Family Resemblance?

Check out this family resemblance.

Caden at 12 weeks

Nope, that isn't Daddy, that is Uncle Brett at 6 weeks

Think they're related? Look at the right hand, it's in the exact same position

Lesson #1

Daddy gave Caden his first lesson about how to treat a lady.

Lesson #1 - Always make the lady you love breakfast.

Here are my boys making me breakfast (I used to get breakfast in bed, but I'm not complaining!).

A Great Day

Today was a great day.

Caden slept 9 hours straight (we didn't, but someday we will). He got up and played for about an hour before he needed to sleep again, and he fell asleep in the swing. He was bent over with his head against his shoulder. He has never done that before. I had to take a video of it because he looked so cute. I took it with my phone, so it is not the best quality picture.

We went to church and breakfast too. Caden smiled, giggled, and played with the staff. All of the other customers thought he was the cutest thing. He had one melt down at breakfast. Then the customers felt sorry for us. Sundays are so hard for Caden because we drag him from one place to another. Just about the time he falls asleep we stick him in his car set, or take him out of his car seat...he just can't get a good nap in. By 11:30 he was tired and overstimulated. He let us have it. Jeremy and I each had to do several minutes of walking outside before he fell asleep. Poor baby.

JZ and my dad went to the Rockies game. It was blazing hot, but at least the Rockies won. Mom, C, and I went to their house. I was interested to see how Caden would nap in the Pack N Play. He has taken many naps there, but always in someone's arms. This was the first time he had been there since Operation Sleep Alone began. He did great. He ate, played, and then I swaddled him, gave him a kiss, and plopped him in the Pack N Play. He didn't make a peep for 2.5 hours. Good boy. In the meantime, my mom and I got to watch a chick flick from start to finish. Thanks bubby!

This evening everyone came here and ate pizza (for everyone in the Golden area, did you know Woody's does take and bake pizzas? Yummo!) and Caden rolled from his tummy to his back again, smiled, and giggled up a storm. He is now sleeping soundly and JZ and I are ready for bed too.

Why am I writing about our perfect, albeit ordinary day? Because one day things are not going to go as well. And on that day, I will need a reminder that we do have days like today. Days where I think being a mom is the best thing in the world.

Today was one of those days.

Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'

On Monday, Caden rolled from his tummy to his back. JZ and I were both in the room...and we missed it. I was sitting on the floor next to him, but I was turned around talking to Jeremy. All of a sudden we realized that Caden was on his back!

This morning I was determined to, not only watch him, but to capture it on video. Here is the video of Caden's new trick!

This picture shows how well he can hold his head now - at least for a minute or two. You can also see how pretty his blue eyes still are.

His other new trick is to grab things. On purpose. This includes hair, necklaces, earrings, toys, and the friends hanging down from his play gym. He likes to grab on and hang on. Beware ladies, shiny jewelry is pretty and fun. Here he is with the octopus on his play gym.

Good Girl Belle

Most days, I want to strangle our dog. She barks. She jumps. She doesn't listen well.

Today, I changed my mind.

I put Caden down for a nap and then went to run some errands. When I came home an hour and a half later, JZ was out in the garage (don't worry, he had the monitor!) and C was still sleeping. I quietly snuck into the house and was surprised when Belle didn't come to greet me. "What kind of trouble is she getting into?" I thought. I snuck around the house trying to find her.

I did.

She was guarding her baby. I found that sweet girl taking a nap herself - upstairs, laying in front of Caden's closed door. Since Daddy was outside, she decided she was in charge, and NO ONE was going to take that baby on her watch.

Good girl, Belle.

Then she saw me and barked.

Bad girl, Belle.

Belle guarding her baby on day 2 (look how little he was!)

I Am That Mom

I admit it. Before I became a mom I often times thought, "I am never going to be that mom." You know what I mean. I have since learned that, until you are a mom, you have no right to talk. There are things that I never thought I'd do that I now do. As I have mentioned before, my friend Jessica (love you!) gave me the best advice ever, "Do whatever it takes to get through this moment." That's what I do. Consequently, sometimes I am that mom.



* I said I'd never let my infant watch DVDs. I am now that mom. Those people at Baby Einstein are geniuses! I will not to stick him in front of it all the time (JZ and I think we will have a rule that the TV only works at nighttime. During the day he must play. Again, I may change my mind later. Whatever gets us through this moment), but if it lets JZ and I eat dinner together, I'm in.

"This is so cool!"

* I said I'd never run up and stick the pacifier in his mouth at 2 am. I am now that mom. I am tired. He is crying. It makes him stop. I won't do it forever.

* I said I'd never let myself go. I said I wouldn't be one of those moms that ends up on "What Not to Wear." I am now that mom. Today I bought tank tops at the grocery store. 3 for $10. Who cares?!?

* I said I wouldn't be one of those moms that whips out a million pictures. I am now that mom. Yesterday I showed them to the student working at my OB/GYN's office. Please try not to get a mental picture, but yeah, it was pretty much like that. Aren't you glad I don't have pictures of that one?!?

Yep, I am now that mom. I love it. I don't feel guilty.

Good Morning From Caden!

Most mornings I am awoken by sweet baby cooing. This is *usually* what I see when I go in to get him around 7:00 am

If you missed his legs sticking out of his crib, here is a picture of it. This was the first time I had ever seen that! Too bad the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends not having crib bumpers anymore. He sticks his arms and legs through the slats and rams his head into the sides all the time!

On a side note, Caden is now into size 2 diapers. The first bag of size 2 diapers we used were some that were given to us at the shower at school. The diapers were sitting on the tables and people wrote notes to us on them. We have been giggling at all of them! Once in the middle of the night we got one that said, "He will eventually sleep through the night!" Here is the one that was on him this morning.

It says, "I'm sorry I got you up again!"

Thankful Thursday

It's been awhile since I have made a Thankful Thursday post. Oops. I guess by the end of the day, it is sometimes easier to just go to bed instead of remembering all the wonderful things I have to be thankful for. Today I'm going to start my day by being thankful for...

* My grandma. Tomorrow she will be 89 years young! She is fabulous and a faithful blog follower (Hi Gma!). I can't wait to take Caden to Florida in October to meet her and get a 4 generation picture. Happy Birthday Grandma, I love you!

* Nana (Jeremy's mom, Donna) coming over once a week to play with and love on Caden. This week she is coming tomorrow so JZ and I can have a REAL date - this includes eating at the same time with all of our hands.

* NOT reporting to school today. I loved my job, but I am so relieved that I am not going back this year for a variety of reasons. I'm not sure how I would EVER get to work on time, and, no matter how difficult some days are, I would not want anyone else except me being with him all day. I am also grateful that I have this opportunity. With JZ changing jobs, the financial piece is a little scary, and he informed me last night that he gives us 8 months before we are living paycheck to paycheck (Yikes!), so I may be headed back to work next fall (or we will eat Ramen for every meal) but I am thankful for my time at home.

* Operation Sleep Alone going so well! We are only a few days in, so I'm not convinced, but Caden is doing GREAT! He is taking 4 naps a day, each lasting around an hour. He is actually sleeping longer and better alone than he was in my arms. I feel a little guilty about robbing him of some much needed zzzz's! Who knew? He takes 2 shorter morning naps, one longer afternoon nap, and a short evening nap before ending his day around 8:30 pm. The only time I am really holding him is the last half of his afternoon nap. He will sleep for about an hour and then wake up even though he is still very sleepy. He is so exhausted that he can't get himself back to sleep. I always try a few times to get him back down, but so far it hasn't worked. I end up holding him for about an hour and a half in the afternoon to finish his sleep. No problem, we'll get it! I am also finding that the books are right (go figure!) - the more he sleeps, the more he wants to sleep. Hallelujah!

* My dishwasher and washing machine. Seriously, how did people do it before modern technology?!?

Happy Thankful Thursday to you! I hope you take a few minutes today to remember what you are thankful for!

A Mess of Updates

It seems like forever since I've given a family update, and boy do we have a lot to share!


Our biggest news is, after 5 1/2 years with his current company, JZ has been offered and accepted a new position. He will be doing pretty much the same thing - selling electronic books to university libraries. He will still work out of our house, but the big bonus for us is that he will not have to travel as much. He will travel when it is necessary, but does not have a required number of days in the field. Instead of being gone 3 nights a week, he may be gone 3 nights a month. Yeah! This was a difficult decision for him. ProQuest really took a chance on him when they hired him (of course he exceeded their expectations!), and they have been good to us over the years. But, it came down to what is best for our family. Families survive travel all the time, but for us, this was a much better option. He put in his two weeks last Fri. and will begin his new position with SkillSoft selling Books 24x7 on August 31.

Here is JZ signing his offer - notice the pizza and beer nearby. Do we know how to celebrate or what?!?

Sweet Caden is now 3 months old. I can't say that we have a schedule yet, but, dare I say it, I think we have a routine down. He is sleeping about 10 1/2 hours each night - with a 1/2 hour feeding in the middle. He goes down around 8:30 and wakes up between 7:00 and 7:30. He is becoming more aware of his surroundings and definitely recognizes JZ and me. Last week JZ and I went to a play and Caden stayed home with Nana. We got home just as he was finishing his bottle and getting ready for bed. When I walked in and looked over Nana's shoulder at him he made eye contact with me and gave me a big grin. Makes a mama's heart melt! This week we are working on Operation Sleep Alone. Although C is great at sleeping in his crib at night, he is not so good at napping there, or anywhere besides my arms. Consequently, I spent many hours a day sitting on the couch holding him. This is wonderful and annoying at the same time. I know I will never be able to do this again. He won't want me to hold him forever, and even with #2 (did I just say that?!?) I'll be chasing a toddler and won't have the luxury of sitting on the couch and snuggling for hours on end. I also do not want to set up any bad habits. JZ and I are BIG sleepers and we need him to be a good sleeper too. By himself. In his big boy bed. This week I have really been watching for his drowsy signs and getting him to bed ASAP. I have learned that he would rather be in his quiet room then in his pack n play in the living room, swing, etc. I also have begun swaddling him during naps. He doesn't seem to need it at night, but during the day it is comforting to him. Whatever! As I type this he is taking his 2nd nap of the day (keep in mind it's only 10:30!). His naps are still short, but first thing's first - Operation Sleep Alone. We'll get to Operation Take Longer, Less Frequent Naps!

Here he is being uncooperative during his photo shoot. I swear he smiled and giggled every time I put the camera down. Figures!

Last weekend we had our first and only BBQ of the season. Normally, I love to host parties. I took a spiritual gifts class at church once, and no joke, it was one of my spiritual gifts. This summer we have not hosted many parties. Ok, any parties - we just couldn't pull it together. We finally decided it was time, and if we were going to do it, we were going to go BIG! We had about 30 people over for a BBQ and a movie out on our back lawn. We own a big, blow-up movie screen (don't ask, it's a boy thing!) that makes you feel like you are at a drive-in. We blew that up, grilled burgers and hot dogs, roasted 'smores, and ate popcorn out of the popcorn machine we rented. Totally fun! Caden was a little anti-sleep that day, but was a rock star anyway. He giggled and played with everyone, despite being so tired. We had a great time!

Sarah making the popcorn

A few of the people that stayed for the duration of the movie

Megan watching Shrek at our drive-in

Caden ate while Daddy watched the movie (see the popcorn machine in the background? Too cool!)

3 Month Pictures

Last week my mom and I took Caden to Kiddie Kandids for his 3 month pictures. It was a total last minute decision - they had an available time, so I quickly ran up to his room, grabbed some clothes, threw him in the car, drove to the mall, fed him outside the studio, and then he was ready for his closeup. I think they turned out so well. I know the "proof" tag across the middle is a little distracting, but you can at least see is how cute and smiley he is now!

Daddy is Home From Alaska

Last week Jeremy went on his first business trip since Caden's birth. It was hard for all of us to say goodbye. Ok, Caden was actually sleeping during the tears, but I'm sure he would have cried if he had been awake!

JZ went to the University of Alaska in Anchorage and Fairbanks, and then extended his trip for a little fishing fun. One can't go all the way up to Alaska and not fish! I obviously did not feel comfortable taking or leaving Caden, so I stayed home, and our friend Bryan went in my place. The boys had a great time and caught a TON of fish. They fished from the riverbank and said it looked like the river had been stocked because there were so many fish (I believe JZ called it "boring"). They also went out on a charter to catch King Salmon. There is a one King per day limit, so they wanted their one to big - success! JZ's fish was 35 lbs and Bryan caught a 30 pounder!

We now have salmon for a lifetime. Anyone up for a fish fry?

On top of the world!

Jer, the guide, and his 35 pound beauty

Bryan, JZ, and 3 of the fish their boat caught

A baby black bear looking for food. Be careful - where there's a baby, there's a mama!

Here is a video of Jeremy reeling in his King Salmon

**WARNING** In the interest of family-friendly blogging, I must warn you that JZ uses as expletive at the end of the video. It was hard work bringing that fish in, and he says, "Oh sh*!" at the very end. It is almost worth it to see the look on his face at the end.

More Friends!

As a baby shower gift, I received a set of wrist rattles. Since Caden loves looking at his "friends" so much, I have put them on him several times. He couldn't have cared less. He never even looked at them. This week we have noticed C being able to focus on a lot more, so we tried it again. Too fun - he loved them! We also have some foot rattles that we will try as soon as he finds his feet. Stay tuned...

Hmmm, this looks fun

Hello friends!

Wow, this is pretty AND makes noise!