Caden's First Steps!

Caden took his first steps today! He took 2 perfect steps on his own before plunging into Daddy's arms. He can stand on his own now for short periods, and I think he'll be off walking very soon. I was so happy that Jeff and I were both here for his first steps. We are very pround of our 10 1/2 month old little boy. :)

These pictures are of us trying to get Caden to walk again, but we weren't as lucky. He thought we were playing a game where he had to fall into Jeff's arms. :)

New Addition to the Jones Family

This post is to welcome Scat, Caden's new kitty. :) *lol* When I went to the mall a few weeks back Caden spotted this cat at Zellers and immediately fell in love. I didn't get it then because it was a little bit too much to spend on a toy for him at this age. But last night I went back to the mall because Jeff was meeting friends and I thought I'd do a little shopping. We ran into this cat again and Caden loved it so much that I had to get it. I had told Jeff about it earlier and he wanted me to get it too. So Caden's cat is "Scat" and this cat can sit down, stand up, hiss when you grab his tail, purr, meow, open and close his mouth, and even knead his paws! I know! No wonder the darn thing was so expensive! But it has Caden and even Felix fooled. Mind you- Felix is not exactly the smartest cat. But he is convinced Scat is real. Scat even hissed at Felix this morning!

Pictures From Daddy's Birthday :)

Yesterday was a fun day. I think Jeff really enjoyed himself. Mike, Kim, Matt, Rebekah, DJ and Kate all came over for supper, cake and ice cream, and a poker game. I know! *lol* That seems to be the game that everyone likes to play, and Kate just learned last night. :) We don't play for money!

Oh- if you click on the top picture to enlarge it you can sort of see Caden's 2 new top teeth. :) We are glad he finally has them because his teething was a nightmare!

Happy Birthday, Jeff!

It's Jeff's birthday today and we have had a good day so far. :) We went on a picnic in the park and Caden ate along with us and even stole a few sips of my shake from Starbucks! He got a chance to play in the playground and Jeff and I were able to relax a bit.

Right now Jeff is reading a book he got for his birthday (Harry Potter of all things *lol*) and he is having a great time! I am watching Caden and giving Jeff as long as he wants to read. He deserves a great day and he absoultely loves to read. :) Tonight I hope to surprise him because family and a few friends are coming over. He knows something is up, though. :) So I will post pictures tomorrow. I don't have time now because I think Caden is going to nap (he is in his crib now) and I need to clean...

Mischief

Caden is getting into more and more trouble every day... He LOVES toilet paper, trying to flush the toilet, getting into the garbage, getting into cupboards, turning the TV volume to max... You name it, he does it. There is one picture where he is not into mischief and that is the one of him playing with a toy that his Grammie Debbie gave him. It is a dog that plays music, sings the ABC's, teaches where parts of the body are, how to hug, etc. It is fun watching him play with it. :)

New Game

Caden is starting to learn how to play games and it is so cute. He loves to pull the cushions off the couch and bury his face in them. Then he anxiously waits for Mommy or Daddy to playfully hit him with a pillow. He giggles. He just loves it!

No Place I'd Rather Be

I was just sitting down with Caden while he was having a snack and I realized something. I realized there is no place in this whole world I would rather be than with my family. I really do love my new job. I've been working for about a month now and it is the first nursing job I've ever had that isn't terribly difficult or stressful. And I get to work nights while Caden is sleeping and I don't really have to work a lot at all. The best part, though, is the 17 days off... :) I pray that I don't have to work any more than I do because I love being a stay-at-home Mom. It isn't always easy, but I really do love spending time with Caden and watching him grow. Yesterday I took him outside and he stood on his own (without holding on to anything) for atleast 30s. I know he'll be taking his first steps any day now. It is so great being a Mom. Being the one your baby wants the most and feels the most secure with. It really is wonderful- hard at times but wonderful. It is expensive to live here in Calgary, but I know we'll be OK. I just want to have a loving family, and I thank God for the family he has blessed me with. :)

Jeff and I are going on a "date" tonight and I am very excited. Yesterday he brought me home flowers so I knew something was up *smiles* :) I know how you felt, Kristin! *lol* We haven't been out together (just the 2 of us) in a long time. We are going out for dinner and a movie and that is exciting in itself because I haven't been to the theatre since I was pregnant. I know! Caden's Grammie and Grampie Jones and his Great Grammie are going to babysit tonight and they are going to put Caden to bed so Jeff and I can stay out for as long as we want. I am hoping we can go for a walk before we come home- that'll be nice. And I need to get Caden a new outfit because we are getting our family photos done tomorrow. Caden is usually great with the camera so I hope they turn out. :)

Mommy's Little Helper

There are a lot of things I have to do around the house... If I don't keep the floor mopped practically daily then Caden will eat what he finds- cat food, a dust bunny, you name it. And it took me forever to get caught up on laundry from our trip to NB. I actually just finished yesterday. And with me working nights 2 weekends a month plus a few other days in between, it is hard to get everything done. But I am proud to say that I have an excellent little helper. Caden loves to put his toys away, and he loves helping me with laundry and with cleaning up the kitchen. He really does like to put his toys away, but I guess he is sometimes more trouble than not with the other duties! :) Yesterday he kept unfolding the laundry and it took me a little while to get it done. :) And when I sweep he tries to steal the broom and the same goes for the vacuum. But he tries! And I was able to snap a few shots of him helping Mommy. :)

Beautiful Bride :)

My older sister, Meredith, got married on June 30th in New Brunswick. Here are just a few pictures. I don't know why they are so small...

Splish Splash

We got a pool for Caden a few days today and seeing that it is about 30 out I thought it would be an excellent day to use it! Once I blew it up (which is VERY hard to do with a busy baby crawling all over you :) I put Caden's plastic toy balls in it and let him play for a little while. He had great fun! And then I put his pool out on the deck and he had so much fun splashing in the water. :)

I Hope It's Over...

Yesterday Caden's teething was terrible! Atleast I think it was his teething. He also has a cold and a bad cough and he fell yesterday. He was playing with some of his toys while he was standing and he fell and hit his chin on the desk he was playing on. He also hit is cheek and has a big red scratch and a bruise. I felt terrible, but I guess I can't protect him from everything. He is at a tough age. He wouldn't nap after he hurt himself (he just wanted Mommy) and he was so irritable. I went to the mall with Tarena for the afternoon and Caden was fussy and grouchy for some of the time. I had never seen him that bad. And last night he woke up at 10:30 screaming. I was already in bed and Jeff stayed up for a bit to read and to keep an eye on Caden because he was coughing really bad. Just before Jeff went to bed Caden woke up screaming and he wouldn't stop. I think he was hot and just didn't feel well. We changed his pj's and put him in our bed for about 5 minutes and he scrunched up next to me and fell right to sleep. Then I put him back to bed and he was OK for the rest of the night. Today he has been great. I hope the worst is over. Our friend, Kate, is coming over tonight for supper so I am hoping Caden will be happy and not fussy like he was yesterday. I think he'll be good. I am going to go take him for a walk now... :)

The first picture I put up was from last night. The other 2 are from today... He is much happier and I think he feels much better.

Rearranging Furniture

Caden has had a busy morning. He decided that he didn't like the location of one of his toys, so he got up and moved it himself. It was funny- I moved his toy from beside the computer desk to just outside his crib, and he ended up moving it right back! He is a smart little boy. :)

I don't know why I can't put a title up anymore... Oh well. :) My title would have been: "The Joys of Teething". I sympathize with you, Kristin. Caden has been so sick for the past 3 days. Today he has been more like himself but still quite grumpy. His nose has been running constantly, he has a cough, and for 2 days he wouldn't take any bottles. But today his appetite is back so that is good. I'm still giving him Tylenol Cold which seems to help and hopefully he won't need any tomorrow. Poor little guy. His 2 top teeth are coming in and they are as big as chicklets! I'm serious! He's going to look like a beaver but we still love him! :) *smiles* He's adorable. :)

Caden went to his play-group today and really enjoyed the singing time we did. The lady who was singing tickled him with a puppet and he laughed so hard! It was cute! We could only stay for about 30 minutes, though. Caden was getting irritable (nap time) and was plowing over the other babies. One baby had a bell and Caden was going to get it no matter what! So he climbed over the baby several times and through a tantrum. That's Caden when he's teething. He's just like his father! Just kidding- he's more like his mother. What can I say? :)

So Jeff is at work until 11:00. Last night when Jeff was home Caden wouldn't go to bed until 10:00. And tonight when I have nothing to do and wouldn't mind if he stayed up he is in bed at 6:55. What can you do?

I'm just thinking about how blessed I am to have such a caring husband, and how blessed Caden is to have such a great Dad. :) I hope that Caden will turn out just like his Daddy. :) This morning before Jeff went to work he went in to Caden's room, picked him up and said goodbye. It was so cute. Caden gave him all sorts of smiles. And Jeff plays with him all the time. Caden really likes it when Jeff pretends he is a gun and fires him. :) When he was just tiny he would laugh whenever Jeff did that. I put up a few older picture of Jeff and Caden. Where has the time gone? It is hard to believe that in 2 months we will be celebrating Caden's 1st birthday. The last picture I posted was taken yesterday. Our little guy is almost all grown up! ;)