Cords, Drawers, and Tables, Oh My!!!

I can't believe how quickly Cade has become Mobile. Two weeks ago he wasn't crawling or pulling himself up to the coffee table. This morning he crawled right over to the table and effortlessly pulled himself up to the standing position. It is clear that today when I go to work I will be investing in another baby gate for the downstairs. WE have bother Christmas trees up now and so far Cade hasn't seemed to interested in them. He is much more enthusiastic about cords, drawers, and tables. Other than crawling and standing, we continue to see his personality surfacing. He's pretty smart already. At this point he prefers fruit over veggies. If you start with veggies and he sees the fruit jar sitting there he will push the spoon of veggies away. I was laughing the other day when Bonnie (daycare) told me that she has been prepping Cade's lunch behind his high chair in the kitchen so he doesn't see the fruit. With all of the crawling he has been quite worn out. It isn't hard to get him to nap like if used to be. Yesterday morning he slept in with me until 8:00 and by 10:30 he was down for his first nap. Wow!

Cade's First Turkey Day and other Big News.....

A lot has happened over this past week. First of all, we had a lovely Thanksgiving and Brian's Aunt Molly's house. It was such a beautiful day that a few of us went for a walk before dinner. Cade still loves his walks even when it is a little cold. Of course Cade had the chance to sample some Thanksgiving food for the first time. He loved the sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, and the pumpkin pie with cool whip that Papa "snuck him" when no one was looking (hehehe). Our most exciting news is that Cade is officially crawling!!!!! What an accomplishment. Last Friday night he took about 3 crawls on the living room floor and by the time I got home from work on Saturday he was crawling about 5 paces for Nana. Now Cade is very busy being "Mr. Independent." Yesterday I was so glad that he was up to showing Grandpa and Grandma Cox his latest when we went to meet them at breakfast. In other news, Brian was busy putting up Christmas lights this weekend. I must say I had no idea I married a man with such "outdoor illumination" skills. Seriously, I am married to Clark Griswold...hahaha. I am sure that in the years to come Cade will be out there with him. Maybe we'll enter a contest someday!

Addie and Cole came for a visit this past Thursday. I was able to get the day off, so we took the boys out for lunch, shopping and then back to our house for playtime. Cade and Cole have not been together since June, when Addie. Matt, and Cole moved back to Duluth. Eventhough they will most likely grow up in separate towns, I have not doubt that they will be friends. Addie and I grew up together. In fact, we lived across the street (Cooke) from eachother for the first five years of our lives. We parted ways until 9th grade when we met up again at East High School. We played soccer together and even though I went away to Illinois for college we remained friends. Addie was one of the few that came to see me at school down in "Sweet Home Macomb, a trip we will never forget (Ha). By chance we ended up down the street from one another again three years ago in Brooklyn Park. At this time last year we were both pregnant and gong for walks every single day after work. I admired Addie becuase we will still walking right up until she had Cole in January. What a sight! Two big pregnant girls waddling around the neighborhood in our husbands' winter jackets because ours didn't fit. Great memories! When Cade was born Addie and Cole kept us company (Caribou every day) until they moved back to Duluth in June. We miss them dearly, but know that we will always stay in touch. The boys really seemed to like playing together. No crying except when Cole would snatch Cade's toy- he's not quite into sharing yet. It was sad to say goodbye to Addie and Cole and excited to see them again soon.

If you scroll to the very beginning of my blog you can see how I've now mastered my jumping skills. Mom and Dad like to put me in a my jumpy after dinner so I get my get my last bit of energy out before bedtime. Not only can I jump high, but I can swing now too. Mom never goes too far when I'm jumping in fear that I might just jump to the other end of the family room! My legs are getting stronger from all of this jumping- perhaps I will play soccer someday. What do you think?

We had such a busy weekend that Cade and I could not find time to update his blog. Friday night Cade had his first french fry at Ruby Tuesdays. It was a special occasion since it was Cade's 8 month birthday- WOW!!! On Saturday we all went to Macy's downtown to see the Christmas display. We realize that Cade is a little young to appreciate the display, but we are certain that he loved all of the lights and colors! Yesterday Uncle Mike came over to hang out and eat dinner with us. I am happy to report that he is still alive after my wild rice soup- at least I think he is.......Mike, are you out there? We had a great time. Cade is definitely battling his incoming teeth. Last night Uncle Mike was the only one to succeed in calming him down- thanks, Mike. As I am sitting here Cade is on the floor next to me very frustrated that he still cannot crawl. However, he can now get from laying down to sitting up on his own. He also enjoys kicking toys away from him so he can dive after them. Lots of entertainment at the Reimer's house lately!

Cade, I can't believe how big and blue your eyes are! Tonight you had a lot of fun in the tub. You learned the true art of splashing. Normally you take quick baths- in and out in five minutes, but now that you are so strong and have such great balance you can sit in your tub and enjoy. I put some toys in your tub tonight, but you were more into hitting the water with your hands and scooping up the bubbles. Your first tooth showed up about five days ago. Bonnie wrote in your daycare journal last Thursday that you had a surprise for me, but I didn't see it until Saturday night. You've been waking up twice a night now and we think that is from your new tooth. Dad and I have our alone nights with you when the other closes our Target stores once a week. Tuesdays are our night and Mondays are your nights with Daddy. Last night you stayed at home with Dad and played on the floor and in your jumpy! You will be 8 months old in just a few days and it is so hard to believe how fast these months have gone. We can't wait for your first Christmas!

My First Big Election

I picked up Cade from daycare a little after 5:00 tonight. I wasn't one of the lucky ones who was able to leave work to vote today. Bonnie had just fed Cade a bottle around 5:00 so I figured that we might just have a chance at stopping off to vote at the nearby church without me causing a huge scene with a hungry, crabby baby. So I loaded Cade into his stroller and wheeled him into the polls. He was very interested in all of the commotion. We made it in and out without a problem. On my way home I was thinking about how cool it will be to tell Cade about the first election in his lifetime. Tomorrow we will either have out first African-American President or our very first female Vice President. Pretty exciting. As of now it seems like Obama is in the lead, but too early to tell what will happen. I told Cade a little about it tonight as I put his jammies on- surprisingly he seemed more interested in playing with my cell phone! I took this picture when we got home tonight. Look closely and you will see Cade's "I Voted" sticker!

The Eve of my First Halloween

We know its not officially "Trick or Treat Time", but we couldn't resist. Brian brought Cade's costume downstairs tonight and wanted to try it on.......we couldn't help ourselves, although I am sure Cade wished we would have. Parental Lesson of the Evening: Bri and I discovered that trying to stuff a 7 month old into a tight dragon costume while still in his jeans and sweatshirt is not such a hot idea. Poor Cade- we made him sweat while we posed with him for our first Halloween picture! It was sooo worth it!

My Favorite Puppy!

Cade is absolutely, without a doubt, one hundred percent in love with his puppy, Jake. Now that Cade is a little older he is clearly interested in Jake's every move. I remember when we first brought Cade home from the hospital and Brian and I were both a little nervous at how Jake would react now that he wouldn't be the center of our attention. Fortunately our minds were put at ease quickly because Jake didn't seem to mind Cade at all. In fact, for the first few months Jake pretty much ignored Cade not paying much attention to him at all. Nowadays Jake is learning that Cade is getting to be more interactive and fun. Brian and I encourage play time between the two of them. This picture was taken the other day when we sat Cade on the floor so he could "pet his puppy." Jake is very patient with him and is becoming more protective of him each day. Its fun to watch the two of them!

My New Toy

Yesterday I had surgery for my kidney stones so Grandma Reimer was kind enough to have Cade over for a little slumber party! Thanks so much, Barb! WE are excited to have him home with us tonight. Just a few moments ago Brian and I discovered that Cade loves the plastic slinky that Uncle Mike bought him a while back. Although we know this toy is exactly "age appropriate" for a seven month old- it sure is fun to watch. The other picture below the slinky was taken yesterday morning. I was feeding Cade his peaches and for the first time he started licking his lips to make sure he could enjoy every little bit of it. It was funny.

Grandma and Grandpa Cox Come to Visit

This weekend my Mom and Dad came to visit. Jamie, Mark, and Sophie joined us on Saturday night for dinner. This was the first time that any of us have seen Sophie walk. It was so fun. Sophie looks like she's been walking a lot longer than just a couple of weeks. At one point we had Cade in his jumper and Sophie right beside him when she decided that she would jump along with him. When she had had enough, she grabbed onto the straps of the jumper to try and get Cade to stop jumping as well. We all had a good laugh. Now that Sophie is walking Jamie and I can just imagine next year at this time and how much fun it will be to watch them chasing each other and hopefully playing nice! These pictures were taken this weekend. The picture of Cade with Grandma Reimer was taken last week at their house when we decided to do a "fall photo shoot." The picture of Cade and Brian sleeping was taken this morning. Cade woke up around 6 am. Brian works late so he had Cade in bed with him for a little morning nap. I was out the door for a meeting, but had to sneak this picture.

First visit to the Pumpkin Patch!

Today has to be the most beautiful fall day we have had in Minnesota in a long time. Since Brian and I both have the weekend off from Target we decided to take advantage of this beautiful weather and take Cade to Stillwater to see the pumpkin patch. It was so much fun. Unfortunatelty Brian had a little mishap when he fell and broke the camera (hehehe) so these are the only two pictures we got! There was also a petting zoo there. Cade got to feed a baby llama.....not quite sure if he got what was going on, but we were impressed that he wasn't scared when they ran up to him. I also couldn't tell who enjoyed the petting zoo more- Brian or Cade. I think Brian blew more than a few bucks buying feed for the llamas. We plan on making it back there before Halloween so that that Jamie, Mark, and Sophie can join us.
The picture of Cade holding his own bottle was taken just the other morning. Mornings get a little tricky when Brian and I both open our stores early. We run around the house like crazy people getting ourselves and Cade ready at the same time. He usually gets his morning bottle in shifts. We thought this picture was cute because it was as if Cade was tired of waiting for us to feed him and just decided to try his independence out! We were very proud when he fed himself 1/2 of his bottle on his own.

So Many Exciting Changes!

It's amazing how quickly Cade is growing and developing! Last week we had his 6 month appointment. He was 16.1 pounds, 26.5 inches. This puts him in the 75th percentile in height and between 25-50th percentile in weight. Just over this past week he has been sitting up by himself. Yesterday Brian and I noticed that he has started to clap his hands together- the patty cake is finally paying off. The other thing that I can't believe is how he is reaching for everything now with more coordination. Last night I was reading him a book, but kept getting interrupted with him grabbing at the pages. It was funny. I would like to think he was interested in the story, but I think he just wanted to eat the book. No teeth yet, but a ton of drool. He's going through several bibs a day.

Cade continues to love his food. The other night Grandpa Dave got to feed him for the first time and he's lucky he made it home with all of his fingers!!! Ha! It's been really fun lately to watch Cade get more into playing with toys. He's starting to love cuddling with his bear even though the bear is still a bit bigger than him. He has started reaching for things. Yesterday Brian and I were feeding him and put the spoon close to his mouth to see what would happen. After only about two seconds Cade grabbed it and jammed it into his mouth. It was hilarious. Today on our day off we took Cade to Dave and Busters (adult video arcade). It's pretty loud, but Cade didn't seem to mind. In fact he loved the lights and all the action! It was a great day.

"Ode to Peas!"

So far Cade hasn't met a veggie he hasn't loved! He's had squash, peas, sweet potatoes, and carrots and has loved each of them the same. He is the loudest eater I have ever heard. The entire time we feed him he makes really loud "mmmmmm" sounds. Now when Brian and I eat anything Cade launches at it as if to say "gimme some of that." I've been thinking lately about the stories my dad would tell me about my grandma's grocery bills as he was growing up. Cade's love of solids is giving me a glimpse into our future grocery bills- yowza!

Wow! We've had a couple of busy days! On Thursday as I headed off to work, Brian took Cade up to Izatys to spend the night with Grandma and Grandpa Reimer. I laughed when I saw this picture of cade on the four wheeler- Brian is so excited to have someone to play with! They had a great time. Grandma Reimer brought Cade on some walks- which he loves. They came home just in time for my parents, Grandma and Grandpa Cox to come for a visit. Auntie Jamie and Cousin Sophie came over as well. Sophie is Cade's beautiful 1 year old cousin. It is getting so fun to see the two of them together because they are really starting to interact. On Friday night all Sophie wanted to do was give Cade a hug. She extended her arms several times and tried to grab him- so cute. Then she would stare at him closely and pat him on his head. We're pretty sure that Shophie thinks he is a doll to play with. Sophie is crawling up a storm and before too long she'll be walking! Next year at this time Jamie and I will really have our hands full on our sister outings! Yesterday Cade spent quality time with Grandma and Grandpa Cox while we went to work (Thanks for the help again!) They had a lot of fun. My parents could not believe how much Cade loves his jumper. Even when he's not in it, he's bouncing! I predict that we have an athlete on our hands! However, we think Cade is really starting to get some teeth- pretty fussy yesterday.

My First Trip to the Minnesota State Fair!

Today turned out to be a great day for the fair. Although we woke up this morning to strong thunderstorms, it was nice and cool by the time we got there with no rain. We had a great time. I reminded Brian that it was last year at the fair that he swore he would "never be one of those parents" with a frumpy stroller bumping into people and there we were doing exactly that! I can say that we did a great job and did not take anyone out with our big rig. Cade seemed interested with all the people at the fair. It was hard to get him to concentrate on his bottle when he had so much to look at. Cade has a definite obsession with ceiling fans and when we went to sit down in one of the stands he was in heaven to find the entire ceiling covered with them. We had a good laugh. It will be a lt more fun at the Fair when Cade is a bit older, but it was a great practice run today!

Here We Go......Our First Blog Entry!

Hi Everyone!
Welcome to Cade's very own Blog. I have seen and heard from so many that blogs are the best way to share pictures, stories, laughes, and memories with family and friends. I figure that instead of having thousands of pictures lying around the house and countless memory sticks filled with the zillion pictures we take of Cade, that we would have this blog for ourselves and everyone else to look at and watch Cade as he grows up. Cade has only been here for five and a half months, but is already growing quickly before our eyes. Brian and I are excited that this will give us a great way to record his milestones and always be able to look back and smile!