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!!