The Nursery

Ryan has been working diligently on the wainscoting, chair rail and crown molding for the nursery. He opted to put everything on the wall first and then paint with a sprayer once it had been hung. Both of us were a little apprehensive about painting on the wall, but he removed all the furniture and covered the room carefully with plastic and tape before he began. He finished applying the second coat on Saturday afternoon and it turned out AMAZING!!!! I am so proud of him. The crown molding gave him some trouble and he definitely got a little upset dealing with certain aspects (the corners), but it turned out perfectly!!! I am truly in awe of his talents. I can't wait to start decorating and watch it evolve from a simple room into a nursery fit for a princess!

*A special thanks to my mom for painting the walls for us while she was in town over Mother's Day!!! She also painted Cael's room and always does a FANTASTIC job :)

Brooke and Kelly

Two of my best friends from high school flew into Denver last weekend for a girl's weekend. They flew in on Friday and left on Sunday morning and although it was a short trip, I had so much fun. Cael loved spending time with his 'aunts' and it was great seeing them interact. They were great with him and it warmed my heart watching them swing him around in the backyard, feed him and just generally cuddle him. He wasn't sure what to make of the new visitors as first, but quickly figured out that the added attention was a good thing and was a little charmer (for the most part)! I didn't get very many pictures, but I wanted to share the ones I did take.

I LOVE his expression in this picture!

Should I be worried?

This morning I was standing at the sinks in the restroom at work and a woman next to me says 'not much longer, huh' and I respond with 'three more months' (with my mouth full of toothpaste), she reiterates 'three months?' and I nod my head. She carefully looks me up and down and responds with 'honey, you look bigger than that' and I say 'nope, due the first part of September' and she says 'and there is only one in there' while once again carefully looking me up and down and I say 'yep, only one' and she says 'you're sure'? By this point, I am both annoyed and flabbergasted. YES YOU FREAKING MORON, I AM SURE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have read about these types of encounters in books (written by other pregnant women) and was shocked at the behavior (ESPECIALLY by other women). Now it has happened to me and I seriously wanted to cry. I never got this with Cael. EVER. I am going to blame it on my shirt. Unfortunately this is not the first time someone has indicated they think I am 'big' or 'due any minute' and I have to admit it is wearing on my self-esteem. *Pity party*

Swimming lessons

Cael had his first swimming lesson yesterday morning at Safesplash Swim School (http://www.safesplash.com/) and he LOVED it. The class consisted of 5 other little kids ranging in age from 18 months to 3 years and their parents. Ryan got into the water with Cael and together they worked on kicking, floating, hanging onto the wall, jumping into the water from the side and swimming under water for a few seconds. Ryan would take Cael under water with him and Cael would pop back up with water streaming down his face, eyes wide open and a huge grin on his face and sign for 'more'. I couldn't stop laughing. They keep the water really warm and the temperature in the pool room is a toasty 80+ degrees, which is great for those in the pool, but somewhat uncomfortable for the rest of us. I sat on the side of the pool and took as many pictures as I could, but it is hard given the facility's policy against taking pictures of other kids, parents, etc. I ended up striking up a conversation with Aaron (one of the father's) whose son, Judah (2 years), was also a new addition to the Sunday morning class. I am so happy (SO happy) we signed him up and I look forward to what the next several months have to bring. If some of the kids in this class are any indication (it was amazing what some of them were capable of at such a young age), Cael will learn a lot from his experiences at Safe Splash. Thank you to Grandma and Grandpa Zikas for their generous offer to pay for his lessons and giving me the motivation to get him signed up (instead of just talking about it)!!

Pool party

My mom (Nana) put in a swimming pool last fall and this past trip back to Omaha was the first chance we all got to enjoy the water and the beautiful landscaping. We invited Kyli, Chris, Veronica, Ed, Barb, Stefani and Tim over to hang out, swim, eat and play with Cael. He still loves the water and had so much fun playing with his aunts and uncles (and cousin) and going down the slide. Ryan went down the slide a couple of times and Cael would giggle and sign for him to do 'more'. It was HILARIOUS!!! He loves the water so much that we have decided to enroll him in swimming lessons (many posts to come on that in the future I am sure)!

Bubble time

We were in Omaha over Memorial Day weekend and Cael (as usual) was spoiled with presents and clothes from his family. Grandma and Grandpa bought him some bubbles and he had a great time on the deck with Aunt Stefani while she blew bubbles and he tried to catch and eat them. He also learned how to blow bubbles on his own thanks to coaching from Stefani! Stefani lives in Texas and he hasn't seen her in a little over a year. It was a fun reunion and one too long in the making!!! Luckily he won't go that long before he sees her again with trips back to Omaha planned for October and December.

Update - 18 months

Cael had his 18 month appointment yesterday (5/20/09) and I wanted to update everyone on his latest stats and progress:

Weight: 29 lbs 15.8 oz (27 lbs 6 oz at 15 months)
Height: 34 1/4 inches (33.5 inches at 15 months)
Head Circumference: 49 cm (48.5 cm at 15 months)

He is in the 93rd percentile for height, 90th percentile for weight and the 80th percentile for head circumference. The doctor seemed happy with where Cael was in terms of growth and progress. His ears look great (yay, the tubes seem to be doing their job) and he is healthy. We are definitely entering the terrible two's territory and dealing with a lot of crying and tantrums. They did say that his canine's are coming in, which may contribute a bit to his temperment, but either way, we are dealing with things as best we can and still loving every (or almost every) minute!

Our new babysitter

As previously mentioned, Cael loves, LOVES his Curious George DVD's and up until lately has only watched them in the car. However, last week I needed to unload a bunch of groceries and decided to bring the DVD's into the house in an attempt to keep him entertained while I put everything away. It worked like a charm and I had to laugh at his facial expressions (COMPLETELY zoned out) and the various places he would sit to watch the movies. I am trying not to go overboard with Curious George, but right now the little monkey is proving to be a WONDERFUL babysitter!! Thank you to the creators of Curious George!!

Afternoon at the park

Sunday afternoon after Cael woke up from his nap, I decided to take him up to the park and let him run around. Ryan had gone over to a friends to help with some roof work so it was just the two of us. I loaded our supplies into his trusty wagon and we were off! It is much more fun at the park now that Cael is able to walk and climb on his own (instead of one of us having to carry him) and now that the weather is starting to warm up. We played on the slide (with pregnant Mommy chasing Cael all over the place until she learned it was easier to just stay on the ground and make sure he didn't fall), the teeter totter, the swings and on the stairs. He had fun on the teeter totter sitting next to a couple of older boys and trying to mimic their antics. I think even their father got a little nervous when Cael abruptly let go of the handle and put both hands in the air.We both had a blast!! I just wish the weather would have stayed warmer, but once the clouds started turning a deep purple I thought it best to head home. Cael sustained no injuries while at the park, but on the way home stood up in the wagon (it's a no no), fell forward and hit his mouth on a container of water. He bled (first time he has actually bled from an 'oops'), which spooked both of us a little, but we survived and made it home with no further issues (other than a sore mouth for the little boy).