My poor baby

I know I updated yesterday and said that Caden had been sick. I had a feeling all weekend that something was going on that we hadn't caught but I was trying hard to be optimistic. But after a rough night I called his doctor first thing Monday morning. I spoke with her nurse and told her about our weekend and she said to bring him back for Dr. Ricard to check him again.
When we got there she tested him for RSV and the test came back positive. I always imagined when I would find out something so scary that I may freak out but I remained very calm. I knew in my heart that was what it was. We started breathing treatments right there in her office.

She said everything we had done over the weekend (humidifier, vicks baby rub, & nose suctioning) is more then likely what kept him out of the hospital. I immediately remembered my prayer that I had prayed over and over for God to give Matt and I wisdom in what to do and how to treat his symptoms. God is the ultimate healer!

So we are at home and doing breathing treatments every 3 to 4 hours. Last night he was so exhausted that he fell asleep during the whole thing. He sounded much worse after but I am told that is because all the junk in his chest is getting broke up. Poor guy sounded terrible for hours last night when he would sleep. He slept on my chest for the majority of the night but finally, around 2:30am, his fever had broken and he was breathing much better so I swaddled him and he slept in his bouncer beside our bed.

He seems better today. He is not a fan of his breathing treatments but we are getting them done. He is actually playing today! I can still see in his eyes that he doesn't feel good but it is definitely progress from the past few days.

If you think about it please keep our little man in your prayers. Nights are the worst for us and he feels worse at night with higher fever. Seeing him like this breaks my heart. I will definitely give him some extra kisses today!

Sick baby

We have had a long and tough few days in the Kerr household. My mom told me last Thursday that Caden had been coughing some but I didn't give it a lot of thought because sometimes he would give a fake little cough and then smile really big. But in the middle of the night my sweet boy couldn't sleep because he was coughing so much. By morning he was so congested. I decided since it was almost the weekend to go ahead and call his doctor. She worked us in that morning and said he had a viral infection and was starting to get some "rumbling" in his chest. Off we went with a decongestant and hopes that he would feel better soon! Unfortunately he is feeling worse. It is so sad to see him feeling so bad. I have had some sleepless nights with him sleeping on my chest in the recliner. Matt was working so we would text all night long. He was so sweet to come home and watch Caden for a few hours so I could get some sleep to re-energize myself for another day and night alone with him. My parents watched him for a little while on Saturday while I went to Wal-mart and loaded up on things for him. I got a humidifer, baby vicks vapor rub, saline drops and gel. I wanted to make sure I was set! And of course he didn't mind getting spoiled by Nana and Pop!

Over the past few days I realized I am a weeny mom. My heart absolutely breaks seeing him sick and I just want to make him feel better. He cries because he doesn't feel good and I cry because he doesn't feel good. The only good thing, and I do mean ONLY, is all the cuddle time I've gotten with him. So I will continue to hold and love on my sweet boy until he feels better, which I am hoping is very very soon!

7 months

Caden turned 7 months old on Monday. I can't believe I just wrote that. Time is flying by. This has been the fastest month by far. Caden is changing every day and learning new things. His personality is starting to become very evident and he is so much fun! I am so thankful that I can be home with him most days and even more thankful that he is with Matt and my mom when he isn't with me.He still isn't mobile yet but if I am completely honest I haven't been pushing too hard for him to start crawling. I know once he does I will be on the move constantly so for now I am enjoying being able to put him down and him still be there a few minutes later! He has started trying to get on all four's so I know it is only a matter of time!

Caden's sleep is still very inconsistent but I am trying to not worry so much! He will sleep unswaddled, in his crib all night long when he is ready. So for now I am going to be flexible and do what works! He does go to bed every night at 8 and will normally sleep until 8 to 8:30 the next morning, waking once or twice during the night. Occasionally he wakes more then that. His naps throughout the day are inconsistent and never the same from one day to the next.

My sweet Caden, at 7 months you are :

• Wearing some 6-9 month clothes but mainly 12 month
• Size 3 diapers
• Size 3 shoes
• 4 teeth (2 top middle and 2 bottom middle)
• Exclusively nursing with me but taking 6 oz bottles with your daddy and Nana
• Eating 3 meals a day which consist of cereal and fruit in the morning, vegetable and fruit in the afternoon and cereal with applesauce in the evening
• Love snacking on puffs and mum-mums
• Started drinking diluted apple juice with a sippy cup this week. You love drinking it but don't have the sippy cup mastered yet. You want me to hold it for you!

• Squeals when you get excited or want attention
• LOVE being the center of attention
• Interacting well with other babies
• Got your first kiss from Miss Lauren last week
• Reaching for me when you want me to pick you up
• Laughs all the time, and sweet big belly laughs. You think your mommy is really funny!
• Love to be outside
• Favorite toys are your rattle, keys, and books that make noise
• Bath time is your favorite time
• Sitting all by yourself. Will occasionally fall over if you are reaching for a toy
  
• Helping mommy with laundry is a favorite part of your day

Caden, You light up my life every single day. Your smile absolutely melts my heart. I pray for you daily that you will thrive and spread your joy for life to those around you. I pray that your daddy and I continue to make the right decisions for you and that are best for you. I fall more in love with your daddy every single day and seeing the 2 of you interact fills my heart with joy. Thank you for your sweet smile and your sweet open mouth kisses. Sometimes I feel sad that you are growing so fast and won't be a baby forever but I look forward to every single day with you and am excited to watch you learn new things. I love you. XOXO, Mommy

Sleep, or the lack thereof...

I have been trying to get better about updating this blog more often but it seems I get busy and by the end of the day I choose to go to bed instead of get on the computer. But we had a major "first" last Thursday night. Caden was so tired from Mother's Day Out that when I laid him in his crib to watch his mobile before bed that he fell asleep on his own, NOT SWADDLED!!! He slept there for about 2 hours or so and then slept off and on the rest of the night between his pack in play in our room and in bed with me. Which is an AWFUL habit, and it is something that will not be done often, but I wanted to prove (mainly to myself) that Caden could, indeed, sleep unswaddled.

Friday my mom and I went to Tyler to get some decorations for a Valentine's Banquet we are decorating for and went to see my friend Ashley and her sweet daughter Lauren. Lauren is absolutely adorable!! I was thrilled to see her and Caden interacting, I think he really liked her! And they are both so friendly that there may have been a few kisses! They are both so sweet and social, and it just may have been Caden's first kiss!

Friday night Caden spent the first half of the night in his crib but I think he may have realized what was going on because he wasn't very happy when he woke up there! And the little stinker goes to sleep as soon as I lay him on my bed! But I ended up swaddling him because that is a bad habit that I do not want to get started. Needless to say I am not getting much sleep because although he does sleep some of the night unswaddled, he wakes up a lot, therefore I wake up a lot.

My sweet friend Christine is going to have her baby boy any day now so we went to get pampered Saturday afternoon. We got manicure's and pedicure's and I will admit, it was so nice! I haven't done that since before I had Caden. I cannot wait until she has her sweet baby.

Saturday night was more of the same as far as Caden's sleep is concerned. He started off in his crib. Then some in his pack and play, and at some point I got him from his pack and play in my sleep and woke up laying in my bed with him in my arms. Oops!! Guys, I was really tired. I don't remember anything about getting him!

Caden thoroughly enjoyed himself in the nursery Sunday morning and took a good nap Sunday afternoon. Then Matt's friend Sonny, and my friend Heather came over for dinner. We had such a fun time hanging out and playing! We also decided to get Caden his first swing since the days have been so much like spring lately (which we love) so he tried that out for the first time and smiled and squealed when we would swing him big! I just love that little guys smile! Melts my heart every time!

Unfortunately, in all of the busyness I didn't take any pictures! I have got to get better about that! I will update his 7 months stats in a day or two!

I have fallen in love

I fall in love with Caden more every single day. I love that he has started reaching for me whenever he wants me to hold him. I love how he may be fussy when he is in his crib but as soon as I peak my head in to look at him he grins really big. As much as I wish I could sleep all night long I do love when I wake up that he smiles so big and just wants me to hold him. There are times when I am rocking him for a nap and I am thinking about everything that I need to be doing (laundry, cleaning bathrooms, etc) but lately I have decided to put all of that off because I know he won't always let me hold and rock him. I love watching him play and he starts clapping just because he is so happy. I love how happy he gets when he takes a bath and the way he looks up with me with water all over his face and smiles so big and squeals with excitement. I could go on for hours about all the things I love about him but most of all, I love that God chose me to be his mommy.

If you're happy & you know it... clap your hands!

The past few days have been fun and busy! My normally late sleeper (8-8:30) decided to wake up at 7 everyday and that made for an even more tired mommy. Matt was sweet enough to let me catch an extra hour of sleep once he got home Friday morning so he watched Caden for me before he went to bed for the day. Once I got up I had laundry to do and errands to run. So off Caden and I went.
He was a huge help with the laundry! He had fun eating my socks and waving them around like a flag. We also went to wal-mart for our weekly shopping trip. And Friday night we went to dinner before Matt went to Ft. Worth for the weekend for the Navy.

Saturday morning he decided to get our day off to an early start again. Then we went to Tyler to do some shopping with Dee. And unfortunately I forgot my camera. But Caden was so good. He is such a good little shopper. One of the dressing rooms we were in had a nice lounge chair so he sat in that and would clap when Dee tried something on!

Speaking of clapping, he just started doing that this week. Most of the time he does it for no apparent reason. I first noticed it last Wednesday when he was sitting on the floor and I was in the kitchen watching him and he was just clapping away. Since then he does it on a regular basis. And he smiles so big! I have fallen more in love with his smiles this weekend!

Today we woke up and got ready for church in record time. Caden's favorite nursery worker was in the nursery today so he loved every minute I'm sure! He loves Mrs. Valerie! And after church we went to Matt's parents house for lunch and play time with Hunie. Once we got home Caden took a short nap but woke up really congested. I am hoping it is just allergies and he isn't getting sick.

Matt finally got home to us tonight and we were both so excited! We sure do miss him when he's gone!

Mother's Day Out

After giving it a lot of thought, prayer, and consideration, Matt and I decided to enroll Caden in a Mother's Day Out program at a local church 1 day a week. I want him to get used to playing with other kids at an early age. And as much as I love him being a momma's boy I want him to be adaptable and happy while others keep him as well. (And I will also add here that I know the sweet lady that is taking care of him very well. In fact she kept me when I was a baby!)

So, I've known this day was coming, and I had a complete peace about it, but my heart still felt a little sad. It is just one more way he is growing up so fast and isn't my tiny little baby anymore. We woke up as normal but instead of taking him to my mom's house I fed him breakfast and bundled him up for his day. I had packed his bag yesterday so we were ready to go.

He played with his rattle and was talking to me the whole way to Palestine. When we walked inside "the baby room" he was all smiles. I could see him staring at all the fun and new toys. I'm not sure he even realized I left, which I am so thankful for, because if he had cried there is no way I would have made it out that door. And I am also happy to admit I didn't cry either! Not even when I got to my car.

Mrs. Vicki was sweet enough to txt me throughout the day to let me know how he was doing and even sent a picture of him playing in a bouncer! He took a 45 minute nap this morning and a 20 minute one this afternoon, which is more then I thought he would do. I assumed he would be too excited with all of the excitement and other kids to sleep!

But when I walked through that door to pick him up at 3:00 I couldn't wait to love on him! I could tell he was so tired but he played and talked to me the entire way home. But once we got home and I started rocking him the boy was out! And took a 2 hour nap! I have a feeling every Thursday night he will be sleeping good after all of the excitement in his day!

Oh... swaddle

Well guys, Caden is 6 and a half months old and still will not sleep longer then an hour and a half unless he is swaddled. Therefore, mommy needs to sleep more then that at a time, so he is still swaddled at night. But this needs to change. I am beginning to feel really discouraged because he just will not sleep unless he cozy in his swaddle blanket. Last night we decided to try a new swaddle sleep sack. He isn't as confined as in his blanket but his arms are still down. And he did great! Last night wasn't any different then a normal night so hopefully this is a step in the right direction. I am going to slowly start trying to leave 1 arm out and then alternate to the other arm and my goal within the next few weeks is to have an unswaddled sleeper!

I am trying to not get too discouraged. I know every mommy and every baby have their little quirks, and this is ours. I still consider myself lucky and blessed to have such a happy baby most of the time. And I still fall more and more in love with my little guy every single day.

This week life has finally gotten back to normal and my work schedule is normal again. And I forgot how much I don't like working Monday and Tuesday and being away from Caden. I just couldn't get enough of him the past 2 nights, and I am positive the feeling was mutual. I love when I walk through the door his face lights up and watches me wherever I go. We spent the majority of today in our pajamas and played. We are having Nana over for dinner because Pop is out of town this week. I love my family and I love my life. I am one blessed girl and I thank God for the incredible blessings in my life.

So many firsts...

This year has started off with Caden learning and doing lots of new things. It seems like every day has been something new.
He started eating in his high chair and it was a bittersweet moment for me. I realized he really is growing up. He didn't seem as much of a baby to me as a little boy. And he still loves his food! So far sweet peas are the only thing he didn't seem to like very much but he kept eating... he just made an awful face every single bite!


After conversations with Shelly & Valerie I realized it was time to increase the amount of "food" Caden was eating. So we started rice cereal in the morning and evening and he is eating a whole container of stage 1 baby food in the afternoon. He has been doing really well with out new schedule and has seemed a lot happier having his belly full! We have also started him snacking on the puffs and mum-mums, especially to keep him occupied while Matt and I are trying to eat. He hasn't quite mastered the art of picking up a puff and putting it in his mouth but he sure does try!We also decided to try out our shopping cart cover on our weekly trip to Wal-mart and he loved it! He is so curious so he loved being able to see everything around him! He was definitely a happy boy! (And at the time I wasn't sure how to put on the cover correctly so I do realize now it was on upside down! Ha! I'll know better next time!)We went to the doctor today for Caden's 6 month well-check and shots. Have I mentioned that I HATE SHOTS!!! And it is just so sad when he is so happy and laughing and playing and in an instant that changes. But I do love the cuddle time with him after. He did pretty well afterward but by tonight was running a low fever. I am hoping my little man will feel better when he wakes up in the morning, or this may be a long night for this mama. But either way, I have a healthy little boy and that is all that matters!

Dr. Ricard said he looks great and is weighing in at 20lbs and is 27 inches tall. She said that is around the 84th percentile. She has also taken him off of one of his reflux medications so it seems that is getting better too! I am so thankful for my sweet baby every day but some days I am just so in love with being a mommy to that little boy and today was one of those days. I am reminded how lucky I am.

When we got home today we were having tummy time and Caden got his little hiney up in the air and was trying so hard to scoot forward to grab my phone that was on the floor in front of him. I have a feeling crawling is in our near future so I am going to try and get as much rest as I can now! I have a feeling once he starting getting mobile I will be one tired mama!

And finally, Matt's mom, "Hunie" came over to play with Caden one day last week and I finally remembered to take a picture and I thought it was just too cute so I wanted to post it! Now if only I could get him to smile for a camera!