Storing Memories...Cayden - 14 months

I've recently decided that I will use this blog to store memories (as I have been doing all along by way of pictures and stories), and will begin to update monthly with milestones and successes that Cayden has achieved. I will do my best to accomplish this using both words and pictures, and of course will also continue to post as I have been.

In the past few days, though, I have been looking at my growing boy, wondering where the time has gone, and reminding myself that I have to be better at keeping track of all that he has done and learned thus far. I want to do this so I can look back at it in years to come and see what he was doing, and when he accomplished certain things. I also hope to refer back to these posts when we decide to add to our family with another little bundle of joy...not to compare, just to satisfy curiosity and to see how each child will be different.

So, I will try to keep this up as best I can, with frequent updates of his growth and learning, and please remind me if I ever start to slack!

Here it goes!

• My baby Cayden is growing before my eyes. There are days I look in on him, sleeping soundly in his crib, and realize now, at 14 months, his once tiny body covers over half of the crib's length.
• I am amazed every single day with his new developments. Cayden, at 14 months, has a great little vocabulary! He is beginning to be more and more verbal and wants to share his thoughts all day long. He now can say the following words (okay, well I know that these are the words he is trying to say at least. As a mother, you just know. Others may not pick up on them, but they are perfectly clear to me!): Mama. Dada. Baba. NeNe (Meme). Papa. Binky. Diaper. Book. Ball. Rowdy (Row-Row). Choo-choo. Sock. Go. Yes. No. Sarah (RaRa). CaCa (when something is gross or bad). And he makes a wicked car sound! Vroom-Vroom!!
• My boy, at 14 months, LOVES taking baths! We simply mention the word "bath" and he's off to the bathroom! He squeals with delight and scoots his little booty right to the tub!
• He is standing with absolute ease now. At 14 months, he pulls himself up and cruises along the furniture. Each day he is getting more daring and taking more risks...sometimes pulling the "no hands" trick then promptly plopping down to his butt. He is growing so fast, and striving for that independence that walking will bring.
• At 14 months, Cayden can identify many animals and we work daily on matching animals with their appropriate sounds. The ones he likes best are: Lion...ROAR! Bear...ROAR! Birdie...Tweet-Tweet. Cow...Moo! and of course, Monkey...Ooh-Ooh, Ah-Ah-Ah!
• He eats like his father. I swear these boys will one day eat me out of house and home. Now, at 14 months, Cayden is eating all table food, and his absolute favorite is a grilled cheese sandwich, with some shaved ham on the side! He has bottles of milk a few times during the day, before naps and bedtime of course!
• Cayden enjoys brushing his "chompers." At 14 months, Cayden has two teeth on the bottom, four coming in up top!
• Cayden loves to play. At the ripe old age of 14 months, he has mastered the art of the Sit 'N Spin! He loves to play with cars, and balls, and anything that involves hitting something! He uses his plastic baseball bat with authority! Hitting balls and other toys and cracking himself up constantly!
• He throws a mean curveball! My 14 month old can throw a ball clear across the living room...with BOTH hands!
• Cayden is very smart. At 14 months, he is able to identify family members in pictures. If you happen to be in his repertoire of vocabulary, and we have a picture of you, you can guarantee he's screaming your name from time to time :-)

Cayden loves life. He is a very happy boy (98% of the time!) and smiles so often. and when I see this big boy's smile, my heart smiles. I look forward to seeing that for a lifetime to come, and hope to share much more with you in the future! (I hope you get to see his smile often too!!)

So that's it for now. The last 14 months have been filled with immense growth and learning, on all of our parts! But to watch my Cayden grow is the greatest thing ever...I wish nothing but the best for my baby boy! Until next month....! :-)

Here's a video of my big guy having fun!