Caidens First B-Day Cake

Vegas Baby!

We met Gramma and Grampa in Las Vegas a couple of weeks ago and I had fun playing with them. They must love me a lot because it was such a quick trip that I didn't try to adjust my sleeping schedule...which meant we were all up and playing at 4:30 each morning!!!

Something about that city must have jumpstarted me because as soon as I got home, I started high-fiving, waving, pushing myself up into a sitting position and standing up in my crib. I was getting around before, but I'm practically unstoppable now! I especially like crawling over to my bookshelf and pulling down a bunch of books. That way, I can pick my favorites to look at.

I've been having fun splashing in the pool on hot days and went to the zoo for the first time this weekend. I already can't wait to go back. Those animals were a lot bigger than my own Bella, Grace and Oliver! I really love animals - my favorite books right now are about animals, and one of my most favorite is just about dogs and cats.

Almost 10 months...

I had my 9-month appointment a couple of weeks ago and I weighed 17.5 lbs. The doctor said that I had moved from the 3rd to the 6th percentile, so I must be growing really well!

I'm army crawling all over the place now and have super quick hands. I can pull myself up, but I don't do that very often yet...that's pretty tiring, and I find other interesting things at the floor level (although Mommy and Daddy have started to move them higher so that I have to move higher too).

Father's Day was hot and sunny - over 100 degrees! - and my Daddy spent the whole day with me. We were going to go to the zoo to celebrate, but we couldn't because it was so hot. That's okay, I got him a season's pass so he can take me lots of times!!! I love animals and it's going to be really cool to see them at the zoo.

"Mountain" Man

We spent the weekend at a cabin in Fort Mountain State Park in the north Georgia mountains. (I kept looking for the mountains, but I never did see them).

We were right on the lake and Bella loved being in the woods. We went on a couple of short hikes, and I wore myself out talking and shouting!

For Mother's Day, we made Mommy chunky monkey pancakes. I didn't get to try them, but they looked really good...

Summer is here

The weather has stopped jumping around and decided to stick to the high 70s and low 80s. That means I get to play outside! On nice afternoons, Mommy takes me out to the shade with Bella. I sit, roll around, grab handfuls of Bella's fur, look at the flowers and watch traffic. Sometimes we meet up with other little kids at the park or go for a morning walk too. And on the weekends, Daddy brings me out by the pool so I can help him vacuum. The last weekend of April was really nice and we all went to the Inman Park Neighborhood Festival. That was really cool. There was so much to see! I got to ride like a big boy in my Bob stroller, and Mommy and Daddy let me take my nap in there while they walked around. I was really tired!

I roll all over the place now. If I see something I want, I roll back and forth or rock until I reach it - Mommy says I look like I'm doing the crawl stroke. But sometimes I roll around because it's just fun. I grab my feet, yell and laugh...I can tire myself out! I really like my exersaucer and doorway jumper, too.

I sit pretty well and am using my highchair at the table when I eat. I keep trying new foods and have liked almost everything except lentils. Those were strange! The only way I liked them was when they were mixed with a lot of carrots. My favorites are sweet potatoes, pears, apples, mangoes, bananas, avocado, squash and yogurt. Other things I've tried and liked pretty well are zucchini, yellow squash, asparagus and cottage cheese. I haven't decided about peas and green beans.

My Daddy is really fun and makes me laugh until I can't stop. I try to make him laugh, too...and it usually works! When he's home, I don't take my eyes off of him because I know he's either going to give me a huge hug or do something fun that I don't want to miss.

I like meeting new people. I try to smile, screech and kick my feet to say "hi." Sometimes, if I'm out somewhere and people don't seem to notice me, I screech or yell a little to get their attention. That seems to work!

Happy Easter!

The Easter Bunny used a special key to leave a basket with treats for Mommy and Daddy and bath toys and books for me. I saw it on the table as soon as I went downstairs for breakfast but I had to wait to see what was in it or we would have been late for church. After church, we had a yummy lunch/dinner with Auntie Brittany and Uncle Johnny (and got to see what was in the Easter basket:-).

Milestones

I came back home to Atlanta looking just a little bigger and older.

I started sitting up straighter while I was in the NW and just 4 days later for my play group, I sat up by myself (with Mommy right there, of course) for a full 1/2 hour! One of the other moms in the play group even noticed and said something right away. I sat and watched the other kids while I played with one of my new favorite toys (a Green Sprouts teether rattle. You have to check them out - I haven't stopped playing with mine, and they are made with a a cornstarch-based eco-friendly plastic).

I still tip over, but I'm getting the hang of it. Check me out!

What a crazy week!

Last weekend while my Daddy was in China, it snowed in Atlanta. The snowflakes were so big and fast that I could watch them really well through the window. Bella tried to eat the snowflakes, and Mommy threw snowballs so Bella could chase them. You can see that Mommy bundled me in my snowsuit so I could watch.

Then, today, it was around 70 degrees and all of us went on a hike around a lake in Roswell!

I had my 6 month pediatrician appointment Friday and I weighed...13.8 lbs! I can sit up like a tripod when I'm unassisted, and the doctor said that was a skill she would not necessarily expect me to have yet. I'm also rolling over more. This afternoon, Mommy and Daddy peeked in on me during my nap and found me sleeping on my tummy. I can move my paci in and out of my mouth all by myself, grab things I want, and make big splashes in the bathtub. I'm also eating oatmeal, peas, squash and sweet potatoes. I really like the sweet potatoes!

Valentines Day Weekend

This weekend Mommy and Daddy took me to the beach in Pensacola Florida. We had a great time. It was a bit rainy but as you can see we still enjoyed the ocean. It was my first time and I am already looking forward to exploring it a lot more, especially in a sail boat. Dad couldn't resist and had to stick my feet into the cold water. As luck would have it a wave came crashing in and got my butt all wet!!

Merry Christmas

Planes Trains and Automobiles...

So I thought I would update everyone on my first Christmas. WOW!!! Lots of firsts!!! It all started with my first bus ride (from off site airport parking lot). That was pretty cool but then I got to get on the train to the terminal which was super interesting and I wasn't even scared. From there I got on my first airplane for a 6 hour venture to the NW to celebrate Christmas with Grandma, Grandpa and my aunties and uncle.

Everyone was SO impressed with how well I did on the plane, especially the guy beside me who looked like he was about to lose his mind when I sat down beside him. But hey, I showed him. Six hours later and not a peep. I was was awake for about 3 of the 6 hours While I was awake Daddy and I spent time at the back of the plane in the Galley staring at all the cool lights. (I was also perfect on my plane ride home)

Oregon was really cool, literally. We had about 8 inches of snow over the 10 days that we were there. Dad, Uncle Josh and I built my first snowman. Now that was awesome. It stood about 6 ft tall and had funky looking hair made out of tree bows. Not to mention oranges for eyes, a celery stick nose, and red liquorice for lips. Had to make do with what we Grandma had for supplies.

Christmas day was a blast. I got to open presents, play in the snow, walk to the coffee shop with Grandma and Grandpa and get ready for my big celebration on the 27th.

Grandma and her sisters planned a welcome party just for me. There were so many people that I didn't really know what to think. I just sat back with Mommy and Daddy most of the time taking it all in. It was a great social experience for me and I think I really charmed everyone with how well I responded.

Okay gotta go. Will fill you in on the rest of the details later this weekend and also tell you about my last Dr's visit to see Dr Kirsten on the 31st.

Can anyone guess how much I weighed???

Thanks for keeping up with me.