Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Mexico Cont......
Ok....whew!! I get such limited time to be online...I did bring my computer and found out I can use it wireless in the room but it costs 10.00 for one hour. I've already burned a half hour checking email etc, so here goes a fast and furious blog post!!! We have been at the Resort since Sunday at 2pm after 6 hours of driving. Yuck. yuck, yuck. That was after my Hell day on Friday, my three Dentist appointments on Saturday getting my mouth drilled on, and Caden's appointment to get his One Year Vaccinations. I don't trust the Vaccinations in our country at this time, and with virtually no cases of Autism or any other similar problems here, I opted to get him Vaccinated here. It was something I have done alot of researh on, and I felt good about my decision. Still...never a fun thing to see your child getting poked and screaming his little head off while you stand by LETTING it happen. God I hate that.
Anyway, we are here, all is good, the sun is shining, the beach is gorgeous, the pool is amazing, and the family is amazing. Gerardo's parents are here, his grandma, his aunt, his little cousin, both his brothers and their wives, (Caden's Aunts and Uncles) and Caden's little cousin Sergio who is two. What a group!! We have been eating and swimming and eating and swimming over and over again....and drinking a few Pina Coladas along the way! :) Speaking of eating, I have never seen Caden eat so much in his lifetime. Good gracious he is packing it in!! He loves Mexican food! The sun and water must really work up and appetite cause we are just amazed. He doesn't stop eating for 30 minutes or more! I literally have to cut him off!! Many of you have seen his "little hungry bird mouth" but this is just ten times more aggressive than that!!! We are laughing almost every bite he makes. He is just eating this up.
Caden LOVES the beach. This is the third time he's been to the beach, but the first time walking and exploring so he is doing PLENTY of that. He loves it. He also loves to eat the sand....not good. We're trying to figure out how to stop him from doing that, but he is having a blast. Caden has been a little shy when it comes to going to other people, but he is starting to recognize everyone now and is more apt to let them take him for a walk or something. This has definitely been a new stage for him!!
Ok, I better go now....I'm adding some pictures that I have taken for you all to see a glimpse of this trip! We leave here Friday and will be going back to Celaya where my new Crown will be put in, Caden will get his last dose of shots and we will be heading back Monday. I miss everyone so much!!!!!
Anyway, we are here, all is good, the sun is shining, the beach is gorgeous, the pool is amazing, and the family is amazing. Gerardo's parents are here, his grandma, his aunt, his little cousin, both his brothers and their wives, (Caden's Aunts and Uncles) and Caden's little cousin Sergio who is two. What a group!! We have been eating and swimming and eating and swimming over and over again....and drinking a few Pina Coladas along the way! :) Speaking of eating, I have never seen Caden eat so much in his lifetime. Good gracious he is packing it in!! He loves Mexican food! The sun and water must really work up and appetite cause we are just amazed. He doesn't stop eating for 30 minutes or more! I literally have to cut him off!! Many of you have seen his "little hungry bird mouth" but this is just ten times more aggressive than that!!! We are laughing almost every bite he makes. He is just eating this up.
Caden LOVES the beach. This is the third time he's been to the beach, but the first time walking and exploring so he is doing PLENTY of that. He loves it. He also loves to eat the sand....not good. We're trying to figure out how to stop him from doing that, but he is having a blast. Caden has been a little shy when it comes to going to other people, but he is starting to recognize everyone now and is more apt to let them take him for a walk or something. This has definitely been a new stage for him!!
Ok, I better go now....I'm adding some pictures that I have taken for you all to see a glimpse of this trip! We leave here Friday and will be going back to Celaya where my new Crown will be put in, Caden will get his last dose of shots and we will be heading back Monday. I miss everyone so much!!!!!
Monday, May 26, 2008
Fun In Mexico!!! (Sort of )
Well, we´ve been here in Mexico for four days and I have been a basket case for three of them. Stress, Stress, Stress!! Not what I envisioned my Vacation to start out as being! I´ts ok now though and things are starting to get much better. I am paying 5 bucks for half an hour right now to write this, so I´m not sure how far I´ll get on this blog.....
It all started on our way here. Our flight left at 6am and from past experience we knew to be at the airport bright and early. We got there at 3:30am. We were standing in line before 4am when the ticket counter opened and were STILL standing there at 5:30 am. YOU do the math. For SOME reason they were all messed up cause we had a baby with us and we were going out of the country.???? Like they´ve never encountered that before??? We´ve already done this before. Caden has his passport. WHAT SEEMS to be the problem? Well, the only way that they would issue us tickets if for us to pay 250.00 for a ticket for Caden. Uh....HELLO!!! He is a BABY! Sitting on our laps!! He´s supposed to be FREE!!?? Nope...had to pay. Last time we didn´t pay ANYTHING. We talked to other people on our flight that had a babies and they didn´t pay. I was so fired up in that line....asked to speak to the supervisor and he still stood by that crazy woman helping us. You can bet I´m going to do some SERIOUS complaining....and I´ve never done that before. Anyway......we BARELY made our flight, and I mean BARELY... I had that Supervisor hold that flight I was so mad, and thank God he did or we wouldn´t have made it.
We had two hours to Houston and two hours to Leon, and it was just a tiring, tiring trip. Caden is just at the age where he wants to WALK, WALK, WALK and he didn´t like being confined so much. It was the most difficult flight to date with him. Ah the joys......We finally made it and Caden got to see his Grandparents, both his Aunts and Uncles and his little cousin Sergio. What fun! It was nice to see how happy they were to see him. Pure and utter joy. I hate that they don´t get to be a big part of his life cause there is alot of love there for him.
I had a dentist appointment that late afternoon as I have needed a Root Canal for quite sometime now and haven´t been able to afford to do so as it has been quoted to me twice as being 1,000.00 to have done. Sheesh! I have way more priorities right now! I knew it was so much less here, so I went to Gerardo's family dentist and he has to give me local anesthesia to take off the BAD crown that my dentist had put on to see what was underneath and prep me for my root canal that I would have the next day. (Supposodly my crown went bad said my dentist, and that is why I needed a Root Canal) Well, he was mortified at what he found and sooo mad at my Dentist. Said it wasn´t fair and they did SUCH a bad job on my crown and no wonder it went bad. It wasn´t even ceramic, and it was WAY to big for my tooth that they ground down all the way to the bone. I had no real tooth left. He just couldn´t believe it.
Anyway...long story short, I was there for an hour or so, spent 3 hours the next day at another Dentist´s office where I got my Root Canal done. I was very emotional...cried the whole time like a big, fat baby cause I was just so tired of having something always hurting on my body. It was not a fun procedure and I was in pain, and I was just so tired of seeing a doctor every darn week it has seemed, and just being in pain in one way or another. I felt so stupid. Kept explaining it wasn´t them, just all that I´ve been through. Anyway, had my root canal and you´ll never guess how much it cost. Ninety dollars. Yep, that´s it. 90.00 vs. 1,000.00. Makes you wonder huh??
Anyway, my time is running out. I´ll be back soon to tell more. We got to the resort yesterday so i can finally relax. I´ll tell the rest later.....Lots to tell!!! I miss everyone so much!!!!! LOVE YOU!!!!!!
It all started on our way here. Our flight left at 6am and from past experience we knew to be at the airport bright and early. We got there at 3:30am. We were standing in line before 4am when the ticket counter opened and were STILL standing there at 5:30 am. YOU do the math. For SOME reason they were all messed up cause we had a baby with us and we were going out of the country.???? Like they´ve never encountered that before??? We´ve already done this before. Caden has his passport. WHAT SEEMS to be the problem? Well, the only way that they would issue us tickets if for us to pay 250.00 for a ticket for Caden. Uh....HELLO!!! He is a BABY! Sitting on our laps!! He´s supposed to be FREE!!?? Nope...had to pay. Last time we didn´t pay ANYTHING. We talked to other people on our flight that had a babies and they didn´t pay. I was so fired up in that line....asked to speak to the supervisor and he still stood by that crazy woman helping us. You can bet I´m going to do some SERIOUS complaining....and I´ve never done that before. Anyway......we BARELY made our flight, and I mean BARELY... I had that Supervisor hold that flight I was so mad, and thank God he did or we wouldn´t have made it.
We had two hours to Houston and two hours to Leon, and it was just a tiring, tiring trip. Caden is just at the age where he wants to WALK, WALK, WALK and he didn´t like being confined so much. It was the most difficult flight to date with him. Ah the joys......We finally made it and Caden got to see his Grandparents, both his Aunts and Uncles and his little cousin Sergio. What fun! It was nice to see how happy they were to see him. Pure and utter joy. I hate that they don´t get to be a big part of his life cause there is alot of love there for him.
I had a dentist appointment that late afternoon as I have needed a Root Canal for quite sometime now and haven´t been able to afford to do so as it has been quoted to me twice as being 1,000.00 to have done. Sheesh! I have way more priorities right now! I knew it was so much less here, so I went to Gerardo's family dentist and he has to give me local anesthesia to take off the BAD crown that my dentist had put on to see what was underneath and prep me for my root canal that I would have the next day. (Supposodly my crown went bad said my dentist, and that is why I needed a Root Canal) Well, he was mortified at what he found and sooo mad at my Dentist. Said it wasn´t fair and they did SUCH a bad job on my crown and no wonder it went bad. It wasn´t even ceramic, and it was WAY to big for my tooth that they ground down all the way to the bone. I had no real tooth left. He just couldn´t believe it.
Anyway...long story short, I was there for an hour or so, spent 3 hours the next day at another Dentist´s office where I got my Root Canal done. I was very emotional...cried the whole time like a big, fat baby cause I was just so tired of having something always hurting on my body. It was not a fun procedure and I was in pain, and I was just so tired of seeing a doctor every darn week it has seemed, and just being in pain in one way or another. I felt so stupid. Kept explaining it wasn´t them, just all that I´ve been through. Anyway, had my root canal and you´ll never guess how much it cost. Ninety dollars. Yep, that´s it. 90.00 vs. 1,000.00. Makes you wonder huh??
Anyway, my time is running out. I´ll be back soon to tell more. We got to the resort yesterday so i can finally relax. I´ll tell the rest later.....Lots to tell!!! I miss everyone so much!!!!! LOVE YOU!!!!!!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
My "Quirky" Little Guy
Hello my lovely,
I must say, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree when it comes to your silly, quirky ways. I hope you will learn to always embrace that about you much like I have had to do in my life! :) You are so precious.....and so darn smart!!! It just blows me away the things you do sometimes..the way your mind works through things already! You definitely keep me laughing. Always. Here are a few of your latest stunts... :)
Today when I was feeding you lunch, I just dumped a bunch of fruit salad on your high chair tray so that you could feed yourself. You've always eaten lots of peaches, pears, mandarin oranges, pineapple and such, but there were cherries in the mix this time. You started eating the fruit and when you got to a cherry you picked it up, examined it briefly and threw the thing overboard. Uh HELLO???!!! What's wrong with the cherry??? That's one of the best parts!! You did that every time you came across one. Too funny. Guess it was just too red and foreign for you to try huh?? You wouldn't even try it....tight lipped as they come when I tried to introduce it to you!! Hahahaha.... Maybe next time.
You are really good at giving kisses now. We say, "Give kisses!" or "Beso!"(in Spanish) and you open your mouth wide and put it on your face or mouth. It's so cute...and messy!!
You REALLY,REALLY love being outside. Just feeling the breeze on your face I can tell makes you extremely happy. When it's time to go inside BOY do you have a fit at times! Definitely already getting mad at things. I don't know why but I just think it's funny when I see you get all red, fling your head back on the floor and cry. It just amazes me that you can experience such strong emotion at your age! I do not give in however even though I love that you love the outdoors. I hope that you will enjoy all the things it offers while you are growing up. I had so much fun romping around with my brothers and my parents when I was younger. Most of my memories revolve around being in the mountains, hiking, camping, skiing, horseback riding and playing at the lake. I hope you'll share those loves as well!
You are my little treasure hunter....I swear....If there is something there, that most people cannot see, YOU will find it. Always. Drives me insane!! :) Like I said before, there could be a fly on the floor somewhere....and there could be a WHOLE big house with no other flies anywhere....but that fly could be, say, under the table on the wood floor, and guess who finds it? Ding Ding Ding! Yes! You!!! Then, I could drop ONE piece of dog food, that is brown in color mind you, on the wood floor that is also brown in color, and of alllllll the places to roam on that said wood floor you zoom right in on that one darn piece of dog food!! For the love of God child!!! WHY??? :) You find the most interesting little things in the most interesting places. I just don't know why you can't just go play with your toys!! I wonder everyday why I even have any toys for you! These things seem to interest you WAY more! :)
Today you crawled under your highchair and then proceeded to crawl and push your highchair all around the wood floors. Hmmm......don't know why! :) You thoroughly enjoyed that bit of fun though!
You want to eat ANYTHING that anyone else puts in their mouths. You could have JUST eaten, but you seem just HEARTBROKEN if we don't share with you. The lip goes out, and it's just a pitiful moment I tell ya... :) You will eat just about ANYTHING too...(except for the cherries :) ) The latest of strange foods that you seemed to enjoy have included Roasted Red Bell Peppers, Limes, Red Bean Burritos, of course a whole Happy Meal (not my shining moment) and spicy General Tso's chicken. You are such a good eater!!!
Well, mommy has to cut this short as she has so much to do since we are leaving for Mexico tomorrow!! Yay!!! You get to see your Abuelo and Abuela (Grampa and Gramma), your cousin Sergio that is 2, and your two uncles and aunts! How fun!! We will be staying in Celaya for 2 days, driving to an all-inclusive resort in Ixtapa for a week, and then coming back to Celaya for two more days. What a fun-filled time we will have! I'm soooo ready to go relax for a bit. I'm sad that I won't be able to write in this blog for awhile, but I will write everything down and try to sneak some Internet time at some point and share some more.
I love you....and all of your "quirky" ways.... See you in a couple hours!!
Love, Mommy
I must say, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree when it comes to your silly, quirky ways. I hope you will learn to always embrace that about you much like I have had to do in my life! :) You are so precious.....and so darn smart!!! It just blows me away the things you do sometimes..the way your mind works through things already! You definitely keep me laughing. Always. Here are a few of your latest stunts... :)
Today when I was feeding you lunch, I just dumped a bunch of fruit salad on your high chair tray so that you could feed yourself. You've always eaten lots of peaches, pears, mandarin oranges, pineapple and such, but there were cherries in the mix this time. You started eating the fruit and when you got to a cherry you picked it up, examined it briefly and threw the thing overboard. Uh HELLO???!!! What's wrong with the cherry??? That's one of the best parts!! You did that every time you came across one. Too funny. Guess it was just too red and foreign for you to try huh?? You wouldn't even try it....tight lipped as they come when I tried to introduce it to you!! Hahahaha.... Maybe next time.
You are really good at giving kisses now. We say, "Give kisses!" or "Beso!"(in Spanish) and you open your mouth wide and put it on your face or mouth. It's so cute...and messy!!
You REALLY,REALLY love being outside. Just feeling the breeze on your face I can tell makes you extremely happy. When it's time to go inside BOY do you have a fit at times! Definitely already getting mad at things. I don't know why but I just think it's funny when I see you get all red, fling your head back on the floor and cry. It just amazes me that you can experience such strong emotion at your age! I do not give in however even though I love that you love the outdoors. I hope that you will enjoy all the things it offers while you are growing up. I had so much fun romping around with my brothers and my parents when I was younger. Most of my memories revolve around being in the mountains, hiking, camping, skiing, horseback riding and playing at the lake. I hope you'll share those loves as well!
You are my little treasure hunter....I swear....If there is something there, that most people cannot see, YOU will find it. Always. Drives me insane!! :) Like I said before, there could be a fly on the floor somewhere....and there could be a WHOLE big house with no other flies anywhere....but that fly could be, say, under the table on the wood floor, and guess who finds it? Ding Ding Ding! Yes! You!!! Then, I could drop ONE piece of dog food, that is brown in color mind you, on the wood floor that is also brown in color, and of alllllll the places to roam on that said wood floor you zoom right in on that one darn piece of dog food!! For the love of God child!!! WHY??? :) You find the most interesting little things in the most interesting places. I just don't know why you can't just go play with your toys!! I wonder everyday why I even have any toys for you! These things seem to interest you WAY more! :)
Today you crawled under your highchair and then proceeded to crawl and push your highchair all around the wood floors. Hmmm......don't know why! :) You thoroughly enjoyed that bit of fun though!
You want to eat ANYTHING that anyone else puts in their mouths. You could have JUST eaten, but you seem just HEARTBROKEN if we don't share with you. The lip goes out, and it's just a pitiful moment I tell ya... :) You will eat just about ANYTHING too...(except for the cherries :) ) The latest of strange foods that you seemed to enjoy have included Roasted Red Bell Peppers, Limes, Red Bean Burritos, of course a whole Happy Meal (not my shining moment) and spicy General Tso's chicken. You are such a good eater!!!
Well, mommy has to cut this short as she has so much to do since we are leaving for Mexico tomorrow!! Yay!!! You get to see your Abuelo and Abuela (Grampa and Gramma), your cousin Sergio that is 2, and your two uncles and aunts! How fun!! We will be staying in Celaya for 2 days, driving to an all-inclusive resort in Ixtapa for a week, and then coming back to Celaya for two more days. What a fun-filled time we will have! I'm soooo ready to go relax for a bit. I'm sad that I won't be able to write in this blog for awhile, but I will write everything down and try to sneak some Internet time at some point and share some more.
I love you....and all of your "quirky" ways.... See you in a couple hours!!
Love, Mommy
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Nana's Trip
Hi my love!
I feel so behind again in writing! How do people do it?! :) Anyway...I love you. Love you love you love you. OK, that being said, I wanted to write a little about Nana's visit here last month. She flew all the way from Perth, Australia (where they just moved to) to help me after my surgery since I would be pretty sore. Gosh it was so nice having her here. She is always such a great help making every meal, cleaning, and helping with you. She just couldn't get enough of you! You know your nana now for sure, and whenever she would leave the room to go into her room, you would go pound on the door and wait for her to come back out. How cute!!! She's always teaching you new things, and singing you songs and you just adore her. We are sure going to miss seeing her alot now that she will be in Australia!! :( I know that she won't be able to stand being gone long from you though and she'll come back to see you as much as she can. We sure do miss Papa too!! Can't wait to see him again.... While your nana was here we went and took some AMAZING pictures of all of us. I LOVE them! Here is a sampling....
We miss our Nana......Can't wait to see her again!!
Sleep well my little one....can't wait to see you tomorrow!!
Love, Mommy!!!
I feel so behind again in writing! How do people do it?! :) Anyway...I love you. Love you love you love you. OK, that being said, I wanted to write a little about Nana's visit here last month. She flew all the way from Perth, Australia (where they just moved to) to help me after my surgery since I would be pretty sore. Gosh it was so nice having her here. She is always such a great help making every meal, cleaning, and helping with you. She just couldn't get enough of you! You know your nana now for sure, and whenever she would leave the room to go into her room, you would go pound on the door and wait for her to come back out. How cute!!! She's always teaching you new things, and singing you songs and you just adore her. We are sure going to miss seeing her alot now that she will be in Australia!! :( I know that she won't be able to stand being gone long from you though and she'll come back to see you as much as she can. We sure do miss Papa too!! Can't wait to see him again.... While your nana was here we went and took some AMAZING pictures of all of us. I LOVE them! Here is a sampling....
We miss our Nana......Can't wait to see her again!!
Sleep well my little one....can't wait to see you tomorrow!!
Love, Mommy!!!
Sunday, May 18, 2008
GOSH I LOVE YOU......
Hello my little love,
I'm going to write more later about whats been going on lately with us, but for now all I wanted to say is that I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU!!! Someday maybe you will completely understand that.... I hope that every day you can feel a piece of my heart and how full that it is for you. You are truly the most amazing miracle that could ever happen to me. I just love you so very much. I couldn't ask for anything better in life than you....
I love you
Love, Mommy
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Laundry and more Laundry
Is it normal for someone to do FIVE loads of laundry in one day?? FIVE?? What is my DEAL waiting until the last minute to do it??? Is it just me or do you do that too? My mom always says "Put in a load of laundry every night and throw it in the dryer in the morning and it won't pile up!" What a brilliant idea from a brilliant woman except that I can never seem to stick with it. Instead, it piles up and piles up until I have no choice but to tackle it. Sheesh I suck.... :) Anyway, the best part of laundry today was this.....
Maybe laundry isn't so bad. :)
Maybe laundry isn't so bad. :)
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Exposed...
I've had a couple people ask me the following question from time to time: "Are you ever concerned that your son's image will remain in cyberspace, with no way for you or him to reclaim it or his privacy?"
I know no one has meant any disrespect...I understood their concerns. The question definitely makes a clear point: Should I have second thoughts about posting my son's image where strangers can lurk? Should I not be more protective? I have asked myself these questions many times. In fact, every time that I have posted a picture of my son I have wondered that.
I have not come up with any easy answers, but nor have I given in to any fear of posting his image or sharing our world. I continue to do so with some abandon. Obviously I have posted pictures of him in the bath, and his little naked bum. I had the thought, at the time, "is this sharing too much, with too many?" Perhaps.
There is much that I could say about the various arguments that I have had with myself about the ethics and the safety of posting his picture. I have thought about this long and hard, and although at the end of the day I don't have an answer that addresses all potential questions and concerns, I have come to the conclusion that I am acting within reasonable bounds of care when I put my pictures and feelings out there. Those are arguments for another post, maybe, someday, or for discussion in comments.
I read a little something the other day that hit me so hard....that explains everything more than I could even place into words. It was a piece on Photography that read.....I'm quoting this paragraph now...
"In his Camera Lucida (Reflections on Photography), Roland Barthes distinguishes between the studium of a photograph, those elements of a photograph that provoke an interpretive (cultural, social, political) response, and the punctum of a photograph, the element of a photograph that punctures, or wounds – that which provokes an emotional response in the viewer by establishing a direct relationship between the viewer and the subject of the photograph."
This made such good sense to me. I "got it." I myself seek out photographs of other people’s children for this "punctum." I post pictures of my son for this "punctum" because these photographs establish a relationship. I seek out those relationships as someone who enjoys photography, and as mother. I seek the poignant moment of understanding, the punctum, in photographs of other mothers’ (and fathers’) children. I look at those pictures and imagine that I see what those other parents see. I admire the curve of a cheek, the sweet, innocent smiles, and I imagine that that was the detail that moved the photographer, in the moment that they clicked the shutter. I imagine that I see, in your photographs, for an instant, your child, through your eyes, and I am punctured by that moment, that fleeting moment, of connection. In that moment, I feel that I understand you, because I understand, now that I'm a mom, your love for your child. I recognize our shared experience of intense, inexpressible love. I want to share my own experience of that inexpressible love with you, with someone. So I post my own pictures.
I want you to see and feel the details that I cannot adequately put to words. I want you to feel my love for him and to smile at his expressions of intense joy on his face. I want those luscious, out of control curls on the top of his precious head to grab at your heart and squeeze it, hard. I want the details of his face to call to mind for you every time you ever kissed the cheek of your little one. I want the photograph to "puncture" the distance between us as parents, different people with different children, different lives. I want you to see him through my eyes, to know my love for him, to recognize it as your own. I want you to be punctured.
Some people may worry that I expose too much, that we expose too much. I worry about this, too. But I also feel, deeply, that the exposure – the candor, intentional and accidental – is necessary for the connection that I always want him to feel, for the connection I want my distant friends and family to feel with us and the connection that I can share with others like myself. I feel, deeply, that I would lose something, that we would lose something, if I kept myself and my son (this unique being who is also and always an extension of myself), concealed from view and never a bit transparent and vulnerable.
And so I write, and so I share.......
I know no one has meant any disrespect...I understood their concerns. The question definitely makes a clear point: Should I have second thoughts about posting my son's image where strangers can lurk? Should I not be more protective? I have asked myself these questions many times. In fact, every time that I have posted a picture of my son I have wondered that.
I have not come up with any easy answers, but nor have I given in to any fear of posting his image or sharing our world. I continue to do so with some abandon. Obviously I have posted pictures of him in the bath, and his little naked bum. I had the thought, at the time, "is this sharing too much, with too many?" Perhaps.
There is much that I could say about the various arguments that I have had with myself about the ethics and the safety of posting his picture. I have thought about this long and hard, and although at the end of the day I don't have an answer that addresses all potential questions and concerns, I have come to the conclusion that I am acting within reasonable bounds of care when I put my pictures and feelings out there. Those are arguments for another post, maybe, someday, or for discussion in comments.
I read a little something the other day that hit me so hard....that explains everything more than I could even place into words. It was a piece on Photography that read.....I'm quoting this paragraph now...
"In his Camera Lucida (Reflections on Photography), Roland Barthes distinguishes between the studium of a photograph, those elements of a photograph that provoke an interpretive (cultural, social, political) response, and the punctum of a photograph, the element of a photograph that punctures, or wounds – that which provokes an emotional response in the viewer by establishing a direct relationship between the viewer and the subject of the photograph."
This made such good sense to me. I "got it." I myself seek out photographs of other people’s children for this "punctum." I post pictures of my son for this "punctum" because these photographs establish a relationship. I seek out those relationships as someone who enjoys photography, and as mother. I seek the poignant moment of understanding, the punctum, in photographs of other mothers’ (and fathers’) children. I look at those pictures and imagine that I see what those other parents see. I admire the curve of a cheek, the sweet, innocent smiles, and I imagine that that was the detail that moved the photographer, in the moment that they clicked the shutter. I imagine that I see, in your photographs, for an instant, your child, through your eyes, and I am punctured by that moment, that fleeting moment, of connection. In that moment, I feel that I understand you, because I understand, now that I'm a mom, your love for your child. I recognize our shared experience of intense, inexpressible love. I want to share my own experience of that inexpressible love with you, with someone. So I post my own pictures.
I want you to see and feel the details that I cannot adequately put to words. I want you to feel my love for him and to smile at his expressions of intense joy on his face. I want those luscious, out of control curls on the top of his precious head to grab at your heart and squeeze it, hard. I want the details of his face to call to mind for you every time you ever kissed the cheek of your little one. I want the photograph to "puncture" the distance between us as parents, different people with different children, different lives. I want you to see him through my eyes, to know my love for him, to recognize it as your own. I want you to be punctured.
Some people may worry that I expose too much, that we expose too much. I worry about this, too. But I also feel, deeply, that the exposure – the candor, intentional and accidental – is necessary for the connection that I always want him to feel, for the connection I want my distant friends and family to feel with us and the connection that I can share with others like myself. I feel, deeply, that I would lose something, that we would lose something, if I kept myself and my son (this unique being who is also and always an extension of myself), concealed from view and never a bit transparent and vulnerable.
And so I write, and so I share.......
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Horse Races and Mother's Day
Hey My Buddy,
I miss you so much already! You've been asleep for a couple hours now and I really just want to wake you up to kiss you! What a crazy weekend this was. Saturday was...well, I can't remember when I've been so frustrated/exhausted/stressed on a day OFF that was supposed to be fun. Geez I wish I could redo that day!!! I had the bright idea of going to the annual Iroquois Steeplechase Horse Race. It's a Huge, Elite, Social Gathering with Nashville's finest....Women in beautiful dresses and large hats, men dressed nicely, and lots of excitement! I've never been before but I've heard about it every year, seen the beautiful people around town after the race, and have always wanted to be a part of it! Well, I heard you could get tickets at the gate fairly reasonably. It couldn't have been more misleading. All I can say is that we all got separated for almost 3 hours, the General Admission area was lame, lame, lame...we couldn't get back to our parking lot cause the road closed, and you had a fever of 102. WHAT A NIGHTMARE. It was not a fun day.... I'd still love to go again next year, but I would do it all differently. Get good tickets, don't take a child, and park in the right place!! It was a learning experience.....Also, in all that mess, we didn't have enough food to feed you dinner on the way home, since we weren't supposed to be gone that long!!!, so I resorted to doing something I SWORE I'd never do til you were much, much older, and even THEN, on rare occasions! We went through McDonalds and I got you a cheeseburger Happy Meal. You ate the whole thing. Oh my gosh!!!! There goes my "I'll NEVER's" kicking me in my teeth like I said in my last blog post!!! The things you do in desperation.... :)
Mother's Day was great....spending time with great friends, eating yummy food and counting the many reasons why I am so thrilled to be your mommy. This is my second Mother's Day and I still can't believe that I have been chosen to be your mom. How did I get so lucky? All I know is that it is the greatest honor that I have ever had. Thank you for making my life complete. I will never love another human being the way I love you. You are my absolute WORLD. I love you honey......
Love, Mommy
I miss you so much already! You've been asleep for a couple hours now and I really just want to wake you up to kiss you! What a crazy weekend this was. Saturday was...well, I can't remember when I've been so frustrated/exhausted/stressed on a day OFF that was supposed to be fun. Geez I wish I could redo that day!!! I had the bright idea of going to the annual Iroquois Steeplechase Horse Race. It's a Huge, Elite, Social Gathering with Nashville's finest....Women in beautiful dresses and large hats, men dressed nicely, and lots of excitement! I've never been before but I've heard about it every year, seen the beautiful people around town after the race, and have always wanted to be a part of it! Well, I heard you could get tickets at the gate fairly reasonably. It couldn't have been more misleading. All I can say is that we all got separated for almost 3 hours, the General Admission area was lame, lame, lame...we couldn't get back to our parking lot cause the road closed, and you had a fever of 102. WHAT A NIGHTMARE. It was not a fun day.... I'd still love to go again next year, but I would do it all differently. Get good tickets, don't take a child, and park in the right place!! It was a learning experience.....Also, in all that mess, we didn't have enough food to feed you dinner on the way home, since we weren't supposed to be gone that long!!!, so I resorted to doing something I SWORE I'd never do til you were much, much older, and even THEN, on rare occasions! We went through McDonalds and I got you a cheeseburger Happy Meal. You ate the whole thing. Oh my gosh!!!! There goes my "I'll NEVER's" kicking me in my teeth like I said in my last blog post!!! The things you do in desperation.... :)
Mother's Day was great....spending time with great friends, eating yummy food and counting the many reasons why I am so thrilled to be your mommy. This is my second Mother's Day and I still can't believe that I have been chosen to be your mom. How did I get so lucky? All I know is that it is the greatest honor that I have ever had. Thank you for making my life complete. I will never love another human being the way I love you. You are my absolute WORLD. I love you honey......
Love, Mommy
Thursday, May 8, 2008
A Bit of Randomosity :)
I just came across this meme from another mommy blogger's site, so I thought it would be fun one to play. Here are the rules.
1. Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18 and find line 4. Write the sentence.. Book: The Shack by William P. Young. "It was then that he saw the bright red skid mark tracking his journey from point of impact to final destination."
2. What is the last thing you ate? A string cheese. :)
3. What is the last thing you watched on TV? Gossip Girl
4. Without looking, guess what time it is? 8:23
5. Now look at the clock, what is the actual time?9:11 Darn darn darn! I'm usually better at that! My mom is the CHAMPION at that game... :)
6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear? Some of my clocks ticking in the background and the sweet sound of silence. :)
7. When did you last step outside? What were you doing? About three hours ago. We went for a walk down the street with Caden in his little car. It was a beautiful night for a walk....
8. Before you started this survey, what did you look at?
My work email, personal email, my MySpace Page and a few home listings.
9. What are you wearing? Ratty jeans, a black tee shirt and a smile!
10. Did you dream last night? Always, but I can't remember what I dreamed about....
11. When did you last laugh? Caden makes me laugh EVERY day.. :) He is always so darn cute I can't stand it. Every time I laugh HE laughs really hard. Last I remember I was talking on the phone with Erica, laughing about something and he just chimed in laughing too......too cute.
12. What is on the walls of the room you are in? I'm in my Bonus Room that I call my "Travel Room" too. I have all of my clocks on my wall. Eleven to be exact. All with different time zones marked on the wall. I love that wall....(sigh). I also have my 3 shadow boxes with stuff in them from my travels. One holds Postcards. When I travel somewhere I get postcards but instead of sending them off, I write on the back who I was with, something fun about the trip, and then stash it in my shadow box for a forever memory of that time. My other shadow box contains matchbooks from various restaraunts or places I've visited. The third box contains wine corks from bottles of wine I have shared with people. I write on the actual cork who I was with, the occasion and the date and again stash it away. I have a few travel pictures on the wall, a fun spiral candle holder and some office stuff and that's about it. Gosh I love this room... :)
13. Seen anything beautiful lately? My son's face....the most beautiful sight I know.
14. What do you think of this quiz? More interesting than others
15. What is the last film you saw? Made of Honor. I went with my mom.....the second movie I've seen since Caden was born!
16. If you became a multimillionaire overnight, what would you buy?
First I’d pay off everything I owed, give all my family members and close friends a million dollars each and then I’d take my family on a really nice trip.
17. Tell something about you that alot of people don't know. I used to be a barrel racer in the Rodeo when I was a kid. (That just makes me laugh thinking about that!)
18. If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do? I would make sure the homeless children all had families who would take care of them.
19. Do you like to dance?
I LOVE to dance.
20. Your favorite moment of today. Hmmm....had to be at Caden's naptime. He was a little clingy for some reason, so instead of putting him right in his crib I grabbed his "woobie" and we got in his rocker and just rocked for a bit, his head on my chest, holding my hand. I was overwhelmed with my love for him. I enjoyed that moment so much.....I wish he would let me do that more often....
21. Favorite moment of this week. Taking family pictures with my mom.....
22. Favorite moment of this year. Seeing my best friend Ian, and healing our relationship.
23. Would you ever consider living abroad? Sign me up!!
Anyone who’d like to do this, consider yourself tagged. If you do, let me know so I can visit your blog or put it in my comments if you don't have a blog!!!!
1. Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18 and find line 4. Write the sentence.. Book: The Shack by William P. Young. "It was then that he saw the bright red skid mark tracking his journey from point of impact to final destination."
2. What is the last thing you ate? A string cheese. :)
3. What is the last thing you watched on TV? Gossip Girl
4. Without looking, guess what time it is? 8:23
5. Now look at the clock, what is the actual time?9:11 Darn darn darn! I'm usually better at that! My mom is the CHAMPION at that game... :)
6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear? Some of my clocks ticking in the background and the sweet sound of silence. :)
7. When did you last step outside? What were you doing? About three hours ago. We went for a walk down the street with Caden in his little car. It was a beautiful night for a walk....
8. Before you started this survey, what did you look at?
My work email, personal email, my MySpace Page and a few home listings.
9. What are you wearing? Ratty jeans, a black tee shirt and a smile!
10. Did you dream last night? Always, but I can't remember what I dreamed about....
11. When did you last laugh? Caden makes me laugh EVERY day.. :) He is always so darn cute I can't stand it. Every time I laugh HE laughs really hard. Last I remember I was talking on the phone with Erica, laughing about something and he just chimed in laughing too......too cute.
12. What is on the walls of the room you are in? I'm in my Bonus Room that I call my "Travel Room" too. I have all of my clocks on my wall. Eleven to be exact. All with different time zones marked on the wall. I love that wall....(sigh). I also have my 3 shadow boxes with stuff in them from my travels. One holds Postcards. When I travel somewhere I get postcards but instead of sending them off, I write on the back who I was with, something fun about the trip, and then stash it in my shadow box for a forever memory of that time. My other shadow box contains matchbooks from various restaraunts or places I've visited. The third box contains wine corks from bottles of wine I have shared with people. I write on the actual cork who I was with, the occasion and the date and again stash it away. I have a few travel pictures on the wall, a fun spiral candle holder and some office stuff and that's about it. Gosh I love this room... :)
13. Seen anything beautiful lately? My son's face....the most beautiful sight I know.
14. What do you think of this quiz? More interesting than others
15. What is the last film you saw? Made of Honor. I went with my mom.....the second movie I've seen since Caden was born!
16. If you became a multimillionaire overnight, what would you buy?
First I’d pay off everything I owed, give all my family members and close friends a million dollars each and then I’d take my family on a really nice trip.
17. Tell something about you that alot of people don't know. I used to be a barrel racer in the Rodeo when I was a kid. (That just makes me laugh thinking about that!)
18. If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do? I would make sure the homeless children all had families who would take care of them.
19. Do you like to dance?
I LOVE to dance.
20. Your favorite moment of today. Hmmm....had to be at Caden's naptime. He was a little clingy for some reason, so instead of putting him right in his crib I grabbed his "woobie" and we got in his rocker and just rocked for a bit, his head on my chest, holding my hand. I was overwhelmed with my love for him. I enjoyed that moment so much.....I wish he would let me do that more often....
21. Favorite moment of this week. Taking family pictures with my mom.....
22. Favorite moment of this year. Seeing my best friend Ian, and healing our relationship.
23. Would you ever consider living abroad? Sign me up!!
Anyone who’d like to do this, consider yourself tagged. If you do, let me know so I can visit your blog or put it in my comments if you don't have a blog!!!!
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
You're An Old Man
Hi my precious,
I was just sitting here re-reading some of my earlier blog posts, and all the sudden I realized that you are totally not the same little guy you were just three or four months ago. You are an old man.
Reading about how I had to swaddle you in order for you to go to sleep almost felt foreign. These days I just throw you in the crib (not literally) :) and you pretty much head right to sleep. I used to be able to set you down somewhere in the room, walk away, come back, and you would still be in the same place. Uh...NOT ANY MORE!! Good gracious. If I did that now, I'd have to go on a hunt to find you you are so fast!!
I used to always know where things are ie cell phone, keys, remote control. Now, it is a chore finding these items. First place I look is the bathtub as this is your favorite place to stash things. The TV remote and cell phone are major issues. You hide them all the time. The phone is easier to find as I can just call it from my house phone and follow the sound....the remote on the other hand is a much trickier item. We all looked the other night for the remote for some time and couldn't find it anywhere. Your daddy finally found it stashed in between the washing machine and the wall. Uh HELLO? How and WHY in the world would you do that?? I don't think I EVER would have found that. I'm not sure how HE did....LOL :)
You are totally off baby food now, AND bottles. It feels like you came out of the womb eating spaghetti Oh's, Mandarin Oranges and the occasional bite of Red Bell Peppers and sipping away on some apple juice or milk. My how grown up you are!!
Another reason why you're an old man....? When it's naptime or bedtime I say, "Time for night night!" and you go running into your room and try to pull up to get in your crib. I am serious!!! What child is happy to go to sleep?? Seriously! Something is just not right... hehehe.
You have just changed so much little guy. Every day it's something. I am so pleased with all your progress, but I’m so sad by how much I'm starting to forget, how quickly little itty bitty Caden phases,and moments that I thought would be burned into my memory are becoming faint memories. That just doesn’t seem right. I'm sure glad I'm writing all this down. It's fun to go back and refresh my memory with your cuteness. I love you my little man and I'm sooo glad that you are feeling better.
Love, Mommy
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Letter to all my Childless Friends
To all my Dear friends who have not yet bred,
Don't think I haven't noticed you wince when I've talked about various diaper blow outs, or saw the horrified look on your face when you saw my child pick up a dead fly and put it in his mouth. I saw you mentally wondering if letting my one year old have a drink of my soda would forever somehow damage him. And, I'm sure that you've viewed my ratty ponytail, stained carpets and new "toy box" decor with some disdain. You also may roll your eyes at how much I tend to rant and rave about my baby. Like, get over it, you had a kid, that doesn't mean the world revolves around him! :)
That's okay. I've been there, too.
I'm sure that you look at my not always stylish clothes and my make-up free face and vow that you will never let yourself go like this. When YOU have kids, you will make sure that you will have plenty of "YOU time" and that nothing much will change. Your children will never take over your life, OR your house. Oh yes.... I know what you're thinking, and almost every thought begins with "I'll never."
Dear, dear childless friend.... Right now, you have it all planned out. You know just exactly how you'll handle your kids. Savor that season of knowing. Cherish it. Commit it to memory. I want you to have a good, clear recollection to laugh about when all of your "I'll nevers" kick you in the butt. :) I'll be there for ya though!!
Don't think I haven't noticed you wince when I've talked about various diaper blow outs, or saw the horrified look on your face when you saw my child pick up a dead fly and put it in his mouth. I saw you mentally wondering if letting my one year old have a drink of my soda would forever somehow damage him. And, I'm sure that you've viewed my ratty ponytail, stained carpets and new "toy box" decor with some disdain. You also may roll your eyes at how much I tend to rant and rave about my baby. Like, get over it, you had a kid, that doesn't mean the world revolves around him! :)
That's okay. I've been there, too.
I'm sure that you look at my not always stylish clothes and my make-up free face and vow that you will never let yourself go like this. When YOU have kids, you will make sure that you will have plenty of "YOU time" and that nothing much will change. Your children will never take over your life, OR your house. Oh yes.... I know what you're thinking, and almost every thought begins with "I'll never."
Dear, dear childless friend.... Right now, you have it all planned out. You know just exactly how you'll handle your kids. Savor that season of knowing. Cherish it. Commit it to memory. I want you to have a good, clear recollection to laugh about when all of your "I'll nevers" kick you in the butt. :) I'll be there for ya though!!
Friday, May 2, 2008
Our Colorado Trip
Hey my perfect one....
You are sleeping right now so I thought I'd take this time to catch up on the rest of April's happenings. April was just SUCH a busy month jammed packed with so many events, happenings, birthdays, trips, doctors, blah blah blah, that I just haven't been able to write it all down!! Or find the time!!! I think after this post we will have covered April!! Whew! So one BIG event that happened was our trip to Colorado!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!
Your Gramma and Grampa bought us a ticket to come see them for our birthdays!! We flew out of Nashville on April 9th, your mommy's birthday, and arrived in beautiful Colorado by noon. You slept most of the flight, of course, and were bright eyed and bushy tailed by the time we got there! :) It was so good to see your gramma and grampa....We had a little birthday celebration for the two of us that night, since it was MY actual birthday and yours was the day after we left. Gramma made us own own little cakes...yummy, yummy!! You liked that!! :) Grampa was taking lots of pictures of you like he likes to do.....He got lots of cute ones!! You just seem to model for him when he gets the camera out.
So I was soooo excited because on this trip I was going to get to go up to our condo in Frisco and go skiing with oldest, dearest friend Amy that I hadn't seen for like TWO years! It was going to be my FIRST night away from you EVER. ....I hadn't been ready to do that until then, but because I was going to be with Amy, and having some girl time, I was READY!!! I've told you all about my friend Amy who lives in Seattle now. We grew up together and have pictures of us when we were just itty bitty...We moved to different places but have never stopped being bestest friends....
Here we are when we were little...
So..you finally got to meet her!!! I was soooo excited!! She was so sweet with you and brought you all sorts of birthday goodies. Yay! I can't BELIEVE I didn't get a picture of you with her....What was I thinking?? Obviously I WASN'T....:) So...off we went up the mountain as I left you behind with Gramma and Grampa. I was a little sad, but mostly excited to catch up with Amy and enjoy some great "girl time." I knew you were in good hands so I wasn't worried. We had the BEST time just talking and talking... When we got up the mountain we went and ate sushi, drank some wine, went back to the condo and sat in the hot tub for two hours, and stayed up talking til 3am. What a perfect night!! We woke up late, went to the slopes and skiied all afternoon until they closed. It snowed all day and by the time we were going to be heading down the mountain, the roads closed. Oh no! :) We walked across the street from the Condo to a Restaurant called Samplings, ate some more and had a nice cozy couple hours before they reopened the roads and we were able to come back down. It was the perfect 24+ hours, doing what I love so much with such a dear, dear friend. It was medicine for my soul, and I couldn't have had a better time. Thanks for letting mommy have a little break my baby! :) Even though I never feel like I need a break from you it is still nice to have some quality time with others. And THAT I did! :)
The best thing about this trip, and there were so many good things, was that my best friend and I finally healed our friendship. We hadn't spoken for over a year, and he called me to request that we meet to start the healing process while I was there. I was so nervous, and so anxious for things to be back to the way they've always been. I had missed him so very much. When I saw him, and hugged him, I felt a year's worth of stress just peeling away from me......It was amazing how much just seeing him and talking to him made me feel more like myself than I had in a long time. So things are good....and I'm just so happy. So happy. You got to meet Ian and his girlfriend Pam too....it was just really nice that they got to see you.....Yay yay yay yay... :)
So it's always wonderful to see your Gramma and Grampa. They are always doting on you since they dont get to see you much....They are just amazed by you! They hadn't even seen you crawling yet, so it was such a treat to see you walking! We had lots of fun playing with you,taking pictures and capturing some videos. Here is some of that collaboration!! :)
During this trip we also got to go see my cousin Jennifer, (which would be your second cousin I guess?) and Chris, Tyler and Mackenzie!!! Yay! Little Mackenzie is three now and just crazy about you. She was quite the doting one.... She asked me if I brought you food, and when I said "yes..." she would say, "He's hungry now. You need to feed him." Then she would say, "He's thirsty....he needs to drink." She wanted to help feed you and hold your sippy cup when you drank. At one point she came running in the room saying "Caden's nose is running. You need to wipe it." :) How cute... At one point she took you upstairs to show you her room. About a minute later she opened the door and yelled downstairs.. "CADEN IS TEARIN UP MY ROOM!!!" I was just dying laughing. I'm sure you was pulling everything out of its place like you do. When it came time to feed you your bottle, SHE wanted to hold you and hold your bottle. We got lots of precious pictures of you guys....
While we were in Colorado we also got to meet your Gramma's daughter Kristina and her husband Chris. I have sooo wanted to meet them and they were just wonderful. I felt like I had known them forever, and was really excited that the family was blending so well. They are having a baby any minute now, so you will have another cousin soon! What a great trip......We did lots, saw lots of people, and had lots of fun. Don't know when we'll see them next, but already I can't wait!! We love you Gramma and Grampa! Thanks for allowing us to come!!!
Again my love, you proved to be the best little traveler....Thank you for you wonderful spirit and your abundant patience with all the chaos that can sometimes go on. I love you with my life...
Love, Mommy
You are sleeping right now so I thought I'd take this time to catch up on the rest of April's happenings. April was just SUCH a busy month jammed packed with so many events, happenings, birthdays, trips, doctors, blah blah blah, that I just haven't been able to write it all down!! Or find the time!!! I think after this post we will have covered April!! Whew! So one BIG event that happened was our trip to Colorado!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!
Your Gramma and Grampa bought us a ticket to come see them for our birthdays!! We flew out of Nashville on April 9th, your mommy's birthday, and arrived in beautiful Colorado by noon. You slept most of the flight, of course, and were bright eyed and bushy tailed by the time we got there! :) It was so good to see your gramma and grampa....We had a little birthday celebration for the two of us that night, since it was MY actual birthday and yours was the day after we left. Gramma made us own own little cakes...yummy, yummy!! You liked that!! :) Grampa was taking lots of pictures of you like he likes to do.....He got lots of cute ones!! You just seem to model for him when he gets the camera out.
So I was soooo excited because on this trip I was going to get to go up to our condo in Frisco and go skiing with oldest, dearest friend Amy that I hadn't seen for like TWO years! It was going to be my FIRST night away from you EVER. ....I hadn't been ready to do that until then, but because I was going to be with Amy, and having some girl time, I was READY!!! I've told you all about my friend Amy who lives in Seattle now. We grew up together and have pictures of us when we were just itty bitty...We moved to different places but have never stopped being bestest friends....
Here we are when we were little...
So..you finally got to meet her!!! I was soooo excited!! She was so sweet with you and brought you all sorts of birthday goodies. Yay! I can't BELIEVE I didn't get a picture of you with her....What was I thinking?? Obviously I WASN'T....:) So...off we went up the mountain as I left you behind with Gramma and Grampa. I was a little sad, but mostly excited to catch up with Amy and enjoy some great "girl time." I knew you were in good hands so I wasn't worried. We had the BEST time just talking and talking... When we got up the mountain we went and ate sushi, drank some wine, went back to the condo and sat in the hot tub for two hours, and stayed up talking til 3am. What a perfect night!! We woke up late, went to the slopes and skiied all afternoon until they closed. It snowed all day and by the time we were going to be heading down the mountain, the roads closed. Oh no! :) We walked across the street from the Condo to a Restaurant called Samplings, ate some more and had a nice cozy couple hours before they reopened the roads and we were able to come back down. It was the perfect 24+ hours, doing what I love so much with such a dear, dear friend. It was medicine for my soul, and I couldn't have had a better time. Thanks for letting mommy have a little break my baby! :) Even though I never feel like I need a break from you it is still nice to have some quality time with others. And THAT I did! :)
The best thing about this trip, and there were so many good things, was that my best friend and I finally healed our friendship. We hadn't spoken for over a year, and he called me to request that we meet to start the healing process while I was there. I was so nervous, and so anxious for things to be back to the way they've always been. I had missed him so very much. When I saw him, and hugged him, I felt a year's worth of stress just peeling away from me......It was amazing how much just seeing him and talking to him made me feel more like myself than I had in a long time. So things are good....and I'm just so happy. So happy. You got to meet Ian and his girlfriend Pam too....it was just really nice that they got to see you.....Yay yay yay yay... :)
So it's always wonderful to see your Gramma and Grampa. They are always doting on you since they dont get to see you much....They are just amazed by you! They hadn't even seen you crawling yet, so it was such a treat to see you walking! We had lots of fun playing with you,taking pictures and capturing some videos. Here is some of that collaboration!! :)
During this trip we also got to go see my cousin Jennifer, (which would be your second cousin I guess?) and Chris, Tyler and Mackenzie!!! Yay! Little Mackenzie is three now and just crazy about you. She was quite the doting one.... She asked me if I brought you food, and when I said "yes..." she would say, "He's hungry now. You need to feed him." Then she would say, "He's thirsty....he needs to drink." She wanted to help feed you and hold your sippy cup when you drank. At one point she came running in the room saying "Caden's nose is running. You need to wipe it." :) How cute... At one point she took you upstairs to show you her room. About a minute later she opened the door and yelled downstairs.. "CADEN IS TEARIN UP MY ROOM!!!" I was just dying laughing. I'm sure you was pulling everything out of its place like you do. When it came time to feed you your bottle, SHE wanted to hold you and hold your bottle. We got lots of precious pictures of you guys....
While we were in Colorado we also got to meet your Gramma's daughter Kristina and her husband Chris. I have sooo wanted to meet them and they were just wonderful. I felt like I had known them forever, and was really excited that the family was blending so well. They are having a baby any minute now, so you will have another cousin soon! What a great trip......We did lots, saw lots of people, and had lots of fun. Don't know when we'll see them next, but already I can't wait!! We love you Gramma and Grampa! Thanks for allowing us to come!!!
Again my love, you proved to be the best little traveler....Thank you for you wonderful spirit and your abundant patience with all the chaos that can sometimes go on. I love you with my life...
Love, Mommy
Thursday, May 1, 2008
We are Pitiful, Pitiful, Pitiful....
Hey my little napping guy,
We have been quite the pitiful pair, you and me ,this last week. It all started last Friday when I left you with your Aunt Erica for the day. I had a doctor's appointment across town that I couldn't take you to, so your Erica volunteered to play with you for the day. She took you to Percy Warner Park and wheeled you around and played with you most of the afternoon. You were lovin it!
Earlier that morning when you woke up you felt a little warm, but after taking your temperature and it reading normal, I wasn't too worried. I guess I should have been, and not had Erica take you out in the heat. By the time she got you back to her house and out of the car you were just burning up. I was only minutes away from getting there and she called me panicking, telling me that you were just way, way too hot. She was amazing though and did everything she was supposed to....gave you Tylenol and put you in a cool bath. When we got you out of the cold water and took your temperature it was 104.2. Um....SCARY!!! That sucker jumped from 98 degrees to 103 in .2 seconds. Freaked me RIGHT out!!
Anyway, making a long story much shorter, you saw the Doctor and ended up having a bad ear infection and a throat infection. Poor baby. When I took you the week before for you ONE YEAR well visit, she told me at that time that you had an ear infection. I had no idea! You hadn't been fussy, or tugging at your ear or exhibiting any behavior that would lead me to believe that, but you had one, so we put you on antibiotics at that time. I guess it wasnt strong enough because now it was full force. So....stronger medicine!!! Well, it is now Thursday and you are still not better. You got worse there for a few days actually...... I have been so worried about you! You haven't been sleeping well, haven't been eating at all...been coughing alot, fussy, just not yourself. Your daddy had to take you back to the doctor on Monday evening for some chest x-rays cause I was still in the hospital. I was hating not being there for you, but all looked ok. You've just been one sick puppy! :( Today you seem a little better...eating some more and not as fussy. I'ts been so hard not to be able to pick you up and cuddle with you.
I had my bladder surgery Monday morning and all seemed to go well this time. After my botched surgery last July, the doctor felt good about this one and so far it seems to have worked!! Hallelujah!! I can't begin to explain the discomfort I have endured this last YEAR, so for it to possibly finally be over? I can't celebrate enough.....or so I want to....I'm just too scared it's too soon to tell for sure. I only had to stay one night in the hospital and I was just missing you so much...and so worried about how YOU were feeling. This is not good for us both to be sick and not feeling well at the same time! How am I supposed to take care of you and cuddle with you when I can barely move? NOT FUN...... Thank God for your Daddy and your Nana!!!! They have been SUCH a big help through all of this....What would we have done without them? Your nana is always the best person to have around when you're not feeling well. She waits on you hand and foot.....
Thanks mom....I needed you so much!!
So, we are both in the recovering process....me with my sore tummy since they cut me open this time, and you with your sore throat and ear.... Let's get better soon ok? I don't like this so much! I'm hobbling around like an old woman, and you are hobbling around like an old man! We are a pitiful pair!!! I love you with my life little munchkin.... Feel better soon!!!
Love, Mommy
We have been quite the pitiful pair, you and me ,this last week. It all started last Friday when I left you with your Aunt Erica for the day. I had a doctor's appointment across town that I couldn't take you to, so your Erica volunteered to play with you for the day. She took you to Percy Warner Park and wheeled you around and played with you most of the afternoon. You were lovin it!
Earlier that morning when you woke up you felt a little warm, but after taking your temperature and it reading normal, I wasn't too worried. I guess I should have been, and not had Erica take you out in the heat. By the time she got you back to her house and out of the car you were just burning up. I was only minutes away from getting there and she called me panicking, telling me that you were just way, way too hot. She was amazing though and did everything she was supposed to....gave you Tylenol and put you in a cool bath. When we got you out of the cold water and took your temperature it was 104.2. Um....SCARY!!! That sucker jumped from 98 degrees to 103 in .2 seconds. Freaked me RIGHT out!!
Anyway, making a long story much shorter, you saw the Doctor and ended up having a bad ear infection and a throat infection. Poor baby. When I took you the week before for you ONE YEAR well visit, she told me at that time that you had an ear infection. I had no idea! You hadn't been fussy, or tugging at your ear or exhibiting any behavior that would lead me to believe that, but you had one, so we put you on antibiotics at that time. I guess it wasnt strong enough because now it was full force. So....stronger medicine!!! Well, it is now Thursday and you are still not better. You got worse there for a few days actually...... I have been so worried about you! You haven't been sleeping well, haven't been eating at all...been coughing alot, fussy, just not yourself. Your daddy had to take you back to the doctor on Monday evening for some chest x-rays cause I was still in the hospital. I was hating not being there for you, but all looked ok. You've just been one sick puppy! :( Today you seem a little better...eating some more and not as fussy. I'ts been so hard not to be able to pick you up and cuddle with you.
I had my bladder surgery Monday morning and all seemed to go well this time. After my botched surgery last July, the doctor felt good about this one and so far it seems to have worked!! Hallelujah!! I can't begin to explain the discomfort I have endured this last YEAR, so for it to possibly finally be over? I can't celebrate enough.....or so I want to....I'm just too scared it's too soon to tell for sure. I only had to stay one night in the hospital and I was just missing you so much...and so worried about how YOU were feeling. This is not good for us both to be sick and not feeling well at the same time! How am I supposed to take care of you and cuddle with you when I can barely move? NOT FUN...... Thank God for your Daddy and your Nana!!!! They have been SUCH a big help through all of this....What would we have done without them? Your nana is always the best person to have around when you're not feeling well. She waits on you hand and foot.....
Thanks mom....I needed you so much!!
So, we are both in the recovering process....me with my sore tummy since they cut me open this time, and you with your sore throat and ear.... Let's get better soon ok? I don't like this so much! I'm hobbling around like an old woman, and you are hobbling around like an old man! We are a pitiful pair!!! I love you with my life little munchkin.... Feel better soon!!!
Love, Mommy
Caden and Erica
You just LOVE your Aunt Erica....The moment you see her you just start laughing. You are just in love with her.......Just a few reasons why.......
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