Bitter Sweet Goodbyes

Last night was our last night at EXP and our last weekend to live in Amarillo. It's so very bitter sweet. We will miss our friends and family so much, but are so anxious to see what God has in store in Mansfield.

Caeden continues to change like crazy! He is now sitting up all by himself for very long periods of time. He also got his first tooth yesterday! He was a little sad about it, and it upset his tummy, but other than that, he took it like a champ! He's now rolling both ways, meaning rolling himself ALL over the place. It's so strange that we can't leave him in one spot and count on him being there when we leave and return. He is also scooting himself backwards all around the room as well. Having a mobile child all summer is going to be very interesting, but so much fun!

It was also John and my 4th anniversary this week. So short and yet so long. The four years we've been married have easily been the best of my life, while the hardest! I am so thankful for his support, love, and stability. I don't know that I have ever seen a daddy more in love with his child and so good at being a partner in parenting. He reminds me very much of my own dad. For our anniversary, I got John some new golf stuff, all of which he took back and returned for something different, but oh well! I guess it's better than not getting him anything! He got me a couples massage, which was very needed at this time of our lives.

A lot going on, but a lot of blessings!

Changes

It's been a long time since I've updated our blog, but I guess LIFE just happened. Caeden is now 5 1/2 months old! It's crazy! It seems like he isn't even a baby anymore. He is babbling a lot, sitting up for up to half a minute at a time, taking steps when we hold his hands, grabbing EVERYTHING and putting it in his mouth! The list could go on and on! It's amazing to me how much he changes every day. We also started him on baby food a few weeks ago and he eats it like a champ! Now he prefers food to a bottle any day!



Things are also looking very different for me and John. At the end of May, we will be moving to the DFW area. We are very excited and sad about this move. We are amazed at how God is working and opening doors for our move, but we will miss our friends and family here. The closer it gets to moving day, the more of a reality it becomes that this is really happening. Somes days I already miss people and others, I am so ready for what God has for us down there, but most days its a mix of both of those feelings. We have a new house down there and I have some job interview at the beginning of May, so I am confident God has His hand in all of those!

A Busy Week

Wow! This past week has been crazy! First and foremost, Lindsay and Jacob got married and that was awesome! The wedding was beautiful and there were only a couple of tiny problems, but nothing major at all. Congrats to them and we are praying for them as they start this new journey in their life. Caeden was at the wedding and looked very handsome in his suit that Granna got him, just like his daddy did.

We got to see lots of great friends and family this week as well, so that was a huge blessing. Thanks so much to Jacquie for helping us with Caeden this weekend. There is no way we could have done it without you! :)

Caeden must be going through a growth spurt because the past 4 nights, he hasn't slept through the night. He wakes up and eats quickly, then goes right back to sleep, so that is at least nice. However, we are very excited for the night that he goes back to sleeping through the night!

Well, Caeden is now sleeping through the night ALREADY (well, 3 straight nights anyways)! I am so impressed because from what I hear, it is very rarely this early that they start doing that! He usually goes to bed about 11:30 and sleeps until 7:30. It's amazing what not having to wake up over and over in the middle of the night does for you! :)

He will be 1 month old in a couple of days. One way, that seems crazy because didn't we just bring him home from the hospital? But in another way, haven't we had him forever? What was life like before talking about burps, poopy diapers, sleep time...etc? He is outgrowing all the clothes that he used to be able to wear. It will be a lot of fun to see how much he has grown at his next doctors appointment, which will be in about another month.

I spend my days feeding him and finding things to do with him. We go the mall almost every day to walk around so we (well, really I, but..) can have a change of scenery and get some exercise! John is working hard and going to school. We are all very ready for him to be done with school because it is just that much more time that he doesn't get with us, and with our busy life, sometimes that's a lot. However, it will be WELL worth it when he does finish and it really isn't that far away in the grand scheme of things!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was great this year! Just went to mom and dad's for lupper and watched the boys play on the Wii, which is always very entertaining! My personal favorite part was when Jacob got pretty excited about the game and jumped up...right into the glass light on the fan! Pretty hilarious! There is so much to be thankful for this year. We are so blessed with the people in our lives and the newest addition to our family!

Speaking of the newest addition...Caeden has now had 3 amazing nights in the crib! He wakes up within 15 minutes of his schedule every night, so it is making life much easier to know the times we need to work around!

Tonight we decorated for Christmas! It's my favorite time of the year and it is still crazy to me that we have a baby this Christmas! Although he won't be very active this Christmas, it's still such a special thing for me! Next year will be a blast though!

-Cheryl

Crib Time!

After such a rough night of no sleep, we decided to give the crib a try. Being the mommy, I would hear EVERY squeak, suck, sigh, etc, that Caeden had and that makes sleep a lot harder. So last night we put him down in his crib for the first time at 3 weeks old and it was the best thing we could have done! I turned down the monitor and put it under my pillows so I wouldn't hear the little noises, but just the cries. We fed him at 10:00 and put him in bed a little before 11:00. He didn't wake up until 4:30 to eat!!! I had a SOLID 5 hours with hearing nothing! Then after a very quick feed, and no diaper change (that is what lots of websites said to do so it won't wake them up), he went back to the crib. It was past 8:00 when I decided to wake him up to get him on his schedule! It was fabulous!!!! Lots of deep sleep and John got a FULL nights sleep for the first time in 3 weeks! It was wonderful after such a hard night! Hopefully tonight goes just as well in the crib!

-Cheryl

Fussy Night

Well, Caeden was pretty much a terd last night. We went to bed and then he just went off. We didn't know what to do and he wouldn't stop. WOW!!! Well, we are thinking of a few different things. We are open for suggestions. It is really hard going from easy nights and even some 5 1/2 to 6 hour nights to a night like last night. It really throws your day off.

I felt so bad leaving Cheryl this morning. She was so tired and didn't get much rest. I needed to get to work and finish a project my prinicipal asked me to do. Cheryl had a long day so keep her in your prayers. I guess we can only go up from here.

-John