A Trivial Smorgasbord of Insights Into My Life

You've Been Lettered

2012-01-18T19:14:00.000-08:00

Dear Mackenzie,

Please come back to North Carolina and play with Kaden. I know he pushed you quite often, and that he was terrible at sharing, but the truth is he adores you. He kept trying to throw his soccer ball to your picture today (and was quite frustrated that you weren't catching it). During bath time, I could tell his splashing just wasn't the same. I hate that you and your cute baby brother have to live so far away. Colorado's too cold. Convince your parents to move here instead.

Love,

Your Aunt Katie

Dear School Secretary,

Let's just say that our 30 second telephone conversation, combined with your snide tone, didn't make me mourn the fact that Friday is my last day at work. Did no one teach you the golden rule as a child?

Sincerely,

The teacher who thinks she's already stepped up to the plate by not getting a pay increase during the last four years

P.S. A lot of people, myself included, think you are a meanie.

P.P.S Since we're being honest, let me get a couple more things off my chest. Every time you get on the intercom and ask a student to come "have your picture made," a small part of my soul dies. It's "have your picture TAKEN." Southern idiosyncrasies are only charming when nice people have them. Oh, and also, sometimes when you get on the intercom and say, "Teachers, please excuse the interruption," I yell at you, even though you can't hear me. I do this with students present. "NO!" I scream, as I shake my fist furiously. Because really, let's face it, nine times out of ten is the interruption REALLY excusable? I didn't think so, either.

Dear Grant and Jessie Jones,

I think I have single-handedly devoured an entire tier of your wedding cake. Thank you for getting married, so I can gorge myself with lard-topped divinity. I know it was Loni who gave the cake to my mother-in-law, but without your joyous union, my current calorie fest would not be possible. I owe it all to you!

Sincerely,

Someone who is very sorry we're leaving Kinston just as you're moving here

Dear Chad,

I hope you're not expecting to see any wedding cake in the freezer when you get home. No, seriously, I hope you're not . . . Also, I haven't been on a scale, but I think there's a high probability that I'll be ten pounds heavier by the time you return on Friday evening. You may have a hard time recognizing me, so I thought I should give you fair warning.

Love,

The woman who eats another piece of cake every time she starts to feel lonely

Dear Students Who Wrote Nice Things on My Evaluation Forms,

I love you, too. I am glad that I made a difference for some of you. On the way to school each day, I prayed that the time I had to spend away from Kaden would be spent blessing the lives of someone in some way. I know that you are capable of great things. Believe in yourselves! I will miss you (even though I won't miss some of your classmates).

Love,

Mrs. R.

Dear Baby Fat Roll That Used to Be on My Toddler's Wrist,

Where did you go? When did you leave? The other day as I cuddled with Kaden and read him a story, I saw that you were missing, and I started to cry. I know my little one has to grow up; I just wish it didn't have to happen so fast (and while I wasn't looking).

Sincerely,

A Nuzzler of Baby Fat Rolls

Dear Single Parents,

Since the beginning of December, I have joined your ranks four nights a week. I don't know how you do this all the time, but mad props to you.

Sincerely,

One Tired Mommy

Dear Publishers of F is for Farm,

My eighteen-month-old received your book as a Christmas gift, and he adores it. I adore it, too. There's just one thing: Why did you choose a pedophile to pose as the farmer inside the barn? All of the pages have such darling photos, pop-ups, and moving parts. Imagine my surprise when my little boy opened the interactive barn page, only to see this harrowing sight staring back at us:

That's just plain creepy. Perhaps you had a hard time finding a suitable farmer to pose for a photograph. Allow me to make a suggestion: Drive to central Washington. Locate a little town called Moses Lake. I can think of at least a half a dozen older gentlemen who can do the trick. One of them is my own grandfather.

Sincerely,

A slightly disturbed bedtime story reader

Dear Research Papers,

I know you need to be graded. I promise you will be finished by Friday afternoon, when grades are due. Right now I have more important matters to attend to, like writing this blog, perusing Pinterest, and signing random petitions to stop Internet censorship.

Kindly,

A Procrastination Pro

Merry Christmas, 2011

2012-01-05T18:28:00.000-08:00

For those of you we have no address for (but whom we still love dearly), and for those of you whose Christmas cards came back to me return to sender this year, I wanted to post our Christmas letter and Christmas card photos. I hope your holiday season was a beautiful one!

tor·tu·ous adjective

full of twists, turns, or bends; twisting, winding, or crooked: a tortuous path.

A Tortuous Timeline—The Reese Family’s Experiences in 2011

January – Katie finishes up teaching at North Lenoir High School and begins life as a full-time mom. Kaden eats his first rice cereal and enters the world of real food!

February –Kaden gets his first tooth, just before his six month birthday.

March – Kaden tries his first park swing. Chad and Katie continue to change lots of diapers.

April – Kaden and Katie fly to Utah and take a road trip with her parents to Washington. In Moses Lake, Kaden sees cows for the first time, meets his Grandpa Great, and plays with some of the same toys his mother did as a child. The tour of Washington then continues to Seattle, where they visit the Tulip Festival in Skagit Valley, explore Pike Place Market, and eat a plethora of delicious foods (all prepared by amazing family members).

May – Chad and Katie close on their first rental property, meaning they will don painting garb for the next month and a half while completing their renovation project.

June – The unexpected happens when Chad is told he will not be employed after August, due to company downsizing. His search for a new job begins. Katie, Chad, and Kaden introduce Katie’s aunt MalaRee and cousins Chloe, Hayden, and Sterling to the beauty of North Carolina beaches (and ocean water warm enough for swimming) when they come for a short visit. Chad and Katie become landlords when their first tenant moves into their rental property.

July— Chad kindly lets Katie and Kaden fly to Utah for another two week visit with her family. Kaden takes his first steps a few days following their return. Chad catches his first sail fish while deep sea fishing with his dad, brother, and sister-in-law.

August—Kaden celebrates his first birthday at his circus-themed shindig, eagerly devouring his funfetti cupcake. Katie signs a contract with Lenoir County Schools and returns to the work force as a high school English teacher. Chad stays home with Kaden as a full-time dad. Hurricane Irene leaves the family with no electricity (and thus with no air conditioning) for five days.

September – Chad’s parents generously take the family to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for a weekend getaway. Katie’s brother, Bryan, comes at the end of the month for a weekend visit during military leave.

October – Kaden, with a perfected roar, makes an adorable lion cub on Halloween.

November –Chad is offered a job with Capital Bank in Raleigh, giving everyone something extra to be thankful for (just in time for Thanksgiving). A “For Sale” sign appears in the Reese’s front yard. Katie informs her principal she will be moving at the start of the new semester (end of January).

December – Chad starts his job in Raleigh, leaving Katie as a single mom four nights a week. Chad’s dodge ball team wins the championship tournament for the third year in a row. Suitcases are packed for Utah, where Christmas festivities will be enjoyed with Katie’s family.

Our Dear Family and Friends,

What a year it has been! While the tortuous path we’ve been on this year may not be what we had in mind, it has certainly been full of blessings in disguise. We are excited for the many changes the New Year promises for our family. As we celebrate Christmas and contemplate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, our hearts are filled with gratitude for him. We are thankful also for a loving Heavenly Father, who has been aware of our needs through the many twists and turns we have experienced this year. We hope you have a wonderful holiday season. We love you! --Chad, Katie, and Kaden Reese

Black Friday

2011-11-27T10:16:00.000-08:00

Once a year, I brave the elements and risk my life for discounts on products I don't really need. Once a year, as I melt into a puddle of exhaustion following the aforementioned excursion, I question my sanity. What is it about Black Friday that is so irresistible to me? I honestly don't know. But even last year, when I was my infant’s only source of food and could only venture out for a few hours, I didn’t miss it. I couldn’t miss it. I had to go.

This year, the sales began earlier than ever before, which was a bit unsettling for a purist like me. I don't want to sound like an old geezer telling, "Back in my day" stories in a nursing home, but honestly, I don't like this stores-open-at-midnight garbage. Not cool. Luckily, the biggest ticket item I was after was a Sonicare toothbrush, so I didn't have to sacrifice family time on Thanksgiving day to sleep in a tent outside of Best Buy like some loonies. I did, however, leave my home at 9:15 on Thursday night and was chauffeured to the Goldsboro Target by one of my favorite people and shopping buddies, my sister-in-law, Lauren.

We immediately got in the line (which already reached the end of the building) and started to wait. And wait. And wait some more. It was cold. Luckily, even though my husband seemed to think it was going to be 65 degrees outside (this is the same man who once told me it never gets cold in North Carolina when I asked him what to pack for my sister-in-law's wedding in November) and that I wouldn't need a coat, I had decided not to trust his opinion on this issue. My bright red, puffy coat kept my upper half nice and toasty, and the fact that I paired it with a bright green scarf, orange sweatshirt, and blue toboggan made it an especially stellar fashion choice. Luckily, Lauren loved me enough to still stand next to me.

As the line at Target grew, so did our tobacco consumption. While I didn't puff a single cigarette, I can guarantee I inhaled a pack and a half of nicotine through second hand smoke. We were surrounded by smokers, none of whom seemed too concerned about where their smoke was blowing. At about 11:00, we started making a list of everything we would remember to bring next year:

1. Lawn chairs
2. Supplies for a hot cocoa and warm cookie stand, so we can make a killing (Seriously, why has no one maximized on this profit potential?!)
3. Hand warmers for our pockets
4. Long underwear
5. Longer socks
6. Blankets

Just about the time that I thought I might die from a cigarette smoke induced headache, we heard the huge cheer signaling that the doors were being opened. We prepared to run. Target uses very organized methods on Black Friday, so we had received maps while waiting in line, and we knew exactly where our items were hiding. Lauren was going to charge for the GPS and portable DVD player on our list (luckily they were stashed in the same display in none other than the grocery department), while I hit the healthcare aisle in search of the electric toothbrush.

Target also only allows a certain number of customers to enter the store every fifteen seconds. This also helps in containing some of the chaos. Some, but not all. It never fails. Every Black Friday there are the same people, trying to sneak in line (like those of us who have frozen our tails off for the last gazillion hours are going to somehow magically not notice that they have pushed their toasty-from-the-well-heated-car behind in front of us). A lot of the time, these people get away with their mischief, but nothing makes me happier than seeing those individuals get what they deserve. It is like a little piece of justice in an unjust world. This year, a blonde middle-aged woman in a pink sweatshirt had the nerve to tell the security guard that, "There is no sign saying I have to wait in line," also adding that she would, "need to speak to your manager." No sign? Here's your sign, Pinky!

This is when my love for Black Friday really comes into play. Suddenly, it doesn't matter that no one in line has known each other longer than a few hours. We are suddenly comrades, brothers in arms. We have fought the good fight, and we're darned if we're going to let anybody reap the benefits of our hard work. The people in front of us were linking arms to barricade the woman's attempt to pass. The cigarette-puffing broad behind us was vocalizing the fact that her boots, "weren't made for walking, they were made for kicking *ss." My sister-in-law and I had no problem snitching to the employee at the entrance with a walkie-talkie by saying, "It's her! The one in the pink sweatshirt! Don't let her in!!!" Nothing made my heart happier than leaving the store, my desired purchases tucked neatly in my plastic bag, and seeing Pinky still being held in custody outside. Waiting her turn like everyone else.

After Target, we had a decision to make. Belk was giving out gift cards ranging from $5 to $1,000 to the first 250 customers, and their doors opened at 3 a.m. It was now only about fifteen minutes after midnight, so we thought we might have a shot at getting one, depending on the length of the line. We wanted to get some hot chocolate at the Starbucks inside Target, but decided not to chance it. What if there were already 248 people in line? The potential for that $1,000 shopping spree was too enticing. In hindsight, we should have gotten the hot chocolate.

The two lines at Belk looked pretty promising. We hopped in line behind a woman who had braved Walmart for a Power Wheel jeep for her daughter. As much as I love Black Friday, you could never pay me enough to go to a Wal-Mart for the occasion. Have you been to Wal-Mart on a regular shopping day? What about that experience would suggest that a $2 waffle iron is worth a trip there during a time that promises a battle to the death with thousands of other crazed customers? It was while in line at Belk that I learned why bums sleep on cardboard. Lauren had a piece in her car, and we plopped right down on that sucker. Sitting in line is so much better than standing in line (see item #1 on list of things to remember for next year).

About an hour into our wait outside of Belk, we started to realize that there were way too many rule-breakers at this location. The line in front of us wasn’t getting longer, but it was certainly getting thicker, as people came and joined their “friends” who had been saving them places in line. The thicker the line became, the thinner our dreams of getting a gift card. After a brief discussion, we decided to leave and go to a store that was already open, so we didn’t have to sit out and freeze for what was likely to be $5, if anything.

Maybe I’m getting old, but when we saw the line to checkout at Old Navy, we walked straight back to the car. Nothing in that store was worth waiting in that line. We decided to drive back to Kinston, pick up some McDonald’s, and try our luck at the Belk there, since we knew most people had probably gone out of town to do their Black Friday shopping. We figured we could then hit up the JC Penny at the mall there before going home.

We were devastated when the McDonald’s wasn’t open, but we met some delightful friends in the line outside of Belk. We got to hear about the wedding plans of one line buddy’s son, shared our cardboard and airline blanket with an elderly woman, and listened to the woman in front of us recount the pepper spray incident she had witnessed at Wal-Mart a few hours earlier. (Remember what I said about Wal-Mart? Heed my advice people: nothing there can possibly be worth it!) We both got gift cards, although neither of us was the lucky $1,000 winner. Lauren got $5 and I got $10.

We finished up at JC Penny a little before six, and after a Bojangle’s bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit, I was snuggled warm in my bed. I woke up three hours later. When I really stop to think about it, nothing I purchased was something I desperately needed. The sleep-deprived stupor I spent all of Friday and part of Saturday in was not a delightful experience. I still have to do some Christmas shopping. I can’t justify the six hours between midnight and daylight that I spent shopping. I don’t know why I did it. But I will tell you this, the time I spent crumpled in a tired heap on a dressing room floor, giggling with my sister-in-law, was pretty much priceless. There is just something about Black Friday that keeps me coming back year after year. Maybe it’s OK that I can’t quite decide why.

Our Life is About to Change

2011-11-02T18:47:00.000-07:00

In a big way.

Last night, Chad and I bought a lottery ticket.

Sinful. I know.

We were at the gas station and the billboard next door was proclaiming in giant red letters that the jackpot had reached a whopping $245 million, and we caved. Consider it our donation to the NC education system. (Speaking of, WHERE is that money going to in the education system, anyway?)

It's pretty clear to me that this is the solution to our unemployment situation. Why hasn't Chad found a job yet? Oh, because we're about to become millionaires! It's all making so much more sense now.

Don't worry, I won't forget about any of you when I wake up tomorrow fabulously wealthy.

All of That Practicing Really Paid Off

2011-11-01T19:40:00.000-07:00

Kaden actually roared like a lion after every prompt of, "What does a lion say, Kaden?" while trunk-or-treating/trick-or-treating.

His costume was a huge hit. A huge shout out goes to my mom for making it happen. Considering my only contribution to the project was cutting out the pieces and sewing a great deal of the body with basting stitches, which had to be reinforced by her later, I owe it all to my mom. (If you're reading this, the mane was magnificent, mom. I'm sorry it took so long to make.)

We took some pretty awesome videos of the lion cub in action. Unfortunately, it is late, and they are taking forever to upload, so I'll have to post those later.

Kaden, 14 Months

2011-10-11T18:53:00.000-07:00

I just realized, after writing my depressing post about my day at school, that Kadester is 14 months old today. So, to make myself feel better, I am going to post adorable pictures of my child and write about all of the precious things he is currently doing.

At 14 months old, Kaden . . .

Is talking! Is it terrible that I'm not sure what his first word was? I'm really not sure what his first word was. In retrospect, I'm pretty sure he was saying some words long before we realized he was saying words if that makes any sense . . . Regardless, some of the words Kaden currently says are Dada, Mama, nana (meaning banana), cheese (He has woken up in the morning screaming this one. That's how much he loves string cheese!), shoe, dog, duck (and quack), fish, bye-bye, this (Meaning, what is this? or I want this. He always says this as he points at things.), guck (meaning yuck), truck, tree, Gigi, and roars like a lion when asked "What does a lion say?" (We are getting ready for Halloween.) He tries to say Tip-Top (the name of his stuffed giraffe). He has said blue and green, but he doesn't use these that frequently. In addition, he wanders around the house speaking in some language that we cannot understand.

Loves to talk on the phone. He holds the phone up to his ear and wanders around the house babbling away in his foreign tongue. The best part of this is he has to be walking around to talk. One day he was in his high chair and he kept pointing at my cellphone. He had a melt down until I took him out of the chair so he could run around the house while he talked.

Loves, loves, LOVES to be outside and has a meltdown at the back door when he can't go outside and wants to.

Loves watching cars and trucks. Since the hurricane, there have been lots of extra dump trucks, waste trucks, and backhoes roaming the streets of Kinston, and he can't get enough of them. He is pure boy. We went to a yard sale on Saturday and they were selling a go-cart. Kaden immediately climbed right into the driver's seat.

Loves spending time with our neighbors, the Howards. Kaden is in love with Stephanie and her kids. They steal him to go on lots of walks, to feed the fish in a friend's pond, and to jump on the trampoline.

Loves animals. He is infatuated with the dog, Ginger, that our neighbors watch. He also likes to pet the dogs next door through the fence. He is enamored with the YouTube video of the Welsh Corgi puppy. It doesn't matter how sad he is, all you have to do is turn on that video, and he breaks into a HUGE grin.

Loves to kick and throw whatever resembles a ball.

Is obsessed with shoes. He carries them all over the house. I am constantly looking for one of my shoes.

Throws things away. All the time. This is a dangerous one. We have found the remote control in the trashcan before. In keeping with his shoe obsession, I find at least one of my shoes in the trashcan daily. Lucky are the days when we find things in a fresh, unsoiled garbage bag. Unlucky are the days when it's the opposite.

Has figured out how to lift the toilet seat and throw things into the toilet bowl. This is a fun one. We have sanitized a few items in boiling water due to this discovery. He hasn't figured out how to flush...yet.

Is trying to learn to jump, but can't figure it out yet. This is hilarious to watch.

Can climb up onto furniture and get down by crawling backwards.

Likes to smell things, especially candles. On our walk the other day, he spent a good chunk of time smelling the flowers.

Loves to wrestle and rough house with Daddy.

Loves to read books by himself and loves to be read to. (This is one of the few times he'll sit still on your lap.)

Helps do chores around the house. He will help me put the wet laundry into the dryer (and run away with wet onesies that I have to collect later), and he will wipe up the floor if he spills milk or juice from his sippy cup.

Now has six teeth. The two newest just popped through.

Still considers Tip Top to be his best buddy. He loves that stuffed giraffe. It is precious watching him give Tip Top loves.

Has had his first haircut and now looks like a little boy instead of a baby. (A longer post with video and up-to-date pictures to follow.)

I love this little guy with all of my heart!

Dear Future English Teachers of My Son,

2011-10-11T17:33:00.000-07:00

I am not going to make a lot of false promises here. I know the danger in pledging "my child will never." I have been warned this phrase can come back to bite you. Therefore, I will not promise that my child will always do his homework, or that he will never use Spark Notes as a last resort to understand early British literature, or even that he will never talk in class. He will probably do each of these things. For this I am sorry.

I can, however, promise you a few things:

My child will never use the f-word repeatedly in your class and then direct the f-word at you when you ask him to leave.

My child will never tell you to "get out of my face" and "mind your own business" when you ask him to put away his cell phone.

My child will never turn and walk away while you are conversing with him individually, trying to help remedy a problem situation.

Here's why I can promise you this: I am an actual parent. I understand that my obligations to my offspring extend beyond giving birth. That means I am going to teach my son to respect not only his teachers but other members of the human race in general. If my child ever does choose to behave in any of the ways outlined above, I promise you he will be afraid to come home.

Sincerely,
A teacher who spent her planning period in tears, while filling out discipline forms instead of grading

Myrtle Beach Trip, September 2011

2011-10-01T19:18:00.000-07:00

Over the second weekend in September, Joy and Bruce took all of us (that are currently living in North Carolina) on a trip to Myrtle Beach in South Carolina.

In true Kaden fashion we started out the vacation very cautious and uncertain:

Then, once acclimated, had a lot of fun:

On this trip, I learned a few things:

1) My child will always have a better tan than me, even though he wears three coats of SPF 50.

2) There are perks to having a husband who isn't overly crazy about the beach. Almost every time Kaden was napping, Chad stayed in the hotel room with him, and I got to soak up the sun. Alone. With a magazine. With only the gentle sound of waves breaking on the shore disturbing what would otherwise be silence. Heaven.

3) There are few things I enjoy more than playing card games late at night with family. Even though they have to reteach me the rules every time we play, and even though I am seldom the winner, there is something therapeutic about laughing so hard I can't breathe.

4) Vacations never last long enough.

Thanks, Joy and Bruce for taking us with you! We had a great time!

Hurricane Irene

2011-09-11T17:07:00.000-07:00

Once, while I was pregnant, a tornado was sighted outside of Kinston. My mother-in-law called me to tell me this, since at the time we had no TV. She told me to go into our tiny bathroom (the most interior part of our house), sit on the toilet, and wait until she called me to tell me it was OK to leave. I quickly did so. A few minutes later, the hubster called me. Our conversation went something like this:

Chad -- Hey, where are you?

Katie -- I'm sitting in our bathroom. Your mom just called and said there's a tornado watch for Kinston. Where are you?

Chad -- I'm out in the parking lot watching this storm. This is awesome!

That's when images of me as a single parent began flashing before my eyes.

The husband and I have a very different outlook on the power of mother nature. That's why when the weather channel started covering Hurricane Irene's approach to our coastline 24/7, he relished in it, while I contemplated quitting my job, taking Kaden, and moving in with my parents until the mess blew over.

This was my first hurricane, and I've got to tell you, I don't like them.

We were very lucky. The damage we suffered at the hands of Irene consisted mostly of an emotional kind, as we yearned for the power of electricity to restore air conditioning to our lives. Our car took a heavy beating from the masses of shingles that fell from Bruce and Joy's house, so we will have to pay for a new paint job, but we still have a car. The four massive pine trees on the corner of our lot were still standing when we came home to survey the damage, and our house (other than flooded air-conditioning ducting) was fine. We are so grateful for the huge blessing this is.

Others, didn't fare so well:

We moved in with my in-laws the Friday before the big storm, because we knew it was going to get ugly in the wee hours of the morning on Saturday. Fearing the giant pine trees in the corner of our lawn, and our single-paned-stone-age windows, we packed for our weekend getaway and left our house behind.

After we lost power early on Saturday morning, we enjoyed watching the storm from the safety of the back porch. Kaden thought it was awesome watching the trees bending back and forth. He just kept pointing and staring.

No power from Saturday through Tuesday meant we had a lot of time to bond as a family. We cooked on Tyler and Lauren's camping stove, Kaden became Poppy's shadow (that boy loves his Poppy), and we played lots and lots of Fill or Bust. Kaden got to take all of his baths with his daddy in Gigi and Poppy's jacuzzi tub, since the other tubs were mid-renovation.

Bruce and Joy have a generator, which we used to run the fridge and freezers (we all moved groceries from our individual houses to one central location, trying to save some of our food) and an occasional lamp and fan. They were so generous to let all of us invade their home for so long.

Power lines were down everywhere. Driving around after the storm to survey the damage showed just how powerful Irene was.

Our house didn't get power until late Wednesday night and we didn't move home until Thursday. School was cancelled for students until Friday, but I had to go on Wednesday and Thursday as "work days." I have never realized how much I love being able to turn on a light switch, turn down the thermostat, and plug in a fan.

This experience also made me realize how important it is to be prepared for a state of emergency. We were very blessed to only have to deal with a loss of electricity. I can't imagine how difficult this would have been without running water.

Hurricane season runs through November 30th. I hope we don't have to get on a first name basis with any more.

For your viewing pleasure, here is Hurricane Irene, just gearing up:

Here she is with a little more zest:

And here's Kaden, composing his first concerto with the help of his uncle, while we were waiting out the storm:

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's . . . Back . . . to Work I Go

2011-08-19T19:01:00.000-07:00

In January, I happily resigned from my position as a high school English teacher, so I could become a full-time mom. I have loved every minute of it. When I announced my intentions, I got a mixed response. From most, I heard various renditions of, "I'm so happy for you!" and "You're so lucky." From others, I got a quizzical, blank stare that seemed to say, "You're going to do what?" Having the chance to be home with Kaden has been one of the greatest blessings of my life. It has been so much fun to see him grow and change every day. When I submitted my resignation, I fully intended to return to teaching (a job I honestly feel I was born to do) at some point in the future. My idea of the future was WAY in the future. You know, like when my youngest and last child (yet to be conceived, born, or named) entered middle school.

Then Chad lost his job.

Wow. We really are still in a ~~recession~~ depression, and it really can affect us.

There's nothing like experiencing the reality of unemployment.

He filled out dozens of job applications, we prayed, and we waited.

And we waited some more.

And we waited some more.

I waited for Heavenly Father to answer our prayers in the perfect package I was envisioning--a great new job for Chad, and uninterrupted stay-at-home-mommy-hood for me. It turns out, what I really got was a reminder that I'm not in charge, and that sometimes I need a lesson in trust and patience.

I had contacted my former principal immediately after Chad was laid off to see if there was a chance there were any English teaching positions available at my old school. He had literally filled my former position two days before I called. I told him to let me know if anything became available, strongly doubting anything would.

In July, while I was visiting my parents in Utah, I got a call from the principal who said a position had unexpectedly come available, and if I wanted it, it was mine. I cried when I got off the phone, because while I knew it was a great blessing, it wasn't the blessing I had really wanted. (I know that is a really selfish way to feel, but it's how I felt.) A lot of prayer, a Priesthood blessing, and a trip to the temple later, I accepted the position with a lot of peace in my heart.

There are so many small things to be thankful for about this entire situation:

I have a degree. Thank goodness I had a degree!
Chad gets to stay home with Kaden, until he finds a new job.
Chad is an awesome dad, so I know Kaden's in good hands.
I am going back to a job I enjoy.
I get to use a talent I have been given to (hopefully) bless others.
I have two honors classes first semester.
I am teaching subjects I have taught before, which will help immensely with cutting down lesson planning time.
At least I'm off by 3:15, instead of 5:00.
I get to work with a department of teachers I love and respect.
I am going back to a school where I already know the ropes.
I get my old room back, student-painted ceiling tiles and all.
Chad was paid through July and I get paid in August. We won't have to go a single month without a paycheck. That is huge.
I got to see Kaden reach every major milestone of his first year. (Well, we are still waiting on the blasted first word, but maybe I'll still hear it.)

I'm already in the midst of teacher work days, and I'm getting excited for the year to get started. One thing that's wonderful about my profession is the reality that every year is a fresh new start, and you can reinvent everything about yourself and your curriculum that you want. I love that about teaching. It will probably be an interesting few weeks of transitioning, but I know it will all work out.

Kaden's Birthday Shin-Dig

2011-08-14T19:14:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Kaden's birthday on Saturday with a small family party. Included in the family circle were the Hills, who are our dear family friends (I cannot count the number of pedicures Madison gave me while I was pregnant with swollen ankles), and the Howards, the family Kaden adores who also happen to live right across the street from us (the day I move will be a sad day, because I will no longer have Stephanie and her kids to come randomly take Kaden on walks at the exact moment I need a break). Call me crazy, but the kid was turning one, and I didn't feel like throwing a real party with a bunch of random munchkins tearing up our house. So instead it was a mostly adult party with a few darling kiddos--Kaden being the youngest by far, and thus the center of attention (a place we all know he hates to be . . . cough . . . cough . . . ). My biggest fear is that someone's feelings will be hurt over not coming to Kaden's birthday party, so I just want to set the record straight--NOBODY came, it wasn't just you. Small family gathering! Please, please, please don't be offended. OK? Good. Phew! Got that one out of the way.

I have wanted to throw a circus party ever since stumbling upon this darling party-scape from the folks here. I fell in love with the baby blue/red color combo, and knew I had to do something with it. Chad has been mocking me for months over my Pinterest obsession, particularly over my pinning of birthday party ideas, but it all came in rather handy when it came time to put the party together. The website even had printables to use for the cupcake toppers and invitations. Chad didn't like the idea of a circus theme at all (there must have been some terrifying moment in his past that involved a psychotic clown?), but he neglected to voice his strong disdain for the circus until I had already purchased a lot of the materials for the decorations, so I did it anyway. It wasn't hugely circus-fied, so I think he was OK with it in the end.

I made all the decorations, and they turned out rather cute, in my humble opinion.

We had hot dogs, watermelon, cantaloupe, chips and dip, and cupcakes to eat, while we watched the darling video Chad made to document Kaden's first year of life. (Luckily I watched it ahead of time, so I could cry then, and not while all of the party guests watched my mascara smear.) And as if Kaden isn't great enough, he added background music from the one and only Ray LaMontagne. Love. (As an aside, if you are ever having a rough day, type Ray LaMontagne into Pandora and turn up the volume. Seriously. Just trust me on this one. His voice will heal your soul.) In the meantime, Blogger is not letting me put the file directly into my blog but feel free to watch Kaden's birthday video here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQtT1eJtI9o

After we finished watching Kaden toddle across the big screen in his diaper, he opened all of his gifts, which resulted in some SERIOUS spoilage. He received so many fun new toys, books, and clothes. In addition, he received some slightly less new toys that I have been collecting over the last several months from yard sales, consignment sales, and the like. Call me cheap, but he's not going to know the difference, so why buy all new toys for the kid? While he opened all of his presents, Kaden's cousin, Mackenzie, Skyped with us from Denver, which was really cute.

After presents, it was time to sing "Happy Birthday" to Mr. Kaden Cub.

Then he got to delve into that funfetti cupcake--probably the highlight of the entire birthday experience for him.

Our guests went on their merry little way with boxes of homemade caramel corn I made the night before. (And I didn't even swear when I dropped half a bottle of vanilla all over my khaki shorts in the process . . . a birthday miracle, folks!)

Later, after recuperating from his fiesta by taking a snooze, Kadester sported his seersucker trousers and snazzy red tie for an impromptu photo shoot with his birthday balloons:

The day before his party, Kaden had his twelve month checkup.

He weighed in at 21 pounds, 2.5 ounces -- 25th percentile. (Wow. That was a shocker. Guess we can't call him chubster anymore! Chad and I were both shocked to find out he's underweight, considering he spends most of the day eating.) He measured 31 1/4 inches -- 89th percentile. (Definitely long and lean.) His head circumference was 47 centimeters--69th percentile.

At one year old, Kaden . . .

Has decided he's too cool for crawling. He walks everywhere now (like a little Frankenstein--very rigid movement), and when he falls down, he stands right back up and keeps going.

Can give kisses, if he's in the mood. He will also turn his cheek to let you give him a kiss.

Has a very refined palette. For example, I grilled some egg plant for dinner one night and he gobbled it right up. Reheated the next day? Not so much. Same with edamame. Master Reese likes his cuisine freshly prepared. He also likes food to be seasoned. If it's too bland, he's not interested.

Still nurses once a day before going to bed, and is pretty unhappy about us trying to give him whole milk. He's self-weaned down to one feeding a day like a champ, and I'm pretty sure he's not going to keep nursing at all much longer. He just doesn't like the whole milk at all. We are working on it, though. The doctor said no more apple juice until he'll start drinking the milk.

Sticks his tongue out all the time, especially when he's focused on something. (Apparently this is a Reese trait. All of them do it!)

Likes to imitate Mommy and Daddy. Chad and I clean his dad's office a few times a week, and Kaden has started to go with us sometimes in the umbrella stroller. Last time we were there, he got out and wanted to help Chad clean the windows. It was really cute to watch. (Of course, Chad then had to re-clean the windows, since Kaden had covered them in new fingerprints while trying to help.)

Tries to share his food with anyone who might be beside him while he's eating.

Babbles a lot.

Has started whining to get what he wants. The doctor also told us to work on this by ignoring him when he whines or cries, and giving lots of positive reinforcement when he "talks." Probably easier said than done, but we are trying.

Is still sleeping great. (Dare we write this?) He usually goes to bed between 7:30 and 8:00 and wakes up between 7:30 and 8:00 the next morning.

Is in love with his stuffed giraffe, Tip Top. Kaden's Gram (my Grandma Joy) sent him Tip Top when he was in utero. He has self-selected Tip Top as his favorite stuffed animal. He has to sleep with him, and frequently totes him around all day. In the morning when he gets up, Tip Top has to come watch him eat breakfast. It would be unheard of to leave him in the crib. Here's a picture of Kaden with Tip Top from his balloon photo shoot:

And just for fun, here are some pictures of me and Chad when we were close to Kaden's age. I am constantly hearing that Kaden is a clone of his daddy, and while he does favor him a great deal, I think there's more of me in there than people give me credit for.

The First Year

2011-08-11T13:16:00.000-07:00

Dear Kaden,

The first time I really held you, swaddled in my arms, both of us wrapped in the quiet dark of a hospital room, I marveled that just a few hours before I had never met you. I watched your dark eyes watching mine, while your tiny fist wrapped around my finger, and I thanked my Heavenly Father for sending you to me.

It's hard to believe that a year has passed. That you--the tiny, swaddled bundle I once snuggled to sleep in my arms-- can now giggle and crawl, babble and walk.

Watching you grow this year has been the greatest joy of my life. With each new thing you learn my heart soars and cries--soars because I am so proud of you--cries because I hate that you are growing up so fast. Thanks for being my little boy, Kaden Cub. Happy Birthday! I love you.

Love,

Mommy

The Bale of Straw

2011-07-22T20:02:00.000-07:00

While I was visiting my parents in Utah, my dad shared a funny story with his ward about when he and my mom were first married.

When my mom met my dad she was an eighteen year old baby (I'm sure she was a mature eighteen year old baby, but she was a baby nonetheless). After he swept her off her feet at Ricks College, he carried her to none other than the booming metropolis of Moses Lake, Washington (which was even less booming in those days, I'm sure, than it is now). They lived on the farm land of Gene and Opal Merkley, and as a service to the couple, in return for getting to live on their land for free, my dad helped care for Gene's cattle that lived in a pasture next to my parents' house. This farm was about a zillion miles from town, a reality magnified by the fact that my parents only had one car (a two-door Chevy Chevette with no air conditioning), which my dad drove to work every morning, leaving my mom car-less, surrounded by sage brush and dust, and I'm sure wondering what in the blue blazes she had gotten herself into (that's what I would have been thinking, anyway), while she tried to adjust to life on a farm, something she knew nothing about at the time.

Anyway, back to my dad's story. So apparently, one day in this early stage of their married life, my dad had a particularly rough day at work. My mom must have spoken to him on the phone, because she knew this, so she decided to "surprise" my dad by feeding the cattle for him before he came home. She had watched him do this before, many times, so she got up the gumption to just do it herself.

As my dad pulled up the driveway, he saw my mom attempting to feed the cattle from the tractor, dust flying everywhere, and a very upset bunch of cattle that he hoped weren't about to stampede.

My dad, completely perplexed, asked my mom, "Dear, what, exactly are you doing?" (I can totally hear him saying this, too. I can picture his exact tone of voice.)

My mom's response was that she was, "Trying to feed these cattle! And I noticed these bales were lighter, so I loaded them onto the tractor, because they were easier for me to lift, but now they won't eat it." (I can totally hear my mom saying this, too, because she probably sounded a lot like me when I am about to have a nervous breakdown about something.)

My dad (probably trying not to chuckle, I'm sure) informed my mom that, "Honey, they don't eat straw, they eat hay." It was a silly mistake to make if you know anything about farm animals and what they eat, but my mom knew nothing about farm animals and what they eat, because she wasn't a farm girl. So my dad said, "I'll tell you what, let's fix it and go feed them together."

The whole moral of the story, and the point my dad was trying to make when he shared this story, is that you should always remember the bale of straw. Your spouse may do things that you don't understand at times, but you have to be patient with each other. You can never rewind life. Don't say things to the person you love most that you will one day regret, because you will likely one day wish you could go back and change your words and actions.

Today, Chad and I have been married for six years.

That rounds up to ten.

That is more than half of a decade.

My parents will celebrate their 31st wedding anniversary on August 7th.

That rounds down to thirty.

But that is more than a quarter of a century.

I am so unbelievably thankful for my parents and the example they have set for me of a loving, committed marriage.

I am so thankful for Chad and the amazing husband he is to me, and the wonderful father he is to Kaden. Without Chad I am like half of myself. I seriously don't know how I was ever a person before we were married. I know that sounds strange, but I just feel like he is the perfect complement to my personality. He is laid back when I am up tight. He is calm when I am frazzled. I wouldn't want to share life with anyone else, not to mention the huge responsibility of parenthood!

I am so thankful for Chad's parents and the wonderful example they were to Chad growing up, because I know that is part of the reason I have such an amazing person to call mine.

A lot has changed for us in the last six years, but a lot has stayed the same.

Metaphorically speaking, I've pulled a lot of "bale of straw" moments over the last six years.

Thanks for still loving me, Chad, even though I still squeeze the toothpaste tube from the middle after six years of you asking me not to. And thanks for putting the toilet seat down (most of the time) even though I haven't changed my toothpaste habits. I'm working on it.

Letters without the Pesky Stamps

2011-07-21T19:31:00.000-07:00

Dear Cute Girl in the Skinny Jeans on the Flight from Salt Lake to Dallas,

Or should I call you the baby whisperer? Our conversation was short, but you did ask my son's name. You smiled at him and said, "It's going to be a great flight, Kaden." After which he promptly fell asleep. For the entire flight. I know you said you were once a nanny. I can't afford to pay you, but maybe you'd like to fly with me every time I go home to visit family?

I look forward to flying with you again soon.

Sincerely,

A Mom Who Forgot How Sweet it is to Watch Her Son Sleep in Her Arms

Dear Grandma on the Flight from Dallas to Raleigh,

Thank you for being a grandma and not a drunk Anthony Bourdain look-alike, who I feared might be a pedophile. Thank you for letting Kaden peek out the window as often as he liked for the entire flight. I hope you got to take your bra off when you made it home, as you told me that was what you were most looking forward to. I can't wait until I'm old, so I can say whatever I want even in public. You are awesome.

Affectionately,

A Bra-less Woman in Pajamas

Dear Man Who Was Waiting Outside the Airplane Bathroom When Kaden and I Came Out,

I'm sure you were wondering what we were doing in there.

Kaden had a wet diaper that had to be changed.

And then I popped a squat and nursed him right there in that closet of death.

I know it was rude of me to commandeer the restroom for my personal use, while you very well might have needed to desperately tinkle. I'm sorry, but you try nursing a child in public who is violent while doing so, and refuses to be covered (while maintaining some sense of modesty and privacy). It's not a pretty sight. It was a full flight, and desperate times call for desperate measures. In fairness, I kept it as short as possible and gave him a snack and not a full meal.

Apologetically,

A Milk Mama

Dear Heat and Humidity,

Go away. I hate you.

I think we all know that in the crazed stupor you are sure to induce for me, I will likely say and do things I can only regret.

Spitefully,

An Adopted Southerner Who Can't Take the Heat

Dear Weeds in My Front Flower Beds,

Are you serious? Are you SERIOUS? I know I've been gone for two weeks, but this is just ridiculous. How did you possibly overtake everything in that amount of time? Do you realize our yard is directly across the street from the best landscaped yard in the neighborhood? How do you think your mess makes us look?

Enjoy your reign and pray that the heat wave from hell lasts, because as soon as it's over, you're over.

Sincerely,

The Gardener Who Seems Cursed to Encourage the Undesirable

Skipping Ahead

2011-07-15T22:44:00.000-07:00

Right now Kaden and I are in Utah spending some time with my family. I am already eons behind in blogging, so I thought I would just jump ahead to the present, in hopes that I won't become too overwhelmed and never attempt to catch up later. Hopefully I'll have a chance later to write about our spectacular adventure at the Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh with my friend Katy and her family, and the great fun we had with my Aunt MalaRee and her kids when they stayed with us just before we left. In the meantime, on to Utah fun.

So far Kaden has . . .

Played in the pool or at the splash pad almost every day.

My parents live in a great housing development that has both, so it's super easy to play in the water just before nap time.

Taken a trip to BYU.

Where Grandma bought him his first Cougar ball cap.

Visited The Hogle Zoo.

Kaden loved the giraffes best, but Anya and I liked the baby elephant.

Helped Grandpa and Grandma with Yard Work

Visited my friend Steph and met her darling baby boy, Andy.

Wow. Not a single picture. Such a tragedy. It was great to see her though, and Andy is adorable.

Crawled around on the blanket that is my parents' grass.

Our grass just can't hold a candle to this stuff. And there are no fire ants here to worry about, which is especially nice.

Learned to walk behind his walking toy.

He's been cruising like crazy for over a month now, but this is the first he's tried to walk without an actual person assisting him. He's still too unsteady on his feet to walk on his own, but occasionally he'll be standing holding on to something and he'll let go and stand on his own for a few seconds before he realizes what he's done. Then, he immediately plops on his bum or grabs back on to something for support. It's pretty funny to watch.

Taken lots and lots of night-time baths.

PLUS, I have . . .

Learned to use a sewing machine . . . kind of . . .

Watched the end of the Harry Potter era unfold on the big screen at midnight with my cousin, Anya, while my mom missed out to watch Kaden (who woke up just after we left for the theatre).

AND

Eaten my body weight in chocolate chip cookies, ice cream sandwiches, and homemade hot fudge sauce.

It's been a great trip. We are here until Wednesday, so there is still more fun to come.

Today, Kaden made a new playmate while in the bathtub.

2011-07-11T19:41:00.000-07:00

I think I have a new calling in life . . .

2011-06-12T19:46:00.000-07:00

Meet and teach the author of this article how to write.

I know it's Kinston.

I know our paper shouldn't be held to the same standards as The New York Times.

But it pained me to read this.

I am still gritting my teeth.

Aside from the fact that it's just crappy writing in general, I am appalled by the errors I would expect from my former sophomore writing students.

I know my blog is not a shining example of grammatical perfection. I make errors. I probably make multiple ones. Some of you probably leave a reading of my blog gritting your own teeth.

But I don't write for the newspaper, dang it, and there should be standards. Has the press no pride?

Reall, Mr. Hill? Really?

As an aside, Corbin was a former student of mine, and I am thrilled to hear he's beating his battle with cancer.

On Tuesday

2011-06-09T11:52:00.000-07:00

I had a great morning. I took Kaden to his first ever story time at the public library. In reality, he is still too young to really love it, but it was a great way to get out of the house and do something kid-oriented for free. He did dance along while all the kids sang the welcome songs and paid close attention to the enthralling reading of Who Sunk the Boat. When craft time started we opted to audit the class, since Kaden was more interested in eating the paper plate that was supposed to become a jelly fish than actually making a jelly fish. We got to stop at the fish tank on the way out and wave to all of our fishy friends, so all in all it was a pretty successful trip.

Then, when I got to my car I saw I had a missed call and a text message. I instantly fell apart when I received the news that Eric Edge, a young man who is a member of our church, passed away unexpectedly. He was 22. Eric's sister is one of my good friends, and I have always liked Eric. When we first lived in Kinston during Chad's summer internship and I didn't know very many people, Eric was always so nice to me. He played softball with Chad that summer, and I believe he was getting ready to serve his mission at that time. Eric is the kind of person who always had a big smile on his face. He was so genuine and friendly. My heart ached for his family upon receiving this terrible news.

While Kaden napped, I planted the flowers we bought the night before and contemplated how fragile life really is. How everything can change in an instant, and we have to be so careful to appreciate every moment we have with the ones we love.

I received another text message while I was working in the yard. This one to inform me that my nephew, Tanner James, had arrived safely, and that my sister, Meredith, was doing well. It was so tender to think that while one beautiful life had drifted out of this world, another had drifted in to it.

Other hard news, one piece about the health of a woman I care about very deeply, and another piece very personal, was received during the day.

I cried a lot on Tuesday.

Even though I cried, my heart was full of gratitude. I am so thankful for the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am thankful that I know this life is not the end. I know families are forever, that the relationships we share here on Earth do not end with the grave. I am thankful for the reality of a loving Heavenly Father who hears and answers our prayers, who loves us unconditionally and wants what is best for us. I am thankful for my Savior, Jesus Christ, who through his sacrifice made it possible for us to return to our Heavenly Father some day. The last couple of days have been hard, and a little bit scary, but I have felt so much peace and comfort when I need it most. I know that when Heavenly Father closes a window, he opens a door.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game . . .

2011-06-05T19:18:00.000-07:00

And then take me to an Indian Restaurant.

And then take me to the beach.

OK, Kaden. Sounds like a plan.

On May 31st, Bruce and Joy invited us to go to the Kinston Indians' baseball game with them. We had BBQ, hush puppies, fried chicken, and ice cream sandwiches before the game thanks to Edward Jones Investment Group.

Doesn't Kaden look thrilled to be there?

It was miserably hot outside, but once the sun started to go down it wasn't as bad. There are a lot of reasons I love living in the south. The summer heat isn't one of them. Usually, we don't start in on the massive heat waves until July and August, but this year we started temperatures in the high 90s at the end of May. Nice. Thus, I chopped all of my hair off in a heat-induced fit of passion the next day.

We also celebrated Chad's birthday with his family early this year. His birthday isn't until the 12th of June, but Chad's mom is flying to Denver to help his sister, Meredith, who is expecting her second baby. We went to Dale's, a very yummy Indian restaurant in G-Vegas. Kaden tried his first coconut korma, tandoori chicken, tikka masala, and basmati rice, and gladly accepted repeat bites of every dish offered to him. After dinner, we drove back home and had slices of Joy's deliciously perfect homemade carrot cake. So good. Don't think Kaden didn't enjoy a lick or two of cream cheese icing along with the rest of us.

Here's Kaden, taking a ride in one of Daddy's presents--a new wheelbarrow!

With a curry-filled belly after dinner:

Playing outside the restaurant before we drove home:

Flying with Uncle Tyler:

We took Kaden to the beach for a few hours on Saturday. Chad had a golf tournament in the morning, and I worked on the yard while Kaden napped. When Chad came home, and Kaden awoke from his snooze, we jumped in the car and headed for Atlantic Beach. Lauren's mom is always so nice to let us use her beach cottage while we are there. Kaden enjoyed his first "real" trip to the beach. This time he could actually play in the water.

Here he is skim boarding:

Do not let my glowing appearance frighten you. Every tan has to start somewhere, mine just starts off much whiter than most people's. Let us remember also, for a moment, that my poor skin saw little to no sunlight last summer, as I was hibernating in air-conditioned buildings due to a condition called pregnancy. (I bet you feel guilty about judging my pasty complexion now, don't you? Nothing like playing the pregnancy card to get yourself some pity.)

Kaden started off the trip with a befuddled look of concern on his face, as he often does when we go to a new place. He is a very observant child, and he just sort of quietly takes in new surroundings. He warmed up a bit towards the end though, and I think he had a lot of fun. He tried to ingest two seashells, but luckily Uncle Tyler and Aunt Lauren caught this before he choked to death. He wasn't too interested in eating the sand. Mostly he just held out his fingers and looked at me with an expression that seemed to be asking, "Why aren't you wiping this mess off of me?" We didn't get to the beach until his afternoon nap time, so he did surprisingly well staying content with a missed nap--I guess that is the beauty of distraction.

He passed out almost immediately on the car ride home, and slept for about an hour before he realized he was hungry and still had sand in his hair. Then he wasn't too happy.

I love the ocean so much, and I can't wait to go back for another, hopefully longer, visit!

Where Have All the Pacis Gone?

2011-05-25T13:15:00.000-07:00

Long Time Passing . . .

I found Kaden's secret stash behind the crib today:

There were six pacis scattered along the top of the pack and play that is stored under there.

He has made a habit of throwing his pacis during fits of frustration at nap time. This happens after the giggling, gargling, and talking don't bring Mommy in to pick him up. I went in to check on him the other day and found three pacifiers in the middle of the floor (I've started putting a few extras in the crib when he goes down, so he won't scream as soon as he throws one out). Apparently, he realized it was too easy for Mommy to find those, so he started hiding them behind the crib instead. I burst out laughing when I found them today.

I have composed at least a half dozen blog posts in my head recently, but haven't had time to record them. Why? Because we're in the middle of another set of home renovations. Not on OUR home this time, but on the rental house we just bought. It has been an adventure, I tell you. I am so thankful for all the help we've gotten from family--from babysitting, to demo, to painting, it has all been so greatly appreciated. There's no way we could have completed this project in a month without so much help. Our renters are moving in the 1st of June, and we still have some work we are finishing up before then. Anyway, since it is not the 1st of June yet, you will not get any of those half dozen blog posts, but I figure I should at least do a nine month post for Kaden, since he has been nine months old for two weeks now.

Kaden's nine month stats:

Weight -- 19 pounds, 12.5 ounces (39th percentile)

Height -- 29.5 inches (87th percentile)

Head Circumference -- 46.75 centimeters (87th percentile)

The doctor's take on his stats, "He's long and lean, which I prefer over short and fat."

At nine months old, Kaden . . .

Waves hi and bye
Claps his hands

Gives high fives
Is a wiggle worm
Turns the pages in his book when we read to him (Would you like to help Mommy turn the page? Thank you!)

Still loves to be read to (one of the only times he is still is while you're reading to him)
Can hold his own bottle or sippy cup (He is still very particular about what kind of sippy cup he will take, if he will take one at all. He only likes the kind with very soft tops, so they feel more like a bottle.)
Crawls forwards (he does this sometimes on hands and knees, but a lot of the time still prefers the inch-worm method)

Can get back into a sitting position from a crawling position
Eats grown-up food at meal times (He picks up pieces of the food from his high chair tray on his own. He loves to feed himself and make a mess!), followed by pureed baby food (Everything but Outback mashed potatoes has been a huge hit! From grilled salmon to Cajun chicken pasta, this kid loves it all!)
Goes to sleep on his own, without being rocked to sleep (We still follow a bedtime routine. We read stories, sing a song, rock him until he gets drowsy, and then put him in his crib. Since starting this he has been AWESOME at sleeping through the night--but I don't want to write that for fear it may stop. Sometimes it takes awhile for this to work at nap time, however, and he frequently poops right after I put him down. I have to go pick him up, change him, and start the entire process again. I know infants supposedly don't have control of this bodily function, but sometimes I think he's doing this on purpose to get another story, song, and rock-rock.)
Has four teeth (two bottom, two top) with another one on the way
Loves to throw things
Loves to be out and about (He has enjoyed many trips to Lowe's lately, but he just loves running errands in general.)
Nuzzles his head into whoever may be holding him
Pats you on the back and snuggles you when he's getting tired and you are holding him
Can stand while holding onto something and is working on pulling himself up on his own

Sleeps in a crib with the mattress in the lowest position (We moved the mattress down after I found him semi-standing and shaking the entire side of the crib post nap one day.)
Is cautious but curious. (Even though he knows how to plop on his bottom after he's been standing, you can tell he gets very nervous about doing so. He's also cautious around strangers, even though he'll let almost anyone hold him. He gives people in the grocery store the stare down when they try to talk to him.)

Does bicep workouts with Daddy (Chad lifts him up and he pulls down our attic stairs--these are heavy suckers. After he's done enough reps with his left arm to wear him out, he switches to his right.)
Frequently has one paci in his mouth and an extra in his hand (He then switches them from hand to mouth back and forth. It's quite comical to watch.)
Is looking less and less like a baby, and more and more like a little boy every day (much to his mother's dismay), which is evidenced perfectly in this photo:

Kaden and Kenzie Playing

2011-05-03T11:39:00.001-07:00

Easter

2011-05-03T07:17:00.000-07:00

We were really lucky to have Meredith and Mackenzie in Kinston for Easter this year. Kaden didn't get to go to church on Easter Sunday, because he was running a fever. A few days later we recreated the moment and had the kids put on their Easter duds for a quick cousin photo shoot. They were less than cooperative:

Seriously. That's about as cute as it gets. They were not interested in looking at the camera at the same time, or, in most cases, looking at the camera at all. If we did manage to get them looking at the camera, if one was smiling, the other wasn't. You get the idea.

Kaden, on maracas:

Probably the best one, after the bunnies succumbed to the power of the breeze and were removed:

We decided to try to get some individual shots. Here's what Kaden thought about that idea:

Plastic egg to the rescue:

I think they're still pretty cute, even though they're not perfect portraits of our kids.

Kaden had a blast with Mackenzie while she was here. I think he is going through withdrawals now that she is home in Denver.

Spring Travels

2011-05-02T19:43:00.000-07:00

In the beginning of April, Chad maintained his status as best husband and father ever by letting me whisk Kaden off for two weeks to visit my family. If he asked me to take Kaden somewhere without me for two weeks I would probably say no, so I think it's pretty awesome that he didn't object.

Kaden and I flew to Utah in the evening, with my brilliant plan being that he would likely fall asleep since most of the flight time would be his normal sleeping time. He was remarkably good, but he didn't sleep much. On the first leg of the trip, he bonded with the drunk man next to us--who kept hinting that he'd like to hold him. He reminded me a lot of one of my favorite travel journalists:

Seriously. He looked so much like Anthony Bourdain. And he was swearing and drinking like Anthony Bourdain. The thing is, as much as I think the real Anthony is a fantastic writer and an interesting persona, the likelihood of me letting HIM hold my child is pretty slim, so the drunk impersonator next to me didn't stand a chance. I do not profess to know a lot about alcohol, having never consumed an alcoholic beverage myself, but I do know this: vodka is some of the stronger stuff, and he purchased a lot of it from the flight attendant. Just saying. And another thing: what stranger asks to HOLD someone's baby? So weird. I don't know you! You could be some crazy pedophile! Maybe I'm too paranoid, but I don't see my philosophy on that changing any time soon.

After landing in Denver, we were given the unfortunate news that our flight to Salt Lake was delayed. At this point, Kaden still had not slept, and I was starving. The only food stall open was a TCBY, so I bought a smoothie and then tried to coax Kaden back into a REM cycle by moving away from the chatty mob of high school girls who camped out behind us right when he was finally asleep. He fell back asleep just as our flight began boarding, so that nap didn't last long either.

Even so, the flights went better than I expected they would. Kaden did great in the umbrella stroller in the airport, and as long as I let him shake the menu card and tear up copies of Sky Mall on the plane ride itself, he was happy. I feel so much better about traveling with Kaden alone now, although it is definitely MUCH easier with another set of hands.

We only spent a few days in Salt Lake, but we had a good time. Kaden got to bond with Uncle Jared, who is still living at home. We also got to see Bryan and Lizadel. We even went to the What Women Want! expo at the convention center with Lizadel and her mom, which was a lot of fun.

On Sunday afternoon Mom, Dad, Kaden, and I jumped in the car and drove all night to get to Prosser, Washington. Kaden did AMAZING in the car, and slept pretty much the entire ride. We stopped in Prosser to visit my Aunt Arianne and Uncle Howard and my awesome cousins Anya, Alissa, Evan, and Alissa's little boy, Brody. Kaden LOVED Brody. He is fascinated with other kids now, and Brody was so sweet to him. He was also so good about sharing all of his toys. I was very impressed! We didn't have a lot of time together, but we made the most of the time we had. We ate so much good food (thanks, Aunt Arianne!) and laughed, and laughed, and laughed some more. I love my family. They are some of the funniest people I know.

It is always sad for me to leave a visit with them, because I never know when I will see them again. The last time I saw them was in the summer of 2009. I hate being so far away from so many people that I love, and I hate that Kaden will miss out on really getting to know them. But, c'est la vie, right?

After our stop in Prosser, we drove to the metropolis of Moses Lake, my home town. Nelson Mandela once said, "There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered." I don't think there is a more fitting quotation to describe my visit home.

In Kinston, there are very few people who know me just for me. Most people know me as "Chad Reese's wife," or "Joy Reese's daughter-in-law," and that is OK. I am proud to be a Reese; it's a good thing! In Moses Lake, though, I am still Katie Jensen, and that is kind of fun, too.

In Utah, my mom is Susan, but in Moses Lake, she is Sue.

We stayed at my Grandpa Jensen's house. I love that house. There is no dishwasher in the kitchen and the cabinets are sea-foam green. There is no Internet, and there is no cable TV. It has not changed much since I was a little girl. It's a different color on the outside, and the tree that used to sit in the front yard is gone now. It still feels the same, though. It is still full of my grandma, too, even though she passed away nine years ago. When we first got to Grandpa's house, I went in the back room and cried. I think we always miss the people we love when they are gone, but there, surrounded by so many things that reminded me of her, I missed her more than I have in a long time. I so wish Kaden could have met her, but I know he will someday. We had a lot of fun watching old family home videos with Grandpa at night and sharing lots of old memories.

We didn't have much time in Moses Lake, either, but we did a few things that any Moses Lake tourist must: sampled some amazing Legacy Chocolates thanks to Nesha and Brenda, ate arroz con pollo at Inca (just as amazing as I remembered), devoured a greasy Hockstetter pizza from Chico's, and drove down a lot of country roads. We were able to see a lot of old friends while we were there, but there wasn't enough time to see everyone I would have loved to have seen. I did drive to Othello one day to visit my old high school chums Lena and Crystal. I don't know why, but for a while in high school we went through this phase where we all referred to one another by our first and last names. Even when I talk to Chad about my high school friends, I still say, "My friend, Lena Campbell" or "My friend, Crystal Montoya." They are Lena Gilbert and Crystal Harris now though. We only had a few hours to visit, but it was great to see them. I love seeing my friends as mothers. They are great moms and have terrific children.

After our visit in Moses Lake, we drove to Seattle to spend time with our family on the other side of the state. We stayed with my Grandma Joy at my Uncle Shawn and Aunt Karen's house in Marysville. Jayden and Skyler, my cousins, are so grown up now. I still think of them as tiny, little kids, but they are far from it. You know you're in for a great time when your welcome dinner consists of crab legs AND homemade fettuccine alfredo (note to self: must buy pasta attachment for Bernice). As if the welcome dinner wasn't enough, we also had a fantastic brunch later during our trip. There is nothing like Uncle Shawn's crepes and beignets. So good!

The time flew by while we were there, but we did squeeze in visits with lots of relatives in addition to the ones with whom we stayed: Uncle Mark and Aunt Jaime and their girls, McKenna and Lilah; Nicholas, for a very brief visit one morning; Aunt Maryann; and Uncle Paul and Aunt MalaRee and their crew, Chloe, Hayden, and Sterling.

Some of the highlights of our trip were the Tulip Festival in Skagit Valley, Pike's Place Market in downtown Seattle, eating fish n' chips at Ivar's on the wharf, and visiting Flower World--a giant plant palace of a nursery that I wish existed where I live.

Before we knew it, it was time to fly back to North Carolina. We had a wonderful time, but I think Chad was definitely ready for us to come home, and we missed him lots, too. After a long trip it always feels good to be home, and my home felt extra good since it included a newly painted fence and deck! I always miss my family more after spending time with them, but the good news is Kaden and I get to go back to Utah for another visit in July. We're looking forward to it!

Neglectful Blogger Award

2011-04-27T07:51:00.000-07:00

I wish there was one, and I wish there was a cash prize involved.

Unfortunately, the only prize being a neglectful blogger has brought me is guilt. I've pretty much thrown out any hope of ever completing Kaden's baby book (Isn't it sad that I'm already like this with baby #1?), so any notes on his development not made on this blog are probably not going to be recorded anywhere.

I just realized the last time I wrote anything substantial about Kaden was two months ago. Sorry, Kaden Bug.

So, some of these things Kaden has been doing for awhile, and some of them are relatively new.

At eight-and-a-halfish-months old, Kaden . . .

Has three teeth. Two on the bottom, one on the top, with a fourth tooth on the way. Meredith pointed out the other day how sad it is when babies lose their gummy smile, and I have to say I agree. Already, Kaden looks more like a little boy to me than a baby.

Sits by himself.

Can play peek-a-boo by himself, if he's in the mood. When he first learned to do this, he did it all the time, but he hasn't done it much lately. I'm so sad we never got it on video. Sometimes, we'd be shopping in the store, and I'd realize he was lifting his burp rag to hide his face, just waiting for me to say, "Where's Kaden?" Then he'd throw the burp rag down, I'd say,"Peek-a-boo!", and he'd give me a huge grin.

Scoot-crawls backwards and in circles. He hasn't mastered how to do this while on his knees, and he can't figure out how to move forward yet. This does not stop him, however, from moving all over the room.

Gets up on his knees like he's going to crawl, then face plants or rolls to his side instead of actually crawling.

Pushes up on his toes when he's in a crawling position. Heaven help me. I think walking will not be far behind crawling.

Is a rolling machine. Gone are the days of leaving my baby in a room and expecting him to be in the same place when I come back. Gone, also, are the days of simple diaper changes. Now, those feel like wrestling matches.

Doesn't like his exersaucer or jumping toy as much as he once did, now that he has mobility on his own terms.

Babbles with inflection. I love it when you hear him end a baby-language sentence that sounds like a question. We still hear Dadadadadadadadadadada most often, but he does say Mamamamamamamama and Bababababababababa. He also gargles and yells on occasion.

Often gets fussy if I leave the room and he can't see me. He wants to be with someone at all times. He still does pretty well being held by anyone, but sometimes he wants just Mommy or Daddy. Sometimes he turns this into a game. He will reach for me to hold him, then cry and reach for Chad, then cry and reach for me, etc.

Is a master of the "drop it-pick it up" game. It's a shame this is not an Olympic sport, as I feel Kaden would win world fame as the youngest athlete to medal in the event.

Wears 12 month clothes pretty comfortably, although he still fits into some of his nine month outfits, and a select few six month ones (let's face it--those are mis-sized).

Can feed himself puffs and tiny pieces of banana, with moderate success. Sometimes the entire fist goes into the mouth when he can't figure out how to get the food out of his fingers.

Has tried mangoes, apricots, blueberries, and oatmeal since my last account of his food choices, and has liked every dish placed before him.

Wears size four diapers, the same size as his two-and-a-half-year-old cousin.

Thinks his daddy is the ultimate toy. It is so fun seeing Kaden's face light up when Chad comes home from work or when we see him at lunch time during the day.

Has played in the kiddie pool for the first time, and seemed enthralled at bath time later to realize he got to play in the water not once, but TWICE in one day!

Kaden, at eight months old, on our trip to Washington (blog post about that to follow):

Surprises and Apologies

2011-04-26T12:21:00.000-07:00

Chad and I have a lot of things in common. For example, we both like ethnic food. We both like listening to the classical music station occasionally. We both like going to art museums. We both like to travel.

Chad and I are also different in a myriad of ways. For example, Chad is an athlete. I was the kid in elementary school begging to play in the outfield during P.E., and praying the entire time that no one would hit a ball far enough for me to have to figure out what to do with it. Chad likes mushrooms, while I am of the persuasion that fungi are best left far from my dinner plate. I love to be surprised. Chad does not.

This is something I have never understood. How can you not WANT to be surprised?

Chad would rather know what he is getting for his birthday, Christmas, our anniversary, you name it, than have me surprise him with an unexpected gift. This is hard for me to fathom, because I am exactly the opposite. I LOVE being surprised, and I love giving surprises. Half of the fun of gift-giving is the recipient not knowing what's hiding inside the box.

A lot of the time, when Chad gets me a gift, it is almost impossible for him to keep it a secret. Sometimes, bless his heart, he drops so many hints that by the time the holiday for which the gift is intended rolls around, I am already pretty sure about what I'm going to get. I've told him many times that he is just not very good at giving surprises.

I think I owe my husband an apology.

He is VERY good at giving surprises.

While I was on vacation for two weeks, my husband pulled off the ultimate fence and deck makeover.

He never once dropped a hint about what he was up to, not in a single phone conversation or text message.

When I left for Utah, my deck and fence looked the same way it did when we bought our house: in desperate need of a paint job.

These photos are the photos we took before we bought the house. We'd already pulled out that massive vine growing on the arbor, and refinished the carport and shed last summer.

When I flew home from Seattle, my fence and deck looked like this:

Way to go, Chadwick! I don't know what I love most: my beautiful, new white fence and deck, or the fact that my husband sacrificed all of his free time while I was gone to do this just for me.

Things That Make Me Happy Today:

2011-03-16T11:56:00.000-07:00

1. Watching Kaden's face light up in the children's section of the library. He fell in love with the giant fish tank full of swimming friends. Maybe he thought they were the same ones he smiles at every day while he watches his mobile spin around? I think we will have to get Kadester a pet fish for his birthday this year.

2. New board books from the library, and one from the used book store, to entertain me and my little man.

3. The juicy clementine I just devoured. Oh how I love a clementine!

4. Driving home from running errands and looking at all of the signs of spring. I can't wait for the azaleas and dogwoods to join in the fun!

5. My Kitchenaid Mixer. Have I told you lately, Mrs. Kitchenaid, that I love you?

6. The homemade pizza dough rising in the bowl of my Kitchenaid mixer.

7. The homemade pizza sauce waiting for the dough in the refrigerator.

8. Kaden taking a long enough nap this morning for me to work on my sharing time and talk for sacrament meeting on Sunday. Oh, and a long enough nap this afternoon for me to bond with Bernice, my Kitchenaid mixer.

9. Knowing my cute husband will get home in two hours and we can eat homemade pizza together.

10. Laughing while Kaden practices his new trick: shaking his head no. We're a little young to be starting this, aren't we?

It has been a great day.

Realizations

2011-03-09T20:22:00.000-08:00

The past couple of days, I have come to some realizations, some big and some small.

For example, I realized yesterday (while strolling to the park with my handsome son) that now that I am a Southern gal I find it not only extremely odd if someone I pass on the street doesn't wave at me, but I am somewhat offended when they don't. I mean, come on! If I'm going to live in a town where I have to drive at least 40 minutes to buy a packet of curry mix there need to be some perks. One of those perks is having everyone be friendly, which means strangers on the street are supposed to wave at you. And most of them do. Which is why I was shocked yesterday when three didn't.

I also realized yesterday (while cleaning my father-in-law's office, because he's awesome and gave me that job so I can afford health insurance) that some people are just nasty. Case in point: who pees all over a toilet (and I don't want to get TOO graphic here, but I will suffice to say that when I say "all over a toilet" I really do mean ALL OVER the toilet) and just leaves it. I would be mortified to leave a restroom covered in my urine, knowing that someone could walk in behind me and know that I DID THAT. A second office example: who deposits their chewed stick of Big Red on a leather, waiting room chair--on which someone else may sit! So gross! These people had mothers, did they teach them NOTHING?

I also realized yesterday, that I occasionally enjoy trashy TV. I guess I've always known this, because as a youngster, I used to watch episodes of a show starring these lovely people:

That, my friends is the cast of The Bold and the Beautiful. I don't mean to expose my mother's inner-most secrets on this blog, but she watched this show when I was growing up. She still watches it (sorry, Mom). My Grandma Joy watches it, too (sorry, Grandma). I don't watch it anymore, but I do tune in with her when I go home to visit. She records the episodes, and we fast forward through the commercials. That means one 30 minute episode probably ends up being closer to 18 minutes. The amazing thing is, I can tune in for a couple weeks a year and feel like I never stopped watching. That's the beautiful thing about soap operas. I mean, my mom will have to fill me in a little bit (about which divorcee is now married to which "I-thought-he-was-dead"-"no-he-was-always-alive-just-was-in-a-coma-and-forgot-his-identity" fellow) but it won't take long for me to be completely up to speed.

I denied I had rekindled my trashy TV addiction for a while when I first started watching this:

See that smiling, sensational actress in the left-hand corner? That's Sally Field. If you don't know who she is, I suggest you go to rent my favorite movie of all time, which just happens to be Steel Magnolias. If you don't want to watch the entire film (which is a ludicrous thought--OF COURSE you want to watch the entire film), you can fast forward to the funeral scene--look for the part where she starts screaming, "I'm fine"--and I guarantee you will still cry: that's how amazing Sally Field is. Anyway, I started watching this series because I could stream in on Netflix, which we currently have due to a wonderful Christmas gift from my parents. (Plus, my friend Lacey told me about it. Sorry, Lacey.) The plot lines were a little extreme (see how honest I'm being, maybe you shouldn't judge me too harshly), most of the acting was mediocre at best, and Sally was still amazing. I couldn't stop watching. She sucked me in. I have now watched the first three seasons (remember that part earlier about not judging me too harshly?). Anyway, despite the at times melodramatic nature of the show, I didn't think it was a soap opera. I mean, it airs in the evening (even though I stream it at all times of day while I nurse Kaden or fold a load of laundry). Then, Chad caught a few snippets of episodes. One time, he walked in while I was watching one and we had a conversation that went something like this:

Chad: You're still watching this show, huh?

Katie: Yup. It's not even that good, but Sally Field is so amazing I can't stop.

Chad: Wait a minute, they're dating?

Katie: Yup, they're going to get married.

Chad: I thought they were brother and sister.

Katie: No, no. They only THOUGHT they were brother and sister. They thought she was his father's illegitimate child from his mistress, Holly. Then they found out her real dad was a man named David, so they started dating. The real illegitimate kid is a boy, some kid named Ryan.

Chad: I seriously can't believe you're still watching this.

Light bulb. Once I heard myself explaining the plot out loud, there was no denying its soap opera-ness.

And the thing is, I can't believe I'm still watching it either. But every episode ends with some plot twist that makes me stream another episode later, because I just HAVE TO KNOW what happens. Evil.

Today (while watching my sweet baby go for his first swing) I realized that the likelihood that this face will ever stop melting my heart is non-existent:

It's hard not to forgive me for my trashy TV addictions when I bombard you with photos of a precious face like that at the end of a post, isn't it? I'm very sneaky.

Kadester Update

2011-02-28T19:48:00.000-08:00

At six-and-a-half months old, Kaden:

Has become a pureed fruits and vegetables connoisseur . He tried his first vegetable, green beans, on February 4th. Since then, we have added carrots, prunes, pears, squash, bananas, and peas to his repertoire (in that order). He loves them all. We had a brief moment this morning (whilst he he was introduced to peas alongside his rice cereal) that I thought he might permanently boycott the little, round pellets (since he started crying after every bite and trying furiously to spit the mush out). After a re-introduction at dinnertime, I think even peas might have won him over. He loves to eat. He voices his disdain if you don't shovel food into his waiting, open mouth quite quickly enough.

Has his first tooth. All of that Orajel really wasn't wasted on our fussy baby. He actually WAS teething. I felt the sharp point of Kaden's first tooth on February 7th while, you guessed it, rubbing Orajel on his gums at bedtime.

Mostly sleeps through the night, with occasional relapses. After Kaden started solid foods, we started "sleep training." Basically, we don't pick him up when he wakes up in the middle of the night anymore. We do the 10-15-20 minute go in, comfort, leave routine, until he falls back asleep on his own. I know half of you are thinking I'm a terrible mother for letting my son cry in his crib, but I've got to say--8 hours of sleep at night is a glorious thing. Most nights he just sleeps completely through the night, but every once in a while we'll have to go in and comfort him a few times before he'll zonk back out. The biggest battle we had to fight in this department was breaking the swaddling habit. Kaden has always loved to be swaddled. Usually when he woke up during a nap, or during the night, it was because he had "broken out" of his swaddling. We even used the special Swaddleme blankets, which were miraculous, but eventually he outgrew them. Even the largest size. We had mastered swaddling him in a select few blankets that were still big enough to get the job done, but he was getting too strong for those. When we started the "sleep training," we also stopped swaddling, so he could learn to fall asleep without it.

Can sit up by himself, with supervision. Kaden can support himself while sitting up, but quickly topples over if he reaches too far for whatever object catches his fancy. We are practicing every day, and I think he'll be sitting completely solo before long.

Whisper-talks to himself in the morning. Oh my, this may be the most precious thing my child will ever do. It is soooooooooo cute to listen to him do this. Every time I try to catch him on film he promptly stops, however. I hope I can always remember what this sounded like. After Kaden wakes up in the morning, he usually ends up cuddling in bed with me and Chad. He just lies here, content as can be, whisper-babbling.

Makes consonant sounds, which means he's now more of a babbler, and less of a coo-er. It's pretty clear that the word "Dada" will probably be numero uno. He already says this about a zillion times a day, he just doesn't know that he's saying it.

Bathes in the real bathtub now. We finally had to face reality: our 28 inch baby can no longer bathe in the baby tub on the kitchen counter. This was a travesty. It is so much easier to bathe him while comfortably standing at the counter top. Kaden LOVES taking a bath. He kicks and splashes like crazy, and tonight I discovered that when squirted by his bath toys he can't contain his giggles. He finds it hilarious. He still can't take a bath every night because his skin gets too irritated (he still has some eczema).

LOVES to jump. If he's not in one of his jumping toys, he still pretends that he is. He jumps while you hold him in your lap, and he even moves his legs like he's jumping while he's lying down.

Has figured out he can actually go in a complete circle while in his exersaucer. His favorite part of this toy is the toy phone attached to it. He tries to eat it, instead of talking to whatever imaginary friend is on the other end.

Still hates being on his tummy. I talked to the pediatrician about this one, because I'm afraid he's never going to learn to crawl. Kaden will only tolerate limited tummy time before he starts to scream.

Can successfully remove his pacifier and put it back in. This is such a blessing. He used to take his pacifier out when we'd put him down at night and then wake himself up by hitting himself in the face with it, attempting to get it back in.

Has better motor skills in general. I love watching him play with his toys now, because he really does seem like he is starting to "play." He can really hold on to objects now. His favorite toy right now is by far his soccer ball. Although he mostly just tries to, unsuccessfully, eat it.

Loves music. The Disney music channel on Pandora is a frequent listen in our house. (I love that part of my day consists of dancing to hits from The Jungle Book and The Lion King. My life is seriously so awesome. Especially when it's 1:00 and I'm still in my pajamas.) Some of Kaden's favorite songs right now include "The Wheels on the Bus," "The Itsy, Bitsy Spider," and "Popcorn Popping."

Still loves to be read to and is still pretty attentive while listening to the story (after initial attempts to ingest the literature).

Loves to play peek-a-boo and patty cake.

Still typically takes three naps during the day. One in the morning, one in the afternoon, and one in the early evening. I wish so much he would just turn this into two LONGER naps. It would really help give me time to get more done.

Is a snugly little guy right now. He likes to bury his little head in your chest while you hold him. I took him to see the English teachers at North Lenoir and he cuddled with every one of them.

Is still precious, sweet, and is so much fun to take care of every day.

Is growing up way too fast.

In Six More Months My Baby Will be ONE?!!

2011-02-24T05:17:00.000-08:00

Kaden's Six Month Stats

Weight -- 17 pounds 10 ounces, 53rd percentile

Height -- 28 inches, 91st percentile

Head Circumference -- 44.75 centimeters, 77th percentile

Kaden's Six Month Portraits

Low-Key Valentine's Day

2011-02-15T10:57:00.000-08:00

I didn't grow up really hating or loving Valentine's Day.

In elementary school there wasn't much NOT to like about getting a valentine from everyone in your class, each one usually accompanied by a piece of something delectably sugar-rush infested. Of course, you did have to be careful about what message you gave to each kid in class. You wouldn't want the boy who picked his nose and saved the boogers for later to get the wrong impression by giving him a message that said, "You're cute, Valentine!" Maybe it was the English teacher developing within me way back then, but I was always very attentive to the semantics behind every valentine in the cardboard box that my mom and I would pick out together.

The most memorable valentine of my elementary school years came in sixth grade when Brandon Earl, whose bowl cut I happened to be madly in love with, gave me a valentine that professed he wanted to be my first date when I turned 16. (I had recently returned a necklace he gave me and told him I couldn't date until then. Had Elliott Goodrich not blabbed about the necklace to my parents, I probably would have kept it, but alas, it wasn't in the cards for Brandon and me.) His promise was never kept. Sadly, by the time Brandon and I reached dating age, he no longer had a bowl cut, and friendship had replaced our previous feelings of romance.

If I ever remotely detested Valentine's Day, it was probably in junior high. By the time 7th and 8th grade rolled around, we no longer got to have the classroom bashes filled with conversation hearts. Instead, those of us who didn't get anything for Valentine's Day got to listen to the names of everyone who DID get called to the office to pick up their bouquets of flowers, giant teddy bears, and heart-shaped boxes of chocolates. At the time, watching popular girls try to find an empty spot on their desk amidst all of the red and pink paraphernalia, so they could complete our Earth Science assignment, wasn't the most thrilling. I had an empty desk, a terrible haircut, and braces. It wasn't too hard to find a spot on my desk for a worksheet on plate tectonics. Even then I didn't HATE Valentine's Day, though. Plus, by the time we would graduate from high school, most of the popular girls from junior high were pregnant, druggies, or just a bit washed up. (That doesn't sound cold and unfeeling at all, does it?)

In high school I only had a boyfriend for one Valentine's Day. My junior year, though, my friend Lena Campbell and I decided we were sick of hearing every one's names called on Valentine's Day and never getting our fair share of the goods. We went to Wal-Mart together and picked out gifts for each other, then delivered them to the front office the morning of February 14th.

Even now that I'm married, we don't really make a huge deal about Valentine's Day. As long as Chad gets me a bouquet of flowers, or a card, or makes me a stellar dinner, or does something to remind me he knows it's the day of love--I'm good. (If he doesn't do ANYTHING, then we will have a problem.) We don't usually go out to eat on Valentine's Day, because restaurants are packed, service is terrible, and it's just an unpleasant waste of an evening.

Yesterday Chad brought me flowers in the morning. Last night we dropped Kaden off at my mother-in-law's house and drove to Moss Hill Elementary to take pictures of a 6, 7, and 8 year old basketball team. And, being the domestic diva that I am, I ironed my husband's shirts for his Valentine's Day gift. And I know that some of you are thinking I should do that all of the time, but sadly, my husband married me, and it's in the contract that I don't have to do that chore. I'm not a huge country western fan, but I'm pretty sure that some country singer sometime sang a song that says something like, "I don't do windows." If I was a country singer, my song would say, "I don't iron." Judge me if you must. I love an ironed shirt as well as the next lady, but when my husband looks freshly pressed 9 out of 10 times he's ironed his shirt himself. That is why my Valentine's gift was straight from the heart.

I think if we were amazingly wealthy, I would hire a maid, but all I would ask her to do is iron. And maybe clean the bathrooms. And do a dish . . . or two . . . merely occasionally, of course. And put the clothes away after I've washed them. But, really, she might as well wash them if she's going to put them away anyway, right? Oh, to dream.

Anyway, I hope I haven't de-romaticized Valentine's Day for anyone. I'm sure we now seem like a very unromantic couple. But here's the thing: shouldn't romance happen spontaneously, and not just one day of the year? To me, Valentine's Day is just a day to remind us how much we love that special someone, and to maybe make us think about how we should show that person how much they mean to us a little bit better every day of the year.

I hope your Valentine's Day was nice, and that you felt loved, because to me, that's all the day is really about.

This little piggy . . .

2011-02-08T15:07:00.000-08:00

Video Overload

2011-01-31T10:53:00.000-08:00

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's super baby!

When it took me awhile to get pregnant, I finally made an executive decision to stop being depressed and start living life. I figured I'd get pregnant when I least expected it, since sitting around waiting for it didn't seem to be working. I looked up admission dates to ECU and started plotting to begin my master's degree. We started shopping for tickets to see the World Cup in South Africa. Then, about a week before my 26th birthday, all of those plans changed because we found out our little man was on the way. (THANK GOODNESS we hadn't already purchased plane tickets half way around the world!) We have started training Kaden for the World Cup. Maybe if he plays for team USA we'll get to one eventually.

Good jump, Kaden!

Chad helped Kaden master this skill when he stayed home with him one day while I was still working. Gigi was sick, so Chad took the day off and taught Kaden this trick. He informs me he did way better at this before I returned home, but it is still pretty darn awesome. Without further ado, I give you Legs Up, Legs Down:

Firsts

2011-01-28T07:06:00.000-08:00

Here are some firsts we've been experiencing in the Reese household:

For Kaden:

First Christmas--

Kaden and Kenzie in their Christmas outfits the Sunday before Christmas:

Christmas Day:

This is Kaden napping on Christmas day. I had to put this picture in, because I want to remember how Kaden always naps at Gigi's house. We make a spot for him on her bed and barricade him with pillows, so he can't roll off. They added the animal print blanket for dramatic effect, but he really does look like a young Sheik every time he falls asleep over there. It's hilarious.

Kaden loved spending time with his cousin Mackenzie over the holidays. We spent Christmas with Chad's family this year and had a wonderful time. Kaden was terrified of opening presents. We tried to hold his hand and help him tear the paper, but every time he tore the paper he would burst into tears. We finally opted to open all of his gifts for him (with some added help from Mackenzie who was all about some present opening this year), and he was perfectly content to observe the gift-opening process. We were all extremely spoiled by Santa Claus and family this year.

First Roll Over--

On December 27th, Kaden rolled over for the first time, back to tummy. We had known he was capable of achieving this milestone for awhile, but he'd been too stubborn to do it. I was playing with him on the floor and all of a sudden he just nonchalantly rolled to reach the toy I was holding. I started squealing with joy and doing a happy dance, after which I burst into tears (I had been so petrified I would miss this moment while I was at work all day. I am so glad he waited until Christmas vacation). Kaden looked at me like I was insane and went back to playing. Later that day, he rolled over tummy to back. He has rolled over multiple times since, but he is far from a rolling machine. We have yet to catch him rolling on camera, because he is only interested in flipping over when HE wants to (a bit scary how much of his mommy is lurking in his personality, isn't it?) My mom was here for an entire week and he wouldn't roll for her once.

First Snow--

First Rice Cereal--

On January 12th, one day after his five month birthday, the Kadester realized that he too was capable of eating something that came from a bowl and was served on a spoon. He has been anxiously watching every bite we've taken for quite awhile and the pediatrician suggested at his last visit we start him on a couple of tablespoons of rice cereal to prep him for fruits and veggies at six months. He LOVES eating (what a shocker). I've heard that some children don't enjoy rice cereal, because it is bland. I've even heard tales of people having to mix it with some applesauce to get their children to eat it. Hmmmmmm. Not a problem for us. After a couple of bites, he was leaning forward reaching for more. He also typically has a tear-filled meltdown after the last bite disappears. Now that he knows he can eat real food too, his favorite game is reaching for whatever food mommy or daddy might be eating. I feel so guilty eating in front of him, and I can't wait for him to get started on the good stuff, so I won't have to watch him gaze longingly at whatever is on my plate.

For Katie:

First Knead with a Stand Mixer--

Chad successfully surprised me by getting me this beauty for Christmas this year: The iconic Kitchenaid Artisan Stand Mixer. I am in love (with the mixer AND my husband). I finally had the chance to break her in last night while making the dough for some delicious bread sticks. Let me tell you, ten minutes of kneading in a mixer feels a lot shorter than ten minutes of kneading by hand. Just saying.

First Day as an Official Full Time Mom--

I submitted my resignation from Lenoir County Schools upon returning from Christmas vacation. I told a very understanding and supportive principal that I have felt torn in two directions since having Kaden, and that I want to be a full time mom and a part time something else, yet to be determined. I finished out the semester and spent my last day at North Lenoir on January 24th. I'm so glad I had the kids I did for my last semester there. They were the kind of students who knew how to laugh and play at the right times, and get right down to work at the right times. I can honestly picture myself going back to teaching again, because they were the last group I taught. I know I am going to miss teaching immensely. I feel like it is a true talent I have been blessed with, and (despite how much I complain about it) I really do love it. I knew that resigning was what I wanted to do, but it turned out to be much more bittersweet than I expected, and I even questioned my decision a few times. What it came down to in the end was this: I know a classroom will always be waiting for me in the future, but Kaden will only be this small once. The hardest part about leaving was seeing so many of the students I was supposed to teach next semester in the halls and hearing them say, "I have you next semester, Mrs. Reese!" and knowing they really wouldn't. Luckily an excellent, veteran English teacher has stepped in to take my place, and I know they are in good hands. Second hardest was leaving my wonderful colleagues. I worked with so many amazing, interesting, wonderful people, and I will miss seeing them every day.

Pictures of my two English III, Honors classes. I didn't get a picture of the seniors because half of them exempted the exam, and these photos were taken on exam day:

I probably broke some teacher vow of non-favoritism, because I told these kids they were the best class I have ever taught (and they were):

This decision will not come without sacrifice, and we'll be on a tight budget for awhile, but I am thankful for so many things. For starters, I am thankful for a husband who supports my decision. Chad didn't tell me I had to stay at home, and he didn't tell me I couldn't stay at home. He told me he wants me to be happy, and that I should make the decision that would make me happy. I am grateful for that. I am so thankful that he works hard to support our family, so that I can take time off to raise Kaden full-time. Next, I am thankful that this is even a financial possibility for us. I know that for so many families, it isn't. I have such respect for working moms, after being in that category for only a few months. If you have never had to do it, let me tell you, it is HARD. November to January in the trenches taught me this simple fact: Any person who ever criticizes the state of a working mom's temperament, physical appearance, or the condition of her house, should be shot.

First Blog Post of 2011--

One down, many more to go. It's hard to believe that I started this blog six years ago. I'm so glad that it has become a way for me to document all of the events in our life. Here's to a year of great blog posts!

Somebody is Four Months Old

2010-12-14T18:06:00.000-08:00

I haven't been very good about documenting our lives lately. I did write one excessively depressing post about juggling mommy-hood with teaching high school English that I never finished, so thankfully you won't have to read that one.

Kaden had his four month checkup on Friday. Without further ado, here are our little Christmas elf's stats:

Weight: 14 pounds, 12.5 ounces (49th percentile)

Height: 27.5 inches (98th percentile)

Head Circumference: 42.5 centimeters (57th percentile)

The doctor says he's growing just like he should and that his head is surprisingly well shaped for sleeping on his back. (Anyone think he gets held a lot?) Kaden bonded with the doc: he held his hand while being stethoscoped. (Like my new verb?)

At four months old, Kaden . . .

CAN sleep through the night. He did this for the first time on November 5th (yes, my future London Study-Abroader chose Guy Fawkes Day as his first un-interrupted slumber). Usually he will choose a couple of nights a week to sleep through the night. The rest of the time we're getting up 1-2 times to eat. I am not complaining, however. I am just thankful Chad and I have managed to escape the curse put upon us by our parents that we would have children just like us. Neither of us slept through the night until we were well into our toddler years. I'll take my 1-2 days a week of a full-night's rest with pleasure. Thankfully, on the nights when he does wake up, he usually goes back to sleep fairly easily.
Full out laughs when he feels the occasion calls for it. This happens most often when I am changing his clothes (he LOVES to be naked). He was even laughing in his sleep the other day when Chad put him down for his nap.
Talks in complete sentences, just in a language we can't understand. Kaden is very expressive. He tells sad stories and happy stories. Sometimes he will take a break while nursing to tell me an entire story, before he goes back to eating again.
Shoves everything he can get his hands on in his mouth. He also shoves his hands in his mouth (he frequently gags himself by shoving his fingers too far down his throat).
Holds small objects like his rattle and other toys.
Loves his feet.
Is still too lazy to roll over. While on his back he will roll to his side and then give up. While on his tummy he will get frustrated until we pick him up.
Watches us eat with extreme interest.
Will still be entertained by his swing and bouncy seat but for much shorter periods of time.
Loves sitting up in his Bebe Pod (Bumbo seat).
Naps with his daddy in the morning (after he eats breakfast) while mommy gets ready for work. (It melts my heart every morning when I go say goodbye before I leave. Without fail Chad and Kaden are both sound asleep in the exact same way--arms sprawled out above their heads.)
Has to be swaddled up tight to get him to sleep, but as soon as the swaddling process begins he will fight like crazy to stay awake.
Has his mom's stubborn streak and will occasionally let it show.
Naps for much shorter periods of time (just ask his poor Gigi who keeps him during the day).
Loves to sing along to the Christmas music on car rides.
Moves his entire body when he gets excited about something, be it his reflection in the mirror, or his Elmo toy at Gigi's house.
Will let me tote him around in the pouch sling in the kangaroo position. He loves being able to see out and move around with me. (This is another precious sight to behold. I'll try to add pictures later.)
Gets shy sometimes when we compliment him on how cute he is and buries his face in the chest of whomever is holding him to hide his embarrassment (This is one of the most adorable things he does. I will try to post a video of this sometime.)
Is a very happy little guy most of the time and is content to let just about anyone hold him, rock him, and love him.

Not a day goes by that Chad and I don't reflect on how blessed we are to have such a sweet, adorable little boy. He really is a precious baby.

Despite how hard it has been for me to be away from Kaden during the day, I have recognized so many small blessings in my day to day life since returning to work. I am so thankful to my Father in Heaven for watching out for me and for answering my prayers. I have felt so much peace and comfort at times when I need it most. I have wonderful students this semester; they really have been unbelievably good. I am teaching all honors classes (in teaching that is code for spoiled rotten), two junior classes and one senior class. I adore all of them. It doesn't make the feeling of being pulled in two directions go away, but it does make it more endurable. I know the students I have are not a coincidence. I feel like they are a huge blessing. Joy is still keeping Kaden during the day, another huge blessing. So far I have still been able to breast feed him thanks to wonderful co-workers who help me watch one of my classes while I pump during the day. Blessing.

I am looking forward to the start of the holidays and a nice, relaxing vacation with plenty of bonding time with little man Reese. Only three more days to go!

Christmas Time is Here

2010-11-28T19:03:00.000-08:00

Our house at twilight:

As you can see, Kaden is anxiously awaiting the approaching festivities:

Only 15 working days until Christmas vacation.

Not that I'm counting . . .

Goodnight Moon

2010-11-14T18:35:00.000-08:00

Tonight, after I nursed Kaden and tried to put him down, he started to cry. He was not interested in sleep. I swaddled him up, cuddled Mr. Swaddle Bug on my lap and we read this together:

He stopped crying and stared at the pictures while I read him one of the simplest stories ever written.

Then I sang him a lullaby and rocked him to sleep (because I do naughty things like that instead of letting him "learn to self soothe" in his crib).

My mom read this book to me, and Chad's mom read this book to him.

Kaden loves to be read to, and I think that is awesome. Some of our other favorites at three months old are If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, Corduroy, Hop on Pop, Guess How Much I Love You?, and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (OK, so I might have lied about that last one).

On Friday, I had a conversation with one of my student's parents. He failed my class last nine weeks, and his father is obviously concerned about his grade. This is how my favorite line in the conversation went:

"Well, he hates to read. I hate to read, and his mother hates to read. There ain't nothin' we can do about that."

It's times like this that I am thankful I'm having a conversation over the telephone and not in real life. This way, I can make whatever facial expressions I want and no one is the wiser. Luckily, since it was only day two in my return to public education, and I have yet to reach the state of exhaustion that will likely accompany the end of the semester, I was able to refrain from making the following comments I wanted to make:

"That is an extremely sad and uneducated comment."

"Perhaps your child's lack of interest in my subject area should warrant his removal from an HONORS level course."

"Perhaps we can do something about his laziness, even if you seem to lack the skill to spark his interest in reading."

I do not know if Kaden will be a reader when he grows up. I certainly hope so, but I also know I can't choose what my child will love. I'm not going to deceive myself into thinking that because he will snuggle with me and enjoy a picture book now he'll be a bookworm when he's older. Having said that, my mom certainly shaped me into the reader I am today.

I am thankful for a mom who held me in her arms while she read me Goodnight Moon. And I'm glad it didn't stop there. I am thankful for a mom who giggled with me while we read all of the Ramona Quimby books together, and all of the other chapter books she snuggled with me through at bedtime. Most of all, I'm thankful that she talked to me about what I read while I was in high school. I'm thankful she littered our house with books and that I saw her reading them. Books on the night stand. Books in the bathroom. Books on the kitchen counter. Always books. It's still that way. One of my favorite parts about going home is seeing what new books are hiding in various parts of my parents' house--there's always something to read and talk about.

Mom, I am so glad you're a reader.

And I'm so glad that I get to read to my little boy.

Half Baked

2010-11-13T12:44:00.000-08:00

This is my favorite ice cream. It is sold in expensive pints in the freezer department of nearly every grocery store next to much more practical choices: affordable half gallons of other brands.

If you can't read the description printed below the flavor, allow me to help you. Each pint reads: Chocolate and Vanilla Ice Creams mixed with Fudge Brownies and Gobs of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. Now I ask you, what isn't to love about a calorie fest of that variety?

I first fell for this ice cream on a late night chocolate run with my mom and I have never looked back.

When I lived in London, it was not unheard of for my friend Steph and I to occasionally brave the drunk-infested streets late at night in search of this ice cream. The Blockbuster a few blocks away had a freezer chest stacked full of them. We were lured there by the exceptional price of two pints for five pounds. (Unfortunately, two pints for five pounds is not the same thing as two pints for five dollars, and even that wouldn't have been that amazing of a deal. . .)

I am thrifty, and my husband is even more so (some might venture to call him cheap). We do not usually buy Ben and Jerry's ice cream; it is simply too expensive. Our freezer is only graced with its presence for very important occasions, some happy and some sad.

For example, Chad might surprise me with a pint for my birthday. Happy.

Or, Chad might surprise me with a pint after a PMS induced meltdown. Sad.

After Kaden was born, my mother-in-law brought me a pint of Half Baked in the hospital. It was heavenly.

Thursday, Chad brought me a pint of ice cream back with him after his grocery store run.

You see, I went back to work on Wednesday.

I pretty much cried for a week straight beforehand. I would be playing with Kaden while I changed his diaper, and I would burst into tears and say, "I want to stay home with you all the time!" or I would watch him get this huge smile on his face, the tears would gush down my cheeks, and I would proclaim, "How can I ever leave you?!"

On Wednesday, I cried when I kissed Kaden goodbye.

I cried while I pulled out of the driveway.

I cried all the way down Cary Road.

And all the way to North Lenoir High School.

Once I made it to school, I was fine. I taught three classes filled with wonderful students who missed me. It felt good to be missed. I saw all of my colleagues, people I love. It was a good day.

Thursday was Veteran's Day. Thank goodness, no school.

I cried Thursday night, not wanting to go back to work on Friday.

I cried Friday morning on my way to work.

I am crying now while I write this post, thinking I will have to go back on Monday.

The cycle continues . . .

Chad has pointed out that Kaden is not going to prison. He's not being kept from me for the rest of his life. In fact, he is staying with his Gigi, who loves him and will spoil him rotten.

I know this.

I know he is in good hands. I know that he is fine. I know that he is happy. I know all of this.

But it is still hard.

Kaden's Blessing Day, October 31, 2010

2010-11-04T12:43:00.000-07:00

The main reason my family flew back to North Carolina with me was so they could be there for Kaden's blessing day. My mom made his blessing outfit, and it was absolutely precious. It was also the Primary program on Sunday, so I had a very busy day since I am in the Primary presidency. Thankfully my mom and grandma were there to help get Kaden dressed (we took him to church in a different outfit in case he decided to desecrate whatever he was wearing before Sacrament meeting) and keep him happy. Chad gave Kaden a beautiful blessing, and it was a very special day. Thus, the picture overload:

All the family who came for Kaden's special day:

The men who participated in the blessing with Chad: Dad Jensen, Papa, Chad, Tyler, Uncle Craig, and Dad Reese.

Kaden with Gigi and Poppy:

Kaden with Grandpa and Grandma:

With my parents:

Four generations:

Kaden with his Gram:

Our family:

Sisters:

Cousinly Love:

Kenzie with Gigi and Mommy:

With Chad's parents:

Another four generations:

Kaden talking to his Gigi:

Chad with his siblings (minus Cameron, who's on his mission. . . tear):

Time out for fun:

With Lauren and Tyler:

Sad Kaden:

"It's OK," says Mackenzie:

In his darling outfit:

I am so thankful for my Kaden boy, and I am so thankful that he has a wonderful daddy who could give him a name and a blessing.

The Cutest Pumpkin in the Patch

2010-11-04T11:56:00.000-07:00

Chad was very disappointed when I brought home a pumpkin costume for Kaden this year. He was hoping for something a little less generic. My thoughts were Joy and I scored big time finding a costume for $4.99 at Once Upon a Child that didn't look raggedy. He was a little fluff ball, and Chad kept telling him, "I'm so sorry; this wasn't my fault."

Kaden, meet your cousin Ladybug:

And your Aunt, The Cheshire Cat:

Here's our Trunk or Treat trunk this year. (It actually looked way cooler in person. We had lots of glow sticks to add to the eerie effect.)

All tuckered out in Grandma's lap after the excitement:

I spent most of the time with the primary children, trying to entertain them while their parents played Bingo and won giant cakes. Not to bad for Kaden's first Halloween.

Cousin Bonding

2010-11-04T11:32:00.000-07:00

When we came back from Utah, we were also able to see Meredith and Mackenzie who had been visiting while we were away. Luckily we caught them at the tail end of their trip. Mackenzie was so much fun this time. Her little personality is precious; she is at such a fun age! Kenzie loved Kaden and was such a good helper. She wanted to help feed Kaden his bottle, change his diaper (which one night resulted in catastrophe when he peed all over her, I screamed, and she started bawling), rock him to sleep when he was in his car seat, sing him songs, and she would tell him, "It's okay," whenever he was crying. It was so sweet. I know they will make great playmates some day when he's a little bigger and she can boss him around. She was a little confused at first because Kaden sounded a little too much like Katie. If she wasn't calling him "Bebe," she was calling him Aunt Katie (or Annnn Kayeee in Kenzie language).

We went to the nature center one day to spend some time together. Kaden slept through the entire outing in the stroller, but Mackenzie still had a good time (despite the broken train she wanted to ride).

It was fun spending time with them while they were here. I wish they lived closer so we could do more things together!

Kaden's First Beach Trip

2010-11-04T11:19:00.000-07:00

While my family was here visiting, we drove to New Bern for the day so Grandma Joy could see her old stomping grounds (New Bern is where she graduated from high school). We had a great day window shopping and eating yummy food. We also drove down to Atlantic Beach so they could see the ocean. It was a beautiful day! We still bundled up Mr. Kaden, because of the fall breeze.

Time in Utah

2010-11-04T10:48:00.000-07:00

After Bryan's wedding weekend, Chad flew home, and Kaden and I stayed behind to spend some more time with my family. Before the actual wedding, we did drive up the canyon on Sunday afternoon to take a few family pictures. Aunt Arianne snapped the photos, and Chad added a few post-processing touches when we came home.

I didn't take very many pictures during the two weeks I was there. At all. To me, that is a sign that we were having such fun that there wasn't time to go find the camera. (OK, we were having fun, but really it's a sign of pure laziness on my part. Oh, well.)

While in Utah I did a lot of eating. Food chains I hit up while in Utah include: Cafe Rio, In-N-Out Burger, The Pie, & Panda Express. It's amazing what you miss when you can't get it where you live. I also devoured homemade chicken salad (It is a constant battle between Chad and myself how chicken salad should be prepared. Being from the west coast I grew up eating a completely different variety than my hubby, and I always beg my mom to make some when I go home.), snicker doodles, and probably about five pans of brownies. Caffeine-free Dr. Pepper was my beverage of choice pretty much the entire time I was home. By some miracle I actually lost weight while I was there, so maybe I need to adopt a similar eating plan now that I am home . . .

We did go out shopping a few times, but mostly we just lazed about and spent time together. It was nice. Below are a few pictures we did capture while I was out west.

Kaden relaxing in the tub:

Kaden loved his Uncle Jared:

Discovering how handsome he is in the mirror:

Luckily for me, my parents and grandma flew back out to North Carolina with me. I say luckily because what was supposed to be a two flight trip home from Salt Lake to Denver, and then Denver to Raleigh turned into a trip from Salt Lake to Denver (delayed departure, meaning we missed our connecting flight), Denver to St. Louis, St. Louis to Nashville, Nashville to Raleigh. We were supposed to get in a little after five in the evening, but didn't get in until after 11:00 instead. To add interest to the experience, the airline also managed to lose all of our luggage. It was about 2:00 a.m. by the time we made it home. That is a long day with an almost three month old. Kaden was still very good. We only had one melt down while trying to get him to nurse in the Denver airport, and one blowout on the plane while the fasten seat belt sign was on. (At that point, I waited for the flight attendant to be otherwise engaged and adopted a philosophy taught to me by my friend Steph: "It is better to ask for forgiveness than permission.")

Catching Up . . .

2010-11-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

Wow. I haven't blogged in a long time. Such a long time, in fact, that it will probably take me eons of time to catch up. I just barely got back from a trip to Utah, and my parents and grandma just left from a visit to our house. It has been so nice spending time with my family, although it is a tad bittersweet. I get used to being far away from my family and I don't really feel sad about it most of the time. After a visit with them, things get rough when the trip ends. I spend about a week wallowing and teary, and then I am fine again. Sometimes I wonder what is worse, not seeing your family, or saying goodbye after you have seen them. Anyway, since we are only on day two of wallowing, I figure I should start updating my blog. Let's start at the very beginning, shall we (a very good place to start . . . I hear a Sound of Music song coming on).

The entire reason we flew out to Utah in the first place was to witness this:

I can't believe my little brother is now a husband. Bryan and Lizadel were married on October 11th. Crazy stuff. Isn't his wife beautiful? I cried when I saw her in the dressing room. Seriously, she looked that gorgeous. That's why I think it is totally lame that Bryan saw her in her wedding dress before she walked down the aisle. Way to ruin the dramatic effect by taking pictures before the wedding, guys. Otherwise, I think even my tough, Marine brother might have found it hard to contain his emotions.

My cousin, Anya, was the lucky one who got to watch Kaden during the ceremony, since Chad and I were both in the wedding party. I should have warned her to rethink her heels, because in true Kaden fashion what started as holding him like this:

Turned to this:

How can babies tell if you're standing up? It's crazy. Thanks, so much Anya for cuddling him!

Chad, Kaden, and I flew out on the Friday morning before the wedding. Can I just say Kaden was amazing on the plane? He really was such a good baby the entire time. I am still terrified to fly with him alone, but I was most impressed with how good he really was. We had several compliments about his behavior, and instead of giving the polite thank you that was probably expected, I kept saying, "I KNOW, right?!" (Just an aside, since this was my first time flying with an infant, I learned that being a parent traveling with a child pretty much means you might as well have leprosy in everyone else's eyes. We flew Southwest, so there were no assigned seats. It was hysterical some of the comments that were made as people passed us by. One woman's face lit up when she saw an empty window seat, then said, "Oh! THEY have a BABY!" in a Cruella-DeVil-esque tone. Not that I blame people, I mean, I never choose to sit by the couple with the baby, either, but I never vocalized it. GOSH.)

For me, one of the most exciting parts of any big event like a wedding in the family is the possibility of seeing extended family that I don't get to see too often. A lot of my relatives weren't able to make it this time, since the wedding was on a Monday, and most of them could not get the time off work. Still, it was so fun to see my Grandpa Jensen, Grandma Joy, Aunt MalaRee, Uncle Howard, Aunt Arianne, and of course my cousins: Anya, Alissa, Evan, Brody (Alissa's little boy), and Sterling.

When I see this shot, of all of us all grown up, I think, "Man, we've come along way from catching pollywogs and walking ditch banks."

The wedding was absolutely beautiful. My parents did the flowers, which were gorgeous. The wedding and reception were held at an indoor garden in Sandy, Utah. It was a great location: lots of fountains, twinkle lights, greenery, and flowers. Lizadel is Filipino, so there was a lot of Filipino food which was very tasty, and all of the groomsmen wore traditional Filipino shirts.

I am very happy for Bryan and Lizadel. They make a lovely couple, and I know they will be very happy together. Welcome to the family, Lizadel!

Kaden's Two Month Check Up

2010-10-06T13:46:00.000-07:00

Kaden's Two Month Stats:

Weight - 12 pounds 8 ounces (76th percentile)

Height - 25 inches (97th percentile)

Head Circumference - 39 centimeters (35th percentile)

The shots were killer, although I was most proud of myself for containing my own tears while Kaden cried his crocodile ones. I held it together much better than I did for his first heel stick when he was only a few days old (had to leave the room I was crying so hard for that one). Looks like my hormones are a little more in balance than they were a few days after Kaden's birth.

And, in honor of Kaden being almost two months old, here are some photos I took of him yesterday sporting cashmere duds from his fall wardrobe:

Why We Love Kaden's Swing

2010-10-04T16:00:00.000-07:00

North Carolina Seafood Festival

2010-10-03T07:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we watched the first session of General Conference and then hopped in the car and drove to Morehead City for the annual Seafood Festival. (I know, we are heathens, but I promise I am going to watch the afternoon session later this week.) I had never been to the festival before. Last year I really wanted to go, but we didn't, so I vowed we would try to make it this year. It was also fun, because this was Kaden's first real adventure other than shopping.

The ride down there made me wonder if we had made a serious mistake. It usually takes about an hour to get to Morehead City. We left the house, right after feeding Kaden, at 2:30. We didn't get to Morehead City until 4:30. Wow. Looks like we need to count on an extra hour of travel time when we take the baby anywhere. Kaden was fussy when we first got in the car, but he hadn't napped well, so I figured he would fall asleep pretty quickly. We were OK at first. Then, we realized we had forgotten the camera, and decided to turn around and get it. That led to hitting about every red light possible on the way back to our house, which Mr. Kaden did NOT enjoy. In order to fall asleep, he has to be moving, not stop and go. Once we were on the actual highway, he fell asleep, but promptly woke up screaming. I figured he might have a wet diaper, so we pulled over to change him. Not wet. So I fed him (look at me, nursing on the go!). We were momentarily happy before the screaming started again. Wet diaper this time. A few miles down the road we were screaming yet again, this time due to a poopy diaper. All of the chaos on the road was worth it though, because once we met up with Lauren and Tyler, and got to the festival, Kaden looked like this:

He was sooooooooooooo good the entire time. He either slept, or looked puzzingly around at the scenery the entire time until the very end when he wanted to eat again. Morehead City was packed with people. Here's a shot Chad took of the crowd, to give you an idea of what we were pushing a stroller through:

The festival is basically streets filled with vendors of all kinds. The ones we were most interested in, however, were the food vendors. We sampled roasted corn, a Cajun shrimp pita, lemonade, and a funnel cake. Here we are sampling roasted corn, dipped in butter, and then topped with your choice of spices. Chad and I put salt, garlic salt, cayenne pepper, and Old Bay seasoning on our ear. Sooooooooooo good.

Here I am with Kaden, enjoying my corn:

Here is Tyler enjoying his, and Lauren, my gorgeous sister in law, looking like a movie star, enjoying hers:

It was a beautiful, fall night. A bit windy, but still really nice weather. It got a little chilly at the end of the evening, but we kept Kaden bundled up in blankets and enjoyed the sunset on the water before we left for home:

We had a great time, and only dealt with one major melt down, and one minor one (which induced sleep), on the way home. I think I would definitely make it a tradition to go to this every year.

Aforementioned Torte

2010-09-29T13:12:00.000-07:00

Thanks, Noelle for the recipe. I made mine with strawberries instead of blueberries. Lest you think I consumed this baby by myself, I will make myself look a little more health conscious by pointing out that I brought the entire thing to the Relief Society broadcast pre-dinner bash. I know it's less than perfect, but isn't it still quite pretty? I was very pleased with myself. You can find the recipe here.

Stream of Consciousness

2010-09-29T06:04:00.000-07:00

I wish I had a candle that smelled like fall. I really think that would make me happy right now. I know you can't buy happiness, but for me at this moment, happiness would be the scent of fall in a jar that I could spark with a lighter. I need to put up our fall decorations. It's finally cool enough for me to do it. I'm sad that they weren't up for all of September, but it still felt too much like summer. It's raining outside, and I love it. We have had so much rain over the last few days. I'm glad our house has never flooded, even during the biggest flood of the century that happened in Kinston. There are flood warnings everywhere, and we don't have flood insurance. I hate that sometimes excessive amounts of rain mean we might have an appearance of a cockroach or two. I can't stand them. I hope the one Chad killed two nights ago screamed a death warning to all his friends so they will be too frightened to come inside. Kaden is sleeping. Why didn't he sleep last night? I am exhausted. Sometimes I don't know if I can make it another day as a mommy. Now I feel like a horrible person for admitting that. Then Kaden smiles, or coos, and I am in love with my job again. Speaking of jobs, I don't want to go back to school. I have missed absolutely nothing about it. Nada. Nothing. What if Kaden thinks Gigi is his mom when I go back to work? I hate that health insurance is a necessity. I hate that it costs so much money. The TV in my living room looks so ghetto. It was bad enough just chilling on the floor, but now Chad hooked up our rabbit ear antenna so he could watch the Boise State game. It looks preposterous, but watching Oprah in the afternoon while I nurse Kaden is pretty amazing. I might let its ghetto-ness slide for a bit longer. What should I make for dinner? I wonder if I have anything in the pantry I can mesh together into some kind of resemblance of a meal. Trudging through rain to the store with a baby who may or may not be fussy, while carrying a car seat that is definitely heavy, doesn't sound too appealing. I have my follow-up visit at the doctor's office on Friday. I am guessing everything is OK, so she will probably give me the go-ahead to start working out again. I am excited, because I know that's the only way I am ever going to fit into my pants again, but somehow going to the gym in a state of exhaustion sounds somewhat overwhelming to me right now. It would probably help me lose weight if I stopped making desserts like lemon cheesecake tortes and coconut chocolate chunk blondies and consuming them in large quantities. I get to see my family in nine days! I am terrified about taking Kaden on the plane. My biggest fears: a blowout on the airplane, and trying to change that diaper (Where do you do such a thing? In the plane lavatory?); a screaming baby who won't be consoled; finding an inconspicuous place to nurse in public (I am still very private about this. I don't understand these women who can just pop their boobs out in public. It is just awkward to me. I know nursing is a natural thing, but still, it just weirds me out.) I am sooooooooooooo glad Chad is flying with me this time, so I don't have to do this all on my own. Chad is such a good dad. Like an amazing dad. I love watching him with Kaden, it is the sweetest thing in the world. I need to dye my hair. And have my bangs cut. I have been having insanely crazy dreams lately. I think it's because I'm sleeping in such short bursts. Usually I remember my dreams most after a nap, and that's all I really feel like I do at night is nap until Kaden wants to eat again. Here is my strangest one: Bringing the biology teacher's snake home as a present for my brother, Jared. In my dream I didn't bring the cage for the snake, just the snake. The snake was a huge Boa Constructor, and was neon colored. The snake clearly didn't stay in the corner of the house where I put him. Then I was terrified trying to find the massive creature. I kept looking for him in piles of shoes, and Chad kept telling me to go to bed. What does this dream mean? I think it means I deserve a new pair of shoes. Heels. Preferably sexy ones.

Kaden Talking

2010-09-25T05:26:00.000-07:00

Kaden Discovers his Mobile

2010-09-24T17:17:00.000-07:00

4 Reasons Why My Child is the Best Baby Ever

2010-09-10T06:18:00.000-07:00

1. Last night, Kaden ate at 8:00 p.m. He fell asleep by 9:00 p.m. He didn't wake up to eat again until 2:30a.m. He then went back to sleep (or at least stayed content in his bassinet) until 6:30. He followed this same sleep pattern the night before. I love it. Now granted, this means he eats a lot more frequently during the day, but I can totally put up with that when it means more sleep in a row at night.

2. The other day, Kaden was napping in his crib. I was doing dishes in the kitchen, and I heard him start to cry on the baby monitor. I finished up the last few dishes, and then went to the nursery, assuming I was going to need to pick him up. Instead, I found him just chilling there, staring at the crib bumper, practicing his smile. It was the cutest thing I have ever seen. He would get this HUGE grin on his face, then stop, then get another HUGE grin. Since he was happy, and he hadn't seen me peek in on him, I decided to leave him for another few minutes. When I went back to check on him, he looked like this:

Apparently, smiling had tuckered him out, and he was completely zonked again. Such a funny boy. Notice that he has completely kicked out of his swaddling and the bendy we tuck around his feet?

3. Kaden is getting a lot more smiley, which we love. Here's a couple shots taken last Sunday, while Chad was getting him to smile:

And here's one of him conversing with his Aunt Lauren:

That same Sunday, Kaden enjoyed watching the ECU football game with his Daddy:

(As you can tell, Kaden was really into the game.)

4. Kaden really is just a genuinely GOOD baby. I don't know how we lucked out, but he really is a dream. He hardly ever cries, and when he does it is usually because he is hungry or wants his diaper changed. When he gets sleepy or wants to be held, he might fuss a little bit, but nothing compared to what I had prepared myself for mentally before he got here. With the exception of a few sleepless nights, he usually does a great job falling back asleep after he eats during the night. For the most part he is just a content, happy little guy.

I can't believe Kaden will be a month old on Saturday. He is growing so much and changing every day. In addition to what I wrote above, at one month old, Kaden:

--Is a pro at tummy time (but then, he's really enjoyed that since week one) and moves his head from side to side with coaxing from Mom and Dad.

--Is extremely observant. He loves to stare at lights, ceiling fans, and has even started to try to swat at the toys on his bouncy seat. He will only let you hold him over your shoulder if he is very tired. Otherwise, he moves his head all over the place trying to escape. He is scared to death he'll miss something while he's being held that way.

--Is very expressive. He has the funniest little facial expressions, a lot of them very serious. Sometimes he gives you this look that seems to say, "What ARE you doing?" or "That's REALLY weird. Maybe you should stop now."

--Has finally grown into his swing enough that he thinks it might be an OK place to sit for a few minutes.

--Prefers a clean diaper. In fact, if he has a wet diaper, he wants a clean one to poop in.

--Is a chubby little fella. I took him out to the high school yesterday during his afternoon nap, so I could enter some grades for my classes. One of the English teachers saw him and thought he was almost 2 months. When I told her he was only 4 weeks, she asked, "What are you feeding him?!" My response, "I'm pretty sure straight cream." Seriously. And the child is a guzzler. I cannot wait to see what he weighs at his 2 month checkup.

--Is called by a variety of names around our house, including, but not limited to: Bubby (for some reason this is his chief nickname), Kade, Kadester, Kadelet (as in Piglet), Mr. Kaden, Master (as our lives clearly revolve around his demands now), Snuggle Bug, and Swaddle Bug.

--Is sure to fall asleep if you take him anywhere in the stroller or car. I have used these methods to lull him into nap time land on MANY occasions.

--Is the highlight of our lives. Even though I can't believe he's almost one month old, I also can't believe we ever had a life before he got here. We love our Kaden boy!

Dear Next Door Neighbor,

2010-09-03T08:08:00.000-07:00

No amount of quiche you bring me after the birth of my child (despite its being delicious) excuses the fact that you frequently let your dogs out in the wee hours of the morning to bark for hours. And hours. And hours.

I understand that your dogs are annoying. You probably let them out because your bedroom window isn't right next to your backyard. You probably push them out the door to use the potty and then promptly go back to your cozy bed to snooze for a few more hours.

Well, MY bedroom window IS right next to your backyard. And you know that annoying barking you heard inside your house, before you pushed the pups outside so you could escape it? Well, it's not such a pleasant lullaby. Particularly when you have just barely coaxed your infant into re-entering the realms of slumber after feeding him at 4 a.m. Nor does it complement a splitting headache that Ibuprofen has not yet kicked. With each yelp uttered by your stupid animals this morning, I felt every blood vessel in my head throb in response.

I am by no means a violent person, but I threatened to kill your dogs this morning. First under my breath, as I attempted to muffle the sound of their cries with my pillow, then more forcefully as the time they spent barking progressed.

I can promise that if you find a dead dog I had nothing to do with it. Like I said, I am not REALLY a violent person, despite threatening otherwise.

I cannot, however, promise to be sad for your loss.

Sincerely,
An Annoyed, Sleep-Deprived Mama

September 1st and What that Means

2010-09-01T14:09:00.000-07:00

Today is September 1st.

That means August is officially over.

That means fall, my favorite season, is just around the corner.

That means the leaves will start to change, then drop from the trees, and my entire world will be painted in oranges, reds, and yellows. Oh, how I love earth-toned colors.

That means all the autumn scented Yankee candles I smelled at Hallmark's anniversary celebration last week will have a welcome spot in my living room. Or my kitchen. Or my bedroom.

That means I can break out the fall decorations and cover the mantle in garland and put a fall wreath on my door.

That means that Kade can sport a sweater vest, and I can wear a scarf on our daily jaunt about the neighborhood.

That means I can lift the windows and enjoy a beautiful Carolina breeze, instead of paying $500+ a month to air condition my house. (The fall always reminds me why I love living in North Carolina, just when the summer had tried to convince me otherwise.)

That means I can sit in my sun room, curled up with a book or a magazine again.

That means I can make SOUP. Oh, how I love a bowl of soup. But soup, my friends, belongs nowhere near me when it is summer. Soup is to be savored in the fall. And fall is almost here!

And, as a reminder of just how awesome fall really is, here are a couple photos from our fall vacation to the Blue Ridge Parkway last October:

Oh, Fall, My Love, please grace us with your presence!

Sleep, or Lack of It

2010-08-27T16:58:00.000-07:00

Sleeping is my one true talent. OK, so maybe not my ONE true talent, because right up there with sleeping is my ability to consume rich desserts in large quantities, which would mean I'm blessed with TWO true talents, not just one. When I did Junior Miss in high school, I sincerely thought about bringing a mattress on stage and demonstrating my God-given ability to snooze.

Around Chez Reese right now the hours I get to spend practicing my talent are limited to say the least.

The broken hours I do spend sleeping are filled with dreams about, what else, but breast feeding.

I guess it's pretty natural to dream about what you spend a good 95% of your day doing. My child loves to eat (which may be evidence that the second talent I mentioned has been genetically passed along as well).

Sometimes I wake up to Kaden stirring, ready to eat, in a state of befuddled confusion, because I think I am already feeding him.

Usually, Kaden naps quite a bit during the day (demonstrating that the sleeping talent may be genetic, we just have to work on timing that talent). While he takes his first morning nap I get ready for the day and do a few things around the house before he wakes up again. Later, when he takes another nap, I try to join him for a brief snooze, to prevent myself from going insane with sleep deprivation.

Notice the word at the start of that last paragraph? USUALLY.

About that.

Today, was not a usual day.

Kaden slept for a total of one hour today.

30 minutes of that hour were spent in the stroller, while we took a brisk jaunt through the neighborhood, so mommy can work on losing her last 15 pounds of baby weight.

When we got home, he promptly woke up.

No problem.

I was actually excited we were having awake time during the DAY, instead of the usual 4:30 a.m. routine.

"I'll put on my makeup and do some laundry when he takes a nap after he eats," I thought.

That nap never came, my friends.

Kaden wanted to be held ALL day today or he was screaming. The bouncy seat failed to entice him. The swing seemed completely uninteresting. The mobile in his crib would thrill him until he realized he was being tricked. No pacifier was pacifying. He fell asleep in my arms multiple times, but each time I lay him in his crib a good five minutes later the baby monitors would announce his extreme displeasure at having been deposited somewhere other than Mommy's lap. I finally gave up trying to put him down, and let him fall asleep in my arms so he could get his 2nd 30 minutes. He was so over-tired and cranky.

When Chad came home at 5:00, he put Kaden on top of the dryer in his car seat.

An hour and a half later, he had finally fallen asleep.

He's still out.

I think I have approximately 4 minutes before he decides it's time to eat again.

I'm surprised we've lasted this long.

What We've Been Up To

2010-08-23T07:54:00.000-07:00

Immediately upon leaving the hospital, Kaden had to be put on a Biliblanket for his jaundice. This made for a very interesting first few days home from the hospital, since Kaden looked like a glowing mutant most of the time. He had to be naked except for his diaper, with the Biliblanket wrapped around his abdomen. So, from August 13th through the 18th, Kaden quietly slept, ate, and pooped in the buff, while his darling newborn clothes became too small for him in the closet. I also had to feed him more frequently because he was dehydrated, which was very stressful, since we were still learning how to nurse. The Biliblanket was tethered to a machine, and the blanket glowed like the inside of a tanning bed. Somehow all of the pictures of Kaden hooked up to this monstrosity have been deleted from the camera (it's a sore subject, but I do still love my husband), so here's one of the ones my mom had, so we can remember he did indeed glow for the first few days he was home from the hospital:

Here's Grandma holding Kaden after his first sponge bath:

Here is Daddy, changing his first blow-out diaper:

Here is Kaden with all of his English Department Aunties. They came to see me on August 20th, when Kaden was just 9 days old:

Here's Kaden in his first Sunday outfit. I really wish we'd taken a family photo, but alas, we did not. We went to church because it was Cameron's farewell, and it's a good thing, because I don't think this adorable outfit will fit him by next Sunday:

Here's Kaden showing off his ability to already lift and hold his head up during tummy time with Grandma:

And here are some of the shots we took of Kaden on his 10 day birthday. Note: Photographing a newborn boy without a diaper, could lead to damaging Banana Republic attire:

A Story not Meant for the Faint of Heart

2010-08-23T06:41:00.000-07:00

If you don't like reading birth stories, I don't blame you. Until I became pregnant, I never read them. Once I became pregnant, I feasted over every detail. If you don't like reading birth stories, just skip this one. I won't be offended. This is the story of how Kaden came into the world, which I really don't think necessitates being shared in a public forum. The problem is that in this case a public forum is the only way I ever journal anything, and since I'm already starting to forget the details of August 11th, I figure I better document them somewhere. So, without further ado:

Kaden was due on August 3rd. At my doctor's appointment that day, the midwife told me to come back the following week, and we would see where I was. By August 10th, he still hadn't arrived. I had felt no contractions. Not a one. I had walked on swollen ankles in the steamy North Carolina air, sweating, trying to coax him into the world. I even jumped on my neighbor's trampoline on August 9th, hoping I might go into labor before my doctor's appointment. I was terrified I would have to be induced. I had heard nothing but extreme horror stories about induction. I didn't want a C-section, and I knew being induced would also increase the chances I might have one.

On the 10th, we went in for my follow up visit. The nurses did a non-stress test to make sure Kaden's heart rate went up every time he moved. The test results were very positive. Kaden seemed perfectly content in his crowded little space.

Then, we went in for an ultrasound. The ultrasound technician made sure Kaden moved enough during the length of the ultrasound, that there was still enough amniotic fluid around him, and they came up with a weight estimate. When the ultrasound tech told me she was showing him at 9 and a half pounds, I almost fainted. Then I asked what were were going to do about getting him out. Now.

When the doctor came in (a man with absolutely NO bedside manner . . . it was quite clear he had slept through the class on how to treat a patient during med school) and checked me, things looked bleak. He couldn't even reach my cervix, it was so high, and I wasn't dilated. At all. With Kaden being so big, he recommended that I should be induced, but he didn't think I needed to have a C-section until I tried to deliver him naturally. When I asked him what the odds were that I would be able to deliver Kaden without a C-section he told me, and I quote, "Well, your odds pretty much suck." Thanks, Doctor Loser. By the time I was finished talking to the doctor, I was in tears and completely distraught. I knew being induced was the right thing to do, but it didn't mean I was happy about it. We waited in the lobby for them to set up an induction time. Lisa, one of the nurse midwives, came out and asked me if I had a bag packed for the hospital. If so, they could start the induction in a few hours. She told us to go grab some lunch, and she would meet us at the hospital around 2:00.

We went to Panera Bread and had lunch. I called it my “last supper.” I even got a frozen lemonade, because dang it, I was scared and I deserved it.

This is what I looked like, pregnant with Kaden at exactly 41 weeks. We took this in the hospital parking lot, right before we went inside:

Once I got settled into the hospital and was hooked up to what felt like a million wires, Lisa came in and checked me. Turns out, Doctor Loser had been wrong, and I was dilated to a one and 75% effaced. Pretty sure that hadn't happened in an hour and a half. Take that, Mean Old Doctor. Still wasn't great, but better than nothing. Lisa put in a foley balloon, with the goal to get me dilated to a three. The balloon would stay in until it fell out at some point during the night, and they would start me on Pitocin around five the next morning.

Chad's parents came up to the hospital that night with Lauren, and Chad and his dad gave me a blessing. After the blessing, I felt so much better about everything.

That night I experienced the most glorious night's sleep I had accomplished my entire pregnancy, thanks to a little gem called Ambien. Seriously, the best sleep of my life.

The next morning, they started the Pitocin drip around 6:00. When Frieda, another midwife, came in around 7:00 to check me, I was dilated to a good 4 or 4 and a half, but the baby's station was still high, at a -2. Frieda broke my water, and that's when the fun really started. I thought I had been having contractions before then, they were about 2-3 minutes apart from the very beginning (got to love the Pitocin) but suddenly I realized those were just a warm up.

My contractions really started to pick up. I knew I wanted to go as long as possible without an epidural, because I didn't want my labor to slow down too much, and I knew we had a long way to go. I did as much moving around as I could while tethered to an IV and fetal/contraction monitor. I requested some pain medication, which helped take some of the edge off the contractions, but they kept getting worse. Eventually, my contractions were 45 seconds to a minute a part, and I am surprised I hadn't shattered any bones in Chad's hands, or my mom's hands, because I was gripping them so tightly. It got to the point that I felt like I had just breathed through a contraction and another one was starting. That's when I decided it was epidural time. When I asked the nurse about ordering one, she told me to let her know as soon as I was ready for it, because it can take awhile for the anaesthesiologist to get there. "Ummm . . . now would be good!" was my response. Frieda came in to check on me, and when she found out I was getting an epidural, she said she would wait to check me until after, so it would be more comfortable (THANK YOU!).

The resident anaesthesiologist came in to prep me for the epidural around 1:00. The anaesthesiologist was finishing up an epidural in another labor and delivery room, but he would come do mine as soon as he was finished. At this point I was sitting in the most uncomfortable position I could possibly be laboring in--sitting straight up, perched on the end of a hospital bed. I couldn't move, because the resident had already sterilized the area for the epidural. We waited. We waited some more. Finally, the nurse called and was told the anaesthesiologist had been called to an emergency. We would have to keep waiting until he could get there. This is the one point that I finally started to get a bit emotional. I am so proud of myself, because even with my extremely low pain tolerance, I really did such a good job toughing it out, breathing through the contractions, and not having a melt down. After waiting for an hour and a half, I started to get a little teary. I think it was worse, knowing that relief was coming, and prepping myself for that mentally, only to have to sit and wait, while the pain got worse and worse. I remember asking, "When is he going to get here? I just want him to get here!" The poor resident kept apologizing. He wished he could just do it, but of course he couldn't. At last, the blessed man arrived. I literally told him before he left that I would love him forever. That is how amazing the epidural was.

Frieda came in to check me after he left, and I was dilated to an 8.

After this, I was able to get a lot of rest. I've got to say, the epidural was completely different from what I anticipated. I thought I would feel completely paralyzed. I didn't realize I would still feel the sensation of contractions, minus the intense pain. I just felt really numb, but it was less scary than I thought it would be. I just enjoyed the silence of the room from this point on and slept as much as I could. My mom and Chad asked me if I wanted to watch TV, read, or listen to music, but all I wanted to do was enjoy the silence. I knew I was going to have to push my little heart out, because Frieda told me with the baby being so big, they would not assist me with a vacuum or forceps, because they would worry about his shoulders being too big, if I couldn't push him out myself. If I couldn't push out his head, they would immediately rush me to an emergency C-section.

Right before Frieda left for the night, around 5:00, she checked me again and said I was dilated to a 9 and half, and the baby was now at a 0 station. She said Lisa would be there shortly to check on me again, and make a plan for what we would do.

When Lisa came in, she said there was no reason to check me. They were going to let the contractions do the work, and let me labor down. I was supposed to call them if I felt the need to push, but as long as the baby was doing fine, we would wait and let me save my energy, so I wouldn't end up pushing for so long that I wouldn't have the energy to push him on my own.

Around 8:00, Lisa came in and checked me again. The baby had moved to a +1 station, and I was fully dilated, so she said, "Let's start pushing."

I pushed for around an hour and half, and Kaden was born at 9:27 p.m. Only for someone so precious will I post such terrifyingly bad photographs of myself:

He seemed so tiny to me, but when they put him on the scale, the numbers didn't lie. 9 pounds 3.9 ounces! He was a big boy! I've got to say, when they told me he was showing 9 and a half pounds at my ultrasound, I really did not believe it. I know I was huge, but I didn't think I was THAT huge. And all I have to say is, "Screw you, Mr. Loser Doctor, for telling me my odds sucked."

The moment I saw him, I was in love. Chad and I still keep saying that we really had no clue how much we would love him. We are not what you might call "newborn people." There's a reason I teach high school English. Give me the adolescents! They are my niche. Sometimes, when I was pregnant I would have these mini-panic attacks about what I was going to DO with a newborn. I knew we would love him, but I pictured myself eagerly waiting for him to turn into a little person who could talk and walk, while Chad eagerly waited for him to turn into a little person who could kick a soccer ball or throw a baseball. Those fears instantly melted away when I met my little boy for the first time. Even though we aren't usually "newborn people" it is quite apparent that we are very much "Kaden people." We adore our little boy. Oh, and holding my baby, is like a trillion and a half times better than holding anyone else's baby. Just so you know.

This is me and Kaden with Lisa, the nurse midwife who delivered him, and Theresa, my amazing nurse who was also there during the delivery:

And here's Grandma Jensen holding Kaden for the first time:

Chad and I had gone back and forth on names, and we had narrowed our selection down to three. We wanted to wait until we met him, and then decide on the name. Right away, we knew his name was Kaden. As soon as I saw him, I knew it, but I didn't want to say anything in case Chad thought something different. Then, Chad said, "I think he looks like a Kaden," and I couldn't have agreed more. It just suited him. Kaden's middle name is Fox, which was Chad's grandmother's maiden name.

After Kaden was born, Chad's family members, who were anxiously waiting in the lobby, came in to see Kaden's first bath:

Gigi holding Kade:

With Aunt Lauren:

With Poppy:

With Uncle Cameron. Cameron left bright and early this morning for Utah. He reports to the MTC (Missionary Training Center) on Wednesday, and he will be serving a two year mission for our church in Las Vegas, Nevada. Just looking at his picture makes me a bit teary-eyed. I can't believe Kaden will be two years old before he sees Cameron again:

With Uncle Tyler:

With Nana:

Our family, after Kaden's bath:

When I was pregnant with Kaden, I came across this poem. I loved it then, but now I love it even more:

Investment by Carol Lynn Pearson

How enviously

I watched

The rose bush

Bear her bud--

Such an easy

Lovely birth.

And

At that moment

I wished

The sweet myth

Were true--

That I could

Pluck you

My child

From some

green vine.

But now

As you breathe

Through flesh

That was mine,

Gently in the small circle

Of my arms,

I see

The wisdom of investment

The easy gift

Is easy to forget.

But what is bought

With coin of pain

Is dearly kept.

Pregnancy was hard for me, even though I know I had it easy compared to a lot of people. By the end, I was so ready to be done. Now, just like the poet who penned the above verses, I can see the "wisdom of investment." I am so thankful to my Heavenly Father for sending Kaden to be a part of our family.

Here's Kaden, in his "coming home from the hospital" outfit:

Already, it is hard to imagine life without our little one.

Kaden's First Photo Shoot

2010-08-16T18:43:00.000-07:00

Today, Kaden participated in what I'm sure will be the first of many photo shoots. That's what happens when you have a Daddy who is also a pretty darn good photographer.

Kaden was pretty alert for most of the shoot, so we didn't get to take a lot of the sleepy newborn shots we wanted to. I'll post more photos after we do photo shoot attempt number two.

I'm sorry, but I think this little fella is the most precious angel I have ever seen.

Meet Kaden:

2010-08-13T11:11:00.000-07:00

Kaden Fox Reese was born Wednesday, August 11th at 9:27 p.m. He weighed 9 pounds 3.9 ounces and was 21 inches long. We are already completely in love with him. He is becoming more precious by the second!

40 Weeks and 2 Days

2010-08-05T12:55:00.000-07:00

For Meredith and Grandma Joy who want to see a picture, I am told:

"Your Baby Is One Day Old"

2010-08-04T06:38:00.000-07:00

Thus reads my handy-dandy baby counter on the sidebar of my blog. Funny. I don't recall giving birth. Oh, wait, that's because I HAVEN'T. That baby counter is a LIAR!

I am still very much pregnant, very much huge, and if that isn't exciting enough for you, add to that list the fact that I have developed PUPPP (Pruritic Urticarial Papules and Plaques of Pregnancy). This is a fancy-schmancy acronym that really just means my entire body is covered in red bumps, and each red bump itches like it is a mosquito bite the size of Texas. It started with an itchy belly, but soon became an itchy body. I am looking stellar these days, let me tell you. My mom offered to take pictures of my delightful rash, but I will save you the visual. If you're dying to see (I do not recommend eating before hand), do a google image search and knock yourself out. The pictures are pretty true to life.

These are the things I have been doing to relieve aforementioned rash:

--Covering my entire body in Calamine lotion
--Covering my entire body in refrigerated Milk of Magnesia
--Soaking in Oatmeal Baths
--Lying naked in bed, trying not to cry
--Lying naked in bed, crying
--Sporting any clothing I can find that resembles a muumuu, so it won't touch my intensely itching skin
--Screaming, "I'M GOING TO KILL SOMEONE!" when the itching becomes severe
--Complaining. A lot.
--Trying to coax The Saucer out with verbal cues, some more aggressively stated than others
--Searching the Internet for potential cures without too much luck . . . UNTIL . . .

I heard about this:

An online forum filled with other women in my predicament praised this soap to the heavens. Yesterday, I bought my first bar for $3.99 at GNC in Greenville, after my doctor's appointment. When I asked the man in the store if they carried it, he promptly said, "OH! That stuff stinks!" and showed me where it was. He had never before sold a bar.

Upon returning home, I showered.

I showered again, later.

I intend to scrub with this stuff multiple times today.

On the back of the box, Grandpa has this to say about his soap: "There are no added colors or fragrances to mask the rich brown color and distinctive scent of natural Pine Tar Oil." So, what does that mean exactly?

It means it smells like a campfire.

No, really, it smells like a campfire. When you take a whiff of the box you really do wonder if you need to bring some marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers into the shower with you, just in case you feel like a s'more.

I do not care what it smells like in the slightest, because my rash is looking better.

Don't get me wrong: I still look like I belong in a leprosy colony somewhere, and I'm sure mothers will steer their children the other way if they see me approaching them in a store, but I see a marked improvement. My skin is less irritated, less red, and I am hoping this is going to keep getting better.

But, enough about yucky skin conditions. We have also been doing other things around here, too.

Check out the adorable art project my mom and I completed for The Saucer's room:

I bought these framed pictures at a garage sale for $1.00 a piece. That's $3.00 for frames with glass!

Some white spray paint and scrap-booking supplies later, and TA-DA:

Aren't they precious? I love how they turned out. I think they are even cuter in person, but that's just me.

Also, I have to post some pictures of the front of our house, just because the little yard work we have accomplished this summer has made a huge difference.

This was the front of our house around Christmas time, with the original, boxy landscaping still in place:

And this is how we have changed things up since then:

We finally managed to finish clearing the beds (and by we, I really mean Chad who spent an entire 100+ degree day shoveling and hauling mess in a wheelbarrow) and laying mulch before my mom came. (By the way, I really do mean WE with the mulch. I totally helped with that part, even fully pregnant.) I think it looks so much nicer, and I can't wait to see how much better it looks next year, after we actually re-space the bushes and plant some other things.

Anyway, that's what we've been up to around here. Any prayers you would like to offer to help speed up The Saucer's arrival would be greatly appreciated. I have not had an inkling of labor pains. Nada. Nothing. It's like he's content to stay in his cramped, little environment forever. I promise when he does decide to arrive, I'll be sure to let you all know. Until then . . .