Monday, April 23, 2012

Mr Independent

Inspired by another burst of warm weather, we finally got around to furnishing our covered porch. We spend a lot of time out there, and Caiden loves having meals there. It is much more his speed- he sits down for a few bites, then runs around for a while, then comes back for more.




Caiden was having a snack out there a few days ago and picked up a napkin that had fallen on the floor. He  disappeared into the house with it. I followed him a few seconds later to see what he was up to, and found him trying to jam it in the trash can. We are using this new skill to our advantage, so we can be lazy. "Hey Caiden, can you go throw this away?" Works like a charm.





Caiden wasn't feeling so hot this past weekend and was pretty tired. On Saturday I asked if he was tired and ready for his nap. He nodded, headed over to the baby gate, waited for me to open it for him so he could go upstairs. He walked himself up the stairs, headed into his room, grabbed a pacifier and his bunny, and stood next to his crib. Wow! He almost always goes down easy but this was a new level of nap time compliance. He did a similar thing at Nanna Nan's this morning. He is getting so independent, it is great!

Horsing around before bed


Friday, April 13, 2012

1.5!

Caiden is a year and a half!



Personality: Caiden is a funny little man with a good sense of humor. He also has a bit of an attitude at times- his temper tantrums can be epic! Feet stomping and everything. He is a snuggly one, and although hugs and snuggles don't last too long, we get lots of them. He likes giving kisses too, unfortunately they usually end up like big wet slobbers.

Abilities: Climbing was the big thing this month. His favorite thing to climb is the table in our playroom. He also likes to walk up stairs like a big boy (instead of crawling up them). He is a little ambitious though and often ends up slipping. We are sure to stay nearby!
I climbed up here all by myself!
Practicing stairs


Likes: Being the the basement or outside. Any sport involving balls, he is learning golf these days. Baths. Swimming is finally enjoyable for Caiden too, yay! He likes jumping from a seated position on the side (into my arms), kicking, blowing bubbles, and will even let me hold him in a back float. And boy does he love splashing. He also likes helping out- daycare reports that he is always helpful putting toys away, and he almost always obliges at home too.




Dislikes: Getting dressed, brushing his teeth, leaving the basement/outdoors, having things he shouldn't be playing with taken away.

Speech/Language: Not Caiden's forte, but I think we might be on the cusp of a language explosion. He babbles a lot, it sounds like he is talking in his own language, but sometimes it sounds like real words/phrases here and there. Some new words are water (wawa), and bubble (bub-buh). He can kind of say his name, it's hard to type out how it sounds but it's kind of like "ai-deh". He does a cute thing where he yells "YEAH!!!" when we ask him about something he is excited about. One example was after swimming class the other day. We were getting changed in the locker room and Caiden was getting cranky. I asked him if he was hungry and ready for a snack and he yelled a very excited "YEAH!!!" at the top of his lungs. That got a laugh out of the whole locker room.

Food: he is usually a pretty good eater, but every day is different. He has been resisting his high chair recently, he sometimes prefers to be held or sit in a chair like a big boy. He is getting pretty good at using a fork on his own, although sometimes he gives up and uses his fingers.


Sleep: I am probably jinxing myself by writing this, but sleep has been very good for the last few months. He rarely wakes up during the night, and when he does he often puts himself right back to sleep. The other times, he will go back to sleep after a quick "go back to sleep" visit from one of us.  Caiden has a tendency to wake up too early, so upon recommendation from a few people we purchased this clock which is supposed to help kiddos understand when it is okay to wake up for the day. I thought at this age he would be too young to understand it, but it seems to be working.

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Happy Easter

We spent Easter in New Hampshire again! Caiden had so much fun. We celebrated on Saturday afternoon/evening with some of Dan's family.

We did an Easter egg hunt, I was surprised that Caiden seemed to understand the idea- he did a great job picking up his eggs and putting them in his basket. However his new soccer ball didn't leave his grip







Back inside, Caiden had so much fun with Megan and Henry, who are Dan's cousin's kids. They were so great to Caiden- they took care of him all night. Great babysitters, those two. He absolutely loved playing with them.



Caiden had to go to bed before the party was over- he was a tired kiddo after all that excitement. Easter morning was a quiet one spent with Grandma Judy and Grandpa Hank. Caiden had a blast with them. He played with his new racetrack (thanks, Pat!!) and some of Grandpa Hank's RC stuff.


If you think our basement is filled with a lot of RC toys, you should see Grandpa Hank's! Caiden paradise.

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Basketballing

Check out these basketball skills!



Friday, March 30, 2012

Meeting Baby James

Last weekend we took a day trip to Connecticut for a mini family reunion at my Grandmother's place. My cousin Laura and her husband Bobby had a baby last fall, so we all got together to meet baby James. Caiden and James are one year and 1 day apart. James is such a sweet baby- so happy and mild mannered! Caiden was mostly interested in hallway sprints, stair climbs, and trips outside.... but he stopped to visit James every now and then.


He kept making off with James' toy lion, but every time I asked him to bring it back to baby James, he did without complaint. He was less gracious when he caught me holding James... he didn't like the idea of sharing Mom's lap with another baby.

Caiden did very well on the car rides (almost 2 hours each way). He is getting so much easier in the car. We had a fun visit and hope to see James and family on the cape this summer!

Here are some photos of the day! Thanks Aunt Elizabeth for the photos!

Sweet baby James!

Baby James and his great grandma Esther



Aunt Elizabeth with baby James

Caiden meets Laura!

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Warm spring

The first official day of spring was on Tuesday, but it feels like it's summer already. We have been sending Caiden to daycare in shorts and tee shirts this week! As you can imagine we've been spending lots of time outside. From the minute he wakes up till when he goes to bed, Caiden wants to be outside. He loves playing with Dan's RC toys, practicing his basketball skills, and digging around in the dirt. Daily baths have returned!







Gee, with this warm spring I wonder what summer will hold for us. Hopefully we don't melt!

Aunt Margaret in charge

Last week Caiden got to spend a day with his Aunt Margaret! They went to the Acton discovery museum and spent lots of time outside.





He had such a fun day with her! And, she even made us all dinner. Yum... thanks Aunt Margaret! What a treat!