Such a big boy

Even though Cael won't technically be a year old until this Saturday, we decided to go ahead and turn his car seat around so it is facing forward. Lately, he has been throwing a FIT every time we try to put him in the car seat; arching his back and refusing to sit down and once you get him to sit down, he screams and cries. Needless to say, not a lot of fun, which is why we decided to flip it around and see if the change in scenery changed his attitude about riding in the car. Ryan got in there (not as easy as you would think) and with Cael's assistance had it figured out in no time. At first he wasn't quite sure what to make of the change and even held his hands up as though to say 'whoa, what is going on here', but eventually he realized he could see what was going on and he relaxed. It is funny because he loves playing peek-a-boo and now that he can see us when we turn around he wants to play all the time. We will play with him at stop lights, but he doesn't understand the concept and wants to play even while we are driving. Try explaining that to a one year old. He laughs and laughs and laughs and even plays himself by turning his head so he isn't facing you and then all of a sudden whipping it around and making eye contact. He does it over and over again. He just loves getting a reaction out of people. For such a little guy he sure has a big personality.

I am ready to play

Cael slept for 3.5 hours on Sunday and when I walked into his room to check on him this is the face that greeted me. He has been fighting off a cold for what feels like the last two months so when he sleeps for that long I feel like there is an internal battle going on in his little body and the good side ends up winning. I absolutely LOVE his mood after he gets a lot of sleep. He is the happiest baby and laughs, screams (in a good way) and babbles as though he is telling us it was exactly what he needed and that now he is ready to play!! I also love sneaking upstairs to check on him only to open the door and find him standing up like a big boy with eyes wide open and a big smile on his face as though he has patiently been waiting for me to peek in.

Parenthood 101

Cael's daycare printed this article in their November newsletter and I really liked it and wanted to share.

Parenthood 101: Some of the Lessons Worth Learning.
By: Mark Patinkin

• An almost empty basement is more fun than one too filled with toys.
• Girls begin practicing to be teenagers at age seven.
• To avoid a fight when bringing home balloons, always buy three of the same color.
• Never negotiate a long-term deal with a child.
• But if you try, and they promise that if you buy then a new pet they'll always, always feed it, remember that under age 12, the definition of "always" is one to three days.
• Why is it: Even if once a year you break your routine and read a bedtime story to your daughter first and, for a change, your middle son second, the son will accuse you of "always" letting her go first.
• When a restless boy needs something to settle him to sleep, pucks or baseballs work better than stuffed animals.
• The tougher the boy, the more likely he'll cry during sad parts in movies.
• The words "bedtime" and "bath" can cause severe impairment in a child's hearing. But before consulting an ear specialist, hearing can usually be restored by going to another room to discuss with your spouse a private subject that kids aren't allowed to listen in on.
• If you have more than one child, never get a car with room for a third person in the front.
• Never say "I might" if there is a chance you might not, because if you don't, you'll be told "You promised!!"
• No matter how cold it is, children will insist they don't need a jacket.
• No matter how dirty they are, they'll insist they don't need a bath.
• Few things are harder on the lower back than bending over at an ice rink to support children learning how to skate.
• Unless you include bending over even farther to hoist them back up after they fall.
• Though one thing is harder still: letting them learn to get up themselves.

More presents

Since we will be in Omaha for Cael's birthday, Bapa and I decided it would be easier for him to send a check and then for us to go out and buy something for Cael. We went to Babies R Us on Saturday and picked out a 'push toy' and a snazzy new outfit from Bapa and Kim. We decided instead of going crazy with the money we would deposit the remaining funds into Cael's savings account. Cael was actually wearing his new outfit to open his present, but within five minutes of putting it on, he had spit up all over it (we are gradually introducing him to whole milk and I don't think it agrees with him). Funny baby was more interested in climbing the box like a little monkey than he was about finding out what was inside. Ryan put it together (with Cael's help, of course) and off he went zooming across the carpet and right into the wall. Ahhh, the joys of raising kids :) Hopefully our house will stand up to his destructive tendencies. Thank you to Bapa and Kim. We wish you were going to be in Omaha to help us celebrate, but rest assured we will be thinking about you and can't wait to see you at Christmas.

Family photos

Every year I try to send out a Christmas card that includes a picture of Ryan, me and our two dogs, Dodge and Potter. While we were living in Salt Lake it was a tradition of sorts for my Dad and Kim to help us pick a background and then take numerous pictures until we had the perfect one. I think Kim and I got a little obsessed worrying about lighting and making sure the dogs looked as cute as possible whether they were wearing bows, reindeer antlers or santa hats. My dad got into it too, but not nearly as much as Kim and I did. Either way it was a lot of fun and one of the things I will miss this year living in Denver. Last year with Cael only a few weeks old and Ryan and I still trying to adjust to parenthood sending out Christmas cards was not high on my priority list. However, I vowed this year would be different. I decided we would try to get a shot (on our own) using the timer on my camera. After several 'takes', I gave up and decided this year to do professional pictures for Ryan, Cael and I and to include a separate picture of the dogs. I think Ryan actually dreads this part of the holiday season, but as usual, he was a trooper and pacified me as I demanded retake after retake AND made him wear a pair of reindeer antlers (to give him credit it is a PAIN trying to get two dogs to cooperate while also trying to make sure that Cael is looking at the camera too). Even though we won't be using them for this year's annual Christmas card, I thought it would be fun to share the different poses.

Present time!

When Grandma and Grandpa were here in late September they decided to buy Cael his birthday gifts so that Ryan and I wouldn't have to haul everything back with us on the plane. We decided to open the presents this morning so we would have the opportunity to watch him play with all of his new toys before we leave for Omaha. They bought him a soft Tonka truck, a wind up toy for the bathtub and a phone that talks, sings and counts numbers. He couldn't have cared less about the toys, but was more interested in the paper and the plant that we have in the room. He did like the wind up toy that he got for the bathtub and didn't want to take time to open the other gifts as he was content just to play with it. We sang him happy birthday (once again couldn't have cared less) and then we commenced with opening presents. Ryan and I were there to assist because if Cael was left to his own devices it would have taken him a week just to get all of the paper off. This year he definitely didn't understand the concept, but that is sure to change over time. Either way, thank you to Grandma and Grandpa Zikas. We can't wait to see you in less than a week to celebrate the fact that our baby boy is turning one!!!

My boys

Cael and Ryan were playing on the floor and I thought the sight of the two of them laying side by side was really cute. Cael loves to play with any type of ball and recently Ryan brought up a basketball hoop that he played with as a kid and Cael loves it. He has since figured out that he can easily pull the 'hoop' off the back board (notice said hoop in background) so it makes playing actual basketball hard, but he still loves throwing the balls. He was actually pretty good about making baskets before he discovered that he could pull off the hoop. It was also really cute because Cael would mimic different things that Ryan was doing like sticking his tongue out and shaking his head back and forth. He did it once and then didn't want to stop. You can also see in the last picture how Cael is trying to mimic the way that Ryan is holding the ball. Ryan was tossing it above his head and Cael was fascinated so Ryan was showing him how to throw it up in the air. SO CUTE!!!!

Balancing act

At the request of the teachers at daycare, Ryan bought Cael a pair of tennis shoes last week and I have to say that he did a GREAT job picking them out (I was in Scottsdale, AZ for training). Daycare takes the kids outside during the day and since the weather is changing they didn't want his socks getting wet or his feet getting cold; hence the need for shoes. I was a little concerned since he isn't actually walking yet and they can be kind of bulky (and hot), but there was no need to be worried because he LOVES his new shoes. In addition to being the final touch on all of his outifts, they also provide him with a more solid sense of balance and he will now stand unassisted for short periods of time. It is the cutest thing when he realizes that he is standing all by himself. He gets really excited and starts windmilling his arms - up and down, around and around. He usually falls down shortly after the excitement sets in and sometimes there are tears, but for the most part, he just continues doing what he was before he stood up.

Bye Nana!

Nana was in town this weekend and the four of us had a great time hanging out. It was a short trip, but wonderful in every way. Cael changes so much in such a short amount of time that even a quick visit is better than nothing. We are so glad she came out and can't wait to see her again for Cael's first birthday!!! We went shopping while she was here and she picked out the cutest little outfit so of course we had to get pictures before she left!!! Cael looked so handsome and grown up. He was crawling around on the floor in his little camoflauge vest and I couldn't believe how big he looked. I wish we had gotten more pictures, but we do have next week for that!!! Either way, we loved having Nana here and we will miss her.