Cade {7 Months}

Happy 7 Months Little Man!

No doctor visit this month (thank goodness) but Cade normally averages around a pound a month in weight gain, so we are probably nearing the 18 pound mark now.

Cade is still wearing 3-6 month shorts, 6 month outfits, and moving in to 9 month jams. I can't wait to bust out some cute fall clothes...not to mention what will probably be the cutest trick-or-treater ever.

We've held on to a pretty steady schedule this past month. Our day still starts around 6-6:30. Cade wakes up so happy, most days he'll lay in his crib playing and babbling for at least 10 minutes. 

Our sleep schedule is also about the same (other than random nights when I think teeth are bothering him). We do a bath around 7, bottle at 7:30, and we normally lay him in his crib awake. He'll roll around usually no more than 10 minutes before he's out for the night. 

He's taking 6 ounces of formula at a time, and we do baby food 2-3 times a day in between bottles. I've started offering him a sippy cup but so far all he's done is flip it sideways and chew on the handles. I've debated trying one with a straw since he loves grabbing straws out of cups and will suck water out of the end of one. I'm having trouble getting this guy to eat veggies. He is just like his daddy. If it's not a fruit, sweet potatoes, or carrots, he's not interested. He has 3 teeth now (and working on #4) so it won't be long before we can try some textures!

And Cade is still trying so hard to crawl. He's still inchworm-scooting or rolling to get to whatever he's interested in. Now that he can sit on his own, I'll set things just out of reach. He'll lean for them and just when I think he's going to prop up on hands and knees, he usually just lays down on his side and rolls to it.

I'm anxious about Cade starting daycare this week. Actually, it's a small home daycare down the street from our house, and I actually think he'll do wonderful because he's content as long as he's entertained, and he loves watching other people. I'm mostly just worried that the first couple of weeks will be a rough adjustment to his nap schedule (or lack of). Fingers crossed!

Favorite Things:

SpaceSaver High Chair: I chose this highchair because we don't really have room for one sitting out all the time. I strapped this into one of the chairs in our dining room we don't use all the time so it's mostly out of the way. I also like that you can buy extra pads for the seat so it's easy to replace if one gets stained.

VTech Count and Learn School Bus: I don't know why, but Cade loves this thing. Probably because it's loud, flashes a bright red light, and plays super annoying music. His favorite thing? Chewing on the string you pull the bus around by.

Baby Einstein Sea Dreams Soother: This is one of those things I kept saying I was going to buy, finally did, and then said "Why didn't I buy this months ago??" There are so many things I like about this. It doesn't have real water in it, so in a few months it won't look dingy and yellow. It stays on for about 20 minutes (most crib soothers only stay on for about 5 or so). You can either choose, ocean sounds or music, with or without the lights/motion on. Whatever you choose fades every 5 minutes until it shuts off. Hell, listening to this playing on the baby monitor puts me to sleep! It also has a remote (which I haven't even used), but I'm sure that's handy if you're trying to turn it on/off like a ninja when your kid falls asleep or wakes up.

Infantino Compact Shopping Cart Cover: I originally had this cover which I would not recommend. It got exchanged quickly. It didn't have any elastic and didn't cover the entire cart so Cade was sliding all over the place and still trying to put his mouth on the cart (gag me). It probably would've been fine for a toddler, just not a little one like Cade. I like the Infantino much better. It covers the entire cart seat, plus it folds into itself to form a little carrying case for when it's not in use. It also has little loops to hook toys on, as well as a strap to velcro on to a sippy cup. No cups on the grocery store floor!

We're still looking forward to fall. I said that last month but it's still hot here, so I'm still wishing. Football season is here which makes me all the more pumped for colder weather.

 I've got to get my shit together and start searching for the most perfect Halloween costume!

Cade {6 months}

Happy 1/2 Year Birthday Little Man!

16.11 pounds, and just over 27 inches long!

What's New?

Where to even start??

Cade finally likes eating off a spoon...that only took 3 weeks. He never would eat rice cereal, so oatmeal was our first food. Once he got the hang of that we went through all the first foods. He's loves his fruits (I think bananas and pears are faves so far), but is not a fan of squash and literally gags when we try green beans and peas. Can we say dramatic? I'm going to keep trying the veggies so maybe he'll warm up to them. 

We're in mostly 6 month clothes now. He can still wear pretty much all of his 3-6 month pants and shorts, because 6 month shorts fall off him. He's wearing 6 or 6-9 month jams. I think in the next week or two we'll transition into size 3 diapers.
Still just two teeth, but the doctor noticed one of his top teeth trying to come in. So in a week or two we should have another tooth!

Cade is rolling all over the place now that he can roll from belly to back. He's also trying so hard to scoot and crawl! He buries his head on the ground, pulls his butt up in the air, and then pushes himself forward. It's cute to watch, he looks like a little inchworm :)

Sleep is pretty consistent. Cade takes his last bottle around 8 pm and if that doesn't make him fall asleep, we let him stay up about 10 more minutes and then lay him in his crib awake. After that he normally puts himself to sleep in about 5 minutes. Naptime is a different story. He was taking two 1-2 hour naps a day (morning and afternoon). Here lately I'm lucky if he takes an hour nap all day. Those are days where we greet daddy at the door so he can save our my sanity.

Favorite Things:
(This month was hard!)

Threshold Global Trunk: We have a large window in our living room, with room underneath for this trunk. I bought it to keep blankets in, but now I'm actually going to use it as a toybox in the living room. I know once Cade is moving around, there will be toys all over the house and this will be the perfect place to store them without looking out of place. (Sidenote-Chloe is pretty sure it's a cat bed.)

Taggies: We have many different types of taggie blankets, and Cade isn't really particular about which one he has. We started giving him one to sleep with when we noticed he would scratch his little fingers against the crib at night, almost like he was trying to pick something up. I gave him a taggie and now he holds onto it when he falls asleep. I actually lay 2 in the crib at night, so when he wiggles around he can usually get a hold of one.

Gerber First Foods: This is actually the only brand of food we've tried. Mainly because I looked at the ingredients, it's just a vegetable or fruit and water. Not like some other brands that are "apples" and the list of ingredients has 7 things on it I can't pronounce. Ew.

JJ Cole Bibs: Love these! Plastic bibs are such a lifesaver. These are totally washable, so they just get thrown in the sink with the bottles and then hung up to dry.

We're looking forward to many things...
Mostly fall weather.
But also 6 month pics, trying more new foods, and seeing this baby crawl!!

Just things.

I've definitely been slacking on the blog front lately.

Life got in the way!

Cade is busy busy all the time, so I use every nap time (when he decides to take one) to cook, clean, and catch up on things around the house.

Anywho...we're enjoying summer around here, so I hope you all are too! I'm not a hot weather fan by any means...I'm already counting down days to October. That being said, I do enjoy the pool (or any body of water) and watching Cody play softball. I'm debating on a zoo trip soon, since Cade now likes being in his stroller for longer than 10 minutes.

Bonus points to the husband who switched crews at work and is now off on Fridays! More fun time for us!

Our Tennessee weather has been nuts lately. We went on our riding trip to Brimstone last weekend in East Tennessee, and I almost froze. Seriously. It rained all day Saturday and even in pants, a t-shirts, and a full rainsuit I was still shaking. Sunday when we got home? I was busting a sweat getting our stuff in the house because it was humid and almost 90.

You'd think living here my whole life would make me used to it, but you can't really get used to unpredictability :)

We were looking rough...but hey we were just trying to fit in with the locals ;)

July is passing by so quickly. I thought it would be our busiest month this year, but September is making me rethink things. On top of weddings, baby showers, cookouts, and another riding trip, Cade will be starting daycare. I'm not too anxious (yet) but I'm excellent at worrying about things in the way distant future. For now I'm trying to focus on July and what's coming up in August. First things first!

Cade's 6 month pictures are August 16th and I've got to figure out what he and I will wear. Since my husband seems to have a never-ending supply of solid-color polo shirts I'm not too worried about him. I was going to put Cade in a white polo and a pair of plaid shorts, but that leaves me with two problems.

1. His shorts are just too big, and I don't think a few weeks is enough time to fill them out.

2. I'm absolutely sure I own nothing that will match.

(Totally sarcastic, but if I convince myself it's true, it's an excuse to go shopping!)

Hope your summer is fab and you're staying cool!

Cade {5 Months}

Happy 5 Months Baby!

My little guy is not so little anymore! No doctor (no shots!) this month so if I had to guess his weight, I'd say 15 1/2-16 pounds right now. We are wearing mostly 3-6 month clothes and shoes, although he is moving into some 6 month clothes and before long we'll need 6-9 month jams. Our problem with clothes is that when shirts fit him, the matching shorts are too big. By the time the shorts fit, the shirt is too small! So seperates are our friends. He's still wearing some of his 0-3 month shorts. Cade is just so long. Not off the charts long, but I guess long in comparison to his weight.

What's New?

Lots!

We have 2 teeth! Woohoo! Cade's bottom teeth starting peeking through around Week 19, the right one first and the left one a day later.

We're trying to eat some cereal and baby food every day. Cade doesn't seem to like rice cereal, so I've been doing a little oatmeal mixed with some fruit. We've done apples and now we're working on bananas :)

Cade is not much on laying down anymore, so his playmat is becoming old news. He'll still lay on it for a while in the mornings, but quickly rolls over and amuses himself with looking around (especially now that he really notices Chloe).

I borrowed an exersaucer from a friend and it is a life-saver! Cade will hang out in it for about 20 minutes right now, which is long enough for me to get some cleaning done/make-up on/breakfast made, etc...

He's still napping pretty good, averaging 2 good naps during the day (around 9 am and again at 1pm) and if we're lucky he'll take a cat nap around 5 in the evening.

Around Week 18 we started laying him down in his crib awake at night. I was pretty good about putting him down drowsy, so we thought we'd give it a shot. Lucky for us (so far!) Cade is doing well. He will roll around in his crib for about 5 minutes and then start whining. At that point we give him his paci and it's usually an immediate snooze-fest! He went for a week waking up and crying whenever he'd roll on his stomach, but now he just stays asleep on his belly. Once he figures out how to roll from belly to back, we'll be in business! 

I'm also transitioning him from napping in his swing all the time to napping at least once a day in his crib. This is mostly to prepare him for daycare in September, where he'll nap in a pack-n-play.

Cade still loves being outside, and we've been in the pool some. He's good for 15-20 minutes right now. He's getting to the point where he doesn't love being held for long, so I think he'll do much better when he's big enough to sit in a float. I can't wait until we can get out on the lake!

Favorite Things

Little Teethers Oral Pain Relief Gel: I don't necessarily prefer this to Orajel or any other brand, it's just what we had and opened up first. It seems to do the trick pretty quickly. However, sometimes I think the numbing sensation freaks Cade out. So I really love...

Hyland's Teething Tablets: These seem to work really well. I use to at a time, although I think you can use up to 3 or 4. I tested one out (nothing goes in his mouth that I don't try first) and they really do dissolve instantly. They're 100% natural, and while they don't numb, the ingredients are supposed to soothe irritation and discomfort.

Evenflo Exersaucer: This is not the exact one we're using, but almost identical. Cade is very interested in it so far, and I think he'll enjoy it even more once he's strong enough to bounce in it. Anything that will keep him occupied long enough for me to eat or shower is a winner!

Happy Lights Bear: A friend of ours had one of these for her little girl, so of course we got one too! Cade loves this little bear. It's especially good for keeping him entertained in his carrier while we're at the store or in the car.

A&D Ointment: Not very exciting, but I love this stuff. When Cade had those days when his teeth were coming through and he was dirty every 2 hours, his bottom got red quick. After 1 day of using this, I noticed a huge difference in his skin. I've been very careful about keeping it on him at night when he's in his diaper for so long. Right now I definitely prefer it to diaper rash cream. It's easier to clean off than creams, which in turn is easier on his skin.

We're still loving our activity seat, swing, Jeep stroller, and diaper backpack from last month!

We're looking forward to many things!
6 month pics are scheduled for August.
 I'm looking forward to him sitting up on his own so we can transition him from a carrier car-seat to an upright car-seat. His carrier is getting heavy to tote around!

I have a feeling it won't be long at all and he'll be sitting, scooting, and crawling around.

Add baby-proofing the house to my list of things to do.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all the men in my life!

Cody and I are so fortunate to have fathers who have been such amazing examples for us to follow.

Cade has the best "Pops" and "Bud" around!

I have to give a huge shout-out to my husband for his very 1st Father's Day.

I've been with my husband for almost 10 years now, and married almost 4 of them. I still remember the look on his face when I told him I was pregnant. I'll never forget how happy he was to find out we were having a healthy baby boy. But nothing made me love him more than the day Cade was born, when he took so naturally to caring for him. Seeing such awe on his face over something we created was truly amazing.

Every day I watch him with Cade, and I see so much love.

Fatherhood is the only thing that could ever make Cody act totally silly. The only thing that could get him to sit in the floor for hours making faces and noises just to see a little smile or hear a laugh.

I take advantage of every minute with Cade this small, because although I know he will always need me, it won't be long before Daddy is his best friend.

Happy Father's Day Cody!

We Love You!