Road Trip

Last week was so busy, I'm just now finding time to sit and write about it. Cody had another rodeo, this time in Memphis. Because I have no vacation time built up, I had to schedule myself to work my 3 shifts in a row (which I never do). And OF COURSE, this would be the week that Joint Commission decided to show up at the hospital for their inspection. If you work in healthcare, I'm pretty sure you're cringing right now.
Luckily the stars aligned and I managed to not see any of the inspectors. Wednesday evening I let out a huge sigh of relief when I left work!

Cody left for the rodeo on Thursday, but I wanted a little time with Cade so I drove separately on Friday morning. Memphis is only a 3-hour drive from where we live, but I could see potential disaster trying to take Cade by myself...like having to pull over whenever he threw a toy in the floor and started whining. Or worse, what if I had some sort of car trouble and needed to stop? Not fun. So Cade rode with Cody's parents, who came down Friday afternoon. Of course he slept the whole way.

We were ready to go snatch him up when his parents got there. We brought him to our hotel for a while so they could go eat with Cody's brother who came in from New Orleans. Cody wanted to show him off :)
Cade spent the night at the hotel with his grandparents, and they brought him to the rodeo the next day. He did pretty well, although I'm sure it was a lot to take in. He never really napped there, so when they headed home that afternoon he slept the whole way back.

Cody was so glad he came, especially since not many people from his work have seen Cade. And I learned that they all refer to Cade as "Him" because Cody never says his name, he just always calls Cade "Him" when he's talking about...him. So all weekend the guys were all saying "How's Him doing?" and "Are you ready to see Him when you get home?"

Our next few weekend trips will be Cade-free, since he's too young to go riding at Brimstone and it's too hot to have him on the lake all day. I'll miss "him" on our trips, but I'm definitely looking forward to them.

Because I need a vacation, and a margarita!

Cade {4 months}

Sweet Cade is 4 months old!

Every day with this little guy is so much fun...and I love watching him change.

(He becomes more like his Daddy every day)

What's New?

Cade is (mostly) sleeping through the night now. Occasionally (like when Dad works late and Mom is the only one at home) he wakes up between 2 and 4 for a feeding, but most nights he sleeps from 9-6. I would love for him to sleep until about 7, but he's been waking up since 6 am pretty much his entire short life, so I think I'll just have to deal.

He's rolling over much more, still from back to belly. He doesn't stay on his belly long enough to attempt rolling off of it onto his back. However, he is starting to tolerate tummy time better now. He at least has more patience for it.

He's holding his head up so much better, which makes it way easier to hold him and do something else. But don't be fooled, he'll still wait until you least expect it and fling himself backwards or slam his head into your front teeth and then throw a fit. Like last week at church when he busted my bottom lip.

Still eating all formula, averaging a 4-ounce bottle every 3 hours or so. I've tried increasing the bottle amount to hold him over longer, but that didn't work.

And holy cow...we have hands and know how to use them! It was seriously like Cade just looked at a toy one day and thought, "I like that ball, I think I'll pick it up and cram it in my mouth." Now he's grabbing everything he can get his hands on!

14 pounds 10 ounces (33%) and 25.5 inches long (68%)

We can start cereal now! Hellooo hot mess express!

Favorite Things:

• Summer Infant Activity Seat: We chose this over other infant seat because it's transitional, and essentially a toy as well. The outer ring (which is removable) has a snack tray and toys attached. It has an insert (that's removable) for when baby is smaller. It also straps to a regular chair and functions as a toddler booster seat. Now that Cade can hold his head up well, he can sit in it for short periods of time and play.
• O-Ball Rattle: This is the first toy Cade could hang on to. It has all those holes he can fit his fingers in, and it's soft (think back to some jelly sandals, that's what it feels like) so when he tries to eat it his gums don't suffer.
• Trend Lab Burp Cloths: My favorites! They are thick and hold up well in the wash. One side is terry cloth and the other is cute fabric :) I'm a sucker for cute fabric. Since Cade is a drool factory, we always have multiple rags on hand.
• Babyganics Insect Repellent: Who wants yucky chemicals on baby? No one. I didn't feel comfortable with a label that said I could spray it on infant clothing, but not on their skin. Ew? This spray kind of smells like furniture polish, but it's made from natural oils so it'safe for baby.
• Hand and Face Wipes: These are worth mentioning again. We keep a pack on hand at all times, especially now that everything goes in Cade's mouth.

Ever notice that baby toys are also excellent cat toys?

Cade's 3 Month Pictures

We got Cade's pictures back last week and they're so good. Major kudos to Nicole for getting so many wonderful shots, because Cade was not a happy camper! In true Cade fashion, he picked a day when we had something important planned and napped terribly. He topped that with a belly ache. He cried through most of the pictures, and then blew out a diaper, getting it all over his clothes. 

Those pictures where you can't see his legs? He's not wearing any pants.

Cody said, "He doesn't like getting pictures made, just like Dad!"

Haha.

But seriously, Nicole was so patient and I was more than pleased with his pictures. I wish he had smiled more, but I adore his little serious face.

I think Cade almost passed out here 

Nicole Gagliano Photography

I'm not trying to rush time, but I'm already excited for 6 month pics! He changes (and gets cuter) every day. Hopefully he'll be more playful for his next session!

Happy Mother's Day!

It has been such a hectic, busy week at our house!

I went back to work on Tuesday, which was totally stressing me out.  13 weeks of being at home taking care of a baby had me worried that I had forgotten how to be a nurse and take care of big people! But as a friend said, "It's like riding a bike" and of course I fell right back into stride. Major props to my mom and mother-in-law who came to my house at 6:15 (am!) on the days I had to work so I didn't have to get a sleeping Cade up and take him anywhere. He has fabulous grandparents :)

I chose a good week to go back to work, since it was Nurse's Week. Shout out to all my nurse friends! It was nice to go back to my job on a week where we were getting so much love. 

Of course, this would also be the same week my husband had softball games and was low crew at work (low crew = overtime calls). He ended up playing softball Tuesday night (my first day back at work), working late Thursday night (my second day back at work), and getting called back in Friday night, when I had to be back at work Saturday morning. Let me just say that I was ready for 1- a margarita and 2- sleeping in!

Well, I didn't get my margarita, but Cade woke up once at 4:30 this morning and then slept until 8:45.

 Happy Mother's Day to me!

Cody said he tried to think of something different to get me for Mother's Day since he bought me a mother's necklace when I delivered Cade, but he couldn't come up with anything. But because he's known me pretty much my entire life, he knows that the way to my heart is through retail therapy, so I got a sweet Gap gift card to go shopping! Good job husband!

We had Baby Dedication today at church. It wouldn't be Cade if he didn't do things his way. Long story short: right before time to go up front, Cade blew up his diaper. So I had to walk up by myself while Cody was changing "the worst diaper ever" and wait on them. Cade made it through most of the dedication but then cried through the entire prayer.

Good thing he's so stinking cute ;)

Of course when we went to sit back down, he was all smiles and laughs.

Sheesh.

Such is life.

Photo Credit: Nicole Gagliano Photography

Being a mother is the most exhausting, frustrating, overwhelming, wonderful, beautiful, amazing thing I've ever experienced. I've worn countless body fluids, ran on less sleep than I ever thought possible, and learned how to do almost everything one-handed. But every second has been more than worth it. I look at Cade every day and think about how amazing it is that we made him. He's so sweet and silly and perfect and has proven to me that it is possible for your heart to double in size.

Happy Mother's Day to all of you!

I mean that for all women, because truly you have mothered and nurtured someone whether you realize it or not.

Cade {3 months}

I felt weird writing that title...3 months.

My little Cade is a quarter of a year old!

I enjoy every minute spent with him watching him grow and change. I can't wait to see what cute thing he'll do next or what he'll look like a month from now.

What's new?
Well, as of yesterday, we are rolling over! He did it as soon as I laid him on his playmat, but it startled him and he started crying :( I flipped him over and was sure he wouldn't do it again. He surprised me by doing it 4 more times! Of course when Dad got home, it was a no go.

Boom!

Cade is now smiling on demand. Well ok, I don't say "smile" and he obliges...but it certainly doesn't take much to make him smile. Sometimes if I've been away from him for a while and he sees me his little face lights up, and it melts my heart =)

He hates tummy time. I mean truly hates. He buries his head in the ground and cries until you pick him up. So I've tried tummy time on the Boppy, where it last approximately 1-2 minutes. But if you flip him over onto his back where he can see everything, it's game on. He smiles and coos and kicks as hard as he can. Despite his hatred for tummy time, he's gaining better control of his neck. He looks less like a drunk Stevie Wonder trying to do back flips out of your arm while you're trying to mix a bottle one-handed now, and more like a regular human.

He's finally getting on some sort of schedule (or so it seems). At least a good bedtime routine which is the most helpful. He takes his last bottle about 8:30 and we lay him down around 9. He's doing awesome in his crib, but he still wakes up between 2 and 4 to eat. After that his morning wake-up time is between 6 and 7.
Helloooo coffee.

I'm not sure how much he weighs since we don't have another check-up until he's 4 months, but he's almost outgrown size 1 diapers, so I'm guessing somewhere around the 14 pound mark. His eyes are still that gray-blue color, but we swear they're becoming more blue (like Cody said they would). I was sure my brown-eyed genes would rule, but my husband is usually right.

Favorite things:
(as you can tell, this month's list is full of things that make our life a little easier!)

Jeep Stroller: I finally ordered it, and we love it! Perfect for park strolls and the ball park for Dad's softball games this summer. It has nice storage space, an auxiliary jack and speaker for music, and our carseat fits too! He's almost big enough to ride in it without his car seat, which is awesome because it's about to be too hot to leave him in it anyway!

Baby Backpack: Another summer must-have. I actually haven't used it yet, but I know it will be much easier when we're walking a lot (zoo, rodeo, etc) because it won't be falling off my shoulders and it has handy clips so you can clip it to the stroller handle if your storage space in the stroller is full. It also has an insulated pocket to keep bottles cool.

Laundry Bag: Seems silly, but I love this thing. It hangs on the back of the nursery door and I just throw all Cade's stuff in it. It keeps all of his clothes and blankets together and separate from our clothes until wash time (since we use baby detergent). Plus it unzips from the bottom, so you can just hold it over the washer, unzip, and you're done!

Boppy Changing Pad Liners: We were changing Cade on the changer attached to our pack and play. Now that he's in his nursery, we use the changing pad in there. Of course I bought a cute, fuzzy, fabric changing pad cover to match his nursery. Trust me, it's only cute and fuzzy until your kid blows out a diaper on it. Lay one of these liners down and you're safe. They're a good size, waterproof, and washable.

Halo Sleep Sack: Cade wears one every night. It gives him freedom to move around without being uncovered or getting overheated like he sometimes does when I swaddle him. Plus super-easy zip on and off in the wee hours of the morning is always a bonus. And for future reference, if you just look up "sleepsack" on Amazon and don't say "infant", you're asking for it. I just about lost my shit.

Right Height Infant Bath Center: Now that Cade is big enough to use it, this tub is the way to go. It has a soft liner for the insert, perfect for small babies. I've decided he's just about outgrown the liner, but sits comfortable in the green insert by itself. The tub itself is elevated, so when I'm kneeling next to the bathtub I'm not bending over. We also love Aveeno Baby Bathwash. It smells delicious! You'll pay more for it than other baby bath products, but this is one of those "cost per use" situations. We've been using the same bottle since Cade was born and we're just now over halfway through it. (Note: do not register for baby bathwash or lotion. People will buy you way more than you could ever use anyway).

We're still loving our playmat, bouncer, white-noise machine, swing, and Boppy from previous months!

We had 3 month pictures made yesterday, so hopefully my next post will include some of those. Of course Cade cried the entire time and blew out a diaper 3/4 of the way through, but surely we gave the photographer something to work with??