February Family Fun

This last weekend in February has been chock full of family fun for Caden. On Thursday night, Grandma and Grandpa Noe, Aunt Sarah, and Cousin Liz stopped in and shared some time with him and Daddy. According to Greg, Caden was very excited to see all of them, no longer showing any of his past stranger anxiety (thank goodness!). It makes us both really happy that Caden is finally remembering his extended family and loves seeing them.

Friday Caden got to participate in his first "guy's day." He went with Daddy to Mall of America to have lunch with Grandpa, Great Grandpa John, Uncle Mike, and Uncle Tom. I wasn't there so I'm not sure what really happened, except that Caden enjoyed walking through the MoA park area. It was quite a treat since whenever I take him to the mall we seem to forget stopping in at the main attraction!

On Friday night we joined up with everyone and went to one of our favorite local restaurants, Babe's Music Bar. We got a banquet table with Caden sitting at the head. He certainly enjoyed being the center of attention! He was quite happy helping himself to Grandma and Grandpa's plates and stuffing himself full of fries, chips, pickles, and ranch dressing. We all had a lot of fun spending time with family that we don't get to see that often.

Saturday was another exciting day as we went to downtown Minneapolis to explore the Nicollet Mall area. A large group of us toured many of the skywalks. Caden had a blast because Aunt Sarah was zooming him up and down, twirling him in circles, and making sure he had plenty of opportunities to look out on the streets and in lower levels of the mall areas. Every time I saw him he had a huge smile on his face - I'm pretty sure Sarah is one of his favorite people!

It turned out to be some very fun days spent with extended family. Caden was on his best behavior and full of laughs and entertainment. He probably wishes he could have such a large attentive audience all the time! Being home with just me every day must get pretty boring. :)

 

In other news, on Friday morning Caden really surprised me by doing his first sign! Baby sign language is something I always thought about doing, but never really got into. Once we started Tiny Tots, however, I was really wishing I had put the energy into doing it. I didn't imagine that Caden would reach seventeen months old and still not say a single word. One week after class I tried to show him the sign for "more" because that's the only one I recognized the other kids doing. I gave up after the first day and decided it was pointless. But then on Friday morning we were at breakfast and he was eating some new yogurt cheerios. After his first helping he wildly started making the sign for "more." I was so excited! He did it multiple times throughout the day, so I'm sure he knew what he was saying. I was so thrilled to see that bit of "real" communication come from him that I've reserved some signing books from the library. Hopefully I can at least teach him some pertinent signing vocabulary before the real words start coming in. He's a quick learner, so I think he can do it.

 

 

Lately Caden loves to try and put clothes on himself. He also enjoys trying out mine and Greg's clothes. On Saturday morning he pulled out one of my tennis shoes and demanded I help him put it on after many failed attempts on his own. Then he proceeded to walk up and down the hallway with one giant shoe on his foot. Later in the day I laughed so hard because he went into my underwear drawer and started pulling them over his head and wearing them like necklaces. This morning he managed to put my pajamas shirt on correctly. After I took it off he rolled around the floor screaming for ten minutes because he couldn't get it on just right a second time. Then later today he took Greg's belt and walked around with it draped over his shoulders like a scarf. I helped put it on as a belt. The cutest part about all of this is that he's always so proud of himself when he's successful in his dress up play. 

 

 

 

One of the weirdest things Caden did today was try tanning. It's always incredibly sunny in our living room and Caden kept insisting on just standing in the radiating heat. His face was pretty flushed so we took his shirt off. Then he laid down on his back and just stayed there perfectly still. After a few minutes he flipped onto his stomach. It was hilarious! But of course by the time I got my camera he decided that it would be more fun to just lean against the window. I don't know if he was just really cold or what, but this was definitely strange. Maybe he's just taking lessons from the cats who lay in the sun every chance they get!

 

 

Overall, it's been a pretty good weekend. We got to spend lots of time with family, eat out at a lot of restaurants, and just have some fun at home. The temperature reached 41 today so we were even able to hang outside awhile this afternoon. Weekends with family are always fun and this one has been quite enjoyable for all of us!

17 Months Old

Well, I intended on writing yesterday in honor of Caden's 17 month birthday, but time got the better of me. So one day late, happy 17 month birthday to my baby! Time sure flies. Part of me is a little sad that he is growing up so quickly, but it's so fun seeing how much he changes every single day that I'm always looking forward to tomorrow.

Yesterday was the last day of our ECFE (Early Childhood and Family Education) class, Tiny Tots. Unfortunately, Caden has caught yet another cold and after much debate we decided to stay home. We've been in this class since the first of December and it's been such a good experience for both of us. Once a week we gather with a small group of other toddlers and their parents for lots of play and discussion. I was happy that for our first ECFE class we managed to have a very small group. Just four kids besides Caden (two boys, two girls), three other moms, and one dad. We spent the first 45 minutes of every class just playing with toys or doing art projects (Caden was not interested AT ALL in that) and then we'd have circle time with singing and an occasional story. Then the kids were allowed to play again while the parents discussed various topics that interested us, usually revolving around eating and behavioral issues. We'd end with snack time - definitely a favorite for the little ones!

The sole reason I signed up for Tiny Tots was for social interaction. For both of us. And I'd say it was a huge success. I feel like I gained a few new friends that are going through many of the same things as me, and even though Caden didn't spend much time interacting with the other kids, it was still good for him to be around them. Plus it was always nice having that once a week special outing to look forward to. I plan on taking an ECFE class every term from now on. I just registered for our next class, Walkers and Talkers, which begins on Thursday, March 11th.

I notice new little behavior changes in Caden every day. One of the cutest ones in the last few days is how he wants to wash his hands when we're in the bathroom. Before Tiny Tots, washing his hands is not something I gave much thought to. But in class we'd have to wash every day after art projects and before snack time. It was so much fun that now Caden wants to do it all the time. He'll go in the bathroom, point to the sink, put his hands together in a washing motion, and then start rolling up his sleeves. It's so adorable! I think it's about time we buy a few stepping stools so he can get a little closer to the water on his own.

Another thing I've noticed in the last few days is Caden's tendency to throw things in anger. When he used to throw tantrums he'd always just get on the floor and bang his head down. Now he's generally silent in his rages, but he'll grab anything within his reach and just whip it. He's emptied his whole shopping cart of play food multiple times in recent days. On Monday we were at Barnes and Noble and he was so angry with me for not walking exactly where he wanted me to that he began running down the aisle grabbing every book he could and slamming it on the ground. It hasn't been pretty!

In the last week or so Caden has also taken a much greater interest in reading books. For awhile there he was so active that the only time he'd sit still long enough to listen to a book was at bedtime. But now he's grabbing books and bringing them to us all day long. For some reason, though, he'll only bring books from his top shelf. I guess he's not ready to read the bigger and longer books at the bottom!

Well, that's about it for Caden's 17 month update. He definitely keeps us very busy!

Caden's First Haircut

 

Today I did something I swore I would never do. I gave Caden his first haircut. I didn't intend on hacking away at his hair, but once I got started I couldn't seem to stop. You see, about a week ago the back of Caden's head started to get really matted from usually sleeping only on his back. In one particular spot he was forming the perfect dreadlock and it was disgusting. Every day I'd play with this lock of hair, trying to smooth it out. I was completely unsuccessful and only became more obsessed with how gross the back of his head was starting to look. Fortunately, it didn't seem like he had a mullet most babies his age sport, but he was definitely growing a rat tail. It was time to take action! 

I got out my "baby scissors" which the label originally said was intended for tiny fingernails and hair. Before I could think twice I snipped out the dreadlock. From there I pretty much had no choice - I had to do something about the rest. And in one of his crabbiest days to date, this is the only time all day Caden was happily sitting still just waiting for me to continue. 

 

 

 

Before you get worried (though I know some of you would probably prefer it much shorter!), I didn't do too much damage. I trimmed up the bottom taking away almost all of his curl. Then I shortened the sides and trimmed the bangs a teeny bit. Overall, I don't think it looks half bad! Greg got home and said he can't even notice the difference, though I find that hard to believe. 

 

I know the day will soon come that I'll have to bring my boy in for an "official" first haircut. But I was hoping to prolong that day by just cleaning him up a little. Hopefully the back of his head won't get so matted from now on. Anyway, Caden loved the haircut so if he's happy, I'm happy too! 

Completely Caden: A Blog is Born

Life with Caden is always an adventure. Every day presents us with a new set of joys and challenges, laughs and frustrations. Currently Caden is at an age where the tiniest irritation can send him into a fit of rage. Seconds later he can be rolling around the floor laughing because some random action or object strikes him as hilarious. Minute by minute, I never know what I'm going to get with him.

Oftentimes I spent about fifty percent of my day feeling so blessed that I have this opportunity to stay home with Caden and see him through every moment of his early childhood. The other half of the day I wonder what in the world I was thinking ever having a child in the first place! Motherhood is rough - much harder than I ever expected it to be. But it is also so much more rewarding than I could have ever anticipated. I love my son more than anything in the world and despite our bad days, I cherish every minute that I have with him.

I decided to write this blog so I can share with the world (okay, probably just relatives) what living with Caden is really like. Unfortunately most of you don't get to spend a lot of time with this blessed child, and I feel bad that you miss out on so much. So my hopes in writing this blog is that I will be able to document and share with you many of the funny stories that pop into each of our days. I'll also let you in on some of the challenges we've been facing as well as any exciting milestones we reach. Life with Caden is never dull and I want you to be a part of it. Come along in this journey as we begin "Completely Caden."