Sharing

It's understandable that kids have to share toys with other kids. I have literally watched toys being stolen during mid-play. This is what kids do. I think it teaches them how to be assertive. Hey, I want that toy so I am going to get it. Then 5 minutes later the toy is stolen back by the child who had it first. Cade doesn't start daycare until June. He has spent the 1st year with his Gamma and Gammie. One on One. He has never had to compete for a toy. They have always been ALL HIS. Then came Annie. Yes the dog. She seems to be under the impression that when we lay the mats on the floor - they are for her to play on. When we spread the toys out and the blocks all over the floor - they are for her to play with. The competition has heated up. Who would have ever thought that Cade would have to fight his puppy for a toy! Here is Cade on his play mat. Annie must be outside? Maggie is closely behind Cade, however, she never gets in Cade's play space.

Oh no... here comes Annie! And she has her eye on one of Cade's toys.

In an attempt to try and steal a toy, Annie approaches from another angle. Cade is not happy.

He waves his hands in the air and screams at Annie. These are my toys!! In the end, his Best Buddy Maggie saves the day and steps in. She always has a watchful eye on her buddy Cade.

Crawling, Rody, Pirates, and Bulldogs

We have waited 11 months for Cade to crawl. I think the "textbook" age for babies to start crawling (according to Cade's Physical Therapist) is somewhere between 6-9 months. Cade didn't sit independently until he was 7 months - so we were already behind the curve. Then on April 9th, Cade's 11 month birthday, he took those first steps in crawling. I think I was more excited than he was. He would lose all concentration and fall on his belly when I would start screaming in excitement. He would laugh at me making a fool out of myself. He took these "mini crawls" for the next week and a half. Then, on April 18th, Cade took off! Now that he is crawling I can't help but wonder if it really is such a good thing that he is so mobile now. We've even started using his walker and he can run clear across the room. Now, he'd probably do a face-plant if he was not in his walker for support. But when he reaches his destination, he explores and gets into things. He can open and close the trash can lid now. He has found the knobs on the drawers and can even pull things off the counter. He's sneaky too! He does all of this very quietly. We're going to have to keep a close eye on this little guy! Here is some video of Cade crawling...

One of Cade's favorite toys these days is Rody. We discovered Rody at PT. Cade wasn't too sure about Rody in the beginning, but Tom and I knew Rody would be a hit one day. So of course, I searched the Internet and ordered one for Cade. Cade will get on Rody, grab his ears, and bounce and giggle simultaneously. Here is Cade attempting to eat Rody's ears.

It's been an amazing and fun year with Cade. I can't believe he is almost 1!!!!! And you can't NOT have a big Birthday Party for their 1st birthday! So, Captain Cade is having a Pirate Party. I am pretty excited to see the kids dressed up. We've rented a Pirate Bounce house for the older kids and we've had a great time finding stuff for the kids as party favors. This has actually been a lot of fun! Tom has even gotten into the spirit and went to the fabric store to help me pick out material for Cade's pirate outfit. He found leather strapping and buttons and had all sorts of ideas for his little Buccaneer's outfit... I was pretty proud of Tom. But then again, this is for his little peanut. He'd do just about anything for Cade and if that means being seen in a fabric store holding buttons and fabric - Tom is there. Here is a picture of Cade shopping for Pirate gear.

That night, after shopping for Pirate loot, we went to dinner with Gamma, Gammy, and Gee Gee (aka my Mom, Tom's Mom, and Tom's Grandmother). Cade wore his favorite colors - Red and Black - in honor of his Gamma. I think Gammy is pretty much a UGA fan now these days too. Gamma was more than thrilled to see her "Lil Dawg".

Go Dawgs!!

Bluebonnets

Life with Cade is always an adventure. He is so amazed at the world around him. We decided to take him to have his picture made in the Texas Bluebonnets. At first, this was great. We were so proud of Cade!! He just sat there and smiled - like always (being the little camera hog that he is).

As the wind started to blow and the Bluebonnets started to move, we lost all concentration.

Instead of focusing on the camera, Cade became more interested in the Bluebonnets. Maybe a little too interested???


And then.... he tried to eat them. And SCORE... He succeeded.

Thankfully, his buddies Caleb and Abby showed up! Caleb and Cade were born on the same day (May 9th) and Abby was born in June. We all live within 2-3 houses of each other. They will be forever friends.


I think in this next picture Abby was busy texting another friend...

We saved the best one for last. Caleb's parents, Ryan and Kathy, brought his horse out for the pictures. Abby fell off of it, so we were a little hesistant at first. But, our little Doodle surprised us and stayed on for 8 seconds... Do we see a future career here????

Bubbles...

So here we are almost 11 months old and I am just now starting this Blog. Why couldn't I have been more up-to-date 11 months ago?? Where is all my free time??? Oh yeah, I don't have any free time. These days any spare time we have is spent with Cade. He's the most amazing little man on earth. Of course Tom and I are biased, but have you met Cade? He has so much personality. He smiles even when he sleeps. Everyday is the "best day ever" when I come home to Cade. Lately, we've been calling him our little "motor boat" because that seems to be his favorite noise to make. Over and Over again... I am starting to dream about motor boats. His other favorite word to repeat over and over again is "Da-Da". "Ma-Ma" lasted about 3 weeks. He seems to have forgotten that word. I think Daddy secretly practices "Da-Da" when I am not around!

To catch you up, Cade was born weighing 5 pounds 1 ounce. He's always been just a tad bit behind on everything. However, he is smart!! And sneaky... oh he is sneaky!!

He's definitely up to something here!!

He is still under weight according to the weight charts. Who needs weight charts, right! It doesn't help that he is the pickiest eater EVER! He loves his fruits and veggies, but he's not a big fan of formula these days. We've had to pretty much force that on him. He is now drinking Milk and LOVES it. I imagine the weight will start packing on now. Luckily he has height on his side. Long and lean...that is what Cade is. I sure wish I was long and lean!! Cade goes to Physical Therapy every Friday at Cook Children's. They are so great with him. Cade is learning to be more "self sufficient" and also work on not standing on his tippy toes. Who knew that was not normal?? Check out Cade starting to crawl!!

But, we see improvement daily and he has so much confidence in himself now he will try almost anything. Scary! One of the things he has discovered in therapy in Bubbles. He LOVES bubbles.

I'll leave with a picture of Cade from Easter since I am behind on updates... The Easter Bunny was good this year!! But then again, so was Cade (smile).