Caden Michael Elliott

Breaking of news....

2011-03-17T19:45:00.000-07:00

We will have 2 babies to be thankful for this Thanksgiving! Caden absolutely LOVES babies and we are so excited to see him as a big brother!

Pee Pee in the Potty

2011-01-25T11:17:00.000-08:00

We ordered Caden a potty just to get used to the idea of what it was. We had no intentions of starting to train him until he seemed ready. Well it came in the mail yesterday and after Caden's bath I put him on it just for fun and within a minute he went pee pee!!! We couldn't believe it! I thought maybe it was a coincidence but then I put him on it again this morning after breakfast and he did it again! Maybe he is ready???

So proud of our little boy!

18 Months

2011-01-20T12:28:00.000-08:00

I've been a terrible blogger... but here is the 18 Month update!

Caden has jumped to the 70th percentile in height (33')

Still 50th in weight - 25 lb 1 oz

Still 50th in head circumfrence- 18 7/8'

He's had a rough winter with an ear infection for 6 weeks- he was on antibiotic after antibiotic and the infection wouldn't go and the fluid wouldn't drain.. so we ended up having to do the ear surgery which he had 2 weeks ago today and he is now doing great!

He is quite the babbler, surprising us with new words all of the time. He loves Elmo and stands at the TV asking for "Melmo" quite often. Still loving to spend his Mondays at Kindermusik and Thursdays at the Jump Spot. He's very good at "Pweeeez" and "Taint tu" which is so cute to hear.

And here is his new look that he gives us a lot....

Christmas Cards

2010-11-15T10:26:00.000-08:00

It time of the year to start deciding on a Christmas card! I have used Shutterfly before for Christmas cards and have always loved their selection. They are running a Holiday Card Promotion where you can get 50 free cards which is awesome! Here are a few that I'm considering this year.

I can't decide if I want to use multiple pictures or just 1 family picture. It poses a problem when I take pictures all the time and have too many to choose from! I do have one family picture that my sister in law took for us though that I really love and might use.

The other dilemna is whether I send a folded story greeting card where we write about the year, or just send the flat cards with the picture.

Decisions Decisions!!

I also need to order another calendar with all the pictures from the year. I ordered one from Shutterfly last year and love it. It is so weird to look at all the pictures from last year though and see how much different Caden looks! It's amazing how much they change all the time.

15 Months.. a little late

2010-10-27T13:08:00.000-07:00

I've been bad about this blogging thing! My photography business has been keeping me VERY busy this Fall.

Here are Caden's stats at his 15 month check-up.

Length: 31' 45th %

Weight: 23 lb 11 oz 40th %

Head Circ: 18 3/4'' 45th %

He's VERY active, typical boy, but also has his snuggle moments! He's starting to talk a lot more, surprising us with something new all of the time.

Here are all the words he is saying

bye

mama

dada

papa

grandpa

all done

uh oh

night night

bubble

ball

dog

cracker

tractor

outside

slide

cheese

baby

bird

nana(banana)

apple

shoes

milk

boom

peek

He is getting a LOT better about eating too! For awhile he was VERY picky and was always throwing things on the floor. Now he's starting to get less picky and puts about 90% of the food in his mouth.

The only downfall of 15 months is the temper tantrums.... wow! Grocery shopping is beginning to be not so fun! Hoping for that to get better soon.

For the past couple of weeks he has been sleeping in until 8:00 which has been awesome! I think he is starting to get closer to being ready for 1 nap soon. Of course, right when he starts sleeping in the time change is coming next week! Oh well, 7:00 is still better than 5:30 and 6:00 am that he used to like to get up at!

Little Cutie

2010-09-24T13:22:00.000-07:00

14 Months Old

2010-09-14T12:59:00.000-07:00

Caden is really starting to talk more and more all of the time. He is starting to try repeating a lot of the things we say which is so fun to see.

The words he says the most are pa pa, dada, mama, ball, uh oh, dog, bird, cracker, and he does the sounds for the monkey, lion, duck, and cow, and is starting to say "more" when he wants something. He has also said grandpa, grandma, and tractor.

For the Fall we are doing Kindermusik on Mondays and the Jump Spot on Thursdays. We are also going to be doing lapsit for infants at the Bloomington Library on Tuesday. He loves getting out and doing things and I like getting out of the house too!

Giving kisses

2010-08-23T10:47:00.000-07:00

Water baby

2010-08-19T03:40:00.000-07:00

Here's what we've been up to.... playing in the water a lot! This boy loves to be outside.. I don't know what we are going to do once winter rolls around!

He got his first ouchie on his forehead. Climbing in and out of the pool and hit his head on the cement. He's pretty tough when he gets hurt though!

Just love this kid! Those big blue eyes just melt us!

Tennessee Road Trip

2010-08-19T03:21:00.000-07:00

A few days after Caden turned 1 we took a road trip to TN with a friend I met in Kindermusik and her little boy Pierson (16 months). We were there for a whole week away from Daddy and guess what he decided to do while we were there? Start walking! Daddy couldn't wait for us to get home. It was a lot of fun though and the boys were such buds all week!

Bubbles

2010-08-05T18:56:00.000-07:00

Pa pa

2010-07-26T08:50:00.000-07:00

YouTube Video

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

And he's off...

2010-07-22T13:03:00.001-07:00

YouTube Video

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Happy Birthday Caden

2010-07-14T15:12:00.003-07:00

Today is Caden's 1st birthday! Daddy took the day off so he was able to join us for Kindermusik this morning, followed by lunch, nap, Children's Museum, nap, and pool party! We had his party last weekend and it went really well. As you will see, he loved his cake!

2010-07-12T06:40:00.001-07:00

YouTube Video

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Uh oh!

One year ago..

2010-07-09T12:50:00.000-07:00

One year ago today, I woke up and had no idea what the day was going to bring. I had plans to go out to eat with my parents and Aunt and Uncle for lunch. When I woke up, I noticed that I had some spotting when I was going pee. I went and did what I usually do when I have something happen to me that I want more answers too... I went straight to google! "Is spotting a sign that labor is near?" I went on to find that in many times it is but just like with every other thing in pregnancy, it's not a clear sign of anything. This was a Monday and I was supposed to be induced on Wednesday but I figured I would call the doctor and just check to make sure that this spotting was ok. They said they could get me in at 1:00 that day. So lunch with my family was a no-go for me that day, but my mom still came over while the rest of them went. To kill time before the appointment, we went to the mall and while we were there we went to the candy store to get some candy for me when I was in labor because the doctor said that's a good thing to have since you can't eat or drink anything! While we were walking around the mall I really started feeling a lot of cramping and I thought maybe it was a sign that something could happen soon, but I didn't know how soon!

We headed off to the Dr. and got right in. Dr was checking me for dilation and looks at me and said "You're in labor. Go ahead and go down and check into Labor & Delivery" My stomach dropped. I asked him, "So does this mean that I'm going to have him tonight for sure or do I just check in and see if things progress?" He said "This is it! You aren't going to check out until you have that baby!" It was so surreal... I couldnt' believe what was happening.

I called Eric right away because he was at work and told him to come right now and to bring in all of the bags from my car. Luckily I went to that appointment with all our bags. Later I find out from everyone at work that he didn't exactly come RIGHT away... he went throught the entire building telling everyone he knew that his wife was in labor which sounds about right if you know my husband :) That is ok though because I didn't know that there was so much waiting involved before I was going to have that baby!

My mom and I left the doctor's office and headed to labor & delivery.. and I was in charge of getting us there because I knew where it was. Or I thought I did. We went the wrong way about 3 different times. I was just walking and not thinking straight.. I was in such a state of shock still. We got a good laugh out of that though!

We got all checked in and Eric arrived shortly after. It was probably about 2 or 3:00. They got me all hooked up and were monitoring my contractions. They were off and on for alittle while and I couldn't feel them at all. They asked what kind of birthing methods I wanted to use. I didn't really think or plan this all through before I got there. I tried the birthing ball a little and then I got into the tub. It didn't take very long once I was in there and I was starting to feel the contractions. I thought "Oh no, I'm feeling contractions, I better get back to the room before I have the baby! Ha, I was definitely a first timer! I got back into the room and all hooked up again. I was REALLY feeling the contractions now. :( They checked me and I had gone from a 4 (That is what I was at when I checked in) to a 5. They asked if I wanted an epidural. I didn't really know if it was the right time to do it or not and the nurse was not very helpful! I decided I would wait a little longer. The contractions kept getting more frequent and painful so finally I decided to call the nurse back in.

It took about 30 minutes for the surgeon to get there to do my epidural. It actually wasn't bad at all. I was expecting it to be a lot worse but compared to the contractions, that needle was nothing. It took another 30 minutes for the epidural to finally take effect and then I was golden. Why did I wait to get it?? It was pretty much amazing, I didn't feel a thing. In fact I had what they consider a "perfect epidural". I could still feel my legs but I couldn't feel the contractions. It wasn't long before they decided to break my water. You'll have to ask my hubby for that part of the story, ha! He got quite the kick out of it. The water just kept coming and coming... and I would laugh and more would shoot out. It was so uncontrollable and such a weird feeling!

Once my water was broke I started progressing a lot faster. I think it took about an hour until I was at a 9. And that was at 10:00 pm. I thought I was going to deliver Caden that day of 07/13. I'm at a 9 and all I have to do is give a little push and he's here, right??? Not the case!

The pushing lasted 2 hours. I was exhausted. Dr. said I was fortunate that I didn't have to have to have a C-Section though because Caden wasn't wanting to fit through my pelvis and was stuck down there for awhile, hence the major conehead once he made it out!

At 12:14 on July 14th, my sweet little boy was laid into my arms. Our life was changed forever.

People always say how having a child is the most wonderful thing but I never realized it until I had one of my own. I can't even begin to describe the love that I have for him. He is amazing. Every morning once I hear that he's up I can't wait to walk into his room and see him for the first time that day. I love to watch him learn and grow every day. I love to teach him new things. I love taking him new places. I love watching him play with his Daddy and seeing how they love eachother. I love hearing him laugh. I love how he curls his little legs underneath his butt and sticks it so high in the air when he sleeps. I love how he crawls so fast across the room when he see's one of us after we just get home. I love how he claps his hands when he gets so excited and has the biggest cheesiest smile on his face. I love waking up to the sound of his voice saying "MaMa" through the monitor. I LOVE him. And that love grows every.single.day.

Thank you God for giving me this amazing little boy. I can't imagine life without him.

and one year later he we are....

Priceless Expressions

2010-07-08T09:24:00.000-07:00

I took Caden to the humane society yesterday because he LOVES dogs! He was smiling almost the whole time except when the dogs were barking right at him.. and then he had some pretty funny faces...take a look!!

Caden saying ball

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

More 1 year pics

2010-06-30T11:48:00.000-07:00

Here are some more of Caden's 1 year pics. He is going to LOVE his birthday cake!!

1 year pics

2010-06-29T07:23:00.001-07:00

Here are a couple of Caden's one year pics..I did them a little early but I wanted to have them printed for his birthday party. There will be more to come but I'm trying to decide which of these 2 I like best.

New pictures up

2010-06-18T07:30:00.000-07:00

http://lelliottphotography.blogspot.com/2010/06/m-o-girls.html

Who do I look like?

2010-06-14T06:25:00.001-07:00

Here is mommy at 6 months..I need to find some 1 year photos.

Here is Daddy at 1 year

Almost 11 months

2010-06-12T12:07:00.000-07:00

Can't believe our little baby is almost 11 months and we are now starting to plan his 1st birthday party! He is so much fun!! He isn't walking on his own yet but walks behind anything that will move with him. He does a lot of babbling. Loves to clap and say "yay", drop things and say "uh oh" with one arm up in the air and a really worried look on his face (too cute!), and a lot of non-stop da-das... that better change soon! :)

We took our first trip without him over Memorial Day weekend and left him with Gma & Gpa Schmink and he did great. I think I lost a lot of my milk supply though while I was gone because I didn't pump a whole lot, so once I was back I had to put him on part formula. I nurse him in the morning only now (until he's 1) and today I started giving him whole milk instead of formula and he didn't mind at all.

He's starting to point at everything now. We took him to the St Louis zoo last weekend and he was pointing at all the animals- he loved it! I will have to start taking him to Miller Park Zoo more since its right across town.

My photography business has really picked up so with that and my little monkey, I stay busy! Eric is starting a new job on June 28th- he is moving into HR (still at Country) so he's very excited for the change! His new hours will be 8-4:30...woo hoo! We get to eat dinner at 5 now instead of 6:45!

Here are a few pictures from the month.

Photography Blog Website

2010-06-03T10:08:00.000-07:00

I decided to start a photography blog rather than keep adding pictures to my website- here it is.

http://lelliottphotography.blogspot.com/

Up for hire

2010-05-19T05:51:00.000-07:00

Anyone need help cleaning out their cupboards??

10 Months

2010-05-15T05:49:00.001-07:00

Well, I seem to be averaging about once a month now with this thing. The months sure do fly by though. It's hard to believe Caden is going to be 1 in July. Before we had Caden we thought we wanted to have 2 or 3 kids and have then 2 to 3 years apart. If they were going to be 2 years apart that would would mean I would be getting pregant again here soon.. so I think we are going to go more towards the 3! He is just growing up so fast and I want to enjoy all his "firsts" before we throw another one in the mix.

He's quite the babbler...(and yeller).. if only we knew what was going on in that head! Lots of da-das and ma-mas though. He moves so fast and gets to whatever he wants...and he knows what he wants! He loves to push things around... his walker, a laundry basket, his tractor, anything that will move while he walks. We are just waiting for the day he takes off on his own.

He had an ear infection and cold a couple weeks ago while 6 of his teeth were coming in at once.. that was not a fun couple of weeks, but he is back to his happy self again :) Check out all his teeth!

He really connects now with us which is so much fun! He loves to do "So big", wave, and he always dances when we put on the alvin and chipmunks song. It was so cute on Mothers Day, my parents and grandma were over and he loved being the center of attention. He was waving to everyone and then when we put the chipmunk song on my mom started dancing and he watched her and then did the same thing.

I don't know who he loves more... his mommy & daddy or Toby. He just lights up every time he sees him. He is always trying to pet him and nervous Toby always runs away from him. He keeps trying though!

Here are a few pictures from the month.

Sooo big!

2010-04-19T16:25:00.000-07:00

9 Months

2010-04-16T11:13:00.000-07:00

Caden had his 9 month check-up yesterday. Here are his stats:

Height- 28 inches- 50%

Weight- 18 lb 11 oz- 20%

Head Circumference- 17 3/4 inch- 60%

He's saying a whole lot of da-das and a few ma-mas and ba-bas here and there.

He's been sleeping great.. he has been tired a little earlier lately so he's been going down between 7 and 7:30 and he sleeps until 6-6:30ish. It has been wonderful! He is taking 2 naps during the day- the morning one has been getting shorter and shorter- its usually about 30-45 minutes now.. and then he takes a great afternoon nap.

Gma & Gpa Elliott just had a pool put in their backyard which is right down the road from us. Caden LOVES it!

He also loves pushing his walker around.

First words..

2010-04-07T09:20:00.000-07:00

Caden may be saying "da-da" first but thats ok- hes still a momma's boy! :)

Playdate with Brayden

2010-03-30T19:14:00.000-07:00

Julie brought Brayden down today for a playdate with Caden. They were so cute to watch together now that they are more interactive! The boys are 10 days apart in age so that makes it fun! I've been trying to upload a video too but for some reason it isn't working, so here are some pictures.

8 Month Update

2010-03-24T08:45:00.000-07:00

Caden turned 8 months last week- its hard to believe he'll be a year old soon. Here are some pictures I got of him last week. It's getting a lot more difficult to get pictures outside at this age because all he wants to do is put grass & rocks in his mouth.

Here are some updates of what the little guy has been up to:

- He LOVES to eat. Especially now that we've been giving him table food too he especially loves to feed himself. Puffs, mum mums, cheerios, bread, mac n cheese, pancakes, grilled cheese.. you name it.. he'll eat it.

- He's moving all over the place. He's started to move across things once he pulls himself up on them. There is a video below of him walking across the couch.

- He went through a period where he started waking up in the middle of the night again screaming.. must be working on some teeth. He's back to himself though the past 3 nights hes gone all thru the night. (8-7) It's so cute to go get him in the morning because he's just standing at the end of his crib waiting and as soon as I go in the room he gets so excited!

- He's gotten a lot of hair on the back of the head but still doesn't have much on the top. Looks like a little old man!

- I'm still nursing him and plan to until he is 1 and then we'll switch straight to milk in a sippy cup.. that's the plan at least!

He is such a joy... we just love him SO much!!! That's nothing new though..

Goodbyes

2010-03-16T04:27:00.000-07:00

We had to say our goodbyes to Riley this weekend :( Last week she growled at and scratched Caden's eye so we had to do it. She seemed to always be so good with him and he loved her so it was really hard to do. Can't risk his safety though, hes too precious. She went to a good home though so that made it easier. Here is a picture of his eye- we are just really lucky his eye was shut.

The Explorer

2010-03-11T18:50:00.000-08:00

Caden turns 8 months on the 14th- he's growing up too fast! He is quite the explorer these days... he wants to pull up on anything he can to stand. We even discovered the other night that he can climb stairs. He's never really been near them but while we were over at Gma&Gpa Elliotts he went right to the stairs and started trying to climb them. We tested our stairs out tonight..here is a video.

Wobbles

2010-03-08T19:40:00.000-08:00

Caden is now pulling himself up onto things. It's so funny to see him once he gets up because he's so wobbly trying to stand. He's even figured out how to get up to Eric's PS3 and turn that on... we are in trouble!

Crawling Day 3

2010-02-25T11:37:00.000-08:00

He's getting a little better at crawling but it's still so funny to watch because its not exactly "smooth" yet. He can now go from sitting to crawling and then back to sitting... he's so strong!

Monkey on the loose!

2010-02-24T12:44:00.000-08:00

Caden just started crawling yesterday! He's pretty proud of himself and likes it when you watch him.. I wonder where he got that from?? :) Of course, most of the time he's after his buddy Riley.

Funny videos

2010-02-22T09:21:00.000-08:00

7 months old

2010-02-16T03:24:00.000-08:00

Caden turned 7 months old on Valentine's Day! Here are some pictures and fun videos from the last couple of weeks.

Look at that cute little butt!!

He loves the sound of his voice. I wonder where he got that from? :)

He's still trying to crawl, once in awhile he'll go a little bit but he hasn't totally figured it out yet.

I just love it when he gets so tickled.

He LOVES Riley..he is always watching her!

Trying to stand.

6 months flew by....

2010-01-24T19:46:00.000-08:00

We had Caden's 6 month check-up last week. It's so sad that our little baby is growing up so fast. We just love him so much!!

Length- 26 1/2 inches

Weight- 16 lb 8 oz

Head Circum- 17 inches

He dropped to the 50th percentile for length this time and 35-50th for weight and head. Just a little guy!

Here's what's new with Caden:

- He just cut his 2 bottom teeth

- He's still really trying hard to crawl. Always up on all 4's.. just hasn't figured out the concept of moving forward yet.

- He LOVES to eat! Pretty much everything except not a big fan of green beans or peas, but he'll eat them if we mix a little carrots in.

- He has really been getting into jumping the past couple of weeks. Before he would just stand in his jumperoo and check out the toys, but now he jumps like crazy.

Here is a picture with his buddy Brayden at their playdate. They were very interested in grabbing each other! Brayden is 10 days younger than Caden .

New toys

2010-01-10T11:00:00.000-08:00

2010-01-04T07:01:00.000-08:00

Caden is now really starting to push-up on all 4's. He sometimes will even bring one leg up under him like he's starting to crawl. We don't think its going to be too much longer before he's moving! He's also starting to sit-up now too. His favorite toys are "Raffie" his giraffe teether and his monkey, which you can see below. The probem is that they are Riley's favorites too :) We are also teaching Caden to cook our dinners.

Where's Caden???

2009-12-27T06:33:00.000-08:00

Caden hit the motherload for Christmas presents! We took the picture prematurely though- he still got more toys from aunts and uncles. He is set on toys for a long time! Some may say spoiled but we say extremely loved!

Spoiled already?

2009-12-25T18:18:00.000-08:00

Neat Website

2009-12-16T11:16:00.000-08:00

I came across Crafty Mom's website and ordered a few things as props for my photography business. Thought I would share with all of you, especially those of you that have girls. They have all kinds of different caps/beanies, flower clips, bows, tutus, headbands, diaper totes, and more for VERY cheap compared to what I've found on Ebay and Etsy. I am hosting an E-party for Crafty Mom- see details below!

A virtual party is as simple as 1,2,3! Here's how it works:

1. Click on the link! Simply visit http://www.thecraftymoms.blogspot.com/ to check out all the cute hair bows, accessories, tutus, bags, beanies ...

2. Choose your favorites! Choose what you would like to order and email it toTerre at craftymoms@live.com letting her know what items you would like to purchase. BE SURE TO MENTION Laura's NAME IN YOUR MESSAGE! Terre will send you an email asking how you prefer to pay (either paypal or personal check) and verify the order.

3.Your items will be in the mail to you within 7 days or sooner! If you have any questions, feel free to contact Terre at craftymoms@live.com or Laura at elliott1229@gmail.com

Rolling Over

2009-12-06T11:05:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple videos of Caden rolling over.

He wasn't quite as graceful in this one. Actually, we're not sure if he was trying to roll over or do a somersault!

Feeling better...

2009-12-04T08:49:00.000-08:00

Caden has been sick for the last week :( It started out as just a runny/stuff nose and congestion which didn't seem to bother him a whole lot the first couple of days, but then the next 3 days and nights he seemed miserable. He was very fussy, kept tugging on his left ear, and wouldnt even sleep in his crib for those 3 nights. The only way he would sleep is propped up laying on my chest, which he would still wake up screaming from a sound sleep. So I decided to take him to the Dr. to check for an ear infection. She couldn't tell if he had one because he had so much wax in his ears and the canal is so small at that age and she didn't want to flush his ears because he is so young and she said it's extremely painful. Based on what I told her and that I had ear infections growing up, she prescribed some Amoxicillin. I'm so glad she did because he has been feeling SO much better since. He is now back to sleeping in his crib just fine! Still has a stuffy nose but it doesn't seem to be bothering him too much.

He is about 4 1/2 months old now! Here's what he's been up to:

- Talking/Cooing a lot

- Belly Laughing

- Pushing himself up with his arms and trying to scoot

- Just started to roll from tummy to back

- Grabs onto things and brings them to his mouth

- Started on cereal 3 weeks ago and is doing really well with it

- Loves his Baby Einstein DVDs, jumperoo, and play gym

- Smiling, Chewing on Everything, Drooling, and lots of SPIT UP!

- Great about going down for naps/bedtime. We lay him down awake and he'll talk to himself a little and then go right to sleep.

Strong little boy

2009-11-24T05:55:00.000-08:00

Caden wants to crawl so bad- watch him in his attempt to move!

4 Month Check-up and Giggles

2009-11-18T08:08:00.000-08:00

Caden just turned 4 months on the 14th! We went last week for his check-up and here were his stats:

Height- 25 1/24 inches- 75th percentile
Weight- 14 lb 3 oz- 50th percentile
Head- 16 1/4 inches- didn't give us a percentile

Since his appointment, we have started him on some rice cereal to thicken up his food a little bit in hopes of less spit up! She also said that his gums are a little swollen which might mean some teeth soon! He got up a few times in the middle of the night just screaming like he was in pain so I'm wondering if it is because he is teething because he never does that. Usually if he does wake up during the night he will eat and go right back to sleep but last night that wasn't the case! Poor little guy!

He is pretty much chewing on anything he can get his hands on now.

He just started laughing and its so adorable! Here are a couple of videos.

Found his voice..

2009-11-09T05:50:00.001-08:00

Caden has definitely found his voice! He loves to babble now and it's so cute:) He has been sleeping through the night for 2 weeks straight now which is SO wonderful! He goes from 8 until 5-5:30ish and then will go back down anywhere from another 1-3 hours. Today he went back down until 8:00.

Cooing Away

2009-11-06T12:53:00.000-08:00

Our little pumpkin & monkey

2009-11-02T15:35:00.001-08:00

We're still here

2009-11-02T15:25:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since we posted, but we've been really busy! Here are some recent pictures of our cutie.

New toy

2009-10-21T14:37:00.001-07:00

We thought Caden would be too young for the jumperoo, but we gave it a shot anyways... and he really seemed to like it!

Bathtime Fun

2009-10-18T18:04:00.000-07:00

Smiley boy

2009-10-08T03:19:00.000-07:00

There is something about this octopus that Caden loves. He just smiles so big everytime he sees him for the first time again.

We went to the pumpkin patch last weekend to get some pictures of Caden in his pumpkin costume and he slept the entire time! Oh well, it made it easier to place him in the pumkins without him minding!

Here are some more recent pics..

Photography Business

2009-10-03T07:27:00.000-07:00

I am starting a photography business on the side. I'm still in the process of making my website, but here it is.

http://www.lauraelliottphotography.com/

Playdate

2009-10-01T09:30:00.000-07:00

Brayden came over to have a playdate with Caden again. They were much happier this time!

Our little golfer has grown..

2009-10-01T09:23:00.000-07:00

Unbelievable

2009-10-01T09:16:00.000-07:00

Check out what our friend Dave Rawlins (graphic designer) did with the photo below. Too funny! Definitely a daddy's boy in this picture!

Go Cards!

2009-09-22T14:10:00.000-07:00

Great-Grandpa Schmink got a Cubs outfit for both Elise and Caden. While the Claytors were visiting for Labor Day weekend, we decided to put them in their outfits while they were together. Here is what happened...

Yesterday, I put a Cardinals outfit on Caden and that was a different story....

Praise the Lord!

2009-09-18T14:44:00.000-07:00

Our little sweetie is officially sleeping through the night! His first time he went 8 hours straight was when he was exactly 2 months old, and he's done it 3 more times since. He went 9 hrs 15 min last night, then ate and went another 3 1/2 hours!

Mama's Boy

2009-09-17T18:48:00.000-07:00

This is a baby pic of mommy. See any resemblances??

2 Months Old!

2009-09-14T18:12:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone! I'm 2 months old today! To celebrate, I went 8 hours between feedings last night which made mommy very happy!!

New mobile

2009-09-11T18:06:00.001-07:00

We originally bought the mobile that matched the jungle bedding set. Being amatuers at parenting, we didn't really think of what type to buy. Unfortunately the jungle one was the type that you have to wind up. So, we would have to keep winding it up for him every 2-3 minutes. Since he loves the mobile so much, we decided to go get a battery operated one for him. Think he likes it?

Funny expressions...

2009-09-11T15:18:00.001-07:00

And then just plain cute...

He loves his mobile

2009-09-10T10:00:00.000-07:00

8 Weeks Old!

2009-09-09T13:21:00.000-07:00

Caden had his 2 month check-up today. His length is 23 1/2 inches (75th percentile), weight is 11 lb 8 oz (50th percentile) and head circumference is 15 1/4 inches (25th percentile). He is a growing boy!
Poor guy got woken up with 4 shots in his thighs and one that he drank. He was not happy and mommy hated to watch!

Getting more sleep...

2009-09-05T13:48:00.000-07:00

Caden is doing much better during the middle of the night! Someone suggested that we try gripe water, which is supposed to help with colic, and it has really worked! You can really feel his body just relax after we give it to him and it settles him down in about 10 minutes. He also dropped one of his middle of the night feedings this week. Our routine is to do bathtime at 7:30, feed him, and he's in bed at 8. He used to get up around 10:30 to eat but now he goes until around 12 or 12:30, goes back down and sleeps until around 4:00, then eats and goes back down until around 6:30 or 7. It won't be long and he should be skipping the 4:00 feeding and then we'll be doing really good!

Here are some recent pictures...

Playin & Talkin

2009-08-31T16:18:00.000-07:00

Watch Caden coo and play!

Tummy Baby

2009-08-28T11:15:00.000-07:00

Caden loves to be on his tummy. It's a bummer that they say babies should sleep on their back now, because he prefers his tummy. It probably feels better for him since he is so gassy.

Daddy likes his tummy time too!

Four Generations

2009-08-28T11:00:00.001-07:00

My sister is in town for the weekend. I spent the day yesterday in Pontiac with them and my grandma came up as well, so we got a 4 generations photo!

This is my niece, Elise. She is 14 months old- she's gotten such a personality!

Colicky baby...

2009-08-23T08:58:00.000-07:00

We haven't been doing to well in the sleep department lately. Caden has been starting to wake up around 1:00 every night and crying nonstop. Poor guy looks like he's in so much pain. Last night he finally fell asleep on mommy's chest after about 2 1/2 hours of crying. We read an article on colic that said it usually peaks around 6-8 weeks but is usually gone by 12 weeks, so we are praying that we fit in with those statistics because the no sleep thing is getting really hard! However, he is an angel in the afternoons, so it is nice to have that relief!

Enjoyable Visit and Tummy Time!

2009-08-20T10:58:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed a nice visit with Grandpa and Paula last night. They shared all of their parenting secrets/wisdom with us :) Caden was a sleepy boy must of the time they were here.

Here is a picture of Caden enjoying tummy time today...he's getting really strong!

Our little golfer...

2009-08-15T19:00:00.000-07:00

1 Month Old

2009-08-14T13:26:00.000-07:00

Caden is one month old today- time is sure flying! He is starting to be a lot more alert during the day. Here he is on his Baby Einstein gym- he is fascinated by the octopus that hangs down.

Here are a couple from his bathtime last night. He starting to really like them!

Caden's buddy Brayden

2009-08-13T10:33:00.001-07:00

Today I took pictures for my friend Julie who had her baby boy Brayden 10 days after me. Here is a collage of some of my favorites. What a cutie! :)

Once we were done taking pictures of Brayden, we attempted to get a couple of the boys together... but as you can see below, they were in no mood!

First Picture...

10 Seconds Later..

Family Photoshoot

2009-08-09T07:54:00.000-07:00

We didn't last very long because of the heat, but we still got some great photos. Caden wasn't as cooperative this time- the mixture of the heat that day and a poor night of sleep the night before didn't put him in a very good mood! Jen still managed to capture him at his best though :)

3 Weeks Old

2009-08-07T08:52:00.000-07:00

Here is a collage of pictures from our photoshoot from Wednesday. Our sister (in-law) Jennifer Donhardt took some amazing pictures! We are doing another photoshoot this Saturday so Daddy can be included too :)

Introducing Caden Michael...

2009-08-07T08:43:00.000-07:00

We have decided to start our own blog to keep friends and family updated on our new bundle of joy! Caden Michael was born 07/14/09 at 12:06 am at 7 lb 3 oz and 18.5 inches.