Three Years of Caden...

Caden will be three on November 5...Monday. I cannot believe it. I was looking through my photo albums online, and I thought I'd post some pictures of him over the years.

It is hard to believe that he has been here for 3 years. I remember the day he was born like it was yesterday. I woke up at 5 AM that morning having contractions. I told Rob that he could go to work, because most likely it would be awhile. I called my Mom, who was upset, because her plane wasn't flying in until the next day. By 2:30 in the afternoon, Rob and I had a mostly bald 7 pound 11 oz little boy. Luckily, my Mom was able to get an earlier flight the next day, so she was able to see her new grandson before he was even 24 hours old.

The first year flew by. Between the sleepless nights, the constant diaper changes, the first smiles and giggles--before we knew it Caden was 1 year old. A lot happened that year. We moved so that I could stay home. Rob got a new job. Caden just grew in leaps and bounds. By six months he was crawling and right around his first birthday he started walking! He would say "All done," around 10 months because he just didn't like to eat. This picky-ness is still a part of his personality, and I attribute it to the fact that Rob is such a picky eater. We had a big birthday that year, with about 25 of our closet friends and relatives and their CHILDREN. It was wild, and Caden unfortunately was not in the best mood. We did realize on his first birthday though that Caden LOVED sugar. He had a cake which was his first taste of processed sugar, and since that time he hasn't turned back.

Caden's second year was full of changes too. We had a great time doing playgroups, story time and meeting lots of great people. We met some of our best friends during that year--some whom I thought Caden would grow up with. However, in September we decided that we would move back home. Plans were made, and I got a job, and we ended up moving in October. Caden loved being around Big Mommy. It took him awhile to adjust to daycare, but now he LOVEs it! His vocabulary expanded by leaps and bounds. He was saying a new word every day. He used to love this book, and every time we read it he would point out the "Jack in the Box" and say "Jack 'o Box." It was the cutest thing.

This year Caden's growth and maturity has been amazing. He talks in full paragraphs all of the time. He has fears of monsters, specific likes and dislikes, and he even has "best friends" at school. It is amazing to watch how he transferred from a little baby into a child. He is getting bigger every day. Our biggest challenge this year has been discipline, but we are working on it, and Caden is starting to respond more and more. His favorite toys right now are Diego and CARS. He carries Lightening McQueen around everywhere we go (I can't even tell you how many times I've had to replace him!). He says the funniest things, and he loves to be the center of attention. We are having a party for him next weekend, complete with a CARS cake, and some friends of ours and their children. Grandma is even flying in for it! We know we will have a great time, and this will be the first of many more birthdays to come!