Baby Steps

Caden is standing and almost WALKING!!! <3

10 1/2 months old.

I've been sort of down lately...or maybe just exhausted and slightly emotional. But I refuse to be "emo" on the web ha ha. So that is all =]

9 Month Checkup

Yesterday was Caden's 9 month doctor's visit. I was excited but nervous...it's usually a pretty dramatic event!

I thought I'd write Caden's stats:

Age: 9 months 1 week & 1 day
Weight: 20# 10oz (50th percentile)
Length: 29" (72nd percentile)
Head circ: 46.3 cm (77th percentile)
Milestones: Crawling, pulling up, cruising (2 days ago - yay!!!)
Finger food: Melon, Wholegrain bread, puffs, grapes, avocado.
New foods this month: Cauliflower, broccoli, brussels sprouts, chicken, turkey, cottage cheese, cheddar, egg yolks & all of the above, except melon.
Teeth: None!

He had a skin test (can't remember for what disease) and the baby flu shot. I felt it would be wise to get it, with him being exposed to other children in the church nursery and all. We also got a blood draw to check iron levels and some other things. It is routine for my doctor's office, but no one else I know with a baby had this done....so I wasn't too sure about it. But Cade was a trooper! He did great - after the initial crying bout he calmed right down.

A few days I also went to get my car seat checked by an installation tech. I got a gold star! LOL. He said I had it put in perfectly, but he reinstalled it to get it really tight. I recommend getting it done, it's free and you couldn't get your car seat put in so well by yourself! And he was very happy about continuing to rear face....and with the brand of car seat I have. He said he tells everyone to keep their kids rear facing as long as possible, it's sooo much safer.

Well that's it for now, tonight is Halloween and there is a Trunk or Treat event at my church. Caden is going as a cow! =]

Busy Busy October

Wow! I've been so busy lately.

I am now the nursery director at my church and I have tons to do! Hopefully by November it will all be under control ;) Speaking of November...I am super excited about my brothers coming to California to spend Thanksgiving with us! I haven't seen either for a few years, so this is going to be a grand reunion. Plus it's Nate birthday on the 14th! So lots going on!

Caden is growing in leaps and bounds...he has perfected his crawling technique and can now pull up to standing. He is so darn cute! Seriously he is getting so gorgeous, I just want to schmoosh him! LOL. I can already see that he is brainstorming ideas on how to walk along furniture. I have no doubt he'll be walking by his first birthday.

I started him on chicken yesterday...*shudder*. I have such a weird relationship with meat...I don't really like it but I know it's good for Caden to taste a variety of foods. Not sure about the red meat yet! I'll gingerly cross that bridge when I come to it.
Oh, and he loves to eat puffs! After a couple of days of making faces, he finally got the hang of it and now can't enough of 'em! I have given him bits of melon and potato too, and today I purchased some organic avocado, cauliflower, and grapes to try this week.

In collar news, I have had a boom in business. After about a month of NO sales...I have sold 7 in a week! So pray it keeps going like this, and that we can sell our car. I am DETERMINED to get out of debt by 2012.

Well, that's all for now - next week is the beautiful munchkin's 9 month appointment, including shots and a blood test. Fun!

3 Blessings

Today is a very special day.

I mourn for a lost baby girl, while I celebrate the birth of a new healthy sister to a baby girl who was also lost. God brings many unexpected miracles out of sorrow. I hope that God will hold the hearts of both mothers who are hurting so deeply...and bring healing and hope today.

Happy 2nd birthday baby Eden.

Thinking of you baby Olivia.

And to the new tiny bundle who has yet to be named...welcome to the world!

The Great Car Seat Debate

I have finally ordered Caden a new convertible car seat!!! It took me weeks to figure out which one...it feels good to finally decide.

Here it is:

It's called the Maxi Cosi Priori in the color "Penguin", it's european.

Reasons for choosing:

• Rear faces to 35# (which is more than the normal 30-33#).


• More compact (maybe?)


• Reclines 4 positions
  

It should arrive tomorrow - then I need to take it to a car seat safety station to get properly installed. I just have to figure out where one is...

Stay tuned for more "reviting" car seat news (you know it is)! :P

7 Month Photoshoot with Lizzy

Aren't these amazing? Here are just a few of my faves taken by the awesome Lizzy! Thank you so much! http://www.lizmariephotography.net/

My fave:

Catching Up

Okay I seriously need to blog more often.

Today Caden is 7 months old!

I have had a lot going on lately, and I know I have a lot more "stuff" coming my way in the next couple of months. Busy busy busy!

On Tuesday Nate, Caden and I returned from South Dakota where we attended Nate's sister Bethany's wedding. We also saw Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, a boat load of buffalo, a really pretty lake complete with rocks and caves, and the hole in the rock from the movie National Treasure. Caden did extremely well considering everything going on and all the new faces. Flying was not his or I's highlight of the week, but we survived! We saw the actor Eric Close (from Without a Trace) on the return flight, and I was so starstruck in was embarrassing! LOL.

It was really cool to meet Donna's (Nate's Mom's) husband Victor, and two of his sons. I really had fun with Sam and Malcolm, they are awesome awesome guys! Sooo funny too. Donna and I were were pretty much the only girls staying in our guesthouse...with 7 boys!

Now that we are back home, my focus has been mainly getting Caden used to a sippy cup, and trying new types of foods.

So far Caden has had (in no particular order):

Prunes
Peas

Squash

Sweet Potatoes

Bananas

Raspberries

Apples

Pears

Guavas

Mangoes

Blueberries

Oatmeal

Peaches

Pumpkins

Green Beans

Plums.

Next will be...

Carrots
Potatoes

Spinach

Lentils

Rice

Zucchini

Barley

Corn

Melon

Broccoli

Brussels Sprouts

Avocado...just to name a few. I may wait on melon and avocado for a little longer as Nate is allergic to them.

After that he will try stage 3 (chunkier) foods, and perhaps chicken and turkey after 8 months.

I am still on the fence about red meat.

Well that's all for now! Hopefully I will blog MUCH more often LOL (I know, I know...I say that a lot).

6 months old!

My little one is now 6 months old...how crazy is that? It seems like just yesterday that I was in the hospital having him, but at the same time it feels like a LIFETIME ago. Caden is starting to sit up, and he has streamlined his rolling technique to the point where I need to baby proof asap! He is developing into such a sweetheart, very affectionate and cuddly. He is also very impatient (wonder where he gets that from lol) and gets frustrated very fast. He has a big personality and it's such a joy to see him grow every day.



Starting solids has not altered his need for nursing in the slightest...he still does about every hour and a half. Right now he has tried oatmeal cereal, prunes, peas, squash, sweet potatoes and apples. Next will be pears...not sure about banana yet because of it's constipation causing qualities. He is eating well, usually a morning feeding, and afternoon feeding, and some oatmeal before bed.




He takes 3 naps a day and goes to bed between 9 and 9:30pm...wakes up at around 6am to nurse, then back to sleep until about 8:30am. Thank the Lord - he is a sleeper like his parents!!! :)


In other news, in just under 2 weeks all 3 of us will be flying to South Dakota for Nate's sister's (Bethany's) wedding. First time on a plane with a baby...trying not to be nervous lol! Caden has been having the normal "stranger anxiety", so I really hope I can minimize his stress with all of the new faces who want to squeeze and cuddle him! He will love the travelling though, he is so fascinated with the world!


Tomorrow is Caden's 6 month doctor's appointment, which only means one thing...SHOTS! Poor baby, it seems a lot tougher (for mamma anyway) the older he gets. I'll post an update tomorrow if I can remember.


Here is a photo of Caden with Penelope Stade when she came over with her parents for dinner the other day. Cuties!

Dadadadada...

I love watching Caden grow and learn. He is so curious and fascinated with the world around him, it's awesome to see! As the title says, his favorite thing to say is dadadadada and dedededede, which doesn't really have a meaning, but it's so cute to hear. Most babies don't start making sounds like that for a while, maybe he has something to say right now and couldn't wait lol!






He is still not having any BMs, it's been about two weeks and he has only had 2, which were induced with suppositories. So now we have been instructed to start him on prune juice mixed with oatmeal...so he has started solids! Yesterday was his first try, and he took the spoon and swallowed really well! He did not like the taste of the prunes though, and he still makes a face lol. I've also been introducing a training sippy cup with prune juice in it, and he is getting the hang of that too. I'm still waiting for him to "go" and when he is regular again I can start him on other foods too. Please pray that this will resolve itself and that there are no underlying problems!







In my last post I mentioned my friend Mary had her baby, Liberty, a few days ago...isn't she just SO beautiful?!







And here are some pics that Lizzy took when we went to the aquarium on Sunday!

Little Sickie!

Our house is healthy again...praise the Lord! 2 weeks ago on Thursday, Caden started to have a little cough, and it progressively got worse. He woke up in the middle of the night in coughing fits, and the only thing that seemed to soothe him was standing in the bathroom while the shower was running. The steam eased his itchy throat. I waited until Monday to take him to the doctor, I didn't want to be the neurotic first time mum who ran to the hospital every time her baby sneezed lol! This is his first time getting sick, so it was especially heartbreaking to hear him in so much discomfort. The doctor prescribed a nebulizer and two meds to inhale...setting us back almost $400! Thankfully Cassi gave me a nebulizer, so we got to return the rented one and got our $100 deposit back (thanks Cassi!). Caden had to have a breathing treatment every 4 hours for one med, then morning and night for the other. And he was such a trooper! He really didn't like it. We had to go to the doctor's office 3 times that week. I started to get sick right when Caden started to get better, it was awful! I did tell God that I would rather be ill than Caden, but then of course I complained when it happened tsk tsk!

Thankfully we are all better. I finished Caden's treatments early as he has been constipated, and I am not sure why. He didn't have a BM in 8 or 9 days before I took him to see his doctor (AGAIN) yesterday, and he was prescribed a suppository. He *went* when we got home (which was GROSS needless to say), but it's now the next evening and he hasn't gone again yet! He usually has 2 or 3 a day, and they are explosive lol! Breastfed babies rarely get constipated, so I am really wondering what's going on. He isn't behaving any differently though, and seems quite happy.
I was planning to start him on rice cereal in a week or so, but now I will start him on vegetables...but not until this issue has been resolved. Rice cereal is known to constipate babies, and the nurse practitioner (who we saw yesterday) agreed it would be best.

As for his napping schedule, almost as soon as I posted the last blog Caden decided to switch it up (of course lol). He now has anywhere from 1 to 3 naps a day, and has a hard time falling asleep and whines for about 20 minutes or so before conking out. At night he still does great, sleeps 9-5 then from 5-8 or 9 (though a couple of mornings this week he has been wide awake at 6, which sucks for me). I REALLY need to go to bed earlier!

In other news, one of my best friends Mary had her little girl yesterday, her name is Liberty Praise! Congrats love!

It's Been Too Long!

It's been WAY too long since I last posted! I have many drafts saved...but never get to post them. That has got to change!

It has been exactly 6 weeks since my last post, and Caden has changed so much! He now weighs around 18 pounds.

Here is a list of some of the things he does now:

1. Rolls over from his back to his front like a pro!

2. Laughs and giggles!

3. Babbles and chatters all the time.

4. Jumps in his Jumparoo!

Now we are working on sitting up.

He is so full of personality now, and is getting so much easier! However, I am pretty sure he is feeling some teething pain so that might change soon, lol. I have also discovered he does not do well in heat, and will not sleep when it's too warm.

Right now at night he sleeps about 8 hours, wakes to eat, then another 3 hours (though he wakes himself up by becoming unswaddled and pulling his pacifier out - it drives me crazy!)

Nursing is great now, bottles are a distant memory. He eats every 1 1/2 hours, and his days usually look like this:

Wake up/eat at 8am

Nap 9:30am

Wake/eat 11am

Nap 12:30pm

Wake/ eat 2pm

Nap 3:30pm

Wake/ eat 5pm

Nap 6:30pm

Wake/ eat 8pm

Bedtime 9:30pm.

So yes that's 4 naps a day, and everything is in 1 1/2 hour intervals. Of course Caden doesn't always follow this exactly, and will miss the last nap pretty often, but then he is super grumpy until bed time. Also, if I go out with him it messes up his schedule, like church on Sunday mornings for examples. Then he is crabby all day! I struggled with knowing how much sleep he needed, and if he was getting too much, but he is a sleeper like his parents and if he doesn't sleep enough he is super cranky.

In 3 days he turns 5 months old. I can't believe it! He is still exclusively breastfed, and in about a month he will start some rice cereal, then some other solids down the road.

Though he has his cranky times, Caden is very loving and smiley. He gets bored very fast, and still dislikes tummy time, but when he sees mamma or daddy, his face lights up and he gives the biggest smile! That's what makes every sleepless night, every tantrum, and every leaky diaper worth it!

On a Roll!

Caden's current focus is trying to roll over....here are some pics of his success!

What is it that you want me to do exactly?

Lean a little...

Aaaand....flip!

Piece o' cake

The last 4 days have been rough trying to establish breastfeeding again...but now we are finally getting into a grove, we will have victory! LOL.

The Strike is Over!

It's a miracle! It's a miracle! Right after writing the last post, God came through in a BIG way.
Caden is now exclusively nursing, no bottles in 24 hrs!!!

I mean how many babies switch after 3 months? It's amazing, I can't describe how happy I am. I have a new freedom and a closer bond with my child. There is less crying in our house...I don't have to wait for a bottle to heat up! No more pumping (except at night)! And no more washing and sterilizing bottles :)

Yesterday I was determined, and so was Caden....but after a whole day of whining on his part, he now latches on perfectly without a complaint, not even a peep. It's like the bottle never even happened.

Right now he is sitting next to me in his bouncer, smiling his sweet gummy grin up at me.

God is amazing.

Struggling

I wish I blogged more often! Caden is growing fast...he is just over 3 months old and weighs 16 pounds. You can just see his mind developing as he figures out how to do things...he is moving his hands with more purpose and is trying to get the hang of rolling over. Sleeping is better, he is now in his crib in his nursery, and sleeps a good 7+ hours, followed by 2-3 more. Last night he slept 10 1/2 hours! 10:30 - 9 ....without a feeding! What a good baby. Yesterday's excursion to church probably wore him out.


On a sad note, Caden is on a nursing strike. A week and a half ago he decided that he wanted to only nurse the whole day...I was so happy! Then right after that he stopped - I think it co-insided with sleeping in his crib instead of next to me in his bassinet. Now he is set against it! After many tears, I have decided to come to terms with it...but I am still trying. I have learnt from my mistakes and WILL NOT make them with the next one. I let the hospital give him a bottle...and it's been downhill from there. I have not really posted about it, but it has been my biggest struggle and heartbreak. All I want it to be able to breastfeed my baby! But it does not look like it will go that way. If I had just stuck to what I wanted, instead of giving in to others, I would not be in this spot. I realize I had just had surgery, was a new mother, and had a super fussy baby, but I should have known. Next time no pacifiers, no bottles. And no letting others feed him so I could nap. Most of all, next time I'm sticking to my guns!
I am still trying different tricks, I just wish Caden did not have such a LOUD scream, because I could try longer without bursting my eardrums or disturbing the neighbours.
So now I express milk every few hours. It's gonna be tough and limiting for the next 9 months, but at least he will still be getting breast milk.

It's just so hard to explain to others why it's so upsetting, people just don't think it's a big deal!


In happier news, Lizzie took some fab pics of Caden on Sunday:

Thank you so much, I love them so!

Growing, Learning, Smiling

Yesterday we went to Olan Mills to get a free portrait done of Caden, we got a coupon in the mail and decided to use it! He was 12 weeks old and we thought it would be nice to get some "in studio" shots of him. And man was he cute! He cried a few times, but overall he gave some adorable smiles and we got some of all 3 of us and some with just one parent with Caden. There was one where I was kissing Caden on the forehead while he had his fists to his mouth, his body curled up in the fetal position, and the photographer liked it so much she said she was going to submit it to be considered as a framed wall portrait for their store! Needless to say we ended up buying some of the pictures on top of the free ones. Darn they get you every time! While we walked around waiting for them to upload our pics, Nate wore the baby harness (I pretty much forced him ha ha), it was adorable!


In other things, Caden is now consistently sleeping 6 to 7 hours, wakes to nurse, then another 2 1/2. In the evening he has a bath every other night around 8pm, then gets fed about 11 ounces (!) between 8:30 and 11pm, which is when he falls asleep. His rough day routine is usually 3 1/2 to 4 ounces of breast milk or 15 minutes of nursing every 2 hours, then an hour nap (though he likes to change it up, like the other day when he was awake for 12 hours with only 1 1/2 hrs of sleep total - agh!). Though I keep the night time routine the same, but am more lenient during the day. He just won't conform to a schedule yet.

He is quickly approaching 15 pounds now...and I can already see him developing and learning new things. At the photo shoot they gave him a bear to hold, which he gripped tightly with both fists and promptly shoved it into his mouth (which I quickly pulled out, yuck!). That was the first time he didn't bend his head to his hands, he is starting to figure out it's easier for his hands to come to him! It was also the first time he has held an object. Pretty cool to see.

Look at my push-up!

I'm trying to get as much tummy time in a possible, but he doesn't like to be on his belly, he seems to get frustrated that he can't get up. So after screaming for a few minutes I pick him up lol. He really enjoys me singing to him, and makes all kinds of coos which is sweet. Now I'm just waiting for a real laugh!

Resurrection Sunday

(Caden slept 8 hrs last night, 11-7, woohoo!)

All About the Hands!

Caden's biggest development this week is his new love for his tasty hands! He puts them up to his mouth and chews on them constantly. He also gets very excited at seeing any hanging toys, he kicks and throws his arms about like crazy!

He likes to watch TV and look at the computer now too, bad habits developing already lol!


Could these two be related? ;)