Start from here and work my way back.............

I know I promised to blog better, and I failed once again.  I have so much to blog and don't know where to start.  So, I will start current and work my way back when I have a chance to.  Otherwise, I will just get further and further behind.  So, here we are, we're starting where we're at :).

Aves is 6 months and pure joy.  PURE JOY.  She is so happy and such a charmer.  I have people tell me all the time she is 'the happiest baby they've ever seen'.  Needless to say, that may or may not be a true statement from each and every person, but we'll take it!

She is full of kisses and love right now.  When I ask for kisses (and sometimes even when I don't) she grabs my face with each of her chubby little hands, opens her mouth, and goes to town.  Kisses, kisses, kisses. 1 or 2 gallons of slobber on me each time.  I love it.  Slobber away, cutie patootie!!

We did her 6 mos checkup last week and all went pretty well.  She is 75% for height and weight (26 1/2 inches, 17 lbs 4 oz).  Her head is rockin' it at 99 percentile.  Doc is a little worried about the shape of her head (ahem) and the fact that she isn't sitting up/her body is proportionately so much smaller than her head.  So anyhoo, we had to do scull xrays to see if all is still lining up okay, etc.  We haven't heard back yet but should tommorow.

Mr Caden is changing by the minute and keeping me on my toes now more than ever it seems!  We are getting the 'anger bursts' when we get frustrated, the attitude, the whole nine yards sometimes.  Where did this come from you wild man?  Haha.  It seems time outs are frequent but so are hugs and laughs, too.  Emotional rollercoaster it seems, allbeit a great one most of the time.

He just finished up another year at Dimensions, and although he'll still be in the toddler room for the summer, he will officially be a preschooler in the fall.  But we won't go there yet, or I'll have to start therapy even sooner, haha.  He is so ready for it.  Drawing circles, counting with his fingers, working on saying his 'L's' better, asking lots of questions, not missing a beat, the kid is ready to be in preschool.  So, although I'd like to tuck him in a ball and baby him forever, people tend to frown on that, so I'll work on embracing that come fall :).

He says things all the time that crack me up.  Some that come to mind right now are......"Hannitizer" (hand sanitizer).  "Adodable" (adorable).  "What size is that?" (how much does that cost?).  "Potato" (tomato).  "This is a worse idea" (when something bad happens)

Also, something coming in really handy in recent weeks, he is convinced 5 minutes is longer than 10.  So when I say we can do something for 10 minutes, he argues "No 5 PLEASE!!!!!"   Uh, deal :).

Hello, long lost blog........

Much to my dismay, it has been nearly 6 months since I actually posted to my lovely little blog.  Each month I think, I have to get caught up on that, and after a few months it frankly has become so intimidating how behind I am that I could get myself to try to get caught up.

BUT.......I want to keep the blog and keep everyone updated, so I am officially going to get y'all caught up, starting today.

Since I last wrote so much has happened.  I could go though all the excuses......but instead will just get working.

So stay tuned........big things are coming this blogs way, haha.

Em

She's here.

This most adorable baby girl joined our lives today.  She is 6 lbs 8 oz of perfection.  She was born at 4:13pm after Mommy went into the hospital about 2:00 am with stronger contractions than what I'd had for the few weeks prior.  She is sweet and tiny and precious.  And ours.  OURS.  I still can't believe it.

We have a daughter.  A DAUGHTER.  What?!?  It amazes me.  We have such a precious little sister to our adorable son.  We are so blessed.  The first time they met was the sweetest thing.  He just kissed her and kept looking at her and looking at me.  He didn't want to hold "she", but he kept kissing her.  Such sweetness.  For months we've called her 'baby sister' because we didn't want to tell the name.  So here's how big brother looks at it, as he will tell you.....he's "his brother who is a girl named baby sister who we call Avery."  Don't mess it up. 

She was 2 weeks early so she didn't have time to fill out all the skin on her legs and all of her tiny little self.  She's got extra skin on her knees and back, haha.  So cute.  She looks like her brother in the face some, although Caden didn't look near so tiny.  Amazing what a few ounces can do on a newborn :).  She is a daughter, sister, niece, cousin, granddaughter, great-granddaughter.  We are in love.

Sweet baby girl, we love you so much already, welcome to the world
AVERY ALLISON MEYER

Caden Excuses

My little sweet potato turned 3, and I am just sure I saw him change that very week.  He is smarter.  He is trickier.  He is saying even more than before, and not missing a beat.  What's cracking me up the most this week (and making me want to smack him upside the head sometimes.........kidding......), is his excuses he suddenly has.  For everything.  All the time.  Here's a few for giggle's sake.

"I too tired," when telling him he needs to get his pajamas on (irony).

"I too busy," when trying to get him dressed for school, as he lays on the bed like a sack of potatoes while watching a show.

"I too hungry," when telling him he needs to eat his lunch (more irony).

"I can't reach it," when telling him he needs to pick up the gum that 'accidentally' fell out of his mouth and onto the floor, as he bends over and touches the floor on either side of the gum.  Once I informed him he wouldn't be chewing gum anymore if he couldn't manage to pick it up, he figured out a way to get it :).

"I'm too cold," when telling him he needs to put his coat on so we could go outside.

Haha. These are the ones he seems to whip out all the time these days. It's so funny how ironic the excuse is most the time. Oh, CW, you keep things so exciting around here :). We love you so!


Here's a couple pics of him passed out in the living room last week, after he fought a nap tooth and nail (as he always does for me), and insisted he was 'rested' after coming out of his room after an hour or so, having never slept.  This was him later in the afternoon.  Wish he would have napped, but loved this scene in the living room.  What a little cuddle bug :).

Changes in Heart on Daylight Savings

When you have a little munchkin born into your life, the whole sleep thing looks, well, a bit different than it used to.  When they are newborns you are up several times in the night and no longer know the difference between night and day were it not for the sun rising and setting.  Then we went through a stage where Caden slept like a champ, through the night, 10 or 11 hours.  That went on for a long time, over a year, so we got pretty used to that. 

Then came time for the big boy bed after he tried to escape the crib a week after his 2nd birthday, nearly landed on his head.  Once he was in the big boy bed, he seemed to wake up in the night quite frequently, once, sometimes twice a night.  Before we knew it this new pattern lasted over 6 months.  Him screaming for me, one of us going in there and giving him a drink, laying with him til he was back to sleep.  Once we, I don't know, came to our senses and realized the ridiculous pattern we'd created for nighttime, we made worked to break that pattern and once again he was sleeping all night and not hollaring for us.

By that time I was pregnant enough that I was now the problem child, haha.  First was the stage of being very uncomfortable and not sleeping well.  Just being restless.  Then came the stage (new for baby girl, never did this for Caden), where I wake up anywhere between 1:00 and 4:00 am (like tonight when typing this blog at 2:30 am) and am wide awake for an hour or two.  Not complaining, just filling you in on the sleep patterns of the Meyer household.  At any rate, that had gotten a lot better the last week or two and we were all getting a bit more sleep.

Then it came.  Daylight Savings time.  Fall behind.  There was a day when I loved this one.  "Oh, it's probably getting late and I have so much left to do.......nope, it's not as late as I thought, I'll stay up a while"......."Oh, I just woke up and my alarm is probably going to go off soon.......nope, another hour of sleep left".  It was great.  The last 2 years I didn't seem to notice it affect Caden to much.  Then came this year.  He doesn't go to sleep any earlier, yet he has been up before 6:00 every day since we switched the clocks.  This isn't a kid we put to bed at 7:00 at night.  He usually doesn't actually fall asleep til 9:00.  So this is much too early and not enough sleep for him to be waking up by 6:00 am.  He is usually a 7:00 or 7:30 wakeup kind of guy.  And it makes him crabby to be getting up this early and missing out on some sleep.  And probably makes mommy crabby too.

So yesterday morning it was 6:01 am when I heard out bedroom door swing open.  Usually I am over-enthusiastic about him arrival into our room in the morning and welcome him with excitement and open arms.  Even when I have to force such emotions :). Not yeterday.  "Oh honey," I said, "It's way too early, it's still time to sleep, you shouldn't be up yet."

Then it came.......the sweet words that melted my heart and suddenly made me feel terrible for loathing daylight savings the last few days.  "I wanted to come in here mommy and way (lay) wiff you because I wuv you and wanted to cuddle wiff you."  MELT.........MY........HEART.  Allright, buddy, snuggle in, let's watch a show.  And by 'let's' I mean you watch a show and mommy is going to fake watch it and actually sleep more, haha. 

A few minutes later the cuteness may have worn off a bit when Caden asked me to "not do that with my nose" (breathe), because it was too noisy in his ears.  Haha.  So much for cuddle time.

Someday I will miss this all so badly.  I write it all out now to humor myself, but also know that someday I will wish my little boy was wanting to cuddle much too early in the morning, and baby girls kicks in my tummy that were keeping me up at night.  Blessed.

3-0

I haven't ever really paid much attention to my age.  I guess because I always felt young, I don't know.  When people asked how old I was, half the time I'd have to count from 1982 to the year it was, and then answer, I just didn't really think about it much. 

Well, I did it.  I went and turned 30.  Freaks me out a bit for some reason.  30 sounds so grown up and mature.  Just weird.  I always thought of 30 as old.  I can remember my parents in their 30's, PARENTS.  Oh wait, I guess I'm one of those :).

Like I told Jared, if I'm honest with myself, I am long overdue to be 30/sound 'old' to myself.  I have been driving a mini van for 4 years, we have a mortgage, 2 dogs, an almost 3-year-old son, another baby on the way, and don't do anything past 9:00 at night typically.  Therefore, I am long overdue to be 30.  We fit the bill pretty well.  Jared likes to remind me he's not 30 yet.  But, he's not far behind :).  Look out, honey!  As was the case with Caden, we will be different ages when baby girl is born.  We were 26 and 27 when Caden was born.  We'll be 29 and 30 when baby girl is.  Now 26 sounds like a young pup to me :).  Jared was only 26 when Caden was born?!?!  Really??  Haha.  See what turning 30 does to your perspective.

At any rate, my birthday was coming, ready or not.  My sweet hubby is not a planner, and he organized a wonderful dinner with friends and siblings at Old Chicago for us the Friday before.  I knew there were plans in the works for that night, but didn't know details.  Then my mom of course organized an adorable Sunday dinner birthday for me that weekend, and my wonderful in-law's took us out for dinner Monday night after Caden's swimming lessons.  I am a blessed chica indeed. 

30 won't be so bad I suppose.  Right off the bat I'm gaining a daughter at 30, so who can complain?!!?

30 and pregnant

At Old Chicago with Brittany and my sis

With my (only 29-year-old) hubby

Krissy and me

For some reason that's the only pics we got - I kept

wanting to take more and it apparently never happened -

Thanks everyone who came - It meant so much to me!

Eating leftover cupcake with CW the next night

Cuteness

We had a night just the 2 of us while Daddy was at the

football game.....look at that messy face!

Eileen's cookies for me at Mom's

So girlie.  So pretty...love it :)

Mom doesn't miss a detail.....love her

The kids with pumpkins from Marci (Grandpa D's lady :))

Helping me blow out the candles

The whole gang for Sunday dinner

Helping me open presents...."wook, money mom!"

Coloring with Great-Grandpa

Washing dishes with Grandma and Marci

At AppleBee's with Grandma and Grandad

With Friends :)

We have come to know the Dudley's, Jacob and Karlene, through our dear friends the Henning's and the Flohr's.  Jacob had been overseas for 9 months, away from his daughter the same age as Caden.  What an incredible sacrifice he makes for our country.  It is amazing to me and we are forever grateful to amazing men and women like him.  He returned about a month ago and they had a Welcome Home Captain Dudley party for him at his parents' amazingly beautiful home.  And, it happened to be a Husker football night, so we all got to watch a game together too :).  Caden had a lot of fun playing with Nora and Gianna, and making new friends.  Thanks for including us Dudley's, we were honored to be a part of the special festivities :).

Nora and Caden watching a movie

Megan, Annie, and I watching the intense game

Caden snuggled in watching a movie with his new

buddy Rowan who was the same age as him

Gianna cuddling with Jared

So cute :).....not sleeping, don't be fooled.....just

looking down at the TV