Paparazzi

The lovely women who did the photography for our wedding were offering "mini sessions" this weekend, so we took Caiden to get his picture taken. It was super easy and convenient, and the rain even held off for us. Caiden was very well behaved, not very smiley but he did just about everything the photographer asked of him. He listened to her so well we even asked if she wanted to come live with us. We're looking forward to getting the photos back!

The session was in Watertown, after we were done we let Caiden run around Arsenal Park. He had a lot of fun! We took a few camera phone pictures to hold us over until the real ones are ready.

Apple Picking 2

A week ago we made another apple picking trip, this time with Grace, Tony, and Ian. Grace found a great chemical free orchard in Groton. It had gorgeous views and the apples were delicious! Just ask Caiden, he had an apple in his mouth just about the whole time we were there.

Caiden was pretty quiet while we were apple picking, but whenever Ian got out of his sight, Caiden would remove his apple and ask "eeen?". We had fun and rounded the afternoon off with a stop for ice cream and Kimballs Farm. Yumm...

Thanks Grace for the photos!

Almost 2 update

Here are some updates on Caiden now that he is approaching the big TWO.

-We just switched him to be facing forward in the car. He has been doing pretty well in the car recently, but he was running out of leg room back there so we flipped him. He seems to really like the change. On the way to daycare yesterday he was pointing out dogs, trucks, etc.

-He is speaking a lot! He strings together up to three words. It can be hard to decipher new words though.

-He loves to play the night night game. He will say "ni ni" and pull me (or whoever else is around) down to lay down on the floor. If you are not in the same room and he wants to play with you, he will come push your legs in the direction of where he wants to go.

-We have found that giving Caiden options is a great way to avoid a struggle. One example... if we let him choose which shirt to wear, he won't resist getting dressed as much. He also understands bargaining a little bit. For example... if I tell him we can go play in the basement after he has a few bites of chicken, he will often oblige.

-The highchair is a thing of the past. He will only sit in big boy chairs, or eat in his learning tower. Booster seats are not acceptable either.

-He often declares his stuffed animals hungry: "monhee hunry" (monkey hungry). He will attempt to give his hungry animal a taste of his food (complete with om-nom-nom noises), although I usually put a stop to that. No one wants a stuffed animal with peanut butter all over it.

-We've been encountering more bedtime problems than usual recently. He used to go to bed super easy, but it's been a struggle the last few weeks. It might be coincidence, but we have been redecorating upstairs and that involved moving him into a new, much more fun room. He just wants to play when he is in there! He fakes us out with serious crying, but when we go check on him he smiles and says "play?" Nice try, buddy! It seems to be slowly getting better though, and making sure to get him to bed on time helps too.

-My turn! This is something Caiden must have learned at school. We hear lots of "Caiden's turn" or "my turn". Sometimes he wants me to do something for him, then it's "mom's turn".

-Finally, a few pictures from an afternoon of lacrosse with Dad!

Soccer star

We got some great photos during an evening soccer session on the vineyard!

It's all fun and games until someone else kicks the ball. Must be getting close to bedtime!

Chatham

We left the Vineyard early on a Monday morning, and Caiden and I headed for a quick stop in Chatham. My grandmother and Aunt Joan were spending some time there, and we got in a great visit. Caiden loved loved loved playing with the dogs Ben and Colby. They kept Caiden entertained so I could catch up with Grandma and Aunt Joan. He talked about "Ben!!" for days (Colby is a little too hard for him to say, I guess).

We got in a short trip to town too. Can't go to Chatham and not go to the Candy Manor. I let him run wild around the bandstand for a little bit before getting in the car again.

It was a fun visit but too short!

Vineyard trip

We spent some time with Dan's parents on the Vineyard this month! In the days leading up to the trip we talked a lot about how we'd be seeing Grammy and Grandpa Hank. In response, Caiden always said "Fwy pwane." Caiden expects Grandpa Hank to entertain him with RC toys. He was not disappointed!

We stayed in a great house a short walk from the beach. It was a very private road and Caiden loved going for walks.

Lunch on the porch!

One of a couple trips into town

Goofing around outside

Breakfast with Grandpa!

Apparently Caiden is not a huge fan of beaches! He did fine at Nara park this summer, so maybe it's something about the big ocean. Even with someone carrying him he didn't want to go near the water. He did enjoy talking about the "big waves" afterwards though.

Intrigued by the outdoor shower. What is Dad doing in that funny box?

It was a great trip!

Apple picking 1

Wow am I behind on blogging! Stay tuned for a few posts over the next few days. They may not be sequential, but that's okay.

First up, Caiden and I went apple picking labor day weekend. We headed to Shelburne Farms, which is very close to our house and has fun things like a haystack maze/climbing pile, animals, and a riding toy area.

Caiden loved seeing the horses and tractors, and pretty much walked around the orchard exclaiming "apple!" every time he passed one on the ground. He had fun helping me put all the apples in the bag too.

We spent a lot of time playing in the tractor!