Happy 2009

I realized its been a while since my last post, so just wanted to post a few pics and list a few "new" things Caden has been doing. He seems to be changing every day and learning more and more as he soaks in everything around him (and I mean everything, which is a little scary!) Here are his updates! :)

• Eating like a teenage boy. This kid is LOVING solid foods--pasta, beans, rice, chicken, turkey, bananas...the only thing that takes some coaxing is veggies. Just like daddy.
• Zerberts. (this one is my fav). Me, Jon and Grammie Kathy often blow on Caden's tummy which makes his giggle like crazy. We call these Zerberts in my family. So recently, Caden will come over to Jon or I if we are on the floor with him, find our tummy (sometimes lifting our shirts), and give us a Zerbert, and he himself proceed to laugh. Its the funniest thing and pretty darn cute. My favorite part is that he laughs so hard--in case we don't, he does it for us.
  
• Pointing. I love that he is starting to be able to communciate what he wants by pointing at things--toys he wants but can't get to, food, water, bottles etc. He will "talk" (though we can't understand yet) and tell us what he wants as he points to it. He also does the signs for "more" and "done" while eating which is great too.
  
• Elmo. He loves him. While he could take or leave the rest of Sesame Street, the world freezes for him when its the 20 minute Elmos World part. Cookie Monster is growing on him, but for now, he hearts Elmo.
• Cookies. I bought some vanilla organic toddler cookies at Whole Foods that I thought might be fun for Caden to try. I made the mistake of setting about 4 of them down on his high chair tray because I was going to break them in half for him. I got distracted for a second by Roxy doing something she shouldn't and 5 seconds later I turn back to Caden and the cookies are gone. All four were shoved in his mouth. I pretty much had to wrestle him to take some out. I always tease Jon that Jon eats like the food is going somewhere (as if it will disappear if he doesn't eat it super fast). Apparently Caden picked up this trait. All that to say, he is loving cookies.
• Shredder. My parents gave me money to buy a paper shredder for Christmas because I want to be able to dispose of bills by shredding them. I think I am going to just start handing them to Caden. When Caden finds a paper or a magazine on the ground, he will tear it. But not just randomly--he will somehow meticulously tear it into little pieces. Then when he is done, he will move the pieces into a pile. If I can train him to put those pieces in the trash, I am definitely foregoing buying that shredder.
  

And here are a couple of fun things we are looking forward to:

• Caden is getting dedicated on February 1st at Mariners!
• Jon and I are going to see Elton John in Vegas February 7th, so we will be there for that weekend while my parents watch Caden. Its Jon's birthday present, since he really wanted to see Elton before he stops playing Vegas. (Yes, Jon is an Elton fan. You wouldn't guess it, but its true.)
• Caden's First Birthday is less then 2 months away. We've picked a day to have his party (March 7) and are trying to plan away...hmm...mimes, clowns or magician? The options are endless... ;-)

That's all for now! Here are some pics of C!

Eating some of his favortie foods: black bean, rice and macaroni. And yes, he ate all of this, no problem and that was after some jarred food and before some cheerios. This kid puts it away.

Caden riding his little scooter he got from my aunt for Christmas. He loves it!