Rain Boots

I was a little too quick to send out that last update - I have more to add!

The other day I found Caden some rain boots. He wasn't with me, so I just bought the smallest size and hoped they'd fit since Target was almost out. Caden was very interested in them until they were actually on his feet. On Sunday after I brought them home he kept trying to put them on himself and then he'd start screaming once they were actually on.

This afternoon it was raining and we needed to blow off some steam so I put the boots on and took him out. At first he was crying and too scared to move. After a few minutes, however, he was fine. He ran down the driveway and then held my hand as we very slowly made our way to the mailbox. He wouldn't keep his hood on, though, and the rain started to bother him before we even reached the mailbox. So I carried him back to the driveway. He started up and fell and threw a total fit because his hands were dirty. That put a very quick end to our time in the rain! But I think the boots will work and be much more appropriate for our puddle walks this spring.

This is exciting - Caden can now catch a ball! Aunt Sarah was working with him on it during her last two visits and Greg picked up on it since then. They practice every night and Caden continues to get better. Today he caught quite a few balls in a row! It's fun to see how excited he gets every time he looks down and realizes the ball is in his hands.

Going to stores with Caden has gotten significantly more interesting in the last week or so. On days when I know he's not going to get much extra exercise otherwise, I let him walk on his own. I figure he needs the practice on walking where I want him to. Most of the time he's actually a really good listener. He always looks at things that interest him, but he stays near me and hardly ever puts up fights when I tell him we're moving on. Yesterday at Kohls, however, he really surprised me by suddenly being terrified of the cracks between the tiles on the floor. I'm not sure if it was because of that bridge at the park or what. Greg had him on the deck on Sunday and he wouldn't take a single step. I guess the tiles at Kohls remind him of those places and he thinks he's in danger. So here I thought I'd let him get some exercise and I ended up carrying him through most of the store!

Another very exciting thing for him are automatic sliding doors at most of the stores we go to. He is fascinated by them, which is usually not a good thing! Whenever I set him down in the library he immediately takes off to the doors. Today at CVS he was getting really brave. We were walking down the aisles and every once in awhile he'd pick something up and carry it for a minute. Then I'd ask him to put it back and he'd always go back and set it in the exact spot where he got it. He must have gotten bored, however, because suddenly he disappeared. I wasn't too concerned because nobody is ever in that store. I stepped into the main aisle and saw him running full speed to the automatic door! I took off and caught him just before he left the store. Many more days like this he might lose his walking privileges only days after I gave them to him! Every outing is certainly an adventure.