Months 9 AND 10-Farewell Summer

9 months- 27.75", 17.5 lbs and head circumference of 17.25".  I am not sure of the percentiles as they were lost in translation, but I believe he is 40% in height, 10% in weight and 20% in head circumference (non-adjusted).  He seems to be completely caught up.  No trace of preemie here!!!

 

Again, two months have gone by since my last post.  Oops!  We had so much fun this summer, I didn't take the time to document.  I am so very fortunate to have been home with my little man during this stage of his life.  To date, Cayden met the most milestones while I was home with him everyday.  Because I am so far behind, I have NO IDEA where to begin!  Since the last post, Cayden has learned to really crawl (he is a fast little buggar), pull up, cruise, walk holding someones hands or toys, climb stairs, discover the pincer grasp, eat solid foods, wave bye bye, give kisses, and knows who Mom, Dad, Cooper and several toys are. With all the mobility, it was inevitable he would have his first accident.  It came when he was cruising along the entertainment center and faceplanted into Cooper's nylon ridgy edged chew bone.  OUCH!

The last weekend in July we took a trip to Saint Louis, which included Cayden's first night away from us.  He stayed with Aunt Carrie while Ryan and I went to a Cubs/Cardinals game and stayed downtown.  I didn't take it so well and might have cried for a few minutes as we left.  He didn't seem to mind. To him, we were not gone long as he was almost ready for bed when we dropped him off.

The game was hot!!  We went to a Friday night 7PM game, but the temperature managed to rise as the time passed.  Albert Pujols made his 2,000 career hit this evening, but we had left right before it. 

The next morning we went back to our little buddy and spent the rest of the weekend with Aunt Carrie.  We went to Fitz's for lunch where they bottle root beer and other soda's in the restaurant.  If you have children, this is a great place to go! After lunch we went to the St. Louis Zoo.  We were afraid because of the constant heat advisories we wouldn't be able to go.  We were lucky, it was overcast and rainy that day which cooled off the afternoon.  We decided a little rain was much better than the heat and decided to give it a go.  I am so glad we did as Cayden did seem to enjoy it.  He was not a fan of the hippos as they swam next to the glass.  I thought he would try to touch them as they went by.  Instead, he turned away and tried to climb further into me. But he loved the monkeys:

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Of course we had to get a picture in front of the gorilla,

and pick his nose.

Before we left we went City Park where Cayden thoroughly enjoyed the huge splash park.  He was so cute crawling around with no fear! 

We had a lot of fun with Aunt Carrie.  She is so good to him and he is so lucky to have such a great Aunt!

The next weekend we went up north for Leah's second birthday.  Brooke is so creative and did such a wonderful job with her party.  It wasn't nearly as grandiose as last year but was very nice with just close friends and family.  It was so nice to spend time with friends and have the little ones all together.  I was afraid we wouldn't be able to go as Cayden had an ear infection and was teething, therefore was not sleeping and was pretty miserable.  But, he was a trooper and enjoyed himself with all of his friends! Leah had a Finding Nemo themed party, her current obsession.  I love Brooke's special touches:

Leah even had a Nemo dress.  Apparently I decided to catch a shot after someone put her down.  Her dress needs pulled down, it was not a mini skirt!

The party favors for her little guests:

 

The cake matched her invitations.  We always enjoy the cookies and cake Brooke orders from The Cake Box YUM!

Cayden had a great time although he was sick and teething.  He stayed up WAY past his bedtime, even on no sleep. I love my baby boy!

It was another warm weekend, the kids loved to play at the water table!

If you look closely, you can see his little bottom teeth.  They broke through in July.  The bottom two teeth were really rough on him when they came through.

You can't feel the love between this dad and boy, can you?

By the way, who do you think Cayden looks like?  I feel like he is a good mix of the two of us. We both constantly hear, "He looks JUST like you!".  I think whoever is holding him you can see he truly does resemble both us.  Of course I think most days he looks more like me, people are just quick to jump the Ryan train because of their shared follicular challenge. :)  Cayden is starting to overcome this is issue as his hair has grown in a lot over the past two months.  We don't know what color it truly is. While in the sun, there is no question he is a blond, until you come inside and it is a darker brown. Time will tell I suppose...I just hope hair genes DOES come from the mother's side! ;)

I see a romantic future here!  Leah loves Cayden, I believe a little too much for his liking as she is constantly hugging and kissing on him saying, "It's the Baby Cayden.  Awww, I love the Baby Cayden."  He takes it for awhile but then cries and tries to push her away. 

 However, as this picture shows, he loves her too.

Owen, Cayden and Leah all playing together the next morning.  Sleepovers are fun for all of us!

The next weekend The Bisbee's were in for Heidi's Surprise 30th.  I have never been part of planning a surprise party and it was a success.  Heidi had no idea and she was very glad to see all of her friends.  Here are some of us girls:

 College Roommates, we haven't all been together in a picture since Janna's Wedding

The weekend of Cayden's 10 month birthday we decided to check our local zoo on a BEAUTIFUL Sunday afternoon.  We tried the splash park and he was not impressed with this one, which is unusual.  However, he did enjoy his first visit to the playground where he enjoyed his first swing. 

 Every stage is my favorite, but now that he can show how much he loves me...I can't get enough!  Here are his new teeth coming in at 10 months, when these pop through, he will have a grand total of 6!

Going back to work has been a struggle.  There has been a lot of change there and it is harder to handle since my heart is with my little man.  It is so nice to come home to a little one that is as excited to see me as I am him (ok, I don't think he can possibly compete with my level of excitement!).  But, we will make the most of it and next summer is a mere 9 months away! :)
Again, we blinked and our little boy is two months older.  I cannot believe he is almost one, it does not seem possible!  We could not ask for a better baby.  We love him more and more everyday. I have started planning (who am I kidding, I am almost done) Cayden's first birthday party on October 22.  It will be such an emotional day for me.  He is such a blessing and I am grateful for my family everyday.