How do they do it?!

I am very blessed to be able to stay at home with Caden. I work part time at a "Mommy's Day Out" and I get to take my sweet boy with me. This week I have taken on more responsibility and more "work." I use the term work VERY loosely because literally my work is play. I hang out with a 5 year boy, Alex and a 2 year old boy, Will. My "work" consists of swinging (as Will says "I go higher"), playing GeoTracks, watching Ben10:Alien Force, giving bubble baths, working puzzles, coloring...I know tough job right?!:) I absolutely LOVE it. This week I have worked outside the home a little over 30 hours. Words cannot express how much more respect I have for moms who not only work outside the home but maybe arent crazy about their jobs. I think I have cooked dinner one night this week, I am pretty sure I left the laundry in the dryer for 3 days, and my house is a little less than spotless;) When I have come home this week I really have just wanted to hang out with the fam and do nothing! I have to give MAJOR kuddos to mom's that have a full-time job outside the home and still have the stamina to do everything else! Y'all are my heroes:)

the Fish Mask

The pictures of are our new friend the "fish mask." It does look pretty pitiful. For the past week Caden has had a cough/congestion that has gotten progressively worse. I just chalked it up to allergies and did not call the doctor because I did'nt want to be "that mom." You know the mom who calls about everything under the sun!? Anyway, with the persuasion of a friend and my husband and with his cough getting obviously worse I called the doctor...and she wanted to see him. It's a good thinkg too. Caden had weezing in his chest, on top of all the congestion and fluid on his ears. Is this the beginning of a life long battle with asthma? I wont jump to that conclusion quite yet (although my dad, "grandpa" was just in the hospital last week for asthma related issues.) For now, Caden is getting breathing treatments every 3-4 hours and a lot of TLC:)

Confessions of a Guilty Mom

Today I did something I rarely do. I dropped Caden off at a friends for absolutely no reason. Now I have left him plenty of times: at school on Tuesday and Thursdays, to go on dates, to go to basketball games, etc. but today was different. Today, I had no date with Chris, no game, no nothing...I just left him and had some "me" time. I ran errands, straightened the house, did some laundry and exercised...all without Caden. Maybe it has to do with the fact the because of my battle with post-partum depression I was not the one gettin up all through the night with him or taking care of him for the first month of his life but I think sometimes I feel I have to make up for that first month for the rest of his life. So, this got me thinking what other "guilty mom" things do I do and am I alone out there? After posting this will I lose my "good mommy" status among my other mom friends? It's a risk I am willing to take so here we go:

-I am not the one that always wakes up with him in the morning/in the middle of the night if need be, sometimes Chris does

-Sometimes I let Caden swing, and then leave the room to go do something

-If he wakes up in the middle of the night and I am just out of energy I make him a bottle and feed him back to sleep

-Sometimes when he is napping and there is laundry to do and a house to clean and dinner to cook I pretend like I have nothing to do and I watch TV

-I don't always burp him when he is finished drinking

-I try so hard (and usually succeed) at reading to him at least 20 minutes a day but every once in a while we miss a day

-I have yet to put sunscreen on Caden when we go outside

-There are more days then not where I dont put pants or socks on Caden

the list could continue but I feel I have incriminated myself enough today!

Now I Know

I have worked with children ever since I can remember and whether I am babysitting and we draw a picture for their parents or I am their teacher and we do a craft the parental reaction is always the same:



"Oh my goodness, you did this all by yourself?! I cannot believe you made this! I LOVE it!!"



I'll admit I used to think the parents were just putting on a great show to make their little one feel special, but boy was I wrong. Most of you know I work part time at a Parents Day Out program. Tuesday and Thursday mornings me and Caden load up and go to "school." He is not in my room (only a few doors down, of course and I think I only check on him 5 times a day:). Today when I went to pick him up I was greeted with my first Mother's Day present from him. (really, I am starting to tear up right now). It is the most beautiful flower pot I have EVER seen and yes, you guessed it, it is proudly being displayed on my desk. Now I know those parents werent putting on a show, nope- all genuine 100% emotions:) Who knew?

edit: here is a picture of the flower pot and the beautiful flowers I got on mothers day--along with a DVD of all the pictures of Caden and our family complete with music and everything:)

Bumper Boy

Before you call CPS give me the benefit of the doubt;) Caden is moving all over the place now, so I figure the only "safe" place for him is in his crib. I heard him talking after his morning nap and I went upstairs to find his head in between his bumper and crib rails. Definate "freak out"moment. Needless to say the bumpers are being removed today:)

Like Father like Son

If you ask me Caden is a momma's boy but I have some stiff competition with his daddy:) He LOVES Chris. Sunday is probably Caden's favorite day. Chris gets up with him on Sunday mornings and bathes him, dresses him, reads to him and plays with him before church. The rest of the afternoon he is most likely to be found in his daddy's arms. Here are some sweet pictures of the two of them.

Shots and Sleep

Monday was Cadens 4 month check up....I am proud to announce he weighs 16 pounds and 26 inches long:) If you ask his daddy how big Caden his, Chris will curl up his fist and hold it up to his mouth like a microphone and in his best MC voice say, "Weighing in a an even 16 pounds and standing at a staggering 26 inches the starting point guard for _________ CADEN GAITHER." What are we creating?!?! Of course he had to get shots but man he is tough! Monday his fever spiked to 102.1 but we did get in down and he was okay. Needless to say him and I stayed home on Tuesday and I guess he was exhausted because this is what he looked like during his nap yesterday: