GOODBYE

I am combining my personal blog with my giveaway blog. I don't post as often on this one, and very few of you read or comment on this blog, so this one will no longer be updated. Please follow me at The Hand That Rocks the Cradle. Thanks!

FINALLY!

For the first time ever in his short, little life, Caden slept the whole night in his bed without waking up even once! Unfortunately for me, I went to bed late, I woke up often worried about him, and Caden got up early, so I still didn't get great sleep. But I'm glad he finally slept through the entire night! He has been sleeping better overall too and sleeping longer in his bed. He really loves it and has only fallen off two other times besides the first time. I hope these sleep changes last!

His eating habits have also improved. He is still a little picky, but is eating all his favorite foods again and is always hungry. The only thing we still need to work on is weaning (keep all your judgments to yourself, thank you very much). We are down to four a day, and for all but the first (when he wakes up--it's like his morning coffee; he's grumpy without it) he has to eat food before nursing. He still nurses at night for a couple minutes to fall back asleep, but with these sleep changes, hopefully no longer!

Wearing 6-9 month pants. They looked like skinny jeans on him!

p.s. Please enter my current giveaway! I really need support in this one and it's a really cool product, especially for you mommies with two or more kids!

Sweet & Simple Valentine's Day

For Valentine's Day, we invited Adam and Kirsten and another couple, the Sants, for a romantic dinner and dessert at our place, no kids. I decorated simply for lack of time and played some big band swing. We all dressed up as if we were going out for a night on the town, and I took photos of each couple.

Justin looked so hot! He wore his wedding shoes, which he hasn't in a long while.

We have a special table Justin's grandfather made: it has a griddle in the middle. We made meat and vegetables dipped in a secret-family-recipe Asian sauce.

Next we played The Newlywed Game and we won! Yes, I wrote the quiz, but I promise I picked questions that I didn't know the answer to. The truth is we didn't do awesome, the other couples just did worse than we did.

We finished the night with some simple chocolate fondue and strawberries, pineapple, marshmallows, and Rice Krispie treats. The night was a great success of free fun for everyone!

Blessing in Disguise

In December, Justin was in a car accident that destroyed our car, but thankfully only left Justin with a headache. We had no idea what we were going to do. We had trouble with both our and the other person's insurances getting a rental car, so we were carless for nearly a week. I felt that everything would work out ok and I tried reassuring Justin.

We got a very large check from our insurance, so the Tuesday after the accident Justin wanted to go look at cars. I hate car shopping. We did it the summer I was pregnant and ended up with what Justin's parents found anyway. But it was good day to go since we had a lot of time and it was rainy so the dealerships wouldn't be busy. We borrowed the car we gave to Adam and Kirsten and went to a Toyota/Scion dealership to look for a Toyota Corolla. I was determined to buy new--I was done with used cars!

Immediately I was impressed with the dealership: they had an indoor pirate ship play area for kids. I was able to keep Caden occupied while Justin test drove cars.

Although I made it clear I wanted new, the lady helping us said she had a used 2010 Corolla in great shape and price. I hesitated, but the more I heard about the car, the more I liked it. It was basically the same as the new version but missing a couple fancy additions that I didn't care for anyway (like a sunroof). The mileage was low, the color was nice, and the price was very tempting. Justin and I both drove it and gave in. It was perfect for us! We weren't expecting to come home with a car that day.

With the insurance check, a small check from the other insurance company, tuition reimbursement after Justin's residency was approved, and savings, we were able to put down a very large down payment on the car that we would not have been able to otherwise. Our credit was approved for very low monthly payments and interest, something that other dealerships wouldn't do for us since our credit was based only on our credit cards and not any other loans or major purchases, even though our scores were excellent. We got a free meal while the paperwork was processed. Everything went down smoothly and the people we worked with were great.

This accident was a huge blessing in disguise. We have wanted to get a new (or better-quality used) car for a long time, but we never had enough money to put down to get affordable monthly payments. The money was always spent on fixing both of our used cars. The timing of the accident was perfect for us financially. It was surreal writing a check that big! I don't think we've ever had that much money in our account at once. We are so happy with the car and grateful to Heavenly Father for blessing us with the opportunity and means to get it.

Boogie No More

Disco is my favorite music. It's Caden's too. In fact, it's the only music he will listen to (besides Primary songs). I am so disco'd out from listening to it everyday on Pandora for at least an hour. But it keeps him quiet and happy so I can get things done. I'm caught in a "boogie" trap and I don't know how to get out!

Post title from "Boogie Oogie Oogie" by A Taste of Honey.

My Etsy Shop Giveaway

Three weeks ago I opened my own Etsy shop, The Shop at Pooh Corner, selling vintage books and toys and some handmade paper products. I've already had four sales! Now I'm doing my first giveaway on my other blog, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, for Valentine's day. Hope you enter!

I HATE Teething!

I forgot to post that about a month ago I realized Caden hadn't sucked on his fingers for a long time. Good thing I didn't. He has a tooth coming in that is making him miserable. He's back to finger sucking and hardly wanting to eat. Our progress with night weaning is down the drain. He has a low grade fever, which he always gets from teething. He is fussy and even more sensitive and demanding than usual. I HATE TEETHING!

p.s. Yes, I feel bad for him too. But he won't even remember this time and he only has to go through it once. I will remember and will have to go through it with each child.

New Challenges

Last night we decided to turn Caden's crib into a toddler bed to see if it would help him sleep better since he loves our bed so much. Caden was super excited:

Justin said it was easier putting him in bed. All was well--until ten o'clock when we heard a very loud thunk and then crying. Caden had rolled off! I tried getting him back in his bed by lying with him, but every time I tried moving away he woke up, so I took him to our bed.

I want Justin to put the crib back together. He doesn't want to and would rather buy side rails. I am a little upset because last month I bought a toddler bed in great condition for $9 at the thrift store and it had sides. Justin didn't want to keep it so I gave it away to someone gathering Christmas gifts for kids in need. I really regret not keeping it now. I doubt I will ever find such a deal again!

Caden had climbed in by himself. He hates the carseat!

In other news, Caden has entered the picky eating stage and it is driving me crazy. Most of his favorite foods he won't eat anymore, and the ones he will eat he won't eat all the time. He likes to take a few bites and then spit out the next spoonful (if I'm feeding him) or play with the rest and throw it on the floor (if he's feeding himself). It is so frustrating. And of course he's hungry all the time since he barely eats, which means more opportunities for both of us to get frustrated.

On a positive note, Caden now signs eat consistently and has been saying yes for the past month. He likes to climb in and out of his infant bath tub, walk backwards, make himself dizzy from spinning, listen to me play the flute, and climb onto the chairs by himself and get into trouble. His new favorite book is Five Little Monkeys, which Auntie Kirsten got him for Christmas. He points and shakes his finger in a scolding manner when the doctor says, "No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"

p.s. He just took a 2-hour nap in his bed without falling off!

Colorful Surnames

Just a werid, random thought:

I've met a Mrs. Green, Mrs. Black, Mrs. White, Mrs. Brown, and Mrs. Gray/Grey. But I've never met a Mrs. Blue, Mrs. Red, Mrs. Yellow, Mrs. Pink, Mrs. Purple, or Mrs. Orange. And I know a Mrs. Goldman and a Ms. Silverman but not just Gold or Silver.

Caden's First Movie

Yesterday on a whim we decided to go the movies--with Caden. Last time we tried that was for Justin's birthday, and Caden and I spent almost the whole time in the hallway. This time we thought he might be more interested, at least in the popcorn (one of his favorite foods) if not the movie. We picked Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked, because we liked the first two and it was very kid friendly. Caden sat in a booster seat between us with a box full of popcorn. The movie started and he was mesmerized. The screen was so big! And he went to town with the popcorn. He'd grab a fistful, stick it all in his mouth, including his fist, and then repeat. (Let me tell ya, his diaper this morning was extra gross!) He did well for most of the movie. Towards the end he was a little antsy, but he stayed quiet and manageable. It was really fun! I am so glad we found a new family activity, because Justin and I really miss going to the movies. However, we can only see kid films with Caden. Still, dollar theater, here we come!

Caden's First Haircut

Justin and I both decided it was time for the little boy to lose his locks. On Friday we went to Cool Cuts for Kids, and let me tell you, it really is for kids! The barber chairs are child sized and some of them are little cars with steering wheels. Each station has a TV and bubbles, and the waiting area has toys and XBOX video games.

Happy at first.

Caden liked the car, but as soon as the lady put the cape on him, he tore it off. We had to button all six buttons to keep it on. Then she spritzed his hair with water and started snipping.

And Caden started crying.

He went back and forth the whole time, crying and then stopping, and then randomly starting again. I blew bubbles since Caden isn't really into TV yet.

 

The lady kept some of his curls to put in a special kit she gave us: a certificate with a window for the hair and a place for a photo; we just need to frame it.

All his natural curls came out! He kind of has a little, curly mohawk.

Although it was expensive, I am glad we went to a kid-friendly salon instead of a regular one for the first time. No need to worry about keeping him sitting in a chair or distracting him or if the stylist had ever cut a toddler's hair before. And now that I know how he will react, I think we'll stick to the kid-friendly place.

"Mom, Mom, Mom"

(Not the best quality, but the only one without ads.)

I've never watched Family Guy, but I've seen this clip. This is so Caden right now! He also will say "hi, hi, hi"over and over until I say "hi" back.