Sweet big brother

I have purchased a couple of things off of Ebay for the baby's room and they arrived at the house yesterday. I took them out of their packaging and laid them across a chair in our family room so I could show them to Ryan and so I could admire everything. We were getting ready to eat dinner and as Ryan and I were preparing some last minute items, Cael walked over to the chair and pulled off the changing pad cover, which is made out of a very very soft material. I figured he was curious and tried to explain to him that it was for his baby sister. He dropped it on the floor and then proceeded to lay down on top of it. It was the sweetest thing I have ever seen. Even though he has no idea that he is going to be a big brother or what that means, it was still very sweet to watch.

Our little helper

I was watching TV when Cael grabbed something off of the coffee table and walked away with it. Out of curiosity, I sat up on the couch to see what he had grabbed and where he was going with his new treasure. I discovered that he had grabbed a crumpled up piece of paper off the table (nothing new there), but imagine my surprise when he walked over to the pantry, opened the door and threw the piece of paper AWAY!! I was astonished and immediately commended him on a job well done!!! Now when he is fussy or wants one of us to hold him, we ask him to help us clean up and give him small things that he can throw away. Granted, the other day, he threw away the top to our coffee thermos and has been known to throw his toys in there as well, but we are working with him on that.He loves helping Mommy and Daddy and is a real asset when it comes time to go grocery shopping (he loves putting stuff in the cart that Mommy and Daddy give him) and to putting our groceries away (pictures coming soon).

He also loves to sweep and it is ADORABLE when he walks around the house with our broom helping us clean up after a meal. I want to buy him a small broom that is easier for him to handle if I can find one! Last night he was getting fussy so Ryan gave him the broom and he was happy as can be to help Dad pick up after dinner (SO FREAKING CUTE)!!!!!! And yes, for those of you who are wondering, we intend to take full advantage of his willingness to do small chores!!

April 17, 2009

All week, the news channels have been forecasting the biggest storm of the season in the middle of April no less. The storm was scheduled to hit on Friday morning and continue for 24 hours straight with anywhere from 10 to 24 inches of snow expected. However, they were unable to say for sure what the outcome was going to be given the unusually warm temperatures, which could mean a lot of rain or a lot of snow. I came into work on Friday morning and although it had snowed over night, it was just a light dusting and I figured we had escaped the worst of it. Everyone in the office was keeping a close eye on the weather, but it appeared as though were going to escape unscathed. However, at approximately 2:45, the weather turned nasty and started dumping snow like crazy with accumulation occuring on the streets in as little as 2 minutes. I immediately left the office and headed to the daycare to pick up Cael. By Saturday at 2:00 (24 hours later), it was still snowing hard and we got about 6-10 inches in our backyard!!! It was officially the biggest storm Denver saw this season. Seriously? In April???

Things he does, things he loves!

Cael was 17 months on April 15th and he is growing by leaps and bounds both mentally and physically. I thought it would be fun to post about the things he is doing (developmentally) and the things that he loves (or enjoys) at this particular time in his life.

BOOKS: We read to Cael every night before bed and he has gotten pretty particular about the books he wants read to him. He loves Oh, The Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss and The Three Bears Rhyme Book by Jane Yolen. In fact, if you try to read him anything else (and we have tried) he leans over the chair and points at the bin of books until you pick out the correct one. This can make bed time a rather long endeavor, but worth it (for the most part) to see him showing an interest in reading and books!!

WORDS: He is trying really hard to talk and although most of it is still baby babble at this point, he is saying 'bye bye', 'hi', 'mommy' (we think), 'daddy' and 'more'. The other day Ryan and I were discussing what we thought his first word was and I consider it to be 'bye bye' (don't remember if Ryan agreed or disagreed), which he has been saying (rather clearly) for about a month! In no time, he will be talking up a storm!!

It is amazing how much he has grown and the changes that occur every day. He is no longer our little baby boy, but a toddler and I am loving this stage!

TIME OUT: We have been utilizing 'time out' for a little over a month, which consists of putting him in his crib for approximately 5 minutes when he doesn't listen and it seems to be working. He listens really well (for the most part) and is turning into such a well behaved little boy that I have moments where I can't believe he is mine! I know we are headed into the 'terrible two's', but I am hoping that we will weather them well!

Curious George!

I have mentioned in a previous post how much Cael is enjoying the DVD in my car and right now, he LOVES watching Curious George. I put him in the car in the morning and he indicates he wants to watch his video. I pick him up at night and he does the same thing. Anytime we put him in the car, he wants to watch his Curious George DVD's and we happily comply! Once the movie has started, he is oblivious to anything else going on around him and looks a bit like a zombie (eyes not blinking, mouth hanging open) as he takes it all in. Ryan and I think it is hilarious to observe him, not to mention CUTE, CUTE, CUTE!

Baby Bedding!!

I found crib bedding on Ebay.com from Pottery Barn Kids and fell in love! It arrived on Saturday and I couldn't wait to see what it looked like on the crib (the baby will use the crib that Cael is currently using). I thought I was going to go with a different set from Pottery Barn Kids, but I found this discontinued set and had to have it. I seriously LOVE it (shockingly enough so does Ryan) and even asked Ryan if he thought Cael would end up in therapy if I left it on the crib for him to sleep on (I ended up taking everything off and replacing it with Cael's 'boy' bedding). LOL!!!

Tubes

After numerous ear infections, our pediatrician finally decided it was time for Cael to see an ENT (ear nose and throat) specialist about having tubes put in his ears. They did an audio test and determined that Cael wasn't hearing very well out of his right ear and said it was equivalent to someone talking while under water. That pretty much sealed the deal for Ryan and we opted to move forward with the surgery. I know many people who have had kids that have had tubes put in and they all assured me it was the best thing we could do for Cael. The doctors and staff were great and Cael was a champ. The anesthegiologist almost decided against the procedure because Cael had a cough and he was worried how that would affect the anesthesia, but he finally opted to move forward. Normally they ask the mom to carry the child back to the operating room, but told me I wouldn't be able to given I was pregnant. Ryan offered to go back (I guess it has been the experience of the anesthegiologist that dad's faint more often that mom's) and was given a white suit with a hat and booties. He said Cael really fought the anesthesia and the doctor commented that he would not want to go drinking with Cael! LOL!! The surgery itself literally took 10 minutes at which time we were ushered back to the recovery room to calm our confused and extremely upset baby boy. It breaks your heart to see them so scared, but the doctor told us she pulled a bunch of stuff out of Cael's ears and that having the tubes put in was the best thing for him.

It's a GIRL!!

I went into the doctor on April 2nd and the ultrasound tech confirmed we are having a GIRL!!! I am thrilled at the prospect of having one of each and although Ryan is excited, I think he is very nervous at the idea of raising a little girl (they make him nervous)! Naturally I am off and running in terms of names and decorating the nursery, baby clothes...... the list goes on and on. I have already picked out the bedding and how we are going to decorate so now it is just a matter of turning my ideas into reality. I have promised my husband that I won't get too carried away, but already I see how difficult that is going to be. We have a couple of names picked out, but we haven't decided if we are going to share them with everyone or make it a surprise. Stay tuned!!

This is the bedding we have picked out!

In terms of decorating, we are going to do white wainscoting (as pictured) with lavender paint

Update - 15 months

Cael had his 15 month appointment today and I wanted to update everyone on his overall progress:

Height: 33.5 inches (31 and 1/4 inches at 12 months)

Weight: 27 lbs 6 oz (26 lbs 5 oz at 12 months)

Head Circumference: 48.5 cm (47.8 cm at 12 months)

He is in the 95th percentile for height, 80th percentile for weight and head circumference.