February

Video madness - February wrap-up, 2008
It's amazing to watch Kaden absorb, learn, and respond. We were trying to recount the other night all the things that Kaden can do (not just the things he understands...which are plenty more). Here's what we can rattle off the top of our heads so far as of the end of February...

• Sign Language -  Kaden smacks his lips when he's hungry (and when he's going to brush his teeth...yummy toothpaste), he makes the sign for "more", "all done", "book", "up", "fan", "bath time", and he waves "hi" and "bye". He makes some other signs, but we can't be sure they aren't just random for now!
• Sound Language - Kaden says "bah or buh" while waving goodbye, he also says "buh" for book, he often says "muh" when making the sound for more, he says "fff" for fan, and now he is even making animal sounds! Kaden growls like a lion, baas like a sheep and shakes his head to neigh like a horse (he doesn't whinny yet, but he mimics how we shake our heads when we neigh)! And just tonight we noticed that he tried to scratch his side like a monkey when asked what sound a monkey makes! Oh...and how could I forget...he says "mama" and "dada".
• Actions - Kaden claps, he plays peek-a-boo, he can high-five, and he can respond to simple commands like "give it to Daddy", or "can Mommy have it", or "put it in", or "stack it on top", etc. He also chews (audibly/visually) when you ask him to make sure he chews his food. And he recently started to mimic my exaggerated example of swallowing...complete with a refreshed "ahhh" at the end!
• Body Parts - Kaden can point to his head and his feet. He will (sometimes) stick out his tongue when asked where his tongue is and he sniffs when you ask him to find his nose. Just today he started to chomp his teeth when you ask him where his teeth are! As for ears...well, when you ask him to find his ears he reaches for ours! But at least he knows what to look for!
• Routine - Kaden also remembers and participates in routine. He knows when he gets put in this crib for a nap or bed that there will be a second soother waiting for him (!) and there is a third soother tucked away in the corner. He immediately reaches for the second soother and will then twist to at least locate the third. He also knows to lift his hands and help guide the tray into his highchair when seated for a meal. He knows that light switches will turn on lights, and more importantly, fans. He knows that Daddy usually comes home while he is having dinner so he often turns towards the door in anticipation and says "dada". As part of his morning routine, I bring Kaden back into our room while Craig is in the shower. I prop him up against our pillows and pull the covers over his lap. We read books until Dad comes out. This morning when I put him on the bed he reached forward to grab the sheets to pull them up onto himself! He knows to stick out his arms to help put on his coat and he holds out his hands for mittens. He also holds out his hands after a meal in anticipation of the getting his hands wiped...although he doesn't always appreciate it ;]

Phew! What a busy little boy! So...we really don't spend all of our time behind the camera, and we know that continuing to keep track of all of Kaden's accomplishments will happen too fast to relay them all to you, but in the meantime, here is a smattering of videos we shot in the last couple of days to try to capture some of his new 'tricks'!

Kaden is a wild animal...here he practices his growl, baa and "neigh".
        

A few of Kaden's recent sign language skills include "fan" and "all done".
        

Kaden showcases his body parts as well as his ability to chew and swallow (even without food)!
        

Look at all the books! - February 28, 2008
A love of books deserves a trip to the library for sure! If Kaden thought he had a good selection of books at home, he was pleasantly surprised by the library! Taking books off the shelf is just as much fun as emptying his book basket at home. We did get a little reading in as well. However, after a while Kaden decided it was time to chat to the whole library. I thought it best to take his outside voice outside, so we collected a few books and CDs to take home and ventured back out into the sun!

Can this really be comfortable?!? - February 26, 2008
For some reason, both today and yesterday, at the start of Kaden's afternoon nap he threw a temper tantrum. I know what you're saying...our sweet little boy? How can that be? Despite his usual even-keeled demeanor, Kaden has a temper. It doesn't rear it's ugly head often, but when it does...oh boy. He obviously wasn't feeling hindered by his cast. The tantrum involved rolling about the crib, pitching soothers out of the crib (oh yes, our soother-lover was even willing to toss his soother to achieve the desired effect), squirming his way to the top of the crib to reach the table through the bars and knock both the Kleenex box and sound machine to the floor (the table has now been removed!), kicking and rattling the bars with both his hands and feet (cast included), and screaming. Very loudly. I took a trip or two into his room the first day just to make sure he wasn't caught with his cast through the bars, but as was the case both days, he eventually settled himself. On this particular day however, he managed to settle himself right onto his face! I knew he would be upset to wake up that way. Sure enough, after about half an hour I heard a yelp and then silence. I peeked into his room and he had finally rolled off of his face and went back to sleep on his side. Silly monkey.

Swinging is Twice as Fun with Dad - February 25, 2008
Why swing alone when you can swing with your dad! We weren't sure if Kaden would be able to go solo in the kid swings with his cast, but these saucer swings fit the bill and are twice as fun when shared! As it turns out, we did try him in the other swing as well...he loved it as usual, but was much harder to get out with the cast. Perhaps we should just stick to the saucer!

"Weeeeeee...."
 

A trip to the Quay - February 24, 2008
A 'little' cast won't stop us! The day after Kaden's accident we took some time to enjoy the sunny, Sunday weather. We went to the New Westminster Quay for a walk on the seawall. some lunch, and of course a little fun. Like the big boy that he is, Kaden really loves to drink from the "grown-ups" water bottle. Of course, as an extension of this, Kaden would love nothing better than to drink out of our beer bottles as well! Sorry buddy; not yet.

Toddler's Fracture? - February 23, 2008
After what seemed like an innocent fall, Kaden actually managed to fracture his leg bone! Our poor little bear. We were enjoying a quiet Saturday morning in our PJs, sipping coffee (well, the adults were) and helping Kaden practice his new favourite skill - standing. Not unlike every other day, Kaden will often fall while trying to stand holding on to us with only one hand. Also not unlike every other day, the falls are sometimes elaborate and give him a bit of a surprise. Today's fall was nothing to jump at, but as he was falling we watched him twist and then we heard a "crack". Kaden started to cry, but we have to tell you, it wasn't an earth shattering cry. However, we knew something was up as there didn't seem to be a way to console him and there was no way he was going to let me put him down. Not even the balloons could divert his attention.

We gave his legs the once-over, but if there was any swelling it couldn't be seen through the chub! After a dose of children's Advil and in consideration of Kaden's behavior we decided to go to the hospital just to be safe. Good thing we did! An x-ray revealed a spiral fracture at the base of his left shin bone. Ay carumba! The doctor called it a "toddler's fracture" and said it is actually quite common (although perhaps he said that for my benefit???). Our poor little monkey is now sporting a cast from his hip to his toes. We have to go back in a week to get another x-ray to make sure the bone is set properly and to ensure the cast isn't causing any discomfort. After that the cast is meant to stay for up to three more weeks! It doesn't seem to phase him yet...

The cast will certainly cramp his style to endeavor to crawl or walk!!! However, despite the dramatic start to the weekend, Kaden remains in good spirits. He really is a champ. Of course, we have to showcase his new attire and show you that he's still a trooper despite it all. He may be singing a different tune once he's discovered the cast isn't coming off for a while (no more baths for the next month, he can't practice standing for at least a week, and rolling over in his crib will be no easy task), but for now he's taking it all in stride.

Crawling is overrated anyway. This is what I call traveling in style!
Vroom, vroom!
 

Kaden is on the move...backwards! - February 20, 2008
Kaden is on the move...backwards! He is getting very strong at pushing himself backwards, I didn't turn the camera on when he started making a break for it on his play mat, but I caught the destination. Kaden also likes to explore the play station from the outside now - standing is fun!

It's official - Kaden is communicating with a couple basic signs/noises. He most certainly smacks his lips together when he wants to eat and he is most definitely clapping his hands together to signify "more". The hand sign is also sometimes accompanied by Kaden saying "mah" as in this video, What's funny about the whole thing is that Kaden now does these two things in combination just about all day long! Silly monkey. This video shows Kaden working on coordinating his standing and "cruising" (if only he could figure out that his feet and legs are meant to work together), but ends how most things do these days - with a request to eat! He gets a bit out of frame, but you can still catch the just of it! What a minute...who's training who here?!?

Yummy rice cakes! - February 20, 2008
While I normally break off chunks for our little chunky monkey to munch, I thought I would see what he thought of the whole thing! Please note that these photos were taken right after a nap - Kaden had his milk, asked for food, munched on the rice cake and then asked for more food...we pretty much rolled right into dinner!

Kaden the crib acrobat - February 18 and 19, 2008
Kaden is getting to be quite the acrobat even in his crib. I'm not sure how all of his limbs don't fall asleep, but somehow he finds this a comfortable position for snoozing. Good thing he's got all that room to move - too bad his favourite spot seems to be by the bars. After taking the second set of photos I figured Kaden couldn't sustain that body contortion. Sure enough, after about half an hour I heard a very unhappy squawk from upstairs. He quieted right down, but I still poked my head in on him and he had righted himself comfortably onto his side. Note the number of soothers Kaden apparently needs!

Kaden's 11-monthiversary! - February 18, 2008
The sun was shining today so we took advantage of the weather to get out of the house a couple of times. It's still cool here, but it's better than the alternative. It's hard to believe that Kaden is already such a little boy and capable of so many things. We just love him and really enjoy watching him grow and learn. Kaden is getting so close to mobility. He squiggles and squirms, bends his legs, twists his body, reaches and dives. He's spending more time on his tummy (even in his crib). And he really enjoys standing. He's even making effort to move his little feet and try to walk while we hold his arms or while he is holding onto his crib or a table. Kaden is also communicating with us more - using some signs ("more", "hungry"), pointing to things he wants or directions he wants to go, and of course sounds (we're probably reading into it a little, but 'book' and 'bye bye' are on the tip of his tongue). He's also able to respond and follow some simple commands like: "give to Daddy" or "put it in the box". So clever.

This is just the start of the dirt that Kaden will eat, I'm sure...
 

Kaden seems to think he's ready for "cruising"; however, I'm not sure why he thinks that!
Is there such a thing as baby armor?!?
        

Kaden attends his first pool party! - February 17, 2008
We celebrated our friend Kate's first birthday with a dip in the pool, some balloon bashing and of course - cake! Kaden and Dad haven't been swimming together in quite some time so it was a lot of fun for the three of us to go together. This way we could bring the camera too! Kaden loves to swim and splash and drink the water. He was quite taken by the fountains as well. I have been taking Kaden to swimming lessons again this year and have been trying to teach him to blow bubbles. Yeah right. Anyway, I figure if I can get him to blow raspberries perhaps it will help him learn. He seemingly forgot about his ability to raspberry...but over the course of the weekend we got him drooling up a storm again and we even got him to do it in the pool. It didn't always work - occasionally we had the 'reverse bubbles' - but nothing a little sputtering couldn't cure ;]

Pool party antics...Kaden loves to splash and swim and play in the fountain.
(Unfortunately the compression of the pool videos when uploaded are less than desirable, but you can still sense the fun!)
        

Kaden also loved his first sampling of cake. If we had any doubt, the cake eating confirmed that Kaden is trying to communicate with us using signs! We have been using some basic sign language the past few months in the hopes that Kaden will pick up a thing or two. For the past few weeks, Kaden has been smacking his lips together when hungry. However, in the last few days he has also been trying to sign "more". Well...at least that's what we were interpreting it to be despite the fact that "all done" and "book" could also be considered given Kaden's current arm control. Not to mention the fact that clapping also looks suspiciously similar. However, once Kaden got that first taste of cake, he most certainly made the sign for "more" to tell Daddy to stop talking to the guy next to him and keep putting that cake in his mouth!

Kaden thought the balloons were hysterical.
 

Happy Valentine's Day!!! - February 14, 2008
We recently picked up the Christmas gift given to Kaden by Uncle Chris and Aunt Shannon (thank you)!!! Kaden loves the freedom his new wheels bring. He's mostly enjoying putting things in and taking things out of the hood, but he's all smiles (perhaps not captured well here) as we cruise around the basement. Look out world, here he comes!

Well...what can I say...

Belly sleeping is fun - February 12, 2008
Sleep is starting to get better and Kaden's plague seems to be on the mend. We're still not 100%, but we're head and shoulders better than we were a couple days ago. Phew! Now that Kaden is starting to feel better, he's back to his experimental ways. His latest trick is roll onto his tummy in his crib. Although he can very easily get out of this position anywhere else, it seems the crib was preventing him from undoing how he got onto his stomach himself. However, after a couple of days of waking up on his belly and being mighty annoyed and then doing it one day mid-nap, Kaden seems to have made the transition to be able to roll on and off his tummy with ease. He's still not sleeping with his bum in the air, but this photo shows Kaden about 95% on his stomach while happily snoozing! Every day is something new!

The Plague - February 5 to ???, 2008
The plague has befallen our house. Kaden's cold got worse and he came down with quite a fever. A trip to the doctor's office revealed that Kaden is likely suffering from bronchiolitis - a viral infection in the small vessels of his airways. Needless to say with Craig just getting to the end of his cold and me in the thick of it myself, our household has been less than at its best this week. Kaden is a real trooper, but he's definitely not feeling well. We had a couple sleepless nights and Kaden continues to struggle with his cough. His appetite is definitely down - which must mean he's sick - but what he does eat he has limited success in keeping down once he starts to cough. After three or so days, the fever seems to have broken (although he's at the high end of the normal range), but his nose become a faucet. Sleep is still hit or miss. I thought we hit a turning point the night before last  when Kaden slept from 7pm to 4am (with limited sleep after than though) and then had a three hour nap in the morning. I figured it was catch up time. But last night was equally disruptive so we're not through it all yet. The doctor says the infection could last 6 to 8 weeks with varying degrees of symptoms and unrest. The internet says 5-12 days; although it doesn't clarify how sick one might be during that duration. Needless to say, I'm hoping self-diagnosis on the internet trumps respected doctor this time ;] These were take this morning (February 9th). Just not his usual chipper self, eh?

Sick and tired, of being sick and tired - February 7, 2008
It's still chilly out there, but the sun was shining and we have been cooped up with our sick selves for too long. Kaden and I take a stroll to get the mail. Good thing I was in charge of the keys...one of us didn't make it very far!

Bonk! - February 5, 2008
It just wasn't a good day. Kaden has had a cold for the better part of three weeks. The night before he had a less than stellar sleep and his cough seemed to be getting worse. A side effect of Kaden's cough is that he manages to cough up his food. Poor little guy. He hungrily eats and then in a blink it was all for naught. Anyway, today was the day for me to go to my former office and tell them of my plans to continue to stay home with Kaden. I was going to bring him with me, but after a rough morning and a tossed lunch I called Craig home in a hurry to stay with Kaden while I was gone. As I was getting ready to go, the boys were playing in the living room, when Kaden fell. Right on top of one of his blocks. I know Kaden will have many war wounds as he gets older, but we had to document the mark left by this little accident. Fortunately he has made peace with that block, but it was the continuation of a bad day that would just get worse...

Peek-a-boo is a cool thing to do - February 4, 2008
Kaden is working to perfect his peek-a-boo. He loves to play it and pulls it out at any occassion - the high chair, change table, in the crib after a nap. It's very cute! He even tried to play a very weak game of peek-a-boo in his crib with a fever of 103F! In these particular photos the game was made even more fun by the fact that Kaden was a sticky mess and making himself even stickier as he played. He was eating steamed yam chunks. Which, by the way, was interesting in itself. Kaden loves yams so I gave him some pieces to eat on his own instead of mushed on a spoon. He flat out refused for most of the dinner - not one to stray from the safety of a cheerio. However, once I finally convinced him to eat one (by spreading the yam on a cheerio) he gobbled them all up. What a nut.

Peek-a-boo in action.
 

In and out - February 1, 2008
It's neat to watch how the use of toys evolve...and more to the point, how Kaden evolves to use them. The elephant really has been used for its rings to place on various people's heads and the balls have been a favourite of Kaden's to shake, and more recently, put in his bird house. However, the real use of the toy has been realized. Kaden now has the coordination to take the balls from the bottom and put them back in the narrow top. He started to do this with the elephant head on to act as a funnel, but you can see from this video that the use of the elephant head was yesterday's news!