Big Bloggie News!

Being a working mom has totally killed my blog drive this school year. With Cade being more active than ever, the free time is zilch to catch up on my stories for you. So, that being said, I'm excited to blog that "We're having a baby GIRL!!" I'm 22 weeks pregnant, due July 28th.

We were trying and trying this time. (And trying for a girl, which is a bit of a science... I have the book by Dr. Shettles and several weblinks of strategies) Finally I had to come to terms with the fact that I can't play God and I had to be happy with having another boy if we were going to try again. One of my biggest lifelong dreams is to have a girl, so this was scary and real. The gender issue aside, about 13 weeks into this pregnancy I had some bloodwork done, the typical stuff...then I got a call from my OB saying that my bloodwork indicated I was recently exposed to CytoMegloVirus (CMV) and that I'd need a sonogram by a specialist ASAP. Of course this news came Thursday before MLK holiday, so I had to wait 5 days to get the sonogram. Everything looked good at that point (and in my 20 week sonogram), but we're still going to have monthly sonos just to check that development is on par.

At that early sonogram Dr. K gave us a 95% chance we were having a girl. As soon as we got into the hall outside her office I cried and cried. Healthy + girl was more than I had expected. We went back at 19 weeks for another check and again we got the "healthy + girl" verdict. The weight of the world felt lifted from my heart and shoulders. I'm very aware of the delicate nature of life and am very overwhelmed by our blessings so far. So overwhelmed sometimes that I just don't feel deserving or like what we've been blessed with will last. That's been my biggest challenge the last few months. Working on feeling worthy, trusting in God and having faith in my family and our future. So as therapy, when I'm questioning what the future holds, I go to Baby Gap buy some little girl outfits, then come home and look around at the home we've made and our little family and fall in love with God all over again.

23 months

A pre-bath naked baby run is one of the things you look forward to when you're pregnant. You think to yourself, "How cute is that? I want that!" Then it happens and it takes your breath away a little bit. No way I would blog actual naked butt pictures, just take my word for it. It's freaking awesome. Side note, when in life is your butt ever more perfect than your butt when you're a toddler? No cellulite, no dimples, no man butt hair, no sag. It's smooth, sweet, and smells like lavender baby wash. Somebody tell me how to reclaim that butt I had when I was 2. I could use it now;) Cade's first year we took monthly pics on his lambie rug. He used to fit in the circle of the belly all stretched out. Twenty months later this is what we've got. Sitting still enough for a 2 second picture is difficult for a toddler, but the upside to that is that you've got some pics of what he actually looks like when he's in his own world. The devilish grin below I just love. He doesn't bust this out except when he's teasing us, and we can't help but smile back.

We got his hair cut on Spring Break and lost that Beiber fever that everyone loved. It got a little shaggy (we even went 2 weeks post those cookie pics below if you can imagine). So Friday of Spring Break mission #1 was to get it cut. I took him to Cool Cuts, per recommendation of every boy I've ever taught at school. He was all about it until he realized he had to sit still and get a trim. (I read somewhere to call it a "trim" not a "cut" so your toddler doesn't think his head is getting amputated or something, whatev, guess I'll say "trim" now) Thank God I had mommy ammo -- fruit snacks and organic lollipops, and that Cool Cuts had their own brand of ammo -- a large DVD case featuring Toy Story. Score!! He refused to wear the cape and sit in the car. So he sat on my lap and got sheared and I got covered in fluffy hair. Flexibility is the key to motherhood. So I went with it. Eventually. The stylist asked if she could use clippers. I practically slapped the woman, but quickly realized that he'd never get the clean cut boy next door look with scissors only. $15 later we had Crew Cut Cade. LOVES IT!!

Nick and I can't stop staring at him and how different he looks, so older, so preppy. So ready to turn 2 in just 11 days!

He's still our baby boy. Never again will he be 1. The rest of his life will be measured in years, not months. The rest of his life will be yearS not year!! Jeezzz... Guess I'm ready for it. He's not waiting behind in land of the 1 year olds with me, I better march on with him into the rest of his life.

Spring at the Arboreteum!

One of my very favorite things to do with Cade is to spend a spring day at the Arboreteum. It's a beautiful, peaceful place and so much fun to snag some spring pics of my fave little man.

Who stole the cokkie from the cookie jar?

Okay, so Daddy gave him the Oreo. But for some reason he was so sneaky and irrestibly cute having his Oreo moment that I had to take this series of pics!
When we went to the store a week earlier after our snow week Cade was running through the aisles, having a blast. It was perfect because we were able to restock our fridge and let him play, there was nobody in the store. (Side note: It blew my mind that the store was practicly in apocalypse conditions.... low on veggies, zero bananas, zero potatoes of any sort. wtf?!) So we made our way to the cheese & cookie aisle (random set up, right?) And Cade stops his running and dancing and brings me a pack of Double Stuf Oreos. Of all the cookies he found the family favorite and just brought it to me for approval then stuck it in the cart!! Nick and I were cracking up, this kid blows our minds sometimes. Such a smart boy to distinguish from all the cookies and then also distinguish between normal Oroes and the clearly superior Double Stuf! Atta boy, Cadester!

Train Lover!

We had an uber-pleasant surprise on the way to eat at Babe's Chicken House in Frisco in January. As we pulled up we saw a big, black t(out of service) train! Cade nearly jumped out of his carseat, his feet were kicking a mile a minute and he was squealing and clapping his hands. Luckily we beat the rest of the family there, so we played on the train and track for a little and I scored some uber-cute pics of my man.

Anyways, if you've never been to Babe's, you're missing out. It's the quintessential Texan-style food I live for. It's set in a huge barn with dim lighting, cowboy music, long wood tables and mismatched chairs. You know you're in for a good time when they bring you out a bowl of butter and big vat of honey to go with your meal. You order one of their five fried meats which come heaped on a family-style platter with all the sides they offer, salad with a sweet vinagrette, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, buttery corn, rolls, and little bowls of homemade honey mustard. I guess the dim lights hide the gorge-fest that happens at every table. Of course I wasn't thinking when I invited my vegetarian aunt and health-conscious grandmother in law, but even they seemed satisfied (I tried the pot-roast, never liked the stuff before in my life, but LOVED hers!) The waitresses do the hokey pokey, which Cade loved but didn't quite get. Perfect place to let your toddler run around, hell--- it's a barn.

More pics & stories to come! Using the snowed in time to catch up:)

Snow much fun!

After bundling up in our Husker red, the fam went outside to play today! Cade loved seeing the " 'now " and wanted Izzy to play. She wasn't having any of it, despite also being bundled in a red sweater.

Mommy made Cade a snow toddler (refer back to last year's Snow Baby)... It's the best snowman on the block, but at least we're improving each year! Snow Cade has Veggie Stix hair, Oreo eyes, a Tootsie Roll nose, and licorice mouth. Yep, we're well stocked for the blizzard with candy and cookies.

Close-up of Snow Cade.

Holy Feats of Cuteness, Batman!

Hello month 19, I LOVE YOU!!! Nobody prepped me for the adorableness that is Cade Andrew Lamb at 19 months old. Some of my favorite moments from this month so far:

- Cade finding Izzy for his ritual morning or evening snuggle and kiss. He doesn't stop kissing her and she doesn't stop kissing him. It's too much.

- When he tries to pull me up by grabbing one of my fingers in each of his fists and leading me to our king size bed for Smash Time. Daddy drops him in pillows and we have a family wrestle, Izzy included. Usually ends in a cuddle.

- When he tries to pull up Nick and I for dance time. Usually to Glee:)

- He says "Hi" and does the little Cade wave (opening and closing his hand).

- The different animal noises he's mastered cracks me up. Horse, cow, sheep, cat, dog, snake, turkey, elephant, and today, frog.

- His love for all things boy: fire trucks, airplanes, bulldozers, cranes, anything John Deere, baseball, schoolbuses, people falling down or crashing or otherwise getting hurt

- When I turned on the Husker game and told him "It's football!" He kicked his foot out in front of him and said "oo - ball"

- He bellies up and sits on the coffee table and despite me saying "Oh no, get down", he slid off and then bellied back up on the coffee table and then clapped for himself and giggled. Soo deliciously naughty.

Ups & Downs

What a Monday...

I've been so busy with work and Cade's slow march into the Terrible 2's that blogging time is way cut short these days! Figured I should take some Mommy Time to document our life these days.

Nick and I have gone back and forth and back and forth about whether we are going to just accept that Cade wakes up between 4:45am and 5:30am OR if we continue the never-ending battle of Sleep Training. It's crazy. And no, I don't need comments about how your little precious has been sleeping til 8am since they were 4 months old. That's not the situation we've got. We've got a baby who is totally fine on 7-8 hours of sleep. That's like an adult. Children through age 19 need like 10 hours. wth do I have a toddler who sleeps like he's 25? So yeah, it's a cup of tea.


No really, it's a cup of tea. There is no time for wine or caffeine past 5pm. It's literally Mommy's 8pm cup of chamomile... I've even had to go off the Melatonin, and my faithful boyfried, Tylenol PM, because the 4:45 wake-up time is NOT cool with a sleep drug hangover.

So, I adore my child. I can't stand how much I have the overwhelming need to kiss, hug, tickle, love him. We were having a blast tonight cooking dinner. We turned on the 90's music channel on TV. We jammed to La Bouche (drill team tryout memories!), Britney's Crazy, and some Counting Crows (college library flashbacks). I whipped up an A-MAYYY-ZINGG chicken zucchini stovetop stuffing casserole of goodness. Then I realized as Cade cried in hunger and boredom at his before dinner snack that the casserole delight wouldn't be ready for another 30. Damn. PB&J it is, my man! NOT. Homeboy cried and cried. Cried so much the casserole was done, then he refused to eat it. Hi, Terrible 2's. I hate you.

So we give up on dinner and go to bath mode. It was fun we found toys, he hugged me to stay warm as the tub filled up. Then as soon as I put him in he cried. Then he peed in the tub. Bath over! We got in jammies and lo-and-behold Dancing with Stars was on. Jennifer Grey was rocking her um, Ginger Rogers dance? And Cade couldn't take his eyes off it. So I copied their moves as I held him. He giggled, held on for dear life and giggled some more as we danced. It was so sweet.

Luckily the crying stopped long enough to just heat up some milk and a muffin (the kid has GOT to eat, drives me crazy when he's not hungry) and cuddle him to bed. Lord knows we needed some guidance from above on crazy days like this, so I read the Baby Bible to him. We reviewed Adam and Eve, discussed David & Goliath, and hell, he was out wayy before I got to the Last Supper. It was bliss to not even finish one book and have a halfway sleeping baby who didn't request oh, 5 more books. (Seriously, he's a reader.... needle in my eye, I mean, I'm proud. Very proud of this "habit".)

Anyways, bloggies. They call it mother's love because you don't quit when it's hard. You keep pushing forward to get to the good bits. It was all worth our 90's music, our dancing, and the post bath huggle.... until 4:45 tomorrow that is;) Then it starts again.

Fall at the Arboreteum

18 months old, hanging out at the Arboreteum with Mommy & Grammie. (Yes those are baby Converse!) It was the most gorgeous day!

Cade tried to sit on pumpkins, it was pretty funny when just after this he sat on a gourd!

My favorite pic in his puppy Halloween costume! He ended up not liking the hat with the ears this day, but he did rock the costume and we got the smile for this when he started to drop the pumpkins and then laugh. Luckily, they didn't kick us out.

Even more luckily, we got these cute pics! On Halloween night he did NOT want to get into costume, so we settled for our puppy jammies. Note to moms of 1-2 year olds, buy jammies that could double as a costume in a pinch! Turns out the 80-degree Texas Halloween night was not a match for our fluffy costume.

I just can't resist this pic below, my fave of the bunch!

kiss Lambie! kiss Mommy!

18 months old, and he did it! Although he is battling a sinus infection and an eye that makes him look like Quasimodo, Cade kissed Mommy and Daddy tonight. He's been blowing kisses for quite awhile, and now we're at 100% for making the smack noise and moving the hand away from the mouth. (for awhile there it was fun enough to just suck on the hand or a finger and then wave with the other hand)

Last week he kissed his Mickey Mouse and then when I said "Kiss Mommy" he kissed Mickey then made Mickey kiss me (kiss smack noise included). It was really cute.

Tonight we were playing hide and seek on the Lambie rug, Cade was hiding in his blanket and then surprising me. And I asked for a kiss. He kissed Lambie first, then he kissed me. Then Nick came running in and he kissed Nick. Then he walked to his air purifier & I thought he'd kiss that and spoil the moment, but he didn't. So happy kissing lives on! We hope he saves it for us, and not all the girls at school.... more details on his mackin' ways to come.

Until then, night night bloggies. Dreaming of more kisses in the morning.