Caden really is an agreeable little boy. He is flexible and easy to please. Even when he asks for something and the answer is no, he’ll usually respond with “Okay!” and go on about his business. “Hey Momma? Can I have some more cheese please?” “No, I think you’ve had enough already.” “Okay!” I really appreciate how easy going he tends to be. Flexibility makes everyone’s lives much nicer. On occasion he will protest my negative answer and say, “But I asked nicely!” We’ve discussed that asking nicely gives you a much better shot at getting what you want, but it doesn’t guarantee it. Apparently that’s a harder concept to grasp.
Speaking of “hey Momma,” I hear that all-day-long. My name is not Momma, it’s HeyMomma. All one word. With capital letters. It has spilled over to Kamy too now. Daddy is the actual root of the phrase, but no one uses it quite like Caden. If and when he finally drops “hey” from my name, I may not even answer any more!
Lately, Mr. Caden has been a bit more ‘three’ than he had been before. He’s searching for ways to express his little opinion and independence. He tends to be a bit more passive than Kamy, so he is more likely to ignore my directions than outright protest. That being said, I have heard “no” a lot more lately. Where’d he learn that word from? =P He still does the silent, face on the floor pout when he doesn’t want to do something. Unfortunately for him, I can still pick him up and carry him to his room when this happens … although I am afraid it won’t be too long before that is no longer an option. Lol!
Caden loves to sing. He sings all the time! He is especially fond of singing in the bathroom. We’re discouraging singing at the dinner table and at bed time, but any other time is fair game. We usually listen to Disney songs while we are in the car and he is starting to pick up on the words and chorus. That boy listens to everything and will repeat lines from any song. He’s also getting really good at remembering the title of the song too. It’s his job to identify the song and which movie it is from when it comes on the radio. Kamy is forever asking, so it is nice to have some backup on that front now. His current favorite songs to sing are Kiss the Girl (Little Mermaid), Let’s Go Fly a Kite (Mary Poppins), Do You Want to Build a Snowman and Love is an Open Door and Let it Go (Frozen), and my current holiday favorite, “Oh ho, the missing toe!” <wink> We are paying even more attention to the songs on the radio since we know there are always little ears listening … and listening closely.
This month we had an appointment to see a pediatric orthopedist. Caden’s been a toe walker ever since he started walking and our pediatrician recommends that they get evaluated at 3 years old to make sure there’s not a physical cause for toe walking. Fortunately we had good news — everything with his tendons and hamstrings is normal … Caden’s just goofy. At this point they expect him to grow out of it — either because the added weight makes it harder to keep walking on toes or from peer pressure / awareness of doing it differently. We aren’t pushing the issue, so I’ll suggest he walks on his heels a couple times a week, but we aren’t really drawing attention to it either. We are just glad nothing has to be done medically.
Caden has decided that undies should be worn backwards. His briefs have pictures on the back, which you can’t see if they’re on the right way! He doesn’t really need the “functionality” of the front yet, so beyond the comfort issue, it’s totally up to him. Speaking of dressing … Kamy has convinced him that the best attire for dancing is a twirly dress. I’ll save the photos for blackmail and embarrassing him later, but suffice it to say they are a little big on him but they certainly do twirl! Oh the perils of having an older sister to follow.
Caden can now complete 60 piece puzzles by himself. For a while he seemed most interested in the 24 piece wooden puzzles we have, but he will pull out the Thomas puzzle and work on it independently. He and Kamy regularly do “puzzle races” to see who can complete a puzzle quicker, but as long as both puzzles have the same number of pieces, Kamy will win. He’s a good sport though and seems to enjoy doing it with her.
We have had such a nice fall and early winter in Texas! We spend so much time outside — playing in the yard and garden, taking the bikes down the road, and visiting the local parks. Now that the kids are mobile and fast on their bikes, Keller fixed my bike so I can keep up. My poor legs weren’t cutting it and I found myself jogging just to keep pace. We’ve started going up to the church in our neighborhood and riding around the parking lot and up and down the hill. We’ve even taken the bikes down to Lone Star Park, though the hill getting back out is a bit tiring for little legs. We’re working on their stamina and strength. =) Both kids LOVE to be outside and I am so glad we live in an area that makes it really easy to do.
Lastly, Daddy let Caden steer around in a large grassy area one day while house hunting. Caden was super excited about it, though you couldn’t tell during the event because he had is concentrating face on. He’s such a cutie!
