Spring Break Staycation

Last week I was on spring break and Cade and I made the most of it!  On Monday we visited the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center.  It's kind of like a museum targeted at kids a little older than Cade, but we were just about the only people there so Cade got to run around and get into everything which he loved.  On Tuesday we met Ali, Kristin, Olivia, Chase, and Cooper at the park for playtime and then we had a picnic at Town Center.  Cade got into a sand box for the first time.  He was a little hesitant at first, but ended up sitting and playing for quite a while (which almost NEVER happens; he's usually GO, GO, GO).  On Wednesday we went to Catch Air and then out for lunch and frozen yogurt.  Catch Air was by far his favorite outing!  On Thursday we met Ali and Olivia at the Yellow River Game Ranch.  C and O had a great time feeding the animals and hanging out together!  Todd took the day off on Friday to hang out with us and paint our bedroom (he did a GREAT job). We had a great week and this little taste of summer was just what we needed. 

Bird Watcher

Lately Cade has been really into birds.  Anytime he hears one tweeting (either a real one or one on TV or from a toy) he stops and says, "BIRD, BIRD!".  He also likes to look for them out of the living room window or when we're playing outside.  Sometimes he even points to the sky and claims he sees a bird when there isn't one in sight!  We've got a little birdwatcher on our hands! 

Mr. Chatterbox

Have you ever tried to have a conversation with someone who speaks a different language?  They know a few words in English and you know a few words in their language so you can communicate minimally, but it definitely takes some work!  That's kind of how I'm feeling about communicating with Cade right now.  His vocabulary is growing very quickly - it seems he learns a new word every day and he can say around 35-40 words and he understands most of what I'm saying (at least it seems so anyway), but I often find myself telling him, "I'm not sure what you're saying."...but he sure knows and can be very adamant about what he wants at times.  My favorite words to hear him say are cheese, shoes, boo-boo, and of course, mama!  He still leaves the ending sound off of most of his words, but his pronunciation is getting better and better.  Pretty soon he'll be talking our ears off! 

 

Easter 2013

Last weekend we went to Kentucky to spend Easter with Todd's family.  Cade was great in the car - both there and back.  I was a little worried about that!  He loved spending time with Grandma Vicki, Grandaddy, Taylor, and Betty Jane.  He was spoiled with Easter goodies from Grandma Vicki and GJ and found a few eggs at his first egg hunt!  It was nice to spend another holiday with family around!

 

 

Big Brother

It's true!  Cade will soon be a big brother!  We are very excited to welcome baby number two this August.  We found out last Thursday that we're having another baby boy and we couldn't be happier!  We were both convinced that we were having a girl so we were surprised, but happy, to hear otherwise.  My pregnancy started out a little rough this time...very nauseous - every day, all day for the first 13 weeks or so and also completely exhausted.  I feel great now, though!   I've just started to feel the baby move and it was awesome to be able to get a peak at our baby during the ultrasound last week.  We're excited to have two boys so close in age and I think Cade will be the perfect big brother.  He already loves babies..he points to them and says "baby" every time he seems one.  It's so sweet!

So, So Lovable

So many parents have told me that that whatever stage Cade is in I will think is the best one yet ...and it's so true!  I don't know if it's because each stage really IS more fun or if it's because we love him more and more each day - which seems like an impossible feat, that we could love him any more than we did the day he was born, but somehow, someway it happens.  I guess the reason doesn't really matter.  More importantly is that we really soak him up at every stage - every day.  And that's so easy to do right now because he is at such a fun age!  He is the ultimate explorer - never staying in one spot or focusing on one thing for more than a few seconds at a time.  He loves to open cabinets, boxes, doors, drawers - whatever he can reach to see what's inside.  He also loves to clang, bang, slam and hurl anything he can get his hands on.  I joke that we may one day see him in the World's Strongest Man competition because he loves to pick up heavy things and carry them around and push furniture all around the room.  He loves music and he loves to dance.  Communicating with him has gotten a bit easier as well.  He can say around 30 words (though most are not pronounced properly yet) and can indicate most of his wants with finger pointing and whining.  He loves to make us laugh (mainly through putting things on his head (food at dinner time is one of his favorites...though not one of ours) and making faces.  Sometimes I think I might just die of adoration for that little guy! 

The weather this weekend has been super nice and we are really soaked it up considering the last month has been really cold and rainy. 

And We're Back!

I took an unintentional very long break from the blog.  Well, I can't say it was all unintentional.  I gave myself a break from it for a couple of weeks and it ended up lasting for much longer than I expected!  But, we're back!

First things first...Happy New Year!

The new year has brought with it many exciting happenings!  Cade is officially a walker!  I love, love, love that he can walk and get places all on his own!  He is an incredibly active baby and never stops moving - ever.  I don't mind, it's kind of a relief not to have to carry him everywhere and it's so fun to watch him toddle around.  He's also talking up a storm these days.  He says about 20 words, though he doesn't really pronounce any of them properly (ha for hat, daw for dog, etc.).  All of this new independence is so exciting for all of us!

We've been to a couple of birthday parties and had a couple of sick days.  We've been to the dentist and to the allergist.  They tested Cade for all major allergens and we are happy to report he has none!  Yay! 

Cade at Sky Zone!  He loved jumping on the huge trampolines!

 

Sick Day  :(

 

Dentist - Cade did AWESOME and the dentist office was AMAZING!  A total heaven for kids...video games built into the walls, indoor playhouse, toys and movies playing everywhere.  I didn't know dentist offices like that existed!

 

And yesterday we celebrated Valentine's Day!  Cade's Valentines included a car ramp, fun stickers from GJ (which he loved putting on his shirt and all over Daddy), and a few treats from his friends at Ms. Debbie's.

Today was day 1 of a 4 day weekend (YAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYY) and Cade and I went to the park. 

 

I'll try not to stay away so long this time, but I'm not making any promises!