11 months and Hard at Work

I started this blog first and foremost as a way to journal events, milestones, and stories of our family. I never intended to make it public, but I am happy now that I did because it has also served as a wonderful way to keep up with family and friends (and even to make some new friends, too). As we approach Caden's first birthday (in just a few weeks) I am feeling rather nostalgic. There are so many cute and funny little things that he does that make me laugh and smile. I don't want to forget those things and so today's post is really just a way for me to record the cuteness that is my precious little boy. I hope it will also paint a better picture for you of his personality!

Since I've lived in Korea I've been writing about and telling my family back home just how busy Caden is. Of course everyone knows that babies ARE busy at this age, exploring their world. But my son is not your average baby. When I say he is busy, I mean he is REALLY busy! Upon arriving here in Korea my mother-in-law can finally see first hand just what I mean when I try and describe him. She has said on numerous occasions over the last few weeks, "I've never seen a baby like this before!" My in-laws have also come up with a perfect word to describe Caden's "play." They call it work because he goes about it as if he is working.... studying all the parts and pieces trying to figure it all out. When Caden starts investigating, they will say he is at work. When we take him away from something and he gets mad, they will say he wants to get back to work....

Most children will crawl up to a toy and play with it for a little while and get bored and move on. Don't get me wrong, Caden does his fair share of that type of play as well, but he is usually far more interested in the tiny things (like the screws that hold it together) than the actual toy itself. Some examples:

-John was holding Caden in his arms the other day. Caden noticed a teeny, tiny freckle on John's arm and spent the better part of 5 minutes trying to pick it off.

-Caden always (ALWAYS) inspects the toy from every angle, even if that means leaning over sideways to look at it. He cracks me up every time he does this. I often add commentary to his actions and say, "The world looks better sideways doesn't it Caden?" An example of this was on the Korean version of the "It's a Small World" ride at the local theme park. Caden was intrigued by some spinning umbrella's on one part of the ride and kept leaning over sideways to look at them.

-At the hotel the other day Caden became obsessed with the round knob to one of the kitchenette drawers. He played with that knob until he managed to unscrew it and it rolled away. Only then was he satisfied and crawled off to find something else to "work" on.

-As you all know Caden has an obsession with wheels. Specifically his stroller wheels are his favorite. He is so interested in them that while he is ridding in his stroller, he will often lean over and watch the wheels spin as we push him. Other times he will throw a fit until we let him get out to push the stroller around. The child has to be on the move all the time it seems (unless of course he is working).

-And, it amazes me that Caden understands that round things spin and move. He has had a "thing" for round objects since he was around 6 months old. He always spots the round shape/object and goes right for it, no matter where we are. I've never in my life realized how popular the circle/sphere was until I had Caden! If it's round, he WILL find it and he will work it to see what it does. Round objects come in all different sizes, colors, and even the exact shapes are often different.... and no matter what, even with all those variables Caden will STILL always find the round object.

-Oh, and did I mention he doesn't forget anything. If he is "working" on something (like the kitchenette drawer I mentioned earlier) and you take him away and show him something else... he may appease you and stay away from it for a few minutes, but it won't be long until he is back there hard at work again.

-One of the cutest things that Caden does is his "two-finger touch." He uses he pointed and middle finger together to touch everything. He has done this since he was a newborn. I have pictures of him holding his paci in his mouth when he was just days old with those two fingers.

Caden is very mechanically minded. He loves to figure out how things work. He loves to inspect the tiny details. I wonder if this trait will follow him throughout his life, or if it is just another phase. He is at such a fun age right now! I love watching him explore and learn. It seems that every day here lately he is doing something new. It's all so bittersweet. I love to watch him learn and grow, but with each new milestone and discovery he is getting older. It's going by too quickly. I wanted to take the time to write about these things before he is on to something else.... I don't want to forget how much I love him right now and how adorable he is when he is hard at work.