long overdue post....

Adi-Em, Adole, Baby, Baybole, Adi, Adi-Cakes, Adisyn - all the names we have for you sweetpea, although Caden came up with a few of them too. Our sweet lil peanut is blossoming into a such a sweet lovable girl. Her newest milestone - WALKING. At 13 months she just took off and she LOVES to walk. She will fall on her bum here and there and ends up crying. She cannot stand on her feet without holding onto something. Either we have to run over and help her back up or she'll crawl to the furniture or toy to pull herself up. That is all the crawling we've been seeing in the last week.



A few words she says or at least tries to say "Hi" (it's a drawn out hiiiiii), "Ha" for hot - and she whispers it. She says "dada" for daddy and doggy. She is trying to say fish, but can only get out the "fff" sound. I'm honestly not in any hurry for her to talk. Her brother does enough talking as it is.

Adisyn had her one year check up at 13 months old. She only weighs 16.8 lbs and isn't on the charts. She eats like food is going out of style, so there is no problem there. She is also FINALLY sleeping through the night. I do have to take her back at 15 months for a weight check. I'm concerned she may not gain much now that my four-legged mover is now a two-legged mover.

Teeny or not we love our lil girl and she melts are heart every day. She lights up our world and we are so grateful for her.

As for lil man, Caden..... he is as busy as ever. I think we are all getting cabin fever and just waiting for Spring. This boy loves to be outside and I can't wait to spend our summer days in the backyard (with a fence!) this year. Caden will be in his glory. My mom says he is a lot like I was as a child... he loves to hear himself talk. He is like the energizer bunny that never stops. I love hearing his stories - true or not - he is quite amuzing and truly amazing!

I believe it's been 3-4 weeks, but Caden is officially binkie free. Ryan took him to the store for some groceries one evening. They came home without Caden's lovey or binkie. Of course I asked Ryan to go back out to find Caden's lovey (which he did), but we jumped on the opportunity to tell Caden that was his last binkie and he lost it at the store. Surprisingly he didn't put up a fuss and he has been doing great. The only downside is that he has been fighting his naps ever since. It's sporadic when we can get him to nap. If he does nap, he is up the next morning around 5:30am... so I guess it could be coincidental. Maybe he truly doesn't need them anymore. (Even if Mommy and Daddy do need them.)

Caden and Adisyn still do not get along much. Caden mostly picks on Adi and she screams and hits back. I'm not sure what to do, but to be consistent about teaching them to play nice and not hit or push each other. There are rare moments when I do catch some sisterly-brotherly love, but when I do it just melts my heart.

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Until next time.....

happy (belated) 10 months adisyn!

Due to our move to our new home over the weekend I'm a little behind on updating for Adi's 10 month birthday. I am just amazed at how quickly this little girl is catching up. On her 10 month birthday she pulled herself up to her feet for the first time. She is so excited to show off her new skill even though she is still a little wobbly causing her to bump her head every so often.

This little girl of ours is just amazing. I love watching her interact with her Daddy. Every time she sees him she squawks at him while kicking her legs. She cannot wait to be in Daddy's arms and soaks up all his attention.

We love this girl to bits!

milestones!

Our little peanut is trying to grow up too fast on us. I think due to her size I still think she is 5-6 months old until she does something like pulling herself up! Yep, that's right - little Miss Adi pulled herself up on her bouncer and toy box this week. Thankfully Grandma Lori was around to catch this on video, so I could see.

Adisyn is also recognizing who the dog is, papa, grandma and her brother Caden. When we ask her "where is the doggy", or "where is Caden" she looks right at them. Amazing. It just came out of no where. *sigh* She is growing up too quickly. Before I know it she'll be walking.

happy 2 1/2 years old caden!

Is he really 2 1/2 already?! Crazy. Just Crazy. I still remember the day I gave birth to him like it was yesterday. That day was just the beginning of how our lives would change forever. Who knew that such a tiny (now young tot) could teach you what life is really about. You learn to appreciate the small things and life and I'm so grateful to this day that God chose me to be Caden's mom.

Our little man is really a little man now. He talks up a storm. In fact, he never stops talking - in full sentences now. He recently started reciting his ABC's and does an excellent job doing so. He can count to 10 no problem and does pretty well up to 20. He tends to miss a few digits in the teens, but it actually quite cute.

A few other tidbits.....

......he still loves his "wubbey"
......and binkie
..........he is particular about his pillow case cover (it must be soft tshirt material and grey)
......he LOVES lemonade
............he is still very picky with his foods
.......he loves Dora, Diego and Blues Clues
...............he is a cuddler, a lovebug, and still asks to be rocked sometimes
......he loves jellybeans and pumpkins
.........he misses his Mia Pia
......he still naps once a day (typically 2 1/2 - 3 hours) and sleeps through the night
........he kicks a ball with only his left foot
..............he LOVES to be outside
...........he is as cute as ever and his parents are forever proud of him



He also sings "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". I was able to capture it on video, but he got a little distracted before he quit.

getting over the sickies....

We had a house full of sick babies last week and I'll have to thank my darling husband for that one. It is very possible Caden picked it up somewhere else, but Ryan was the only sick person they had been around. Thankfully Caden is a trooper when it comes to a common head cold. He handles it very well and goes on about his day as normal. Not even two days after Caden started to show symptoms my little peanut came down sick too. As a little baby she didn't handle it too well and was up most of the night for 3 nights in a row. I finally gave in and gave her some benadryl to dry her up and help her sleep better. I did miss two days of work to stay home with Adisyn. In the picture above she wasn't feeling well, but you wouldn't know. She covers it up pretty well with her all her cuteness.

Daddy came to visit the first night Adisyn was sick and she enjoyed some cuddle time with him. This picture just melts my heart.



Finally both are on the mend and my mother-in-law and me seem to have escaped this cold, which I am so thankful for.

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As of this weekend we officially have an (army) crawler! I cannot believe my little girl is on the move. I do have to say she made her way around just fine with rolling, but now she is really on the move. Grandma snapped this video of her crawling. You can see how she tries so hard to get on all fours and then settles for the army crawl.

happy 7 months baby girl!

Our Little Miss Adisyn is 7 months old today! It's hard to believe because I still feel like she is so little to be 7 months already. Crazy. I am so proud to be her mommy and cannot imagine the last 7 months without her in my life. She has a smile that will light up the room. Her smile is absolutely contagious - without a doubt.

Adisyn decided a couple weeks ago to roll from back to belly and is now a pro! She still needs you to sit close by when she's sitting on her bum, but I imagine she'll be sitting without support in the next month. I can tell how badly she wants to be on the go with her big brother when she is squirming and lunging forward to get after him or the toys. Speaking of toys or any object for that matter - she WANTS them. She wants to play, play, and play. I want her to stay immobile for a while longer (only selfish on my part), but I am excited for her to start walking and becoming more interactive with Caden.

Adisyn has a mad face. She started doing it yesterday when I was not moving fast enough for her. It's hilarious. She'll even mimic you when you ask her to make her made face. Love it! I was even able to capture it on video although it's so much funnier in person.

do they have to grow up so fast?

Dear Adisyn,

Mommy would like to ask you for a favor. Could you please stop trying to grow up too quickly? I am really okay with you being a baby and acting 3 months old. There is no need to show off. Despite how tiny you were at birth we all know you will meet your milestones.

Tummy time is for working on your neck muscles. I know you think you mastered that already, so you think it's okay to roll over from your front to back. I know you can do this too. You've been rolling over since you were 6-7 weeks old. I'm okay with you attempting back to belly.

Around 6 months is when I'll be ready for you to sit up on your own. You don't have to try pulling yourself up while laying in your swing. Just chill out and relax and look at the mobile above you, sweet child.

Most babies don't bear weight on their legs that I'm aware of at this age. I'm sure you see your big brother standing and walking and you just want to get on the move with him. Just so you know, I'm just fine having you cradled in my arms for a bit longer. You very well may be our last little baby, so please act your age. Mommy really wants to enjoy you being a baby a little longer.

On one last note. Thank you for a sweet ending to our weekend together. Mommy and Daddy (and I think Caden too) LOVED hearing you laugh. Daddy can be pretty funny, can't he?!

lego time!

I love watching Caden play with this legos.

Daddy taught him these new sounds. Too cute!

she told me!

This video was taken this morning of Adisyn. She was getting a little tired and I think she might have been telling me off a bit here!

happy easter!

Our Easter weekend was full of good times spent with family and friends and beautiful weather I might add. We started off by visiting a friend and her three kids and colored eggs. What a mess! Caden wanted to keep recoloring the eggs over and over. So we let him.

"Orange egg!" Caden's favorite color.

After coloring eggs I had to swing by grandma's to pick up Ryan, but once Caden saw Papa and Charlie we had no choice, but to stay. Dinner and outside fun for all - even little Miss Adi enjoyed her time outside.

Saturday morning we colored more eggs and it was a little less messy.

The Easter bunny visited the next morning too.

The Easter bunny left eggs around the house for lil man to find. He had so much fun telling us what color eggs he found. You'll have to turn your head to the right to watch this video, though.

Last, but certainly not least our lil bunny wishes you all a Happy Easter!

Coming up next - our typical (almost) 2 year old Easter photoshoot.

bath time with caden...

One of our favorite times of the day is after bath time with Caden. He loves his baths, but not so long ago he would fight them with all his might. I'm so happy he is back to loving them and he even lets his Daddy bathe him. Before he would ONLY let me give him a bath, but thankfully he has grown out of that too.

Why is bath time our favorite time with Caden? Because he is just too darn cute when bath time is over.

*sigh* I know he will grow out of this too and won't say bye to the "shoap", "wawer" or "toys" any longer. I just LOVE this age with Caden and I wish I could freeze time with him. IHowever, I am thankful to do this all over again with Adisyn and can't wait to see her personality develop as she grows.

our first week home....

Our first week home has been interesting, busy, fun, busy, tiring and did I mention busy? The mornings go by extremely fast between feedings for both Caden and Adisyn, attempting a shower, cleaning up, and before I know it I'm preparing lunch and getting Caden ready for his nap.

We are still adjusting to have our newest addition and believe we are doing great so far. Adisyn has been such an easy baby so far. All she does is sleep, eat and poop. I actually have to wake her to eat every night. I don't feel nearly as exhausted as I did after Caden was born. I have yet to take a nap and feel pretty good during the day.

Adisyn had her weight check up last Monday and was back up to 4lbs 8oz. She has to weigh more than her birth weight now. She is actually fitting into her preemie diapers and they used to be too big for her. We don't have to go back to the doctors until she is one month old.

I love her tiny feet!



Caden on the other hand has become more of a handful. Let me rephrase ~ he is a lil monster most days. The terrible twos (and I'm sure some jealously is involved) have come early. The temper tantrums have become almost unbearable if he does not get his way. Everything is "MINE, MINE, MINE". He is fighting naps, baths and bedtime as well and wants a popsicle every waking minute. I miss my sweet, innocent, cuddly boy. Where did he go? He does have a few moments of kindness through the day and I'm praying he gets through this "monster" stage soon.

Caden has taken off on his vocabulary in the last week. It's pretty amazing. He will attempt (and does pretty well) to repeat almost every word you ask him to. This evening I turned on Go Diego Go, and as a clear as a bell he turns around and says "Go Diego". He has learned so many new words that I cannot even keep up anymore. One of my favorites is when he says "Meow", which I caught on video. It's too cute not to share.



As for how I'm doing? I'm truckin' along. I've had a few moments of the baby blues like I did with Caden. I still have some overwhelming thoughts of how we are going to handle raising two children and especially how hectic our routines will be when I return to work. We have no choice but to chug along and get through each day one at a time, right?

My little man getting his "tacos" (as he likes to call them)

my new favorite picture of Miss Adisyn

caden repeats words.... and an update on my 36 weeks appointment

I can't believe it! I actually got Caden on video repeating words after me - one right after another. It's funny how you forget what words your little one knows once you have them on video asking them to say them.

Two things to note: When I ask him to say "uh-oh", he throws his sucker on the ground first. Also, he always says "boom" after spinning in circles and falling on his bum. I couldn't get him to say "boom", but he did spin in circles with a little dance to follow.



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Yesterday was my 36 week appointment with my midwife. BP and Adisyn's HB were great. I only gained 1lb in two weeks.

I'm dilated to 1cm and 50% effaced. I'm showing signs of progress two weeks earlier than I did with Caden, but it really doesn't mean anything. She said it was normal with your second baby and I could go earlier than my due date, but I could also go past January 22nd. Only time will tell, right?

My appointments are weekly until she arrives!

36 weeks pregnant:

can you please pass the energy my way?

a few new words....

Finally! I caught the lil man on video saying a few of his new words. You'll catch a duck, doggy, hot and hurry in this short clip.

A day or two after he turned 18 months old Ryan and I were eating dinner. Caden walked near the oven and we told him it was still hot and to say back. Out of nowhere he starts repeating "hot, hot, hot". It's funny how they just start saying/doing something and it's like they've been doing it there whole life.





I know I typically only post about our weekends, but that is the only time anything eventful really happens. Our week is all routine. Getting up for work, coming home from work, eating dinner and going to bed. It's the same thing Monday through Thursday. I'm so thankful to be at home on Fridays and have the extra day with Caden. It's our day together and we honestly do not do much but hang out in the living room and play with an occasional chore here and there.

Today we took Caden to see Ryan's Grandma. They were having a little Halloween party and Caden wore his cute little turtle costume.

Here he is with Grandma Lori.

He is was actually great about keeping his costume on and didn't even flinch at the head piece. After our visit we went back to my mother in laws, so the boys could burn off some energy.

Seeing Caden run outside makes me very sad we do not have a fenced in backyard for him to run around. This boy LOVES playing outside. I'm praying by next summer we will be in a new home with a backyard.

25th Week Prenatal Appt & My Self Feeder

I had my 25th week prenatal appointment today. It was pretty uneventful, which is a good thing. Adisyn's HB was 138 bmp. My midwife said she was probably sleeping. I've gained about 5-6lbs in the last month, which I'm not to happy about, however, my midwife said not to worry. I've gained a total of 25lbs so far. With Caden at 25 weeks I was up 21lbs, so I'm not that far off. I can't believe little Adi will be here in just 15 weeks or so. It's going to fly by!

: :

On another note - look who is continuing to feed himself! He is getting SO good at it even if his choice of foods are limited. The only food he will currently eat consists of cereal, grilled cheese, Gerber Graduates ravioli, chicken nuggets, apples, applesauce, and crackers. *sigh* Hopefully this doesn't last forever.








While I am excited for Caden to use more words I just love his "baby talk". My dad heard Caden over the phone talking like this and I'm hoping he'll be able to see this video :)

Bye Daddy!

Over the last couple weeks Caden has learned so much. When asked he is able to point to his toes, ears, hair, the doggy's tail, and Mommy's belly. He is also up to eight words!

The only two words he can string together is "Bye Daddy!". He refuses to say "bye Daddy" while Ryan is in the house, but getting ready to leave. He waits until the front door closes and then he yells "bye daddy!" over and over.

Excuse the camera shake - I was laughing in the background.

Caden says "hi!"

I believe I caught a "bye" in this video too!

I love my little man.

Sleep and Jibber Jabber

A quick update on Caden's sleeping issue before the fun stuff.

After asking the advice of family and many of my friends I met on my favorite Mommy site we decided to go with crying it out again on Thursday night. I did not have to work on Friday, so I figured if we were up all night Ryan would let me nap when he got home from work. I will start by saying Thursday night was the hardest night with him. It was painful and heartbreaking for me. Without my sister-in-law talking to me on the phone I don't think I could have done it. Caden cried an hour and 45 minutes. I did check on him every so often. He started throwing his blanket, binkies, and lovey over the crib and then beating on the crib railing with his hands. It was awful. Just as I was about to give in he started having breaks in his crying and then it stopped. He slept until 6:15am the next morning. Early, but I'll take it!

Friday night he cried for only five minutes and Saturday night he let out one little whine and that was it! Ryan and I are very happy CIO (crying it out) worked and hope we never have to go through this again. We are now keeping his door open with the bathroom light on (which is right next to his room) and this seems to help. I think my little man is afraid of the dark.

So much for being quick.

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Last week Caden started this jibber jabber baby talk that absolutely melts my heart. He'll point at something (usually the fan or light) and start talking. He looks at you like "did you get that mom? Don't you think?" I really wish I knew what he was actually trying to say.

It took me about two minutes to get him started. He was playing camera shy at first.

Hands on Museum

I didn't get to update about our trip last weekend. (I imagine because of how tired I probably was). We met a couple I met on my mommy site and their little boy Brennan at the Hands on Museum in Ann Arbor. Brennan is two days older than Caden and what a smart cookie this boy is. I thought Caden was all boy, but I think Brennan beat him on that. Both of them had a great time with all the "toys" at the museum. It was a long trip, but so worth it.

Checking out the tornado! Caden just wanted to dive right in it.



Legos!! I thought he would never leave this corner.

Thank God for the water jacket!

Playing music - can you tell how interested Caden is?



For as tired as he looks he NEVER fell asleep on our 1 1/2 hour trip home.

*****

Over the last several weeks dinner time has become some what of a challenge. No matter what we tried to feed him (besides fruit) he shakes his head and starts crying hysterically. Needless to say, Mommy and Daddy were getting VERY frustrated. My friend Julia suggested giving Caden a utensil to hold on to while we tried to feed him, and it worked! The bowl has to be in front of him, so he can "stir" up his food. We have tried guiding the utensil to his mouth, but we end up with a screaming baby shaking his head again. I guess he'll start feeding himself when he is ready.

This video is after he ate, but you get the picture.

On another note - after Caden had his shots last week and did not take his night time bottle, I decided to try another night with no bottle. Maybe it was a coincident with the vaccine or maybe he was just ready. Either way, we are now 1 week bottle free!