Angels Do Exist

Last Saturday Todd gave me a call while I was getting a pedicure to say that he was going to get a pizza.  We were going to make brownies that night and he wanted to know if I wanted ice cream to go with the brownies.  As Saturdays are "Daddy days", he had Cade with him.  Anyone who knows Todd is aware that his quick trip to pick up ice cream will mysteriously turn into an hour long adventure...love you Todd!  :)  I told him that Cade needed to eat and that if he was going to also stop for ice cream he needed to bring Cade home so I could feed him.  We debated about whether we really wanted the ice cream before he finally decided to drop Cade off and stop for it.  So, I met him back at home and took Cade upstairs to feed him.  Within 15 minutes the phone rang.  It was Todd saying he had been in an accident.  No one was hurt, but Todd's car took a pretty good hit.  I'm sure that Cade would have been okay had he been in the car, but we were so thankful that he wasn't.  So, I want to give a little shout out, one of many more to come, to Cade's angel up above.  We ask that you continue to keep this sweet baby healthy, happy and SAFE! 

Sad about Dad's accident...

But so glad that everyone was okay!

We're down to one car for now.  With Todd working two jobs and needing the car all day and night, I haven't left the house since Sunday when we went to celebrate Superbowl Sunday with Ali, Austin, Olivia, Sandy and Mike (in case you're wondering Cade, the Giants won your first Superbowl and Madonna performed the halftime show).  Needless to say, I have a serious, SERIOUS case of cabin fever right about now.  At least I have Cade here to keep me company. 

Beautiful Day

Today was such a beautiful day - 70 degrees in February!  Cade and I went to the park to take advantage of the warm, sunny weather.  It was his first time being outside for any significant amount of time and though his likes and dislikes are still somewhat of a guessing game at this point, I think he really enjoyed it.  While we were out today I realized a few things.  First, a gaggle of geese can be incredibly intimidating.  I swear if those guys could have asked me for my wallet I would have given it up without a fight.  So scary!  Second, people are very kind to women with babies.  This makes me happy.  :)  Third, nature is so wonderfully beautiful.  I think we become somewhat numb to the simple beauty around us because we see it day in and day out.  As I said, today was the first time that Cade was really outside aside from sitting on our deck occassionally and I was trying to imagine what it must be like to look at things through the eyes of someone who had never seen it before.  It must be overwhelming to say the least.  And last, the world is infinitely better to me because Cade is in it.  Love you C-Baby!

Cade Goes to Horse Cave

Last week Cade took his first road trip.  I was a little nervous about how he would do for the 5 hour car ride, but he did great and slept the whole way there and back.  We stopped more than usual to feed him, change diapers, etc.  We quickly realized that our out-of-state trips will now be taking a lot longer than they used to! 

We went to Horse Cave for a funeral.  Todd's uncle Ralph passed and while the reason for us being in KY wasn't ideal, Cade had tons of fun meeting Todd's side of the family and spending time with Grandma Vicki, Granddaddy, Taylor and Betty.  Cade gladly went from lap to lap and enjoyed all of the attention.  He got lots of love and I'm sure he's looking forward to his next trip to KY!

2 Months Old

Baby Cade is two months old.  Todd often says that he feels like we've always had Cade.  I don't know about that, but it does seem like he's been a part of our lives for much longer than two months.  Though at other times I can't BELIEVE that he's two months old.  It seems like we just brought him home.  It's so fun to watch him grow and change.  Here's a little more about Cade at two months. 

Cade's two month stats:

• You weigh 12lbs. 12 oz (70th %tile)
• You are 24.2 inches long (84%tile)
• You wear size 3 month clothing (though a lot of your 3 month clothing is too small and you're about ready to move up to the next size - you tall baby, you! )
• You are still wearing size 1 diapers, but you are ready to move up to size 2 as soon as we finish this last box.
• You are still a happy, easy-going baby and you smile a lot!  You smile more "on purpose" now - like when we smile at you or talk to you and you always smile at me when I first say good morning each day. 
• You coo and sometimes you even have conversations with Mommy!  You make a sound, I make a sound, you coo, I coo, back and forth.  It's so fun and so sweet!
• You eat every 3 hours.
• You sleep about 5-6 hours at night BUT only in your basinet.  You will only go about 3-4 in the crib.  You are still sleeping in your basinet against my better judgment.  Mommy and Daddy tried to put you in the crib for about a week or so, but you didn't seem to like it and we caved.  :)  Also, you have been waking up after about 4 hours, whining a bit, but then drifting back off after a little rocking and shushing. 
• You hold your head up very well.
• You're picking your head up during tummy time pretty well though you can't hold it up for more than a couple of seconds. 
• You seem to swat at things hanging above you, but I still can't tell if you're actually aiming and hitting them on purpose. 
• You have discovered your hands and though you don't bring them together very often just yet, you enjoy sucking on them - something you used to do only when you were hungry.
• You cry when you are hungry or tired and sometimes when we first put you in your carseat.  I've learned to catch you before you get to this point, so you really don't cry too often. 
• You are a smart, happy, incredibly cute, super lovable baby and you make us overwhelmingly happy every day.  We are SOOOOO lucky to be your parents Baby Cade!

Today you had your two month check-up.   Dr. Messick said that you are very handsome and very healthy.  You were on your best behavior, too.  You smiled and smiled at the nurse and at Dr. Messick.  It was pretty clear that you had NO idea what was coming.  You had to get your first round of vaccinations and you did not like it one bit.  You were on the table smiling big at me and then STICK! and you screamed and cried like I've never heard you cry - complete with a very long silent scream.  And then Mommy lost it and we both cried for about 5 minutes until we pulled it together and got out of there.  Overall, you were a trooper and I'm so proud of you!

Getting Into the Swing of Things

Cade and I are so lucky to have a husband and father like Todd.  We admire him for many reasons - one being that he is such a hard worker.  He is currently working two jobs to make sure we have everything we need and most of what we want.  He is determined to ensure that we have Cade's daycare paid up through the end of this school year and to meet this goal he's working two jobs.  At least three days a week he leaves the house before 7 and comes home after 10 - going straight to from the first job to the second.  The most baffling part about this craziness is that I don't think I've heard him complain - not once.  We are so thankful for you Todd and we are so blessed to have someone like you to support and love us.  We love you!

While we appreciate Dad's hard work, this means lots and lots of time at home alone for Cade and me.  I'm not complaining; I am so fortunate to have this time off from work and wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.  Cade is very good in the car and stroller (knock on a huge piece of wood) so we get out frequently to run errands, go to the grocery store or meet friends for dinner.  Last week had dinner with Ali and Olivia and also with Deborah and Monica.  It seems we are finally getting into a schedule and for this structured mama, that is definitely a good thing! 

Sometime soon my life will no longer rotate in a non-stop three hour rotation and I’m certain I’ll look back and wonder what it was like.  I want to make sure I don’t forget so I typed up our typical day below (more for me so feel free to stop reading here - all 4 followers!) 

Cade normally "wakes up" between 8:00 and 9:00 (though he also "wakes up" around 2am and 5am so I'm not sure we can call it "waking up" - but that's when I mark the start of our day).  He's not sleeping quite as well in his crib as he was in the AMAZING Rock n' Play Sleeper (thanks Ali for the lifesaver of a recommendation).  He eats and then we have ‘cuddle and conversation’ time (yes, cuddle and conversation time :) - the teacher in me is bleeding into every aspect of motherhood) before we're off to change out of pajamas and get our work out on in Cade's room.  It is during this work out time that I realized that my stomach muscles are now just as soft as the outside of me.  Not cool.  We sing a couple of songs, have tummy time and stretch a little.  We play for a while in there until he goes back down for nap 1 around 10:30.  He wakes up again, eats and we play downstairs on the activity mat, dance, or walk around and check out the windows and pictures on the wall…sounds thrilling and boy is it!  J  Nap 2 around 1:30.  Wakes, eats and then we run errands or play downstairs in the Jungle Jumperoo or I'll play with Cade's toys while he watches.   Sometimes I'm certain that I'm having more fun than he is at this point.  Again he goes down for a nap around 4:30 or 5, wakes, eats and then we play upstairs in his room for a while.  The “last” feeding of the day is around 9 p.m.  After that we change into pajamas, have a baby massage, read books and rock and listen to music until Baby Cade finally drifts off.  We finally got into the eat-play-sleep thing and though it doesn’t always go as perfectly as I would like, we’re definitely getting into the swing of things.  I’m sure we’ll have it just about perfect right about the time I go back to work…and then we’ll start all over again!  J 

Mommy's making me read already.

But I don't mind!

Must...hit...lion

bouncy, bouncy

I couldn't resist.

Growing Up So Fast

Over the past couple of weeks we've noticed a lot of changes in Cade.  He's gone from floppy newborn to stout baby in what feels like a matter of days...well considering he's only 7 weeks old, I suppose it has been only days.  He can hold his head up pretty well now and does not like being held cradle-style - that's for babies!  He would much rather sit up and get a "big person" view of the world.  I decided to get out the Boppy seat last week to see how close he was to being able to sit in it and what do you know, he sat in it just perfectly!  He really enjoyed it too and I could tell he felt like a big boy.  :)  He's also discovered his precious little hands.  We've caught him holding out his right hand and inspecting it and also semi-batting at the little animals hanging from his baby gym.  I say semi because I can't quite tell if he's intending to swat or if it's still part of his newborn flailing act.  Either way, you would think he'd just scored the winning touchdown at the championship game by the way I cheer him on every time he lands a hit.  I really need to tone it down before I scare him out of wanting to hit it on purpose!  His smiles are much more frequent and appropriate now.  Last week, I went to get him out of his crib.  He was looking the other direction at the ever-entertaining blank wall.  When I said good morning he turned, looked at me, and gave me a huge smile.  So sweet!

All this growing up talk makes me think about when he really does start to grow up.  Is there anything more awesome than raising a child?  I mean, really....it's almost too much joy, excitement and anticipation to handle!  It's completely overwhelming to think about the amazing journey that lies before Cade and the integral part we will play as his parents.  I'm having a hard time finding words to describe the feeling I get when I picture the life ahead of him, but I do know that I can't wait to experience every second of it.  But for now, SLOW DOWN Baby Cade...you're growing up so fast!

Live in the Moment and Make it Beautiful

Last year was a great one...the highlights being Todd and I getting married and having our first child together, among many other exciting events.  We are truly blessed beyond measure.  If I had to make a  New Year's resolution for the two of us, it would be to live in the moment and enjoy every blessing.  Stop looking back, and look forward only long enough to set goals.  To spend most of our energy in the here and now.  My friend Priscilla writes a blog titled Live in the Moment and Make It Beautiful.  This becomes more of a struggle the busier our lives become.  Honestly, I'm not sure I've ever been too good at this.  I typically measure the success of my day by how many things I crossed off my to do list and then spend my nights making the next day's list in my head - sounds exhausting right?..it is.  I know this is not how I should be focusing my efforts each day - especially being at home with my sweet baby, but I just can't help it!  I have promised myself that I will get rid of my daily to do lists - starting tomorrow (mind you, I was supposed to start this today...and the day before that...and the day before that - hey, this sounds like my lose the baby weight plan) and let myself be okay with staying in my pajamas all day and simply BEING with Cade - without the distraction of those dang to do lists!  So in this moment, I am enjoying the peaceful sounds of Cade's slumber and thanking God that we have such a beautiful, healthy baby boy.  I am thanking Him for our warm home, our loving friends and family, a job that I love, and our health and I promise to make more of an effort to live in the moment...and to make each one beautiful.  Cheers to that and Happy New Year!  Speaking of beautiful moments...below are a few we caught during Cade's latest photo shoot.

Note the spit up....I think he was trying to tell us he'd had enough!  :)