Full Moon

I've heard that it's a parental obligation to show cute but compromising photos of your toddler. Since it's a friends and family site, here you go!

And she strikes again...

Today I took Cady to story time at the library. Probably due to the holidays, it was a nice small group of about four moms/dads and only five or six kids. The reader, a man, was reading a book about a cat that also featured other animals. When he turned to the cow page, there's a cartoon picture of a cow with a very large udder. Cady, who is standing in front of the book, exclaims, "Look mommy! That cow has a peepo!" Peepo is a word that Cady came up with on her very own. It's a stand-in for penis. Since she created it, we've just gone with it. I didn't even think she knew the word penis, that is until her follow-up statement. No sooner had she announced to everyone that this cow has a peepo but she then says, "My daddy has a penis!"

Cady's done wonders on my "embarrasses easily" issues. I hardly bat an eye anymore.

I remember the first time that I heard the song, "Betty Davis Eyes" I just had to know what precocious meant. I remember asking my mom and then feeling equally confused by the time she was done explaining. I guess that not being very precocious myself I just couldn't wrap my brain around it's meaning. It amuses me that 30 years later I have been given a living example of the word.

Jenny

Thought I'd take a picture of Jenny's morning ritual. Our heater is on a timer so Jenny crawls out of bed at the crack of dawn and waits....

and waits....

Ahhhhhhh

Christmas Cookies

Oh wow! Emma and her parents came over tonight to decorate cookies. I'm so super-proud of Rob because I know he must have had to use so much constraint during this little session. Cady and Emma's version of decorating cookies was to empty all the bottles of sprinkles out onto the countertop and squeeze frosting out into giant clumps. Candies were rolling all over the kitchen. Tiny candy balls were sticking to our socks when we walked. It was an absolute sticky, gloopy mess and Rob rolled with it. I have a higher tolerance for temporary mess than Rob does and *I* was having a hard time controlling my own urges to not take all of the sprinkles out of their possession.
Not only did they decorate their hearts out, they naturally ate lots of icing and candy which turned into two really irritable toddlers who vacillated between hitting and hissing at each other to hugging, laughing and running around the house. It was true chaos at it's finest.
Letting Toddlers decorate without restrictions-one hour clean up-time (and likely several days of finding candy balls in odd places)
Dealing with sugared-up emotional and irritable toddlers for a full night-A few new knots in the shoulders
Memories of making cookies with friends and family and forgetting there was any chaos involved-Priceless

NOT a good day for elastic waistband

Today I had to make a quick trip to the Dr. to get my Rhogam shot. I prepped Cady that I would be getting a shot in my butt and she could hold my hand to help me feel better. I wore some sweat pants to make it easy for them to pull down my pants for the shot. We get to the exam room, the nurse pulls down my pants, injects me, and while she is slowly putting the syringe full of ouch into my bottom, Cady jumped up and held my hand. Very sweet (very painful too). The nurse was kind enough to give Cady her very own syringe so that she could administer injections to her babies at home.
After our appt she wanted to play in the waiting room play area. During that time, she kept pulling up my shirt to give the baby a shot. Okay, I wasn't thrilled to keep exposing my belly but it was the lesser of all evils yet to come. After a couple of minutes of this I announced to Cady that it was time to leave. Leaving meant walking from the play area at the back of the large waiting room to the door on the opposite end. This was right before lunch, the Dr.'s office was backed-up, and it was CROWDED. So walking out involved walking in front of a lot of people. Cady decides on the way out that I need a shot in my butt. So she grabs my sweats and tries to pull my pants down. I'm walking quickly trying to get out of there and Cady is behind me grabbing at my pants the entire time, pulling them down and YELLING (she was quite bent out of shape at this point that I wasn't playing along), "I need to shot your butt, I need to shot your butt, I need to shot your butt!" the entire way out. I'm sure it was a good show for those that were waiting. Why me?

28 week belly

This is what a 28 week (equals 6 months) belly looks like on a short-waisted person. Some days I feel sooo lucky to work with teens (sarcastic tone) because they love to tell me how big I am. In fact, one of my teen moms commented three different times yesterday on how "huge" I was. The last comment was, "Ms. Keenan, I feel sorry for you. You are so huge!" LOL. Teens and toddlers both seem to be missing a filter.


6 weeks




28 weeks

A Caroling We Went!

Last night we met up with about six other families up to do some Christmas Caroling at Little Sister's of the Poor...a nursing facility in our neighborhood. We weren't sure how Cady would do because it was somewhere different and potentially overwhelming...and it was smack in the middle of dinner time too.

We pulled up the facility and the first question out of her mouth was "where is Gigi's car?" She only knew at this point that we were going to visit some "Gigi's" (Cady's term for anyone who is around the same age as her very own Great Grandmother, AKA Gigi). We went into the facility and were greeted by a very outgoing and vivacious nun who Cady was pretty frightened of...even after she told Cady that she was a penguin and tried to play peek-a-boo with her through her ummmm nun-atire(insert correct word).

The kiddos were given cards that other kids in the group had made to pass out to the residents. Initially Cady stayed right with us and wanted nothing to do with the cards. Mid-way through the touring and singing she approached a resident with me and gave her a card (It's a really good thing Cady had already turned her back and started on her way and thus missed the woman shrieking "Joey!" and throwing her card on the floor.) As we moved through the facility, which was a huge multi-floor facility)Cady started to warm up. She naturally warms up to certain people and takes a liking to them right away and it was no different here. When she would spot the "right" person (always a woman) she'd trot right up to them with a card. She was really starting to enjoy all the singing and card giving and it warmed our hearts to watch her spread some cheer. By the end of the evening, she was walking alongside the activities director leading the pack, peering into rooms, and with the other kids gathering around the residents. One Gigi had M&M's that she shared with Cady which may have a little to do with her new-found comfort of the whole situation. And at the end of the nights there were cookies and apple juice. Oh boy!

Cady's favorite part? She said it was the cards that she gave to the residents.

A comparison

I need to find Rob's baby pics so I can do one of him and Cady.

Me


Cady

Gender Neutrification..or not

We were going to start saving up for a new bedroom set for Cady but a friend of a friend of ours is going through a divorce and made us an offer we couldn't refuse. A trundle bed, practically new, for $100.00. I took Cady out to Target to buy some sheets and I was REALLY hoping that I could steer her toward something a little more gender neutral so that we can start making some head-way toward defeminizing her room for Coben's arrival. I must have had a screw loose, because anyone in their right mind who spends any amount of time with a two year old will know that there is no steering them toward an idea that isn't their own! This is a picture of her new big girl bed and the sheets that she just could not live without!


I did manage to talk her out of the princess bedspread. The Princess sheets are flannel so maybe by the time her birthday rolls around she can add a whole new bedset to her list since it'll be warming it's way up toward the need for non-flannel sheets. And just where do little girls get their princess obsessions? She hasn't even seen her first princess movie yet, but she has to have princess spaghettios, princess diapers and now add princess sheets to the list. Strange.

The new bed has made me into a nervous wreck. See how high off of the ground it is?? And no rails??? Ay-yi-yi. Rob's convinced that she'll be fine and that despite what I say she is not going to roll off and end up with a permanent spinal injury. But I suppose that she would have to actually sleep in her own bed all night long in order to increase the chance of that happening.

Cady's Big Words

Frustrated is a pretty big word. It's a regular now. Cady informed me as we were parking in the Target parking lot yesterday that "most of the time daddy gets frustrated with me when I jump on the bed." And then there is "Actually" which she slips into most sentences these days. For example last night when I was re-tucking her back in bed.
Cady: "Mommy, I want to cuddle you in the morning."
Me: "I probably won't be here when you wake up tomorrow. I have to go to work so we can buy crumpets and butter (a phrase she came up with, although since Thanksgiving it is now crumpets, butter and stuffing) Daddy will take you to school and I'll pick you up and we'll do something fun like play with some playdough.
Cady: Actually mom, I like to make cookies. Sugar cookies with lots of sprinklers.

And the granddaddy of all big words. Preposterous. I used the word earlier in the day. That evening Rob and I were driving home from a friend's house. Cady was looking for the moon which was invisible due to the heavy clouds.
Cady: Where's the moon?
Me: It's hiding behind the clouds.
Cady: No, I think the sun ate the moon.
Me: That's just crazy.
Cady: No mom, it's proposperous

Pronunciation a little off...context,perfect!!

Public Restrooms

Boy, there is no shortage of blog material when you have a Cady! Today at Target in the busy Public Restroom. We are in the stall and I'm trying to use the restroom and change Cady simultaneously. To put it bluntly, someone farts in the stall next to us.

Cady: (Eyes get really wide!) Mommy, was that her? (points to the stall next to us).

I nod my head trying to be quiet.

Cady: (not accepting this mode of communication says louder) Mommy! Was that she??(sticks her hand under the stall into the next stall making a pointing gesture).

Me: (mortified, wanting this conversation to go away but knowing Cady well enough that it will only get worse if I pretend not to hear her questions) whisper in her ear: Yes Cady.

Cady: (quite loud) Mommy! Why she farted?????

I decide to wait until the "she" next door to us leaves before we exit the stall.

Beer Breath

We just got home from Thanksgiving dinner. I'm putting Cady to bed and tell her to go give daddy a kiss. Cady walks up to Rob, plants one on him and pulls away quickly.
"Daddy, your beer stinks. You need some medicine for your breath." That's my girl!

Gender Sandwich

I was driving around with Cady today when I hear from the backseat...
"Mommy, what's for lunch today"
I asked her, "What would you like? I could make you a grilled cheese."
After a moment of contemplation she responds.
"Yes, I'd like a girled cheese and daddy wants a boy cheese."

Happy Birthday Jenny and Fibi!

Jenny and Fibi had a Birthday party this Wednesday. It's not really their birthdays but Cady has been dying to attend a birthday party and seeing as how there aren't any birthdays coming up in the near future, we decided it was time for Jenny and Fibi to have one. We decided to do it on Wednesday because that is the day of the week that we watch Emma. Every party needs a party guest, right? So all week long Cady was looking forward to the party. It's all she talked about. She picked out the cake at the grocery store. Pink Cake! (Strawberry). She picked out some presents for each of them and helped me wrap them. Then came the big day and Cady was nearly coming out of her skin with excitement all day. Then we found out that our party guest Emma was sick with a fever. What to do?


Starin received a panicked call from me, "What are you doing tonight? Any chance that you and Lilly would be willing to attend Jenny and Fibi's birthday party?" and she came through. Let the party begin!



Cady decorated the cake. Rob brought home balloons. We had frozen pizzas. Cady opened presents for the cats. And we played Don't Spill the Beans. Who could ask for anything more?






Cady and Cousin Starin


Pretty in Pink Party Dress

We call this Pink Cake with Purple Icing and lots of "Sprinklers"

>

Let's talk about poop

Ick! I'm not a fan of the "little potty" because you have to dump it and clean it. And if Cady gets a hold of it before I can get in there (she insists on shutting the door and everyone out) then I also have that to clean and the mess of her trying to clean it herself. This is just plain wrong for a woman who has pregnancy nose and stomach. Anyhow, I'm on the computer tonight and I hear the familiar shutting of the bathroom door. A moment later Cady runs out with the little bowl in her hands, plants it right under my nose and says, "Look mommy! I made a little snake!"

Sure enough it did look like a little snake, lol!

Does she get this from Rob or Me?? :)

The weirdness. Is that a Rob trait or a Paula trait? Or is it a little bit of both of us? Or to quote Cady's great Uncle, "If you have to ask, it must be you" lol. Here's her latest and greatest.

So it was nap time. I hear Cady yelling in her room (not a big deal as nap time usually just equals alone time so I usually hear some kind of noise) What I hear is, "Stop it! Leave me alone! Stop!" I try to ignore her thinking maybe she is just playing around but she continues yelling. Then she starts screaming. Ear-piercing screams over and over and I think, "I'd better go check." I walk into her room and she is laying in her bed with her feet in the air and the thin flimsy curtains behind her bed are covering her feet and she has them in her hands. She yells in all sersiousness when she sees me at her door, "The curtains are getting me mommy. Why my curtains getting me?"

She amuses me

Okay, I don't know where she gets these ideas because I'm lucky if ANYTHING that I wear matches. This is our conversation though while in the living room this afternoon.

Cady: Mommy, you have blue pants, and a pink shirt.
Me: Yes, I sure do.
Cady: Mommy, what color are your boobies? (that's what she calls my bra and she asks this as she grabs my neckline and looks down my shirt). Mommy, you don't have pink boobies, you have white boobies.
Me: That's okay. White boobies are okay.
Cady: No mommy. You need to go to the store and buy some pink boobies for your pink shirt.
A pause
Cady: Daddy likes boobies.

Pictures and ponderings

Cady was in the room during the ultrasound. She has been adamant about the baby being a girl. On the way to the clinic she said, "I want a girl, just like me." So, little Tate who is still on an anti-boy crusade was not pleasantly surprised with the announcement that she will be the big sister to a little boy. She is still convinced that we are wrong and it's a girl. Sigh.

Ponderings:

It's unfortunate that we've used up so much garage space saving all of our favorite Cady outfits (buckets!) that will not be used again. At the same time it will be nice to finally start clearing up some space. It's a little overwhelming though thinking about starting a boy wardrobe from scratch! But at the same time probably a lot easier to limit ourselves to just a few pairs of blue jeans and t-shirts.

Why the heck did I buy hot pink curtains and other girly stuff? It might take a little while to figure out how to defeminize the room and make it a little more neutral for both. That's okay, I'll just recruit Starin to come over for a brainstorming session.

Trying to wrap my mind around having a boy. I wonder if this is a normal reaction after already having a child of the opposite sex? Girls just feel so familiar now.

The reality of it all! Even on a good day, when we finally have Cady to bed Rob and I usually just look at each other, sigh and say something like "Oh boy!" This is with ONE kid. "oh boy!"

Yikes! This means we can't keep delaying thinking about names. We now know that we are having a boy so we have to start thinking about boy names. Names are hard.

And now for the pictures...

The evidence that it's a little boy


Tell me if this picture wouldn't scare any mother?? (profile shots at 20 weeks are much cuter than straight on shots)




Not a bad picture even without all of his skin! I think he looks a bit like Rob here! The ultrasound techs were in playing around mode which is how we ended up with 3D's. They usually recommend the pictures further along when the baby looks a little less skeletonish and bumpy.

Pregnancy Brain

Ahhh..the dreaded pregnancy brain. The same brain that, when I was pregnant with Cady caused me to put together an awesome presentation with a one day deadline and then forget to show up to the presentation to present (yes, it was in my calendar and I had even told the students that I was going to be presenting about 10 minutes before the presentation and then poof! it left my mind.) And caused me to tell a parent, "I'll be right with you", set my paper down, walk right past them and straight up to my office where I remembered the parent a whole hour later (fortunately, someone told them I was hung up w/ something and they left after 5 minutes)I'd insert blushing smiley faces if I had them.

So, yeah. It's back. Full-force. I just don't get it. If not for the validation of the many pregnant women I commiserate with, I'd really think I was losing my mind!

Examples:

I was in line for breakfast at the Hyatt and two ladies asked me, "are you from here?" And I said, "No". Then, at least a whole two minutes later I realized what I said, and had to correct myself. "Yes, I'm from Denver, I'm sorry, I don't know why I said that!"

Tuesday morning I left for music class in my fuzzy slippers and probably would have gotten all the way there if Cady wasn't the one who pointed it out to me as we were getting in the car, "Mommy (chuckle chuckle), your shoes are silly!" Well, Thursday morning I left for work in the same pair of slippers. A really nice dressy outfit and the scuzziest pink slipppers you've ever seen. Thanks goodness it was wet out because I was able to catch it this time as soon as I headed up the driveway.

A couple of weeks ago (granted I had the flu the entire week so that probably played into this one) I laid on the couch with a banana that I was intending to eat for lunch. I picked it up and tried to use it as a remote to change channels. No sooner had I finished laughing at myself when the phone rang and I tried to answer the banana.

Last week I told my intern that I was taking her to meet our school nurse. I walked down the hall with her, passed the nurses office, and realized I had absolutely no recollection of where I told her we were going. I finally just stopped and had to admit it out loud and she then reminded me that we were going to the nurses office which was "way back there"

These are just the big ones. This blog entry might take up the whole page if I actually listed out all of the little ones such as forgetting what I'm talking about mid-conversation, putting random things that don't belong in the fridge into the fridge, losing things, using the wrong words when speaking or writing, spelling errors, etc...

If you leave your camera laying around...

You might find this when you upload your pictures....

You are my Sunshine

By request for Sophie!

The return of the boogers!

Following a cold, there is never a shortage of booger stories.

Cady used to have no problem blowing her nose or disposing of her boogers somewhere other than her mouth...that is until recently. It's so gross! I was really proud of her when I was getting her out of the car for music class because she said, "here's a booger mom" of course I had nowhere to put it and had the brilliant idea to wipe it onto he bottom of her shoe. The rest will come later.

So now cut to music class. We are in the group circle singing the Hello song. Each kid gets a hello to them. I don't even see her digging in her nose, except when it's time for the group to sing "Hello to Cady" Cady puts her finger up in the air with a booger on it and yells, "Here mom!" That gets a chuckle from the group. I leave the circle to cut across the room to get a kleenex. So I'm across the group from Cady. She sees me grab a kleenex and I kid you not, she YELLS across the singing group, "I already ate it all up mommy! I ate it up!" [+o(]

So now music class is over and we are leaving. It's time to put on our shoes. We are sitting in a pile with all the other moms and toddlers putting on their shoes when Cady announces, "I'm looking for my booger mom! Where's my booger" while inspecting the bottom of her shoe. Man, talk about embarrassing.

Huh.

So, I don't remember what we were doing but there was a perfect opportunity presented to me the other day to explain to Cady about the whole nursing a baby thing. I don't want her to be shocked when the baby is born. She was very attentive and cute about it and didn't seem at all surprised by the idea.

So tonight at dinner, Cady takes a big swig of milk, looks at Rob and me in all seriousness and says, "I have milk in my boobies too now mama!!" Sweet!

Hey Cady, let's get ready to go!

And this is what she chose as her "going to meet up with a friend at McDonald's Playplace" outfit!!

I told her....

to go pick out some jammies for bed. When I went into her bedroom, this is what I saw!

Ultrasound results

I had my third OB/GYN appointment yesterday and we discussed at length all of the options in front of me for genetics testing. I can get an amniocentesis, or CVS, or Sequential Screening. There's all kinds of fun stuff which I wish I didn't have to think about.
Anyhow, the bonus of being a "mature mom" (that's the label on my medical chart) is that I get an extra ultrasound between my 8 week and 20 week ultrasound. The ultrasound is part of a sequential screening that measures the nuchal fold (base of the neck) which is a big indicator for Down's as well as other measurements for physical abnormalities. Thought I'd share the results with you.

Okay. Not really the results. I have to wait a month till all the blood screenings are done. And since I'm only 12 1/2 weeks so it's too early for them to tell me the gender with any kind of accuracy. But here's Cady interpretation.

"It's a baby in there!"

"Get it out mommy. Open your stomach!"

"It's dancing mommy! The baby likes to dance"

"Look mommy, the baby is dancing in the tunnel!"

On the way to the appointment Cady announced the she wanted them to take a picture of the baby in her belly too. I didn't think too much of it beyond that but she had a plan and she followed through. After I got up from the table, Cady squeezed in next to me (I thought to sit) but she immediately layed down, pulled up her shirt and asked to have her baby checked. I pretended to take pictures of her belly. The ultrasound tech jumped in and started doing an ultrasound of her belly and showing her her liver and her heart and she let her hear her heart amplified. Then she took a still picture of her liver and heart for her to take home. Initially I was dreading taking Cady with me. She's notorious for pushing the limits at the Dr.'s office, but she did really well and what a great experience!

Oh...the baby is very active. Like so active I had to ask if it was "normal". The baby(Barley, according to Penny) would not stay still long enough for her to do measuements. It was really a challenge. It bounced around a lot and did little flips. Heaven help us if we have another one with as much energy as Cady.

I must be the most psycho pregnant woman on the planet!

I can't eat normal anymore. Every day is about a craving. And really, I'm not like this in "real life!" I appreciate food, but I'm flexible and I certainly don't get cravings beyond, "huh, sometime in the next few months we should have lasagna because that sounds good." When I have a craving now I have to have it right then and there and nothing else will do. Here's the problem. Aversions. I have those too! Here's the bigger problem. My aversion is to left-overs...any kind of left-over. Normally I LOVE left-overs. I think things taste better the next day after they have had a chance to meld. And now for the psycho part (we'll just pretend none of that other stuff is psycho). Let's use the example of the gingerbread I was craving. Not just normal gingerbread but cake-like gingerbread. I spent two days looking for THE perfect recipe. I found one. I made a whole 8x12 pan of gingerbread. I had a piece. Craving satisfied. Oh-oh, now we have left-overs. Another day it was tuna-salad. Same thing. Asian Noodles? "Oh Ro-ob! How would you like to finish off enough asian noodles for ten before they go bad in three days?". I asked to Rob make me cheese blintzes (I knew he had the patience to pull it off) because they sounded like something we needed. It took going to three stores to find Farmer's Cheese and several hours that morning of Rob's blood, sweat and tears to put the things together. I have to say that they were delicious but after two I realized that those two blintzes would hold me over for at least a few years. I do have to say that Rob didn't seem to mind eating the other 12! lol. So, as I sit here licking my fingers of Secret Sauce from the Big Mac I just finished...something I haven't had it years because there truly is nothing redeeming about a Big Mac...I felt inspired to share with you all the trials of being pregnant....and perhaps the bigger trial of someone who is married to the pregnant person!

Cady's Imaginary Friend

Cady's real life best friend is Emma. They are a month apart in age. Every week Cady and Emma spend time together because we do a swap with their mom and dad. One week Emma comes over for two hours and another week Cady goes over there for two hours. Well, when Emma is not around in physical form, she is around in spirit. Cady has an imaginary Emma for the times that she can't be with her friend. It first started at the store. Cady said that Emma was sitting in the grocery cart with her. Then it evolved into Emma being at home with us. Sometimes she watches cartoons with us, sometimes she is present at dinner time, she's been known to sleep with Cady at night and she is always present when we grocery shop.

There are spaces in the grocery cart that I can't place things because that is where Emma is at. Sometimes Emma needs to have dinner when we all eat together. We need to kiss Emma goodnight at bedtime and Emma will get her own blanket when we watch tv together. Last week at the store Cady started laughing. Rob and I look at each other as if to ask, "did you do something to make her laugh?" Cady informs us at that point, "Emma farted!!!!! chuckle chuckle" (in her loud voice of course because we are at the meat counter at the store). Niiiiiice.

I'm so glad that Cady is starting "school" next week. She understands that she will be going to a different school than her real friend Emma. To differentiate that in her own mind she tells me that she will be going to the orange school and Emma is going to a purple school. Okay. She is REALLY excited about going to school and can't get there quick enough. The day starts and ends with her asking about going to school. When we did tour the school, the first thing that Cady did when we walked into her new classroom was kicked off her crocs and sat herself at the table with all the other kids. When she started to steal froot loops from a future classmate (who in turn informed her 'we share in this class') I walked over to intervene. It was at that moment that Cady informed that that I could leave, "Mommy, go!" I think she is going to do just fine!

I really must be pregnant!

I decided on Friday that we should make some nachos today. I've talked about almost nothing else for the past two days. Nearly every conversation I manage to drop in an idea for the nachos, "Oh, you know what we should get? We should get some of that salsa from the Farmer's Market." Well, I didn't really realize I was doing this until last night when we were in bed. Just as we were drifting off to sleep (heck, Rob probably was already asleep) I exclaim, "You know what?? We have left-over steak in the fridge!!!!!! That would be so good if we cubed it up for the nachos!" I'd say this qualifies as a food craving (I didn't have cravings until at least my second trimester last time!)

Update: Ugh..the nachos weren't all that I thought they would be. I ended up feeling nauseous just a few bites in and now I'm wondering what the heck was going through my head to buy all the stuff Doesn't my dear husband have *some* responsibility to not let me do things like this? It's not his first pregnancy, he should know better! You be the judge! LOL

Nap Time

I'm not sure what "normal" kids do during nap time but it's probably not this. Not only did she destroy her room, get into her winter clothes and decide to wear a shirt as a skirt...but she's diaperless too! At least she knew enough to feign semi-guilt in the first picture.

July 4th weekend in Glenwood Springs

This was our first family trip where it was just us. We had a really great time and should have done it long before this. It's been way too long since we have all had time together that has been unhurried and unstressed.This last year has been an absolute roller coaster. We decided to put the house up for sale. I had my worst professional year ever. I immediately felt the ramifications of "blowing the whistle" this year and the result is finding out last week that I have been replaced at the school that I have been at for nine years. So, the next day I had to move nine years worth of stuff out of my office as well as clear out the entire baby boutique (truckloads!!)and I somehow managed to lose Rob's window in the door panel while using his truck to move. That morning I also found out I was pregnant.
Yet, as we were sitting on the patio having dinner on our last night in Glenwood Springs and Cady was chattering on about swimming and riding the train and other fun stuff she had done, I had this overwhelming sense of happiness. I just felt that everything in my life both good and bad have brought me to this point and I was sitting there with what really matters. I have a husband who is not only the best husband but an amazing dad. A daughter who is full of life and keeps us laughing. And one on the way.
Anyhow, to the pictures:
This is Cady's new ride (Rob's b-day present)





Asleep in the car after the train and lunch. It made for a nice and quiet trip to Glenwood Springs



The Springs



And this is what Cady did the ENTIRE time we were at the Springs.



Finally Cady was able to put on some "real" clothes once we got home!



The drive home was looooong. Holiday traffic backed things up for quite some time. Cady was CRABBY! She kept doing things that are normally things that would warrant a time out. Screaming at us, yelling no, etc. At times it was pretty funny to hear Rob and Cady fighting back and forth.
Cady: "Aghhhhhh! Wahhhhh! Ouchie, ouchie!!"
Rob: "Cady, quit poking yourself in the eye"
Cady: "No daddy! Stop!"

After several of these exchanges of Cady yelling at Rob to stop, he told her, "Cady, you are in the corner." I'm driving thinking, "Oh yeah, that's a good one. She strapped in a car seat...like she is going to fall for that." Well, she fell for it. She immediately got quiet and after a minute she was pleading to Rob to come out of the corner. "Daddy, can I come out of the corner?" She was sent to the corner twice in the car. I love it!

8 month is nearly an eternity...if you are two!

I was reading Cady a book before bed tonight. I shut the book and Cady says:

"I think we need to go to the store"

I respond with, "You think we need to go to the store, huh? For what?"

And what I was expecting was what she has told me every single day since Rob's birthday. That we need to go to the store because daddy wants cake.

Instead she says:

"To get a baby."

I respond, "The baby is at the store?"

And she wrinkles up her brow all serious like and I can tell she is really thinking this one through. She says, "Yeah, I'm thinking the baby is at the store."

Oh the poor kid. I think we told her waaaaay too early (but the video wouldn't have been the same with me wearing a big mama shirt telling you all I'm pregnant, right?)

Strangest Compliment Ever?

Cady and I just had breakfast together. While we were eating I sneezed.

Cady said-"Bless you mommy"

to which I said, "Thank you Cady."

A moment passes

Cady's response--"That was a ruuullllle (real) pretty sneeze mommy!"

Where do they come up with these things?

Now Entering....The Embarrassment Phase!!

All within a couple of days!

Yesterday. We were waiting to go down the aisle at Target but two people had their carts blocking the aisle. So, I decided to wait patiently until someone looked up and I'd say "excuse me" but NOOOooooo. Cady hollers with her hands up in the air, "C'mon people!" And yes, she did get that from me. We have weekend park traffic and it's hard to make a left hand turn out of my street so sometimes she'll hear me mutter, "c'mon people" if it takes too long. The woman that actually heard it just kind of snickered at me (good-naturedly).

Tonight. We stopped off for some BBQ after music class. Keep in mind that the restaurant we went to is decent sized AND there is baseketball on AND there are several loud conversations. (Starin and Mimi, you know where). But Cady, in case you haven't read this before or been around her, is a REALLY loud kid. Well, she farts. And she puts her hands over her head, standing up in the booth and hollers, "woo-hoo! I farted". So, I'm thinking, "that was loud, but nobody probably has any idea what she said" A moment later it happens again in her loud Cady voice, "Woohoo, I farted!" Rob says, "What do you say Cady" to which Cady responds again in her very loud and excited voice "I did two farteds!" The woman who was across the restaurant ordering at the counter when this first started, passes by our table laughing and says, "really, I'm trying very hard not to laugh". Oh my! I have the feeling that the fun has only just begun!

Who needs a star chart?

When you can BE the star chart? Cady had a chart where she earned stars for brushing her teeth. The chart is no longer effective as she must wear her stars. It started with me putting them on her jammies. Then it progressed to her hands. And now?

Mini-Me!

That's what Cady is!

Doesn't it just take your breath away when they mimic what you do? It takes mine away. I can't believe someone on this earth thinks that I am cool enough that she wants to do everything that I do. It's amazing...really.

We have a whole getting ready in the morning ritual. Whenever it comes time for make-up she runs over to me and yellls "MAKE-UP!!" and puts her face over the gate while I pretend to put mascara and face powder on her. She then walks over to where I keep my jewelery and points and tells me to put my jewelery on. Then she brings me my shoes and always reminds me to get my coat before I leave. She watches everything.

Today, she got a hold of one of my necklaces (and broke it but that was my fault for leaving it out) and she put it around her neck. She said, "Oh pretty" and then I watched her walk over to the full length mirror and do a twirl. And she did it exactly the way that I do it (according to Rob) where she showed one side to the mirror and then the other. I would have sworn that I don't do that, but he said that Cady does it exactly the same way that I do.

This morning we went to the store. We couldn't leave the house without her purse (just like mommy). At the store I said, "where would the water filters be?" and Cady said, "Ummm" and clicked her mouth. She did it three times like I do when I'm exaggerating something. Then she started looking for candy at the store and started calling, "Candy, where are you?" and started making kissing noises like I do when I'm calling the cats.

She has stolen all of my expressions. She says, "gosh" and "geez" just about as much as I do. She folds her arms now when she stands. Another thing that I had no idea that I do, yet I do constantly. She even sings like me, shaking her head back and forth with her mouth in the air when she sings, "meow meow meow meow!"

Bottom line is that I'm amazed at how much she picks up...how much she watches me. I know that the day will come that she is going to realize how completely uncool I am and she'll start doing things her way and even rejecting the way that I do things. But for now....this is AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ring around the Rosy gone bad!

What Ring Around the Rosy *should* look like


And what Ring Around the Rosy looks like when it's gone bad!