Mamma Mia

Tonight was girls night!!  Several friends and I went to see the movie Mamma Mia.  So I am not really the musical type of person, but I was thrilled to get out of the house for a night.  (by the way...8:30ish movies are meant for girls night!)  I was actually pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed the movie.  While we were waiting for the movie to start we laughed when another group of girls walked in and one of them said, "where are all the guys?".  It was true, there was only 1 sucker...I mean devoted...husband in the whole theater.  I laughed way more than I thought I would, I do believe there were tears in my eyes from laughing so hard at one point.  I do think I will try singing to Matt next time I am in an argument, though.  It really seemed to work on the big screen.  Maybe I should sing to Cade too, right in the middle of an all out fit.  I am sure he would look at me like I had lost my mind!  However, it wouldn't be as good if I didn't have the back-up singers like in the movie.  All this to say, if you haven't seen the movie girls, get some friends together and go see it!

little spitter

This evening Reid learned to do a new trick while eating....
SPITTING! He thinks it's pretty funny, I do not. This happened to be the only night that I have bathed him before dinner....bad idea. There were orange carrot splatters everywhere!

notice the carrot on his right eyelash??
oh, and by the way....I had already wiped his face multiple times!

he's rough and tough

Tonight Cade got his first bloody nose. I'm sure it won't be the last either. He was playing basketball with Matt and the ball hit him right in the nose. He only cried a second and said nose. He then moved on and kept playing. What a tough guy!
Reid also looked cute sitting outside with me. I couldn't resist a picture.

Cade in the spotlight

Here is a little video of Cade from last night. Sorry that he is shirtless. Now that Cade knows how to completely undress himself he is often like this at home. It's just a battle I choose not to fight. Back to the video, I love how he says big truck and Bobby's truck. Cade LOVES Bobby's truck and how it goes vroom vroom. Notice what he does with his attitude the second time I ask him to say Bobby's truck....the shoulder shake cracks me up!

Don't forget to scroll down a little bit and pause the music on the left hand side of the screen

Reid's a whole handful!

Reid is 5 months old today! He is such a sweet little boy and I am so proud to be his mommy. His smile can light up a room and his laugh brings a smile to my face. He is getting very active and loves playing with his feet. He always props them up on things or has his legs up in the air, it is really cute! Reid has been trying new foods, but is just fine with oatmeal and pears. He has really started "talking" quite a bit. He wants to make sure we don't forget the little guy! Reid also loves playing patty cake. He usually gives out a huge grin and a laugh if you play with him. We really enjoy going to story time at the public library. It seems like each week Reid gets a bit more excited during the songs and rhymes. I love how happy and interactive Reid is getting and I am so excited to see what another month will bring!

God works at Astros games

My family went to the Astros game again last night. Despite a horrible 9th inning loss, we had fun. We all ate at Bells and Whistles beforehand. If you have not found this new little cafe, we highly recommend it. It's on Texas avenue right across from Vic and Anthony's, you'll see all the bells outside. We made our presence there, as we always do at any restaurant. We were thankful they had a back room where we sat. There was another family in there, but they didn't stay long....hmmmm. After dinner was done we headed to the game. Cade was SO excited. I kinda felt sorry for the people behind us because there was quite a bit of getting up, moving, and crying kids but once I realized they were Pirate fans I didn't feel too bad. This is the second game that TJ has gone to and he did awesome. Really, the kids did pretty good too considering the expected.
When we were leaving after that disappointing 9th inning I happened to get behind a gentleman with a small ear. I tapped on his shoulder and asked him if he had microtia. He didn't quite hear me right and looked confused. I said your ear, I noticed it was smaller. I then pointed to Cade and showed him his ear. The man was very nice and said he had always wanted to meet someone with a little ear like his. He was from Europe so he joked that he had to come all the way to America to meet someone. You see, the night before had been really rough for me. I haven't had one of those nights where I lay in bed unable to fall asleep for hours in a long time, but I did that night. For some reason all I could think about was bad thoughts and one of those was Cade's ear. I don't know, it just kind of hit me. Really ever since Cade's testing last week at Texas Children's it's been on my mind. While I was in the waiting room a lady leaned over to me and asked, "Can he hear out of that ear?" This is only the second person in public to ever mention anything about the ear. The first was a photographer at JC Penney's. I told her he had some hearing and her remark was, "I noticed he turns his head to listen to you"....uughhh. I had been told to watch for that, but hadn't noticed it myself. How do you respond? I just forced a smile and a fake, "yeah". So that night in bed I just kept replaying that and thinking about the future. What will it be like when Cade goes to school and people start saying things to him? Will he be accepted the same? What about his speech? Will he have a hard time dating? What about his safety while he is outside playing? What about driving? Then my thinking turned to surgery. Should we fix the ear? Would it really help? Is that going to make it look worse? Will that help him hear better? I just wanted to go to sleep and here I am tossing and turning feeling worse and worse. Fast forward not even 24 hours later and here I am meeting someone with a little ear. I had never physically met anyone who had a little ear like Cade's. Now, this gentleman's ear wasn't quite as bad as Cade's. When he was born there was an opening and they had tried to construct more of an ear on the outside and did something else to help with hearing. He said he couldn't hear out of it. His wife chimed in and told me how talented he was musically. She said he has great pitch! You could tell she was so proud of him. I wish I could have sat there and talked to him for so much longer. I wish I could have known how his childhood was and what challenges he faces daily. I just am thankful that I was able to meet him. God knew that I needed that. I was left wanting more....more comfort....more guidance. That is just where I have to lean on God. He is my provider.


the cousins
Cade 2 yrs, Madison 8yrs, Zach 1 yr (on Saturday!!!) and Reid 5 months (today!!)
Mom and Dad
Tosha and Madison in their matching shirts
Cade heard the train whistle!

Madison is so pretty. She is also a great helper and big cousin. Cade loves hanging out with her! Here they are sitting together watching the game.


Mom, Dad and TJ. Zach gave up his squirmy fight and fell asleep with Mimi.

the cutie and the cowboy

Cade put his hat on Reid this morning. They were having such a great time playing and laughing together. I thought this picture was just too cute!
Tessa came in town today so we met my parents at Spring Creek BBQ (okra...okra...okra!). Since I just realized that Cade is wearing an 8 1/2 (yes...8 1/2. I was squeezing him in 7 1/2's!!!) he can finally wear the boots that we received in a box of hand me downs. Cade was SO proud of them and thought he was such a big boy in his boots "like pa's". He also was wearing Wranglers! Such a little cowboy!
Those really are some cute boots.
Cade loves to help load and unload TJ in the van. Here are a few pics from tonight.

going up....

Cade pushes the lift as we raise it up. He is SO strong! :)
When we got home, Cade waited for Matt by the neighbors basketball goal. Cade loves playing basketball with Matt.
slam dunk.....by both boys!


It is so cute before Cade shoots. He backs up to Matt so he can pick him up. Check out the video....

Happy Birthday Tosha

We celebrated Tosha's birthday this past Monday night (her b-day was really last Saturday). Bobby made some yummy fajitas and we had fun hanging out.


Tosha tried to change her candles around. Believe what you want, but she turned 32!
We got my parents to play Wii bowling. This was my moms 2nd time so she was a pro. It took my dad a little bit to get it, but once he did he was really in to it. Sorry mom and dad for posting these pictures...they were just too good to pass up!

Tosha and Bobby had fun watching and holding Reid so Matt and I could play
Cade just jumped the whole time.....surprised? I'm not!

Happy late Birthday Tosha!

little monkey

Cade learned a new trick while we were staying at my parents. I knew it was only a matter of time!

Cade's allergy and kidney update

Cade had allergy testing done last week.  He had a skin test for milk and eggs only.  We didn't even mess with the cashews since it was so bad just 6 months ago.  He did react, but the size of the reaction decreased by about 50% from last year.  Dr. Zambrano (which we really like, by the way) ordered Cade to have a blood test to see what his numbers were.  He said if they were good, we could start experimenting with the milk and eggs.  The numbers came back MUCH lower than last year.  This year his milk was a 1.77 (31.8 last year) and the egg was 4.8 (52.50 last year).  We went back to the allergist this past Friday and did a milk challenge.  We gave Cade SMALL amounts of milk (the first time I just rubbed some on his lips and we only worked up to 2 tsp!) and waited 10 minutes.  Each time the nurse came in, she would give him a little more milk.  We were at the doctor for almost 2 hours and were just waiting the whole time.  Cade did awesome, by the way.  MUCH better than I could have ever hoped for.  He never reacted to the milk so we are able to start experimenting at home.  We have given him several things with milk in it and he has done well....no reactions.  If this keeps up we will try and give him a cup of milk to drink in the next few days.  If that goes well we will wait a week or so and start the same thing with the eggs.  Cade still eats his same things, he is just so picky that getting him to try new things has always been such a challenge.  Say a little prayer that things continue to go well and that he won't react to anything.  It would sure make my life so much easier to not have to worry about the ingredients (minus the whole cashew thing, but that is MUCH easier to control!).

Cade also went for his kidney testing at Texas Children's this morning.  Again, another long process.  We got there at 8:45 and had to wait quite a while for his first test.  He was not really in the waiting mood and was trying everything to get out of his stroller.  At one point Cade was jumping up and down in the stroller.  You think I'm kidding.....he really was!  A few minutes after that he decided that he wanted to take his clothes off (his new favorite thing to do...it's just never happened in public before!)  Well, to the amazement of all in the waiting room he actually took off his shorts while buckled in the stroller!!!  I am pretty sure he thought I was going to get him out of the stroller to put them back on.  When I didn't budge he decided that the shirt was next to go.  I thankfully prevented that one and we were finally called to the back.  We walked in the room and there was a huge MRI looking machine...you know the table that moves into the round tunnel thing.  Anyway, it caught me off guard because they didn't have this last year and Cade lost it.  Both Reid and Cade were crying now and the sweet nurse never even seemed bothered.  I laid Cade down on the table and the nurse got her big roll of tape and put Cade's "seat belts" on.  She pretty much just taped him down.  I was shocked that he didn't bust through the tape.....I think I need some of that for home!  The nurse then had to put an IV in his arm.  She thankfully got it on the first try.  Cade was really screaming now and Reid was right there with him.  The nurse wrapped his IV hand in a blanket and taped that arm down.  Once I knew he was completely secure and unable to rip anything out I picked up Reid and he calmed right down.  The nurse turned on cartoon network (which Cade has never seen, but was quite into thank goodness).  The magnesium was put into Cade's IV and we waited 10 minutes for them to put the lasix (sp??) in.  During that 10 minutes Cade finally gave up the fight and fell asleep.  (I really need some of that tape....)  We then waited another 30 minutes for the test to finish.  Cade woke up for the last 10 minutes and did pretty well...cry, watch some TV, cry, watch some TV...you get the picture.  The nurse came back and took out Cade's IV and asked me to take him to the restroom.  My first thought was really, he does have a diaper on!  She never even asked if he uses the restroom....  I obliged and took Cade.  He has gone at home for me before, but never in public.  Well, I sat him on the toilet and bam, he went and went and went....  He was pretty proud of himself.  I was just shocked that he held it until we sat on the toilet.  We went back to the room and the nurse said she wanted to scan Cade for 1 more minute.  What?!  Do you really think he will lay back on that table.  The answer...yes, he did like a pro.  WITHOUT tape!  He was fussing, but laid there for the minute and then got up and told the nurse thank you!  With one test down we headed up to the 4th floor for test number 2.  No, not the 4th floor in that building.  We had to go the the 3rd floor, cross the walkway and to the 4th floor in the clinic!  How was I supposed to know that.  So, after several mistaken elevators we got to the clinic.  Oh yeah, Reid was SCREAMING the whole time.  I cannot push that beast of a double stroller with one hand through the halls of the hospital.  I am sorry to everyone we walked past...  So the next test was just an ultrasound.  Once we got to the room I laid Cade on the table and I told him they were going to put gel on his tummy....just like the gel we put in his hair.  He wasn't sure at first, but once he saw what the technician was doing he laid there like a champ!  She had a TV on and that kept his attention the entire time.  I didn't even have to hold his arms down!  He ended up getting the ultrasound on his front and his back.  He wasn't sure about turning over, but now he tells everyone about the gel on his back.  I have a feeling I better make sure his hair gel stays put away or I will find him with it all over his body!  I was so involved in calming Reid and making sure Cade was ok that I didn't even pay attention to the measurements of the kidney.  I have no idea how they were.  We won't get the results until the end of the month.  :(  We will just hang out like always until we know whether Cade will need surgery to fix the kidney, leave it alone or maybe it is just all healed!!!!  I'll let you know!

Howdy

The boys, Matt and I are staying at my parents house this weekend.  My parents are in Colorado on my dad's ASME trip.  Things have gone relatively well so far, no major catastrophes.  Cade has figured out how to crawl out of his pack n play.  Matt got it on video today and it's quite amusing.  Cade has also started really interacting with his bear, Bubba.  For those of you unfamiliar with Bubba, that is the bear that we have taken Cade's picture next to since he was born.  Bubba now has an Astros outfit and Cade thinks that is pretty cool.  The other night I saw Cade trying to close Bubba's eyes before our bedtime prayers.  No, Bubba is not like those cool dolls we had growing up that had eyelids that would close when you layed the doll down.  Bubba is just your traditional teddy bear.  Anyway, I got a kick out of watching him.  A couple of nights ago Bubba also ate dinner with us.  He sat in a chair next to Cade.  Cade tried giving him chicken nuggets, but for some reason Bubba didn't eat them?!?  I almost got my camera because it was really cute, but I was way too into my chicken enchiladas.  You'll just have to picture that one in your head.  I have also been quite crafty while here.  I made 6 monogrammed burp cloths today for some friends.  I will take a picture so you can see but you will have to wait until we get back to our house so I can download the pictures.  

For those of you who know my oldest sister, Tiffany, she has joined the blogging world!  Click on her name and it will take you to her blog.

Well, time for bed.  I think I hear Louise.....

nothing much...

A few noteworthy excitements in our lives over the last 2 days:

--Yesterday Reid ate peas for the first time! He started Rice cereal on his 4th month birthday, moved on to oatmeal about a week and a half later and now we are on to peas. He wasn't wild about the rice, did better with the oatmeal and did surprisingly well with the peas! I was just sure that starting solids would help him sleep through the night, but no....he just loves his mommy in the middle of the night! Who could blame him!

--I took the boys to story time at the library this morning. Cade did ok, but at the end they brought out little tents and Cade wasn't too interested. He pushed a little boy and I decided that it was time to go. He cried the whole way home saying library. I felt bad just leaving, but hopefully he got the message. Anyway, once home he was a grump. He eventually asked for milk and I told him he needed to wait. He then asked for his paci and I said the he can only have his paci in bed. He usually throws a fit or ignores me and brings his paci out anyway. Well, today......he walked to his room, put his paci in his mouth and laid in bed and fell asleep. IT WAS 10:30am!!!!!! He ended up sleeping for 3 hours! So nice!

--Tonight we went to Luby's (no old people jokes....I'm weird, I like Luby's!) with my mom, dad, TJ, Tosha, Bobby and Zach. At the end of the meal my mom decided that it was the perfect night for sno cones. I wasn't going to go, but Tosha and Bobby said that I could put Cade's car seat in their truck so Cade could ride with them. I just knew that would make Cade's day. You see, he LOVES Bobby's truck. He talks about Bobby and his truck all the time. It's a "biiiiggg truck". I have to video the way he says it, it makes me laugh! When we got to the sno cone place I took this picture. I hate that it turned out blurry, but that smile says it all!

We have another fun day tomorrow....Cade's speech teacher is coming! Tonight during our prayers he thanked Jesus for Mrs. Sarah all on his own. He has been blessed with such sweet teachers! Alan, Jennifer, Maci and Payton Meers are also coming over for dinner tomorrow. That's always a fun and crazy time!

Happy 4th of July

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July. Ours was nice and relaxing. We went to my parents house for a late lunch and then headed out to the pool. We didn't do any fireworks this year, but saw some on TV...does that count?
My mom and Tiffany went to Canton on Thursday and came back with a little puppy. Tiffany called me twice trying to get me to keep it for Cade and Matt and I came back with a very quick no. There is no way that either of us want to take on the responsibility of a dog now. She tried to convince Tosha that she needed it, too. Anyway, it seems that Tiffany finally convinced Taleigh to take the dog. Tiffany is leaving on Monday to drive back to Colorado Springs and she is taking Taleigh her dog when she stops through Lubbock. The dogs name is Bertie (I think that is how we are spelling it). When Taleigh was little Tiffany convinced her that when she turned a certain age that her name was going to change to Bertha Doris. Poor Taleigh really believed her and cried many tears over her "name change"! We figured Bertie was kind of a shortened Bertha Doris.

Cade liked to tell the puppy hi!
Poor little Bertie was hiding behind Tiffany
She is just a tiny little thing
Cade had fun swimming in the pool.

Cade's two!

Cade is 2 (or teewww as he says it!) today! He is getting to be such a big boy. Cade is a high energy, passionate, caring, sweet, happy, lovable, funny little boy who brings his mommy and daddy so much joy. There isn't a day that goes by that he doesn't bring a smile to my face. Cade loves to go "bye bye" in the car and he can usually tell where we are going before we get there. He is always watching while I drive. Cade amazes me when he looks up ahead and tells me what is up there. His memory is amazing! The other day we were at a stop light and he pointed straight and said Wal-Mart...he was right, too! He does the same thing with many of the regular places we go. The latest place he points to is the library. I have just recently started taking Cade to story time at the library and he loves it. We look forward to going every week. Another thing Cade looks forward to is when his speech teacher comes to the house. Every week a speech teacher from the district comes to our house to help Cade. During the school year Mrs. Katy comes and during the summer Mrs. Sarah comes. Cade loves both of them and usually does well during his session. Speech is something that Cade qualifies for because of his hearing loss in his little ear (or his lucky ear as we often call it). As of now, Cade has no speech delays, but we are constantly evaluating to make sure he doesn't fall behind. Cade has become the typical little boy playing with his cars and trucks. He also loves buses, airplanes and trains. He loves to push them around the house and all over the furniture. Making them fall to the ground is always a favorite option, too! Cade's other loves are jumping (he is ALWAYS jumping), baseball, football, basketball, the Doodlebops, playing outside, listening to music, sliding, and playing in the pool. I could sit and tell you stories all day about the different, funny and exciting things that Cade has done. Matt and I think he is wonderful and we are so thankful that we are the ones the he calls mommy and daddy.

Happy Birthday goose! We love you.

Here are a few pictures and a video from today:

Here is Cade with his Bubba bear.

We went to lunch with Tosha, Bobby, Zach and Tessa after Cade's doctors appointment. He was so tired afterwards that he fell asleep on the way home!

After a 4 1/2 hour nap (wow!) we went to dinner with my family to celebrate. Cade opened a few presents, we sang happy birthday not once, but twice (why not, it's his birthday!) and had cookie cake.

Cade and Tessa

I was so excited when I found out they could do a bus cake at the cookie company. Cade really wanted a bus birthday party, but I never found bus party stuff. He was a bit confused when he saw the bus on the cake. I think he was trying to figure out how to take the bus off the cake!

Cade's new book bag. I am proud to say I made it!!! I know, I impressed myself! :) It's way cute in person if I do say so myself!

I was so excited when I found this bus tent. I couldn't wait to give it to Cade. As soon as we got home we opened it and he played in it until we made him go to bed. I have a feeling it will provide countless hours of entertainment!

And lastly, you have to hear this. When we sing happy birthday and we stop so he can say his name. He sings it and it is just too cute! Also listen to the way he says two. He has been working on getting 2 fingers up at the same time also....

Astros game #3

Here are a few pictures from the Astros game this past Monday. We went with the family and for the most part had a great time. The juggling of kids and Reid having a little throwing up action on Matt was a bit crazy, but they both ended up falling asleep and we enjoyed the game!

Again, Taleigh.....for you.
a little hitting action....the Astros won this game 4-1!!! Madison....check out those fancy earrings!
Tiffany and Madison
I guess the game just wasn't as exciting as Cade wanted it to be.....

Tosha, Zach and Madison
Tiffany's friend from Colorado came down to visit the great state of Texas.
Tessa and Reid

rollin' rollin' rollin'

I laid Reid down on his play mat today and walked in the other room to put some stuff away. When I came back (only minutes later) this is where I found him!