Thanksgiving Update!

Well, I am so Thankful that I have five days off! We won't be able to go to our family Thanksgiving meals, but I am determined to make it a great holiday anyway. So here is what is going on at our house:

Eli: He is now 8 and a half months old and sitting, crawling (army style), and pulling up every now and then. He likes to crawl in our laps and then back out. He especially likes to back off of the couch. He has a much better sense of space and height than Caedyn did even at one year old. He is such a wild man! It is so crazy around here now that he can move! He actually chased Caedyn out of his room the other night because he wanted her shoes! (He's a foot man!) He claps and plays patty cake. I think he is waving Bye Bye, but the verdict isn't in on that one yet. I am starting to think that he can say Caedyn. It sounds a lot like DaDa, but is a little different, like DehDeh. I know a lot of people don't think babies can talk so early, but I think they do if you really pay attention to how they are saying things and when. He is also learning the sign for "Eat." He has officially retired from the Bumbo seat and is in a highchair, and he takes a big boy bath instead of using the little bath. Of course he takes a bath with Caedyn, and they both love that!

Last week, Mr. Eli was sick with a sinus infection, ear infection, and pink eye. I had to be out 2 days with him and Nana kept him one day. He looked pitiful on Sunday. Lucky us, our doctor is willing to see us on the weekends. By Monday his appearance was much improved, but he didn't go back to daycare until Thursday last week.

This Monday I got a call at work saying that Caedyn had a fever of 100.4. My mom was able to get her. She had a rash all over and in her mouth. We figured it was strep, and we were right. Gary took her to the doctor on Tuesday and Dr. Mac said that Caedyn took the cake for the day and even prescribed Tylenol with Codeine for the pain. Her fever never got really high, but the rash is very prominent. She won't eat solids or many liquids. She says, "I hurts you" while pointing in her mouth. This means "That hurts me" in the mouth. Poor baby! She is such a sport. Just like all of her major sickness last year, she doesn't act like she is sick. She keeps on going. So she and I were home today, and I got a call from daycare. Eli has a fever of 101.6. He just got off his antibiotic yesterday from last week's infections so the doctor feels sure that it is viral. She is going to call us tomorrow to check in on us. She said she would see us in the morning if we wanted to bring either of them in. We feel really fortunate to have a doctor willing to see us on a holiday! I remember last Thanksgiving she was on call, and told us the same thing. (Caedyn stayed sick last year!)

Caedyn: Oh my! Caedyn is a trip! She loves to sing, and will get a songbook from her room (Wee Sing) and just walk around in her own little world and sing away. Then there are the songs she sings that we also know: ABC's, Itsy Bitsy Spider, Wheels on the Bus, Muffin Man, Happy Birthday (Hannah), and maybe some more. She does the motions and everything. It is too cute. I try to video her singing, but she is more interested in seeing "the girl" when I get the camera out. She loves to see herself. Caedyn can count to 12, but she usually leaves out 5. She also loves to write with a pen or pencil. Forget the crayons, she wants to write. She will tell us to "write sompin" and will then call out people's names for us to write. Then she will tell us all the names she can write.

Caedyn went to Hannah's birthday party two weeks ago and had a blast! Hannah turned 6 and had a Spa birthday party and sleepover. The moms and girls slept over, and Caedyn actually did really well. As for the spa party - WOW! Lisa thought of every detail! Caedyn did it all! She washed her face, soaked her feet, got her nails done, got her make-up done, and her hair done. Then the girls got dressed up and ate dinner. It was so much fun for all of us! All the kids were down by 9:30. Lisa, Laura, and I stayed up until 2:00, but it was really great to have a night of girl talk. Since then all Caedyn can talk about is Hannah's birthday. Sydney let Caedyn have a pair of her dress up shoes, and as party favors Lisa gave the girls play earrings, necklace, purse, and candy bracelet and necklace. Caedyn has put all of this in her jewelery box. Everyday when she gets home from school she runs to her closet to take her shoes off and put them up, puts on the dress up shoes, and gets her jewelery box to put on her jewelery. (She doesn't know that the candy necklace and bracelet are candy. I know that is kinda gross that we keep letting her play with it, but she does love it.) She can walk better in those little heels than I can! I tried for so long to keep her away from the fru-fru bows, sequins, frills, lace, and princess stuff, but she is all-girl! Her current favorite thing is to dress up and walk around with her purse and baby doll. Here are some pics of Caedyn's pampering from the birthday party beginning with the "before picture" on our front porch as we were leaving.

She acted like she had done all of this before. This was actually the first time she had her nails painted. She decided that if her fingernails needed to be under the dryer, then so should her toes. She is so smart!

The other thing that Caedyn has started since Hannah's birthday party is singing "God Our Father" for the blessing. It is adorable. She squintches her eyes closed and sings so sweetly. One night this week, Eli saw the three of us with our hands clasped praying, and he thought we were clapping, so he clapped a couple of times and then held his hands together like he was praying too. The singing blessing is working so well that Gary says he is going to come up with a singing bedtime prayer rather than closing our prayers with The Lord's Prayer. And lastly, speaking of bedtime prayers, Sydney has made it to the bedtime prayers. She gave Caedyn the dress up shoes and played with Hannah at the birthday party, so Caedyn thinks she is tops! Now everynight Caedyn prays for Big Bus, HannahBlake (one word), Lisa, Danny, Sydney, and whoever else she thinks of that day. Sometimes AdysonTaylor (one word) make it, sometimes not.

I am really sad that we will miss Thanksgiving with our families. I was really looking forward to Caedyn getting to play with Sydney, Ava Grace, Hannah, and Blake. And Eli would love to see Will, Adyson, and Taylor! The four of them will start school the same year - that is crazy! Hopefully we will see some of them at Caedyn's birthday party next week or at the family Christmas the next week. I hope everyone has a great holiday!! Happy Thanksgiving!