Thomas the train

We lucked out and had a beautiful day to see Thomas the train! 

Family Photo

Some of you might have been aware that for our anniversary this year, Chad and I decided to do family photos instead of getting each other gifts. We finally found a great photographer and got them done the first weekend in November. This just happened to be when one of Kayden's upper front teeth broke through so he stuck his tongue out in pretty much every shot. I guess that will be a story to remind him of when he gets older. Our photographer sent us the disk in the mail and I think it got a bit damaged so we can't open all the pictures yet but here are a few of my favorites so far...

I think she did a great job and there is 200 some pictures in all so this is just a taste of our afternoon. We went down the street by the french school and took some pictures in the Paskapoos. When Susanne gets back from holiday, we will try and get another CD of the pictures and post some more.

8 months, really?

Kayden is 8 months old now, wow. I keep having to recount the months in my head because I really do not believe it quite yet. We have seen a lot of changes in him this month though. Not so much on the outside but on the inside. He really concentrates on things when you talk to him. He's not crawling yet but, it's not too far off I don't think. All moms probably say that! I just see him have more determination everyday to get from one spot to another. He moves backwards and uses his rolling skill to move now. I guess we will have to wait and see! He has just recently had both upper front teeth break through so he's now a four tooth baby. I think he wants to stay ahead of his cousins in at least one department! His new skill as of the last couple of days is a 'High five'. He skipped the clapping and went for something more boyish I guess. I'm not sure if he understands what we are saying or if he just likes the way 'High five' sounds and then sees us lift our hand but, it's a start! I caught it on film for you...

Bath Time and Bogey

Usually you wouldn't put the two together but Bogey just loves to watch Kayden at bath time. I'm pretty sure he's just jealous as Bogey loves water. He's not much of a swimmer, more just into trying to drink all the water he can swallow.

One day they will be the best of buds...

Voting Day

Well, Chad and I headed out to go vote as soon as the polls opened as Chad had class late that day. We thought it was never too early to get Kayden used to the idea of voting. It was pajama day for Kayden! These ones are just so cozy I didn't have the heart to put him in anything else!

First Swim

Chad, Kayden and I decided to take advantage of holiday Monday and so we headed off to Westside Recreation Centre to try out the pool. At first, Kayden was a little confused about this huge bath we had just gotten into. He got used to it pretty quick and started splashing around. We then headed off to the toddler pool which is a bit warmer and then, he was in love. This was just the greatest!
We will definitely be doing that again as I think we have a bit of a water baby on our hands.

Giving Thanks...

We celebrated a really quiet thanksgiving this year. We did take a moment to give thanks for an incredible year so far. We are so very lucky to have a healthy boy who has two healthy cousins to grow up with. Kayden is surrounded by love from G.G. and all his grandparents, aunts and uncles. He is even blessed with one grandparent who has a special viewpoint up in heaven to watch over him. We feel very blessed this year and we want to thank you all for all of your support over this past year.

We decided to give Kayden a little bit of Chad's pumpkin pie in order to celebrate Thanksgiving. I think we felt he needed something tasty after eating all his potato, carrot, spinach, beef mushy creation. He loved the bits he actually got in his mouth! It was pretty neat to watch because it was the first time he was bringing food to his mouth without our help.

The times he decided to actually try and eat from the spoon, I was there to help out with actually putting something on the spoon to eat.


Ahh, the fun of discovering food...

He was pretty sticky after all this exploring but seemed pretty proud of himself. Who needs parents?

7 months old

I can't believe how quickly the time has gone by. Kayden is growing everyday. He is learning different sounds but doesn't quite associate them with objects yet. He reaches and grabs for things, mostly my glasses, he's an expert at getting those! He's still pretty easy going, analyzes a situation before feeling comfortable. We still meet up with our birth and babies group every once in a while so he's getting some socialising time in. I also drop him off at the daycare at the gym once a week right now for an hour while I do a class. So far, he jumps into the persons arms and plays and is in a great mood when I get back. He usually naps afterwards as he's so tired from all the play. I'm told that soon I might expect the 'playing strange' phase so I'll have to keep an eye out for that.

Mommy Minute

This blog is mostly for Kayden but I thought I would throw in some things about what's going on with Chad and I every once in a while. Chad is busy with school right now but doing well and only has a couple more weeks to go. At the end of October he will officially be done his second year of his Electrician apprenticeship and will be on to his third year already! It seems like just yesterday he decided to take the plunge and change careers.

I have decided to get back into running because I have missed it a lot over the past year and a half. It has been really difficult to get in running time as I always have that guilt that maybe I should be doing something else. I've decided to let that go as running really is therapy for me and when I do get out there I am a million times better at everything else in my life. Lisa Cameron and I decided in order to get ourselves back into the running mode we would run a race together. We completed the Ambulance Chasers 10 km run this past Friday. Our goal was to complete the run, and we did! Our time was 1 hour and 16 minutes. Kayden and Dad came out to watch Kayden's very first race. Lisa's Fiance Bill met up with us too so it was a lot of fun to be out there again.

Our next goal is to get back into the Half marathons. We have picked the Hypothermic Half marathon which happens mid-february in Calgary. It happens to be just before I get back to work so it'll be a great goal for the both of us.

Elmo

So, I'm not sure if I've told everyone but a lot of people have seen how much Kayden loves his Elmo. I thought it would be fun to capture his love for his buddy Elmo on video. I really have no clue what we're going to do if we lose Elmo...

Kayden and the puppies

So, I tried my best to get a picture of the puppies and Kayden together.

Here is the best shot I think...And here are the other attempts. Apparently this was pretty boring for Lorelei...

And then Kayden wanted to pet Lorelei...

And that is why dogs and babies are the most difficult things to take pictures of! Oh well, I'll get it one day I guess!

Grandpa Stew in town for a visit!

Well, Grandpa Stew came for a visit. It was short and sweet but the kids got lots of time in visiting Grandpa so it was perfect. Molly and Kayden got lots of time to visit since we babysat for Andy and Ali while they kept busy at Paige and Paul's wedding that weekend.

As you can see, Molly didn't mind hanging out with the Stager family for the weekend...

The big game while Molly and Kayden played was who was the keeper of the yellow key. As you can see, Molly pulled the 'I'm older than you so I get the key' quite a bit with Kayden.


Our little man kept trying though and was quite determined to get the yellow key back.

Little miss Molly decided that was not going to happen and did everything to keep it that way (note Kayden's turned over little feet at the left side of the picture). At that point, Lorelei decided it was time to help out her little Kayden and distract Molly so she would drop the key for Kayden.

It was all fun and games at the Stager household but I must say, I really appreciate all moms with twins or more now! I needed Chad and Grandpa's help to keep both kids happy!

6 months old already...

I'm still in shock as I type this but, it's true, the little guy is already 6 months old! He was weighed this week when he got his 6 month shots and weighed a whole 19 pounds 4 ounces! He is also 27.5 inches tall. So, needless to say, he is at the top end of the scale for both weight and height for babies his age. He can now sit up on his own. He started trying this a couple of weeks earlier but ended up on the ground everytime and just decided that was way better anyway. He has finally decided he can stay sitting. I have started to try and babyproof the house a bit more. All of the housplants have found a new home and I have done a little redecorating here and there trying to remove anything that could topple over. I still have some work to do and some babyproofing locks to buy but at least we have started.

New Highchair

So, thanks to Grandpa Stew, Kayden now has his own spot at the table! Well, he kind of has his own table really... It's so great to have the highchair. Kayden loves it and I like to place him there while I bake or cook. I put some of his favorite toys on the tray and he keeps himself busy until, he drops them all. I think the dogs are starting to see the potential in flying leftovers as they often are found hovering around the seat just waiting.

Cousin Molly and Kayden

Memere was visiting recently so we've had a chance to hang out with cousin Molly a lot. One thing I've learned about Kayden is he is a thinker. It takes him a while to analyze a situation before deciding it's all good. So, that being said, Kayden was pretty happy hanging out with his cousin as much as he did this weekend as he had time to decide she was pretty fun! Ali has a bunch more great shots on her site if you want to check those out.

My buddies and me

So, the dogs are getting quite comfortable with Kayden. They are even okay when he reaches his hands out and grabs for their gums. Lorelei usually just sits there and takes it but Bogey either dodges the hand or walks away. They are getting to know each other and understanding they are all family though as you can see in these photos.

My two front teeth

So, Our little guy is growing so big right in front of our eyes! He has two front teeth already! It was actually kind of shocking the first time I stuck my finger in his mouth to check it out. He wasn't too cranky or out of the ordinary but I'm sure that will come when the other teeth decide to arrive. This picture is the closest I can get to the teeth for the camera. You can barely see the two little white bumps but they are there!!!

The Giggles...

Ever since Kayden started giggling, Chad and I have been trying to capture it in video. We finally were able to capture a little glimpse of the Kayden giggle. It's the best sound in the world (a true comment from a mom).

Jump, Jump, you know you wanna....

So, since I have so many items to catch up on, this blog may seem quite random until I come up with a better system. Until then, I will be adding random Kayden moments. This one is a video clip of Kayden figuring out the Jolly Jumper. He just loves it! He doesn't quite understand how it works but I'm sure that's coming and when it does, we will have our own little jumping bean.

Kayden - Quick Picks 0 to 5 months old

So, here are some photos from Kayden from his little self to his not so little self of 5 months. It's amazing to see how much he's changed...

Newborn

1 Month

2 Months

3 Months

4 Months

5 Months