Growing Graesen

Soccer

2017-05-19T12:07:00.000-07:00

The big boys have been playing soccer this spring. It's been fun to watch them :)

Park time

2017-05-17T12:03:00.000-07:00

I took Caedmon to play at the park for the first time recently. He loved it so much.

Rock Star

2017-05-15T12:00:00.000-07:00

Graesen had another "piano recital" recently. Rock concert would be a better name for it. Graesen goes to a great music school for his lessons. They combine all ages, instruments, and vocals for recitals to put on quite a show. Graesen did a duet to Macklemore's "Downtown," and was part of a band that played "Uptown Funk." In true Graesen fashion, he completely rocked out and put on quite a show. At one point during "Uptown Funk" he stood up, kicked his stool back, and started really performing. This kid is so much fun to watch. After the show the owner of the music school told Graesen's piano teacher that he's a future rock star :)

Caedmon is ONE!

2017-05-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

The first birthday is so bitter sweet. I love watching my kids grow and reach new milestones, but with each one I also grieve the loss of the baby they once were. Especially the first year when so much change happens. Caedmon is blowing me away with how quickly he is learning.

Weighs 19 lbs 5 oz (19%)
31.5 inches (96%)
Weight for length ration 1%
Just switched to size 3 diapers in the last week. The 2s still fit, but I was hoping for better absorbency.
Wears anything from size 6-12 month up to 18 month clothing. The size 18 month stuff is big, but I like to get things with growing room. In shorts he can still fit in his size 3-6 month pairs from last year, but I also bought him some bigger sizes that had belts.
Caedmon has 3 teeth now and a 4th looks like it is about to break through
He takes 4 6oz bottles of neocate a day. He stopped nursing about 2 weeks ago. He started to fight it every time and hasn't asked to at all since. We're hoping to get the all clear from his dietician and doctor to try dairy and soy soon to see if he's outgrown his intolerance.
We are cautiously giving solids. Caedmon will eat anything and loves everything, but we have been advised not to push solids too much right now until he gets in more intensive feeding therapy and Gi gets a better idea of what his diagnosis means for him and his safety while eating. Typically we just give him little bits of all kinds of food but broken up into very tiny pieces. The OT at the feeding clinic said his chewing skills are lacking, so he's at a higher risk for choking.
Caedmon's sleep has not been good lately. He's getting some new teeth, so a couple times a night we have to rub his back and give him a pacifier to settle him back down. He's also been taking forever to get to sleep. However, he was very sick for a week, got better for a week, then came down with a cold. I'm hoping that once these teeth come through and he's healthy that he will settle for sleep better. Naps are also iffy. Some days he will take two good naps (maybe an hour for one and 2-2 1/2 for another). Other days he will fight sleep and only nap once or take two short naps.
Caedmon is walking fast these days. He wants to run.
Words he has said include: mama, daddy, kitty cat, up, owe, ball, no ("nanana" while shaking his head), all done, axel, uh oh, love you, keys, hi, and bye bye. The other day he bumped his head and I said, "oh, owe!" He looked at me, intentionally hit his head again (lightly) and said, "Owe."
"Up" means both "pick me up" and "I want to eat." I'm thinking it's maybe because we pick him up to feed him a bottle or put him in his high chair.
He had started pointing at everything.
Caedmon now knows how to turn around and go down stairs backwards on his belly. He does it for slides and climbing off of things too.
Caedmon sticks everything in his mouth. You really have to watch him. I recently had to move where I store jewelry, because I found an earring in his mouth. He will even pull stuffing out of the dog's bed and stick it in his mouth. He does it whether or not he was just fed and has a full belly, so I think it's just his thing.
Caedmon is currently taking 2.5 ml of omeprezole twice a day, 2 teaspoons of miralax, and 2 teaspoons of benefiber. We are working with a new Gi and feeding team, and are working on adjusting things to make him comfortable and healthy.
Caedmon can now put his shapes in his shape sorter.
He also puts rings on his ring toy instead of just taking them off.
He loves to read and will pull books out of his shelf to look at.
Peek a Boo is his favorite game
When he's upset, Caedmon will often try to pull up my shirt and lay his head on my bare stomach. He settles down almost immediately when he does that.
Caedmon still loves showers a lot and insists on always showering with us.

Smash cake!

2017-05-10T07:00:00.000-07:00

I decided to do some smash cake photos with Caedmon a few days before his party. I thought it would be easier to get the pictures then instead of with a house full of people. I think Caedmon enjoyed the extra sweets.

A Woodland First Birthday Party

2017-05-09T11:44:00.005-07:00

We had Caedmon's first birthday party last weekend. I decided to take the theme of his bedroom and use that for his party. My mom made the cookies and the teepee. Jon's mom made the play campfire. I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking.

A Bittersweet End

2017-04-27T12:20:00.001-07:00

After 11 1/2 months I am done breastfeeding Caedmon. I fought so hard to feed Caedmon. We dealt with tongue tie, lip tie, and a recessed chin at birth that made it difficult for him to open his mouth wide enough. We went through months of horrible reflux symptoms and feedings, hours of holding him upright after eating, and a feeding aversion due to his pain. We dealt with a milk/soy protein intolerance that led to both of us being 100% milk and soy free from 4 1/2 months on (Caedmon is still not approved to try either milk or soy at this point). We worked through supply issues, dysphasia, and oral motor weakness. For months upon months I set alarms in the middle of the night to force extra feedings and then pumped 4 times a day after feedings to get more milk to supplement with. Yet even with all the work he couldn't/wouldn't take enough and was labeled as failure to thrive. I took great pride in breastfeeding Graesen for 19 months without a drop of formula, but with Caedmon that just wasn't a possibility. He was starving because his issues went far beyond anything I could fix or control. I kept breastfeeding him while he had a feeding tube so that he wouldn't lose his oral skills. We continued even when he finally started accepting formula orally, because I wanted him to have the comfort, bonding, and antibodies. However, the last several weeks he has begun to fight breastfeeding. He no longer asked for it and when I offered he would often fight it and refuse. With each day he fought it more. So today after so many months of trying to make it work, I decided we were done. I ate chocolate with dairy in it for the first time since September and fought back tears.

It wasn't as good as I thought it would be.

Raising Caedmon has challenged and changed me a lot. I've had to learn to let go of my expectations. I've learned to be calm even when my baby is pinned down by nurses for one medical procedure or another and screaming for me. I've learned when it's ok to be a mama bear and fight for my son against a dr who refused to listen (and quite frankly was negligent and a danger to my child). I learned to dive completely into restrictive diets and therapies and constant appointments. It has been an extremely challenging year, but he is worth it.

11 months old

2017-04-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

I am having the hardest time coming to terms with the fact that in one short month my baby will be a year old. This has been a really hard year, but so good and sweet at the same time. We had so many fears about Caedmon's health this year, so his birthday feels like more than just a birthday. It's a celebration for surviving all the struggles of the year. A lot of people don't realize quite how bad it was at times. We have videos of Caedmon screaming to show the doctors, because we felt like no one was listening. He screamed in a way I've never seen a baby scream. His voice would be hoarse and his little body stiff and arched for hours every day. There were times of day that he did better, but by night he was miserable. I think that this is the reason it's so bittersweet to know he's almost one. I'm so glad we made it. Yet in some ways, it feels like a blur of tears and doctor appointments and calculated feedings, so much so that I feel like I didn't have enough time to enjoy him as a tiny baby. But like it or not, he's 11 months old now and time isn't slowing down.

18 lbs 10 oz (17%) HUGE growth spurt this month
30.5 in (90%)
Wears 9 month, 12 month, and 12-18 month clothing. He has some 6-12 month stuff too, but the sleeves on the long sleeves are getting too short. 12-18 month stuff is huge on him, but in one piece romper type clothing he needs that length.
Wears size 2 diapers. I think we might be able to switch to size 3 soon. The problem is that his thighs are pretty skinny, so when he sits there is a big gap in the leg holes even with a size 2.
Has 2 teeth that are all the way in and a third that is through the gums but not up.
He is taking four 6 oz bottles of high calorie elecare a day in addition to breastfeeding.
Taking 1 mL twice a day of omeprazole and 3 teaspoons of miralax per day
Caedmon started fighting purees and since the doctors are giving us very little advice or help with this feeding issues at this point, we got the go ahead from the dietician to start offering small pieces of solid foods. We are having him self feed so that he can choose the rate and volume of the feed and hopefully stops when he gets uncomfortable.
The neurologist diagnosed Caedmon with neurologic dysfunction of the GI tract. We don't know why he has this or what to do about it. We've been waiting for weeks to hear back from the various doctors. I kind of think that we never will, because no one really knows what this is or why it's happening.
Caedmon is sleeping at least 9 hours straight at night now. After months of having to wake him up for feedings, it's such a relief that he's starting to move toward more normal sleeping patterns. Naps are hit or miss. Some days he fights them like crazy. Some days he has to sleep on the go between appointments. Some days he takes two good naps. He's still sleeping on the reflux wedge in the tucker sling. Since strapping him in while awake freaks him out, we have to get him to sleep and then transfer him to the wedge.
Walking a lot! In the last couple of days he was transitioned to mostly walking. Both the neurologist and physical therapist have said that he has some mild low muscle tone, which causes him to roll his ankles when walking sometimes. PT says we will watch and see how he develops and decide if he is going to need braces for his ankles for a while or not. He's very determined, though, and is figuring things out.
Says mama, dada, ball, kitty cat, axel, hi, and uh oh. He loves to throw things on the ground and say "uh oh" over and over again.
He learned to throw this month and is quite proud of it.
Caedmon loves to play chase. He will crawl away from us, then look back at us and laugh hysterically if we chase him.
He has loves to open and close drawers and cupboards. The other day he took his brother's drumsticks to his own room and tried to put them inside his changing table. He has also figured out that door handles are what opens doors, and he tries to reach for them if the door is closed. He also tries to flush the toilet.
Caedmon loves his cat and dog and gets super excited to see them. He barked this month after hearing the dog bark.
He loves to give high fives and clap
We bought him a johnny jump up after we realized he doesn't know how to bounce his legs at all. He still can't figure it out, but he doesn't like to spin him self around while in it.
He has finally started putting rings back on his ring stacking toy instead of just off.
He knows to turn himself around to climb off of things, but stairs are still iffy (the baby gate will be a fixture at our house for a long time).
He loves going into Graesen's room and getting into all his stuff.
Showers are his favorite. He will cry if Jon or I get into the shower without him. He will open the door on his own and crawl in.

Brothers

2017-04-10T15:33:00.000-07:00

Coloring

2017-04-09T15:31:00.001-07:00

Caedmon tried out coloring for the first time the other day.

Bunnies

2017-04-09T15:29:00.003-07:00

I wanted to take Caedmon to get his picture taken with the Easter bunny. Neither of our older boys are fond of the Easter bunny at the mall, so I figured I would just take Caedmon. Then I found out that a local kid photography had a couple openings for shots with real bunnies on Friday. I decided this would be much better. I would only have Graesen and Caedmon that day, but I was planning on only having baby pictures done. Well, Graesen asked if he could be in some, so I let him since he was so excited about holding bunnies.
*Tot Shots Photography

First real hair cut

2017-04-07T11:34:00.000-07:00

Caedmon had his first real hair cut (other than the trim around the ears prior to the nd tube placement). He looks so handsome, and so old with his new look!

St Patrick's Day and specialists

2017-04-06T11:32:00.005-07:00

St. Patrick's Day weekend we headed across the state for Caedmon to see a Gi specialist at the children's hospital. We stayed with my sister for 2 nights. We were completely disappointed when we received no help. Basically the dr didn't know what was causing the issue, didn't really understand what had been seen on the swallow study or with the ent scope, and said Caedmon was too small for the testing that could give us more answers. She was supposed to call the motility specialist and get back to us within a week, but she never did. We felt so defeated and like no one really cares.

A few days later Caedmon saw a neurologist at home. The neurologist was great. She listened and seemed to really care. She said Caedmon has some mild low muscle tone. She was surprised by what was seen and said Caedmon has neurologic dysfunction of his gi tract. She wasn't sure of the cause but thought it probably has to do with the nerves specific to the gi tract, which means it falls back on the Gi doctors to figure it out. She said she thinks they need to biopsy his esophagus and colon. She said she would speak to the other neurologists and Gi about what to do. We haven't heard anything back. In the mean time, we've gotten Caedmon's formula intake up. And since no one knows what to do about his eating, we are working with the dietician to slowly add in solid foods, allowing Caedmon to control the rate and volume to keep him comfortable.

Self feeding

2017-04-06T11:13:00.002-07:00

Caedmon's eating has been all over the place depending on the recommendations from doctors and therapists. These are some old pictures from 2+ months ago that I love:

Caedmon is 10 months

2017-03-11T08:30:00.000-08:00

I am in denial that in 2 short months this little guy is going to be a year old. The first year goes by far too fast. Here is a little about Caedmon at 10 months old:

Weighs 17 lbs 6 oz (9%)-17 lbs 11 oz (11%) 2 different scales 2 days apart, not sure which is more accurate
30.25 in long (94%)
Wears size 6-12 month clothing, size 9 month, size 12 month, and some size 12-18 month (in one piece items). We recently tried on shorts from last summer and size 3-6 month shorts fit with room to spare. He is super thin, so clothes that are long enough tend to be quite loose.
Size 2 diapers still
Breastfeeding and doing elecare formula (going to attempt milk and soy when he's closer to a year to see if he's outgrown his intolerance). The dietician has us on a pretty strict schedule to try and get Caedmon the calories he needs without making him too uncomfortable. We feed around 8, 12, 4, and 8. He breastfeeds first (only takes 1-1 1/2 oz) then takes 4 oz of elecare. Twice a day he is taking puréed food 20-30 minutes after his milk. Sometimes he will take a full pouch and other times only half a pouch before he starts to show signs of discomfort. We miss being able to feed him real solids, but are backing off until we get his digestive issues figured out.
On 3.5ml of omeprezole twice a day for reflux and 3 tsp of miralax a day
Just started 30 days of erythromycin (1 ml 3 times a day) for mild gastroparesis.
Unfortunately the failure to thrive diagnosis is backndue to his issues with eating and gaining
Seeing PT every other week to follow some mild left side weakness and slight neck weakness. I don't think we will be going much longer since it's so mild
Sleeping on a reflux wedge and tucker sling again. Sometimes he sleeps 7 hours straight before waking up and other nights he fussed nearly all night even if he's being held. The wedge and sling do help a lot. We have noticed that if we feed him too much puréed food at dinner or feed it too late that he will be really uncomfortable and fuss most of the night. Getting him to sleep every night is a challenge. He will usually only settle for mom and even then will toss and turn.
He still isn't too fond of car rides. He really doesn't do well if we put him in his car seat too soon after eating. He will scream the whole ride if we do.
Caedmon is up to walking 6 steps independently and can sometimes squat up and down without holding onto anything
He loves to clap for himself while he walks
Just learned how to give a high five
If we ask him if he wants to eat he will start heading for his high chair
He says mama and dada clearly. He's been making a baba sound a lot when he sees his brothers.
Caedmon loves to yell, whisper, and growl
He is extremely fast crawling and is into everything. He opens drawers and cabinets and is trying to climb things
He loves when I put music on my phone and it's one of my tricks that sometimes works to keep him still for a diaper change.
He learned to blow raspberries this month
He loves showers and gets mad if we take showers without him
At mom/baby group he tries to grab toys back when another baby takes them. He seems to like being around the other babies
He likes to "help" with everything (dishwasher, laundry, homework, etc)
He still loves to be carried in the ergo
He had 2 teeth and a 3rd that has broken through the gums
He loves to play peekaboo (does it all by himself) and chase
He loves to get wild and silly

The feeding saga continues

2017-03-09T22:29:00.003-08:00

We have continued to have a difficult journey with Caedmon's feeding. After the ng tube was placed and Caedmon was unable to tolerate even the smallest of feeds through it, he was scheduled for an endoscopy and nd tube (nasoduodenal) placed. Caedmon did ok leading up to the procedure, even though he was unable to eat and the dr was late (he didn't realize it was on his schedule). Of course he woke up angry from anesthesia just like Graesen did. Unfortunately, they were unable to get the tube in place during the procedure, so we had to go to radiology to have it placed once Caedmon was awake. He was strapped in and angry. He screamed so hard and was pretty junky, so his O2 kept dropping into the 70s and 80s. The nurse had to suction him a couple of times and give him O2.
Once we got home a dietician came with an iv pole and pump. Since nd tubes bypass the stomach the feeds have to be given very slowly with a pump. We were supposed to give 12 hour night feeds in addition to breastfeeding and solids during the day. Caedmon slept horribly when we did night feeds. His belly did not seem to happy with doubling his intake so quickly and he seemed to want to decrease his other foods and milk. He also kept pulling out his tube. The first week we were in radiology 3 times (nd tubes can only be placed at the hospital with an xray). It was horrible and traumatic for Caedmon. The last time he pulled it out was a Saturday. I was dreading taking him in, because on weekends you have to go through the er and the available staff are less experienced in placing tubes. I decided to try again to see if Caedmon would take a little bit of formula so we could hold off. For some reason, after months of refusal, he finally accepted formula. We were able to work with the dietician to create an eating plan for Caedmon without a tube.
During this time Caedmon also visited a speech therapist. She said Caedmon had some mild oral motor weakness and dysphasia. She requested we see his ent to check for any anatomical issue and get a swallow study done.
We visited the ent at the beginning of February. The ent did a little scope while there and we were all shocked by what he saw. When he touched the top of Caedmon's esophagus, instead of seeing normal peristalsis, he saw disorganized firing of the muscles. He said that it explained a lot of Caedmon's symptoms. He also said that typically when he sees that sort of thing it is due to a neurological issue or a genetic condition. The pediatrician wrote us a referral to neurology and that appointment is later this month.
On Valentine's Day Caedmon had his swallow study. The study showed that liquids went down ok with some reflux, but solids struggled to move down his esophagus. Solids stuck there and even moved up, which probably is quite uncomfortable for him. We were advised to back off of solids and do more liquids and pureed foods in order to keep Caedmon more comfortable. We were also advised to get a gastric emptying scan done and a PT and OT evaluation to make sure there wasn't anything else going on (or any muscle issues from the way Caedmon holds his body when in pain).
The PT saw some mild left leg and front of neck weakness, so Caedmon is going every other week for monitoring. I don't think we will be going very long. OT went well and Caedmon won't be needing OT.
The gastric emptying scan was last week. Caedmon had to stay strapped down for an hour. Although he cried at the beginning and end, he was pretty relaxed and happy for at least half of the time. The test showed mild gastroparesis (delayed gastric emptying) and some reflux. Caedmon will be starting a 30 day round of erythromycin in hopes that it will speed up his digestive system (he did this around 4 months as well).
We feel awful that Caedmon has had to go through so much. We worry a lot about him, especially as he gets new/worsening symptoms. Right now, with the increase in formula, he's not comfortable taking as much food. If we feed him too much at dinner or give him solids too close to bed, he wakes up all night and tosses/turns. We have him back on a reflux wedge and sling, which is helping some, but we still have rough nights. The last couple weeks Caedmon has started to tilt his head back while eating solids. We worry that this is a sign that he's uncomfortable and is attempting to elongate his esophagus. We are just so anxious to get him comfortable and eating normally.

Caedmon is 9 months

2017-02-11T07:00:00.000-08:00

These months are going by far too fast. I cannot believe that in the next month or so it will be time to start planning his birthday party. I am not ready for that!
Caedmon at 9 months:

17 lbs 4 oz (12%)
Around 29.5 in (90%)...measuring him is a joke right now
Wears 6-12 month, 9 month, and some 12-18 month clothing (baggy, but good for his length). I tried on shorts from last summer on him and 3-6 month are starting to fit now...he is tall and skinny with no buns
Wears size 2 diapers
The Gi just raised his omeprazole to 3.5 mL twice a day. He thought we could drop to once a day, but it did not work. He very obviously still needs meds (lots of wet burps, hiccups, gagging, fussiness, etc)
3 tsp of miralax a day is a must. The dr says Caedmon is definitely dealing with some slow motility.
He had an Nd (nasoduodenal) tube for almost 2 weeks after he couldn't tolerate the Ng tube. After he pulled it out the last time (we made several trips to radiology at the hospital to have it placed), he suddenly started accepting the supplemental formula orally. He had always refused it before. We're not sure what changed, but we'll take it. He is now taking 10-12 oz of Elecare (an elemental formula due to his milk/soy protein intolerance) a day to supplement the breastmilk he gets. We're now at about 80% of what he should be taking in milk and it's really helping him gain as he should.
We add 2 scoops of duocal per day to Caedmon's food to increase the calories.
Caedmon is seeing a speech therapist to work on how he's using his mouth...He has a high palate that gets food stuck in it, chokes on saliva at times, gets food into his nasal cavity while eating solids at times, and occasionally has his lips turn a little purple while drinking out of a sippy cup.
He had an endoscopy this month that came back clear. He was a bear coming out of anesthesia and needed suctioning and O2 due to poor sats.
Eats bananas, applesauce, prunes, sweet potatoes, avocado, chicken, fruit/veggie pouches when we're on the go, baby puffs, and num nums regularly. He's tried lots of other things, but these are his staples. We add applesauce to potatoes and chicken to make it softer. Otherwise it tends to get stuck in that high palate of his and he struggles to swallow it at times.
We are still both of a dairy and soy free diet. I haven't introduced him to wheat yet since I can't eat it. He breaks out in a rash if I eat strawberries. He also had a reaction (rash) when he ate a pouch that had blueberries and blackberries, and when he ate mangos.
Says mama and dada now and ball on occasion.
He is cruising furniture and letting go to stand independently
In the last week he started taking 2-3 steps at a time independently!
He claps and is starting to wave.
He loves to drum on things and make lots of noise.
Caedmon is into everything already. He is fearless and wild and is definitely going to keep us on our toes.
Sleep is horrible right now. Ever since we added formula he has been agitated at night and wakes up a lot (like every 2 hours). We aren't sure if it's that his reflux isn't handling the volume well or if the formula is hard on his belly. The Gi gave us some different elemental formulas to try out and see if it helps. He is sleeping in his crib, which we moved into our room until he's a year old.
If Caedmon is tired or upset he only wants mama
He is obsessed with going into Graesen's room and pulling out his toys.
He loves to play chase. He will look back at us, squeal, then crawl away as fast as he can. We crawl after him and he loves it.
He also loves to chase the cat and dog.
He's still not a fan of riding in his car seat at night.
He loves his toys, but he loves the things he shouldn't get into even more. He especially loves to try and eat paper.
He tries to stick his hand in our mouths and feel our teeth or play with our eyelashes when he's tired.
Caedmon loves to climb stairs and is starting to try and climb anything he can.
He has 2 teeth now
He started a new habit of banging his head on things. He bumped his head one day on accident and apparently liked the reaction I gave, so he looked at me and gently did it again. I'm trying not to give him too much attention for it, but that little turkey is already learning cause and effect and how to get a reaction.
He loves to pull his socks off and chew on them
He "helps" with laundry and the dishes
He doesn't like it if I shower without him. He likes to sit on the shower floor and play with bath toys

Christmas Day

2017-02-10T14:56:00.000-08:00

We did gifts as a family first thing in the morning, then headed over to visit with Jon's parents for a while.

Around noon we headed over to my parents' house for brunch, gifts, games, sledding (for the kids and dads), and dinner. My sisters and I decided to surprise the family this year. We all dressed up in silly Christmas gear and had Christmas games prepared. The kids had a competition where they decorated each other as Christmas trees. We played the oven mit game where you have to open a heavily taped gift with oven mits on to get the gift inside. We also played the saran wrap game where you have to unwrap the ball of saran wrap until the correct number is rolled and you get candy out of it. I didn't take pictures with the big camera. I was tired from a teething baby who hadn't been sleeping much!

Christmas Eve

2017-02-08T14:49:00.000-08:00

This year we had Jace for Christmas Eve and Graesen for both days. Santa came and left all of Jace's gifts; and some of Graesen's and Caedmon's for Christmas Eve morning. We got the older boys a Gorilla Gym this year so that they can swing and climb in the basement. We got Caedmon a ball pit and a walking toy. Santa brought the big boys each a drift trike, legos, and a Star Wars creation kit (legos for Jace and crochet for Graesen). Santa brought Caedmon a ring toy, shape sorter, and blocks.

After gifts as a family we went over to Jon's parents' house for gifts and brunch.

We went to the early kid friendly service at church. Then we stopped by my grandparents' house and then went to Jon's aunts' house for dinner and a gift exchange.

Santa cookies

2017-02-07T14:51:00.000-08:00

A couple days before Christmas the boys made the traditional cookies to set out for Santa:

Annual Christmas Breakfast

2017-02-03T14:42:00.000-08:00

I hosted my annual Christmas breakfast the Sunday before Christmas. The kids had fun making gingerbread houses. I'll let the pictures do the talking:

Christmas party fun

2017-02-02T14:37:00.000-08:00

My parents invited us along to my dad's company Christmas party. The kids had a blast. They got to play laser tag, do a ropes course, bowl, wall climb, drive bumper cars, play mini golf, swim, and play games. Unfortunately, when I went through the pictures I realized I didn't get any of Jace! He did want to try some of the activities and the ones he did try I took video of and not pictures. So, there are videos of him bowling, but not pictures to put up here. And I didn't do much picture taking in the pool...for obvious reasons. I did, however, have my mom help take some pictures of Caedmon in the pool. He decided the water was too cold and was not happy about it.

Christmas Lights and Flowers

2017-01-31T14:33:00.000-08:00

Jon and I took Graesen and Caedmon out to see the Christmas lights at the greenhouse one day. We were hoping it would be a chance for Caedmon to see Christmas lights up close, since he can't really see them from his car seat when we drive around. He seemed indifferent to the whole thing :)

School concert

2017-01-30T14:31:00.000-08:00

The boys did a great job at their school concert this year. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of them together that night or many of Jace. It was crazy in there and the boys are in different classes. Jace was with his mom that night, so I went to Graesen's room after and didn't get to see Jace in time before he left.

Caedmon's Baptism

2017-01-27T14:28:00.000-08:00

On December 4th, Caedmon was baptized. He wore the traditional baptismal gown that my mom made when Graesen was baptized. Now both boys have their names and baptism dates embroidered on the inside of the gown.
Caedmon didn't fuss at all during his baptism, but he did spit up on the floor in front of the church. For the Bible verse, I read Isaiah 40:31. It's my favorite verse and when I met Jon I was surprised to see that he had it framed in his house. Plus, Caedmon's middle name is Isaiah, so it was fitting to read a verse from the book of Isaiah :) Afterwards we had family over for brunch and treats to celebrate.