"...And you're a big old wuss if you don't jump in the water"

This boy is no wuss.  I'm positive that he would cannonball into the bathtub if he could.    

Pure excitement!  (cute or scary???  I can't decide.)



Sarah's Baby Shower

Some of our best friends (Bryan and Sarah Morris) are expecting a baby girl in about a month.  Bryan is one of Cody's friends from high school. They were housemates in college and during that time I also became good friends with Bryan.  I met Sarah in undergrad classes at Tech and we later lived together for about a year.  It was during that time that we introduced her to Bryan.  They're now married and expecting Miss Caroline in May! Cody and I are SO excited for them!  Plus, it will be fun watching Caden and Caroline grow up together (assuming they are able to move back to Seymour).  Here are a few pictures from her baby shower in Seymour.

About a year ago, we took a very similar picture at my baby shower with her rubbing my belly...so I had to have payback

Caden with his Nonny

Caden and Nenaw (Cody's grandmother)

 

Sarah & Bryan

He loved the balloon

Cousin to Cousin We'll Always Be, Special Friends From The Same Family Tree

Caden 7 months, Kache 12 months

Because I thought I couldn't be there...

I have a thing where I NEED to be present when friends/family get together or it DRIVES.ME.CRAZY!  This goes so far as asking a friend of mine to run my video camera to get of all the conversation, etc in the waiting room of the hospital while I was in labor. Plus, I was under the impression that after Caden was born, Cody would walk him past the waiting room to see the visitors on his way to the nursery while I was being cleaned up and put back together in the delivery room.  I couldn't stand the thought of carrying this child for 9 months, going through labor, and then Cody getting to "show him off" and I wouldn't get to see it and the reactions!  (As it turns out, I was able to be there the whole time).  Anyway, the video was very long, and sometimes rather boring but I was so grateful to have it.  It is a great reminder of what AMAZING family and friends we have!  I finally edited it all out and put it together in a 10 minute video. I've had some trouble with this video and had to use a low quality upload to do it.  We will see how it turns out!

caden birth @ Yahoo! Video

Baby butts are cute

 

Lazy Weekend

It seems like our weekends are always very busy.  Last weekend was an exception, we didn't really have much going on.  So Cody, Caden, Bailey and I all headed to Seymour.  We met up for lunch with our friends, Craig, Briana and Lauren.  Later, we dropped Caden off with Nonny and Poppy so Cody and I could go check on the cows, and ride around taking some GPS measurements of a field.  Bailey loved it.

Later that night we went out to dinner with Cody's parents and youngest brother, Callan.  Here's Caden wearing Randy's 'Skeeter' hat.  When I was pregnant, my brother decided that Caden's nickname would be "Skeeter".  I'm not sure where that came from but my dad decided to go with it.  Word got out to Cody's family and next thing I know, most people in Seymour know him as "Skeeter".  It's funny to me how it has stuck. 

My Valentine

I'm not a big 'Valentines Day' person.  To be completely honest I think it's very lame.  In fact, while at work on V-day this year, I found myself looking at bouquets of pretty flowers just hoping that they did not belong to me.   Come on, flowers and on valentines day.  How cliche' can it get?  I'm ALL about surprises and would rather it happen ANY other day of the year.  It doesn't even matter how small the surprise is... anything that was seen and for some reason made Cody think of me... could be flowers, a pencil, dolphin shirt, maybe??  

I do believe in celebrating (in some way) all holidays with kids.  Although, I will say I am the only mom from the infant daycare that failed to realize that you are still supposed to get the little valentines cards for all the kids.  It didn't even cross my mind since at this point they don't have a clue what is going on, not to mention even have a favorite "character" to pass out on cards.  But I definitely felt a little guilty when I pick Caden up from daycare and they have a bag full of valentines from the other kids in class.  Definitely not "mom of the year"...  

Anyway, I do believe I have the most adorable Valentine ever!!

Oh, and I have a pretty great husband who knows how much I love surprises!

Baby Stuff I Dig

It seems as if everyone I know either recently had a baby, is expecting a new baby or is trying for a baby.  I'm thrilled--BRING ON THE BABIES--I can't wait for the day we are all hanging out with each other watching our kids chase each other around the backyard.  I have already imagined Caden being the "someday Groom" of one of these unborn baby girls.  I kid, I kid...sortof.  Anyway, some of these people ask me what baby items I can't live without.  I wish I would have had a list like this when I was feeling overwhelmed looking at the endless options in the baby stores.  So I decided to go ahead and blog it.

Aden + Anais swaddling blankets:  My #1 must have!  Caden loved being swaddled in the early days (as most babies do) and these blankets have a very soft and stretchy material that make swaddling much easier and I would think more comfortable as well.  Plus, they have some swaddling blankets that are so thin that they can be used in the heat of the summer (they make thicker ones also).  They're more expensive than other blankets but 100% worth it.  So far I've seen them cheapest at Target (I want to say about $31 for a pack of 4).  So go return all your other ones and spend that money to buy these!  You're welcome :)

Nap Nanny:  I got this picture from the Nap Nanny website--to my surprise I didn't have any of Caden in his.  This thing is great to have (but I won't say necessary).  It only weighs 3 lbs so you can put it in any room of the house so baby can sit safely with you while you work/clean/etc.  It has a lab belt you can use and keeps baby in an incline position.  Caden slept in his for the first 3 months and loved it.  At that time he slept better in an inclined position and his doctor even said it was good for him because it helped fluid drain down (less ear infections) as well as helped him breathe while congested. 

Chicco Keyfit Travel System:  We loved this carseat/stroller combination!  I have been told by carseat safety specialists at a hospital in Lubbock that this brand is the number one recommendation based on safety, comfort and ease of use.  It's been so easy to use (and Caden always traveled well in it).  I would recommend buying in on Amazon or at Babies R Us when they are marked down 20%.

Little Noses Saline Spray:  Since babies can't clear their noses themselves.  You just spray this is their nose to loosen all the "gunk" and suck it out with a bulb syringe (sidenote: keep the bulb syringe they give you at the hospital because it works significantly better than any you can buy at stores).  Up and Up brand at Target works just as well and is cheaper.

 

 

 

Boogie Wipes: These are just some sort of wet wipes with saline to keep little noses from getting so raw and irritated from all the wiping. 

Boppy: A "must have" for the early days.  It's great for breastfeeding, assists with holding the baby, great for baby to lay on in recline position and for tummy time.

Bumbo Seat:  Great for baby to start to explore their surroundings before they can sit independently.  Keeps them supported and happy that they can still see you washing dishes.  BUT, as I learned from my pediatric clinical rotation--take them out of it when they can sit on their own.

pack-n-play:  Caden slept in our room in his pack-n-play for the first few months (I wasn't big on walking across the house to get him every 3 hours).  I loved the changing table attached and it's been great for travel.  Ours does not have the infant napper like in this picture so I don't know about it?

Jumperoo:  While this is not my child, mine does have this Ocean Wonder's Jumperoo made by Fisher Price and loves it.   

Other things we use(d):  bottles = playtex drop ins (believe it or not they bend but don't break when ran over by a vehicle); breastpump = medela pump in style; gripe water for gas/hiccups; diapers = I haven't found any that I don't like but I do prefer huggies little snugglers or pampers swaddlers (but they are more expensive than regular pampers or huggies); for fever=rectal thermometer and infant acetaminophen; infant swings and vibration seats; sleep sacks for use as blankets while sleeping.

I'm no expert, these are just products that I came across and believe in because they have worked for us.  Hope this helps a little!

One thing I wish I would have known earlier:  Generic brands of formula from Target, Walmart, and Babies R Us are just as good for the baby as the name brands of Similac and Enfamil (of course I know breastmilk is best).  Our pediatricians confirmed it.  Formula isn't cheap and the generic brands are about half the cost.

Daddy's Boy

They do this every night before Caden goes to bed.

108 days

108 days until............................................ I graduate from Physical Therapy School!! 

Is that crazy or what?!? It's been a long road people.  5 years of college to get my bachelors degree, semesters of taking pre-requisite classes for PT programs, years of working as a physical therapy tech for minimal pay to get experience hours built up, applications sent to PT schools followed by rejection letters, interviews gone bad due to my uncontrollable need to be completely honest, more application process followed by an acceptance letter, 2 years of physical therapy classes including cadaver dissections and labs practicing PT on classmates (getting to know each other too well in the process) and 1 year of clinical rotations.  Not to mention getting engaged, planning a wedding in 2 months, tying the knot, experiencing pregnancy while living 160 miles away from my husband and, and have a baby during one of those years. 

Yes, it's been 8 long and crazy years.  Graduating from PT school has been something I have been working on for so long now that it has always seemed to be more of a distant idea rather than something that would actually happen, but it is... on May 21st!

Okay, so I'm not exactly finished in 108 days.  After I had Caden, I skipped the first 8 week clinical so I could stay home with him.  I'll be making that clinical up in June and July so I won't actually get my diploma until after that.

AANNDD then I still have to pass the national physical therapy liscensure exam.  So it's possible to have my doctorate degree in physical therapy but be completely useless until I pass that 5 hour exam.  Guess I really should be spending this time studying rather than blogging.  

108 days!