Cayden 6 Month Update

Our sweet boy turned 6 months old a few weeks backand this is the first chance I've had to document it!  Things have been a bit of a whirlwind with birthday celebrations,  busy workloads, and a sleepless baby.  But without anymore delay, here's Cayden:

Movement - Cayden is a wiggle worm. He loves to kick and bounce. Though he is an excellent sitter, he isn't one for a lot of rolling (unless you put in on his tummy, in which he will flip to his back without much hesitation). The exersaucer has been a lot of fun this past month, he will jump and throw himself around in that thing for a good 20 minutes at a time.

Eating - We've introduced solid foods at the end of this month, with the hopes that it would improve Cayden's sleeping. He enjoys cereal and pretty much all fruits and vegetables. Right now we are feeding him solids in the evenings, then he nurses or takes a bottle about every three hours throughout the rest of the day.

Sleeping - As you may have caught on, we haven't made much progress in the sleeping department. At one time it seemed like we were having some success in sleep training but the past few weeks have showed some regression. At 6 months, our little man was waking up every 90 minutes or so!

Interaction - Our little guy can be quite the snuggler. I love nuzzling my nose against his, he brings his whole head in and tucks it into my neck. These moments make she wish he would never grow up. He loves interacting on the changing table, we do lots of tickling and singing, Cayden squeals with delight. Some of his favorite games are peek-a-boo, patty cake, airplane, and singing songs.

These images were captured by our talented friend Gina Ziedler  Friends, she is amazing. Check our here blog here.

Keeping Goals in Perspective

It is that time of year again, time for people to dream and visualize a "successful" 2014. I love setting goals. Absolutely LOVE it. But I've found that sometimes, I put a little too much emphasis in my goal setting.  Track with me for a few minutes.

This past week, the kids and I were home one night. Cayden was sitting on the floor while his sister ran around bringing him toys, helping him grasp at things, and covering him in kisses.  He was soaking it all up. His gummy smile and squeals of delight egged his sister on. Watching my two children interact was absolutely precious. The 5 minutes of sheer joy was one of the top 3 moments of 2013. It actually brought tears to my eyes.

The timing was absolutely impeccable. That same night, once the kiddos were in bed, I sat down with a journal to do some thinking about 2014 goals. That moment stuck with me. I did NOTHING to make it happen. It didn't matter how many books I had read, miles I had run, or the progress I made at work - my kids love each other and laugh often. How blessed am I?

I'm still making a list of goals. I still want to log my miles, read books, and progress my career...but things were really put into perspective for me. By the grace of God, some of my most breathtaking moments of 2014 won't be ones that my goals help me accomplish. They will be simple, pure moments. Those unexpected times when things just happen.

I hope that your year is full of those moments as well. May the most unexpected and un-deserved gifts completely rock your world.

P.S. Check out www.LaraCasey.com/blog for some goal-setting guidance!  #2014GoalSetting

Cayden 5 Month Update

Over Christmas Cayden hit the 5 month benchmark. With each month comes more alertness and interaction, it is so much fun! 

Most of the last month was spent on the road. Good thing our little man is a decent traveler. Interstate driving makes for perfect sleeping conditions...especially I-35 and I-94 :) In addition to sleeping on the road, we've made some progress with night sleeping.  Thank goodness!  With some sleep training Cayden will often sleep a 6 hour stretch and he is very good at going back to bed. We've also successfully had longer naps in the crib during the day. This momma is feeling much more rested and so is the babe.

In an attempt to help Cade sleep, we tried solid foods one night. It didn't seem to help, so we haven't done it since and will probably wait until the 6 month mark to try again. Right now I'm enjoying the simplicity of only feeding 1 little mouth. He continues to take bottles and nurse well.

We've witnessed rollovers from the stomach to back & back to stomach, but now that Cayden can sit he prefers to be upright. If we leave him without any support, there are still a lot of face-plants but overall Cade is really good at sitting on his own or with a little help.

With each passing month the coos, giggles and smiles seem to multiply. Our little man is one happy little guy. But he also knows what he wants and he isn't afraid to let us know when he is not enjoying something.

 We are so thankful for another month with our precious baby boy. Our hearts fill so much much joy watching him grow. We love you little man.

Merry Christmas!

When unloading the gifts from our Fargo Christmas, the nativity scene (which was a gift) ended up under the Christmas tree. It has been neat to have it front and center of our Christmas celebration. Even though this was not intentional, our first Pearson Christmas tradition has been born.

Wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas, celebrating the birth of our Christ!

Cheese Please!

Yesterday I was snapping some pictures of Cayden for his 5 month post. When I was taking the pictures, Addie was distracted with her snack. As I went to put the camera back in the camera bag, ready to cross another thing off of the to-do list, Addie says "Cheese!".  I smile and explain that I was taking pictures of baby. Then her cute "Cheese!" turned into a near-cry "Cheese Please!  Cheese!".  I pulled the camera back out and snapped a shot. Then Addie was happy to go back to snacking away. 

It is so entertaining watching this little personality blossom.  I see bits of myself and parts of Bryan - though I'm not sure who she gets her hunger for the camera from.

We are slowly approaching Addie's 2nd birthday, which is becoming more and more real everyday. She is saying lots of new words and starting to say small sentences.  In just the last couple of days she has learned that she can open doors - just this nap time we've gone back to bed 4 times!

The energy that this child seems to multiply with each month. When I do workout videos at home, on days when Bryan works all day, she has begun to join in & it is quite hilarious. The girl has an interesting way of doing crunches, pushups, and lunges.

 ....time to go put our little stinker back in bed, hope you enjoyed the update!

Little Gifts

My children are gifts. There have been so many things that have reminded me of this in the past weeks.

Since before they were conceived I've struggled with fear and anxiety of their very existence. Will they be conceived?  Will it take days, months, or years?

Then it happened. I got that positive test! But the fear and anxiety didn't go away.  Now my thoughts shift to miscarriage. Is that a cramp I feel?  I don't feel sick today, does that mean something is wrong?  She hasn't moved tonight and she is usually doing somersaults..I hope that everything is okay.

Then they are born. He's here! Surely fear and anxiety of the things that I can't control will subside now. Right? Now that I can see that they are okay?  No relief comes. What about SIDS? Could I possibly fall asleep nursing him and hurt him?  And I heard a tragic story once of a sweet baby boy suffocating in a blanket, just like the one we use.  Surely, surely this feeling will go away as they become more self sufficient.

Now one is in this phase. She probably won't suffer from SIDS or suffocate in her sleep.  But oh my gosh, the whole new world of possibilities. The freak accidents that could happen. She is so fast to run and explore, and we live on a road!

Recently we experienced a break in at our home. And it is so tempting to lay in bed in worry. In fact, just last night I called my husband in tears of anxiety and fear. I wish I could sleep every night in the hallway outside their doors with pepper spray.  But that wouldn't be enough.

What a lesson God has been teaching me. A lesson that I've had to learn again. and again. and again.  And just when I feel like I have it under control, another sleepless night.  These kids of ours, they aren't actually ours.  They are His.  And every moment I get to be their earthly mother is a gift. So much of what happens in their little lives is out of my control, it isn't worth the anxiety and the fear.

So starting today. Starting now. I want to again fear for my children in a different way. When thoughts of anxiety start to creep in and I find myself on the floor in the hallway or on my knees in prayer, I want to cry out for their salvation. Their days on earth are already numbered, I want to make the most of them. Full of love, gratitude, and dependence on the One who holds their souls. Why waste these precious moments in anxiety?

I'm so glad there is Good News to this life on earth. I'm so glad that Jesus died on the cross so that I could have eternal life. I'm so glad that I don't have to carry the weight of my children's lives and that I yearn to carry some weight for their salvation. Not that I can do anything to save them, but that I can be diligent in teaching them and praying for them.

And hopefully now that I've organized my thoughts into words, I can sleep tonight. I can rest in the arms of the Heavenly Father. And when I get up to the cries or coos of my son and the little footprints of my daughter. My first thought will be about what a gift they are to me. 

Cayden at 4 Months

It has been over a week now since our little man turned 4 months old. Each month brings its own excitement and huge changes to this little life.

Cayden kicked off his 4th month by rolling over. Suddenly he enjoys tummy time and his strength seems to have doubled over night. He is now constantly grasping at things, pulling toys to his mouth, and cooing. Our little man isn't sitting on his own but he is starting to get close!

Weighing in at 15 lbs (50%ile), this little guy never misses a meal. He is seriously the best eater I've ever met.  He isn't, however, the best sleeper that I've ever encountered. Though the doctor assures me he sleeps pretty average for a baby his age and size :)

We are so thankful for such a happy and precious baby!

Look at those chunky little legs!