Cayden's first year

My growing boy!

2006-04-27T16:50:00.000-07:00

I just thought this was a cute picture. I was trying so hard to take a picture of us together and he obviously had other plans. He wanted to eat the camera instead. This was snapped right before he got a hold of it and insisted on tasting it. You name it and it wants it in his mouth and he even gets upset now when you take some things away! Spoiled already!

He rolled over from his back to his tummy yesterday for the first time. He has really been struggling with it, but finally figured out how to make it over. AND...he is already trying so hard to crawl. You should see him just push his little booty in the air and then ends up going backwards instead of forwards. It is just beginning.

FREEBIRDS!

2006-04-27T16:47:00.000-07:00

I forgot to post his Freebird's picture. Such a little boy with such a big appetite. I think somebody's eyes must be bigger than their belly.

Uncle Cloud

2006-04-27T16:43:00.000-07:00

Don't they look cute together? Cloud finally came in to the states and met Cayden for the first time. They had a great day together. We met in College Station and Cayden got to eat his first Freebird's burrito! Then we walked around the A&M campus and had a great visit with Cloud. We don't really get to catch up much while on the phone long distance, but hopefully Cloud will come to the states more often now that he is rich and can afford to! We miss him so much but I know he is doing what is always wanted to do in Mexico. Thanks for coming to see us Cloud!

Funny Story

2006-04-13T07:03:00.000-07:00

Okay, first I have to warn you. This is not the most appropriate subject to talk about on a blog, but it's about a baby and the only things baby really do well are sleep, eat, and poop. Well, Cayden hasn't been going to the bathroom very well and we think that his formula has made him constipated. Now that he isn't on breastmilk anymore, the formula has become harder for him to digest. Well, the other night he was straining so hard his little face would turn red and he would make this weird grunting sound. I knew what he was trying to do and he looked like he was in so much pain so I took him to the diaper changer, took off his diaper, and took his temperature rectally. Funny, he doesn't mind that at all, but the second you try to put that thermometer under his arm, he screams. Well, I thought by taking his temperature rectally, it would help things down there, but nothing happened when I took it out. So I picked him up to go put him in a warm bath and the second I did that, about 3 days worth of poop came out and went everywhere. On the furniture, on him, on the carpet..everywhere. You would think it was so gross, but we just laughed and laughed about it and I felt better because I knew he felt better. Okay, enough of the gross stories this morning. Just thought that you guys would appreciate that. Maybe you just had to be here.

Mornings at the Walker house

2006-04-13T06:59:00.000-07:00

Lee and I love morning time for very different reasons. Lee is not a morning person AT ALL, but he loves to get up with Cayden in the morning (like 6:30 am), feed him, and let Cayden fall back asleep on his chest. It's their little bonding time together and Lee loves to feel him snuggled up tight on his chest. I love mornings because I get to sleep in! I would post a picture of it, but I don't think that everyone wants to see Lee is his night time wear (underwear) asleep on the couch with Cayden. It's such a cute site to wake up and see Cayden asleep with his daddy, both of them looking perfectly comfortable with each other.

Finally - an Update!

2006-04-04T19:30:00.000-07:00

Sorry to all of you who have been asking why I haven't updated lately (especially Christy!). Hello, I'm a new mother. I'm supposed to be busy so I have a valid excuse. Actually, I have been working on his scrapbook and been trying to get caught up on that before I did anything else.

Cayden is doing excellent. We had about 2 weeks of not sleeping through the night. And when I say that, I mean up 5-6 times a night, 20 minutes at a time, just crying. When we finally figured out that he was teething, he was past it and sleeping again. Lately, he has been especially wonderful. He doesn't cry except when he takes a nap (I'm gonna hate posting this because he will probably turn into a little devil now).

I've been putting him on his tummy like crazy and he is now rolling over from his tummy to his back. I guess since he is a bigger kid than normal that it makes it a little harder. He just had his 4 month pediatrican appointment and weighed 15 lbs, 12 oz and was 25.25 inches tall. 75th percentile. What a little chunky butt!

He also chews on his toes all the time. It's such an uncomfortable position to be in, but he doesn't fuss

We also had pictures done in the Azaleas during the Azalea Trail here in Tyler and they turned out wonderful. Here's the link to look at his pictures:
http://www.printroom.com/ViewGallery.asp?userid=poohphoto&gallery_id=355509

We also went for our first boat ride with Nana and Papa B! The life jacket that he has to have one is very constraining so I didn't think he would last 5 minutes in it, but he LOVED the boat ride, even with the wind blowing in his face. We got some great pictures of that too, but mom has them all.

Parent Commitment Service was March 26th at Green Acres and Cayden did wondeful! It was supposed to be his nap time when we went on stage, but I think he was too interested in looking at all the new sites that he didn't act fussy at all. He looked exhausted though. They have large movies screens so the audience can get a good few of the babies and he was just zoned out when they zoomed in on him, but he didn't cry like a lot of the other babies. I wouldn't have minded though. That's what babies do!

I hope this updates everyone for a while. I promise to be more timely in my updates!

Yuck!

2006-03-13T10:49:00.000-08:00

Okay, so this isn't the sweetest post that I have done so far, but it is kinda funny so I thought I would share it. We were playing "Super Cayden" (like Superman where he flies through the air) and I was lying on the ground and he was above me and all of a sudden he decides to throw up. It's a good thing I moved my head or he would have spit up all in my mouth, but I didn't move it quick enough and I had it all across my cheek, covered in my hair, and in the back of my neck. He didn't just spit up a little bit, half the bottle came up. I must have been playing a little too much with him, but I now completely smell like spit up. And it's really gross when it gets in your hair. Yucky..Oh well, it's just part of being a mommy.

What an AMAZING week!

2006-03-10T17:51:00.000-08:00

When Cayden was only 2 months old, it seemed like weeks before anything exciting would ever happen, but this week has been full of new things for him. For starters, he sleeps through the night now. It started last Thursday and he has been consistent every night, waking between 7 and 8 each morning. And he's grabbing things like crazy! He just acts like it isn't that big of a deal to grab the toy in front on him now. He just gets that looks in his eyes like "I want that" and just reaches his arms out and grabs the thing. He will even hold his bottle. It has to be half empty so it isn't very heavy, but he can sometimes hold it for the rest of the feeding. Then, he started rolling over on his side. He just throws his legs in the air and twists his little body on his side. He loves to do this in his crib. The view is much better to look at the bumper his Nana B made him. And finally, he is trying to sit up! My little Cayden that was just a newborn a couple of months ago is just dying to sit up. If you prop him up, he acts like he is doing a sit up and will raise his head to sit up. There is one toy that is a ball and he loves to sit up and play with it. We won't be playing on our backs much longer. Sometimes he starts his little fussy noises when he can't sit up enough to his liking. I cannot believe how much he is growing. What an amazing week!

Nap Time

2006-03-02T15:02:00.000-08:00

Lee took this while Cayden and I were napping. I don't usually let him nap with me, but we were playing on the bed and we both just got tired so we just laid there and went to sleepy time in no time. Of course, the flash from this picture woke me up so I didn't get to enjoy the nap as much as Cayden, but I love this picture of us and thought I would share it with you all.

2006-03-02T14:48:00.000-08:00

Our North Carolina grandmother, Grandma Marie, came to visit us this week. She held Cayden the ENTIRE time. It was so cute to see them together and gave me a nice break. I barely held that boy all day long. Here is Cayden and Marie enjoying themselves at feeding time, but I'm not sure who enjoyed it more, Marie or Cayden. It was a big day for Cayden and by 8:00 he let us know he had had enough play time and was ready to be in his bed. Thanks for coming to see us Marie!

Gangeddy

2006-03-02T14:43:00.000-08:00

We have so much fun with Minx and Gangeddy! I love capturing that cute smile, but you should have seen the faces gangeddy was making at Cayden to make him laugh. The things we do to make babies laugh....I wonder if Cayden is thinking in his mind "these people are crazy with their goofy faces." One of his favorites is making a rasberry with your mouth. That is a guaranteed smile no matter who you are.

2006-02-21T15:42:00.000-08:00

1 day old

2006-02-21T15:40:00.000-08:00

1 month old

2006-02-21T15:39:00.000-08:00

2 months old

2006-02-21T15:13:00.000-08:00

3 months old

Finally - something new happened!

2006-02-21T14:51:00.000-08:00

Look at that picture! He's grabbing the parrot! I'm so proud right now. What happened in his mind to have arms just flapping about wildly one day to him looking at an object and actually reaching his arms out to touch it the very next day? I swear he has been staring at that toy for 2 months and you could just tell he wanted it, but didn't know how to get his arms there and he has finally done it! This is no random thing either, he's been doing this all day long. Yea!!!!

3 months old

2006-02-20T07:30:00.000-08:00

Cayden turned 3 months old on Friday and to celebrate we moved him to his crib. He has been sleeping in the bassinett in our room, but he passed the weight limit so I figured it was time. Now I can finally have the light on in my room when I go in there and Lee and I aren't whispering in bed so we don't wake him.

Boring

2006-02-16T15:18:00.000-08:00

Sorry I haven't posted anything in a while. We've been pretty boring! The most exciting thing we have done lately is change bottle types. My Avent bottles kept leaking and it was getting worse and worse and I asked the nursery workers at the church about it and they said that Avent bottles are the worst for leaking (a tip for those of you wanting kids of your own one day) and they recommend the Playtex bottles. So we once again shelled out the money for those along with Dr. Brown bottles. I guess we will see how they work, but it isn't cheap to change bottles. I have about 15 bottles of the Avent, and they are about $4.00 a piece. So those of you who are pregnant or may become pregnant (you know who you are), get ready!

Do you ever feel like this?

2006-02-16T15:17:00.000-08:00

The next Gerber baby

2006-02-09T08:00:00.000-08:00

Okay, so this picture is a little dark, but what a cutie he is! I'm probably a little biased, but I could just look at that face all day!

We love Mrs Carolyn!

2006-02-09T07:47:00.000-08:00

We had dinner with Carolyn and Tim last night and I think that they like to come over and see Cayden more than see us. That's just how it is after kids. But that's okay, because I've never been one to like to be the center of attention. Carolyn is pregnant (sorry if you didn't want that to be public knowledge Carolyn!) so she loves to hold him. I love having a pregnant friend. I'm probably a little too excited about it, but it will be no nice to share experiences with someone now. Finally someone knows exactly what I have been through and it makes me feel better that I'm not the only one.

We're pooped!

2006-02-07T17:31:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favorites of him (Lee took it). I'll post more pictures soon. I have tons of them.

What a great night!

2006-02-07T17:28:00.000-08:00

My Cayden slept all night long! I fed him at 10 and when he started to stir at 3 this morning, I got up and put the pacifier back in his mouth. He went right back to sleep. I woke up this morning at 6 amazed that he actually made it all night long. I was so excited that I couldn't go back to sleep! I had a bible study at 9:30 and he still hadn't woke up by 8 so I finally had to get his sleep booty out of bed. But it was a wonderful start to the day. Actually, he really doesn't bother me at night. Since I am very blessed to be able to stay home, his once a night awakening has never bothered me. Plus Lee gets up with me so it just cuts in half the time that I have to get up. I love both of my men!

2006-02-03T17:13:00.000-08:00

Cayden and his mommy

2006-02-03T16:42:00.000-08:00

Cayden and his mommy

A Visit with Papa

2006-02-03T15:46:00.000-08:00

Today we went to see Papa in the nursing home. Cayden just sat on his chest and smiled the whole time. And he doesn't just smile for anyone. Most of the time, he just stares at strangers, but Cayden was grinning ear to ear. It was so cute. Papa nicknamed all his grandkids. I was infamously named "stick in the mud" and for those that know me, that can be true. But papa kept calling Cayden "caveman" so that has become his nickname. I'm go glad that Papa nicknamed my little boy. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Cayden's first 2 1/2 months

2006-02-03T15:39:00.000-08:00

I"ve been keeping little notes of Cayden's first year so that I can remember them and I thought that all of our family and friends would like to see how he is progressing. This is what I have written so far.

November 17: Welcome to the world Cayden!

November 18: Cayden meets his grandparents at the hospital and mommy and Cayden go home

November 20: Cayden’s first outing. We went to go see Granny, Cayden’s great grandmother in the hospital. Sleeping on mommy’s tummy at night. Mommy getting about 2 ½ hours of sleep at night.

November 21: Lee and I ran to Office Depot and Brookshires with Cayden. Still refuses to sleep in his bassinett. Mommy is getting very tired since she can’t sleep with Cayden on her stomach. Mommy still getting about 2 ½ hours of sleep at night.

November 22: We finally took a nap in the car seat today! Hooray! Progress is being made!

November 23: Cayden’s eyes are really starting to develop. His crosseyedness is starting to go away and I can see him starting to focus on my face. Breastfeeding is extremely painful for mommy right now since we had a little trouble the first few days.
Cayden slept in his car seat all night long. It takes a while to make him fall asleep, but mommy actually slept in the bed with daddy last night. We even got to take a nap together earlier in the day.

November 24: We had another great night. Cayden slept in his car seat again all night long. He wakes up about 2 – 2 ½ hours all day and night.

November 25: Thanksgiving. Cayden was very fussy today at the Walker house. Too many new noises and people wanting to hold him made him a fussy baby.

December 10: Cayden was in his first Christmas parade today for Digi Comm. You were the hit of the show.

December 10: First outing to eat out. We went to Little Mexico after the parade and ate with Deborah. You were very well behaved.

December 15: You finally slept in your bassinett today. Mommy figured out that if I prop you up with a pillow, you like it much better than laying flat. I love to watch you sleep!

December 16: You smiled at your mommy today! I love you so much! You made me cry.

December 17: First babysitting adventure. Nana and Papa B kept you all day long with your mommy and daddy went Christmas shopping. I missed you terribly, but the grandparents had a wonderful time spoiling you. Nana B can’t wait to feed you M&M’s for breakfast.

December 17: Happy birthday Cayden! You are one month old today. You and your mommy have gotten to know each other pretty well over the last month and we have finally crossed that point where I’m not completely clueless anymore. It has definitely been an experience during the last month, both rewarding and frustrating at the same time. It’s amazing at the highs and low that come with having a child.

December 25: Merry Christmas little one! Your first Christmas and you played baby Jesus in a Christmas play at church. You also got more presents than anyone and you are only 5 weeks old!

January 2: You love your new bouncer. You will sit there and kick as hard as your can and your arms are just flying all around because you get so excited when you sit in your bouncer. It’s so cute to watch your eyes get really big and move like you are going to jump right out of that chair. It won’t be long till you can actually get out of that chair yourself.

January 2: You have discovered your fingers and apparently they taste wonderful because if you don’t have a pacifier in your mouth then those fingers are in your mouth. It’s so amazing to watch to develop slowly but surely and these little things that adults take for granted are milestones for you. Now you have slobber all over your cheeks from chewing on those yummy fingers. What a cutie you are!

January 6: You slept all night long! I fed you at 8 then at 10 and put you to sleep and you didn’t wake your mommy up until 6 in the morning. I guess you knew I needed some sleep. Thanks sweetheart!

January 9: You are all smiles! I love having you smile back at me now. You have been smiling for about a month, but just in the last week you tend to smile all the time, especially at 4 in the morning when I hold you to put you back to sleep. It’s just a rewarding experience to have you react to me now. Now if you’ll only learn to reach for me and talk we can have even more fun. I’ve watched you during the past week and I love seeing you interact more with everyone. You have been a very happy baby during the last month and I think it is because you finally got used to your new surroundings and have established a routine.

January 20, 2006: You had your first round of shots today. I don’t think I’ll forget that face for a while. We were smiling and laughing together and as soon as that nurse stuck in the first needle, your lip turned down, your face turned bright red, and your screamed as loud as you could. I felt so sorry for you, but they are only supposed to make you healthier. You slept the rest of the day. Oh, and you are 13 lbs, 10oz and are 24 inches tall. You are in the 90th percentile in both your weight and height. What a big boy you are!

January 21, 2006: Well, we may be moving at turtle speed, but you slept in your bassinett today not propped up or without blankets rolled up beside you. I’m so proud of you!

January 22, 2006: Today was your first trip to church. We put you in the nursery and you did wonderfully – slept the whole time.

January 22, 2006: You rolled over today! You went from your stomach to your back, but you did it all by yourself. Momma couldn’t be more proud of you right now!

January 23, 2006: You rolled over 2 more times today

January 29, 2006: Well, we have had one interesting week. Daddy was gone for the entire week to Florida for work so it was just me and you here the week by ourselves. You went through the growth spurt last weekend, which only made your fussiness worse. You commanded my attention all day and refused to sleep in the bassinett. I thought we had taken about 3 steps backward until a few days later you came out of it and went back to your normal routine. You haven’t rolled over anymore, but I’m sure you will move when you are ready. We took to church again this morning and a fire alarm went off while your mommy and daddy were in Sunday school. The nursery workers said they loaded you all up in cribs and rolled you outside. You were all screaming your heads off, but at least you were safe.

February 1, 2006: You are really starting to lift you head well. You have been doing it for about it week now, but you have started to use those arms and push your shoulders off the ground when you are laying on your tummy. You love to play “Super Cayden” with your mommy. We go flying all over the house. I just make sure you haven’t eaten in an hour or so. You have also really been talking the last 3 days. I can hear you across the house “talking.” You’ll make a noise and I’ll imitate it and then you make a noise and I make the noise..This goes on for a while. We have so much fun together.