Sick...

Can I just say, "UGH!" What is it about living here that keeps us all sick! We really haven't had it that bad though compared to a lot of the other families I know here. I guess it just comes with having kids in nursery, etc... Of course Caden and I both got sick after John left. Taking care of a sick baby when you are sick yourself is a challenge! When I get sick I want to sit and do nothing, but my little man needed me. Caden is pretty much the same when he is healthy as he is when he is sick, minus the massive amounts of drool and snot pouring from his face and the sleepless nights. During the day he just wants to play, and I just want to rest!

My house is falling apart, too! It's hard to get motivated to clean when you don't feel well AND when you know your husband won't be seeing the mess (did I mention he's out of town). So, some funny pictures to give you an idea of what our house is looking like these days:

Three bags of garbage in our entry hall waiting on John to come home so HE can take the trash out! We cheat. Living here in Korea we don't understand all the crazy recycling laws. On Tuesday nights there is trash collection in our parking lot and you are supposed to take all your trash down there (sorted in to special bags) and let the garbage men "approve" your trash. They then sort everything in to separate piles around the parking lot and then a big truck picks it all up. It's quite strange! We don't understand all of it so we just "sneak" our trash on the military base and throw it in the dumpster at John's office! :)

Laundry: Clean or Dirty... what do you think???? It's actually clean laundry (notice it's on a blanket instead of the floor- ha, ha!). This is (embarrassingly enough) NOT all that uncommon in our home now days, even when we are all well! My house was always so spotless before Caden came along. Now with him, and the fact that this place just doesn't feel like home (so who cares if it gets messy) I just don't get things done anymore!

Snow Day

Here are some pictures from the winter wonderland here in Osan this week! It was really beautiful! The snow was so fluffy and thick! It stuck to all the tree limbs. I would venture to say we got atleast 3 inches. Oh, the second pictures is of a little "Korean" snowman that the kid in our apt complex built.

Pull-ups

Caden has a new accomplishment! He's pulling up... Not everywhere (yet) but in his playpen. I managed to catch it on camera too! He's all smiles, like he knows he's doing something "big." If you check out our video page you will see I've added a lot of new stuff of Caden. He's still no where near crawling, and I think this new pulling up thing will be limited to the playpen only, but it's a start!



Caden and I are both sick with colds right now (of course it starts the day Daddy leaves town). It's been a rough couple of days, but I think we are finally on the mend. It snowed on us for most of the day yesterday and this morning we woke up to a winter wonderland. It was really beautiful. I wish I had a snowsuit because it would have been fun to take Caden out to play in it! It's all melting now though... hopefully our last snow of the season! It heats up to the 40's tomorrow and the forecast has us hitting 50 a few days next week! Fingers crossed to that!!!

7.5 Months

Where does the time go? I realized it has been quite a while since I gave a Caden update. The little dude is getting so big and is really learning to get around in his walker. Just this last weekend he learned to turn it in the direction he wants to go so he hardly ever gets "stuck" in corners anymore!

We also introduced Goya (Maria) Cookies to him. He likes to gnaw on them! It's funny to watch him eat them too! We also gave him his first Big Boy Bath (in the new Noah's Ark Tub). This opened up a whole new game to him in the tub! We bought him a little basketball net for the tub and he really likes to try and hold all three basketballs at the same time. It's so funny! He's also a "meat eater" now, too! We introduced Chicken and Apples first, and boy did he love it! I only give him about a 1/3 of a jar of "meat" a day right now b/c most of his nutrition comes from the fruits, veggies, and cereals. He has developed an aversion to fruits for breakfast lately.... so I had to do a little "revamping" with his daily meal plan. Here is what his day looks like now:

7:00am- wake up and eat Breakfast (milk, oatmeal and if he'll take it a 1/2 of a stage 1 fruit) After breakfast is playpen time (45+ minutes usually) and then floor time with Mommy.

9:00- Nap (he almost always naps until atleast 11, but lately 11:30)

11:00 (or 11:30)- wake up and eat Lunch (milk, a whole stage 2 fruit and sometimes a little of a veggie if he still acts hungry). Then we do "back" time under his play gym and then I usually let him do a "stand up" toy like his exersaucer or jumperoo. Then floor time until his next nap.

1:00- he's ready for his 2nd nap. I hope to stretch this to 2pm here shortly, but for now he's always SO ready for this nap at 1:00, so I'll wait and try and move it later in another few weeks.

3:00- wake up and have a snack. Sometimes he's up at 2:30, but that isn't always the case. When he wakes up from his second nap, we do a snack (milk and then he goes in his walker and I put Gerber Puffs on his tray and help him eat them). After "walker" time, we either run errands or play together. This is his longest waketime because he is up from this nap until bedtime at about 7pm. IF we run errands he sometimes takes a small catnap in the car, but not usually. This long wake time frees us up to go out to eat dinner on weekends. It's nice! If we are at home we will often watch a video during this long wake period.

6:00- Dinner! Daddy is usually home to see Caden in the evenings now that his bedtime is 7:00. So we feed Caden Dinner at 6:00 (trying to introduce the sippy cup here, rice cereal and mommy mixes a TBSP of green beans in there b/c they aren't his favorite food, then we offer plain green beans or other green veggie -usually only a tbsp or so of that b/f he turns his nose to it- then a whole stage 2 yellow veggie and then about 1/3 of a jar of a "meat" dish). His dinner is starting to look like a normal adult meal with a bread (cereal), two veggies (green and yellow), and a meat!

6:15-7:00- We start our bedtime routine and he goes down at 7:00 (sometimes a little later but around 7-7:30). After dinner he either plays with Daddy if he is home, or watches 15 min or so of a Praise Baby DVD while Mommy gets his bath ready. After bathtime, we dress him for bed and then give him a large bottle (he doesn't nurse well in the evenings so we offer a bottle instead of nursing him). After his bottle we read a book or two (depending on how tired he is) and then say prayers with him and put him to bed. It has been weeks since he has cried himself to sleep. He finally figured out the whole sleeping thing! He is also sleeping from 7:00pm until 7:00am AND he did that ALL on his OWN! We were planning to sleep train him over the 4day weekend in mid Feb, but he started sleeping on his own around the end of Jan! We are so proud of him!!! He is so easy now and so predictable! I love the routine we have going for us! It works really well! We get messed up once a week when I go to Bible Study on Tues mornings, but Caden always pulls through! He's such a good baby!

Speaking of Bible Study, Caden is so good in the nursery. He is usually the only baby that doesn't cry. I am so blessed! (But we had a rocky road to get to his point!!! His first few months were not so easy!) He also does well at Sunday Nursery. He just watches everything going on around him. It's so much fun to see him in there with the other babies! He's a little social butterfly too! He's never met a stranger he didn't like! He smiles at anyone who pays attention to him and squeals with delight! People are always stopping to comment on our "happy baby." We are more in love with him everyday!

Often at night when he's sound asleep, John and I sit up talking about all the cute things he did that day and we often have the urge to go wake him up so we can see him bobbling his little head around, taking everything in! Life is so exciting to Caden right now. He studies his toys so hard. We often wonder what is going through his head. Just exactly what does he WANT to do with that rattle??? What is he trying to get at as he moves the toy around in his hand. Oh I wish I knew!

Well, it is ten till 3:00pm here in Korea, so that means the little man will be waking up any minute now! I better go get his snack ready! I hope this update finds you all doing well!

I have one quick prayer request! John and I recently learned that we will most likely NOT be moving on base. This is a huge disappointment to us! We are praying (and ask that you would to) that God will change our "category" so that we are eligable to move on base! This would make our stay here in Korea so much easier! John would be home from work more often and I could run errands easier and would have more access to the friends I am making. Living off-base makes it hard to spend time with friends. Thanks!!

The Next Step

So, I am always looking to try something new, especially when it comes to photography! I LOVE photographing newborn babies and their adoring (but tired) parents! I've been wanting to expand in to toddlers and children as well, but haven't really pursued it yet. Recently at a MOPS meeting (Mother's of Preschoolers, it's like a Mommy Group) they asked for donations to raise money for childcare. The plan was to have a silent auction to raise money. The Lord immediately put it on my heart to donate a photo session, but I procrastinated. I kept thinking I wasn't ready, don't have the equipment I need, etc... but God was persistent! The night before the turn in deadline I "followed my gut" and emailed to say I wanted to donate a photoshoot (complete package with photo CD included in the session). I don't think I was (or am) ready for what God was about to do next! The photoshoot was such a hit that they asked me half way through the auction if I could donate a second one because they were raising so much money on it. I was too embarassed to walk over to the paper and see what amount of money they were talking about!

The two winners of the session have OLDER kids! This is something so new and exciting to me! But, last night I tossed and turned in bed for hours! I realized I am so nervous now becaues I've never photographed children before! It will be completely new to me! My brain is spinning with ideas and I wish I had an endless amount of money to buy "supplies" for the shoot! I REALLY want a nicer backdrop stand and a light for those high key portraits. And for the little girls I want pettiskirts. Lots of photographers are doing those now and it's so cute! And where can I find a gerber daisy in Korea in March??? I want one of those too!

God has given me the nudge I needed to start a small in-home business over here. I've already had several people asking for sessions. It's crazy! I'm working on a very basic website and business cards right now. It's all happening so fast!

Before I go, I wanted to share my latest obsession... poems and scripture! Here are a few of the many I did! The first one is too small to read, but it is Psalm 139: 13-14. Enjoy!

Must Haves for Baby

I decided to make a blog post dedicated to the baby items that I couldn't "live" without! (Or at least the ones that make my life easier!) Some of them are well-known items and others are items you may not have heard of! Oh, and all you Mom's out there, share the wealth and add your must have items in the comments! It can be anything baby/child related!

1) SwaddleMe Blanket by Kiddopotumus. ($9.00 BRU) Caden is one of those rare 7 month old babies that still sleeps best when he is swaddled, but he is strong enough to escape a blanket! These velcro SwaddleMe's are a must have for every newborn. Even if you only use them for a few weeks they are still worth it (and are affordable at about $10 each at BabiesRUs).

2) Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. This book answers so many questions about sleep and sleep problems. It doesn't have ONE set solution to fix every problem either, so that the parent can make an informed decision on which method (or combination of) works best for them!

3) On Becoming Babywise. Yes, I am HIGHLY recommending this book! It has it's critics, but for me most of those people just didn't read the book completely and have only 'heard' that Babywise is a bad thing. BW is a great parenting strategy/philosophy. I helps parents organize their child's eating/waking/sleeping patterns and promotes sleeping through the night at an earlier age. I strongly encourage you to atleast read it and see for yourself. You may lean more towards Attachment Parenting than I do.... but to each his own!

4) Gerber Baby Spoons. I've got just about every brand out there (Sassy, Munchkin, Baby Einstein, etc) and the Gerber spoons are by far the best. As a first time mom I was drawn by the "cool" factor of the color chaning spoons the other brands offer. Gerber doesn't change color, but they have a smaller "spoon" part and I find I like them the best. If you want my other color changing spoons, let me know... (Just Kidding, I keep them for backup). Oh, and a quick note on the color changing thing, it's not accurate because when you microwave food certain parts are always hotter, the spoon turns colors, but once you stir the food the heat is more evenly distributed...but your spoon says "too hot" still. I prefer to test it by my finger before feeding.

5) Bumbo Chair. This was Caden's first high chair. He was still too small to sit in a regular high chair. When Caden was holding his head up at about 2.5-3 months we put him in his bumbo chair. He sits really well in it. Be sure to get the tray that snaps on to the chair. Before Caden was good at getting his toys we could put a few on the tray top for him to handle. Also we used to sit teh bumbo ON our kitchen table while we ate dinner. Caden was entertained watching us eat and we could keep a close eye on him. WARNING: This thing has been recalled for toppling over when a child arches his back. Our kitchen table was up against a wall so we felt comfortable he couldn't go backwards and we NEVER left the table once he was in it. Use common sense, as always!

6) Gripe Water. It takes away hiccups almost instantly. Sometimes it takes a minute or so but it always worked for us. It is also good for reflux, but Caden's reflux was so severe we didn't see much difference in it. The Little Tummies brand at BabiesRUs is only $9.99.

7) Medela everything. (Guys, this is a nursing section so skip over it) Okay, not literally but here are the Medela items I use most often: Pump-n-Style ($250-299), my Medela Nursing Bra ($40), Nursing Shield ($6.00- for those very sore and tender first weeks and days of nursing), Nursing Pads ($10/box- I prefer the Medela brand over the others), and the hand pump called the Harmony I think ($25.00). The only medela thing I don't like is the lanolin, I prefer Lansinoh ($9.00).

8) Praise Baby DVDs (roughly $14.00 each- I got mine at Amazon.com). I love these things! They are baby Praise and Worship DVDs with music that Mom and Dad will recognize and it is not annoying like most other baby music (that we all endure for our kids' sake). I enjoy listening to the DVDs while I clean house, but I find these particularlly soothing before bedtime. Caden watches all or some of his praise baby DVD while I prepare things for his bath and bedtime in the evenings. That is the time of day when he tends to be fussiest and I need something to occupy him, but not overstimulate him. The pictures include babies of different ages, races, and even special needs kids. I love that it exposes him to all the beautiful things God blessed us with!

9) Signing Time DVD's (I have the Baby Signing Time DVD Gift Set which includes Vol 1 & 2 DVD and Vol 1 & 2 CD for the car). This is my favorite sign language DVD. It teaches practical words with catchy, repetative, and unfortuantely addictive songs. I find my self singing these songs for hours after we watch the video (and these aren't as "parent friendly" as Praise Baby songs). The CD for the car will be great for when Caden starts signing on his own and learns all the words. I have had a few friends highly recommend this and from my first impressions (we've had it just over a month) I know we will be learning to sign in no time!!

10) Bright Starts Chill & Teethe 3 pc set- (BRU for $3.00) My friend Ashley mailed these to me in Korea and they are the best teethers I've seen (other than a nice cold/wet baby washcloth- I ordered a terry cloth teether today so I might be adding another item to this list soon). They are small and easy for a little baby to hold (like my 10th percentile 6 month old). Other teethers are big and bulky and hard for babies to hold, much less get in their mouth. These are a perfect size (I'd guess no more than 3 inches long). Plus the chill factor is a nice option for kiddos who like cool teethers.

11) First Years Take & Toss Infant Spoons- (BRU 20 for $3.00) These are affordable baby spoons that you can leave with the nursery workers at church or take out to eat and you won't feel bad about throwing them away! They are my second favorite spoon (next to gerber's) because they are also small. The best thing about these is that they are dishwasher safe so if you choose to keep them they are easy to clean!

12) Mother's Touch Bath Collection. (From $15.00-30.00 at BRU) I started with a plastic tub that I chose after LOADS of research, and I must say I hated it. I knew it was the best tub I could find, but it just didn't do it for me. Then I visited my sister-in-law (Misty) and used her Mother's Touch Large Bather and LOVED it! I bought the Comfort Bath Sling instead though because it is portable for travel and I was fixing to fly to Korea and needed a way to bathe Caden until our good arrived. He is a small 7 month old boy, but we are still using this tub. I have the larger tub, but my issue with it is that you have to fill the whole tub for just a little bitty baby. If that isn't an issue for you, then I highly recommend the larger comfort bather as well! Now, to add to this I must include my latest purchase.... The Especially For Baby Noah's Ark Inflatable Tub ($13.00 at BRU). This thing is great! Once baby can sit up you can plop him in this tub and not worry about him hitting his head on the hard tub. Also, it uses less water and is not slippery at all. It can defalte easily for travel as well, which is a huge plus for us! I read reviews of people using this tub for years!

13) Boppy. Although this is NOT my favorite nursing pillow, the boppy is great for doing tummy time! I also used this a lot when Caden was learning to sit up. I felt comfortable if I needed to walk away while he was sitting because he couldn't fall backward and hit his head. Even now (he's been sitting alone for over 2 months) I still put this behind him when I plan to let him have independent playtime on the floor. That way I know he can't fall and hurt himself when he reaches too far for a toy!

14) Ozark Mountain Kids Nursing Pillow- (about $24.00) Like a boppy, but softer and bigger. I love this pillow. It went on the plane with me too!

15) First Years Mesh Dishwasher Basket- ($6.99 at BRU). The best way to wash nipples for bottles and other things that are either small, or you don't want to flip over. I love these! I also use a regular cheapie basket that I took the lid off of and I just toss the other bottle parts in it. Even if you're not a mommy, this is great for small items like those pesky "corn on the cob" holders or anything else you can think of!

16) Antibacterial Toddler Pouf- (Walmart, under $2.00). I love to use a loofah for my own baths, and I was so excited to find one for babies! It says it's for toddlers, but I've been using one for Caden since he was probably 2 months old. I found it in the baby section at walmart where they sell baby soaps. They also sell baby soaps on the other side of the store with the adult soaps, but I have only found these loofahs in the baby section soap aisle! I especially like using it on Caden's head. I lather it up and wash his hair with it. Didn't get cradle cap again after I used it!

17) Bebe Sound's Motion Sensor Baby Monitor- ($99.00 at BRU). I love this baby monitor. It tends to be a little more staticy than other monitors, but it's main plus is that you will hear an alarm when baby's motion (breathing) stops. You will experience false alarms at times, but you have to decide for yourself whether that will be an issue for you or not. The peace of mind it brought me when Caden was first born was priceless!

18) Pampers Swaddlers- I don't know what I will do when Caden outgrows the final size in the swaddlers. I love them. Especially for newborns. As babies get older, they do give off a little more of a urine odor than other diapers (from what I hear) but they have yet to leak on us since I figured out he was in the wrong size as a newborn.

19) Pajama Time by Sandra Boynton. ($7.00) My Mother-in-Law gave us this book for Christmas and it is one of my favorites! It is a book I will give as a gift and a must have for every library!

20) Squishy Turtle and Friends. ($9.00) This book was given to me by my Mom and it is one of many in a "cloth book" collection. The book is made of soft, thick cloth that baby can handle (and chew on) and the pages all have something interesting to touch, too!

21)The First Years Take and Toss infant Section Bowls with Spoons- ($3.00 BRU). Okay, so these are MEANT to be used and then thrown away, but they are dishwasher AND microwave safe, so they are also meant to be reused. I love that these bowls have sections so that when I want Caden to have both veggies AND fruit at dinner I don't have use the baby food containers. But what I really love about these is how much easier it is to pack for eating out on the go! I don't throw them away, I bring them home and wash them because I live in Korea and can't just run out to BRU and buy more, but they are GREAT!

As I think of or purchase new items I'll be sure to add them and repost this! :)