When the Dream Never Dies: 2013

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

6 months

Caden is half a year old already! We are having a great time getting things ready for the upcoming holidays. Everything takes on new meaning and is so much more fun when sharing it with Caden. We even put our Christmas decorations up early because we knew he'd love all the lights. We were also blessed to be a part of the baby dedication service at our chuch on the 17th. This was a day I used to dread. What joy to look forward to this service as we stood before friends, family and God to commit to raising Caden in the way of the Lord.

We went to see Dr Holly on the 14th - 1 week before he turned 6 months old.

Here are some 6 month stats...

weight-17lbs, 2.5oz (47%)
height-27 1/4 inches, almost 9 inches longer than when he was born (94%)!!!
diapers- size 3, we switched to size 3 on Nov 3rd
clothes- 6 months for everything, we're about to have to move to bigger pajamas to keep up with his length

It seems the latest trend on facebook is to list things people may or may not know about you, so Caden figured he'd join in on the fun.

30 things you might not know about me.....

1. I love to laugh and get the hiccups from laughing nearly every day

2. 3 letter words that end in the letter "P" are especially funny, like zip, hop and tap

3. I was born with a "stork bite" on the back of my neck

4. I have been to 3 of the 50 states so far

5. I have blue eyes even though neither of my parents do, but my Grandpa Bill does

6. I have learned how to spit and love it

7. I love reading books and helping turn the pages

8. I have been rolling over from my belly to my back for several months, but can't quite go the other direction

9. I was born at 33 weeks and 5 days

10. I don't like things on my feet. I will tolerate socks now, but kick off shoes almost immediately

11. I spent 12 days in the OPR NICU

12. I love to pinch

13. I "talk" a lot and prefer the sound the "B" makes above the rest

14. I love music, especially when mommy sings me hymns and daddy makes up songs

15. I love to eat; I think this runs in my genes

16. I'm mesmerized by whistling

17. I study things and people very closely

18. I tripled my birth weight of 5 pounds 3 ounces before I was 5 months old

19. I had no eye lashes when I was born, but now I have long eye lashes that mommy says the girls will be jealous of

20. I used to love car rides, not my favorite thing anymore

21. When I was younger I'd put my thumb in between my first 2 fingers when making a fist. This is something my daddy does

22. I have a birth mark on my chest

23. I used to hate baths, having my diaper changed and getting dressed. Now I enjoy all of them

24. When I'm sleepy I play with my left ear and fold it over. This is something my daddy did as a baby

25. I love to snuggle

26. When I wake up I rub the top of my head where I have fuzzy hair growing in. Mommy says I'm checking to see if I grew hair in the night.

27. I was dedicated at church on November 17th
28. I do not like to have my back scratched, and haven't since day one
29. My first name means spirited, fighter, pure, to bring joy. My middle name is a family name on my daddy's side. Daddy and Mommy call me Buddy as my nick name.
30. I was the answer to 5 long years of prayers and they tell me I was worth the wait

Fun in the Bumbo. Love the look on his face!

All dressed up

Carving Caden's first pumpkin

Cutest little monkey I've ever seen!

We traced his hands and feet to make a smiley face on the pumpkin

Hanging out at the Windermere Conference Center for a deacon's retreat in Roach, MO

Looking cute in his hat from Mexico. Love those sparkly blue eyes!

Caden's preemie pants that he wore home from the hospital on top of the pants he wears now

He loves to peek out of his "tent" and is holding his bottle like a big boy

Helping Daddy rake leaves

Meeting the Millsaps

Rock Chalk Jayhawk

Caden's room is even decorated for Christmas!

I won these wall clings at Bunko last week and they were perfect for Caden's room

Caden's new stocking on the left

Looking at the lights

Pastor Steve Dighton at the dedication

5 little boys got dedicated at this service

Our supportive family that came to be a part of the service

Checking out one of the smaller trees on his 6 month birthday

Still a little tipsy when sitting

Filling up more and more of that swing!

Happy 6 months, Caden!

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

5 Months

Caden turned 5 months old this past Monday and is getting cuter by the day :) This is my favorite time of year. I love autumn weather, the leaves changing colors, fun fall activities and I get to celebrate my birthday and anniversary. The last two years I've spent my favorite season doing IVF treatments and since they both failed, it really put a damper on a season I normally love. This year was SO much more fun!!

Caden didn't have any appointments with Dr Holly this month, so once again these measurements were done by us and are approximate :)

Here are some 5 month stats...

weight-16lbs, 13oz
height-just over 25"
diapers- size 2, we'll switch to size 3 when our current box of diapers is gone
clothes- he can still wear a few 3-6 month onesies, but his pants and pajamas are all 6 month since he's so long
new skills- he's getting to where he prefers to be vertical instead of horizontal. He's very aware of his surroundings and needs to know what's going on. So, we've started letting him sit in the Bumbo and exersaucer. He is trying to roll from his belly to his back, but hasn't quite mastered it yet. He has strong legs and wants to stand on your lap. He laughs a lot and it's so fun to find things that he thinks are funny. He continues to be very vocal and is making new sounds all the time. He also loves to squeal, usually in restaurants or during the prayer in church :) He has also tried holding his bottle by himself. He's so helpful these days!
hobbies- he loves reading books. You'll see how intently to stares at the pages in the picture below. He likes to help hold the book and sometimes will turn the page. He enjoys tummy time and holds holds his head and chest up really well. He's still chewing on his hands and drooling, playing with his toys and learning his "word of the day" with daddy :)
feeding- he seems to be eating about the same as last month. I haven't been pumping as much and he eats quite a bit faster so it's hard to know.
sleeping- not much change here, he still goes to bed between 8-9pm and gets up once or twice during the night. He loves his food and is afraid of missing a meal :)

Adorable

Tummy time

Holding his bottle by himself

Celebrating mommy's birthday at Brio

All ready for church. He's cute and he knows it!

Showing off

Earning his keep by matching socks

We drove to Des Moines, Iowa to meet up with Aunt Lesley for the weekend.

Practicing driving at our gas station break in Bethany, MO

Red Barn Farm in Weston, MO with friends and family

Reading one of our favorites, "I Love You So"

Looking like a big boy wearing his Converse. He does not like socks or shoes. I had to snap this picture quick, because the shoes get kicked off in no time.

Picking apples at Cider Hill

Family picture at Cider Hill

All dressed up to go see our Judson church family

Eating at Johnny Carinos on Caden's 5 month birthday

We made some adjustments to his carseat since he's getting so big!

Looking so long!

Trying out the exersaucer

Filling up a whole lot more of that swing than he used to

We love it when he gives us a look out of the corner of his eye!

Sitting up and looking pretty serious

Saturday, September 28, 2013

4 months old

Caden is 4 months old now, and we are having the time of our lives :) He is so fun! Everyday he learns to do something new and it's so entertaining to just watch him as he studies things and figures out new skills. He laughs and smiles so much and we love that he is a happy baby. It's bittersweet when you think about how fast he's changing and how there's so many things he doesn't do anymore, but they're replaced by so many new and fun things! He continues to grow and develop like he was a full term baby. We continue to have people come up to us and let us know they had been praying for us to have a baby, without ever knowing our struggle. A friend from church that we went on a mission trip with shared a few weeks ago how she'd been praying for us and when she sees Caden at church she's reminded of God's faithfulness and how He answers our prayers. I love that!

We follow "Pray for Caleb" on facebook, like many of you, I'm sure. I tend to check facebook when I'm up feeding Caden in the middle of the night. One night last week, Caleb's mom was sharing about their struggle and how it's given them a new perspective on everything and wrote a beautiful testimony of God's grace in trials. I have often considered commenting on her posts, but there are literally thousands liking and commenting on her posts and I figured it would probably never get read. Well, in the middle of the night the only people up reading her facebook posts are moms up with babies :) I decided this was the time to comment. I briefly shared our journey and agreed with her that the struggles we go through can be so painful, but without them you wouldn't get to experience the miracles and the new perspective. I added that she could read our story on our blog if she got bored in the night. By the time I got up our blog had over 100 hits! I was overwhelmed. By the end of the day it had been viewed about 500 times and by people all over the world. We are praying that many were encouraged and are in awe of the way God continues to use our story.

Caden had his 4 month appoointment with Dr Holly on September 16th, the Monday before he turned 4 months. They couldn't believe how much he'd grown since his 6 week appointment. We loved hearing, "he's just so perfect" and "he has 4-6 month skills!" He had to have his first round of shots and I'm pretty sure it was harder on mommy and daddy than Caden! He did great! I'll post a picture below.

Here are some 4 month stats...

weight-14lbs 7oz (33% on the regular charts)
height- 24 3/4 inches (38% on the regular charts)
diapers- moved to size 2 diaper on September 8th
clothes- 3 months
new skills- where to begin...he does new things daily. He loves to play on his activity mat and he can now grab on to the toys. He started rolling over from his belly to his back on September 5th and has done it lots of time since then. He has started teething and I can see the 2 little teeth trying to push through the gums.
hobbies- sitting in his highchair watching mommy clean the kitchen, hanging out in the bouncer, reading books, tummy time, chewing on his hands, drooling, playing with his toys and learning his "word of the day" with daddy :)
feeding- we have stopped using the fortified formula, so he is only on breast milk now. My best guess is he takes about 5oz at a feeding based on the amount I pump now. He is much better about staying on a 3 hours schedule of eat, play then sleep.
sleeping- he has starting going to bed about 8pm and gets up once or twice during the night. On his 4 month birthday he slept just over 7 hours. That was a record!

Here are some of our favorite pictures from the last month.

I love this sweet face!