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.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Sunday, September 19, 2010
My Best Friend's Wedding
2010's whirlwind of activity for our family kicked off with my best friend's wedding in July. She got married in Austin at a really sweet, pretty venue called Casa Blanca on Brushy Creek. In fact, her amazing wedding planning skills and eye for details were featured in Style Me Pretty's blog, check out the Austin Wedding post here
Ivy Weddings, from our favorite family photographers who did Cade's 4 month pics and baptism photos (http://www.mattandivy.com/) captured Cade in his precious ringbearer outfit. Luckily Amanda was the perfect picture of bliss and laid back bride and loved the cute things Cade and the other ringbearers did as they made their way down the aisle. (Thanks Grammy for becoming an impromptu member of the wedding party as you walked him down the aisle! Also special kudos to Grammy for rigging a velcro baby-size tie that perfectly matched my bridesmaid dress!)
Ivy Weddings, from our favorite family photographers who did Cade's 4 month pics and baptism photos (http://www.mattandivy.com/) captured Cade in his precious ringbearer outfit. Luckily Amanda was the perfect picture of bliss and laid back bride and loved the cute things Cade and the other ringbearers did as they made their way down the aisle. (Thanks Grammy for becoming an impromptu member of the wedding party as you walked him down the aisle! Also special kudos to Grammy for rigging a velcro baby-size tie that perfectly matched my bridesmaid dress!)
We had a total blast at the wedding, Amanda was gorgeous and Austin was a blast! I loved that since Amanda is my oldest friend, I got to reconnect with some of the people she's kept in touch with since elementary school. For whatever reason our 5th grade class got pretty close and we all have amazing memories of elementary school. Anytime we run into each other we catch up on the other kids we went to school with and crack up at the "remember whens". I'm fascinated by things that stick in people's minds as memories, so catching up was a really good time.
After we did her wedding, we came back to Dallas for a couple of days and then headed out to San Diego for our family vaca... more pics to be posted on that. Sorry the blog is jumping around a little, since we left for her wedding life has been a mile a minute with trips to Calfornia followed immediately by school starting and daycare germs and family sick days and another trip to California, to today. So... hang on the ride as I catch up on my posts. Eventually I'll go back and post-date so things appear chronologically. For now, enjoy the pics:)
Monday, September 6, 2010
Fever, Vomit, and Viral Infection---oh my!
So 3 weeks ago I had to go back to work and Cade had to go back to daycare. He is staying at the same wonderful school, they have moved up his class and added a few more kiddos. So he's got a mostly familiar environment, just new teachers and a few new kids in class. What's even better is the teachers we fell in love with last year are right next door and have promised to watch out for him for me:) I love those ladies! And am starting to fall in love with the new teachers too.
Aside from all that, I'm also loving being back in the classroom---despite the whirlwind of stress and excitement that is the start of a new school year. Howev the first week of school for him brought home a runny nose. In the middle of 100 degree August weather---this didn't bode well. The second week of school for him was my first week back with kids. Monday, 10:30am (yes, that's first day of school with kids Monday) I get a call that he has a fever and he needs to go home. I am not one who enjoys to panic when we have A Situation...but I panicked. I was on the phone and had rounded up Cade's Angels. Lolli (mother-in-law) picked him up and Daddy met them at home. Daddy and Lolli took turns watching him the rest of the week. Turns out it was a viral infection Monday & Tuesday, and had morphed to an ear infection by Wedensday. He was fever free for 24 hours by Thursday, so Friday we sent him back to school. He seemed to be a little bit better.
Saturday I snuck him off to the mall to get a surprise photo sesh at JCP for Daddy's birthday. I thought I was so clever getting his pic made in his 12th man jersey holding a football. He would NOT have any of it. Stranger danger, runny nose, crying...it was no bueno. We actually had to go home and try again in the evening. That also was no bueno. We did a couple of good shots, will post soon! Gotta scan them.
Saturday night at 1:30 I woke up to Cade coughing. When I went to cuddle him I was met in the hallway with a STENCH. I looked in the crib and saw Exorcist baby. Vom everywhere. All over him, his face, his hair, Tipsy his cuddly giraffe, little lambie, his entire crib. I felt very smug when I removed the sheets and was saved by the four layers of crib protectors. I ran a wash (and I was NOT panicking, v calm mommy). I ran a bath and confused Cade went with it like a trooper. We could not go back to STENCH nursery, so I laid out some crib protectors in my bed and we cuddled in there with some Pedialyte and back-up best lovie, Bob the lion (from the San Diego zoo). He fell asleep for 40 minutes them cough-vom. I ran more laundry. Cade got another bath. (Again in his hair, how the hell?!) So maybe we weren't ready for the Pedialyte. I gave him just one tiny sip of water the last time...an hour later. Rinse & repeat.
By 3:30 we were back in my bed with all crib protectors in the house now in the wash, along with most of the sheets in the house...cuddled up with a sheet and a beach towel. We had called Grammie 911 so she could tell us her Grammie wisdom & Google advice and decided if it got to dry heaving we'd go to the hospital. No fever, just vom. We tried so hard to go back to sleep but Cade was begging for water. I was scared to give it to him again for fear his tummy wasn't ready, but after he got 2 teeny tiny sips down he was calm enough to sleep. For the first time in months we slept until 8:00am.
By noon the kid was like new, and Daddy and I went thru the rest of week feeling GREEN. Monday was Nick's 32nd bday, he opened gifts and went to bed at 6:30pm. Tuesday I fought nausea at school and came home and got in bed at 6:30pm. Finally by Thursday we were feeling okay again. Our appetites are slowly coming back. Hopefully the class at Cade's school is OVER the bad germies.
Now, on to the next challenge: Nick & I spending 3 week travelling apart from each other. Cade might have 2 parents at home at the same time for a total of 3 days in the next 3 weeks.
Maybe when October gets here we will be back to our "normal" routine! For now, we're in Survival mode:)
Aside from all that, I'm also loving being back in the classroom---despite the whirlwind of stress and excitement that is the start of a new school year. Howev the first week of school for him brought home a runny nose. In the middle of 100 degree August weather---this didn't bode well. The second week of school for him was my first week back with kids. Monday, 10:30am (yes, that's first day of school with kids Monday) I get a call that he has a fever and he needs to go home. I am not one who enjoys to panic when we have A Situation...but I panicked. I was on the phone and had rounded up Cade's Angels. Lolli (mother-in-law) picked him up and Daddy met them at home. Daddy and Lolli took turns watching him the rest of the week. Turns out it was a viral infection Monday & Tuesday, and had morphed to an ear infection by Wedensday. He was fever free for 24 hours by Thursday, so Friday we sent him back to school. He seemed to be a little bit better.
Saturday I snuck him off to the mall to get a surprise photo sesh at JCP for Daddy's birthday. I thought I was so clever getting his pic made in his 12th man jersey holding a football. He would NOT have any of it. Stranger danger, runny nose, crying...it was no bueno. We actually had to go home and try again in the evening. That also was no bueno. We did a couple of good shots, will post soon! Gotta scan them.
Saturday night at 1:30 I woke up to Cade coughing. When I went to cuddle him I was met in the hallway with a STENCH. I looked in the crib and saw Exorcist baby. Vom everywhere. All over him, his face, his hair, Tipsy his cuddly giraffe, little lambie, his entire crib. I felt very smug when I removed the sheets and was saved by the four layers of crib protectors. I ran a wash (and I was NOT panicking, v calm mommy). I ran a bath and confused Cade went with it like a trooper. We could not go back to STENCH nursery, so I laid out some crib protectors in my bed and we cuddled in there with some Pedialyte and back-up best lovie, Bob the lion (from the San Diego zoo). He fell asleep for 40 minutes them cough-vom. I ran more laundry. Cade got another bath. (Again in his hair, how the hell?!) So maybe we weren't ready for the Pedialyte. I gave him just one tiny sip of water the last time...an hour later. Rinse & repeat.
By 3:30 we were back in my bed with all crib protectors in the house now in the wash, along with most of the sheets in the house...cuddled up with a sheet and a beach towel. We had called Grammie 911 so she could tell us her Grammie wisdom & Google advice and decided if it got to dry heaving we'd go to the hospital. No fever, just vom. We tried so hard to go back to sleep but Cade was begging for water. I was scared to give it to him again for fear his tummy wasn't ready, but after he got 2 teeny tiny sips down he was calm enough to sleep. For the first time in months we slept until 8:00am.
By noon the kid was like new, and Daddy and I went thru the rest of week feeling GREEN. Monday was Nick's 32nd bday, he opened gifts and went to bed at 6:30pm. Tuesday I fought nausea at school and came home and got in bed at 6:30pm. Finally by Thursday we were feeling okay again. Our appetites are slowly coming back. Hopefully the class at Cade's school is OVER the bad germies.
Now, on to the next challenge: Nick & I spending 3 week travelling apart from each other. Cade might have 2 parents at home at the same time for a total of 3 days in the next 3 weeks.
Maybe when October gets here we will be back to our "normal" routine! For now, we're in Survival mode:)
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Airplanes
We have discovered a new love, AIRPLANES!!! On our trip to Coronado Cade discovered airplanes. Seeing as though there is a naval base on Coronado, it was pretty much a given. We saw airplanes at the beach, on our balconies, and all over town. From inside our house he would hear an airplane, point to his ear and then try to go outside to spot it in the sky. He got so good at this he would often spot a white airplane the size of a speck in the sky before the rest of us would. He quickly picked up the airplane sign (similar to the "I love you" hand but move it up and down by your head).
He even paid attention during takeooff and landing on the way home. It was cool to have him notice something other than the tray table and lights. But more about flying with a baby later.
On tv today he saw a plane on the news (thanks Steven Slater!) and he was so excited, got down from his little table and chair and did the airplane sign and did his quick step in front of the tv. Gotta get it on video for you, I know.... So if you see me YouTube-ing airplanes for Cade or spending Saturdays at the airport, now you know why.
He even paid attention during takeooff and landing on the way home. It was cool to have him notice something other than the tray table and lights. But more about flying with a baby later.
On tv today he saw a plane on the news (thanks Steven Slater!) and he was so excited, got down from his little table and chair and did the airplane sign and did his quick step in front of the tv. Gotta get it on video for you, I know.... So if you see me YouTube-ing airplanes for Cade or spending Saturdays at the airport, now you know why.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
What he learned this summer
Time for the periodic skills update... Now that I've been home all summer with him (minus the eleven days stolen from my summer for district trainings and meetings...grr) I feel like I can take some credit for this skill aquisition. I mean, I love my daycare ladies, but c'mon...2ish months of me with my son has paid off. Here are some of the ways he blows my mind these days:
1. Crawls over and under chair rungs in some elaborate over/under army obstacle course fashion.
2. Baby signs out the wazoo: hat, shoes, head, bird, stars, plane, fly, more, outside, book, milk, want, ball, bath, please, bubbles, dog, drink, gentle, light, noise/hear, quiet, stop, rain, sleep, toothbrush, wait, where (that's 28 that I can count that he does on his own and in return to us!)
3. Goes to get his toothbrush and brushes his teeth (and steals Mommy's toothbrush. He's SO the only person on this planet that can get away with it without me throwing up)
4. Colors with crayons. on paper.
5. Swims! Isn't afraid of the pool, jumping in the pool, the ocean, seaweed. He can "monkey walk" along the edge of the pool to get to the steps the whole length of the pool. Not so much a fan of the backfloat, but we've made progress.
6. Dips. Not tobacco, but thanks for that vote of confidence. No no. This kid dips his food into a variety of condiments. Salsas galore, ketchup, pico de gallo, yogurt. Haven't exposed him to Ranch yet. That evil will be saved for later. This kid dips his Cheerios, Mum Mums, grilled chicken, fruit into whichever dip is on his plate. We've seen some interesting combos too. Strawberries in ketchup is kind of common. Just because it's on the plate, doesn't mean you do it, buddy.
7. Climbs. Cute at first, not so cute when he's hanging off the fridge like a little monkey or sitting on your coffee table like a little Buddha.
8. Waves. To freaking ev-ry-one. I like to do in & out shopping. Okay, that's an outright lie. I like to quietly, leisurely stroll through Target, Kroger, CVS when I need a quick tampon run, Taco Bell. Instead we have made friends ev-ry-where. I'm anti-small talk and this kid traps in small talk circles everywhere we go. "Oh Hiiiiiiiiiii, baby! Well aren't you cute. Yes you are, yes, you are so cute. [I stand there smiling, then smiling awkwardly at being the third wheel to this lovefest, finally they look me up and down to verify, yes, I possibly gave birth to such a gorgeous creature, baffling, I know, and then] "How old is he?" I quickly calculate (as if they'll know the difference) "16 months" Then I have to put up with "Oh, so he's not 2 yet? No. hmm." And then they give me a rundown of their grandchild's size and they tell me if they think Cade is big or small for his age. I don't know why I'm paying my pediatrician. If my insurance knew he was getting examined at CVS when all I wanted was a 2-second Playtex run they would be pissed that I still go to an actual pediatrician.
9. Growing teeth skills. This kid cuts teeth in pairs. Always has been 2 at a time after that first tooth popped through. Now he's cutting 4 at a time! So much for my sleeping in summer baby who was waking up at 7 blessed 30 back in June. Now we're up at 4:30 and again at 5:30. I can't complain, at least he is getting this teeth business out of the way FAST.
Night night bloggies. I can't EVEN begin to think of more skills. I'm sure he's got some cool other things going on worthy of reporting, but I'm exhausted from recalling small talk...and waking up at 5:40.
1. Crawls over and under chair rungs in some elaborate over/under army obstacle course fashion.
2. Baby signs out the wazoo: hat, shoes, head, bird, stars, plane, fly, more, outside, book, milk, want, ball, bath, please, bubbles, dog, drink, gentle, light, noise/hear, quiet, stop, rain, sleep, toothbrush, wait, where (that's 28 that I can count that he does on his own and in return to us!)
3. Goes to get his toothbrush and brushes his teeth (and steals Mommy's toothbrush. He's SO the only person on this planet that can get away with it without me throwing up)
4. Colors with crayons. on paper.
5. Swims! Isn't afraid of the pool, jumping in the pool, the ocean, seaweed. He can "monkey walk" along the edge of the pool to get to the steps the whole length of the pool. Not so much a fan of the backfloat, but we've made progress.
6. Dips. Not tobacco, but thanks for that vote of confidence. No no. This kid dips his food into a variety of condiments. Salsas galore, ketchup, pico de gallo, yogurt. Haven't exposed him to Ranch yet. That evil will be saved for later. This kid dips his Cheerios, Mum Mums, grilled chicken, fruit into whichever dip is on his plate. We've seen some interesting combos too. Strawberries in ketchup is kind of common. Just because it's on the plate, doesn't mean you do it, buddy.
7. Climbs. Cute at first, not so cute when he's hanging off the fridge like a little monkey or sitting on your coffee table like a little Buddha.
8. Waves. To freaking ev-ry-one. I like to do in & out shopping. Okay, that's an outright lie. I like to quietly, leisurely stroll through Target, Kroger, CVS when I need a quick tampon run, Taco Bell. Instead we have made friends ev-ry-where. I'm anti-small talk and this kid traps in small talk circles everywhere we go. "Oh Hiiiiiiiiiii, baby! Well aren't you cute. Yes you are, yes, you are so cute. [I stand there smiling, then smiling awkwardly at being the third wheel to this lovefest, finally they look me up and down to verify, yes, I possibly gave birth to such a gorgeous creature, baffling, I know, and then] "How old is he?" I quickly calculate (as if they'll know the difference) "16 months" Then I have to put up with "Oh, so he's not 2 yet? No. hmm." And then they give me a rundown of their grandchild's size and they tell me if they think Cade is big or small for his age. I don't know why I'm paying my pediatrician. If my insurance knew he was getting examined at CVS when all I wanted was a 2-second Playtex run they would be pissed that I still go to an actual pediatrician.
9. Growing teeth skills. This kid cuts teeth in pairs. Always has been 2 at a time after that first tooth popped through. Now he's cutting 4 at a time! So much for my sleeping in summer baby who was waking up at 7 blessed 30 back in June. Now we're up at 4:30 and again at 5:30. I can't complain, at least he is getting this teeth business out of the way FAST.
Night night bloggies. I can't EVEN begin to think of more skills. I'm sure he's got some cool other things going on worthy of reporting, but I'm exhausted from recalling small talk...and waking up at 5:40.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Ode to my Uncle Alex
Our trip to Cali would not be at all complete without a visit with Uncle Alex. Alex was in LA for a conference and drove down to San Diego to stay with us. We went out to Pacific Beach and hung out the first day, which was one of our summer haunts when we were growing up. Cade was 9 months old when they last saw each other at Christmas, so now at 15 months he's got some skills to show off. (Cade, not Alex, that is) Nick & I both think that Cade looks like his uncle, so it was cool to see them together. Mom says Cade acts just like Alex at this age, both scary and funny for those of us who know Alex. It makes me wonder what kind of boy and man Cade will be when he grows up. Here are the pics, enjoy.
Cade's amazement at pigeons and the crappy (literally) fish gutting station on the pier.
Like uncle, like nephew. Or something like that.Cade's amazement at pigeons and the crappy (literally) fish gutting station on the pier.
-little buddy
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Northpark, how I love thee!
So I've made it one of my life's missions to make sure my offspring love malls & shopping. In fact, after Cade was born I made sure his first mall experience was the Northpark experience. Only the best mall in Dallas (although Galleria tries).... Here are the reasons why I love Northpark. (and hate people who say "You drive all the way there?") Um, I didn't move to the suburbs to stay in the suburbs. I strategically chose a home that has easy access to 3 major highways so I can get around Dallas. People who live in the DFW area and stay in their suburb bubble are lame, and that's not me.
Wow, I really got off track there! Okay, so back to Northpark love.
1. This mall has the best stores. The Dillards here has a huge shoe section, and brought in the most amazing swimsuit selection ever. Um, if I can brag about a swimsuit collection given the trauma of swimsuit shopping you know it's good. Even better at 50% off!
2. The mall has a great movie theater. With real popcorn. By real popcorn I am referring to the fact that they scoop it fresh into your bag from the popper. Unlike other places that place it under heat lamps and then try to pass it off as fresh movie popcorn. I don't think so.
3. This mall has a Dallas Public Library in it, with fun little crawling playthings for my baby.
3 1/2. Puzzles galore and climby stairs and gorgeous murals! Me likey!Wow, I really got off track there! Okay, so back to Northpark love.
1. This mall has the best stores. The Dillards here has a huge shoe section, and brought in the most amazing swimsuit selection ever. Um, if I can brag about a swimsuit collection given the trauma of swimsuit shopping you know it's good. Even better at 50% off!
2. The mall has a great movie theater. With real popcorn. By real popcorn I am referring to the fact that they scoop it fresh into your bag from the popper. Unlike other places that place it under heat lamps and then try to pass it off as fresh movie popcorn. I don't think so.
3. This mall has a Dallas Public Library in it, with fun little crawling playthings for my baby.
6. The awesome bathrooms. You think I've gone to far, but if you are a breast-feeding mama you appreciate my tips from my months of experience (now over!) and you appreciate that I know that Neimans, Nordstrom, and Barneys are so nice to their nursing patrons they have special couches and seating areas. And they've raised their prices so high, you're not tempted to buy everything you see.
7. The Ann Taylor Loft here formerly had a Maternity section, now it does not. Which is sad, because Cade might want a sister one day and I might need to use it one day. Howev, I am enlightened so I put it on this list and spread the word to all you prego's out there to go online and buy, buy, buy their reasonably priced, amazingly fitting prego cardi's, shirts, pants, and jackets.
8. The night scene, dress up, throw on your heels and eat out at one of the fab restaurants. Scenesters of all ages walk the mall after 8pm. If you love looking at pretty people dressed well, this is where you go.
Rain, Rain, Lets go play!
One of the silly little things I dreamed about when I was pregnant was taking Cade outside to play in the rain. This summer gave us plenty of opportunity. Unfortunately the full on, running through the rain, chasing each other around the backyard, hiding under the trees for relief we were both laughing and yelling so hard wasn't captured on film. Instead, here is the next day, showing Daddy his baby sign for rain. I love that this kid loves the rain and isn't scared by even the most booming thunder. He points to his ear (baby sign for "hear") and then to the sky, looking to me with those big blue eyes like "What's that I hear, Mommy Dear?" (at least that's how it goes down in my head). Enjoy the pics!
Monday, July 26, 2010
Discovering shadows
Cade found shadows today! Here is in the kid's (Izzy and Cade's) favorite exploration place...
He ran away from his shadow a couple of times and it took me awhile to wonder what he was scared of. The weeds, a bug, what? Here he is waving at his shadow.
Pump it up playdate!!
I was so excited to discover that Pump It Up has a Junior location in Plano that has "happy hour" for toddlers. That's right mommas, take your babies twice a week for 2 hours of playtime for kids 1-4. Mommies and Daddies can even play with the kids.
About 30 sec in Cade got scared. I guess the sheer size and loud party music were a little intimidating to little man (a-mazing jams, none of that child band nursery rhyme garbarge....no no. There was definitely some "Tub Thumper" and "Jump Around". If only there had been a little "Whatta Man", my friend Amy and I would have been in flashback central. Minus the hot brothers to stare at. :)
Anyways, Cade was scared but he gradually gave it up and his alter-ego, Stunt Man Sam, showed up. He climbed up this huge ladder to ride a slide with me. It was so fast and fun, we LOVED it!
Discovering that going backwards was a little fun too. Gotta go the wrong way to realize the right way is more fun!About 30 sec in Cade got scared. I guess the sheer size and loud party music were a little intimidating to little man (a-mazing jams, none of that child band nursery rhyme garbarge....no no. There was definitely some "Tub Thumper" and "Jump Around". If only there had been a little "Whatta Man", my friend Amy and I would have been in flashback central. Minus the hot brothers to stare at. :)
Anyways, Cade was scared but he gradually gave it up and his alter-ego, Stunt Man Sam, showed up. He climbed up this huge ladder to ride a slide with me. It was so fast and fun, we LOVED it!
Only vent for the day: Mommies who check out. I don't understand how you drop off your 3 year old and then lean up on an inflatable, oblivious to him knocking over and crawling on the younger babies. I find this happens especially at mall playyards. It's in-sane. Only at the mall you have to be baby bodyguard because literally there is always about 2 seven year olds who are leaping from slide to climbing house and jumping 5 feet down from things, running backwards up slides and pushing your 1 year old out of the way. I hate those kids. And yet, there you are, surrounded by 30 oblivious mammas who aren't on baby bodyguard/shadow duty...do you tell demonic seven year old to watch out for the babies and make him apologize to your silent child? Clearly you haven't seen some of these moms, it's kind of scary. You're going to jumped if you yell at their child. Question is: would you rather it be the mom nursing the infant who has had 4 hours of sleep all week or the white trash woman double fisting the Route 44's?
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