March
Crawling!!! - March 30, 2008
One day short of 2 weeks after getting his cast off, Kaden has figured out
crawling!!! Things are certainly going to change around here!
Spring is in the air - March 30, 2008
We take any opportunity we can get to go outside. Having a park so close is
awesome. There's nothing better than a Sunday afternoon stroll with the family.
Belly to Bum - March 30, 2008
We knew it would only be a matter of time after Kaden got his cast removed
that he would be entering the world of more movement. Today he figured out how
to get from his belly to his bum. So cool.
Rrrraaawwww - March 29, 2008
These socks don't need much introduction...they rock!
Another swim recruit - March 28, 2008
We hadn't been to the pool since Kaden had his cast removed. What better way
to dive back in then to take one of our friends for his first dip ever! It was
as if Kaden hasn't missed any time in the pool. He was all smiles and all
splashes. Ellis wasn't entirely sure about being splashed, but he seemed to
enjoy the new activity. His momma was a swimmer, so it's in his blood! There are
seven months between these buddies, but it was still surprising to see the size
difference when laid side by side. Weight wise, Ellis isn't that far behind
Kaden. But I think Kaden still wins the head circumference catagory!
Aquarium Adventure - March 27, 2008
Kaden and I arranged a play date with three of our friends (moms and babes)
to take a trip to the aquarium. We all were in prenatal classes together so it
was fun to see all the kids one year later. Kaden's three friends did laps
around him crawling and walking, but he held his own and perhaps got motivated
to work on these skills himself. He was just as happy to stand and drum. The
flashy lights and the beluga whales were a big hit...as were the accompanying
surfaces on which Kaden could drum!
After a fun afternoon at the aquarium, Kaden experimented with a new meal -
lasagna. Delish. I think he actually did get some in his mouth ;]
Mobility - March 26 and 27, 2008
There doesn't seem to be too much for Kaden to pull himself up on in our
living room. With some help he can stand at his learning table (he needs help
otherwise it gets pulled over) and I think he's figuring out the chair is just
about the right height. He's also started to kneel more and use his hands to
balance on us, his book basket, the side of the tub, etc!
Gates and getaways - March 24, 2008
Kaden has discovered the gates. He's not quite ready to pull himself all the
way up...he needed a little help here. I'm sure using the gates as a prop isn't
far off. No matter, in the interim, Kaden continues to commando-crawl to his
destination - the kitchen. It must be time to eat...even floor lint is starting
to look good!
Blowing kisses - March 24, 2008
Nanna and Poppa left this morning before Kaden was up. Too bad...today was
the day he finally started blowing kisses! Dad and I have been doing this
routinely in the morning when he leaves for work; and today Kaden joined in as
well! Of course...blowing kisses partners nicely with waving bye bye. I'm not
sure they can be mutually exclusive events!
Final day with the Nanna and Poppa - March 23, 2008
Only a short visit this time, but it was great to see Nanna and Poppa again.
We all went out to brunch on Sunday morning and then went back to the house to
play. Kaden has really been enjoying a new toy he got for his birthday, from his
buddy Graeme. It is a carton of peek-and-squeak eggs. As much as Kaden loves to
play with the eggs, he loves the container even more. The best game is to close
the container, give it to somebody to open (in this case Nanna) and repeat...and
repeat! After an afternoon of egg cartoning (oh yes...with this kind of use it
can be made into a verb) we thought it looked like a nice day
for a walk. Too bad we couldn't see the wind through the window! Nanna had the
good sense to turn back as the wind lashed at all our faces. However, the three of us
persevered until the swings when, after the first push, I think Kaden wished Nanna had taken him with her!
Kaden and Nanna practice their sign language.
The word of the day? "Fish"
Kaden plays the 'egg game' while demonstrating how much drool is needed for
teething, revving his engine and practicing a new sign...
Easter Weekend - March 22, 2008
It just wouldn't be a visit from the grandparents if we didn't put them to
work ;] While Nanna out did herself preparing a fabulous turkey dinner, Poppa
helped dad install baby gates. At this point, Kaden isn't crawling, but his
commando-style pulling along the floor would still allow him to fall down the
stairs. And we're no fools - we know crawling can't be far off. Note Kaden
overseeing the work on his giraffe?!
Easter just wouldn't be Easter if somebody didn't get to wear bunny ears! Of
course, Kaden is much more dexterous this year than last...and somehow he knows
what he likes and doesn't like! Apparently bunny ears weren't part of the
fashion statement he was going for. At least he let me put bunny slippers on his
feet! I like the last photo where Kaden's look says "Poppa, I thought you were
on my side. What are you doing?!?"
Okay - forget about the ears. What about posing with an Easter Bunny? At
first Kaden seemed unsure (!), but he warmed up eventually ;]
And again...a little more "then (when he was at my mercy) and now (when
it's debatable who's in charge)"!
Granville Island - March 21, 2008
A trip to Vancouver just isn't complete without a stop at Granville Island.
Dad had Friday off so the Calverts and McCutcheons head to Granville Island for
lunch and to enjoy a little time outside. We found a park with a tire that did
pretty well as a swing (although no solo ride for Kaden).
We also stopped to try to feed some ducks,
but the ducks' taste appear to be more sophisticated that a one year olds!
Advanced reading and riding - March 21, 2008
Kaden continues to enjoy spending time on his giraffe and of course reading.
He has taken it up a notch now by selecting his own book for you to read!
Oh giraffe...how I love you so.
Kaden spends some time reading and playing peek-a-boo with Nanna...all the while
rocking.
Back to Front - March 20, 2008
One year ago today, on the first day of spring, we brought Kaden home from
the hospital. His first ride in his car seat. It seemed only fitting to use
today to switch his car seat from rear facing to forward facing. It's a whole
new world in the car now. Kaden enjoys trying to look out the front window and
watching the driver spin the wheel! Here's Kaden on his inaugural trip in the
forward facing seat.
And a little more "then and now"...
Would you like some cracker with that cheese? - March
19, 2008
Kaden has discovered cream cheese. Delicious. He has also discovered that he
can pretty much ignore the cracker on which is it served and just lick off
the cheesy goodness! Looks like he missed some...
Reading and riding - March 19, 2008
Kaden received the rocking giraffe from his Uncle Drew, Aunt Glenda, Ben and
Mia. He loves it. Almost the second he got on it, he knew what to do. He is a
rocking machine...Hi-Ho Cowboy Kaden! He has also discovered that he can
multi-task on the giraffe. As you see from his birthday pictures he can blow out
candles and eat a birthday cupcake while riding. He can also combine it with his
favourite pastime - reading. Here Kaden and Poppa take in a little Dr. Seuss'
ABCs.
Happy Birthday Kaden!!! - March 18, 2008
What a special day. It's Kaden's first birthday and Nanna and Poppa are in
town to help celebrate! We've had such a fantastic year. Kaden is quickly
growing and changing from a baby into a little boy. His comprehension and
communication and even mobility are taking off. We had such a great time
visiting with my parents. I think everyone got a kick out of Kaden's ability to
use sign language. And being able to say "Nanna" and "Poppa" (although only in a
whisper) sure didn't hurt either! We started our day posing for our requisite
birthday photos, spending some quality time with the grandparents, and of course
playing with our birthday balloon. That night after Dad came home from work,
Auntie Laura and Uncle Jai joined us for more birthday celebrations. Kaden got
lavished with more gifts from the family here and afar. Thanks to everyone - he
really is a lucky boy. He even got to indulge in more birthday cake (well...a
cupcake this time).
Everything tastes better when you're riding a giraffe!
A little more "then and now"....check out the Calvert Clan on March 18, 2007
(8lbs 14oz and 21inches) and again on March 18, 2008 (23lbs 12.3oz and
31.1inches)!
Go Canucks Go! - March 17, 2008
Happy St. Patty's Day! Happy Birthday Grandpa! Busy day. One year ago today
I was 24hours into labour. Nothing says managing labour like watching a little
hockey! As we reflect back on the past year we've been reminiscing in a
little "then and now". Here we are one year ago anticipating Kaden's arrival and
today, raising our newest Canucks fan. We won both times!
Peg-legs-unite! - March 16, 2008
Uncle Jai came over to visit and our two resident peg-legs compared
war-wounds.
Kaden gets a new 'toy' after a walk to the Choices Market with
Dad.
Post-party play time - March 15, 2008
After a fun day of partying, Kaden wound down his day with some playtime on
his mat. The cast is still on, but it doesn't slow him down any. He took a
particular liking to the couch pillows today!
Pre-bath delirium!
Kaden's first birthday party! - March 15, 2008
Kaden invited over a bunch of his buddies (and their parents) for his
first birthday luncheon! We had 7 kids (including Kaden) and 15 adults
(including us) to help celebrate. It was so much fun. Kaden had a blast playing
with all of his friends. He also happily gobbled up his birthday cake - delish!
Well, at least he got through a bunch of it before excitedly knocking it all on
the floor! At least he set the precedent for acceptable messes ;]
Happy Birthday to Kaden!
Sleeping Beauty - March 14, 2008
Kaden often rolls around and finds soothers and chats to his toys...or his
soothers...or himself...as he heads off to sleep at nap time. I peaked in on him
after what sounded like a particularly eventful drift-off. Not only had he
pulled his sleeping bag into the bed, but he managed to get bunny-bear nestled
in as pillow!
Who knows what will make kids laugh?!?
Pillow fight anyone?
So Smart...S...M...R...T - March 13, 2008
Okay...everyone thinks their kid is the next Nobel Prize Winner. I get it.
But come on?!? How does Kaden know what books I'm talking about?!? Check it
out...
Why not? - March 12, 2008
I think Kaden just likes to communicate and know that we understand. We were
on our way into the kitchen for lunch when we passed by Kaden's basket of
outerwear. He saw his hat and asked for it...so he dined with his chapeau!
Booster Seat = Food - March 11, 2008
Pavlov would be proud. Hungry or not, whenever Kaden sees his booster seat
(or high chair) he instantly makes the sign for "hungry" and wants to get in to
eat! I couldn't refuse...he asked so nicely (Kaden can now make the sign for
"please")!
Daylight Savings Rocks - March 11, 2008
Dad's home from work and Kaden is full of dinner...the sun is still shining
so we went out for a walk! Check out the boys in their matching caps. Perhaps
not the best picture quality, but you would be surprised how hard it is to take
a family shot with just the family!
Kaden really does have the best laugh.
"I'm so glad you called!" - March 11, 2008
Kaden LOVES the telephone. He just loves it. He'll stop whatever he's doing
when he hears it ringing and he gets very excited (and vocal) when he sees us
talking on it. He wants it of course. In case we weren't sure just how much he
wants it, he quickly learned a sign to let us know. He doesn't seem to use his
thumbs yet when making signs, but I think this is the first step towards making
a handset sign with his hands...the phone rings (toy or otherwise) and he points
to his ear. He just started to actually put the phone to his ear as
well...previously he just stared at it, mashed some buttons, and handed it to
us so we could talk!
Who's there?
Happy Birthday Daddy - March 10, 2008
What a fun day we had. Hooray for Daddy's birthday!!! Kaden and I went to
have lunch with Daddy. We had a great time at a little Cajun restaurant near
Craig's office. It's nice to see Daddy midday. While Kaden had his afternoon
snooze I started making a lemon meringue pie. After his nap, Kaden of course had
to send Daddy some birthday wishes (not sure what he's thinking in that last
one)! Once Daddy came home the boys got some playtime and Kaden helped Daddy
open his gifts. It was a good day.
Kaden sings a birthday song for Daddy.
Today was also Kaden's due-date-iversary. Check us out...then
and now!
Commando Kaden - March 10, 2008
We sure did have a busy day today. Amongst all the birthday celebrations,
Kaden took some time to demonstrate his new mobility. He doesn't go very far very
fast, and he can't always be motivated to do it, but he's starting to get the
concept of going forward!!! Also...it may seem that Kaden has only been wearing
this one shirt all month...although it has only been 2 days out of 10 it just
seems to be the two days where we have things to post! Also...Daddy dresses
Kaden in the morning; like most men he likely can't remember what he wore
yesterday let alone last week!
Not quite a budding artist - March 10, 2008
I thought I would give Kaden some crayons to see what he would do. Crayons
are fun to play with - to push around, to hide in one's lap, to throw on the floor,
to stack in one's fist, and of course to put in one's mouth. What else could you
possibly do with them? Certainly not draw!!! Kaden's first "drawing" did end up
with some wax on the paper, but not because that was his intent. The crayons
just happened to leave marks as they were hastily moved or dropped! You can see
from the final picture that the crayons didn't fair very well in the end!
Perhaps Daddy's creative gene just hasn't been switched on yet?!? But the
Calvert furrowed brow sure works!!!
You can see here what Kaden actually did with the crayons!
Broccoli Brow - March 9, 2008
Food works well as make-up, don't you think? Perhaps Kaden was starting to
feel a little bit shy about his invisible eyebrows (and lack of facial hair?!?).
Weekend Fun - March 8, 2008
What would a weekend be without books? I tried to get a picture of Kaden
making the sign for "book". He puts his hands together and then opens his palms
while keeping his bottom fingers interlaced. It is more refined now then when he
just clapped! The reason for the close-up on his face is two-fold. First or
course is to show off those baby blues. Secondly, you might notice the slight
rash on this right cheek. A friend of mine recently told me that a rash often
presents itself during teething. Who knew? Good to know now. Of course, the
leading edges of his molars peeking through his gums are a sure-fire sign too!
Timing is everything...and a couch helps too - March 5, 2008
I think Kaden is starting to get it. Core muscles that is. We've been
watching him try to pull up his back legs as he awkwardly inchworms forward on
his play mat. The timing is a little unfortunate, as I can't say the cast is
helping him in his quest, but perhaps the sturdiness of the cast gives him the
confidence he needs...or maybe just the right leverage against the couch!
The second cast is a charm - March 5, 2008
Kaden's cast has been slipping almost from day one. When we initially got
home from the hospital his toes were sticking out. Pretty soon afterwards his
toes were tucked safely inside. When I took Kaden for his one week check-up the
nurse said it was probably okay to leave him that way as long as the x-rays
didn't show any obvious pressure points or Kaden's mood hadn't changed. He had
been sleeping fine so I figured he couldn't be in much discomfort. Anyway, on
Tuesday night, Craig took off Kaden sock and looked inside the cast - we could
barely see his toes at all. If we had tried, we probably could have pulled the
cast off. Ridiculous. So, Wednesday morning we were back at the hospital to get
a new cast. Poor Kaden, I wish we only had to do this once. Getting a cast cut
off is disconcerting at the best of times, try telling that to an infant!
Despite the "trauma", Kaden's new cast is 100% better than his old one.
Apparently ER doctors are no good at putting on casts. The nurse who helped us
didn't have much good to say about the old cast either. Fortunately we didn't
have to get another x-ray as the doctor on call thought the leg still looked
good despite the poor positioning of the past week and a half. Not only is the
cast less bulky, it doesn't have sharp edges and Kaden's ankle is in the right
position. Thanks, nurse Sylvie!
Play Time - March 4, 2008
Kaden has some fun on all fours - we're trying to give him every opportunity
to work on mobility. Cast be damned! Actually, Kaden has decided to expand his
repetoire from pushing himself backwards and is now trying to become a forward
moving inchworm. One of Kaden's new favourite toys is Dad's hat. I think Kaden
has actually attributed the sign for 'hat', which as it turns out is pretty much
the same as touching his head when asked to find his head, for Daddy. As soon as
Craig walks in the door, Kaden touches his head. What fun to take Dad's hat off
his head, put it on his own (occasionally) and put it back on Dad's head...then
take it off and repeat!
Another of Kaden's latest 'tricks'...he can find his eyes.
Like his nose, teeth and tongue,
Kaden doesn't point out the body part, but simply uses them enthusiastically!
Not caught on film - March 3, 2008
This morning Kaden decided to wake up from his morning nap after only
about 30 minutes. This is short for him so I decided to let him stay in his crib
for a few minutes to see if he would fall back asleep. He often does. However,
this morning was different. I actually let Kaden stay in his crib for almost
half an hour after he woke up - to at least be in his crib for the minimum
length of time he normally snoozes. He wasn't unhappy. I could hear him chatting
to himself and his soother and perhaps Mr. Who. However, after the time had
passed I knew there was no hope that he would fall back asleep so I went to go
spring him. To my surprise when I opened Kaden's door there he was lying on his
stomach, kicking his feet happily, soother in mouth...reading a book!!! Oh yes,
the little monkey was contentedly flipping pages of a book that he somehow
managed to reach through the crib rails from a pile next to the crib! I actually
surprised him when I came in the room. He wasn't looking to be sprung, he was
quite happy enjoying his favourite pass time - reading!!! Needless to say, I had
to move the pile of books even further than I already had after the
table-knocking incident last week!
Also not caught on film is the fact that our little monkey now has two new teeth! I said to Craig as we were at the hospital last week, I bet you Kaden is teething. I figured having a cast wasn't good enough, but a teething, cast baby - that sounds like fun! Sure enough I poked my finger in his mouth tonight and found two new teeth poking through his top gums - the ones beside his fangs (which he doesn't yet have). Poor little guy - these were tylenol-free teeth! Perhaps his fussiness wasn't just a result of his new peg leg after all! Now he's got 6 on top and still just a lonely pair on the bottom.
Kaden the Fish - Mac-time, 2008
Well, we tried to buy into the Apple philosophy and make the switch from our
trusty ol' PC to an iMac. We gave it a valiant effort, or at least Craig did.
Fortunately we were able to buy it, play with it for 2 weeks and then return
it for all our money back. There were a lot of really cool things about it, but
given the stuff that we currently do on the computer - and by "we" I
mostly mean "me" and by "stuff" I mostly mean "this website"
- the Mac actually fell short. However, in the brief time that it graced our
house, Craig did take advantage of their very cool movie editing software.
Although we won't be able to do this as easily with our current system, it has
inspired us (and again I mean me) to learn how to edit some of the the videos we
post on the site (who needs to watch Kaden for 5mintues when the really
exciting part only lasts 5 seconds?!?).
cremma.com proudly presents "Kaden the Fish"
In memoriam to our Mac (Feb-08 to Feb-08)