Caden Is 4 Months Old!!

Today, July 18 means that  Caden is four months old! We can't believe it!! He is growing up before our eyes. David and I are both very fortunate in that we are home most of the summer to watch this take place! I think he changes every day. He is so curious and loves to explore everything! Here is an update on all that is new with Caden...

He is already working on sitting up in his bumbo seat! We put some toys on the tray and he works on grabbing them. It is more like slap-stick grabbing right now, but he is definitely focused on grabbing his toys! We have noticed that most of his actions are very intentional. He has a mission and works at it until he has accomplished it...or gets frustrated! He loves to roll from side to side. He rolled over in his crib on July 10, but not again since. We've been working on it. Some days we roll him all the way over onto his tummy (his least fav) and I think he is so shocked at what just happened that it takes him a minute to realize he is on his tummy!  He talks up a storm! We have 5-10 minute conversations filled with smiles, giggles and some facial expressions. We keep trying to get it on video tape, but he loves to look at the camera and try to figure out what David or I are holding and usually stops talking at that point! What a stinker! He hates tummy time but we practice a little each day. He has really discovered his hands and LOVES to suck on his WHOLE fist! He has started to notice his feet when I hold them up but still doesn't know he can grab them. He LOVES reading books and has started trying to read them with me...or tell me what he thinks about each page! He also LOVES bath time and has started scooting backwards, which makes bath time a whole lot more interesting! He is a big smiling boy right now! My favorite is when he studies my face with a straight face then cracks a HUGE smile! We both giggle!

Well, that is about it! We look forward to watching what comes next!

Caden Goes Camping Take 3!

This last week, we decided to venture up to Lake Easton to find the sun! We thought for sure the sun was hiding over on the other side of the Cascades...hmmm....it wasn't there! We did have a little sun here and there, but we also had some rain and clouds. That is okay! We were camping in a very cool campground. Caden loved sitting by the campfire!

                                                             Our Morning Routine

Caden slept on our "table" bed. The first thing we did was sit in front of the heater and warm our legs as we woke up...Sophie warmed her face!

Next, we worked on head and neck control with Daddy

Then, a little tummy time with Mommy (Not his favorite!)

This was our campsite

The view of Lake Easton from our campsite (campfires were great in the evening!)

Caden loved sitting by the fire

Some tummy time again (You can do it anywhere!)

Sophie helping David with the fire...or his grooming!

Auntie Lynnsey To The Rescue!

My twelve weeks of maternity leave fell just at the right spot. I only had one week of school left and then 2.5 months of summer vacation! Auntie Lynnsey volunteered to come over for that week and help us out. David was planning on taking that week off, but to have extra hands around is always a good thing! It was so fun for Lynnsey to stay with us for a whole week and bond with Caden. She even had time to play Auntie with her other "niece" Sophie! I think Soph was a little jealous of the attention that Caden was getting! She wanted her Auntie Lynnsey time! Lynnsey also brought Caden to me at school EVERY day at lunch so that I could nurse and show him off to my students! They loved seeing him every day and came to expect seeing Lynnsey in the hall when I excused them for recess. It was pretty fun!

We are so thankful that she was able to come over and stay with us. I know that Caden loved every minute of it!

He really didn't sleep the whole week!!

Caden Visits the Capitol

On our last full day of our two week trip, we decided to see as much as we could in a short amount of time. One sight we definitely didn't want to miss was the nation's capitol. When David looked up tours, he noticed that we should have made a reservation long before we arrived in DC and they were large group tours, which is not always good for Caden and our frequent nursing stops. So...David decided to see what he could get if we called our State Representative! That's right! He called Congressman Jay Inslee's office in DC to see if they would be able to help us out with obtaining a tour. His office staff was awesome and offered us a private tour with one of his interns. We were even able to view his fancy office!

Casey gave us an amazing tour of the capitol. Both David and I were in awe the entire tour of just how much history was inside of those walls. Each room had its own story. I think David and I both LOVED the Rotunda the best. The artwork that displays the history of our nation was just breathtaking. We also had a chance to visit the Gallery, where the official business takes place. Unfortunately they were at recess until 2pm that afternoon, so no action for us. I think this tour may have been the highlight of our DC visit.

We also took more time to visit a couple museums. We  spent time in Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and the National Museum of American Indian. They were quick trips because it was nap time for Caden and we were set to meet David's cousin that night for dinner. It was a wonderful way to end Caden's first trip to the east coast.

The Nation's Capitol

If you look very carefully, you can see Caden's "blowout" stain on David's shirt! Of course this happened after they took our diaper bag to hold as we toured and we had no change of clothes. Thankfully they had allowed us to bring along one diaper and some wipes or we would have been in a lot of trouble! :) 

Inside the new Capitol Building Visitor Center

The Rotunda

The original House Chambers

The Crypt, under the Rotunda (Where George Washington was supposed to be buried)

The original Supreme Court Chambers

Outside Jay Inslee's office

Inside the American Indian museum

Inside the Air and Space Museum

Our last Metro ride on our way home to rest up for our dinner with Linnea

Touring Around DC

The three of us had a great time just taking our time walking around DC. We were amazed that most of the museums were free, and thank goodness they were! With the unruly heat, we needed a place to seek some down time and AC! 
We packed a lot into our two full days in DC. Caden was such a trooper! I think he enjoyed the sights as much as we did!

The National Archives...we really wanted to go inside but the line wrapped around the block and it was HOT!

We went into the Museum of Natural History and Caden loved to look around at all of the displays, especially the ones with bright colors!

The White House!! This is as close as you can get to the White House anymore. This is facing the south lawn.

Next we took a break at the National Museum of American History...different than Natural history museum! This was our second visit to this museum. There was so much to see that we wanted to go back for a second dose.

The first camper!

Happy 4th of July!

We feel very fortunate to have spent the 4th in our nations capitol. We thought it might be too crazy, but David's cousin Linnea lives in a prime viewing spot and invited us over for the festivities! We hopped on the metro and were there in no time! Over these three days, we became experts at navigating the town on the metro!
The fireworks were beautiful and you couldn't help but stop to remember how far our country has come and how lucky we are to live in such a diverse country.

Can you see the Washington Monument in between David and my head? Linnea lived in a an amazing location! Thanks Linnea

Caden LOVED watching the brightly colored fireworks.