See the Good in Everything

It has been a while, and SO much has changed on about every front imaginable! Let's put it in bullet points: -Food- Little man is doing WONDERFUL on this front. The goober eats so well and is gaining weight and we haven't used the tube in a good month. My goal is that for his first birthday his doctor removes it!! He eats little fingers foods, push-pops, baby food and I have even ventured into puree-ing some of our food for him as well. He is as curious as ever to get everything in his mouth for a taste. This includes the dog food, which I am pretty sure he hasn't quite eaten yet, but I know that someday my ninja mommy senses will be lagging and he will out-wit me. - Mr. Caterpillar- he is a mover! He is quick, and he is fearless! He pulls himself up to stand and could beat any grown man in a bar crawl. It is so odd for me to sit back and think to the days that I wondered when he would be mobile, I still don't regret his new-found activity but he certai...

We got the official blessing to start real food... so how has it been going? Well, much better than I anticipated! The only food he seems to be "against" is sweet potatoes- and I am sure he gets that from me, because I won't touch those nasty things either! I also get an array of funny faces when attempting the broccoli/carrot/ cheese mixtures- it has some bigger pieces in it, so I don't know if it is the taste or texture, but again, not forcing because I am also not a fan of cheese covered veggies. I am a rare breed that prefers simple steamed and lightly salted veggies- hold the butter and salt PLEASE! So, yes, food has been great- so much that I cut out some tube feeds and am anticipating that after the nutritionist adds up his caloric intake that she will advise me to just use the tube for some hydration and not for any actual feeds. He LOVES- and yes, I mean that in all caps- his sippy cup. The boy sees that little cup and he goes nuts, it s adorable. H...

What I wanted... And what I got Now I know I will get countless "compliments" on how cute/nice/pretty/etc. my haircut is... bottom line- what I wanted is no where near what I got. Too short, too dark and in a world where something as simple as a haircut is like a vacation- my plane was canceled and there were roaches in the hotel. I decided (and promptly reported to FB) that this was how the universe informed me that I am not emotionally ready enough for change and that this is my payback for being passive aggressive. Seeking the agreement and Instead of vocalizing at the beginning, middle or end of my "trim" that I saw something amiss- I simple forked over the balance due plus tip and went on my merry way. I'll schedule another appointment when desperation strikes again. This little character flaw has been my kryptonite for far too long and due to the sheer definition of it... it will continue to eat away at my innards. This is why my husband and...

Ever sit back and wonder at what age we learn to be self conscious of ourselves? I think that it is more often looked at from the female perspective- but for boys as well- when do you look in the mirror and instead of seeing a smiling face you see flaws and imperfections? I am well aware that my body has changed after having a baby- it will never be the same- and I have no regrets for that. What our bodies are capable of is nothing short of amazing- and after the emergency c-section I am still amazed at the fact that there is little evidence in the way of scarring. It does not make me feel any better that as summer nears I fear anything short, tight or skin bearing. I also don't think I get quite the support from my husband that I need on the matter. At all of 120 lbs wet (him not myself)- I am well aware the two of us will never be the same size- I just wish that more people understood just HOW LONG it takes to get back to a new normal after giving birth. The big culprit fo...

Look familiar? No- I have not put Caden into a dress- this is me!! Also my proof that little man may have resembled daddy according to EVERYONE at the hospital- but now that my family genes are setting in- he is getting much more "mommy" in him! Grandpa was left alone with the baby for a little too long, and I suppose it is no surprise that this appeared in my phone. I don't know who is happier Caden or Grandpa!! I think what makes me chuckle about this picture most is how much my parents have changed in the past years. Growing up we never heard curse words, never were exposed to cigarettes or alcohol and lived in the city! In high school- my mother moved out to the middle of no where... really- we went from living five minutes from any store you could imagine to being twenty minutes to the nearest GAS STATION! This brought on a new side of my mom- we like to refer to it as the "death to the mom jeans" stage. You could call it a mid-life crisis, though at b...

I want another baby... Dear God- I am crazy- officially admittable to the nearest loony bin! OK- So I am not out to crank out another in the next month and I am sure it is just a surge of hormones as my little caterpillar gets more mobile and starts becoming so personable and fun to play with- but I find myself never wanting this stage to end and I can easily see how the Duggar clan is like the reproduction version of the song from LambChop!! "This is the song that never ends, yes it goes on and on my friends- some people started singing it not knowing what it was so we just keep on singing it forever just because..." I have always known I loved kids since I was young. I attracted them like magnets- or mosquito's to a bug light! If I was in a store they would find me, I could make any baby smile- it is an odd calling that is morphing into wanting more! As the six month anniversary nears of my little ones unexpected early arrival- it is so hard to wrap my mind arou...

We spent a whopping four hours between doctors and therapists yesterday in hopes to get more answers to Caden's development. The list of people we saw included: Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, Nutritionist, Pediatrician, Audiologist and a Social Worker! It pretty much went down like this: Pediatrician met with us first- we checked his weight, went over the meds he is on and since dad came (=happy mommy!!) he got to meet our wonderful doctor. Caden had a dip in weight that we will watch at his 6 month check-up, we increased one of his meds and got the clear on everything else. I think the drop in weight can be attributed to his tube coming out a few weeks back. We are still building his feeds back up to the volume they were before- so the doctor didn't seem too alarmed just yet, and since everything else checked out pretty well we were sent on our way to the next appointment. Audiology put some ear buds in his ears and they measured the re-reverbera...