn't realize he meant this might occur over night, or rather, after a visit to Target. You see, we went to Target this afternoon - not so much because we had things we needed to buy (although how can you leave that store empty-handed?), but more so because Caden needed a nap. He's a stinker for sleeping on the weekends and Target tends to invoke sleepiness. After a little cat-nap and a sizable charge to the credit card, we came home. Caden broke free from the carseat and was a rolling machine, easily getting from one end of the room to the other. So much for the blanket in the middle of the room that he's been contently confined to for the past 6 months. We're having fun watching him grow and discover new things, even if it does keep us on our toes!

Mike had to stay late at work one night this past week and since I can't carry Caden and his carseat yet, Mike went to day-care to pick him up early and I met them at his office to entertain Caden while Mike was overseeing a photo shoot of a cancer survivor. Before the "official" photo shoot began, the photographer offered to take a few impromptu pictures of Caden. We had NO idea this was going to happen, so he was in day-care attire with some wild hair. She was kind enough to share the photos with us and they are pretty darn cute. Here are a few of them: