3 Months Old

Our sweet Cade is three months old! 

Here are your three month stats:

• You weight 14lbs.,14oz. 
• You are 25 inches long *We're not sure how accurate these measurements are.  We had to do them ourselves since you didn't have a 3 month check-up.
• You wear size 2 diapers and 6 months clothing.
• You eat every three hours - we think you're eating around 3-4oz. a feeding.
• You sleep anywhere from 5-7 hours a night.  We think you're a pretty good sleeper!  You get that from Mommy.  :)
• You still sleep in a cradle in our room.  Sigh.
• You are still a very happy, sociable baby and smile lots and lots.
• You coo a lot and enjoy "talking" with others.
• You really love to suck on your hands - particularly your right thumb and will pull anything you can into your mouth.
• You will grasp things we put into your hands and hold on for a bit. 
• You hold your head up very well by yourself and are starting to pick it up a lot better during tummy time, which you still do NOT like. 
• You love to be read to.  You will sit in your rocker, look at the pictures and listen intently. 
• You stare at your kicking feet and at your hands.

This monthly birthday was a very special one because GJ was here to celebrate with you!  We love you soooooo much Baby Cade!  More about GJ's visit to come.... 

Back to Work

Well, it's official.  Maternity leave is o-v-e-r.  Our last week at home together was quite a busy one!  Cade went to meet Ms. Debbie, who will be taking care of Cade in a couple of weeks while Todd and I are at work.  It went very well.  We dropped off his supplies, put his diapers, wipes, clothes and toys in his cubby and spent some time with Ms. Debbie and Cade's new friends.  Ms. Debbie carried him around the whole time we were there and it was comforting to see her in action with him and the other kids.  As much as I hate to leave him with anyone, I feel good about where he's going which is an incredible relief.  Todd and I also went out to dinner for Valentine's Day Cade-less, which meant we had to leave him with someone else for the first time.  Our good friends Ali, Austin and Olivia were very gracious to watch him for us.  We also had Cade's 3 month pictures taken (a little early - he'll be 3 months old on Friday) and went to Puckett's Mill so my class and teacher friends could meet Cade.  They were ECSTATIC to see us and could not get enough of him.  I was lucky enough to catch them outside during recess so we didn't have to go into the germ-infested school.  YUCK!  Todd also got a new car to replace the totaled one.  We found that we were surprisingly attached to the old car as it was the car we had when we got married, during my pregnancy and when we brought Cade home from the hospital.  We are slowly but surely warming up to the new one.  And finally, I finished the second of five courses for my master's program.  It was a very demanding class so I am so, so, so thrilled to be finished with it!
I have mixed feeling about returning to work tomorrow.  I'm, obviously, heartbroken to have to leave Cade and this sweet time we've had together over the last 13 weeks behind.  But, I am somewhat ready to see what "real life" with Cade will be like.  And as difficult as teaching can be at times, I have realized that I still love my job and I've missed it.  I used to say all the time that I didn't understand how teachers with children did their jobs.  Ready or not, I'm about to find out.   

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.