Firsts

Happy 19 months old, Caiden!

I wanted to take this special opportunity to share one of Caiden's FIRSTS. 

No, it has nothing to do with words or food or inches. Rather, this little boy climbed up the ladder to his brothers top bunk. Then, according to a witness, proceeded to walk around, tripping on a bear and came tumbling down super man style after a somersault. I was not in the room. But I heard the thud...cry...and Caiden met me in the hall with tears streaming down. I am pretty sure the wind got knocked out of him and he has a bump on his head to show for it. But somehow, other than that, he is fine. The dr. did the full check because I was particularly scared about him hitting his head. But no signs of concussion. I was quite shaken up and I thought the scare of a fall would slow him down. But he seems to have been given wings in his new limitless discovery because he has been climbing onto everything he can get his hands and feet on. (he even revisited the ladder to the bunk...but did not get far at all! mom is keeping a hawk's eye on this one for awhile!) 

Busy days all around. Sandwiched with beautiful weather (in between the rain) and homeschooling and a husband that is working an inordinate amount of hours...we're hoping things will start to balance out a teeny bit as we march through Spring. 

on angel's wings

...is how quickly Christmas feels like it's coming.

Unstoppable, yet so exciting.
Reverent, but jubilant.
Preparatory, but pausing. 


I love how each Christmas holds the same dear patterns, yet each one awaits us with its own surprises.


I love letting the lights on the tree be the last ones on in the house at night. Their magic twinkling around the room.


I love how with each new day, the presents seem to multiply under the tree.


I love how even though there is so much more hustle and bustle going on out there, people are still overall more friendly and cheerful. 


I love that our Post Office has an independent mailing machine that is open 24/7. And that there's no line at 11pm! 


I love that I just found my little stash of clearance Christmas books from last year, including: The Nutcracker (Susan Jeffers), The Gift of the Magi (O. Henry, ill. by Lisbeth Zwerger), The Child's Christmas (Evelyn Sharp), and Who's That Knocking On Christmas Eve (Jan Brett).


I love (*attention: spoiler alert) that my living room smells like fresh roasted coffee. We just received 2 boxes from Mist Valley who's coffee we have been LOVING every morning for the past few months! Their coffee is FRESH!!!!!! And the proof is in the taste. 


I love the excitement that is uncontainable in my children. And the sentimentality of adults. Particularly my dad. He sent me the sweetest FB message about how sad he is that we won't be together for Christmas.  :( 


I love that we have appx. 4 different types of advent calendars going on each day. Thankfully they are all simple enough to keep up with.  


I love the simple message that this season brings. One of hope and joy in the precious gift of our Savior. The simple, yet magnificent gift that so many pause to sing of. The gift that will soon be forgotten but will still remain long after the tree is at the curbside. The true, though cliche, "reason for the season." 


Jesus. 


[photo above: our tree. filter done in Instagram. an awesome free iPhone app that I am loving]

the pace of s l o w

Life these days tends to be one speed. Fast. I find myself eating lunch standing up, drinking my coffee while rescuing Caiden from another toilet catastrophe and helping the boys stay in motion with chores and cleanup. Sometimes, I get these thoughts of, "What in the world did I do with all my time when I just had baby Andrew?" The funny thing is, even though my life then as a mother could not be fairly compared to today, I still felt my days were so very full. It was all so new and every moment was spent enjoying, experiencing and enriching my baby's life. You see, this thing called motherhood, no matter how few or many children you have, no matter how busy, innovative or laid back they are, and no matter how organized or (cough*cough) unorganized you may be, is simply put, NOT FOR WHIMPS!!! It pulls from every corner of your being. Every physical, emotional and spiritual aspect. It bombards you every day with brand new challenges that expects you to be at peak performance. It doesn't regard the fact that you have taken care of a sick husband for a week, or that your teething baby was up not one, not two, but three times through the night and that your 4 year old is really going through a tough behavioral period. And it does not always wait for you to be ready to deal with each situation. As a matter of fact, I am quite suspicious that there is some kind of hidden signal embedded in our bathroom door and telephone that alerts the boys that "IT IS TIME TO ENGAGE"---for mom is having a quiet moment to herself. 

So, when a few hours of quiet came along this past week, thanks to a particular grandmother who took the older boys to do some secretive Christmas shopping, I 

immediately felt...wow. It is so  q  u  i  e  t  and   s l o w  here. This will be easy. Just Caid and I----I'll get so much done! 

But, you know, those thoughts of "the easy good old days" hit me across the face. Because Caiden, who is much like Drew was in learning and playing, is not satisfied with sitting and playing with his toys for long periods of time. No. He wants to be moving, and trying, and "communicating" and testing and on.the.go.  So, I was brought back to those full and busy days. Those days of one child, which is definitely less distracted and more focused time with the child, but I found that he was a little bit lost without the sibling avalanche going on around him to follow. So I called it a day of not getting those little things done and sat right down on the floor with him and followed his play. Which at that time, happened to be Mr. Potato Head. 

and we practiced pointing to our eyes...

and had some good laughs.

Just the two of us.

Mr. Caiden is growing up oh, so fast. And I see such a difference in him being the third child. (third boy, to be specific). Because this kid knows how to swish a sword and dog pile on his brothers and laugh at their inside jokes as his life's goal right now is to keep up...keep up...keep up. But when the day comes to an end, it's still his momma that he wants to cuddle. And that, I am holding on to for as long as I can. 


(p.s. Caiden clearly says momma...but still does not say dadda...and is totally playing his cards on this one! sorry, honey). 

[caiden & momma on the train going downtown chicago. summer 2010]

taste

I have always had it as a goal to wait until my baby hits the 6 month mark before introducing the line of cereals, one at a time. I blame it on a radio blurb that I heard as a first time mother that was speaking about introducing babies to food before 6 months could increase the risk for food allergies. Of course, being the somewhat seasoned mother that I now am, I know both sides of the spectrum. I know mom's that have started the rice cereal with their 4 mo. old and never had a problem. I also know mom's that waited till the very last possible moment to deliver that first spoonful of ground rice goodness and their baby was a few months later diagnosed with this or that allergy (which does run in the siblings). So even though I have known both sides, I am a creature of habit. Like when my high school anatomy teacher (probably jokingly) said that if you eat all the right foods, you really don't need to take all those vitamins. And I am quite sure that that is the reason why I have resisted taking vitamins over the years(though so much better now with 3 pregnancies and 3 kids under my belt). Those little blurbs stick in my head.

Needless to say, Mr. Caiden has not started the slurpy rice cereal yet. He is actually so ready to "dig in." I can see it in his eyes when we're eating. It is on this week's to-do list for him. So don't worry, I am not starving my child. I am a tad concerned about food allergies since he's had continual patches of eczema for the past 4 months, so I am just being cautious. But even though this week marks having 6 years of motherhood experience in my favor, I am still amazed at how very different I have been at each child's stage in comparison to the others. And how I am continually changing as I learn and grow and how the industries and products are ever changing at our fingertips from one child to the next.

So, all this to say, that Caiden has actually already tasted the following: cream cheese frosting, pea pods, popsicles, ice cream, and I am sure there is something an older brother slipped in while mom wasn't looking. Isn't it so hard to resist that little curiosity sitting on your lap while everyone else is stuffing their face!?

Curious as to what you first introduced to your little one and when.

sibling bonding

In keeping up with sibling bonding from my previous post, check out this momma's musings that hits the nail on the head.