Firsts

Kaden has had a couple of new "firsts" recently. First X-rays and as a direct result, first big boy bed. Kaden hurt his knee several days ago. I'm not sure exactly how he injured it, but it kept giving out on him.  He'd fall down, grab his knee, crying and saying "Owie" (is there really a correct spelling for that word?). This happened eight to ten times within a half hour, so off to InstaCare we went.

They took X-rays of his knee and it took three people to hold him down. They gave him an Otter Pop for him to eat while we waited for the doctor. The doctor came into our room and do you think Kaden's knee problem persisted? Heavens no! We must make mom seem overprotective and paranoid. His knee did it twice in the waiting room, but of course not in front of the doctor. She had him walking around all over the office and nothing. She wrapped it in an ace bandage, which I believe was more for my sake than for Kaden's, and prescribed ibuprofen. She said if the problem persisted for more than a couple of days to take him to the emergency room. Luckily, he never had another problem after that.

Kaden had been climbing out of his crib for a week or so.  Once I even saw him stand on the side rail and take a flying leap right off!  After this knee business I promptly listed his crib in the classifieds and sold it that same day. No more acrobatics out of his crib. It was sold and picked up so fast I didn't have time to be sad about it. My sister had an adorable toddler bed that she is letting us borrow until Annika is big enough for it.

Kaden absolutely loves his new bed. He is so proud of it. The first night, he was up three times. I was sleeping in my bed and all of a sudden heard a "Hi." I opened my eyes and there's his little face, right in front of mine, chin resting on my mattress. Quite startling when you're not expecting it.  Fortunately he hasn't gotten up in the middle of the night since. He really loves his little bed and even put himself down for a nap twice on Friday and once yesterday. Tina and I went looking for him yesterday and found him fast asleep in his bed. So cute!

Sorry about this...

It seems that each day I am becoming more and more depressed. I want new hair, new make-up, new clothes, new body, a new life. I have had a lot going on in my life these past few months. In a nutshell, the end of my marriage. Derek and I have been separated since July, give or take a week. I am on an emotional rollercoaster from day to day. One day I'm relieved, another day I'm sad, another day I'm worried, another day I'm mad, another day I'm stressed. Everyday, I feel guilty. Guilty, guilty, guilty. I am trying to make everyone happy, but no one is happy. Least of all myself.

This post is not to bash on my husband. He is not a bad person, but he has made several bad decisions. I won't go in to the details and if you want to know you, can ask me. I am not ashamed of it. I have been ashamed and secretive about it for four years prior to now, but have learned to not be any longer. Secrets are not good for the soul. I have always taken care of him and everything for him. I have been "in charge" and I still feel the need to do this for him despite the fact that we're separated. He is falling apart and I can't help him. I want to, but I can't. He has to do this on his own. I have tried for four years to "fix" him and have failed. Yes, I know this is not my failure because you can't fix or change someone, but still, it's how I feel. How do you you get your heart (emotion) and your brain (logic) in the same place?

I put my house up for sale two months ago and have accepted an offer that is scheduled to close Dec. 16th. My sister, Tina, and I are buying a townhouse together which we will close on the week prior. I wanted a townhouse for the no maintenance factor. Plus, my house is on a busy road and I've always wanted a safer place for Kaden to be able to play. The timing couldn't be more perfect, but I feel like I am leaving Derek behind. I owned my house for four years before I met him. I paid most of the household expenses during our marriage (with the help of my sisters who have lived with me). Why do I feel guilty for my success? I feel guilty that I have these things and he doesn't. I feel guilty for having put him out of my house, even though he deserved it. I feel guilty that it has become a burden on his brother and his wife. Heaven help me I'm going out of my mind.

I always wanted marriage so badly. It finally happened and I was like, "This is it?" I guess I just picked the wrong guy or I was the wrong girl. You know, I've heard many divorced people say that when they look back they knew they shouldn't have married the person they did. It is true for me. What was a "bump in the road" then has only amplified as time went on, especially after having a child.

Now we're having a surprise party for my dad's 60th birthday on Saturday and we'll be seeing many people we haven't seen in awhile and they'll be asking, "Where's your husband?" I'm not looking forward to it. Anyway, sorry about this pity party. This post isn't to seek attention, rather I hope it will help work through it.  Blogging is journaling for the 21st century, right?

Halloween

We had a fun Halloween this year! A week prior, all the grandkids went to the trunk-or-treat at Aunt Tina's work.




Earlier on Halloween day my mom and I took Kaden to Gardner Village to see the witches. He was more interested in all the pumpkins laying around everywhere than the witches, but I got him to hug the one with the giant bosom.








After Gardner Village my mom picked up Tarah and Annika and we got them dressed to trick-or-treat at Aunt Kristin's work. Kaden and Annika both threw fits about getting into their costumes. They got lots of candy though.




Later that night we kept with our tradition of eating chili at my parents' house - Grandma and Grandpa Bailey's - and took the kids trick or treating around their neighborhood. We made it short and sweet since it was raining a little. It was a good day and fun was had by all.

Punkin' Carvin'

Kaden carved a pumpkin with his dad yesterday afternoon. Derek did most of the work of course, but Kaden helped scoop out the guts. "Eeww!" He kept repeating over and over and showing me his messy hands. He loved it!  Then he would let the dog lick the pumpkin innards off his hands. Kinda gross.  Anyway, the lil' punkin' turned out pretty cute. Kaden has wanted to carry it around ever since.

Tagged - 4th Folder, 4th Picture

My 4th photos folder is Kaden's 6 month pictures. They were taken in April 2007. I loved that little outfit on him.

TWO Cute!

I cannot believe my baby is two! Where has the time gone? Suddenly my toddler has become a little boy. A crazy, funny, gorgeous boy. All of us mothers long for the days when our children were babies, but at the same time have so much fun experiencing the new things they do each day as they grow. I miss the days when I could hold him in my arms for hours. That only lasted a few short months for me. Kaden hasn't been much of a cuddler since he was about 5 months old. The closest I get to cuddling now days is him laying next to me in my bed and watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Handy Manny.

I think back to when Kaden was born and how sick he was and what a horrible time it was when he was in the NICU. It was such an emotional time and it was the longest 10 days of my life. I hope to never have to go through it again. Luckily that wasn't a predictor for his future health. He has hardly been sick at all since. A few sniffles now and then, but that is all. He has been a dream to raise (keep it up Doodle!). He slept through the night at 6 weeks old, goes to sleep on his own, never fusses about going to bed, is a good napper, has a wonderful temperament, and is so personable, happy and funny...I could go on and on.

Kaden, I love you and am so grateful for the gift Heavenly Father gave me in you. You make life worth living and give it purpose. Happy Birthday Kaden Boy!

We had a fun birthday party for Kaden on Saturday the 11th. A friend of mine lent us their bounce house. It is a small one, so it fit perfectly in the basement (it was freezing outside!). The kids had fun. It took Kaden a good half-hour before he would even get in the thing. He bawled and bawled. Meanwhile two, one year old girls were in there having a gay ol' time. Kaden was the only boy and the only one crying. Oh well. Then we did a craft where each kid made a pumpkin face to stick on their goodie bag. We ate lunch then opened presents.

Kaden got spoiled! Thank you to everyone for your generosity. Afterwards we sang a beautiful rendition of "Happy Birthday To You." Kaden joined in and sang too. When it came time to sing "happy birthday to Kaden..." he pointed to himself. It was so adorable.  He blew out the candles without being prompted to do so.  Kids are surprising with what they learn through observation.

Thank you everyone for sharing in Kaden's day. We had fun and hope you did too.

Tagged

The rules: answer the following questions with one word answers and pass it on to seven others. Here are the questions:

1. Where is your cell phone? Purse
2. Where is your significant other?
3. Your hair color? Blonde
4. Your mother? Talented
5. Your father? Industrious
6. Your favorite thing? Son
7. Your dream last night? Unmemorable
8. Your dream/goal? Slenderize
9. The room you're in? Office
10. Your hobby? Cleaning
11. Your fear? Gossip
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Secure
13. Where were you last night? Parents'
14. What you're not? Carefree
15. One of your wish-list items? Raise
16. Where you grew up? Utopia
17. The last thing you did? Deleted
18. What are you wearing? Black
19. Your TV? LOST
20. Your pet? Annoying
21. Your computer? None
22. Your mood? Longing
23. Missing someone? Daily
24. Your car? Grandma
25. Something you're not wearing? Makeup
26. Favorite store? Craft
27. Your summer? Short
28. Love someone? Yes
29. Your favorite color? None
30. When is the last time you laughed? Yesterday
31. Last time you cried? Today

Denver

Kaden recently had his first airplane ride when we took a trip to Denver to see his Daddy Roy and Ammie LuAnn. I also had the wedding of my friend Natalie to attend. We had such a great time! Roy and LuAnn really spoiled us with the fun activites they had planned.

We went to the Denver Zoo on Friday. Later that evening we took Phoebe for a walk to the park and Kaden played on the playground. It was cute to watch Roy interact with Kaden and try to show him how the playground equipment worked. Later that night we went out to dinner. Thank goodness LuAnn had a purse of tricks to help keep Kaden entertained.

Saturday we went to the Children's Museum. It took Kaden a little while to warm up but once he did, he had a blast (with the exception of a few meltdowns). I enjoyed watching Roy and LuAnn interact with him there. After that Kaden and Daddy Roy watched some of the rides at the adjacent amusement park. That evening we went to the Downtown Aquarium. Uncle Jonathan, Aunt Julie, Uncle Timothy and Kate met us there too. Kaden was a little afraid of the darker exhibits, but seemed interested by it all. Afterwards we ate at the Aquarium's restaurant. It was really cool and the food was good. Kaden, however, really tested my patience. I found myself in the gift shop wasting money buying all sorts of crappy little toys hoping they would distract him. Overall we had a great day and Kaden did very well considering the long day and all the activity.

Unfortunately, on the flight home, the plane was booked to the gills and there was no way Kaden was getting his own seat. I was nervous about how he would do on my lap the whole time. Even more unfortunate was the fact that the plane was delayed 20 minutes at the gate and we were sitting behind Mrs. Crabby Crabberson (who wore a mask over her nose and face for germs). She told the flight attendant that Kaden was disturbing the back of her seat. Gimme a break lady - we were still at the gate!!! Anyway, it was suggested that we trade places. It turned out great for me because it put us on the front row with more leg room and as soon as the plane taxied the runway, Kaden fell asleep. Then, poor Mrs. Crabby Crabberson was stuck in front of a couple whose baby fussed and cried nearly the entire flight. Too bad (heehee). If she'd have just been a little more patient she would have had a more peaceful flight. Stick that in your mask and smoke it!

Thank you Daddy Roy and Ammie LuAnn for taking us to all the fun things in Denver. We had so much fun making memories with you! One of Kaden's favorite things was walking Phoebe with Grandpa every night.

Potty Training

Hello everyone!  This is my very first Snyder Stories blog post.

Imagine my surprise this past weekend when I found Kaden in the bathroom potty training himself! He was even using toilet paper. And I thought this potty training thing would be difficult.










Then, last night, Kaden bathed himself too. He's practically raising himself. I am so lucky!

In all seriousness though, I am one lucky mom. Kaden is such a good-natured, intelligent, ACTIVE and MISCHEVIOUS boy. I couldn't imagine my life without him. He brings me incredible joy.