First Christmas

I'm finally getting around to updating the blog. Cade had a wonderful 1st Christmas spent with alot of family. On Tuesday, we drove to Chisholm. Cade made it to Cloquet before he woke up and then he quietly played with his carseat toys. But, that only lasted about 1/2 hour and then the screaming commenced. We decided to stop about 15 minutes into it and see if we could calm him down. Well, he did calm down but once he was in the carseat again he started screaming. So, our last 45 minutes were spent listening to him while trying to drive on icy roads. Thankfully, Sean was driving and got us there safely (thanks honey). I hate hearing my baby cry. Especially when I can't do anything about it. I know Sean feels the same way so by the time we arrived at Phil's house our nerves were a little frayed. That evening we hung out with Phil and visited grandma and grandpa. They were all excited to see us (especially Cade of course). On Christmas Eve, Sean, Phil and I made dinner. We had an Italian dinner of polenta (cornmeal) and spaghetti sauce (sugo, I think is the correct Italian name for sauce) and we also had some sauteed shrimp and fish from the garden (breaded and fried zucchini). The meal was very good. Andy, Jill and Phillip arrived around 7:00 and then we all opened gifts. After we were done at grandma and grandpa's house, we headed back to Phil's to spend some time with Sue and get the boys into their pjs. We had to take pictures since they looked so cute. Then, on Christmas day, we headed to Proctor to drop the dogs off and head to Esko for dinner with my dad's side of the family. Another day of good food and family. There is never a lack of food at my aunt Diana's house and it's all good. Ham, cheesy potatoes, green bean casserole, rolls, salad and alot of dessert (cookies, candy and pie, oh my!) Cade had a fun time with my cousin's kids. He was laughing and talking to them. He actually remained happy throughout all of the festivities. We went back to my mom and dad's house to open gifts and Cade loves the gift bags more than anything else. He had one hanging from his arm as he was chewing on it. The only meltdown that Cade had was on Christmas day night. He was so overstimulated that he didn't want to sleep. He just wanted to scream. So, Sean and I took turns with him trying to calm him down. Finally, I decided to try something different and did the "momma moves" which is a combo of bouncing and swaying. He was out in under a minute! I figured that more movement would send him over the edge but instead it actually worked. We stayed in Proctor through Sat afternoon. On Fri, the girls headed to the mall and the boys stayed home and ended up dealing with a huge blowout diaper (poor grandpa Reg). We also got a chance to see Lundgren's who are old family friends and neighbors of my parents. Then on Sat, we headed home. Sunday, we all slept alot and it felt great.

The boys in their Christmas PJs

Laughing with daddy

Trying to eat Grandpa Phil's nose
Getting love from mommy (can you tell Cade had a cold, poor baby)
Playing with Grandma Linda
Sleeping with Grandpa Reg
Eating the gift bag
Checking out the puppy from Auntie Marcy

Christmas Preparations

Well, the shopping and wrapping are done and I decorated the tree yesterday so I think we are in good shape. Christmas cards are printed but still need to be addressed and sent. It's been fun to get everyone's cards in the mail. Everyday, I hope that there will be more. We were supposed to have Christmas with my mom's side of the family today but Sean, Cade and I opted out. There has been flu going around and we decided to not expose Cade. This will be the first year in 33 years that I haven't celebrated with that part of the family but there's always next year when Cade's immune system is stronger. This week we went in to get another synagis shot and his second flu shot. As part of the trip, he gets weighed. On Thursday, he was 14 lbs. It was a little surprising that he had only gained 7 oz in a month but he had a cold so maybe he lost a little (?) He has been growing in length though. I just put away his 6 month sleepers because it seemed that the snaps were popping in the middle of the night. The 9 month ones are still pretty big but soon he'll be out of those. What's amazing about his weight is that his cousin that is 2 months old weighs more than him! Phillip weighed in at 14 1/4 lbs at his 2 month appt. Oh well. I guess that just shows you how different babies can be. The ECSE teacher and PT were here on Monday and the evaluation went well. Cade seems to have mastered the 4 and some of the 5 month stuff and maybe a few 6 month things. Since he was 4 months adjusted on the 1st, he's doing just fine. Another thing that we've been dealing with over the last week is that Sean's car is sick. The transmission is bad and we've decided that instead of putting a bunch of money into it we would look for a new car. Through some connections that Sean has we have the option of possibly getting a car from an auction. So maybe by Wed we will have 2 working cars again. Cade and I have been driving Sean to work and one day I put his Santa hat on him to go get daddy. Here's what he looked like by the time he got home. Then, there's a picture for grandpa Phil and the Petrangelo's. And lastly, Cade working on sitting up and helping me wrap presents.

Cade's Baptism

It's been awhile again since I posted anything. I've been meaning to all week but just didn't get around to it. A week ago Cade was baptized in the church where we were married. It was really a special event because just about all of our family was there and some of our friends. His godparents are Andy, Jill and Marcy. Cade did remarkably well with the whole thing. He stayed awake for the first part of the church service and then we all went up front. He became mesmerized with Pastor Jeff's blue sash and then was enthralled with his baptismal candle. It was so nice that he was happy and not screaming. He was wearing a very special gown that was also worn by his grandpa Phil, his uncle Andy and his daddy. I really like the fact that he was wearing something with some meaning even if it was a dress :) After his baptism, for the rest of the service, he was zonked. He got a cold Saturday night so he needed his rest. But, by the time we were ready for lunch he was awake and ready to party.

Ho Ho Ho

Dedication...

During our travels up north, Cade caught a cold. Right now, it is confined to his nose. But, his poor little nose is draining down his throat. As a result, he has a hard time sleeping without coughing/choking on his own snot. So, Jill spent the night in the chair with him so that his poor little nose could drain and he could sleep. For acts such as these, you and all other mothers like you should be recognized. Thank you honey.